I've mentioned on numerous occasions that I turn 50 next month *gag*. So hubby has been asking me repeatedly what I want for my birthday. First it was a DSL camera, and now I'm thinking more along the lines of jewelry, like a ring, or I've also been looking at luxury watches as well. I guess I better make a decision soon!

My Mom's TV died this weekend. It was fairly old, so no big deal. My brother went and bought her a brand new 32" plasma TV. She's thrilled with it! I'm sure she's enjoying the extra space in her living room too! Tomorrow she is going to call the local cable company and get a high definition cable box installed. Then she's going to decide if she wants a plasma lift console or not.

Do you have any luck when it comes to winning things? I sure don't! One time I won a really nice hockey bag at my son's tournament. Another time I won the 50/50 prize at one of his games. For all the money I spent over the years on hockey, I don't think I came out even on that deal. This year I bought a ticket for the Oilers raffle, and I won $100. That's pretty much the biggest prize I've won. How lame is that!? Guess that means I likely won't be winning the draw for Dick's Sporting Goods coupons!

I've been drooling over Mizuno golf clubs. I fully intend to eventually get my old body in shape, and my shoulder fit, and resume golfing, so that in our retirement, I can join hubby on the golf course. NOTHING would make him happier! We used to golf all the time before we had kids, so there's no reason I can't go back to it!

I've been surfing around, looking at Coaster furniture and miscellaneous furniture sites, because Ben and Jess are moving to Kelowna in just over a month. They have been warned that it may cost a small fortune to rent a truck to move their furniture down there. Since the furniture is all quite used, they're trying to decide if it's going to be worth the expense. Hubby will look into the cost of renting a big truck.

Do you know where I first heard about Botox? I first heard about botox at least 12 years ago. A little boy I worked with for many years, underwent cerebral palsy therapy to help loosen his tightening tendons in his heels. They injected botox for that purpose. I remember when we first heard about it, we were appalled that they were injecting him with the botulism virus! yech!

One of my co-workers and I were talking the other day about a local family that had moved here from some far away foreign country. There were 11 family members living in an apartment. They were burned out, and they had absolutely no home insurance. Obviously, they have to start all over again. How sad!?

A couple of years ago, hubby's employers, had some marketing pens created. Since it's a retail store chain, they lose a lot of pens in a day at the tills, and at customer service, etc. These pens said, "This pen was stolen from NAME OF COMPANY. If found please call 555-1314". Those pens just cracked me up. We still have one of them around here somewhere.

We bought a big flat screen plasma TV a couple of years ago. We didn't purchase the plasma mount kit that was available for it. We had always planned on mounting it over the fireplace.The more we thought about it, we decided to not hang it there. We figured that if we mounted the TV on the rock fireplace, when we moved, it would be damaged. So we knixed that idea.

We came "this" close to making Las Vegas hotel reservations. We had talked quite a bit about going to Vegas for my 50th birthday. Thought that would be as good an excuse as anything to get away. After further discussion, we decided we'd hold out for a winter vacation to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary instead! After this winter, it makes perfect sense to get away to a warm spot next winter!

Sarah had a really nice idea for her in-laws for Christmas this year. She made them one of those custom printed calendars. She chose appropriate photos for every month, and then had it printed out. Her mother-in-law loved it! I thought it was a really great idea!

All the kids have a memory foam mattress, and from what I hear they are the most comfortable thing ever! I have a lot of arthritis in my joints, and as a result, I spend the majority of the night flip-flopping from one side to the other. Apparently when you have a memory foam, you don't have that problem at all! What I wouldn't give for a solid night of sleep!

Many times, while watching TV, I have seen advertisements for directbuy. A wholesale place where you buy a membership, and then reap the benefits by being able to buy furniture, and other materials for your home. I looked into a bit, and discovered that we do have Direct Buys here in Canada as well!

