Megryansmom's New Year's Rockin' Eve

No you won't find Ryan Seacrest or Dick Clark here, and it's not Times Square. Instead, at the threshold of yet another new year, I bring you a countdown of the best of my blog.

1. My very first post
2. My one and only guest post
   
3. Husbands
4. On winning the lottery
5. Congratulations Barack
6. About skipping
7. Adventures of the Traveling Plate
8. My Secret Santa exchange
9. The horserace
10. New Year's resolutions

and some Avenue traditions to ensure a fortunate and prosperous New Year.

1. All bills need to be paid prior to Jan 1st, so the new year is not started off in debt.
2. The eating of herring will bring money in the new year. This works for my mom, not so much for me.
3. Wear something new, to make sure you will be well dressed all year.
4. DO NOT do the laundry on New Years Day, it means someone may die.
5. Kiss those dear to you at midnight, doing so will keep that love growing.
6. Let the old year out the back door and the new year in the front door. Make lots of noise to scare away any evil spirits. Banging on pots with a wooden spoon works well.
7. For the best possible fortune in the new year the 1st person entering your home should be a tall, dark, handsome man. Whew, I have all those bases covered with Whynot. Blonds bring bad luck and if a woman enters 1st, she brings with her disaster.
8. Garbage should not be thrown outside, nor should you shake out your rugs on New Years day, or you will be throwing away all the good luck.

How do you plan on ringing in 2009? Adults only at the Waldorf Astoria? Or perhaps the Trump Tower in Chicago? Will it be a family affair at Disney World? Can you even stay up that late?

Wherever you are and whatever you do, I hope that this New Year 2009 brings you more happiness than all my words can tell!

Hey P.S. Mrs. Schmitty is having a contest and I'm a finalist! Go vote pretty please. I won't nag this time, if it happens it happens if not I'll just go back to sit in my corner and cry some more.

You're Welcome!

Bubble Wrap

Draggin My Arse Today

It was 2 am before I fell asleep and the powers that be thought it would be amusing to make me start my day at 6:45. I did all the right stuff, hopped stumbled out of bed, took a shower, drank lots of coffee and still I cannot keep my eyes open. It's not a hangover and yet has the same symptoms.

Sleep deprivation, hangover, very similar.

• headache
• irritability
• fatigue
• dehydration
• body aches
• dizziness
• loss of appetite

Therefore the cure must be similar too. HAIR OF THE DOG. A tried an true remedy suggested to me years ago. Anyone care to join me for an early morning beer? and then a nap.

A Real Live Post

My apologizes to those of you who stumbled over here and got ad on your shoes. This girl's got bills, mountains and mountains of bills. I thought I'd try something new. If this doesn't work, I'll put a paypal button up there in the corner and maybe someone will take pity on me. It's just too darn cold out to bundle TOF up and go panhandle at the exit ramp of the interstate, besides Whynot took my car keys to work with him today. I'm having flashbacks to a previous life where someone used to do that on purpose to confine me to the house. ACKKKKKKK.

I'm lazy, the holidays always make me lazy. Short chopped up weeks and I lose all sense of structure. No craft today, no theme. We played Twister, watched the resident squirrel, Cheddar, eat sunflower seeds. We saw a possum, or is it an opossum, walking in my neighbors' yard. And the worst sign of my laziness......the tv is on, commercial tv!! Beautiful, hypnotizing commercial tv. Thank you NOGGIN, thank you Oswald. I have a half hour. Then I can start lunch and think of nap time and then before I know it, it will be 5:30 and time for my dentist appointment.

The sun is shining and all the snow and ice have melted, the river in the street has dried up too. At some point, probably right after lunch we are going outside for some fresh air. It'll make us nap better. Naps are very important! Naps are NOT negotiable! You will nap! Until 1st grade!

You want Christmas pictures? I have some pictures.

There are very few pictures of me, because they mostly look like this!
Miller Lite has become a HUGE joke for us.

