How I spent my Saturday ... by Irish Church Lady

Got up at 6:30 a.m. to go to an Irish Dance competition in Syracuse NY with daughter #1. Daughter #3 still sleeping...of course... took this pic after the second cat got off the bed by her feet.
Got stopped at the border and car searched ... nice customs guy though ... he kept joking that he was having a bad hair day. Didn't take a picture of him though ... regrets ... regrets. They told us that #1D had her license plate randomly selected. She thinks it was because she was wearing her bandana which I kept teasing her was the real reason. You'll see pictures of her in that below ...

Wished I took pictures of those big huge crow statues on I-81 just before Watertown. Next time.

So this is what an Irish Feis looks like ... pure mayhem.
So I was worried that with the time it took at the border and with the later start than we planned that we would be late and #1D would miss her first dance.
Boy was I wrong! She didn't dance until 4:00 o'clock!!! Sheesh...! So here she is practising her steps for the umpteenth time. See the bandana...doesn't she look like a hoodlum? hee hee









Here's the feet in practice mode ...















This is what Irish dance dresses look like

... and, yes ... they cost a fortune!

Ready to dance...





















Isn't she beautiful and me biased? hee

Getting stage fright ... just about to start

Doin' the hard shoe ... they dance two at a time for these ones ...

Taking a bow after soft shoe

Her set dance:

Hair's a swingin'

She wasn't happy with the results ... she did bad... but still manages to smile for the camera with her friends



Some Irish booty...


... THE END (NOT! of Saturday)

P.S. Mum (me) got in trouble with a judge for taking pictures during the dancing.

Oh ... almost forgot ... here's the two Irish Dancer cookies I bought for D#2 and D#3. Aren't they adorable?

SPF

These pictures were

taken at the Tampa Zoo

Something Big:

They'll really stick their neck out for you ...

Something Small: a mere cat (meerkat)

they are really small

Half of Something: another mere cat ...or at least ½ of one!

Survey sez ...

Stolen from Teena @ purple4mee.blogspot.com

OK Teena...on your blog this is a list of 91 questions. I collected it into 13 paraquestions.

