Snow Much Fun!

Here I am sitting at work watching the snow fall and listening to all the Sales Reps. coming in from the cold and snow.
I think it's time for a snow job.
I am always the first to leave (being part-time and all) so when it's really snowing like today - I like to go out and clean all the cars in the parking lot off - usually about 6 or 7 cars. The lot is not where anyone can see me! TEE HEE......
Spontaneous act of kindness - Makes me feel good and I know they all smile when they see their cars clean and really appreciate it.

Bookworm

3 more came today!
I love to read. Several years ago Sharen joined this paperback book club. I was always borrowing her books after she was finished. So I figured two is better than one right, so I joined too. She was signed up for Suspense/Romance so I went with Suspense/Thriller some of the books we get are the same but for the most part we get seperate authors. And now we can trade books. As you can see I have a few to catch up with. Actually the second row from the bottom are the only ones I haven't read.
Not only do Sharen and I read my books, but Stacy and the grandmother she lives with, my mother-in-law Darlene, and even Mike has read a few.

I started a book exchange at work and my co-workers are enjoying them too.

No these are not all my books.... :) Mike built bookcases in the basement to hold the others.

YFAK

Your Favorite Aunt Karen - That is what I have been referring myself to to Andy ever since I can remember. Of course I am his ONLY Aunt Karen.

I few years back Andy called me and said he is bringing some friends out to go bowling and would I like to join him. Mike was away teaching at some seminar and so I said Yes. They go to Olive Garden for dinner and were running too late to go bowling so we just ended up back at our house. That is when I first met Michelle. He had brought Lauren and Michelle over.
He called me the next day to ask "What I thought of her". I joking asked which one? I knew he meant Michelle (DUH - he was smitten). I said I liked her and she doesn't have an Aunt Karen. (a Mary but no Karen). YES!!! I'm still YFAK. I'm not sure if Michelle even knew that I was questioning her about her family - she must of thought -Who IS this noisy person?
Last year at this time we were planning a weekend in sunny Florida to attend My Favorite Nephew Andy's wedding to this lovely lady Michelle.
Happy anniversary Guys!!!

Date Gone Wrong

Mom's treat - 1987

Bryan's treat - 2008

Bryan received Bulls tickets for Christmas from Andy and Michelle (Thanks, Guys) and invited me to go with him because I AM the biggest bulls fan he knows.
Friday night we started out from Elgin and got there before 7:00 before the doors open. We found our seats got hot dogs and beers and watched the warm ups. The starting line up show was better than I remembered. Having a really, really good time. Then 4 idiots sit down right behind us. I 'd say they were barely drinking age. Everything was down hill from there. These kids were vulgar, loud, nonstop yelling. With 2:16 on the clock and the Bulls up by 10 Bryan had had enough. His temper (the one he usually has hidden and rarely comes out) flared up which led to a verbal confrontation. I stood up and said "If you won't do it for him and least do it for me, his mother".
They said some nasty stuff and Bryan decided we needed to leave at half time. He was afraid that HE would do something and I was afraid that THEY would. We left and on our way out I'm like No way - someone needs to know this. So I flagged down an usher (who did offer to move us to a safer location - we declined) and told her the story. She took us to security and we filled out a complaint. Now I'm really pissed and told her to get security there but let us leave first. She escorted us out and hopefully these idiots were taken care of.
We went back to Bryan's watched the rest of the game, drank some beers, and Bryan, Mary and I played Scene It on TV. I ended up spending the night and had a good time after all.

Very Sad Day!

First my condolences to my loving brother-in-law, Dup and my twin Sharen on the death of his mother. I know Helen was sick with Alzheimer's for the past three years, but it's gotta be painful to loose your mother. Love you Dup!!

Anyone that has been reading the papers or listening to the news knows that newspapers, which includes my place of employment The Sun Times News Group, is on the decline. That in itself is a very sad thing, but when they come into your work place and starting "letting go" your friends, it hurts. The air is thick with worry and nobody is looking you in the eyes. I HATE IT!!!!

