Year end resolution review

Good-bye 2015. I tried my best. I started out the year on top of these resolutions, but the finish wasn't the best. I'm not sure the month of December should even count. It is a very stressful time what with all of the shopping, planning, eating, etc. Who has time for anything else? Here is the last of my resolutions for 2015.

1. To try something new (whether it be food, an activity, a class, etc.) every two months.- I started out hot on this one, but not so great toward the end. Although I liked this resolution. Maybe I'll carry it over into next year. Score: 5
2. To not be so defensive, and to not erupt with anger (yelling) when cornered.  - I did this one fairly well. I would count this as a success if I wasn't counting the last month.  Score: 8
3. To utilize those damn Wyndham points whether selling points or vacationing myself.  - Hmmm...we sold some. We vacationed. We used almost half the points. Score: 5
4. To lose the weight I put on last year and to get into shape for Europe.  - I did not lose the weight, but I felt I was in shape for the overseas trip. Score: 5
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. - Again, the last two months wrecked me. Have you met my friend SueG and my Auntie Marilyn and her family? I had no chance. Score: 8
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.... I did this one. Score!  Score: 10

Total Score: 33 out of 60 - Hey, it's a new year year coming up with new resolutions! I have another chance.

Monday morning NFL recap

Steelers: With all of my family visiting, I tried to watch the game on my laptop at the rented beach condo, but the wi-fi there was spotty and so it was like watching a robotic game with jerks and stoppages and, well, it was as frustrating as the Steelers play.

• I was not one who worried when running back La'Veon Bell got hurt because I had tons of confidence in De'Angelo Williams. and yesterday he was the only player that showed up to play.
• I knew when the media started praising the Steelers the last two weeks about all of the points they  put on the board that we would be in trouble. We play better when no one talks about us and we just slyly and quietly move forward.
• Ben Roethlisberger came out fired up, but when the rest of his team failed to rise to the occasion he felt he had to do it all and he tried way too hard and made too many mistakes, but I believe that the rest of the team is at fault. They didn't come out to play.
• From all the Twitter remarks I gathered that we ran the ball more than we threw, but since the defense and the offense didn't come to play yesterday no wonder Tomlin went with Williams.
• Losing to the Ravens, a mediocre team this year, twice, is worst to me than being out of the hunt for the wild card spot. Seeing how happy Ravens coach John Harbaugh was in the post game conference was a stab in the gut. I would play that interview over and over and over again every time we have to play them next year.
• I don't know all the ins and outs of what has to happen now, but I believe the Steelers need to pack up their stuff and call it a season. We just aren't that good. We should be with all of the great player we have on offense, but something isn't working. For years I've called it "heart" and maybe that should be on the coach.

Other:

• Gotta start with the Peyton Manning accusation. Having been burned with Lance Armstrong, whom I believed til the very end, I just feel sad. I think the world of Peyton Manning. I have written countless times about him being what the NFL lacks; full of integrity. That being said I suppose I won't be shocked if the accusation of him using HGH, a banned NFL substance, is true. Not now. Not after watching him play hurt. Not after watching him as he continues to work to play in the NFL again. I thought he would walk away when it was his time, but now I wonder if he will be like Brett Favre and just hold on to something that isn't attainable. I want to believe him. I do believe him. But....
• And please tell me why Manning was pretty much the only player mentioned in reports with the other names an after thought? So far we have only heard from Manning and it was to deny the accusations. What about Steelers James Harrison who was mentioned? What about Packers Clay Matthews?  Do we not care that these guys might have done a naughty?
• And continuing on this subject which annoys me...was it illegal at the time this occurred? The NFL didn't ban the substance until 2011. Was that January 1st? They didn't even test for it until 2014. What? Was Manning, who was on the inactive list, even under the rules at the time seeing as he was out for the year? Can these substances not even be a part of recovering from surgery? I have a lot of questions.
• I also, sorry still talking about it, believe that Manning would be smarter then having the drug sent to his wife. Surely people watch television these days. Send it to a P.O. Box in a fake name! And why are we listening to a media source out of the middle east? The whole thing just annoys me!!
• And the Manning situation must have been in Eli Manning's head during his night time game against the Vikings. Three interceptions? Ouch. The Vikings killed the Giants to head into the playoffs.
• The other big news was the Falcons beating the undefeated Panthers on a Cam Newton forced fumble. I believe it is the best thing that could have happened to the Panthers, but if they can't get that loss out of their head it won't be. No more worrying about being perfect. Now you go out and worry about winning the big one. Behind Cam Newton who is confident and a great leader these guys have a shot if they stop worrying about missing that undefeated season.
• I got to give it to the Jets. Hell of a game against the Patriots. That's what you do when you want to keep playing. They needed to win and the Steelers needed to lose and the Jets rolled right into the Wild Card spot. "A lot of confidence in the huddle," said quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick about the overtime play. Yep, that's what you have to have.
• In the Jets game there was some issue regarding the coin toss. The Patriots won the coin toss and elected to kick. WHAT? Coach Belichick obviously had a plan, but obviously it didn't work out the way he wanted. His team stood behind him after the game, but frankly, the Daily News in New York said it best with their headline that said, "THANKS GENIUS."
• 
  

