And another cleaning post

Listen people, this is my life. I am a SAHM and that includes taking care of the house too. Yes, I'm aware that working parents take care of the cleaning, etc. too, but I this is what I do for a living, and so I'm damn well going to blog about it because what else do I have to say?

I wanted tile floors. Let me just be a woman and man up to that statement. I asked for these floors. Little did I know that they would be the bane of my housecleaning. If truth be told, I hate these tile floors in my kitchen. I love them in my dining room, but the kitchen? In the kitchen they make me crazy. My husband was right. Yes, I've said it. He was right. He was all for the tile floor in the dining room/library, but not so much in the kitchen. It isn't that it isn't nice because it is. I chose a pretty color and a funky swirly tile that will not match any counter top in my lifetime that makes me happy. It is the dirty grout that is killing me.

I never knew that grout got dirty. It seems a stupid thing to say out loud, but I didn't have tile growing up. My mother carpeted our kitchen for heaven's sake. When we moved in this house we put down parquet flooring to match the living area. That required a swish and a swipe of a broom and a wet mop. I did the same to the tile in my bathrooms and never thought a thing about the dark grout look that both bathrooms have and which I now know most likely harbors a deadly, flesh eating bacteria that will one day end me. I didn't figure that out until I began researching how to clean grout when I noticed that my sandy colored grout was not sandy anymore. Bottom line is that grout gets dirty as spills and life happen and it should be cleaned more than just a swipe of a broom or mop in high traffic areas. Like a kitchen. Or a bathroom.

So far I haven't even begun to touch the grout in my bathrooms. I have no idea what the original color even is in the bathrooms as the tile was there when Tom purchased the house. The kitchen is what I have been tackling for years now. I have tried cleaners and home remedies and found that the best cleaning solution was to get on my hands and knees with baking soda and water and scrub. It is not an easy job.

This year while out Christmas shopping a young man handed me his business card as I exited Sears. I thanked him and kept walking, but as I got outside the store I actually glanced down at the card. It was for cleaning carpets, but it also advertised tile floors. I turned around and went back to discuss my grout issue. He assured me he could do the job, along with my bathrooms, so I could get the special. We kept talking, me telling him to cut through the bullshit sales job because I was out of mind with black grout. He finally told me it was such a small job that he wasn't sure how the company would handle it or what the cost would be, but hey, why didn't I just get my carpets cleaned too. I told him that needed to be done too so maybe after the holidays I would look him up.

My friend had a fit. "What? Why would you pay for carpet cleaning when I have a new carpet cleaner? You can use that." I whined about my back and my age and she told me she would do it. "And I'll try it on your tile floors too. What the hell!" She showed up on a Saturday morning with her cleaner and her various solutions and we went to work. We decided we would clean the Steelers room carpeting this day as it was older and dirtier than the newer carpet. We moved half the furniture to one side and she went to work. While she was doing that I went to work in the kitchen prepping the grout.

I made a paste of baking soda and water and put it into the grout. Madison, who made the mistake of exiting her bedroom at one point, got roped into helping and we did the entire kitchen floor. It took over an hour with many breaks, one of which required a trip to the grocery for more baking soda. We let it sit for another hour or two while we ate lunch, picked up Darcy from her volunteer job, and ran through Rita's for an Italian ice as a reward for all our hard work.

When we returned we took brushes and went to work scrubbing the tile. Darcy was pulled into the job and SueG joined us after cleaning the other half of my Steelers room carpeting. While they scrubbed I went along behind them rinsing and picking up dirty baking soda paste. By the time we were done with that my floor was very gritty. SueG then took her carpet cleaner and went over the floor. The water did turn dirty so something was working.

She finished it up with her steam mop going over the floor three times so that we made sure it was clean. Then we had some cocktails. The floor was a tad gritty for about a week. The baking soda residue is still in some of the grout, but I figured it can only work some more in there so I'm ignoring it. A lot of the grout is back to its color. Some of it is not. I have been good about sweeping daily and mopping every other day. Today I am using OxiClean on those spots that are still black. I'm going to see how well that works and then I'm going to keep a daily chart on the grout color. If it is less than one month I'm calling the Sears guy or ripping out the tile with my bare hands.