I worked with a woman for over 10 years. She retired about 5 years ago. Ever since then, she's been dabbling in online stock trading. Acting as her own futures broker. She has made WAY more money doing that, than she did working at the school! In fact, she made enough on one transaction to buy herself a Lexus SUV with the profit!!

I've been watching TV for the last few hours, at the same time as I've been blogging. I just caught an ad about plasma cutting, and it totally lost me! I'm eagerly waiting for the premieres of Big
Brother 9, Amazing Race, Survivor, and season 3 of Dexter (my new favourite guilty pleasure). We spent the week after Christmas watching Season 1 of Dexter. Hubby has watched it forever, and I just started. I'm hooked! I love it! I will be notified by Amazon as soon as Season 2 of Dexter is available. We can't wait!

One of my oldest and dearest friends is French Catholic. We have daughters the same age. I remember when they started kindergarten together, they'd stand out in front of the house, holding hands, waiting for the bus to come. I remember when she sent out first communion invitations for her daughter. I was shocked at all the plans and celebration they had, surrounding her first communion. They graduated high school together too. Then this summer my daughter got married, and in the fall her daughter got married. It was so special going through all those events together!

I couldn't sleep last night, so as is my usual habit, I turned on the TV. As usual, about all that was on, was infomercials! As is usual, for this time of year, the majority of them were regarding various fitness, and exercise gadgets, as well as a product guaranteed to help you lose weight. It was called Miracle burn. I don't know if it works or not, but I'm praying that I get the wisdom to do something about my weight this year before I end up with any more health complications!

As I mentioned, we recently did a quick update of the main bathroom upstairs. Just a coat of paint, and removal of the ugly big mirror, shower door, and changed out the light fixture. It looks much better, and more up to date. Eventually we want to replace the sink and get Danze fauctes, and brand new flooring. The next bathroom I want to tackle is the master bedroom ensuite. I'd do most of the same things in there, as what we've already completed!

This year we're super fortunate that we're getting such awesome, mild weather over Christmas! Some years we've had blizzards, or frigid cold, and it makes it so difficult and worrisome for those that have to travel! For us, it's Sarah and Jay that are on the road at Christmas. They come from the farm up for Christmas Eve, and then head back down on Christmas day. Once Ben and Jess move to Kelowna, I'm not sure who will be where for Christmas! Maybe we'll make it simple and just take off on a royal caribbean cruise over Christmas! heh

I got a gift from my Mom that really moved me! She had kind of mentioned in passing that she was going to do "this", but I thought she was getting a gold bangle made. She took my Dad's wedding band, and one of her necklace/earring sets that my Dad had bought her years ago. She had all that gold turned into a beautiful wide gold band ring for me! Attached was a note that I would always have a piece of her and a piece of Dad with me. Awwww

We have a big screen flat screen plasma TV. It has the capability to be mounted on the wall, or freestanding. While part of me would love to invest in the tv mount and install it above the fireplace, so that there is just one focal point in the room, I'm worried about what it will do to the fireplace in terms of re-sale. Therefore, I just keep mulling it over, but never reaching any real decision!

I had to get up at 6:00 am this morning to put my potato casserole in the oven. Then at 6:30, I ran back down to throw the sausages in the oven. At 7:00 I got up, and got the fruit tray, OJ, jam, etc out on the table, put the coffee on, and start scrambling eggs and making toast. Just as planned, I had breakfast on the table promptly at 7:30 am. Sarah and Jay and my Mom had to leave by 8:00, so that's why we were rushing around. Ben also had to go to work for 9:00 AM. I didn't have a Jura capresso, but I did have a strong cup of Starbuck's coffee with a shot of Bailey's in it! heh

It's taken me many years but I'm finally slowly making the transition to rechargeable batteries! Especially with a digital camera! It would cost a fortune to keep a camera in regular batteries. I wish I would have figured this out during all the years of "kids toys". In the preschool I work in, we really check out the amount of batteries needed for any potential toy we may be considering purchasing. Some need a ridiculous amount!

