Merry Christmas

Christmas Magic Are we too grownup to feel a thrill
As we light the Christmas tree?
Are we immune to cookies,
Christmas cards and Christmas glee? Are we too adult to "Ooh" and "Aah"
At the Christmas candle's glow?
Are we blasé about our gifts;
Do we shun the mistletoe? Are we too mature for carols,
For merry or for jolly?
Do the decorations leave us cold,
The ornaments and holly? Fat chance! We'll never grow too old
To love the Christmas magic.
A year without a Christmas
Would be boring, even tragic. So bring it on! The candy canes,
The feasting and good cheer;
O Christmas, lovely Christmas,
You're the highlight of the year! By Joanna Fuchs

Christmas Eve, My Tradition

remembering past Christmas Eve's for me

always bring a bright cheery smile to my face

since i was little, our dear Christmas Eve in 

my family was bigger than Christmas day

my family, and many extended members would start at my

house were i grew up early in the day

as the fish had to fry, and since we had mounds of fish

early was the way to go

i watched as aunts and uncles starting the

cleaning process, of these slimy creatures

their preparations were endless

in our tradition we are to have

the Feast of the Seven Fishes

so yes, we must have at least seven kinds of fish served

and that they did

crab

clams

baccala

sugelli

smelts

shrimp

calamari 

cod
and more

and each of these delightful wonders are prepared 

differently, so our taste buds can truly do a dance

i watch with envy how now my mother does it all alone

when at one time she shared this task with her brothers and sisters 

i now help her fry the fish, but with this is a ritual, we both begin

with the oldest clothes we can fine so we can ditch them

outside after the frying ends

the smell of frying fish can last for days

so to cut down on the smell of our clothes

out the door they go 

the frying takes a while, but mom and i 

have to down to a science, two frying pans

ready to go, me frying, her dipping the fish in a concoction

only she can make, and than handed off to me

split splat goes the oil, ouch and ouch again

but it is totally worth it

for in the end around our table the

fish will be celebrating with us

in only a way a perfectly piece of fish can

after our fish feast, we begin our next journey

onto nuts and fruits

our nuts are brought uncooked

 my mother roasts them in the oven

on Christmas Eve morning

the smell thruout the house

is indescribable

nuts, such as filberts, almonds, walnuts and chestnuts

are put on the table with nutcrackers

and then the cracking sound begins

the fruit, grapes, clementines, and tangelos are all put in 

separate basking around the table, so one can

crack a nut, and take a piece of clementine

and of course mangia

all that is left is coffee and dessert 

and no holiday in a Italian household 

would be without Italian Pastry on Christmas Eve

Calandra's is the best in my area for these pastries

I go early Christmas Eve morning and pick out all

the ones that my family loves

it is so great to end our quest with a perfect desserts

our night could not end without opening some gifts

so we all head to the tree, to call out names and 

the gift giving begins

as the years have gone by, things have changed a bit

mostly the people, some decided to stay home

and do their own traditions

and some have left us, not to enjoy the holiday at

out our table, but certainly in heaven watching over us

this year my two eldest nephews will not be with us

 they are going with their wife's family

so yes it will be different, ever since my eldest was born (30yrs ago)

we have been together for the seven fish feast

things do change, but the memories do not

and i can't tell you enough how this memory 

of Christmas Eve has molded me

it gave me my foundation of what a holiday

is to be for our family

and it goes back to grandparents (on both sides) as this is

what they did on Christmas Eve 

and all these so many years later

we are still doing the same

i am grateful for my elders

in instilling this into my parents, my aunts and uncles
and my cousins

its a wonderful tradition

and in time i know i will be with my nephews

some day, eating Christmas Eve dinner at their home

with their families

i believe in tradition

it makes us who we are

Merry Christmas

♥♥

It's that Time

My Christmas Shopping and wrapping of the presents are done! I feel so relieved. Each year I say the same thing "I am not going to get done" but yet I do. I am usually done by the week of Christmas and this year was no different I finished yesterday.

I take such great care to try and pick out the perfect gift for that special someone on my list. I usually succeed, but there have been times, when the person opens the gift and they look at me kinda strange and in that moment I know "not the perfect gift". But its all good because that is what gift receipts are for and the good ole exchange.

I was not to much in the holiday spirit this year, and still don't feel I am. But I pushed myself, as we all do, because we know we have to. This past year has caught me totally off guard and I feel I am running, running with no direction.

These next two days will be busy ones, which I am glad for, as when one is preoccupied, your mood kinda shifts, and I am looking for that mood change. And I guess I have to make it change, cause that Jolly ole fellow in the red suit is on his way.