1. Are you over 18? Yes
What is the wallpaper on your computer? Picture of water, rocks, frozen water and frozen rocks above ... don't think rocks can freeze but they look frozen ... stolen from Elaine @ Five Acres with a View
Did you get enough sleep last night? No way, stayed up bloggin' until 1:30. I suck.
First thing you thought about this morning when you woke up? Gawd I could use more sleep.
What do you have under your bed? A whole pile of crap.
Ever tried to skip a meal? Not intentionally, accidentally it happens all the time.
2. Grilled or fried? I like grilled better but I feel fried. What makes you unique? so much but if I hafta pick one thing it would be that I became an instant mom at 29 and raised his 3 kids from his deceased wife as my own ... horrifying and great all rolled into one. Are you afraid of the dark? mama?!
3. Favourite movie(s)? Most 3M's (Mike Myers Movies) ....3 things you can't live without? oxygen, water, food....yay...I get to go naked! First thing you will buy if given $1000? since it's not enough for a hot tub or a good treadmill or a backyard shed hmmm... what shall I say? O I know, a curio cabinet made of light oak to store my Aunt's doll collection away from dusties
Favorite song when you are sleepy? If I want a song to keep me away then I will pick mmmBop by Hanson. What are you afraid of? Big Fish
4. Are you a giver or taker? Generous gift giver.... lazy ass taker around the house. What are your nicknames? Debbie Down, Debs, Bunny. What is your dad's middle name? Peter
Most recent movie that you watched? Guess Who w/ Bernie Mac & Ashton Kutcher :) a bit funny, not hilarious If you were invisible for a day, what would you do? Go naked
If you were stuck on a deserted island and could have only one kind of food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Pizza Pie
5. Favorite TV commercial? there's been a lot but do ya think I can remember them now... one I do remember is the Back to School one for Staples or something when the father is riding a cart up and down the aisles with a big smile on his face and tossing school supplies into the cart while the Christmas Song "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" is playing.
First thing you'll save in a fire? My family and pets ...' kay that's two things... technically it's 11 things
6. Your eye color? Hazelnut
What are the things you always bring with you anywhere? clothes and rings
Who's on your mind right now? me 'cause yur asking all these questions about me
What do you usually do when the clock turns 7 am? Keep sleeping
The color of your bedsheet? cream
Who do you want to meet? my daughter would say everyone once ... but I will say nobody often
How's life today? busy but good
Do you like chinese food? yuppers
How big is your bed? That's rather personal isn't it? LOL Queenie can't keep a secret
Is your room clean? Hell no, it's a disaster but as soon as I can take a week off work I'll gutting it! amen!
7. Laptop or desktop computer? Rectangular heating pad
Favorite comedian? Steven Wright
Who do you sleep with every night? hubby and puppy
Do long distance relationships work? Not for me
How many times have you been pulled over by the police? Quatre fois
Pancakes or French toast? Both
Do you like coffee? uh huh...actually I would die of a head explosion without coffee
How do you like your eggs? eaten
Do you believe in astrology? No way... this is church lady
Last person you talked to on the phone? My dad
Last person on your missed call list? hubby
What was the last text message you received? I love u it was a krank text message! NOT! Hubby and I we're just trying it out but we don't use it at all, although we will chat on-line even though we're in the same house! lmao
8. McDonalds or Burger King? Subway
Number of pillows? two
What are you hearing right now? ER on TV
Pick a lyric, any lyric or song? If I had a million dollars...
What kind of jelly do you like on your sandwich? Red Raspberry Jam
Can you play pool? Kinda
Do you know how to swim? Oh yeah
Favorite ice cream? Mocha fudge
What color is your wallet? Black
Tell me a random fact about yourself: I love scallops :)
Ever play spin the bottle? yes'm
Ever attend a theme party? uh-huh
What is your favorite season? summer and fall...can't decide
Favorite quote? Ya gotta eat .6 kg of dirt before you die.
Last time you laughed at something stupid? this morning when my grandog would stop trying to lick my face
9. What time did you wake up this morning first time? 7:30
Best thing about winter? I still run outside in it.
Last time a cop gave you a ticket? Over 10 years ago...speeding pulling up to the airport to pick up someone I was late for!
Name of your first pet? Laddie, a budgie
Do you think pirates are cool or overrated? way kool....my family room is decorated in the theme of Pirates of the Caribbean....tastefully of course.
What do you do on weekdays? Work like a dog....hey dogs don't work!? What's up with that? They sleep all day!
10. What are you doing this weekend? Goin' to an Irish Dance Competition with my daughter Woo Hoo! She dances I watch.
Are you desperate for anything right now? Ya I kind of want to go to bed...hee hee
How is life treating you? Grand....like a piano....lots of pounding but sweet music non-the-less
Do people like you? Oh gawd I hope so
What do you think it is that makes the "popular" one? (S)He whom people like. (I'm profound, man!)
11. What do you wear the most? undies
Are you using a pc or mac? PC
Do you like peanut butter chunky? Chunky, smooth, it's all good.
What amazes you about the opposite sex? How much they think about it.
Are you in love with anyone? Yes, my pool boy
Favorite cereal? Killer Krunchies
Name a movie that makes you cry? Sophie's Choice
What's something you like about the opposite sex? the bedoink
Is it true that only the good die young? oh I hope not
Do you live for today? Yes and tomorrow and the next day
How fast can you run? very slow or I get bobos ... don't like bobos or they stop me from running ... I get a little faster after I'm warmed up
12. Favorite band from the 60s/70s? Sergio Mendes
Have any of your friends had kids as teenagers? No Did they finish high school? Yes my friends finished high school.
Favorite 80s television show? Bob Newhart
Were you born in the 80s? No What year? I said No.
Have you ever taught a little kid a curse word? Don't think so....should I put this on my list of things to do before I die? If so which one was it? I'm gonna teach them my favourite one that I say all the time when bad stuff happens. It is: $)#%!^&*(+@ Pronounced: "great"
13. Do you think little boys are horrendously ill behaved? na just horrendously misunderstood
Have you ever thrown anything at a moving car? Yikes! Haven't needed to, yet.
Name a villain in a movie that scared you when you were a kid: Big Bad Wolfe from Looney Tunes cartoons in Little Red Riding Hood
What's your favorite channel? them all hehe
What do you say when you stub your toe off of the corner of the coffee table? See up in paragraph 12.

