You know it was just a matter of time...

Before I talked about the New Kids reunion. Oh yea - that's right - NKOTB is back. The five bad brothers from the Beantown land are reuniting and on Friday will be on the Today Show. I'm setting my DVR tonight, baby! Why am I so excited? Well, because I've been a New Kids fan since I was 12. My last concert was when I was 17 and trust me - I've been waiting for a reunion ever since.

But, here's what's funny. I think my favorite "kid" has changed. Back in the day, hands down, it was Jon. I had posters of him EVERYWHERE in my room. There was not one single square inch of my walls that was not covered with a photo of Jon Knight. I was really lucky because my aunt worked for a magazine distributor at the time, so she would bring me STACKS of teen magazines every month. I would spend time meticulously cutting out the photos of Jon and putting them in photo albums. (Hmmm...the start of my scrapbooking? Maybe!)

So - I went online today to find my favorite all-time photos of Jon. These were the ones that hung right above my bed so that they were front and center all the time. It's hilarious how I remember EXACTLY which ones they were. Here - have a chuckle:







The one where he is pointing was my all-time favorite. Now, I look at it and I'm like "Uh...ok..." He's still cute, but not drool on my pillow, daydream in class and scribble "Ginger Knight" cute. (All things that I may or may not have done at the time) I have to admit - I still like the photo of him cuddled-up with the bear. Swoon.

Back to the story at hand. I found some updated photos of the band and one of Jon from this year and he has aged well. Considering he is 39 (Holy COW!), I think he looks pretty good. I just can't picture the New Kids at 40. Of course, I'm 31, so I should be able to, but to me - they're still 21. I digress...

Here's Jon today:



He reminds me of someone but I can't quite pin it. I'll have to sit on that one for a while.

And, here's the band. Joey still does nothing for me. Danny - eh. Jordan has moved up a few notches, but the surprise for me has been Donnie. I never cared for him post "The Right Stuff" video. But, hello Mr. Wahlberg. You're lookin' pretty fly in this photo. No, wait...it's still Jon. Sorry Donnie. Jon is still my favorite New Kid.



I hope they turn this photo into a poster. I am SO hanging it in my office.

What about you? Who was your favorite New Kid. (Oh - and I realize some of my readers are too young to even know who they were. Thanks for making me feel old - LAURA STOLLER) LOL!

Meet Penelope!

This is Penelope. She is the newest member of the Rohlfs household. Penelope is an American Hairless Terrier just like Achilles and the story of how she joined us is somewhat sad, but with a happy ending.

Approximately 2 Fridays ago, I received a phone call from Achilles' breeder. She was asking about him and said she had a question for me. She proceeded to tell me about this pup that a family in Columbus had purchased. They were threatening to put her down because she growled at the dad and snapped at him. She told me that she knew the pup, that the dog was not aggressive and she could not figure out what was going on but she asked if Scott and I would like to have her. We wouldn't have to pay for her - just pick her up in Columbus from the family and give her a good home.

We talked about it and we knew we could handle two pups. Since she's only approximately a month older than Achilles, we figured it wouldn't be too bad, so we made arrangements and we took her. The next day, we drove to Columbus and picked up our new pup.

Truthfully - I have to say, I think that something serious went on with her. I don't want to make accusations but she was approximately 4 lbs underweight, had not been bathed or had her nails clipped in a while. (They had her three weeks) She would also shake and cower when you got near her. To say the least, she obviously had some trauma.

We brought her home, bathed her, trimmed her nails and started feeding her good food. She has since warmed up to all of us, is playing with Achilles now and is a very sweet dog. Her original name was Maggie Blue, but we had to change that because it would be pretty difficult to explain to your daughter why your dog has the same name that she does. Plus, being a Ginger, I've had my fair share of people saying "My dog is named Ginger". Yea - ok. Thanks...