Winter spring cleaning

One of my jobs right now is The Condo. We haven't decided what we are going to do with it yet; keep it, rent it, turn it into a party house. My brother has yet to be back to it since my mother's death and all the manuals tell us not to decide for a year so there it sits. Slowly I have been doing some clearing, but for the most part it is still like she left it. Recently a family member inquired about using it to escape the Indiana weather, and since the place really needs a good run (running as in the dishwasher, the laundry, the garbage disposal, etc.) my brother and I jumped at that. Knowing that it will be occupied soon has forced me to take a more active role in my clearing.

My mother bought herself some china a few years ago because she never had it after she got married. Why china is such a big deal for people is beyond me. As a kid and a teen just having to wash the crystal by hand after a holiday meal was enough to put me off of that kind of stuff, but as soon as people plan a wedding china and crystal top the list of gifts. My mother bought this china set and then promptly got rid of her every day dishes and began using the china. She wanted to cram in a lifetime of not having it I guess. It was okay china, but it wasn't allowed to be put into the dishwasher or the microwave and so I found it to be a big pain. Plus, she freaked out if you even knocked it against something so I was constantly afraid of breaking something, or god forbid, my children breaking a dish or bowl.

For months I asked around trying to off load the china to someone that really wanted it. I had no takers, and after serving fifteen people at my house for the holidays with only an eight place setting of my china, I decided I would keep it, add it to my collection, and pass it on to one of the grandchildren if one of them ever decided he or she wanted it. My china is silver and my mother's china is gold and those two things go together like peanut butter and jelly, and so I decided the two would fit together in my china cabinet. Also, my mother had serving pieces and I did not. That was probably a bigger selling point for me than any of the other reasons really.

Then came the realization that if I took the china there would not be dishes in The Condo for our occupants. I decided that I would buy myself some new dishes and take my old dishes up there as buying new dishes for The Condo seemed silly. I mean, if we sell the place I would be right back to where I started with getting rid of good dishes! I also was tired of my old dishes, hand me downs from my former boss when she got a new set. My dishes are heavy, chip easily, and heat up in the microwave, and I was down to only five plates and bowls. It was a good time to invest in some new ones.

I decided that I wanted to go back to my roots and buy Corelle dishes. I grew up with those dishes and my first dish set was Corelle. I liked that they weren't as heavy as my current set, were microwaveable and dishwasher safe, and stacked nicely. I also still had some leftovers from that first set that we still used. Madison and I set off one weekend to various stores in search of a new set. I thought it would be fun to get square dishes so I focused on those, but Madison wasn't a believer. She also kept straying from the Corelle toward the heavy, dark dishes display. All of the stores had sets that included four piece place settings of a dinner plate, a lunch plate, a bowl, and a coffee cup. I don't need coffee cups. I have so many coffee cups now that adding four, let alone eight, would require another cabinet. I ended up coming home empty handed.

My friend, SueG, when hearing of my dilemma, suggested we travel an hour south to the outlet mall where she knew there was a Corning Ware store that would have more choices and sold each piece separately. We made plans to do that last week, but had to abort those plans when my youngest got sick and missed two days of school. Instead my husband and I made the trip Saturday evening. I couldn't believe he was willing to do this with me, but he was quite pleasant and did the driving. And my friend SueG was spot on. The Corning Ware store was FULL of Corelle choices.

SueG was at work and insisted we send her pictures so that she could assist in our decision. As soon as I found the ugliest choices possible I texted them to her.

And got the response I was hoping for: "Those are HIDEOUS. ABSOLUTELY NOT! Never mind. We will go back next week and I will help you pick a better pattern."

I liked the top dishes the best. I figured I would mix and match them, but my kitchen is really a blue, although there is some shade of red involved. Tom kept reminding me that I should pick something that I wouldn't get tired of quickly. "Remember you have to look at these for quite some time." About forty five minutes into my browsing, that sentence finally penetrated and I knew he was right. How long would I want to look at flowers? Or Jason Pollack paint splashes? I ended up with one of his choices.

Because we could buy each piece separately (at 40% off if buying 12 pieces or more) we were able to mix it up. We purchased green and red rimmed salad bowls, blue rimmed deep bowls, and blue and green ice cream bowls. The pattern also went okay with the pieces I had at home. We added a white, square serving bowl to satisfy my square need and we left the store with an eight piece place setting and extras for under $100.