HO, HO, HO

If it's broke, I guess ya gotta fix it!

In my home you just never know

when my father will 

pull something off 

that you just have to 

shake your head and laugh

it truly is a crap shoot

cause the odds can go both ways

His slippers broke

so he did what any WW2 veteran would do

He taped them with duck tape

Not much more to say

the picture tells it all!

LOL

Let it Be....

Gyldne Tider (Golden Times) is a Norwegian TV-show, where the three guys (in red shirts in the video) travel around the world to visit the stars they loved when they were kids. These are the stars they have visited. They are all lip-syncing over the Stock/Aitken/Waterman produced version of  Let it Be (Ferry Aid) from the 80s.
I loved it!

Atlantic City

it has become a tradition

after Thanksgiving we all head

to Atlantic City for an overnight stay

it's usually the Saturday after

so here it is 

there will be about 15 of us

meeting up first thing in the morning

and heading down the GSP 

towards our destination

it is about a 2hr drive

we have a chill day, and usually just 

enjoy each others company

starting with a long walk on the 

boardwalk

from there food, drink and gambling

and whatever else floats our boat

family, so fun, good times

many laughs, many hearts

many smiles

Black Friday

Its seems today is the day that all the crazies get up at 3AM to go shopping for all those oh so great deals. We see all the commercials, newspaper ads and e-mails advertising all the sales. I have seen and heard from many people that it is an absolute madhouse at some of these stores. I also hear some horror stories of some people getting trampled. 

I for one want no part of waking at 3AM, or shopping in terror! So I will stay in my turkey coma for the entire day, and be happy that I am not in any store, fighting my way thru. 

Are any of you one of the crazies?

Happy Thanksgiving

 On Thanksgiving Day we’re thankful for
Our blessings all year through,
For family we dearly love,
For good friends, old and new.  For sun to light and warm our days,
For stars that glow at night,
For trees of green and skies of blue,
And puffy clouds of white.  We’re grateful for our eyes that see
The beauty all around,
For arms to hug, and legs to walk,
And ears to hear each sound.  The list of all we’re grateful for
Would fill a great big book;
Our thankful hearts find new delights
Everywhere we look!

It's Perfect

they are together

and as happy as can be

so blessed to have them near me

and grateful each day

a new beginning for them

and a journey they are ready to take
so glad i will be along for the ride!

♥♥♥

The Sweetness of Summer

i miss the summer

i feel myself getting in the

winter mode of hibernation

and am not looking forward to it

even tho, i enjoy our change of seasons

the upcoming season is the most

i dislike

the cold, the dark, the weather

just really not my favorite time of year

when i see this pic of my parents

i am reminded of the

summer smiles that are constant

hoboken is a great place to 

wander about

esp Frank Sinatra Park

(across the river is NYC)

so to get my day going i shall look 

at these pics more than once today 

and remember the summer of 2010

with laughter and smiles 

cheers!

Fall~

nov 1

chilly in my hometown

you can feel the crisp air as you breathe

its that time of year

the leaves are changing

pretty colors

apple crisp, pumpkins, cornucopia

and then

winter is near

new day, fresh start

embrace the air

enjoy the day

Happy Halloween

Halloween, yay! So fun, I celebrated last night at a family party, here is a pic of me and Kermit!

Owl Manor is all decorated and ready for our arrival. Shirley has graciously prepared a wonderful Halloween meal for us, it can be found to the right. So make sure you dig in and enjoy, and if the tasty testicles are somewhat hard, it only means, she took them out of the water to soon! lol

Halloween would not be complete without a little Monster Mash!  This version is a little freaky but I thought it was cool.. (I think I used this version last year)

Hope all has a great Halloween!

JIggle them, and Wiggle them!

To end our Halloween fun, I have saved the best for last... Totally LMAO!





See what we all have to look forward to..

Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Seeds?

And so we continue with our Halloween themed blogs..... LOL

Sexy, Halloween....

Halloween, is only days away, it is such a fun time. Even if you have a bad day, you see the children all dressed up in their costumes collecting all their candy and you just have to smile. The IS's are having a Halloween Party at their house, and I will certainly be there to take pics of them and their friends in costume.

So lets get Halloween started. I thought I would go back to the olden days of our blog, when porn was number one! and BTW, this is not for children...

Raw and Real

ups and downs

this is life

ya never know when it will change

its like the wind 

east to west

north to south

and on it goes

one life gone, the suffering over

finally she is at peace

to watch life go

can break ones spirit

hold hands, whisper gently

say goodbye

family is left with a huge void

one never forgets 

your heart will remember

the void continues always

no words can soothe

only silence can help

when the grieving is raw

its ok

peace has come

My Day!