Anyway - just wanted to show off our newest addition. She is so different from Achilles, yet they are so much alike. I'll need to get a good picture of the both of them. She's still a bit camera shy, but I'm sure that she'll get more comfortable with it as she spends more time with us. I'm just glad that the breeder thought of us as a family for her. I'll be sure to post new photos soon.

As for an update on the rest of the family, Scott and Maggie and their TKD testing on Saturday and both passed. Scott is one belt away from black belt. It's hard to believe. I already have his speech planned - I'm sure that will be one worth blogging about! Maggie is back in school after Spring Break and Addie is still Addie. We cut about 4" off of her hair, so she has the cutest little bob but boy is she mean. Her "chucky" photo below is just the tip of the iceberg for that kid. About 2 weeks ago she took a sharpie to Scott's parents house. A total of 8 walls and a leather couch. Need I say more? I'm just glad it wasn't on my watch. LOL!

Heeeerrreee's Addie!

Lots to post but I don't have all the photos. Just this one of Addie trying to get into my nephews room at my mom's house. I'm telling you - she's mean. LOL! She's a cute little pumpkin, but she's meaner than a striped spider. (However mean they are - it's a saying my mom always uses)



My nephew sent me this photo. He recently bought a Rebel XT and he's always snapping photos of the kiddos. But, this one takes the cake.

I'll post more soon. Promise!

My baby girl turned 2 this week!

I know - bad Ginger. Not blogging like I should again, but it's because these past few weeks have just been crazy. It's not like I don't WANT to blog - I just can't seem to find the time to do it. But, I have the time right now for a minute (while uploading other things on another window) so I figured I'd get it done. :)

Big news this week was that Ms. Addie turned 2! We were very busy last weekend with birthday parties galore. On Friday, we celebrated with Addie's "Man of her dreams", Colin, as he celebrated turning 2. They were born literally hours from each other, delivered by the same doctor, etc. I think it's destiny for them. :)

Even though St. Patty's Day is Addie's birthday, we had her party on Sunday so that friends and family could all be there. Try cramming way too many people into a few rooms. It was craziness! Plus, Addie is not about singing or attention which just makes her moody sometimes. Here she is as we're singing "Happy Birthday" to her. Last year, she covered her ears. This year, she just stared at everyone or her cake -glaringly.




We also brought our dog to the festivities. He was the hit of the party because he's a good pup and well, he's hairless, so he stands out a bit. Here is my good friend, Missy, and her daughter Alexis holding Achilles. (Whom we have affectionately renamed Batman due to his markings coming in looking like a mask)



Oh - and of course, I'm posting this photo of Laura and Karin because it will drive Karin crazy that I did this. LOL!



I just love those girls!

I think everyone pretty much had a great time. I would post a photo of Maggie but in most of them she's either making a terrible face (she's in the pouty stage of life right now) or she's giving me the cheesiest grin ever. She's excited, though, because tomorrow I'm signing her up for cheerleading. I told her dad that she's going to get to pick and she decided to take a little time off from tae kwon do to cheerlead. It's what she wants to do, so I'm letting her do it. I figure she's old enough to decide these things. We'll see how that goes!

Oh - and big news also on Addie's front. Last night we bought underwear! Ms. Addie has been using the potty quite a bit lately and she decided she wanted some Elmo panties, so I bought her a pack. My mom is trying them today, along with a small potty to see how she does. She's been keeping her pull-up dry so why not try the transition? Wish us luck! (those pull-ups are PRICEY!)

That's all for now. Hope everyone is doing well and have a great holiday weekend!

I've been tagged

I've been tagged on a few blogs, so I'm finally getting around to posting my 7 random things. The deal is, you post 7 random things about yourself and then tag a few more of your blog buddies. :)

Here are mine:

1) I hate mayonnaise and eggs. HATE them. They gross me out. If either/or is on a plate with my food, I won't eat it. There's no scraping it off. It cannot TOUCH it whatsoever. I freak. FREAK.