Durwood and Augie Dawgs

Ink Man and TOF. $63,000 in gifts and they are playing with bubble wrap.

Whynot

Newman, Glitter Gurl and TOF

I know, you're all thinking WHAT A BUNCH OF MISFITS! But they're all mine and I love 'em!

I'll leave you with the NUMERO UNO reason we try NOT to watch commercial tv during the day. Very disturbing! Don't say I didn't warn you

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Whatever your desire, visit Bruce Germinsky. Committed to quality service for commercial, retail and high-end residential real estate in Monmouth County.

What the Fog!

Fifty five degrees in J-town and the fog is as thick as pea soup.


***updated at 9:15 am Saturday

The fog is beginning to lift, I can see across the street now, to where my neighbor's car slid into the street during the night. We've gone from skating rink to swimming pool in less than 9 hours.

It's Over

And if you're here, you survived. It's over for 364 more days. If you're smart, you'll just start right now getting ready all over again so you don't have that mad rush on Dec 24th again.

But before you do that, I want to hear all about your Christmas. And not just all the nice nice. Oh sure that's fine, but I want to hear the down and dirty too. I want to hear about the most horrendous present you got. Your obnoxious relatives. The too salty potatoes. You can even comment anonymously if it makes you feel better.

I'm calling in Mr. Linky again, so if you blogged about your Christmas leave me some love and then link yourself.

Christmas here on The Avenue was lovely. Glitter Gurl and Newman came over. Augie Dawgs, Durwood, TOF and Ink Man were here too. We did presents first because Glitter Gurl and Newman were heading over to his grandma's for dinner. Ahhh the sharing of the holidays begins again. I must admit Newman is better at this than my last experience.

After presents we shared oplatek or Christmas wafers. This is a Polish custom on Christmas Eve, but we had to change that a bit when my kids were young and spending Christmas Eve with their dad and Christmas Day with me. Everyone gets a piece of wafer and you break off a small piece of each other's wafer and wish them a Merry Christmas and good health and prosperity in the coming year.

Then it was time to MANGIA. Those Italians, it's not a holiday if they don't have their pasta. I'll never forget my 1st Thanksgiving with Whynot, he asked if I would make pasta. I said instead of turkey, sure. Oh no no no, not INSTEAD, in addition to! So for Christmas we had ham and pasta. And sweet potatoes and pasta and green bean casserole and pasta. We're not talking Ragu here either. Nope, this Pollock had to learn to make GRAVY from scratch. I know, I know, gravy is brown, it's sauce, but when you're outnumbered, you just play along with the goomba.

We ate, they burped the alphabet and ummed each other, then they burped Jingle Bells. That's how I knew it was time for dessert. Augie Dawgs made poppy seed cake and I made cheesecake and we ate some more.

Marron! I think I'm going to explode.

Don't forget Mr Linky up there!

Plus there are a few days left to vote for my tree. It's tree #2 over here.

Merry Christmas!

I borrowed this from Missy at It's Almost Naptime. It wouldn't be right to steal on Christmas Day.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Wordless Wednesday

For more Wordless Wednesday click here.

Here They Come Spinning Out of the Turn

And they're offfffffffff. Oh nooo the philly bobbled at the break, Last Minute Shopper stumbled coming out of Target. Further back is I Need a Few More Stocking Stuffers, on the inside is Did We Send Them a Christmas Card.

So they make their way for the first turn and Pick Up Some Extra Eggnog takes the early lead. Santa Madness is well off the rail and You'd Better Watch Out is gaining speed. A Terrible Elf is right along side My Secret Present.

Seven or eight lengths to the trailer is Wonderful Time of the Year who's just lumbering along. Share a Jingle and White Christmas are neck and neck with Holly Fruit Cake right there.

Now the field is approaching the far turn. It's Get into the Spirit, McChristmas, Santa's Elf, Love and Joy and Who Wants a Present with five furlongs to go.