Now all I need is a chef to help fill up these pieces!

Sunday armchair football

My, oh, my how exciting has it been with the NFL this week? Since there aren't any games this week I thought I would weigh in on "Deflategate" and give some of my opinions. Because I love to give my opinions especially when it comes to teams I can't stand...

1. Rules in the NFL - There is an entire book of rules for the NFL game of football. These were published I believe because even though the NFL is a business it is also a game, and the powers that be in the NFL apparently wanted rules. Who knows the reason behind wanting rules, but the bottom line is that they are there. And if they are there then shouldn't they be followed? Shouldn't someone be making sure that the rules are being followed? Because what is the point of having rules if you aren't going to make sure that the rules are being followed.
2. The rule is stupid - Maybe. Someone obviously thought it was a necessity. But whether the rule is stupid or not it should be followed. The stupid thing is that the refs check the balls and the inflation to make sure they are within the rules and then give the balls back to the team several hours before the game starts. Who came up with that bright idea? 
3. Everyone does it - I feel like I'm back in the school yard or the classroom. Yes, I was chewing gum Mrs. Rogers, and yes I know it is against the rules, but so and so does it too. I'm going to say here what my parents always said when we tried that argument, "I don't give a damn whether everybody else does it or not. I'm talking about what you did that was against the rules. Everybody else is not my problem." Or maybe I should use the other argument, "If everyone else jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge, would you do that too?" The bottom line is the Patriots, whether one person on the team or several people on the team, broke the rules and got caught. Period.
4. Bill Belichick news conference #1 - He says he has never talked balls with anyone; not his coaches, not his quarterback, not his wife (no I added that one because, I mean, balls...tee hee). That is his excuse for not knowing anything about the deflated balls that were discovered at halftime by the NFL during the AFC Championship Conference game. Then he sort of threw Tom Brady under the bus telling the reporters to talk to him. Nice. First of all, I'm tired of these coaches playing ignorant. Are you the coach of this team or not? I know there are defensive coordinators and offensive coordinators and special teams coaches and quarterback coaches, but who do they all report to? Who is the main man? The head honcho? The big cheese? I don't care if you think that balls are beneath you and what happens in the locker room is not your problem, but you are wrong. Everything that goes on with your team should be your responsibility and certainly should be on you when it all goes sour.
5. Tom Brady news conference - I've been around enough little lying kids to know the face. The one where you try hard not to cry, yet your slowly blushing face and saliva stuck in the back of your throat as you talk give it all away. Yeah. Check, check, and check on Mr. Brady's face at his "I didn't alter the balls in any way" speech. If the head coach doesn't know about the balls, for sure the quarterback does. Hell, Brady and Peyton Manning were the ones in 2006 who lobbied the NFL to change the rules to allow each team to bring their own balls. Now I'm suppose to believe he doesn't pay attention to the balls? Tom, Tom, Tom. You ain't telling the truth, son.
6. Bill Belichick news conference #2 - This time he was Bill the Non- Science Guy who gave a report on atmospheric pressure and air pressure and blah, blah, blah my eyes glazed over a little before the midway point. Ole Bill spent "far too much time" running scientific simulation experiments on how this deflation could have happened and viola! he discovered it. He explained how it happened and then told everyone he was done with the discussion, that he had a game to prepare for, and thanks for stopping by. Uh, Bill? How come it happened to your balls and not the Colts balls? Hmmmm.
7. John Harbaugh - And just when I was seriously getting bored by the whole topic, in comes the real reason this whole thing started. Let me try to narrow it done in simple terms. Harbaugh's Ravens got beat by the Patriots in the AFC playoffs because the Ravens screwed up, got confused with the Patriots' ineligible offensive lineman, and were penalized several yards. Harbaugh let it be known that he thought the Patriots had done some illegal maneuvering and Tom Brady replied, upon hearing this, with, "Maybe those guys gotta study the rule book and figure it out." Harbaugh decided he would teach that Brady a thing about the rule book and mentioned to his former assistant Chuck Pagano that he should keep an eye out for under inflated Patriots' balls. Whoo Hoo! Cat fight! Or is it Dog fight when it's between guys? Either way, this is now coming out that this is how the whole "Deflategate" started. Harbaugh, now at the Pro Bowl, is backtracking and trying to make nice by giving silly ass kissing sound bytes about Bill Belichick, but something tells me he had better do more than that. Just ask Eric Mangini what happens when you piss off the big man. I might have to be on Belichick's side if he goes after Harbaugh. Ain't sports grand?
8. NFL still quiet - Supposedly this will take some time to sort out. Of course, it will, like maybe until after the Super Bowl? Please. If the NFL really wants to change its image it is going to have to start some place. While this may seem like the silliest place to start it would certainly make everyone stop and think some if the NFL ended the season right now. No Super Bowl. Sorry guys, but one team has cheated and because of that it affects everyone and so we are canceling the big game and calling the season over. Sorry Seahawks, blame the Patriots. I mean, if we are going to have a school yard brawl why not end it with a school yard punishment? That's the way it was done in sports in my day. Someone didn't put forth the effort in drills? Someone didn't score when they should have? We all ran sprints, not just the offender. End the season now and get the message across that you have had it with these shenanigans. Shape up or ship out! Of course, that won't happen, but fines and sanctions and whatever nonsense the NFL comes up with isn't going to put an end to things. Unless someone is hurting kids or hurting animals the NFL doesn't seem to really care. 
9. LeGarrette Blount - No, he had nothing to do with "Deflategate", at least I think he didn't, but I bring him up (again) because it just goes along the lines of how nasty a man Bill Belichick obviously is when it comes to football. Hire a guy who walked out on his team because he wasn't being played? That is wrong on so many levels that it just makes me go "uh huh Coach Belichick, I believe everything that comes out of your mouth...NOT."
10. Super Bowl - Oh, and don't forget that next week we have a football game! The Seattle Seahawks against the New England Cheaters Patriots. Each team has a huge stake in winning; the Seahawks as repeat back to back winners and the Patriots as four time winners with Brady and Belichick together. Of course, there is that asterisk next to a couple of those wins involving SpyGate and now probably one next to this one if New England wins. But, hey, I'm not judging. Just wearing blue and green and hoping Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson and Richard Sherman play an even better game than last year!