2) I'm missing 8 of my adult teeth. My mouth was too small for the size of my teeth. (mom's jaw, dad's teeth) So, I had 8 of them cut out - four before braces and four after so that it wouldn't shift the work they had already done.

3) I had REALLY easy labors with both of my girls. Six and eight hours respectively. I was induced both times and the girls are both born on the 17th - Maggie in July and Addie in March.

4) I wear a size 10 shoe. Have worn that size since I was in the 5th grade. Maggie is well on her way to the same thing. She already wears a women's 6.

5) I live a mile from where I grew up. So much for being adventurous and moving far away from home.

6) I went to a private, Catholic college on a full-ride scholarship. I thank God for my alma mater every day. (I was one of the rare "public school" kids)

7) Betty White and the guy that played Enis on The Dukes of Hazzard and John Michael Montgomery are distant cousins. They're all on the Hasty side.

There are my random facts. Hope you learned something new about me. At least, something that will not incriminate me in a court of law or cause me to never be able to be elected for President.

Now to tag some friends - since most of my friends already tagged me, I might be double-tagging you. Here goes: Heather, Teresa, Janna, Barb, Laura, Angie, Trisha, Jen and Josie.

Oh - and for those of you wondering how our pup is doing, here he is from last week.

Why are people A$$holes???

Ok - so I'm at home today for the 2nd time this week because I have terrible vertigo, nausea and headaches. Why? Well, because I was slammed into last week. Granted, accidents happen. I get that. Everyone and anyone can have them. Here is what pisses me off - the circumstances. The guy that hit me was an illegal alien from Mexico. He spoke NO English (or claimed he didn't), was driving without a license or insurance, had a carload of people with him and basically I'm the one stuck with a lot of the bills.

Fortunately, my insurance is covering almost everything except the $500 deductible, which I cannot get back because this guy has no insurance, he basically moves from place to place (according to the cops), has no bank account and they cannot confirm his official ID because he gave them multiple names that he goes by. His car was registered to another illegal - apparently in America you can register a car without a license or insurance.

This all went down last week, and then yesterday I get a subpoena to show up to court to testify against him. That is - IF HE SHOWS. Of course, if he shows, I might try to get my $500 and I might be taking out of his ass. (Well, I want to, but unlike a lot of other people, I OBEY THE LAW) The court date is at 9:00 am while I'm normally at work, so I'll be missing more work because of this jerk. (Who was speeding when he slammed into me - I was stopped in traffic and he rear-ended me) I have to say, the cop did arrest him and tried to do what he could, but the issue lies with our own laws and government. I think we need tougher laws on illegals, and we need to address uninsured motorists. Thank GOD I had uninsured motorist coverage, but really - there needs to be harsher penalties for this crap.

Oh- and to compound this - Scott went outside today and our OTHER car has been hit - on the passenger side door and we're not sure when that would have happened but obviously they knew they hit it (white paint on my car) and they didn't bother to leave a note or try to contact us. Once again - Assholes. I hope they get theirs.

Sorry for the vent but can you tell I'm fed up?

MyCraftivity.com - Have you signed-up yet?

Ok - so at work we've just launched this ultra-cool social networking site for crafters. It's called www.mycraftivity.com and let me tell you - I LOVE it! Basically, we're going to have FREE (that's right - FREE) projects, books by the chapter, giveaways, and all sorts of really cool stuff.

I am so excited to be a part of it and truthfully, I hope if you get a chance you register and check it out. It's basically MySpace for crafters. The social networking feature is SO fun and we'll eventually be adding all sorts of bells and whistles in the near future. If you craft or have an Etsy store, it's a great place to network with other crafters and get the word out about your stuff. If you own a store, you can create a group and send messages to your customers if they're members, too. Or - you can just network with other friends who also like to do various types of crafts. I know that I've really been into the scrapbooking and knitting part of the site, but there are sections for virtually EVERY craft.

Check it out if you get a chance and add me as a friend. I'm gingerjane!