NFL picks - week #16

Last Week - 11 -5
Overall - 121 - 105

Oakland over San Diego - I'm tired of picking the Chargers. Except for Phillip Rivers, these guys have been playing some other sport besides football.

Philadelphia over Washington - I agonized over this one because every time I pick the Skins they give up. I went with my gut...and we all know my gut has not worked well this season.

Carolina over Atlanta - I keep thinking that the Panthers will lose and I still believe that, but they truly have something that other teams don't...heart. This team believes they are the best and they want to prove that. Gotta love that.

Buffalo over Dallas - I've lost track of the Cowboys. Are they still a team?

Detroit over San Francisco - The Lions suddenly remember how to play football and in the NFC the end is all that matters.

Houston over Tennessee - I don't know I felt this one.

Kansas City over Cleveland - The Browns are done. They will go back to the drawing board as usual and regroup for next year, hopefully, reigning in Johnny Manziel better than last off season.

Indianapolis over Miami - Another one that I had to think about. I thought maybe the Colts might pull out a win on the road in sunny weather.

New England over the Jets - I need the Pats to win this week and good old Belichick doesn't sit his players when it doesn't count.

Tampa Bay over Chicago - I thought about attending this one today, but then again my family has a condo on the beach and this game doesn't matter except for the guys that are hoping to keep their jobs.

Pittsburgh over Baltimore - The Ravens beat us the first time so I don't think the Steelers will allow that to happen again. But then again sometimes the heart I mentioned above is missing with this team... If we continue the way we have been playing in the last three games we might just keep on playing.

New Orleans over Jacksonville - I went with Drew Brees, who despite his torn plantar fascia is playing today. Because it worked so well for Peyton Manning?

Arizona over Green Bay - I think the Cardinals are just too good.

Seattle over St. Louis - The Rams have played well the last two weeks, but I think the Seahawks have played better against better teams.

Minnesota over Giants - No Beckham Jr. might spur this team on to a victory, but I felt that wasn't enough to get past their long list of other issues. Namely protecting their quarterback and getting past defenders.

Denver over Cincinnati - This may have been more of a wishful thinking pick, but the Broncos defense has the ability to stop the Bengals second string quarterback.

One Christmas down

Tom has twenty four siblings and adding in their thirty multiple spouses and kids makes for a very large and noisy group. With all of us there were nineteen people and one via facetime for our Christmas which included a Yankee Exchange. We had a ham dinner that probably took longer cleaning up then it did making and eating it.

This group loves to play cards and multiple games were going on after the food was consumed. The kids were in one room playing. The adults were in another room playing. Oddly, not money is involved.

The Yankee Exchange got underway quickly. Each person purchases a gift within the price range, wraps it secretly, and puts it under the tree. We draw names and go in order. The seeker can open a gift or take one from someone else. If a steal is made, the person who loses the gift gets to either draw a new one or steal from someone else. Each year I always lose the best gift! I'm very bitter about it and so this year I had a plan. I would chose Darcy's gift, which I bought so I knew what it was, and sat quietly hoping no one would notice. I decided that if someone stole it someone else in our family would get it back because Darcy really wanted the game.

I drew number 2. I got the game. Everyone oohed and aahed which was not a good sign. I made a lot of whiny comments about how I never get what I picked. I think it worked. Plus being quiet was a good strategy since NO ONE is used to that.

Also, there were other cool gifts this year. We had two I Tunes gift cards, a Starbucks gift card, and a really cool hat that was getting stolen again and again.

Darcy ended up with it. She stole it from Maddy who stole it from her Aunt Beth. The gifts are suppose to be funny, crazy, and nice. Huh? I bought a pillow as my gift. It too was stolen a couple of times.

At the end of the game everyone went around trading for things they really wanted so I think everyone went home happy. Some gifts were multiple parts so we all ended up with lots of stuff. I took home the Reverse Charades game and some Sour Patch Kids candy. Win, win!

That is one Christmas under our belts with one more to go. We love having all of this family here and getting multiple Christmases! Merry, merry everyone!

Annual Holiday Baking

Three years ago my friend SueG insisted we have a holiday bake day. We have continued the tradition, but this year I insisted we each pick three recipes as I was bored with our usual fair that no one ate at my house. We met the day before at breakfast to plan and shop for ingredients and we felt this year was a huge success.

