I am SUCH a liar...and a looser...

I've come to the age where I know confession is good for the soul..and I have to tell you..

I have lied to a respected entity of the United States Government for yEaRS..

No, not the IRS..

and no, not the INS...

The DMV.

Wait-what?

Yes, that much loved bureaucratic institution...the Department of Motor Vehicles??

SHUT UP!

For over 20 years..I have lied...about my weight....{oh..and for a time about my hair color, but we won't go into that..bygones...}

Yes, I have knowingly and willingly tried to convince them that I was a mere 210 lbs...

{cow and ...cow..}

I know, if I was going to lie, I shoulda made it like, 125 right?

But they're not blind...

{my hip runneth over...}

I blamed "water retention" for my extra pounds..but I would have to have been retaining Lake Michigan..

{can you gain weight with strawberries? Oh, it's the CHOCOLATE they're dipped in??

Who knew??}

But now, I am a looser... but I find myself STILL lying to the DMV..I now weigh less that my "reported" weight. By a bunch.

{both legs in what was once just ONE leg!!}

I can now proudly say I weigh "a hundred and plenty"...

Oh, at my highest...263....yikes...first time "out loud"..well, not so much out-loud like in taking..but in typing..

well, it's not in CAPS so I guess it's not really OUT LOUD-out loud.

But I am now in the 100's! OK, a high 100..like 198..

..but, I haven't seen the number "1" in front of my weight in eons..

Whew..I feel better now..confession IS good for the soul...

So, do I tell Mr. B I needed that $20.00 for crafts and not for gas??

Nah...

Have a wonderful, TRUTHFUL week-end :-)

(my sis-in-law Jeri and I in Tucson earlier this month)

-me

ps - the person I lied to the most was myself..no more.

I am cold...

very cold..very very cold..it's snowing..and raining..and blowing...and cold.

It should be spring..should be.  Really. Really? So what's with this year's weather?  Oh well...

I did get a nice wonderful package from Pearl..just look at all this wonderfulness..

So yes, I am lucky..cold..but lucky!

ThankYou,

Colleen

PS...I'm going under the covers...see you all tomorrow..

NCIS tonight...and NGS tomorrow..

If it's Tuesday, it must be NCIS night...yeppers.

Mr. B and me loves NCIS..not so much the stories..they can get a little gross and graphic at times (like tonight)..

It's more about the ensemble of players..they work well together. Quirky, weird, funny and quite individual.

Abby is soo odd and smart..she saves the day on many occasions..I like that. It shows all our young women that they can be cool, individual, dress uh...funnily (my word) and still be smart...very smart. I really like that.

OK, so that's tonight...tomorrow it's NGS..National Genealogical Society here in Utah. Lots of genealogists..lots of history..lots of ...work.

Yep, I'm there for work. Not a bad way to spend a few days though..maybe I'll even learn a little about how to find out about my ancestors...2 sets of Sullivan surnames, all from Ireland, several Patricks, Michaels, Margarets...on both sides..

My Daddy's family - the Sullivans (Daddy is the youngest looking down far left- first row)

And all immigrated to America in the late 1800's..yeeeeah......

My Aunt Alice and a buddy..

circa 1914

I'm leaving you tonight with this wonderful photo I discovered on the web...just says it all, huh?

photo credit: William Vanderson, 1935

“Dogs love company. They place it first in their short list of needs.”

- J. R. Ackerley

OK, so when did our faces become...

....construction sites???

I know, I know.."what is she talking about now?"

Well. ..at work we girls talk make-up.. and boys.. and make-up..and clothes ...and make-up ...and shoes..

No wait, that was like.. 10th grade... ...................or last Friday..

Anyway, we all have used or use Bare Minerals...but I stopped because it didn't cover my ruddy-Irish complexion..

Well, Miss Lindsay (we call her Miss Lindsay..or Linds..actually, we call her whatever and she politely answers..) was telling us about this new pre-make-up thingy that would help the Bare Minerals cover better if I used it first...

called.....

SPACKLE - Primer..

Yeah..like in what you put on your walls to hold the paint?