On a side note, my wedding and anniversary rings will be changing very soon. I had to take them to the jeweler to get "dipped" which means they plate a platinum alloy over the gold. I've recently become allergic to something in yellow gold, so I had to take this step in order to be able to wear them. I get them back on Wednesday and I can't wait!

Here's the ring!!!

Ok - I'm at home today because there is a ton of snow and ice and my mom was freaking out at the thought of me going to work (God love her) and Maggie was out of school, so I'm working at home today. Anyway, I thought I would take a quick break and show you the diamond ring from my hubby!

Sorry for the photo but I used my photobooth program to take the photo. I'm pointing at the ring - it's the one at the top of my wedding set. It looks much more beautiful in real life, it's really gorgeous.



This is how Scott gave it to me. On Wednesday (Feb 13th) I returned home at about 9:00 at night from CHA. I was WORN out and tired and cranky because I had not had dinner so I came in and began to eat something quickly. Scott insisted on taking a bath immediately which sort of ticked me off but quite frankly I was too tired to argue about it.

Scott has this habit of taking a bath and then forgetting to grab a towel out of the linen closet so he usually will holler for me to get one. That's what he did that night and I proceed to go into the bathroom and I'm griping the entire time about why can't he get his own towel. I yank one out of the closet and the ring box falls on the floor. I took one look at it and sort of blanked out and then shut the door. I reopened it and picked up the box and that's when Scott said something about opening it and I started crying immediately. Basically, he set the entire thing up because it's our joke about how he can never grab a towel and that night he wanted me to grab the towel and be surprised by the ring. You have to know Scott. He's not the most romantic guy - but he's perfect for me.

Apparently, he took the girls to the jewelry store while I was at CHA and Maggie helped him pick out the ring. I actually went to the store to get my wedding set cleaned to match (trust me - I didn't realize how messy it was) and the girl that waited on me told me about how sweet he was when he was in there. (She recognized the ring) She was like "I KNEW he wouldn't wait until August" because Scott was originally going to give it to me for our anniversary in August, but he couldn't wait. What a guy!

So - that's the story behind the ring. Silly but sweet. :)

I'm sorry...

I am sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I know - it's been over a MONTH since I posted and I apologize for that. Things have just been really crazy around the house and so much has happened in a month. I'll try to do a quick summary (in order) so that you can see what's been going on.

I returned from TNNA and it's catalog season at work so I've been swamped. I have also totally become addicted to knitting and am working on a blanket - so there's an update from my knitting post. I even joined our lunchtime knitting group at work. It's funny to watch 20 girls sit around a lunchroom table with needles and yarn. The clicking of the needles is quite a site. And - now I'm one of them! Anyway, enough of my knitting speak.

I also gave in to Scott and Maggie's constant begging and we got a dog. His name is Achilles and he's an American Hairless Terrier. Basically that boils down to BALD DOG. Imagine Mr. Bigglesworth, but as a dog. That's my dog. He's hilarious. Here are a few photos that my breeder had sent to me. I have some pictures but once again had no time to upload. Plus, he's a feisty booger, but he's so sweet. He's really a good dog and he cuddles with me at night. He pretty much follows me around the house and sits with me whenever I'm standing still for a minute. He's almost 4 months now, and these were taken last month.





I never thought I'd become one of those people that puts clothes on my dog, but he has his own wardrobe. He has to wear clothes because it's cold and he has no fur. (The reason why we went hairless is because of Maggie's allergies) He's actually a cool dog - whenever we have him out, people stop and make a fuss over him. He's my boy!

We had a tragedy in the family the morning before I left for CHA. My sister-in-law, Gayle, passed away on February 7th. It's a long story as to what happened, but it was a shock and I do ask for prayers for my nephews. Gayle was a big part of our lives. She and my brother were married almost 20 years - they had been divorced the past 7 but were married for a LONG time. I grew up with her, so I have had a lot of grief to deal with and I probably haven't dealt with it very well considering I had to board a plane the next morning and missed the services. But, we're healing. Everyone is healing. My biggest concern are her three sons that she left behind. They're in their late teens, early 20's, but they still need a lot of support. The shock has really taken its toll on them. Anyway - I do ask for your prayers.