Here comes Magical Christmas, Merry and Bright, Santa's Boots and Holiday Juice.

And the winner is Thanks for Making Me Laugh!

Hold all tickets, we have an inquiry.

Three More Sleeps and Counting

Today is my mom's birthday, she doesn't read this blog but I thought it would be nice to wish her a happy birthday here anyway. It's my blog, I can do as I please. Today my mom is 86 years young.

Happy Birthday Mom!

And now on to our regularly scheduled senseless nothing.

The maddening rush is just about coming to a screeching halt. THREE days to get those last presents, and wrap them up. THREE days to bake the cookies and pies. THREE days to clean the far corner of the window sill where your MIL will surely pass her white glove and announce to her son that you sadly FAIL a.g.a.i.n.

Or you could be like me and concede that this is as good as it's going to get and sit and blog for THREE days.

Kolaczki anyone?



I'm sad :( #2 This is going to take some kind of Christmas miracle.

Sunday Stealing

I found this meme here at Mary's, but she found it over at Carmen's who found it here at Sunday Stealing. Whew, that's a lot of stealing. It looked like fun and I'm all about fun. So sit back, enjoy your morning coffee and read my meme.

But 1st speaking of coffee, I have a new addiction and it's bad! Oh on so many levels it's bad. I like cawfee, no I love coffee. There is no life without coffee. My coffee must have cream, NOT MILK, cream, genuine half and half. It's one of the luxuries in life I will not do without. I know, that bar is wayyyy down in the basement, but hey, it works for me. So I have MY coffee with my nice plain Dean's 1/2 and 1/2, but Augie Dawgs likes fancy flavored cream, so when it's on sale, I buy some whackie flavor and she gets all giddy and feels special and for a moment I am no longer the WICKED Stepmother. Now I have tried these flavored creamers and I don't care for most of them. Until the Coffee Mate Peppermint Mocha. Holy Mother of God, it's like an orgasm with every sip!



Now Jewel had these creamers on sale last week and I bought 3. I now have 1 1/2 left. So off to market I go, where there is NOT.ONE.SINGLE.PEPPERMINT.MOCHA.CREAMER. Surely they heard me scream miles away. No problem, I have 2 other stores I need to stop at. Again NOT.ONE.SINGLE.PEPPERMINT.MOCHA.CREAMER. Gone! I'm now shaking like a crack whore needing a fix, I'm almost in tears.

This is a seasonal flavor and the season is almost over!

Coffee Mate how could you do this? For the love of all things sacred, and for the mental health of this insane Polish Blogger, puleese increase production of this nectar of the gods.

Now let me just refill my mug and the hand tremors should cease shortly. I bring you a stolen meme.

1. What is a nickname a former (or present) lover gave you?

We swore we would never call each other Mommy and Daddy, but when TOF came along all bets were off. Whynot sometimes calls me Mema.

2. How do you style your hair? If you just would say "cut" what style is it?

You're supposed to style your hair? Pfft my hair has a mind of it's own, I stopped fighting with it several years ago. It's chin length and in the morning I say "do your thing" Sometimes it's nice to me and sometimes I look like this.


3. What's your least favorite Christmas song?

It used to be my favorite, but now for obvious reasons I don't like it "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.

4. How many colors are you wearing now?

One. PINK!

5. Are you an introvert or extrovert?

mmm a little of both

6. What was the last book you read?

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

7. What's one piece of fiction that changed your life?

It's a Wonderful Life

8. If you are attracted to someone who is already in a relationship (or married), what might do you do?

Been there done that, I went in for the kill. We're very happy now.

9. Is there anything that has made you unhappy recently?

Yeah

10. What's your favorite dessert?

Cheesecake and coffee

11. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?

I can be ready to go in less than a half hour. Seriously, shower, makeup, hair and all. 29 minutes.

12. Name one website that you visit daily. Why do you read it?

My online banking, to see how far I have to stretch the almighty dollar that day.