We started out with peppermint chocolate cookies that we had seen on Facebook. They were very easy to make, although we all agreed a tad dry.

After the first batch Darcy knew just how to get out of baking. She volunteered to clean bathrooms. I agreed and like that we were down one baker.

Next up was the buckeyes. The kids rolled the peanut butter mixture into balls and dipped in chocolate with toothpicks. My job at that point was to take the hot sheets out to the garage for cooling. Once cookies were cooled I divided them up into our containers and handed back the sheets for the next batches of cookies. Luckily, we had a cold front come through the night before and cooling was a breeze...no pun intended.

Batch three were blossom cookies. Batch four were snowballs. At some point I got tired of my job of mixing, washing dishes, cooling, and dividing and I took photos.

I insisted on chocolate chip cookies since that is what my mother always made. We made one batch the regular way and the second batch with peppermint chips. Those were interesting to say the least.

The last batch was sugar cookies. Madison had made the dough the night before so I rolled and cut the shapes and the kids decorated. By the six tray we lost the kids. Madison took over my job and SueG and I finished decorating. We have a lot more "ornaments" then we do other shapes as we used a glass for those. WAY easier.

We considered this the best holiday baking day ever. It took all day, but we both ended up with tons of cookies for family and guests. So far everyone in my house has enjoyed the tasty treats. Can't wait until next year!

Girl's weekend

Several months ago my friend SueG and I planned a weekend trip to Universal Studios. One by one the participants, starting with Darcy, dropped out for various reasons. By the time it was all said and done our family Universal trip became a girl's weekend with just the two of us. I had booked the Wyndham Reunion Resort for the weekend, and because of the way the timeshare points work, cancelling the trip was not beneficial to me financially and so we made the sacrifice to carry on. Sometimes it is hard work to keep up with this timeshare thing.

She drove because she thinks I drive like an old lady. I am an old lady so I'm not sure what that exactly means, but I enjoy having her chauffeur me around all of the time and so I just loaded up my things in her car and sat back for the ride. We stopped for a cocktail and some lunch a little before eleven just up from the exit to our Wyndham. I had never been to this restaurant before, and frankly can't remember the name now, but there were very few people there. We were seated across from the bar where one of the employees was training two newbies in the art of pouring drinks. Who knew there was so much detail in this?

We learned how to hold bottles, how to flip the wrist to pour, and how to measure correctly without a device. Each newbie had to pour the correct amount of liquor, which we guessed was really water in old bottles, which the employee tested by pouring into a measuring glass. One girl was an expert much to the employee's dismay, but luckily the second newbie girl wasn't and so we heard plenty of advice as she trained this girl.

Our waiter was very attentive, if not a tad different. He kept trying to get us to order obscure food items and when we would decline he would tap his heels together and say, "but of course". When we gave him a cash tip he actually took out his wallet and pocketed it right there at the table while glancing around to see if anyone else was looking. All very odd and frankly not worth the price.

We stayed at the Wyndham Reunion Resort as it was the only one available at booking. These resorts are all three bedroom and very spacious. I stayed there a year or so ago and SueG had rented one from a year ago. We both decided we would check out new things as the resort is huge. We did some grocery shopping, checked in, and had some more cocktails on our balcony.

SueG's older son who lives in the Orlando area joined us after work. He had made reservations for all of us for dinner at a nice restaurant at 8:00 pm. What? I reminded him that his mother and I were over the age of 50 and therefore practically in the early bird category and eating after 8:00 pm would give us reflux. He rolled his eyes. He's 28 and knows it all.

Everything in the resort was decorated for the holidays. It probably motivated me to get started at my own house since I was procrastinating the whole Christmas decorating after having my Halloween/Thanksgiving stuff up for two months. We took the shuttle to the main building to wander around and check out the rooftop swimming pool. We figured we could get a cocktail up there, but frankly having had two cocktails already had me wanting a nap.

The weekend we were there was our first "cold front" for winter. The rooftop was blustery with zero swimmers in the heated pool. The view really was incredible and it would have been a nice spot to sit and relax, but alas, the bar was not open for another hour. We hiked back downstairs and went next door to the pro shop's bar instead.

My drink, darn it, I can't remember the name of it, was delicious with amaretto and rum. I'm going to have to try to mix that concoction up at home. Of course, being that were in the golfing area the bartender didn't know what he was doing since mostly what he serves is beer and the occasional wine. He had to get a stool to climb into a cabinet high over his head to mix Santosh's drink, but nevertheless we enjoyed the view on the balcony with our drinks.