Jigsaw Junkie

I love jigsaw puzzles. Maybe because I grew up helping Mom fix them. She always had one out up until her eye site started to fade. The bigger the challenge the better I like it. Sharen and I would even turn them over to fix with no picture just for a change of pace. Our record on a 500 puzzle is 22 minutes.
Last spring Sharen's old boss's father in law died and he was complaining about the "fire trap" he had left in his attic. Turns out this guy had 400 puzzles stored up there. Sharen asked what he was going to do with them and he invited us over to "take what we wanted". OH MY GOD!!! We ended up making two trips - we both ended up with about 30 to 35 puzzles. Round ones, Very old ones (1956 was the oldest we found) foam ones, wood ones, 1/4 inch thick ones, and every different picture we could find. I had a puzzle set out in the living room most of the summer.

I saved the most interesting ones for now because I knew the month of January is long and cold. Well I got out the "World's Most Difficult Puzzle" on Saturday. It had the same picture on front and back with the back rotated 90 degrees. Fun times!!!! It wasn't as hard as expected finished that night.
We have a puzzle set up in our lunch room at work and most of my puzzles I share with my co-workers. They like the easy ones so I was told NOT to bring that one to work!



Mike bought me this one for Christmas this year. It was 1500 pieces. The picture was easy but the shape of each piece made it interesting.

So if anyone has any old puzzles that they want to get rid of send them my way....

Laser Printer Repairman

My buddy came back today with the new part for my printer. To me it sounds just like it did before. I told him it was OK because I wanted him outa here.
His fly was open! How do you tell someone you barely know to XYZ!!!
Did you ever notice that when you're talking with someone who is standing and you are sitting that your at eye level with his zipper? Ya think he would of notice that everytime he turned to talk with me I stood up. No I didn't tell him - he's out there somewhere with the barn door still open.

Best Friends Mom

My laser printer at work is making this god awful noise. I finally got fed up on Monday and called the number on the machine. Okay the Sun Times News Group is trying to save money and have a new service to encompass all the papers. Turns out I am not on the list to call for service. I received a phone call back from INDIA!!!
Yes - our IT service calls go through India. We need a Sean Phelan! He told me to log my complaint online and someone will get back to me. I did it! I get a phone call back from the same guy with the funny accent (I'm beginning to hate that sound) and he wants to know the problem. WHY COULDN'T HE ASK ME LAST TIME?
Some young kid finally shows up on Tuesday and I tell him just what is wrong. It's happen before. He orders a part.
The same kid comes back today and proceeds to put the part in. No good - same noise. I try to tell him what I think is wrong. I even pulled out my little service kit that the company bought me. He wasn't impress so I left him alone. 4 hours and many phone calls later to HIS service department. He concludes that it's because it's not plugged into it's own outlet (reduction of power). It's plugged into a strip plugged into a strip plugged into a strip... This machine had been in the same spot plugged in the same way it is now for 10 years, but whatever. I track down a extension cord run it through the office to it's own outlet. Still no good!!!!!
Now he's starts laughing and he confesses that I remind him of his best friends Mom and it was freaking him out. He calls his buddy and I talk with him turns out I sound like her too. The copy machine is still not fixed and the kid will be back tomorrow with yet another part. Maybe he'll bring his friend along and we can do lunch.

Dylan is 8

What!! I could not possibly be a grandmother to an 8 yr old. I do not feel that old.
Dylan's birthday party was last weekend. Usually we have this shindig at our house, but Terri said that she would host it cause I had Stacy's graduation party. Well I had to do something special for the boy so I dusted off my cake decorating kit and made him a birthday pokemon cake. I always loved to make birthday cakes, but it got easier to order one from Jewel. Well not this year and Dylan loved it. He ate the whole face!
I think the most favorite cakes I made in the past was one for Bryan that was a WWF wrestling ring and the baseball cake I made for Mike.

Movies

I don't enjoy going to the movies. Well known!!!
That is unless it had Tom Hanks or Julia Roberts in it.
We always go out to a early dinner on New Year's Eve with the Dupplers. Sharen suggested this year we take in a movie too. That in it's self is a miracle because Sharen hates to go to the movies much more than I do. The likely pick was Charlie Wilson's War. It got 2 thumbs up and 2 down. The boys liked it and Sharen and I did NOT. It had too much history and I was SOOOOO disappointed in Julia Roberts. She was really bad.
We all have been to movies where they film it in the warm weather and try to make it look like snow. Most of the time it turns out looking like cotton. When I got up New Years morning we had cotton snow. Couldn't resist taking some pictures.