Nope. Sorry. You’re not going to find any resolutions here. First of all, I think making resolutions on one particular day of the year is probably a waste of time. I mean…come on….chances are you’re hungover or at least very tired from staying up late, you’re all bloated from grazing on not-good-for-you food until the wee hours of the morning, and you’re probably generally in one of your worst moods of the year because the neighbor’s dog, your kid(s) or a combination of these woke you up before 8:00 a.m.

So….why the hell would anyone pick a day like January 1st to make a list of all the things they hope to accomplish in the coming year? You’re grouchy, tired, and generally not a very nice person to be around so clearly you’re not thinking straight…yet you choose to make a comprehensive list of goals for the year? And THEN….you actually SHARE this list of goals with anyone who will listen?

What are ya? Nuts?

Uh uh…no sir…no way…not me…..ever. No resolutions or goals for me. I strongly feel that if you live your life the way you’re supposed to live it and try to be a good parent and treat people the way they ought to be treated you shouldn’t feel the need to take part in such a ridiculous exercise.

On the other hand…I’m not you or your spouse or your kids or your relatives who you think should have some plan to make themselves better. If resolutions work for you, that’s great. I don’t see how they would work, but if they do then good for you.

In short…don’t do resolutions…never have…never will….don’t understand why people do…but if they work for you that’s cool.

Anyway, happy new year. Tommy comes back in the morning so there will be the eating of beer salami and pistachios and ham and the watching of football and the drinking of beer and probably a lot of napping.

Hope your day tomorrow is just as relaxing.

Cheers,

Peaches

Scytheboy and I returned from Wisconsin this morning, after being stuck overnight in the Cincinnati airport flying standby. It wasn’t so bad, really. We just stayed at a nearby Marriott and ordered in some Chinese food, and then turned around this morning and made it on the first flight back to Dallas by the skin of our teeth. They were actually counting children and bags to get some slack so they could give us that last extra seat.

Not that she’ll ever read this, but our thanks go out to our gate agent who went far above and beyond to get us on that plane. She is truly a New Years Angel to us.

I won’t talk much about the trip but to list a few things that stand out:

1. It totally sucked having to get up at 4 a.m. to catch that early flight out of Dallas on Monday

2. But it was worth it…even the running through the airport to barely make our connecting flight – because I was able to make a lunch my mother had put together at which all of my siblings, their spouses and kids were present as well as favorite cousins and aunt and uncle…SO worth it

3. It sucked that Tommy wasn’t there

4. While at the lunch, I was so exhausted and hungry from the flight I was really out of it…and you can tell from the pictures just how bad off I was…but again…worth it

5. I had forgotten that in my family it’s perfectly acceptable to hit the hard stuff at noon if it’s a special occasion…yup, had my fair share of rum and coke (shut up I wasn’t driving so I could drink all I want)

6. I stayed with my younger sister, husband, and their 2 year old

7. The 2 year old is damn cute

8. We taught him how to say Guinness…among other things

9. Our second day there, many of us met at my older sister’s place for pizza at lunch

10. That time, we broke out the booze at 11:30

11. I was drunk by one

12. It was cool

13. My brother in law makes kick-ass onion rings

14. There was a lot of snow on the ground, but none on the street and the snow was melting

15. We had a 2 hour drive to the airport on Thursday, followed by a flight we barely made it on (again…counted bags and babies to get us on)

16. Then we waited…and waited…and waited….until the last plane to Dallas took off

17. It’s not so bad getting lots of rest during the trip back at a decent hotel and ordering in…really it’s not

18. I worried about the cat the whole time we were gone…he was alone for almost 5 days

19. The cat is OK….he just threw up a few times on the carpet due to gluttony from all the food we left out

20. It’s good to be home

21. But I wouldn’t have missed that trip for the WORLD – even with the travel troubles flying standby over the holiday – my mother had all of her kids and grandkids in the same place at the same time for the first time (yes, captured on film – no, you can’t see the pics)

That is all.

Mr. Average is off to South America for back to back trips over the next week. So Scytheboy and I have decided to attempt a trek to the great white north to see my side of the family (most of them anyway).

We leave really, really early in the morning (if we get on that first flight) and we should be in Wisconsin before lunch if all goes well.

We’re staying with my sister who is on dial-up. So chances are I will not be able to post while we’re away. So I hope while we’re gone that everyone has a very happy holiday.

With any luck we will be able to make it home before the new year and I can check in with all my blog friends to see how their holidays are going.

In the mean time, be safe and take care, everyone!

You get one of these for Christmas. And you think it’s one of the most romantic things he’s ever given you.

He’s already reaped the rewards. I made a pumpkin pie with it today. It IS a really cool mixer. Note to guys: anything you give the wife that makes her work lighter is a GOOD thing.

P.S. I promise, I wasn’t cheating. In our house we all get to open one gift on Christmas Eve. Tommy opened this.

And Scytheboy opened this.

The rest will remain a mystery until tomorrow.