I just threw a big party here at the house for hubby's 50th birthday party. It was the first time we've entertained in years! We used to do quite a lot of it, but it seems we've just gotten right out of the habit! A great time was had by all, and I'm sure we'll do it again before too long! I am having everyone here for Christmas, but that mostly just amounts to my Mom, brother, and our kids! For my 50th birthday in April, hubby is taking me to a lovely Vegas hotel for a long weekend! We haven't been in years and I think it will be a blast!

Sometimes in my periods of insomnia, you can find me watching TV in the middle of the night. Sometimes, all that's on, is infomercials, and the shopping channel. The other night I was channel surfing, and came across an advertisement for a . Cartier watch. My goodness, for beautiful!! One can only dream and wish!

So which new shows this fall did you start watching before the writer's strike began?? I haven't had too much time to get into many new shows. Of course I'm watching Amazing Race, and was watching Dancing with the stars, and the usual favorites. I guess I'll soon have to start watching some more of these new ones. I have to wonder when I watch some of the weird ones, if they did any market research before they filmed the pilot! Especially with shows like the one about the ape dudes!

Ben and Jess are moving to Kelowna in May. Jay and Sarah are selling both their condos and moving to the farm when Jay finishes University in May. They've told Ben and Jess they can have almost all of the existing furniture from both condos. They really don't think they'll take it, because it would just cost too much to move it there, and then it would have to be stored until they find a place to buy. They should just find a local outfit like movers New York to help them out!

We're very fortunate in that we both received a term life insurance quote from our jobs. That means that we don't have to have out-of-pocket life insurance. A good thing, because it's very expensive, and a person has to have it. We also have our mortgage insured, so that if something happens to one of us, the remaining mortgage would be paid off. It's an absolute must, as I work full time, but don't end up making much money over the course of a year, and could never afford the bills alone!

Hubby turns 50 in 10 days, so next week I"m having a party for him here at the house. It was going to be a surprise party, but I knew he would "KILL" me if I went that route! Then, I turn 50 in April. He knows how much I would hate a party, so he's going to take me away somewhere for a few days instead. Something like this Arizona bed and breakfast, or perhaps a jaunt down to Vegas!

I've gone from having the best body of my life in 2001-02, to being a big fat, old lump that I am now. Even at my best weight, I never wore bustiers! I simply have never had the bustline to pull off such an article of clothing! Now that I'm going through "the change", and overweight, I'm getting much larger in the chest, but everything else is Hugely larger as well, which make the whole look "what not to wear!"

I try to keep up with some of the new television shows that the little kids are into, because our preschoolers are always talking about their favourites, and since most of our kids have major speech difficulties, it's really hard to get what they're trying to say, unless you have a good idea of what they're trying to say. I've had to get familiar with Bob the Builder, as Sam is crazy about him. I've had to learn about Dora, and Diego, and Sponge Bob and Thomas the Train. Now I'm hearing about Hannah Montana tickets from the older girls in the school! I'm not even going there!

Have you ever watched "Maxed Out" on tv? I often watch it. It's about couples who have gotten themselves so buried in debt, that they are on the verge of bankruptcy. There was one couple who had gotten into this cycle of taking out payday loan, and by the time payday came around, and they paid it off, they already owed a ton of interest. The amount that they had paid in interest alone, on those loans was astronomical!

The teacher I worked for last year had a baby boy in September. He arrived safe and sound, and adorable after a worry-filled pregnancy. To take her mind off her worries, I bought her some really nice, and original Winnie the Pooh prints for the nursery, so she invited me over to see the new nursery and baby cribs. Another co-worker of ours had paid her daughter to paint a Pooh mural on the nursery wall as her baby gift, and it looked amazing! The baby furniture she chose, was not only beautiful, but it was very practical. The dresser had a changing pad on the top of it, so not only did you not need to have a separate change table taking up space, but when you are finished with the diaper stage, you can simply remove it so that you are left with a normal dresser. She also had some attractive shelves holding special treasures he'd already received. She used a lovely mint color on the walls, and painted darker green circles around the top of the wall. It looked really cozy and inviting! I'm so happy it all turned out well for her.

