I am under the mistletoe .... but no kisses.

We went to Columbia last week for Christmas with Gary's family. We spend the day at his brother's house and then the evening with the kids. We had lunch and opened presents. Judy loves to decorate the house. Each room has its own theme. I like the Kitchen the best ... gingerbread men. I am lucky to get my tree up and she decorates every room, a very festive home. You walk into the house and if you didn't have the Christmas spirit before ... you will when you get there. These days, it is sometimes hard to find someone who enjoys Christmas, other than the presents of course. I have to say that I use to but as the years go on ... my interest has lessened. We had a nice time at the Baugh Christmas but even after 8 years, I am not quite sure they understand my sense of humor. The bathroom at Steve and Judy's is completely decked out with Santa and Christmas. I walked in and sat down to pee (did you notice that I have a lot of odd experiences while peeing). I was looking around at the decorations and noticed that there was a mistletoe hanging directly above the toilet. At first I was frightened. I thought that maybe someone was going to come running into the bathroom while I was peeing ... but then no one came and I was completely offended. Here I sit under the mistletoe and know one is here to kiss me. I just waited ... and waited and waited. No one came. I stormed out of the bathroom and with the entire family in the front room said " there is mistletoe above the toilet and I was just in there peeing and no one ever came to kiss me, what is that all about?" and I walked to the other room. They just all sat there and said nothing. For 8 years I thought the Baugh's were just dry ... but maybe it is me.

The greatest gift ....

Last night Gary, Jamie and I went to a friends house for dinner and gift exchange. Beef skewers and tuna casserole. Homemade apple pie. It was a great dinner. We gathered around the tree to open presents. It is sometimes hard to buy presents for people. Even the closest of friends. Sometimes they say they want something in passing. You remember that they said it ... but they don't. Sometimes what they say they want is up for interpretation. What is a spatula for instance? Something you flip a burger with or something you scrap a bowl out with? Most of the time I think I am a good gift giver. I love to give gifts and I think I know the people that I buy gifts for ... but last night ... I failed in comparison. I think that the presents that we gave were good gifts. I think they were liked, but ... there is alot to be said for a handmade gift. I am not a mushy type of a person. Last night when I opened up my handmade rag quilt made by my "person" I had to concentrate so I didn't cry. It was a very special gift from a very special person. I am very thankful for my friends Phaedra and Hannah.

The attack of the Paper Towels

We ate lunch on Saturday at a diner in Branson called The Farmhouse. Down home country cooking. Not too eventful. We waited in line for a few minutes to be seated. Food was great. I had a Pork Tenderloin sandwich, probably the best I had ever had. We had blackberry cobbler with ice cream. Before our food was delivered, as usual, I had to pee. The restroom was a one seater. I waited my turn and then went in. At first glance, just your normal ladies room. Small but normal. Sink with a soap dispenser on the wall. I didn't notice where the paper towel dispenser was. I sat down ... and there they were. The paper towels, tickling the back of my neck. It was an automatic paper towel holder. The one that when you wave your hand in front of it, it shoots out towels. It was hanging directly behind the toilet. So when you stand in front of the toilet preparing to sit, it starts shooting out towels. It is fairly low so after you do sit, the red light flashes and when it stops, it shoots out more towels. So now it isn't tickling the back of my neck but my lower backside. What is a girl to do. If you have to pee too long the paper towels keep coming. You stand up ... there they go again. What do you do now? The towels are hanging so far down that when you stand up the towels hang from the dispenser to inside the toilet bowl. I ripped the towels off to throw them away but didn't move fast enough towards the trash can and the dispenser started all over again. So I am standing as close to the door as I can get to wash my hands and then step quickly over and tear the towels off and jump back to the door to dry. Before I open the door, I look around for the hidden camera .... does this crap happen to everyone, or just me?