Speaking of which...have you seen the new make-up with the paint roller-thingy?? Yeah..who names this stuff anyway..

What's next? Caulk for your wrinkles?? Do I need to get an estimate from a contractor for my make-up purchases ??

And do I need permits? I am, after all, a historical district all my own..

I can see it now...a new magazine...."This Old Lady"....or....

"Extreme Colleen MakeOver"

Oh,oh,  and let's take a bunch of 4 inch screws and put them in a handle and call it a Hair Styling Tool!!??

Just get my cover-alls and let me get to work...anybody got a drill press? I think I need my ears pierced....

-me

It was a "frame-up" for sure...

The party..Jeff's birthday party...which, he reminded me in front of everyone, was his 36th..not his 35th..

OK, OK..so I am a year older too, I guess. I've told you guys 8 times out of 6 I'll get math questions wrong...

Braxton & Lulu waited patiently (and quietly (!)..thanks to watching some good "no barking" advice from the TV program "It's Me or the Dog".. on A&E...

Good Girl, Lulu!

Are they here yet, Braxton??

Yes, everything was ready...well. as ready as it was going to be. Mr. B seems to have it all taken care of in the food department..

..which left me to decorate..um..that's not quite the right term..it was left to me to use what we had in the "birthday bag"..which is the leftovers from previous parties..with compliments from the Dollar Store..

{and, yes, I have seen some really great decorations from the Dollar Store..these were NOT them..}

The guest were beginning to arrive..we had Jeff's in-laws and several neighbors and their children..

Then it was time for the big "frame-up".. I took out the trusty frame we've used in other photos..this simple prop usually brings out the smiles and the personalities...

So yes, a wonderful time was had by all..even my Grand-Jeep..

..and, I still say I musta had him at recess in the 5th grade..he cannot possibly be that close in age to moi, right??

Moi..uh..me..

The bug has been squashed!

OK, well maybe not completely squashed..but I've gone to the doctor, and he gave me meds..seems I have bronchitis and a sinus infection..a 'double-header'..

But, froggy-sounding that I was, I went to work today. That's the bad thing about liking your job..you really do miss it where you're gone and they are there..

Damn those fun co-workers!

Great problem to have, huh? Yeah, I am very lucky..and grateful ..

Big plans this week-end? My littlest son is having his birthday...he's um...420 months old..

Yeaaahh..that's 35 YEARS old....Oh, and when do we stop telling people our kid's ages in months?

12 months? 18 months? 24 months?

anyway, he was obviously born when I was like, 5, right?

..and he's 6'2"..not so little..

I remember when he was a skinny, knocked-kneed goofy kid who love his Smurfs and GI Joe..

OK, so the Smurfs went away, but he was actually on CNN for his GI Joe collection..

A whole room full of GI Joes...

Yeah...that's a lot of Joes!

And, I really do prefer that he took up with the Joes...instead of the Smurfs....

Yeeeeah...I think I really REALLY do prefer the Joes!

Happy Birthday Jeff!

XXOO, Mom

Seems I've caught a little bit of a "bug'..

{image from Whipper Snapper Designs}

I have a sore throat and chest and decided not to expose my co-workers until I see the Doc today to see if whatever it is is contagious....

So, home-sick am I..

Found something for all my Better-Body-Buds..from HungryGirl.com:

HG's Gooey-Good Queso Dip 'n Chips

Beso Mi Queso!

That means, "Kiss my cheese!" And while we don't really recommend getting all smoochy with a bowl of steaming cheese dip, don't be surprised if someone lays one on YOU after you serve our Gooey-Good Queso Dip. Get your dunk on!

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen ground-beef-style soy crumbles (like the kind by Boca or Morningstar Farms)

3/4 tsp. dry taco seasoning mix, divided

3/4 tsp. ground cumin, divided

1/3 cup light plain soymilk

2/3 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese

2 wedges The Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss cheese

1 1/2 tbsp. fat-free cream cheese, room temperature

1/8 tsp. chili powder, or more to taste

30 (about 1 2/3 oz.) Guiltless Gourmet All Natural Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips (or another brand of low-fat baked tortilla chips)

Directions:

Bring a small pot sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat. Add frozen crumbles and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. taco seasoning and 1/4 tsp. cumin. Cook for about 4 minutes, mixing occasionally, until thawed and hot. Remove seasoned crumbles and set aside. Remove pot from heat and let cool slightly.