Tell The Truth - Part Trois

...or Pick Your Preference.

Here's the rules again:

1. You must pick one or the other.
2. If you can't pick only one, then score yourself a point! Points are bad (hee hee!) because you have to subtract them from 10 to get your total score.
3. Plus....you need to tell us why you can't pick one.

21..Sweet or salty?
22..Europe or Australia?
23..Broken bone or surgery?
24..Good speller or good map reader?
25..Pizza or burgers?
26..Birthday or Christmas?
27..Long hair or short hair?
28..Pierced ear or gold chain on a man?
29..Crossword or sudoku?
30..American Idol or Survivor?

What's your score mean?

9-10 - You like lots of stuff going on in your life! =)

5 - 8 - Oh sweet summer, take me away soon! :)

0 - 4 - Last time you tried something new, it hurt, didn't taste good or you didn't like it. :O

Thanks for playing!

Have a good one!

Photo Ferrits - Foto Pherrets

Our word for this week is....

Bridge

A bridge over the Sennes, Paris

Thanks to Fleur-de-Lisa for introducing me to this picture blog site

and thanks to Lady Starlight for hosting!

Had a bad day...

By Daniel Powter

So I played TMI Tuesday at Stopping Traffic

Oh behave!

But I would have played anyways!

Na just work challenges. "What are you gonna do aboud it?"

Who says that?

My favourite mob boss ~ Tony Soprano. If I'm stressed from work then Pool Boy says "Is there anyone you want me to beat up? Do you want me to send Tony?"

He loves Sopranos too. I haven't watched the series from the beginning but I think I started watching it late Season 3 / early Season 4. One of the first episodes I saw which got me into it was when Tony gets home at after about 11 p.m. after knocking off some guy and he sees his son when he gets in and says "Hey what are you doing up? It's a school night!!" LOL The irony of it all got me hooked. Very funny!

My parents watched it even before we did and I was surprised, because there's so much swearing, violence and nudity in it, that my mum really liked it. "Who new?" as Tony would say.

My bathtub is on crack

See I have proof! Look really closely up at the left.

Testing one...two

lala la la

Waiting on line ...blogging...browsing...chatting...

...hoping my son will come on so I can find out how the awards banquet went. Also hoping it will start to clear up (from raining) so pool boy and I can try out the new bikes. Weee!!

Ya so I've been chatting with 2 of my daughters (even though we live in the same house! ha!). Third daughter is at work but doesn't chat much anyways these days 'cause she's knee deep in examinations! However she did call me at work on Friday just to chat...actually she called me on my cell when I was at work LOL!

Webcodez seems to be working again so I'm enjoying my mmmBop song. Not sure if it's just when I log in through wireless but I don't seem to get music or video. Right now I'm wired...chatting with S to bring me more coffee...ha ha. No I'm mean I'm plugged in ya know and I've got the groove goin'.

Ya so just heard PB come in from checking out all the bikes so probably should get mosying (sp?) down there.

I've finally posted some of my bloggie friends on the right that I look forward to reading daily. Yes that's you guys! Have a few more to check out! I don't add them to my site until I've been reading them regularly so feel honoured (ha! that's the Canadian spelling BTW!...but I'm sure the rest of you are like that, right?).

So have a good Sunday...now let me find an appropriate picture for today...