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

I don’t have a post for today (per se) so I thought I’d provide some useless ramblings for your entertainment. Here goes:

1. I’ve had a headache for four days. It’s one of those that hangs out behind your eyes, roaming from behind one eye to the other or camping out between them. What a nice holiday treat.

2. I made the mistake of waiting too long to take Excedrin when this headache first started. I knew I was in trouble when I finally caved and took it…and it did absolutely nothing to dull the pain.

3. In case you’re interested, it’s behind my right eye now. I took two Excedrin and two Advil about a half hour ago. And now I can actually sit in front of the computer and look at the screen without cringing in pain…so I guess that’s something.

4. I had my eyebrows waxed yesterday….FYI, don’t do that when you have a headache. It doesn’t help.

5. I cleaned the house today, because I figured I already had the headache – surely a little dust couldn’t make it any worse – WRONG!!.

6. I tried drinking four rum and cokes last night to dull the pain…didn’t work but my face got kinda numb and I was in a good mood so it was an improvement.

7. The headache was still there after I got back from the gym yesterday and today. Didn’t make it any worse, but didn’t make it any better.

8. Today at lunch, I was convinced the cause of the headache was withdrawal pangs from McDonald’s. The no. 1 value meal didn’t help, but it sure was tasty.

9. Scytheboy’s a sweetie when I have a headache. He mixes me drinks and puts his hand on my forehead whenever I want. Nothing like a son’s comfort when you’re a sick mom.

10. I think the cause of the headache is allergies from the Christmas tree. But I like a real tree. I refuse to cave. No artificial trees at the Average household.

11. The cat keeps drinking water out out of the Christmas tree stand and the pine needles on the low branches have rubbed bald spots on his ears. Stubborn cat.

12. Tommy will be home less than a day over Christmas. He leaves Christmas morning to go back to work. He has back to back trips to South America the week between Christmas and New Year’s. He gets home New Year’s day.

13. It goes without saying that Tommy’s December schedule sucks.

14. Scytheboy and I are attempting free flights to Wisconsin the day after Christmas to see my side of the family. It will be the first time in MANY years that myself, my two sisters and my brother will be in the same state with our children.

15. Wish us luck on getting seats.

16. The headache is now down to a dull roar.

17. That is good.

18. I’ve become hooked on Deal or No Deal. Why?

19. Scytheboy and I are going to watch The Brothers Grimm tonight in Tommy’s man room upstairs.

20. Don’t tell him.

The following conversation took place just moments ago in the Average household:

Me: “You need to look in your drawer and find the mate to this sock.”

Scytheboy: “Bow chick-a-bow-wow!”

Me: “What?!”

I’m convinced this has something to do with his and his father’s fascination with Angelina Jolie. His dad would be SO proud.

I am surrounded by testosterone. Even the cat (used to be) male.

Help.

Scytheboy got out of school for Christmas Break (they call it Winter Break…but we all know what it is) yesterday. So of course he had a friend sleep over. Yes, they were up late and yes, they were both ready to end the sleepover today as they started it at 12:30 yesterday. There is such a thing as too much togetherness, I think…

Anyway, the request he and his friend made this morning for breakfast was homemade popovers. This is a super-easy recipe I got at school back when I was in home-ec in 7th grade (yes, they still had home-ec when I went to middle school…shut up).

So here’s the recipe. This makes 12 but you can double to make 24 if you have a big crowd. They take less than five min. to mix and much longer to bake. The waiting’s the hardest part.

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 eggs 1 cup milk

Sift the flour and salt together into a medium bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and whisk until smooth. Pour into prepared muffin tins (about 2/3 full).

Bake in 425 degree oven for fifteen minutes (this is the part where they “popover” and get golden brown). Then reduce heat to 325 and bake for another 25 minutes.

These are excellent with butter and honey. Enjoy!

I try not to post about politics unless I have something I think is useful to read. I’ve been on a few other sites where this subject has been discussed lately, and I’ve found that there are a lot of really angry, bitter people out there who are having a hard time directing that anger toward something useful.

You can read some comments from these people here. As I said on Jack’s site, I completely understand why some on the left who don’t believe in the current war and don’t back the current administration are angry. I understand that anger because I’ve felt it too in past years.

However, the point should be made that standing around berating the president and his policies with personal attacks is not all that productive. In fact, it is a very real possibility when these comments are made in a public forum, verbally or written, the enemy will use them to gain new recruits and drum up support for their cause. I understand people feel like they are just exercising their constitutional right to dissent, but screaming their dislike for what’s going on will not change who we have as President or the fact that we are currently at war.

In deference to our troops, instead of spewing out all that hatred and frustration, would it not be better to use all that energy to actually work toward a change? Why not volunteer for the candidate of their choice in the 2006 elections and try and make a change in numbers at Congress? Join a grass roots campaign and make sure your message gets out there in a classy way, talking to the democratic base and making sure they realize how important you think it is to see a change in Washington?