For Sale, for sale, for sale

Several months ago For Sale signs began going up on my street. Sign #1 was the house two doors down. The original owner, my neighbor, died several years ago. Her children, who grew up in the house, kept it and it sat empty for a couple of years before they finally gave it up. The buyer remodeled the entire house over the course of several months and then hung up a sign. So far no takers, but it is overpriced.

Sign #2 came from my neighbors across the street, who moved in the summer before their son started high school. The son grew up, moved out of state, and now my neighbors feel like downsizing both in cost and space. Two doors down from them and across from the first sign my 98 year old neighbor died. His son remodeled and up went sign #3.

The worst sign to go up was my next door neighbor's Howard. He is 93 years old. After a recent medical issue, his daughters took him home with them to recover. Once there, despite regaining his health, they encouraged him to stay. They found him an apartment in a retirement community and he returned to Florida to hang up sign #4. This week he returned to pack up his belongings.

The day that he and the moving van drove away it was dark and gloomy, and the air held a misty wetness. It matched the moods of those of us still left in the hood as we watched him drive off. For me, it was just another moment in my "over fifty life". I keep waiting for the exciting part of getting older, but for now it is just death, poor health, and people leaving. I've said more good-byes than I have said hellos, but this one was really tough.

Howard and his wife were the first people we met upon moving into our neighborhood. They welcomed us, befriended us, and were everything neighbors could be. They were a huge part of my reasoning when Tom wanted to move to a bigger property years ago. Howard and his wife were the first ones at our house when we brought Madison home and they came in the middle of the night to watch her when we left to birth Darcy. We have been together through the death of Howard's wife, the death of my father, Tom's father, and my mother. Howard has attended my children's various sporting events, plays, and talent shows. We have had garage sales together, dinner parties together, picnics, and birthdays together. I mean, this....