13. What was your last job before either you are at home or at another job??

I transferred millions of dollars internationally for a large bank. Legally of course.

14. Do you like to clean?

Clean what? My mouse? Oh hell yeah! A clean mouse is a happy mouse. My house? Mmm not so much, not at all.

15. What was the last song to get stuck in your head?

He's a Hero, he's a guy. You're welcome!

16. What's the last movie you saw?

Franklin's Christmas

17. Pirates or Ninjas?

Well the Pirates are from Pittsburgh and they play baseball. Who are the Ninjas?

18. What is your least favorite thing to do that you have to do everyday?

I'm really tired of crappy diapers. Please Santa, see My Grown Up Christmas List.

19. Best time of your life?

Watching TOF's birth. Being on the other end is amazing! And hurts a little less.

20. What are you most looking forward to in the coming year?

Right at this moment, SUMMER, ask me again when it's a sweltering 95 degrees and humid and that answer will change.

Wow that was a long one. If you're all still here, thank you and have a great Sunday.

Don't forget tree #2.

Moving Things Right Along

I know I know, it's not even Christmas, but by golly if you're not ready for Christmas by now, you never will be. I may be rushing things, but deck the halls again now........for we need a little Valentine's Day right this very minute.

Good blog stalker that I am, I stumbled upon Heidi's blog, Foxgloves, Fabric and Folly. She's a grandma too! Well Heidi Ann is hosting a Vintage Valentine's Day Swap and I am in like Flint. No not Michigan, some character from a movie before my time I think.




Head over there, send Heidi Ann an email and get ready for some FUN because who doesn't like exchanging Valentine's! Don't give me that busy crap, in FIVE sleeps you won't be busy anymore and old man winter will have you begging that you had something fun to do.

Oh yeah, my tree, still here, in SECOND place, don't make me cry and stomp and whine, please go vote.

My Grown Up Christmas List

With a little help from Amy Grant, I bring you MY GROWN UP CHRISTMAS LIST.

Do you remember me
I sat upon your knee
I wrote to you with childhood fantasies
Well I'm all grown up now
And still need help somehow
I'm not a child but my heart still can dream

So here's my lifelong wish
My grown up Christmas list
Not for myself but for a world in need

As children we believe
The grandest sight to see
Was something lovely wrapped beneath the tree
But Heaven only knows
That packages and bows
Can never heal a hurting human soul

What is this illusion called the innocence of youth
Maybe only in our blind belief can we ever find the truth

No more lives torn apart
That wars would never start
And time would heal all hearts
And everyone would have a friend
And right would always win
And love would never end
This is my grown up Christmas list
This is my only lifelong wish
This is my grown up Christmas list

Actually Santa, there is one more teensy weensy itty bitty thing. Please Santa please, make TOF stop crapping in his diaper!!!

From my humble abode on The Avenue to you and yours

Click here and vote for tree #2. Thank you!

Absolutely No Rush

None at all, slow down everyone, in EIGHT days this madness will be all over.

Oops, I almost forget....PLEASE go here and vote for tree #2.
Please, I'm down on my knees again begging.

One more thing, today is Georgie's birthday, all she wants is 100 comments. Genuine comments. So head over here and visit Soxy Deb, leave her some love and enter her contest, then head to Georgie's and wish her a happy 38th birthday.

I'll just be adding stuff here all day, it's just that kind of day.
I'll call it THOUGHTLESS THURSDAY.
Hmm I should add Mr Linky, but I have to go dry my hair now, seriously.
But coming soon, Mr Linky!

Screw Mr Linky, he's just another high maintenance man. Yeah so my hair is dry and it's not cooperating, whatever. We have a love/hate relationship. I love to hate it and it just flat out (pun intended) hates me. Oh God I just had a serious brain fart and totally forgot what I wanted to tell you. Well it couldn't have been that important.