Let me be clear…I think it’s everyone’s right to speak out when they don’t agree with what’s going on in Washington. However, we need to be sure that we do it in a way that is productive and does not effect how our troops can do their job and makes the problem worse. That is all I was saying at Jack’s site. I don’t think those that don’t agree with Bush should just “shut up and take it”. I think they should stop whining and if they really care about what’s going on and would like to see a change they should do something useful to help make that change happen.

As a side note…while we were in the airport last October waiting to fly to Dublin, we were immersed in a sea of Army personnel waiting on their charter to Iraq. The CNN airport news channel ran a story about some protester (can’t remember which or what group). What I do remember is the reactions of the soldiers…they ranged from downcast faces and hunched shoulders to people shaking their heads in disbelief to jaws clenched in outright anger. Remember…the troops can see and hear you when the news covers this….and so can the enemy.

It is my sincere hope that those that still hold onto their bitterness and anger with such fervor can turn that energy toward actions they can take that might actually make a difference.

Man, leave it to California. We all know there are a lot of weird things going on out their with their legal system. We’ve all heard stories about their judges legislating from the bench to promote a certain agenda so we won’t talk about that. It’s been done.

And I’m sure this has been done too, but I really can’t believe that California passed state legislation in 2001 that allows certain undocumented immigrants to pay the same charges for college as other California students. This, while the state has been charging out of state, LEGAL U.S. CITIZENS a much higher tuition to attend the same schools. You can read all about it here in case you haven’t seen the news.

While I do believe that kids should not have to pay for the “sins of their fathers”, as adults past the age of 18 I think they absolutely must take responsibility for themselves. By this, I mean if you want to attend a college in the U.S……THEN BECOME A NATURALIZED U.S. CITIZEN!!!! There is a process they can go through to get this done. Especially with Mexicans, I think the rules are quite lenient (especially in California) for being allowed to stay here and work and go to school or whatever while you go through the process. I am not a lawyer and I don’t claim to be….but it’s just ridiculous how after being in the country a number of years as an illegal, taking advantage of all that America has to offer, these people continue to ride the system instead of just playing by the rules like all LEGAL citizens have to.

While this legislation leans toward playing nice with California’s immigrant population, it is estimated that this courtesy toward illegals could potentially cost “hundreds of millions” of dollars, according to Redwood City attorney Michael J. Brady.

I know, America’s a melting pot, everyone deserves a fair shake and all that. But come on, people. If they’re smart enough to get into college, they’re smart enough to figure out how to become a U.S. Citizen. While they may live in the state, unless they’re a legal citizen I don’t think they should be allowed to take advantage of advanced public education without paying some sort of penalties for not being legal.

On the other hand, I absolutely don’t think the out of state students should be given in-state tuition rates. Although the law is not fair to them, we have to be reasonable about this. The legislators need to go back, fix the law, and charge the illegals for all the back tuition they should owe the school for being NOT a legal citizen of the state when they registered for classes.

Thoughts?

This poem was written by an unknown Marine in Okinawa, Japan some years back. Although many will post it this season I am sure, I feel it is more than worth the space on this page and the time it will take you to read it.

A Soldier’s Poem

‘Twas the night before Christmas, he lived all alone
In a one bedroom house made of plaster and stone.
I had come down the chimney with presents to give,
And to see just who in this home did live.

I looked all about, a strange sight did I see,
No tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.
No stocking by the mantle, just boots filled with sand,
on the wall hung pictures of far distant lands.

With medals and badges, awards of all kinds,
a sober thought came through my mind.
For this house was different, it was dark and dreary,
I found the house of a soldier, once I could see clearly.

The soldier lay sleeping, silent, alone,
curled upon the floor in this one bedroom home.
The face was so gentle, the room in such disorder,
Not how I pictured a United States soldier.

Was this the hero of whom I just read?
Curled up on a poncho, the floor for a bed?
I realized the families I saw on this night,
owed their lives to these soldiers, who were willing to fight.

Soon round the world the children would play,
And grownups would celebrate a bright Christmas day.
They all enjoyed freedom each month of the year,
Because of the soldiers, like the one lying here.

I couldn’t help wonder how many lay alone,
on a cold Christmas Eve, in a land far from home.
The very thought brought a tear to my eye,
I dropped to my knees and started to cry.

The soldier awakened and I heard a rough voice,
“Santa, don’t cry, this life is my choice;
I fight for freedom, I don’t ask for more,
My life is my God, my country, my Corps.”

The soldier rolled over and drifted to sleep,
I couldn’t control it, I started to weep.
I kept watch for hours, so silent and still
And we both shivered from the cold night’s chill.

I didn’t want to leave on that cold, dark night
This Guardian of Honor so willing to fight.
The soldier rolled over, with a voice soft and pure,
whispered, “Carry on, Santa,
It’s Christmas Day, All is secure.”

One look at my watch and I knew he was right
Merry Christmas, my friend, and to all a Good Night!

Please take a moment to send out good vibes to those lonely souls keeping watch over our freedom in distant lands.

My thoughts are with them and their families as they remain apart this Christmas.

Peace,

Peaches