I have spent most of week crying since he left sad at the loss of a good neighbor, but more so for the loss of an even better friend. He will be fine. He is adaptable and friendly and will go out of his way to make his new life the best. He face timed me from Texas (and he texts too!) and took us around his new apartment in the retirement building. He joined an exercise group and is now volunteering at a local school helping kindergartners learn to read. I hear from him about once a week or more if I have news for him. He will probably return once more when his house sells and then I will have to say good-bye all over again.

Everyone deals with this whether it is family or neighbors. Times change. Circumstances change. Kids go off and grow older in lives without us. I will have to learn to adapt and to embrace the new things (and new neighbors). Thank goodness technology and travel allow me to keep in touch with everyone.

Bon voyage my dear Howard. Until we meet again whether in person or via face time.

And I was off...in the wrong direction

Since the holidays ended and the Steelers lost school started I have been at a loss for the most part. I told myself that I would jump right out of bed each day in January and hit the floor running. There have maybe been two or three days where that has happened, but I just can't seem to get into the groove. I want to get myself on a routine where I spend a couple of hours exercising, a couple of hours at my desk, a couple of hours doing the normal household chores. It all sounded easy enough when I thought it up, but then other things jumped in among my hours messing it up and throwing me off track. Now it is the 16th of January and I'm still out of whack and wandering aimlessly. Here are some of my good intentions and the issues I am facing:

1. Meal planning - I printed out a calendar and marked down what meals I would serve on what days. I was quite proud that I finished this chore and figured my life was full speed ahead in organization. The only thing I hadn't taken into consideration was activities. The first week I had to make an appointment in another city that turned into two appointments and the only times said appointments could be made were late afternoon. The meal I had planned was not crockpot worthy and could not be made ahead of time and thus dinner wasn't until almost 8:30 pm. Which is a terrible time to eat. 
2. Chores - This was the year that I got back into flying. I was going to concentrate on a different area in each day in my home and get that chore done. No more trying to clean everything in one day. But I have a dog with hair in the winter who roams behind me shedding in the places that I have just cleaned. I have children who insist upon changing outfits every time they step into their bedrooms and who dump any item of clothing that has touched their bodies into the hamper. I have a dog who insists on chasing the vacuum cleaner, barking extremely LOUDLY while doing so. I have children who can mess up a beautifully cleaned bathroom in under five minutes just by washing their hands. I have a bad back and an Ipad with new games that consume much time out of my day. 
3. Blogging daily - I was going to carve out time each day to sit down at my desk and write. But now that my girls are older newsy note worthy happenings are few and far between. And once I sit down at my desk I think how nice it would be to catch up on other people's blogs, and Yahoo news, and my email, and since I'm doing all of that mundane stuff I should put up on my other monitor the episode of Grimm that I forgot to record. 
4. Desk work - This is stuff like bill paying, estate work, filing of receipts and paperwork, going through mail. My desk always looks like waste dump the day after I clean it because I do what my mother called, "shifting the shit". Today's mail? Oh, put that on my desk. Grocery receipts? Put that on my desk. Newspaper articles that need sending to people who have requested it? That letter telling me that Honda needs to fix something on my van because a fire could occur when I drive it? Put it all on my desk. So then I go sit down at my desk to get through the pile and #3 comes into play and before I know it I've caught up on Grimm.
5. The Condo - It is still sitting there full of my mother's things. I have sifted through some of it, but the rest I told myself I was waiting for my brother. It has now been eight months and my brother has yet to return to it. Meanwhile I have relatives that would love to use it and frankly, the place needs people in it. It needs the dishwasher run. It needs laundry run. It needs the garbage disposal, the one I thought was broken, but turned out to just need a cranking, run. So my new year plan was to get moving on tiding up at The Condo. First on the list was replacing her dishes. She never had china and so one day she went out and got china and insisted on using it daily. It had to be hand washed and was not microwave friendly. Not a good fit for people on vacation. My bright idea was to bring the china into my cabinet, buying myself new dishes, and taking my old ones up to The Condo. Only I can't find the dishes I want. And since I can't find that the idea is stalled. Until I find dishes. Which is now going to require a trip south to Sarasota to an outlet mall that carries the dishes I want. 