As you all know, Saturday is def my day. I look forward to it all week. I start out early and continue my day till I can't walk anymore.  Each Saturday brings something different, and I love every minute of it. Today @ 9:30a I start out with a mani and pedi, the rest of my day, is shopping, shopping, shopping. Need some fall clothes.

So off I go...

I hope everyone has a great day! And I am curious, what will your day be like?

Get the Beat, and Go with it!

This song is originally from an a Italian Singer "Renato Carosone" he made this song "Tu vuo fa l'americano (We speak no americano) in 1956. An Australian Group "Yolanda be Cool" samples his song in this techno dance version. I know it might not be for everyone, but I totally love it and get the beat, and truly just wanna fist pump all over the house. What I love the most, is when hip young artists take old songs, and make it their own. I am sure in 1956 Mr Carosone would have never thought that in 2010 young adults would be dancing to a sample of his song in all the clubs all over the world. And I think that is so cool.

For original song with lyrics in Italian and English by "Renato Carosone"
click here

Color, Cut, New You!

Time for a well needed change, so on Sunday, as I sat in the gray chair, you know the one, that swivels and goes up and down on command. I told my hair stylist to get rid of the highlights, and cut, cut, cut. She looked at me with those eyes that say "your kidding me right" and nope I was not kidding at all. I have been getting my hair highlighted for several years now, and truth be told, I was totally bored with it.

Away she went to stir up a new concoction for me, which she called lowlights. Two hours later, I was a brunette with some hardly seen streaks of different browns and a cut which is short in the back and longer in the front. My bangs swoop to the side with ease. I looked at myself with pride, as I was very happy with the results.

When I walked out I felt as if I was a new person, starting on new beginnings. I do not feel any attachment to any hair style I might get, so I new do is just what was needed for a new me.

I recommend it all. Try it, you are still you, its just the look that would be different, and I gotta tell, it feels great to look in the mirror and see a new me.

Open Letter to all Young Adults and Teens

Growing up is one of the hardest things you will have do. In school you are taught many things on many subjects, but there is one thing you must learn yourself that is not in text book form. Growing up. You learn as you grow, and at a young age, you have a lot more of growing, so the learning comes slow. It is your journey thru life, your stepping stone to the future. And at a young age, unfortunately you are not thinking of the journey or the future, you are in the moment. When some of those moments are so dire, you must know that you are not alone. And even tho, the world around you seems to be closing down, it is certainly not true.

Think of yourself and the good that is you, give yourself the honor of looking into the future to see what you can be. Step back from the moment and look around you, you will see the world is moving and going in a direction that you should follow. No matter what some might tell you, your life is worth it, and the moment you are in, is just a passing part of your journey.

When that old so familiar bully appears, think of he/she as a coward, who can only fight the weak. The bully is there because he/she can do it and will. It is up to you to stand tall and ignore the harsh words, turn your back and see them for what they are, a coward hovering over its allowed prey. Once the back is turned the bully will see what you see and retreat.

I can't imagine what its like growing up and not knowing my sexuality. The confusion that must come with this, must be truly overwhelming. And once you find yourself you are taught by our society to be embarrassed by the thought of being gay, lesbian, transgender, bi, different. Well I am here to tell you that its not so. What you feel is real and it is certainly ok. Who you love and what you love, should never matter to anyone but you. Do not feel that you are wrong, love comes in many different ways and it must be embraced when you find it. Honesty must start with you, and then it continues down the line. You will then see, that you, and who you are is the person you should be. Your acceptance will be a welcomed home coming. Suicide is never the answer, its to final, it will not allow you live that journey that you so deserve.

Please do me a favor, in that moment of desperation when you think by ending it all, it will make it all go away.  Find someone to talk with, a stranger, a counselor, a family member, they will help you, they will understand. You might ask, "how does she know this". I have been thru it, in my dire of times as a teen, I have been right where you are. I have tried what your thoughts are bringing you to. And I sought help, from the most unexpected person I would have ever thought. The understanding and comfort I received brought me out of the moment (and the drs working on me). My conscience became alive, and I was me. Scared but me. In hindsight my darkest moment in my life, now seems so small and insignificant I am amazed I gave it so much power over me at the time.

Life is here to enjoy, your journey is just beginning, don't give up on yourself. You are very special, you will bring happiness to all who surround you, you will make  your mark in this world. People will know you and accept you. You will be loved. I can promise you all these wonderful things, because I am here to type this letter to you.