Dinner that night was delicious. We ate at Seasons 52 and I can honestly say that my filet was the best steak I have ever eaten and that's saying something because I'm from Indiana. It really truly melted in my mouth. By the time we got seated and ordered I was ready to eat. All that liquor in my poor body was taking over. I needed food. Santosh and his girlfriend recommended a flatbread appetizer since this was the specialty here. We had the garlic pesto chicken and we gobbled that sucker right up. Delicious. Three of us had steak and one of us had shrimp and grits. While the food was quite dandy, the portions were tiny. My filet was tiny, the mashed potatoes were three bites, and I had seven green beans. The deserts are in tiny shot glasses that are brought to the table. We picked several and shared them; key lime pie, Belgian chocolate s'more, mocha macchiato, chocolate peanut butter torte, carrot cake with cinnamon honey, and blueberries with lemon curd. All in all, it was a very nice night despite Santosh making me shower and change out of my tennis shoes.

Santosh stayed with us that night and left late in the morning. He had college football to watch. We hung around the room and took our time getting up and motivated. From there we went shopping, but decided after two shops that the mall was way too crowded and we were way too tired. We called Santosh and met him for an early dinner at a little hole in the wall place with tons of screens for watching football.

Again the food was delicious! I had a cilantro cashew salad and SueG had sliders. I skipped on the beer. I had met my limit. We ended the night wrapped up in blankets watching Christmas movies on Hallmark and Lifetime. It was truly a girls' night there.

The next morning we watched more movies and slowly packed up. We shopped on the way home and agreed that this was something we should try to do more often. Maybe I'll make a girls' night every two months as one of my new year's resolutions. It is a nice way to re-charge although I will admit to not feeling so hot on Sunday. Luckily for me, I just watched football all day. Here's to a girls getaway!!

Christmases past bring back memories

I've been looking at old Christmas photos this month and thinking so much about my parents. That is the beauty and magic of photographs. Nothing dies as long as you can look back and remember. While I didn't write about life back then (yep, ignored my mother's journal idea) I'm thankful for the opportunity to look back through the photos.

My mother was always grumpy on Christmas day. It wasn't until I began hosting family at my house that I got a better idea of why she was so irritable. This Thanksgiving really made it all hit home for me. I have never been as tired as I was at the end of that meal which we worked on from 10:00 to 5:00 and which was eaten in twenty minutes. Clean up took another three hours and suddenly I was telling my mother I got it. Getting up in the morning, readying a turkey that needed to go into the oven while kids begged to open presents, doing that while worrying about setting tables and getting a dinner on the table for a slew of people? I see you now Connie.

In many of the pictures I found my mom was in shorts. She was always running around in shorts on Christmas while the rest of us were bundled up in sweaters, sweats, and blankets, and we were always rolling our eyes at her sweating and hotness. Now that I'm having hot flashes constantly? Yep, makes me realize I had no idea. Boy, do I get it now.

Every time a camera was pointed at my dad he would smile and pose. He loved photography. But in looking back through these pictures it really him me that my dad was just a happy go lucky guy. He saw joy in most everything around him. I'm going to try and channel that this year.

If it weren't for my dad with his various cameras we wouldn't have all these memories. He loved taking pictures even though the rest of us grumbled about his directions in having us smile or look up or pose. Thank god he ignored us all and kept on shooting. One of the best presents was giving him a camcorder. My mother did a great job putting that together. We gave it to him early so he could study it and be ready to shoot on Christmas day. It was such a joy for all of us to give him that gift. I remembered it quite vividly.

We made fun of my dad when he wrote on his prints. He lectured me a hundred times about writing the dates and the people's names on photographs. I should have listened. I have too many Christmas pictures, especially pics of our Christmas trees, without dates. I spent WAY too much time trying to chronologically put them in order.

I'm thankful for the funny things, the traditions, and the silliness that we shared all those years too. Both parents made sure Christmas was fun for the kids. Our Christmas mornings were the best even when we were sick. Both Rusty and I have spent time remembering certain things like an orange in the toe of our stockings and our various hunts for Christmas trees. I hope too that I have done the same for my kids.

Monday morning recap - week #15

This past week has been crazy. It always is this time of the year. I have ten members of my family who arrived last night and ten members of Tom's family heading our way. It will be a crazy Christmas for sure. My brother and family drove straight through so my plan of watching the Steelers game while waiting for them to arrive got thrown out the window. Instead I had to tape it, go Christmas shopping, and keep track via my various sports apps. I got home just after Ben threw the interception with a little more than two minutes left in the game. I will admit though that watching the taped version was more fun after knowing the wondrous outcome!