I haven't done any of my housework AGAIN. Thank you Al Gore! But I've come up with a plan, GlitterGurl is off Monday and Tuesday and she's going to come here to help me clean house. Oh stop, she's not doing this out of the goodness of her heart, she's doing it for cold hard cash. Sheesh, just what kind of kids do you think I raised? Thoughtful considerate ones? You crack me up.

So since I have THAT plan of attack, I'll just sit here and blog stalk with comments about wishing Georgie a Happy Birthday!

I just saw this road sign and it's hilarious, well to me it is.

Welcome to Illinois,
where our governors make our license plates

Get it? No? It's loses funniness if I have to explain. One former Illinois governor is in jail and one is trying hard to get there.

Need a Gorem?

Or a Preyas?

Kids like those things? Glad they're not on any list I have. I want a Candy Land Castle game but Amazon keeps changing the price and since I know it was available for $5.99 I won't buy it until it's that low again.

Oh yeah, that brain fart is over and I remembered what I wanted to say.

Today's Top Yahoo Searches

1. Evan Rachel Wood
2. Jennifer Hudson
3. Cheryl Burke
4. Lindsay Lohan
5. Fudge Recipes

6. National Regifting Day
7. TV Converter Box
8. Wii Games
9. Pro Bowl
10. Snow Chains

Just seeing if that brings some more traffic here.

68 comments so far......carry the 6, remainder 13, we need 32 more comments for Georgie!

5 p.m. TWENTY MORE COMMENTS....pretty please!!!!

6 p.m. 9 more! Just 9!!!!

Puzzled

TOF loves putting puzzles together. I have quite a collection of preschool puzzles acquired from garage sales and the thrift shop, where they run 49 cents or 1/2 off on Monday. Most of the puzzles I've purchased are like new. I guess some kids don't like puzzles as much as we do.

Somewhere online, most likely someone's blog, I read about an idea for jigsaw puzzles (and please forgive me, but I DO NOT remember where, so if I got this idea from your blog, leave me a comment and I will certainly link you up.) So this idea was for a jigsaw puzzle made out of a place mat. INGENIOUS! This weekend, while waiting for the pictures to print at the studio from hell, we took a quick run to Joann Fabrics. Where I persuaded Augie Dawgs to spend a ton of money on fabric for a new duvet cover, but sorry, I digress. I spent very little on 4 lovely Christmas place mats, 79 cents each to be exact.

While the sweet boy napped I did this.

and this

Here's a good picture of the individual pieces.
I just drew puzzle shaped pieces on the back of the place mat
and then cut on the line with scissors.

A Gingerbread Boy

And Ho Ho Ho

I store all of our puzzles in these awesome lingerie laundry bags that I purchased for 3/$1 at the Dollar Store. This takes up much less room than storing them in the original boxes. Several bags then fit nicely in a Rubbermaid container.

The possibilities are only limited to the type of place mats you find.

P.S. Go vote for my bloggy friend Soxy Deb who is in a joke contest here.
Then go here and vote for tree #2. Vote or else! Thank you to all the wonderful people who already voted, don't forget to go back daily. What? My Uncle Al said, "Vote early and vote often"
And don't forget Angie today for Wordful Wednesday!

Almost But Not Quite

Don't worry readers, this has NOT happened to me, YET. But only because I have been hiding indoors. Brrr it's cold out!


Let's recap shall we, when we last joined our heroine she was preparing for a date with her best buddy and now I will stop writing in third person, cuz that is just annoying.

TOF, Augie Dawgs and me, oh and to the left there, that's Eli. How do I know this? Because Eli's daddy had to say his name 47,000 times before the show even started.

The Laurie Berkner Band. Who is Laurie Berkner you ask? Only the hottest kid's rock star ever! The picture is a bit fuzzy, because she jumps around A LOT. We had a great time singing and dancing for close to 1 1/2 hours.

Stopping in the lobby on our way out to take some pictures by the tree. Ah yes, speaking of tree, please go here and vote for my tree, it's the #2 tree and I'm not winning anymore, which makes me a little sad :( I'm from Illinois, it's not beneath me to buy your vote!