To the pot, add soymilk, all three cheeses, chili powder, remaining 1/4 tsp. taco seasoning, and remaining 1/2 tsp. cumin. Add 1/4 cup water and bring to medium-low heat. Stirring frequently, heat until cheeses have melted and mixture has a smooth, sauce-like consistency.

Add seasoned crumbles to the pot, and continue to cook and stir until hot. If you like, warm chips in the microwave. Place dip in a fun bowl, and serve with chips!

MAKES 3 SERVINGS
Serving Size: 1/3rd of recipe (about 1/3 cup dip and 10 chips)

Calories: 186

Fat: 4g

Sodium: 821mg

Carbs: 17g

Fiber: 3g

Sugars: 1.5g

Protein: 19g

POINTS® value 3*

Yum-OH!

-me

We interrupt this blog to bring you this important Public Service announcement...

It's funny the way the {my} mind works.....

..Elliot Ness...

Yep, that' the name.

You know..like is Robert Stack from the Untouchables??

Oh, that's right...y'all are too young..

OK, so there was this huge gangster (pre- gangsta.. as in today's creeps) group in the Chicago area in the 20's and 30's ..

No...... I was NOT around in the 20's and 30's...I was not yet a twinkle in my father's eye...thankyouverymuch..

But, as a kid, I listened to stories my Dad told, and watched TV, where every week Elliott Ness with his steely-blue glances at the camera made me believe in Truth, Justice and the America way!....

Daddy told us stories of how when he was younger, he drove the school buses for the Catholic schools and he would go into the "nice" neighborhoods and stop for kids who had been walked to the stop by the bodyguards {!} ..kids of Al Capone, Frank Nitti ...

{Francesco Raffaele Nitto, better known as "Frank 'The Enforcer' Nitti" (January 27, 1881 – March 19, 1943) was an Italian American gangster. One of the top henchmen of Al Capone, Nitti was later the front-man for the Chicago Outfit, the organized crime syndicate Capone created. }



(...which is what got me thinking this morning..I do have a point here...I'll get to it in a minute..)

..and others of "The Mob.."...

Didja know I had an Aunt (my Dad's sister) that worked for Al Capone?? SHUT. UP!

Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone (January 17, 1899 – January 25, 1947) was an American gangster who led a crime syndicate dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging of liquor and other illegal activities during the Prohibition Era of the 1920s and 1930s.

 
Oh yes I did...

She told me herself that she used to be a hairdresser and was hired to do the hair of Al Capone's "Daisys".....in the back of the used furniture shop he owned as a front..

uh huh.. (the "Daisys" were professional.... um..Daters..if you know what I mean..)



Anyway..today as I was complaining to myself (no one else was home) about my allergies, I remembered a young girl at work who was telling us about Neti Pots..or something like that that she used and her sinuses were clear..)

Sinus Relief Neti Pot Set

Hmmm..Neti Pots...Frank Nitty... so, who was that guy who caught them all?  The one on TV played by what's- his- name...Robert Stack??

Yeah! That's it!  Elliott Ness.

Good. 

And so my day begins.

How's your Tuesday??

-me

This just in: Spring has officially arrived in New Jersey..

{edited to add.....photos by ther Flower Fairie's Mommy..not her Grammie...}

...with the season's first sighting of a Flower fairie..

..seen flitting in the breeze, this little Fairie seems to have been visited by the Tooth Fairy recently..

She was spotted at Branch Brook Park..one of the prettiest Cherry Blossom showings around..

Even the Flower Fairies are amazed at the beauty...

 This little Fairie was as light as a feather and she made her rounds...

Hurry and catch her before she spreads her wings and is off again...

Hope you are enjoying your Spring day as much as we are..

Happy Happy!

-me