Steelers:

• I was surprised at the amount of hostility between these two teams. Again a fight in the very beginning? The game last week with Cincinnati drew $118,649 in penalties. I would have thought that Mitchell's fine of $23,152 and Brown's fine of $8,681 would have settled Pittsburgh down some, but I guess not. I expect more fines will be levied this week as well. Cody Wallace can expect one for sure.
• I couldn't help but wonder as I watched Peyton Manning's back up if this was going to be another Brett Favre/Aaron Rogers situation; old guy getting phased out before he is ready to make room for the young newbie who is ready. Brock Osweiler looks like he has learned plenty at Manning's knee.
• I didn't play Bronco's Emmanuel Sanders on my Fantasy team because he hasn't done much in the last few weeks. I should have known he would want to come to Heinz Field and play like a maniac in front of his former team and employers.
• Pittsburgh defense in the first half just kept missing. Kudos to the person or people who corrected that during halftime because the defense that played in the second half was a TOTALLY different group of guys.
• At halftime as the teams ran into the locker rooms, CBS' on the field reporter (read token, pretty, woman) Tracy Wolfson asked Steelers Coach Tomlin what he was going to do about all the "chippyness" on the field. I had to look that word up thinking, "huh"? But I give Tracy props as the word means "aggressively belligerent." My bad.
• I wish I had counted how many passes were batted out of the way by the Steelers' defense in the second half. It was bam, bam, bam. Shut out in the second half by the defense. Awesome. Just think if we could have done that all season.

Other: I didn't see any other games (remember I was shopping tra la la la la) so my thoughts are from the highlights.

• How crazy was the Giants/Panthers game? But oh, my, Odell Beckham Jr. is in for a HUGE fine for his stupid-I'm-just-pissed-you-are-covering-me-so-damn-well helmet to helmet late hit on Panthers Josh Norman. Those two were at each other all day, but Beckham was doing childish things like grabbing Norman's ankle as he stood up after a tackle. These guys have got to control their emotions. At the end of the game Beckham could have saved himself by apologizing as soon as the mics were shoved in his face. That would have been the adult thing to do, but nope. Didn't happen. Ridiculous. Had that been James Harrison he would have been tossed out of the game. Sigh.
• And how about Cam Newton and company? Wow. 14-0. Undefeated. I love how Newton always gives the ball to a kid in the stands after he scores too. He is a class act all of the way. I wouldn't mind seeing him with a ring.
• I notice that Brown's Johnny Football has a bad habit of running backwards when he is in trouble instead of getting rid of the ball. What is that all about? Someone needs to put a stop to that nonsense.

NFL picks - week #15

Last Week - 9 - 7

Overall - 109 - 100

Tampa Bay over St. Louis - I keep wanting to believe that Winston is the savior despite my initial misgivings, but apparently he isn't. At least not this year.

Jets over Dallas - Put a fork in the Cowboys. They are done.

Houston over Indianapolis - No Andrew Luck again this week. No win again this week.

Minnesota over Chicago - The Vikings are wishy washy, but da Bears aren't that good.

New England over Tennessee - No way the Titans pull out a win.

Carolina over Giants - I had the Giants at first because I keep thinking the Panthers will lose one, but then I thought about it some more and changed my mind. The Panthers just have the mindset of winning.

Buffalo over Washington - Coin toss on this one.

Jacksonville over Atlanta - The Falcons have decided they aren't players and the Jaguars don't feel the season is over.

Kansas City over Baltimore - Put a fork in the Ravens too. God that feels good typing that sentence.

Green Bay over Oakland - The Raiders, like the Chargers, are thinking more about winning a new stadium that they aren't worrying about playing football.

Seattle over Cleveland - I know all week the sports world bigwigs keep mentioning the Steelers as contenders, but the Seahawks are the ones I would worry about.

Pittsburgh over Denver - I might think differently if Peyton were playing, but if we can keep up the momentum from the last two weeks we can win this. Plus we are home.

San Diego over Miami - Jeez, these teams playing one another can't be a game anyone is looking forward too, but this might just be the Chargers last game in their stadium so I'm going with them as the winners.

Cincinnati over San Francisco - Please. Did the Bengals have any contenders this year besides the Steelers?

Arizona over Philadelphia - I know the Eagles have suddenly remembered how to play football, but the Cardinals have been good all year.

New Orleans over Detroit - I have no idea why I picked this one at the time. Brain fart?