As Augie Dawgs and Durwood spent the evening somewhere dancing with lampshades on their heads, TOF and I decorated some Christmas trees that I decided he would give as gifts to Durwood's family at their annual Christmas party next weekend.

We wrapped them up like this. Cute? The mess on the table is specifically for you dear DeeX. You want more, I can send you more. I can see your mess and raise you tenfold.

The anniversary, eh a little uneventful. Whynot is kind of a low profile guy. First thing Sunday morning we had an appointment for TOF's official Christmas portraits. All I'm saying about that is it was a disaster from the start. Total C. H. A. O. S. We did get a good pose and I'll scan it and post it later. But Mema, she was very angry at the unorganized studio employees and I was NOT alone.

We did have dinner here. We don't do gifts, we have each other, what else do we need. Lemme hear it....awwwwwwwwww.

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Just in case you're not finished shopping, here's a few dealies for you

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(Go to Toys, click on "Hot Holiday Toys" to find toys that qualify for extra 40% off and then stack this code with the 30% off code MY30OFF)

It's rumored that 12/18 will be a free shipping day at Amazon.com. There are some amazing deals on toys right now.

There may be more, but I hear my guys stirring, rise and shine it's breakfast time.

Have a great day everyone! Stay warm!

I Have a Date Today!

Sunday is my anniversary and today I have a very special date! My best guy and I are going to see Laurie Berkner! What? You thought I was talking about Whynot? Pfft, that's not really his thing. He'll stay home at his online OTB and college football in the background.

I have to hurry and get ready, shower and make myself presentable per OHMommy. We leave The Avenue at 9:30, it's an hour long ride to the venue and we can't be late. 5 4 3 2 1 Blast off, another Rocketship Run. Love love love Laurie Berkner. Hey any bloggers in the Chicago area going? Look for me! I'll be the one with the out of control 2 year old.

But before I run off, I have this question.....did any of you send me a subscription to Family Fun magazine? My Secret Santa maybe? I know I didn't order it, because I always use a fake name to order magazines and I only get the ones that are freebies online. So if one of you was kind enough to send it to me, fess up, I'd like to thank you properly. I love this magazine, my subscription has just about run out, so now I'll just call and piggy back the two subscriptions and I'll be all set til March 2011. Sweet!

Have a great Saturday everyone. Relax, in 13 days this will all be but a memory. Lower the bar, you'll thank me later.

NEWSFLASH!!!

Holy Moley! I just realized that it's 13 days til Christmas. THIRTEEN days! That means in 21 days we will be at the threshold of a new year. 2009. All the years that start with 2 still sound like some sort of space odyssey to me. But anyway, that's neither here nor there.

What I'm talking about are New Year's Resolutions. You know, goals dreams and ambitions. I'm not a big fan of making resolutions, mainly because after the hangover has worn off, the dead brain cells can't remember what I've resolved.

Oh yeah there's the usual standbys....lose weight, eat healthy, stop nagging as much, blah blah blah. By February it's so cold here on The Avenue that I need to weigh 350 lbs just to stay warm and all that's left to eat is two month old Christmas candy, because I haven't ventured out in the cold to replenish the pantry. All that sugar messes up my endocrine levels and I have no choice but to nag.

In addition to those resolutions, I always try to think of something meaningful. Something for the good of all. I like to think I'm on a one woman mission to save the world, but unfortunately I'm failing miserably.

So I'm turning to you, faithful readers Leave a comment telling me what is it you resolve to do differently in 2009? How will you make 2009 a better year? Reflect on those changes and make a commitment to a better you!

Award Time

Back here I promised a prize to a commentator on my 99th post. Drum roll please.......

The winner is Kristen at Something About Nothing.

Kristen please email me your address and I'll get your prize in the mail ASAP. Which in Avenue-ese means the weekend immediately after I receive your info, because I have suddenly developed a phobia to going out in the cold darkness to run errands.