And the list goes on and on. I seem to have a lot of ideas, a lot of excuses and not a lot of get up and go. I have seven hours to accomplish what I need to do, but one thing seems to creep into the first item on my list to change my entire day. Exercising today? Great, but I am on this diet where I need to eat every hour and a half and exercising after I eat makes me miserable. No worries. Make a smoothie and eat when you get home. But then I think how I could exercise and stop at the grocery on my way home and then my diet and eating is thrown off.

This week I decided to start off slow. Start with a daily plan. Make a list for Monday and stick to it; exercise, grocery shop, blogging, Flylady chore.

Darcy: "You do realize we don't have school on Monday, right? And Daddy doesn't have work."

I rest my case.

NFL Monday playoff recap

Superior and not so superior - What an unbelievable game between the Seahawks and the Packers. It was the kind of Championship game that dreams are made of and social media and football fans were going nuts. The game goes down to the wire, then is tied, and goes into overtime. Awesome stuff. And then we had the second game. Snore. 45 - 7. Were the Colts even awake?

Russell Wilson - In his rookie season in 2012 I called for him to be the Rookie of the Year. The NFL didn't agree with me, but I'm feeling vindicated now. Four interceptions and he didn't let it get into his head. He made his team believe, pulled them from behind, and led them to the Super Bowl. Phenomenal.

Aaron Rogers - If you ask me, Rogers looked ninety percent better on that bum leg then he did the previous week. He looked so good to me moving in the pocket that I kind of wondered if he even had an injury.

Andrew Luck - I'm thinking that next year Luck needs to lose the beard because not only does it NOT help his looks any it isn't helping his playing either. He is 0 - 4 against the Patriots and was certainly not up to par playing them yesterday. I blame the beard. And the receivers who kept dropping passes. And the defense who couldn't stop Brady and company. And Jim Irsay because I don't like him. But mostly I blame the beard.

Analysts - I've decided I should be in the booth with these guys because I seem to see plays a lot clearer. Last week's Dez Bryant fiasco? I called that a no catch and was a hero among my Packer friends when it was overturned. How many times have I seen the Steelers catches called back for any sort of wobbling of the ball? Bottom line in the NFL is you must have control of the ball on the field whether you are standing or lying tangled on the ground. Only exception is crossing the goal line and then all bets are off if you touch that pylon. The oddest thing ever, but I'm getting off topic. Yesterday the analysts on both channels kept calling touchdowns and catches that weren't either. I think they get way too excited and then have to take it all back upon further review. If I were there in the booth, with my $5,000 eyes, I could calm them down with the truth before they had to apologize.

Leaving early - As a Hoosier who attended more basketball games than I can count, one rule we had was that you didn't leave the game early. No matter what. Yesterday hundreds of Seahawk fans flocked to the exit in the fourth quarter to escape the rain and cold and what they thought was a losing game. Oops.

Fox crew - I love them. They're the best. Hands down in my opinion. I will miss them.

Seahawks - I'm pulling for them. I don't want a team that cheated a few years back and who rewarded a player who whined about his playing time to get the big trophy. Go Russell Wilson! Go Richard Sherman! Go Seattle!

NFL playoff picks

Indianapolis over New England - It pains me that these are the two AFC teams left and it pains me to think that Jim Irsay might get to the Super Bowl. It pains me that Bill Belichick might be there as well. The only saving grace in all of this pain is Andrew Luck. Not his beard. But the guy himself. I like him. I like him despite his team, his owner, and his replacing my honey Peyton Manning. It is up to him to today to pull off this win, and I'm thinking maybe he can do it.

Seattle over Green Bay - I don't know. Did I just jump on this bandwagon? Then I remember last week and Aaron Rogers hobbling around the field on one good leg and I think, uh, nah. The Seahawks have defense and Russell Wilson (remember who picked him as Rookie of the Year way back when, ahem). They have home field advantage at a stadium that is LOUD and they have Richard Sherman. Maybe Rogers is healed, but everything I've read from the experts tell me that only time away from football will heal his injury so I think I'm safe with going with the line.

NFL Playoff Picks

New England over Baltimore - Frankly, I don't find either of these teams superior. Probably because I hate both teams, both coaches, and pretty much both quarterbacks. Sigh. The Patriots ended the regular season on top while the Ravens had some missteps so I'm going with Tom Brady. Also, because he is better looking than Flacco.

