Actual Herd of Reindeer

The Family Reindeer Herd

(From left to right)

Rudy the Suburban Reindeer

Lola the Corolla Reindeer

The Reluctant (MOM OMG REALLY?) Reindeer

The Reindeer That Ran Over Grandma & Grandpa

The Young Fenner Buck

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and that the New Year Brings Wonderful Blessings!

Boomerang Christmas Trees & Peeps: WTH?

Many things on my mind tonight.  Luckily I am too tired to whine too much so will share two observations:


#1)  Last Saturday night we got a real tree because our daughters told my sister and I that we had ruined their childhoods by putting up the same sad fake tree every year.
And it was looking pretty pathetic, admittedly.
So we got a new tree and it is beautiful and mostly still alive in spite of the fact that we forgot it needed water for several days.  It helps that it never gets higher than 50 degrees in our living room.
So we put the fake one out on the street in case someone wanted it.
We have gotten rid of a lot of stuff that way.
So it was gone the next morning. 
Cool
But then it came back then next morning.  Same tree.  Same note on the front "FREE TREE"
That was just weird.
It was gone again the next night
So far it has not come back
So far..........
#2)  My daughter loves Peeps.  I mean she is a serious Peep-Eater.
Peeps see her coming and try to hide.
And every year on alternate holidays (besides the traditional peep holiday of Easter) you can easily find a small variety of peeps.  Snowmen peeps.  Christmas Tree Peeps.  Reindeer Peeps.
This year nothing
No peeps
None
What is going on here?????
Have they all been abducted by aliens?
Was there a run on peeps of which I was not made aware until it was too late?
DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THE PEEPS????


If it is possible that you are not familiar with peeps (HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE???) or you just want more information please visit the Peeps Research Foundation Website

CLICK HERE FOR CHEEEEP ENTERTAINMENT

OMG I GOT ON MY OWN BLOG

You guys don't even know the trouble I have been having with my blog and my yahoo accounts!  I have not been able to get the password right and have reset and stuff so many times I don't even know how I finally managed to post here!
So I better make this count, right?

It is the Christmas season.
Which is typically not my favorite season.  It used to be when the kids were little. 
But now that they are grown and I am so OLD it is more annoying than anything else.

Understanding that I was bringing people down around me I decided that I had better pull my head out and just do the old "Fake It Till You Make It" thing!
So here we are!
No gift cards or money for the family this year.  No sir!  Everyone is getting actual gifts.  They may be strange gifts but there will be things to wrap and put under the tree.  I cant reveal too much because I don't know who all reads this but here are a few things.  My son and daughter in law wanted a parakeet for Christmas so my sister and I went in and got all the accouterments (SEE TODAY'S SPECIAL WORD)  This is gonna be one spoiled parakeet.  It has a giant cage and it has so many toys and food cups and ladders and mirrors and bells and a little bathtub that now we are wondering if the bird will be able to move.  We can't wait to get the bird (HA).  For my feline gang (Boris, Chanel, Yvette, Jinx, O'Malley, Mush, Layla and Figaro)(Yes I do have 8 cats-- SO WHAT?) I bought two suet cakes with hangers to go outside where they can sit in our beautiful new garden window and watch Birdie TV. 
Everyone in the family has reindeer antlers on their car.  Yes really.  Even my parents.  We will be getting some pictures done soon.
This year Christmas dinner will be a free for all with a special request dish from everyone.  This means that so far we are having Turkey, Beef, Ham, mashed potatoes with broccoli, cabbage rolls, yams, fried corn and sushi.
SO WHAT!!!!
If we are really lucky we might even have my sisters very special chocolate cream pie.  Have I ever told you about this?
One year she had everyone over to her house from both our and her (at the time but thank you God not now) husbands sides.  So this is many people.  She decided to make chocolate pie so she got a Ready Crust and put chocolate pudding in it.  She was pretty proud of herself so she told me.  At this point, to save her embarrassment (then, not now.  Now she enjoys it when I embarrass her) I had to tell her that you must bake the crust first.  That is right--- raw dough crust with chocolate pudding.
Last Saturday my son and daughter in law hosted what was a truly wonderful perfect day.  It started with Jericho's Swedish Pancakes followed by hours of pie making, candy making and cookie making.  Then we had Brandon's special from scratch pizza,  then more baking and cooking.  We told silly family stories and played Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.  Then we had Brandon's special amazing stew.  Then we all went to the Christmas on the Blvd which was amazing.  Our little city has been trying to turn our main street into a walking wonderland of shopping and museums and theaters etc for my whole life and they have finally succeeded.  We have a first rate Boulevard that rivals anything in Southern California and I am so proud.  I know we have arrived because people are bringing their dogs and eating at sidewalk bistros.  That is a sure sign.  So we walked up and down (after parking a mile away) and saw Real Live Reindeer even!  Then it was decided that the fake tree we had in our house was unacceptable and so we went out and bought a Real Tree.
A perfect day.
Today my son is making Grandpa Cookies--- some of you are familiar with these.  I will post about this later.
So.... I will persevere and make this a Happy Holiday!
And hope you all will too!