This is what my house looks like today minus the lawn ornaments and American flag. It is a dull rainy day today like it was on Sept 11, 2002, PB's 50th birthday! Yes he shares a birthday with Sept 11, hence the American flag that we bought at a legion auction a few years ago usually comes out on the lawn that day and on July 4th as a show of patronage and respect. 'course I do try to put up the Canadian flag on July 1st CANADA DAY too. LOL! Haven't flown the Irish flag yet...maybe next year...or when PB's Irish citizenship comes through (please God). Did I tell you I'm an Irish citizen as well as a Canadian? Well you're learning new stuff about me every day! Told you Christie! Mystery woman no more...but I've still got lots of stuff to drag out but it won't be hard for you to get it out of me. Especially when bloggin' with chardonnay...hee hee. Toodles...this time I mean it!

Love ya bloggin' buddies! xoxo

A biking we will go...

Got new bikes! YAY! Pool boy and I are going to do more of this for the summer. He has been battling sciatica for a while now and so no more running for him! Still me though, at lunch, during the week. Double YAY!

We got them at Costco and new helmets because our old ones are crap. They are the ones from when helmets first came out. We are stalwart bike helmet converts after he had a terrible bike accident when the kids were small.

Here's the story. He was biking with my son to a bike safety meeting with the cub scouts (of all things!). His quick release tire came off and he went face first into the sidewalk. Lost two front teeth, terrible road burn and swelling for weeks. He was a mess and really scary to look at. He had no helmet on but thank god had no permanent head injury. Bike helmets were just starting to come out then and we realized after that how god was looking out for him (I don't want to use the word lucky...'cause I don't really believe in luck) in that he could have been injured much worse and permanently. Some guy came by in a car and drove him home. My son (who was only 7 at the time) was understandably really upset. When he got home he was still in some kind of state of shock. I got the next door neighbours to watch the kids and I took him and baby (4 mos. old) to the hospital and we were there until quite late while they dug gravel out of his face with tweezers. His lip eventually stuck out so that he looked like Quasimodo! He was off work for two weeks, needed special burn victims ointment to treat the gravel burns and of course had to have his two teeth capped (their still not quite the same colour - oh and he had beautiful teeth!) He still has scars on his face from that incident too.

So the new bike I got has a quick release front wheel and I told him I'm not too happy about that and he said it would be okay. He would show me how to check it everytime I rode. Anyways got a bell and lock and he even bought me a knapsack that will carry my laptop because I told him I'm thinking about riding to work during the summer. I hope that works out.

We have not been able to try them out yet because it's been pouring all day. Hopefully tomorrow. And, get this. He wants to get one of those bike trailers for the dog! Is he nuts!? He wants for us to be able to take the dog with us. I guess he can run alongside but if we go to far he is afraid the dog will get too tired. I don't know...I have mixed feelings. I want to spend our spare time with the dog because after all, that's why we got him, but a bike carrier? Dunno. They are a good price right now at Costco only $139.



Pleazzze respond to this post if you think we're nuts or not. Anyone had similar experiences with dogs riding in a kiddy bike carrier? Need the info....

Ain't my bag, baby

Ain't my bag, baby

HNT (Half Nekkid Thursday)

This is cute and funny!

Guess which cup size before you scroll down.



Are you sure you really want to know?

Well scroll down to find out!



Ha Ha! Well you said you wanted to know!

Have a good one!

Had a rough day? Get a Cat Massage

Tell the Truth...- part deux

...or Pick Your Preference.

Here's the rules again:
You must pick one or the other.

If you can't pick one, then you have some 'splainin' to do and give yourself one point for each of these.

(Ok you're allowed to 'splain even if you do pick one 'cause bloggers can't help but be blog now can they?!)

11..Glass half full or half empty?
12..Debater or peacekeeper?
13..Runner or walker?
14..Shop or clean?
15..Neat or messy?
16..Short or Tall?
17..Bikini or one piece?
18..Laundry or dishes?
19..Dog or Cat?
20..Beer or wine?

Please play with me by responding to this post with your choices.

Take your total points and subtract from 10. What's your score mean?