CHA was great - all things considered. I traveled with my good friend Jennifer (which made traveling a lot easier to have someone that gets it), and this was the first time that I was with F+W and not releasing a line. I have to say, it was SO relaxing for me. I was able to walk around and talk with stores, manufacturers, designers, etc., without having to worry about "are my lines ok?" or "Do people like them?" I could just appreciate everything that was out there and I didn't stress about the show like I normally would have. Saw some AWESOME stuff! I have to say - I really, REALLY like October Afternoon (not to be confused with October Road which is one of my new favorite shows!). I got some and cannot wait to tear into it. I also love Scenic Route (as always) and American Crafts. I was also excited to see my good friend, Teresa Collins and her newest release. It's STUNNING. My girl is so talented! She was the buzz of the show! Congrats T! You deserve it girl!

I made some new friends and had dinner with the Hero Arts team. They are awesome and so welcoming. I also hung out with Janna Wilson who is quite possibly one of the funniest girls I've ever met. I can't wait to see her at the summer show. (You better go girl!) Talking with our authors was a good time and it's amazing how busy our booth was. I loved it!

I saved the best for last, though. The night I got home Scott had an amazing surprise waiting for me. I'll save how he gave it to me for another post since I need to take a photo of it, too, but he gave me my Valentines/Anniversary present. We were engaged 12 years ago on Valentine's Day and this August we'll be married 10 years. When I got home that night he gave me the most beautiful anniversary band. I cried. It's gorgeous. He took the girls and went and picked out this ring and it's just beautiful. It means so much to me. I promise to take a photo and post about how he gave it to me but just know that it's GORGEOUS and I love it. The diamonds are perfect cut (whatever that means - LOL!) and they sparkle like crazy. He said something about them being colorless and flawless, too, but when you're looking at your ring, pretty much all of that stuff goes in one ear and out the other because you don't really care at that point. You're just so overwhelmed at the gesture. At least I was. So - I was a very, very happy girl and have been ever since.

That's it. There's my update. Sorry for making you wait this long. I realized when I had NINE people at CHA say something to me, that it was time for me to post. Heck - I never realized that many people read my blog. Leave me a comment sometime people! :)

Look what I learned to do!

I'm at TNNA - which is The National NeedleArts show. At first, I dreaded it because I have never been able to knit. I tried a few years back and nearly poked my eyes out with the needles from frustration. But, truthfully, I've always been jealous of those that can knit. I want to make my own sweaters, especially since I'm a hard fit. But, I had NO CLUE how to do that.

While out here, I was talking with some of our authors and watching Hannah Fettig do some of her knitting. Bound and determined, I got a set of really nice ebony needles from a booth of awesome women and headed to the F+W Booth for a lesson. Hannah wasn't there, but Shannon Oakey was and she gave me a few quick lessons and VOILA! I can cast on and do basic stitches. Today - I'm going to learn to purl.

Do I still suck at it. Yea - I'm learning how to hold the needles properly and get my stitches going, but I'm going to keep working on it. I've already called Scott with my excited news and he has requested a "big ass blanket". I think I can do that with the one stitch that I know. Ha!

All in all, this has been a pretty cool trip!



Oh - and I knitted at dinner last night with a few girls. I got to sit at the big girl knitting table! :)

Happy New Year Everyone!

Well, I just want to hop on and wish everyone a happy New Year! We had a great holiday and now I'm in the rude awakening of returning back to work after an extended period of time off. Truthfully, it's snowing here in Cincinnati and I want to go back home and climb into bed and sleep another five hours but that's not going to happen. Might as well post a blog and deal.