We still have checking accounts , but I have to say, I maybe only write 1 check per month now. It seems with the use of automated bank machines, and cards, that there is rarely a time where you can only use a check. If I was better at keeping cash on hand, I'd get rid of them altogether.

Has anyone ever traveled to Branson? We're thinking about taking a vacation for our 30th wedding anniversary in one year. I first grew interested in visiting there when I watched the Country Music Awards show one year when they were hosted there. I also saw a piece on TV about all the little theaters that are there, owned by different country music stars, where they put on private intimate concerts!

I've nearly made up my mind to make a major furniture purchase. What I would do is buy new furniture for the living room, and move the existing furniture into the family room. Also, for my hubby's 50th birthday, I'm buying him a new "man chair", so that will replace his ratty old thing in his perch of choice in the corner. Then I need to purchase some home lighting for both rooms, and our new TV room will be complete!

Hubby and I are not much for traveling. When we were first married, but we used to make an annual trek to Vegas, and really enjoyed those trips, and we took a couple of trips to Disneyland. Other than that, we haven't really done much traveling. For one thing, we can't sleep together because hubby is a wicked bad snorer, so going away, and having to share a bed is not great. For another, I hate the process of traveling! I hate the "hurry up and wait" thing that you do in the airports, etc. I'm impatient, and I hate sitting for that long. Especially when you have to sit all cozy with a stranger! Ewwww I'll just stay home, thank you very much!

Am I the only one inundated with spam about every business opportunity known to man? The first time I got one advertising "work from home" opportunities, I was so excited, because I'm always looking for ways to boost my income, because my job doesn't pay that much. I spend so much time on my computer, that I always think there's got to be some way to earn money from it! So far I've found a few fairly good ways to earn a few bucks, but I'm always looking for more.

Well it has begun! We got our first little bit of snow last night. There's still some laying in the grass on the north sides of the buildings. I'm not ready for this! Especially the driving in the bad weather. Already today, there were all kinds of accidents because of the icy conditions. You'd think we would get used to it, living here, but every winter it's the same thing. The first snow comes, and everyone drives like they grew up in Nevada! I think I need to start going on caribbean cruises every winter to get away from it all!

This year, I notice a lot of peculiar things with some of our staff members. One in particular comes to mind. She is very "into" her vitamins, and many other aspects of her diet. Mostly, her diet is dictated by laziness, yet no matter what she eats, the very first thing she reaches for is the salt shakers! How much sense does that make??

It certainly would seem that TV is my only hobby, but actually, I have a few others! For one thing, I like working on the computer. I like learning new things, as long as they're not way over my head. I enjoy reading, photography, and scrapbooking. Sadly, I rarely make enough time to do most of these things. Every year I vow to take more time to enjoy hobbies, but it seems that other things end up taking priority. Shopping around the hobby shop, is helping me become much more inspired!

Sadly, my daughter suffers greatly from PMS symptoms very similar to what I've dealt with since my early 20's. It seemed to get a lot worse after I had kids. Swelling, bloating, headaches, severe mood swings, etc. Making me nearly impossible to live with for 4-5 days per month. Now I'm suffering with severe peri-menopausal symptoms just the same. Hopefully they come up with some PMS relief for Sarah's generation. It's not fun to be crazy once/month!

As I've mentioned before, hubby's 50th birthday is in less than 2 months. I'm really trying to think of something really memorable to get him. I was watching one of the sports channels the other night as I often do (Oilers news...shut up!), and they did a segment on golf, and were raving about Nike golf clubs. If there's one thing hubby enjoys only second to going to the Oiler's games, it's golf! I'll have to enlist my brother and his expertise for this one though, to make sure it would be a big upgrade from what he currently owns!

Did you read that when O.J. got arrested this latest time, that the lawyers for Ron Goldman's family noticed that O.J. was wearing a Rolex watch. He contacted the judge, and ordered O.J. to turn it over to the Goldman's because he owes them pots of money from the civil lawsuit they won against him. Can you believe it?? It was a FAKE! Just like the man himself!