The adventures of the Victorian Palace

I am far from a hotel/motel snob. I don't care if you enter your room from the outside or inside of the building. $25.00 a night and a vibrating bed or $150.00 and room service, it doesn't matter. On Friday night we checked in to the Victorian Palace. When we were greeted by Sarah Mae, the dog, I knew we were in for yet another adventure. While I was checking in and talking to the desk clerk I asked Gary to take our cooler to the ice machine and fill it up. The clerk gave Gary directions to the ice machine, knowing that we hadn't received our room keys yet. I finished checking in and headed to the room. Room 309. I get into the hallway and I hear someone knocking on a door and thought either someone had locked himself out of his room or he had made his lady mad and she wasn't letting him in. I chuckled and kept walking ... then my phone rang. It was Gary. I am thinking ... what is he calling me for, why doesn't he just wait until I get up to the room. I answered. He said, "turn around". I turned and saw him standing behind a glass door, cooler in hand. He was the man I was chuckling at earlier. He was locked in the ice machine room with no door key to get him out. I break him out of the ice room and we head up the stairs, there is no elevator in this hotel. We get to our room and go in. It is just a normal hotel room. Two beds, TV, small dresser, sink and bathroom. I go into the bathroom to check out the freebies, cause that isn't that part of the fun of staying in a hotel? How much soap, toilet paper, shampoo and lotion you can put in your bag. Boy was I disappointed ... There was one bar of soap at the sink outside the bathroom that was no bigger than Gary's thumb. I walked in the bathroom to check things out ... and there was nothing. No bars of soap ... there was a soap dispenser like you would see in a pubic bathroom. I turned around to look for the shampoo and OMG ... another public bathroom soap dispenser is in the shower. Is it soap or shampoo? Are you kidding me? And the adventure continues ... at breakfast. Breakfast for us is at 9am. At check-in we were told the breakfast would be eggs, waffles and biscuits with gravy. We get there and that was what was there, however, the biscuits were cold, the gravy was just barely warm, the waffles are the kind you heat in the toaster ... and the eggs ... the eggs were frozen egg patties. The best part of the entire stay was Sarah Mae, the dog and fact that they had pints of milk in cartons. OMG! There is nothing better than milk in a carton. The adventure ended with no small bars of soap or shampoo but four pints of milk in my cooler and one in my hand. I will definitely stay there again ... and next time I will bring Roxy with me ... she will love visiting with Sarah Mae and eating the egg patties while I enjoy the milk.

Roxy ... just like her momma

I wrapped Christmas gifts for Roxy. To make it fun for her to open her gifts at Christmas, I always wrap a treat in with the gift. I wrapped her gifts and put them under the tree on Friday. A couple of times I would leave the room and when I would come back to the front room, Roxy was under the tree looking around. She would give me an "i am just looking" look and walk away. Gary and I left for a night in Branson just to get away from things. By the time my aunt came to stay with Roxy, she had opened a couple of different presents. One with snacks and one raw hides. She not only unwrapped the raw hides but she opened the bag ate them all. She had better be careful cause the next present she opens may have a snake jumping out of it ... and I am speaking from experience. Merry Christmas Roxy.

Today is Ranger's Special Day ....

Ranger. Born December 6, 1995 in Conway Missouri. Died of cancer earlier this year. Ranger was the first dog I had as an adult. We were perfect for each other. Stubborn to the end. He had parvo as a puppy and spent several days in the hospital with Dr Trokey telling me that few dogs survived Parvo. Ranger pulled through. His favorite thing to do was play in the sprinkler. He also loved his plastic pool, but although he loved to play in the water, he hated baths. He was a dog who loved his routine. Every morning before I left for work, I filled up his water bowl and added a few ice cubes and I filled up his food bowl and added a couple of treats. One day I was running very late for work and forgot the ice cubes and treats. Not only did he not eat or drink anything all day but he pee'd all over his food and water bowls. As a puppy he would chew on everything. I was told that in order to get him to stop I should put Tabasco sauce in a squirt bottle and fill his mouth full of it when he chewed on anything. I could not do the Tabasco so I used lemon juice. I used lots of lemon juice. It only took a couple of mouths full of lemon juice before all I had to do was say "do you want the juice" and he would stop chewing. Ranger loved to play chase. Especially with Phred. One day we were in the back yard playing in the water with Ranger. Me, Ranger, Phred and Momma. Ranger started chasing Phred. Phred ran in circles and Ranger chased. I kept telling her to stop running but she continued on and on and on until, it happened. Ranger bit her in the butt. All I heard for weeks was "he bit me and there was a bruise." One year Ranger dressed up as batman for Halloween. I could go on and on with stories of my puppy. Ranger was a great dog. He gave us lots of good times and memories. We miss you Ranger. Happy Birthday.