Monday morning NFL recap - week #14

Steelers:

• Just like the Ravens always do the Bengals trash talked prior to the game promising it would be a "bloody" one. (That in itself is an issue in my opinion and the NFL should be fining that nonsense instead of player's happy celebrations in the end zone) No one expected it would happen before the game ever started. Both teams ended up pushing and shoving one another on the field during the pregame warm up with James Harrison, a former Steeler turned Bengal returned Steeler, in the center of things. It didn't get any better after that with all sorts of scuffling on the field and penalties racked up in the visiting team's column...
• ...Which is annoying despite the home field advantage stuff that I get. Antonio Brown's 15 yard penalty should have been given to Cinncinnati's Reggie Nelson. Instant replay showed that Nelson shoved Brown for no reason after a play that didn't involve either one. He shoved Brown who bumped into another player who took offense and suddenly we had more pushing and shoving and back mouthing on the field. 
• Andy Dalton, the Bengals quarterback, knocked himself out early in the game after throwing an interception and then tackling the perpetrator, Stephon Tuitt, breaking his own thumb in the process. CBS kept showing us the play over and over again, but frankly I didn't see his hand make any contact with Tuitt's knee like they wanted us to believe. Dalton had to watch the rest of the game on the sidelines.
• Kudos to Dalton's back up, A.J. McCarron, though. He looked like he could carry the team if it becomes necessary in the next few weeks.
• So after Antonio Brown's ridiculous stunt last week with the goal post the NFL fined him $11,576 (huh?) and you would think the rest of the team would take notice, but NO. The Steelers were flagged for celebrating after their second touchdown. Listen. I get it. In sports you get excited, you do something really well, and you want to blow off some happy steam and maybe by doing so piss off the opponents. I agree with you, but the NFL doesn't. They don't want this type of thing in the league for whatever weird reason and so the rules state you can't do excessive celebrating. Follow the damn rules!
• Ben Roethlisberger in the third quarter made a heck of a play to Antonio Brown. He was pressured with defenders coming at him from all sides pulling on his jersery and working to get him to the ground. Somehow he got away and with two guys breathing down his neck he threw a perfect pass to a cutting Brown. While kudos were being given to Brown for the catch I was loudly praising Ben. Then the other announcer agreed with me saying, "What did Marvis Lewis tell his team about pursing Ben Roethlisberger." 

Other:

• Giants Defensive End Damontre Moore got into a fight with a teammate over a pair of Dre Beats headphones. Odell Beckham Jr. gave the headphones out to teammates and Moore took exception to teammate Cullen Jenkins taking two pairs. After the fight the team fired Moore. WHAT? Well, turns out Moore had other issues regarding getting along with his teammates and this was the final straw. Wonder if Moore got some Beats to take home?
• How bad are the bags under St. Louis Rams coach Mike Fisher's eyes? That's what five losses in a row gets you. Hopefully, next week the bags will have shrunk some after his win today.
• So I had the Steelers game online and the NFL Network Redzone Channel (LOVE IT) on behind me. It came down to the Steelers in the red zone, Chicago and the Chargers trying to make a comeback, and Buffalo and Philadelphia tied. My head looked like Linda Blair in the Exorcist. The Steelers scored. The Chargers sucked and lost yards from the goal line that would have helped helped the Steelers in the wild card race. Chicago lost. I finally finished watching the Eagles help the Steelers by beating the Bills. I love Sunday football!
• More injuries again this week that ended some players season. I don't know if it is more injuries this year or if we are just more aware of them.
• The AFC picture is crazy and the NFC picture is even crazier. The AFC juggled yesterday in the top spots. With the Bengals and the Broncos losing and the Patriots winning, that gave the Pats the number one spot with an 11-2 record. The other two are 10-3. In the NFC the records are 12-0 with the Panthers and 11-2 with the Cardinals, but then the next two division leaders are 9-4 (Packers) and 6-7 the Redskins. 6-7! And the rest of the packs' records aren't much better. 

NFL picks - week #14

Last Week - 10 - 6
Overall - 100 - 93

Arizona over Minnesota - Jeez, the Cardinals eeked that one out.

Chicago over Washington - I wanted to pick Washington, but every time I do they lose.

Pittsburgh over Cincinnati - Oh, please, oh, please.

San Francisco over Cleveland - I'm annoyed Johnny Manziel is back as the starter. What? Two weeks and he has learned his lesson? Come on 49'ers!

Kansas City over San Diego - Jeez, I just don't even know about the Chargers anymore. This was like tossing a coin.

Detroit over St. Louis - If the Lions of the past two weeks show up this week in Missouri then of course this will happen. But....

Jets over Tennessee - New York is one of those wishy washy teams this year. Some Sundays they come out to play and other Sundays they don't. Frankly, I just guessed on this one.

Buffalo over Philadelphia - I didn't see the Eagles big win against the Patriots last week, but I saw enough of weeks 3-12 to think maybe the Bills will win. Of course, I'd rather they didn't.

Tampa Bay over New Orleans - Another crazy team is the Saints. What? They either come out shooting or they have their weapons holstered. I feel better about the Bucs.

Carolina over Atlanta - Last week I said that game could be the Panthers downfall, but now I'm thinking it could be this week. But then I kept thinking and Cam Newton just keeps coming up with the big plays to pull out the win so I well, I, well, I took them at the last minute.