I am not a good sleeper by any stretch of the imagination. I also have the terrible hablt of sleeping with the TV on all night. So, when I wake in the middle of the night, I just watch a bit of TV until I get sleepy again. Rinse, wash, repeat.
Last night I got watching infomercials! Can you imagine anything better to put you back to sleep? Last night's specialty was the Miele vacuum. Now you know!

The little boy I'm working with, is a huge Bob the Builder fan. I have to get myself familiar with the characters and storyline quickly! It's a great way to entice him to do different activities if I have them "Bob-based". So today at work, we were changing up some of the centers so we put out a work bench and tool storage, along with hard hats, and all the tools, so we're hoping he takes to that!

I thought the first 2 episodes of "Dancing With the Stars" was the best ever! There were only a couple of "weak" dances. I was very impressed by most of them! I can't believe how difficult that would be! I'm really looking forward to the season. I'm going to have to learn how to use my DVR though, because I have a class on Monday nights for 6 weeks, so I will be missing it!

I've also been watching the "Biggest Loser". I can't believe how well some of them lose weight, and how much they exercise. I've never been able to understand how such morbidly obese people can go from doing nothing, to those intense workouts without more serious injury! I wonder if they take nutritional supplements or anything like that!?

Today as part of our professional development day, we watched the DVD of The Secret. It was created based on the book of the same name. Oprah did a show on this whole concept, which I never did see. I hadn't heard about it either. A few of the women had already read the book. The concept is that if you visualize good things, think of how you'll feel, when these things happen, and if you have positive thoughts, these things will come to be. They started it off with many shots of people opening their mail to find commercial collection agency letters, mortgage foreclosure letters, bills, etc. to make the point that if you constantly worry about bills, and debt, that's what you'll get. If you visualize yourself debt-free, or coming into some money, that's what will happen. The jury's still out in what I think about the whole theory.

I have become a huge collector of jewelry! Not expensive, gold and silver and gem stone types of jewelry, but all kinds. Cheap, but not tacky bling. I once won an auction for 180 pieces of costume jewelry. It was the best win ever! I got so many unique pieces. Every size, shape and colour, and they all had matching earrings! It certainly satisfied my strong urge for shopping for the BLING!! It's almost time to strike again! heh!

I was trying to watch last night's ANNOYING episode of Big Brother last night, which I must say was very disappointing! Who wants Dick and Daniele to be the final two!!?? I guess they really did deserve it, as they won everything and did play wisely enough to save their asses on numerous occasions. If dumb ass Eric wouldn't have been interfering with Jessica's game, they would have been gone by now! Anyways, my girlfriend phoned in the middle of it to talk about her new baby, and what kind of kids bedding she was interested in the staff buying her for a baby shower we're having soon! Grrr. Bad timing!

I watch the house flipping shows a lot! Property Ladder, Flip This House, and Real Estate Pros. I love watching to get new ideas on home improvements. I also like watching some of the train wrecks! The people that choose the middle of their flip to go on a holiday, or the flippers that show up only once a week or so, and then are surprised that things are a mess! I also like watching the everyday Joes, that feel they can do all the work themselves! Who are they kidding?? If it were that easy, I'm wasting a lot of money sending Ben to carpentry school! heh! The other thing that has changed so much, is the income to debt ratios that banks allow now. Often with no down payment!! All I can say, is couples better make sure and have mortgage life insurance.

Well the wedding was a success, beautiful, emotional, wonderful!

Now I should have no excuse to keep myself from being up to date with my blogging. I'm currently following Canadian Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, America's Got Talent, Big Brother 8 and probably other things I'm not thinking of!

This is my brand new blog, "TV and ME". I'm a hopeless couch potato, and often wrote many entries about different television shows I've watched, on my main blog, so I thought I'd start a new place specifically for my thoughts and opinions on the many TV shows I watch every week!