9-10 - I like your style!

5 - 8 - You're you and that's all there is to it...unless you want there to be more...kinda, maybe, somedays.....

0 - 4 - Oh dear...looks like we're having a bad day. Please tell me there were no children or animals harmed in responding to this blog.

Thanks for playing! Have a good one! :)

Happy Belated Easter.....Monday that is!...

...and Sunday and Saturday....Ya!

Sorry I didn't get back to this until now but you know how it is! Not keeping up with my attempt to blog daily now am I?

So we had a good Easter weekend in Sudbury...got to visit with in-laws which is always good to see everyone. Ate too much. Now I am exhausted 'cause we got back late last night. Worked all day....from home (hee hee) but it was busy enough so my head is very full.

Hubby was really annoyed when we got back last night - OK so we rush rush to get home from Sudbury by 9 p.m. so that we can watch Sopranos, hubby, me and #1 child to find out that there's a big black screen on the TMN channel from LOOK TV. Hubby calls their customer service / technical support. They are closed. No way to leave a message or page. He was really ticked. I was kind of annoyed too because I was driving like a maniac to make it home in time. Do you think God is trying to tell us something like maybe we have our priorities screwed up?

Hub called them again this morning but they have not got back to him yet. Thank goodness it plays again on Wed night, I think. Hee hee!

Heard they had a good BC friends party at my sis's on Friday which we missed because we were traveling. Oh yeah, there was a bad accident on Hwy 17 about 30 mins outside of Sudbury near Hagar / Markstay. They closed the highway down so we had to take a detour on 64 then 69 and come into Sudbury from the south. It took us an extra 1.5 hours so it was a 7 hour journey in total on Friday. Listening to the news that night we heard that two people were killed. It was a three car crash on a straight stretch of road, good weather conditions and charges are pending. Haven't heard anymore though. Have you??

So I'm going to catch up on my other blog sites to see how everyone's Easter was. I may be back on later if I don't fall asleep.

O and musn't forget. Happy Birthday AK! Love you and miss you lots!!

THE BLOG NAME and BLOGGER IDENTITY MEANINGS

Sláinte ~ It’s only Me
from Irish Church Lady

I am an Irish-Canadian. Irish by birth from my Mum and a proud of it. No less proud than I am to be a Canadian. I am very fortunate to have dual citizenship and passports from both countries.

I'm also a Christian of strong faith but in need of great forgiveness. I am human and a sinner. That's why I go to church.

Hence the blog identity of Irish Church Lady or ICL

Sláinte - means "to your health" in Irish gaelic which you say when you toast with your drink. It's like 'Cheers' or 'Salud' or 'Skål'.

"It's only Me" comes from a common phrase spoken by me Mum and Auntie when they called each other on the phone. "Hi, It's only me" one would say to the other.

It's stuck in my mind for awhile now.

Probably because I have lost them both it means more to me now than before.

Irish Church Lady (ICL)
Irish

Good Friday to You

So it's Good Friday. That's almost like God Friday. Not sure if it's appropriate to wish everyone a GOOD Friday but I will anyways. Even if you think about the reason for today...whether or not you fast, go to church...it's all GOD...I mean GOOD!

So I'm off to see the in-laws far far away for Easter. They are salt of the earth! Also get to see some of my nieces and nephews whom I chat with. YAY! My mother-in-law, I call her Mom (she's my only mom now - I used to have 3 ~Mum, AK and Mom) has internet so I may be able to blog but I don't want to spend all my time doing that now do I?

So Good God, have a Good Easter, Good weekend, Good Friday, Good Chocolate! May see you on the flip side!

mmmBop

Sounds more like doowop...what do you think?:

Tell the Truth...

...or pick your preference - You must pick one or the other.

If you can't pick one, then you have some 'splainin' to do and give yourself one point for each of these.

(Ok you're allowed to 'splain even if you do pick one 'cause bloggers can't help but be wonderfully verbose!)