Indianapolis over Jacksonville - I forgot that Hasselbeck was hurt against Pittsburgh. I certainly would have rethought this one if he isn't going to be the quarterback.

Seattle over Baltimore - The Seahawks have found themselves and the Ravens are complaining the refs are against them.

Denver over Oakland - This youngster sure paid attention to Manning while backing him up, didn't he?

Green Bay over Dallas - Yes, the Cowboys one one, but let's not get carried away.

New England over Houston - Three in a row? Nah.

Giants over Miami - Surely, the Giants have figured out their problem by now.

Happy 35th Magnum

Apparently this week is the 35th anniversary of the television show Magnum P.I. that aired on CBS and starred Tom Selleck. I stumbled on this little tidbit of information online when I went to Yahoo to search something that I've now forgotten all about. The article that updated me on the anniversary was titled, Happy 35th Anniversary "Magnum P.I." : 20 Things You Didn't Know About the Classic Tom Selleck Drama".  So of course, being one of the show's top ten fans, I thought to myself, "Uh huh. I doubt it."

By the seventh one I was just sad. These are things fans didn't know about? Please. Any fan of Magnum knew most of these and the other ones were not even things about the show. I could have written a better article and so I've added my own tidbits to these wacky 20 things.

1. The Mustache is a Star In Its Own Right - It is in the International Mustache Hall of Fame. He suggested he shave it for Blue Bloods and got turned down. - Knew it. This isn't a bad piece of information as most people might not know it.
2. Orson Welles Played a Major Role - Seriously? That's what you got for a secret? He did the voice of Robin Masters. Who didn't know that? - Knew it. But did people know that Welles died in 1985 leaving a void and causing the whole "Is Higgins really Robin Masters?" storyline?
3. Selleck and Sinatra: The Duo That Almost Was - Frank Sinatra met Selleck after one of his shows in Hawaii, loved him and suggested he guest star on Magnum. - Knew it. Who wouldn't love him?
4. Higgins Wasn't Really British - Okay, well, I disagree with that statement because "Higgins" was British. The actor portraying him, Johnathan Hillerman, wasn't though. He was from Texas. - Yeah, knew it. He did a hell of a job with the role of Higgins.
5. Magnum Send - Off Broke Records - When I first read that his finale broke records my first thought was, "yep, but that was the second finale, btw." I did not know, however, that this finale is the sixth most watched TV series finale ever. So got me. - Didn't Know it.
6. Actually, that was the Second Series Finale - Oh, yeah? Well, I told you that! That finale was a tearjerker and sent me on a quest for years and years in trying to find the singer to the song that was played in the final scene as Magnum walks toward the light after being shot. It was "Looking for Space" and was performed by John Denver. I know own it. - Knew it.
7. Angela Lansbury came to Magnum's Rescue - Okay, so in season 7 ratings for Magnum were down and CBS thought a "cross over" to Murder She Wrote would boost the ratings. - Knew it. Yeah, yeah, but did this writer know that Angela Landsbury wasn't too happy with Tom Selleck and his show? That she made some comments that pissed me off? Like her show was better? Yeah, well that would have been more of a "didn't know" than telling us about a cross over that we WATCHED. 
8. Magnum's Signature Look Has Been Reserved for Prosperity - Yes, yes, Tom Selleck donated his red Hawaiian shirt and other memorabilia to the Smithsonian. - Knew it.
9. A Magnum Movie Has Long Been Rumored, But.... - Yep. Author Tom Clancy was working on the script. - Knew it.
10. Magnum's Home Now Has A Presidential Connection -  The home that was used as the Robin Master's Estate was recently purchased by President Obama's friend. Uh, okay? And how is this a secret about the drama? - Didn't Know this one. My parents actually went to Hawaii and found the house. While my Dad was off taking pictures around the walled property the security gate opened and a limo drove out past my mom and my parents friends. It stopped and the window rolled down and Tom Selleck smiled out at them. 
11. Magnum Was Suppose to Have a Different Ride - In the show Magnum drives Robin Master's Ferrari, but originally it was suppose to be a Porsche. Selleck was too big for that car and the Ferrari came into play with a lot of cutting and rearranging of the inside. - Knew it.
12. Wes Anderson is A Big Magnum Fan - Uh, what? Who? The director? Again how is this relevant? Jeez, lady I could have written this article better. - Don't care.
13. Chris Pine Has A Magnum Connection - Uh, see #12
14. Mrs. Magnum Made An Appearance...sort of - Okay, first of all, you meant Mrs. Selleck, actress Jillie Mack, who guest starred in an episode. - Knew it.
15. One Magnum Star Wrote A Memoir - I own Larry Manetti's, Aloha, Magnum. Which, by the way, is how I know a lot of this information. Perhaps you too? - Knew it. 
16. Magnum Almost Launched A Spin-off - Erin Gray, after guesting on an episode in Season 1, was suppose to have her character launch a spin-off that never happened. Okay, now that is interesting and something most fans might not know. I didn't. But why didn't it launch? - Didn't Know that.
17. James Rockford Helped Magnum Happen - Selleck loved his role as a rival P.I. on Rockford Files and that role was one of the reasons he signed on playing Magnum. Hmmmm.. I think the problem with these "things we didn't know" are they are stated weirdly. Maybe she should havesaid, "Magnum wasn't Selleck's first P.I. role" or something. - Knew it.
18. Archer Played Homage to a Classic Magnum Moment - I don't know Archer as I've never seen it so again this is stupid. But I do agree that this scene in "Did You See the Sunrise?" is a classic. It is without a doubt one of my favorite episodes and like the creator of Archer I too was open mouthed and shocked at the ending. - I don't even know what to say about this one.
19. You, Too, Can Have a Magnum Style Hawaiian Adventure - I'm worn out from this crappy article that is suppose to be a tribute. I can rent a place next door to what was once the estate and might now be housing the president? - Who cares.
20. Harrison Ford Owes Selleck A Big Thank You - Tom Selleck was chosen first as the main character in Raiders of the Lost Ark, but due to Magnum he couldn't take the role as the producers wouldn't give him time off to film it. - Knew it. Everyone knows it.