Here are some photos from the Holidays:







I'm officially back on program for my diet. After losing 35 lbs since June, I have gained back 5, which is completely unacceptable, but it was a fun month. SO, today I start back on plan and am now working on a Biggest Loser diet as well. I'm in debate as to whether I want to do Weight Watchers again or try on my own. I always feel like WW is someone I have to answer to, so it keeps me on track a bit better, but I could use the money that it costs for something else right now. In either event, it's back on track and watching calories, working out, etc.

Did anyone see TBL last night? I'm not sure who I'm rooting for, yet. Probably the blue team, because I think it's cool that they just met and are now competing like this against other teams that have the emotional connection. I don't know - give me a few weeks and I'll figure it out. I usually end up with a favorite mid-season.

Hope everyone had a great holiday and I'm hoping to have a more interesting post sometime soon.

Bringing it home to Cincinnati!

All I have to say is that I held my breath as they announced the winner last night. I never get into reality shows. Truthfully, I hate them. I can't stand Survivor, I only watch American Idol when they have the REALLY bad auditions and I haven't watched Dancin' with the Stars since Drew Lachey. But, this week - I was all about Clash of the Choirs.

I'm so happy for Nick and his choir! One of the girls I work with knows two members and I've been privvy to some of the e-mails from them describing their experience. It's good to know that Nick is a good guy in "real" life and not just on TV. Plus, Children's Hospital is such a wonderful charity - Maggie spent three days there in 2005 and I could not have asked for a better experience.



So, GO TEAM LACHEY! Cincinnati is proud!

On a side note, I need to take this time to acknowledge my wonderful husband who has put up with my Nick addiction this week (begrudgingly most of the time) and I wanted to post a photo of HIS woman so that you all know he has his own list of celebrities. (Kind of like Ross and Rachel) His is Reese Witherspoon - at least it's not Jessica Simpson.

Not only is he hot...he's a genius!

Did you watch Clash of the Choirs last night? If not - WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? If you did, then you know my man, NICK LACHEY, (do I need to reinforce how he's my man? Because...I can if you need me to) absolutely blew everyone away with his choir's performance of Flight of the Bumblebee.

In case you didn't see it (which, we'll talk about later!) here are some clips from the performance last night.

http://www.rickey.org/?p=6736

First off was Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You" - which is one of the very few contemporary Christmas songs that I LOVE. Nick knows what I wanted for Christmas! (Just kidding Scott!) Then, he did the Bumblebee. WOW. Just WOW! If that doesn't win it, then I pretty much think America has their heads up their rear.

Finally, he closed with "What's Left of Me". Can I just say that I would take what's left of him? When he gets on his knees - yea, he's singing to me. Poor Nick. I'm married. Happily married. We'll just have to wait sweetie...

Anyway - when I snap out of my fantasy world that I live in where Nick Lachey is begging me to take him home, I'll be wrapping presents and doing all of the other Christmas stuff. I'm holding my breath that he wins tonight. My next wish is that he signs on for Dancing with the Stars. He NEEDS to be on there. I wanna see him do push-ups with a cowboy outfit on. HELL yeah...

I need a cold shower now...

I've been given notice...

Apparently, my frequency of blogging sucks and I know that. I admit it. But, my friend Karin decided that I needed to be made AWARE of how annoying my less-than-stellar update schedule has been.



I promised her I would blog. I'll try to be better about it but I haven't had much to say lately. Been busy at work and swamped at home. Last night Addie got a haircut. Tonight Maggie has Girl Scouts. Tomorrow night I have a Focus Group Study. See the pattern?

Anyway - I did manage to DVR "Clash of the Choirs". Truthfully, it's a cheesy concept but my man is on the show. That's right everyone. I said MY man. That means, hands off (you, too, Vanessa Manillafolder and the chick that claims he was her first kiss!). Now that we have that settled, I've only had time to watch Nick's choir's first performance on Monday and the taped segments during their practice. Mental note - hang out more at Graeter's and SCPA. I haven't seen the performance from last night but the reviews are coming in and it's not good but it's not completely bad. I'm just hoping he makes it to the next level - I want to hear him perform his song. Plus, I get to look at him and it keeps me from throwing a fit that Grey's and Private Practice aren't on.