ac·cou·ter·ment

   /əˈkutərmənt, -trə-/ Show Spelled[uh-koo-ter-muhnt, -truh-] Show IPA

noun

1.

personal clothing, accessories, etc.

2.

the equipment, excluding weapons and clothing, of a soldier.

A Limerick About Snow

And Today, A Limerick For Your Enjoyment

Twenty Seven Long Winters Ago

We Were Buried By Two Feet Of Snow!

I Was Soon To Give Birth

This Was No Peace On Earth

Desert Blizzards Are Not Status Quo!!

My New College Plans

I know that some of you have been on pins and needles-- tossing and turning at night--  wondering what is Geeez going to do next in her college career???
It is a good question-  a valid question- and one I have also spent many sleepless nights exploring.
Here I am finally one final exam away from being done with all the classes I need to transfer as a junior to a university.  Just one more anthropology test and then I can apply to Cal State Bakersfield and advance toward my BS in Business.
I can hardly believe I made it.  It was such a big goal just a few years ago when I needed 30 units.  But I plodded along and here I am.
And now that I am here I don't think I have arrived at the right place
Because
If I move on to CSUB I will have all my upper division classes to do.  And if I can't do them online I may have to travel to Bakersfield (OMG).  Community college is expensive enough ($39.00 a unit plus books) but university level prices----- quite a lot more!   (insert understatement here) And at the rate I am able to go it could take another 5 years which would put me at---- you might want to sit down for this-- 55 damn years old.  SENIOR DISCOUNT AGE!!!  At which point I would have to start paying off student loans get a better job etc....

So I have done a lot of researching lately and I have discovered some stuff.  There is something called a Certified Payroll Specialist and you must be licensed to be one.  I could do that.  There is something at my handy dandy (oh so cheap and comfortable) community college (GO Antelope Valley College Marauders!!) called a Professional Bookkeeper Certificate as well as an Associates Degree in Professional Bookkeeping.  I can even get 8 units of work experience just for going to work every day.  So, my focus has shifted peoples.  It may not be a BS but they are achievable with a low cost.  They are something different to do (which is always important to me so I stay off the streets and out of jail) and I was able to register for 2 classes last night.  TWO classes!  If you know the community college system these days you know that this is almost unheard of if you are toward the back of the priority registration grouping.

So, I should be done with school for the semester Saturday afternoon.  I was worried that I might not get an "A" in Anthropology until I checked it out and discovered that the grades are weighted in my favor (because my exams have all been 'A's but my papers have been 'B's) as exams are worth 70% of the grade with 30% going to papers.
I tell you this not to brag (that will come later no doubt) but so you can all get out there and figure out what you are going to get me for my Good Girl Grade Awards.