The only thing good to come out of this article was a link to Magnum Mania where REALLY interesting details about the show are told. 

Plays, Birthdays, Thanksgiving, oh my! November 2015 pics.

Birthday

I read an article yesterday in Parade about a woman, age 57, who had cataract surgery and was depressed because she was so young. I was in my 40's when I had to have the same surgery so I related, but then she said she realized that she while she had promised to embrace the changes in her life as she got older she was really acting as if she had an expiration date. Yes! That is exactly how I felt about turning 50 and losing my mother. This year I turned 51 and promised myself to throw that feeling out the window. It was a much better birthday.

I asked for a watch as mine broke a few weeks prior to the big day. My husband heard "electronics" and got me an Apple Watch. It can't go into the water so that's a big minus for me, but I'm used to his ways now, and I have embraced wearing it. Electronics are my husband's diamonds. My charge, Sydney, picked out this cup for me for my birthday "because you for sure love coffee". It is the best coffee cup ever! And then to end the day my husband actually sat down and rubbed my feet. What a day!

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High School Play

Darcy had a role in her school's fall theater production of Twelve Dancing Princesses. She was one of the princesses who danced all night and wore out her shoes when she was suppose to be asleep. It was a favorite story of mine from childhood, mainly because no one in this Grimm fairy tale got an appendage chopped off. The cast was amazing and the two nights I went were flawless. I was a very proud mother!

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Youth Group

Darcy's youth group then put on and ran the entire Sunday service at church in the absence of our minister. They each played a part from the music to the worship to the children's story. They did a wonderful job and now the congregation thinks they should do it more often!

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Sunday Music & Brunch

Every other week I take my charge, Sydney, to her guitar and voice lessons. After her first month he had all of the students perform at a restaurant on the beach. Sydney sang as she is still new to the guitar. She has a great voice and other than a bit of quietness did a fab job. I was a proud nanny/tutor!

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National Honor Society

The National Honor Society induction was also this month and Darcy and her friend were a bit loopy after their long time of standing up in front of parents. It was a short ceremony, but quite a few kids were inducted and the line wound around the room. A lot of lighting of candles was involved and the parents were a bit worried. I sat with our principal who also was worried since his church was nice enough to let us in to do the ceremony while we are under construction. It all went well, however, and nothing caught fire or burned down.

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Thanksgiving

While the preparation and cooking for Thanksgiving took seven hours the actual eating of it was twenty minutes. Clean up took over an hour and by the time the week ended I was one exhausted woman. Thanks to chef Hazel, Kelly, for all of her hard work in making yet another wonderful Thanksgiving turkey and dinner.

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Birthday

Our last celebration and activity of the month was Madison's birthday. She wanted a chocolate cake and so Darcy got that for her and because of that felt she was in charge of preparing and presenting the cake. After a dinner of Thai food, Madison's favorite, we sat down in the dining room and awaited Darcy's lit creation. Unfortunately for us she put too many candles on the cake in close proximity to one another and the result was a tad scary.

Kelly and Tom finally leaned over and put out the flames. Elliot was the only smart one. He stayed far away in the living room close to the front door. Either that or he was peeking in Madison's presents.

Looking forward to another month of excitement!