Seattle over Carolina - I kind of think Cam Newton might pull this win off, but when I made my picks I got chicken. The Seahawks have the home field, the better defense, and probably an edge with quarterbacks. But it would be cool to have the Panthers get the upset. 

Green Bay over Dallas - I think when it comes to Lambeau field in the winter the Packers have the edge...always. The fact they're playing a team used to being coddled in a bizzionaire indoor stadium with all the trimmings just makes it that much easier. 

Denver over Indianapolis - I like Andrew Luck, but I despise Jim Irsay, the Colts owner. I don't want him winning anything in this decade especially against Peyton Manning. So I'm taking the Broncos. 

My 2015 New Year's Resolutions

1. To try something new (whether it be food, an activity, a class, etc.) every two months. I picked every two months so that I might actually keep this resolution. I just think I need to start redefining myself now that my children are pushing me out of a job with their growing up.
2. To not be so defensive, and to not erupt with anger (yelling)when cornered.  Darcy told me I seem to be yelling more lately and that got me thinking. Why do I yell?
3. To utilize those damn Wyndham points whether selling points or vacationing myself.  Now that my mother has passed these, and the monthly charges, on to myself and my brother I have got to take charge or we will be in debit.
4. To lose the weight I put on last year and to get into shape for Europe.  My MIL is taking our family to England, Scotland, and Ireland for Madison's graduation present. I must be able to not hold everyone back. I have no more excuses.
5. I suppose I should work on the language thing again since it seems to bother others. Hmmm...maybe I should voice it as working on the language thing because it isn't necessary as often as I use it. Yes, I like that. Yeah, well...
6. I also like changing up my wardrobe too. My closet is full of stuff I don't wear but once or twice a year and frankly, I'm bored with it all. But the weight has to come off and the body buffed before I can do that so maybe that should be next year's resolution. Hmmmm.... This is an extra one I'm throwing in there. Maybe it will get done. Maybe it won't.

NFL Morning Recap - Playoffs

I had so much to say last night as I drove home, but then I woke up to the death of Stuart Scott and suddenly football was put into perspective. Scott, an ESPN employee for over 20 years and host of SportsCenter, died this morning from cancer at the age of 49. I am sadden by the news. He was my favorite host and sports analyst. He was bold, intelligent, loyal, funny, and true to himself. He was an icon to those of us who love sports, and he was a sparkle and an entertainer that made sports interesting to those who were forced to watch with spouses, parents, children, etc. I followed Scott's battle with cancer via his posts on social media and knew when he went silent and absent from television in November that things weren't good. Still it was a shock this morning to hear he was gone.

“When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer,” Scott told the audience when he accepted the Jimmy V Perseverance Award at the Espy's. “You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and in the manner in which you live.” 

Prayers and hugs to Scott's daughters and his family. As Steve Harvey tweeted this morning, "The other side of the pillow is wet with tears today."

And, as Scott would have done, I turn back to football. I missed the first game between the Cardinals and the Panthers because I was confused on times and channels. As for my Steelers, I think Dejan Kovacevic said everything I felt and wanted to say right here. 

NFL Picks Playoffs

Carolina over Arizona - I went with all the home teams, but this was the game I went back and forth on. I ended up with Cam Newton. I think he is motivated, and the Cardinals are hobbling along here at the end.

Pittsburgh over Baltimore - I made a mistake. I thought we had beaten these guys twice this year and didn't feel so good about a third. But oh, yeah they beat us in the beginning of the year so suddenly I felt good. We got this. 

Indianapolis over Cincinnati - I just think Andrew Luck finds his groove again. Bottom line. 

Dallas over Detroit - The Cowboys are all anyone is talking about, but I think Matthew Stafford, if he can keep his cool, might give them concern. Obviously I didn't feel too concerned, however. 

Holiday 2014 pics

First birthday on Christmas Eve - SIL Beth blowing out the candles on her cheesecake

Card sharks

Peppermint coffee with peppermint creamer, peppermint whipped cream and peppermint sprinkles in my new Steelers coffee cup. Thanks hubby!

Birthday #2 the day after Christmas. My nephew blowing out the candles on his ice cream cake.

A new ornament from my SIL Susan

Eating out so the relatives can eat fresh seafood

And they say we are always on our electronics....hmmmm...

Because...

Cousins