01..Long or short nails?
02..Early riser or night owl?
03..On the rocks or neat?
04..Risk taker or worrier?
05..Sleeptalker or sleepwalker?
06..Coffee or Tea?
07..Skydiving or Swim with sharks?
08..Math or English?
09..Body Piercing or Tattoo?
10..Hot dog or Pogo?

Take your total points and subtract from 10. What's your score mean?

9-10 - Hey man, you're it and you know it. Keep on takin' on the world!

5 - 8 - You'd make someone a great wife, husband, lover, friend, mother, daughter, brother, sister, father, son, doggy, parrot, turtle, chicken, ring-tailed marmoset.....hey don't get too greedy....just pick the ones that apply to you.

0 - 4 - Yo, you're not it, although you may think you are. Re-examine your life ....sometime within the next 20 years, okay? No rush.

TMI Tuesday

Taken from Lizzie's Blog

1. Have you ever had sex in a hammock?
No and not sure I would want to, no resistance.

2. Do you think alcohol enhances a sexual experience, or diminishes it?
Neither, if you're in the mood you're in the mood, whether you're drunk or not.

3. Have you ever stolen anything from a place you were employed?
Pens, hilighters, pads that's about it....not that I stocked up for back to school or anything. These are things I would bring home with my work and but never made it back because I would work with them at home and then they might not end up back in my briefcase but stay at home so technically I didn't steal them just lost them amid all the crap at home. This is church lady whose talking you know!

4. Have you ever jello/mud or otherwise "wrestled" while others watched?
No, sadly, I only heard about the mazola parties but was never able to find one.

5. Have you ever let someone else wash you while you were perfectly capable of doing it yourself?
Yes, very nice.

Bonus (as in "optional"): Have you or one of your partners ever taken a "drug" of any type to enhance your sexual experience?
No, but if I keep getting those v i a g r a emails I may start if it will make them stop.

A Lizzie Quizzie!

Stopping Traffic: (�`'•.�(�`'•.�A Lizzie Quizzie!�.•'��)�.

1. Do you often interrupt people?
2. Are you a better listener or conversationalist?
3. On a scale from 1-10, how good of a driver are you?
4. Have you ever driven a go-kart?
5. Are you frugal?
6. Save or spend?
7. When was the last time you planted something outside?
8. How would your favorite weather forecast read?
9. If you had to come up with good "boy" and "girl" names, what would they be?
10. Name three things you can't go without every day.

My responses:
1. Sadly, ya but I'm trying not too and getting better at it.
2. Probably the latter...but it depends on the situation.
3. I'd say 9. Hubby would not agree but that's only because he's a 5 and won't admit it!
4. hmmm-uuuh
5. So-so. I try to save money on small things but I will spend money for quality things.
6. Usually spend, but the last year I've been on a saving spree, trying to clear up some household debt, 2 kids in college, ya know.
7. Last spring, my flower garden.
8. Sunny & high of 30 C, low humidity.
9. Liam and Séana (pronounced Shaw-naa).
10. Sleep, coffee, food.

Blinkies Make Me Smile

This is my second blog on my second blog site

Ya just setting up my profiles. This is to load my picture.

Not my best shot but oh well!

I'll tell you more about myself when I am good and ready! (BTW that won't be long LMAO!)

Ya so it's Palm Sunday morning and I'm blogging! I'm going to purgatory for a while, I know. Who knows maybe I'm goin' to hell but it's still not enough incentive for me to get my ass back to church but I'm workin' on it.....slowly....very slowly....

'Kay I'm new on blogger

I just set this up because Mat doesn't allow comments from other blogs not in blogger and I wanted to comment to his post. Will get back there in a minute.

Actually I've been thinking about setting one up anyways to put my really special blogging that I don't want anyone in my family to read because it's just TMI (thanks, Lizzie, now I know what it stands for) .

So thanks, Mat for getting me off my butt and forcing me into it! But I don't have time right now to write anything more because I have to get off my butt and do something more important (I know, I know, how could anything be more important than blogging! ha).

'kay so I'll catch ya later dude!