Here are some photos courtesy of enquirer.com...




His look in the second photo has me biting my knuckles.

Finally, before I forget, I need to mention that my wonderful husband (who is going to yell at me for the Nick post) was also Father of the Year because he had to pick up the Hannah Montana tickets from will call. In an effort to provide equal props, I wanted to mention that.

She got the best of both worlds...

Ok - so you probably know that I was frantically trying to find a celebrity to call the local radio station so that Maggie could go see Hannah Montana. Well, that failed miserably - BUT, guess where we went last night? That's right - to see Hannah Montana. The best part was, I didn't have to pay some ridiculously overpriced ticket broker to go. We kept checking ticketmaster.com all day to see if any tickets from promoters were released and low and behold - at approximately 2:15 I got a set about 5 rows from the stage! Talk about lucky!

Here are some photos from last night:

My friend, Missy, and her daughter went with us. Alexis and Maggie and the best time!



Here's the Jonas Brothers. Believe it or not, they're not bad. They're all the same height which I think is kind of funny, but they aren't that bad. They have a song that I actually like - S.O.S. It was cute.



Then, of course, is Hannah Montana aka Miley Cyrus! She does "two" shows. First, she comes out as Hannah Montana, and then the Jonas Brothers come back out for a song or two and then Miley comes back out as well...Miley. LOL!

The kid earns her keep - I have to say that. She was dancing and jumping around the stage the entire night. Girls were just SCREAMING - it was actually a decent concert. I didn't feel like the dreaded parent sitting through something lame. I even have considered downloading her CD's from iTunes this weekend for Maggie. (And, maybe put a few songs on my iPod -LOL!)






Missy and I decided to proclaim ourselves "MOMS OF THE YEAR". LOL!

On a separate note, I want to thank two VERY GOOD friends for the lovely boxes I received in the mail this week. One was Sharon Laakkonen, who sent me these YUMMY and DELICIOUS truffles that she and Britt make every Christmas. We used to fight over them at Imagination Project and this year I got my own tin of Cookies and Cream ones. Talk about to die for! They're being rationed out at the Rohlfs household - one per person per day. Thank goodness Scott is not big on chocolate! ;)

Secondly, I got a gift in the mail from Trish who owns Work In Progress kits. (Link is on the side) Her kits are always SO darn cute and she sent me the latest. LOVE you Trish! :)

Hope everyone is having a great holiday season!

Do you know anyone famous????

Please tell me that you do! Reason is - our local radio station is having a contest where you can win tickets to Hannah Montana and Maggie is DYING to go. Right now, I can't afford them because the lovely scalpers are asking upwards of $500 - $1500 PER TICKET. Last I checked, I don't make that kind of money. So, I thought I'd blog about it and maybe, just maybe, someone who knows someone who might be famous might have them call in for Maggie.

If that's the case, e-mail me and I'll give you the details. (Button is on the side) On a side note, one of the reasons why I am trying so hard to do this is that Maggie has offered her piggy bank full of money to the free store or some other charity where they will either feed the homeless or buy toys for kids that don't have anything. I must be doing something right because Maggie is willing to give and that warms my heart. So - to help celebrate and support her thinking, I thought I would do what I could to try and win these tickets. If she doesn't go, it won't be the end of the world. But, as a mom, I'm going to try to do my part. I'm not telling you that story so that you'll say "Oh - look at her - she's a good kid" but I'm telling you that story because I'm not one of those psycho mom's that has to give my kid everything. But, if there is something I can do to celebrate a good deed from her, then I'm going to try my best to do it. (That also goes without saying that this is the same kid that cut 9" off of her hair for Locks of Love and is growing it back out to do again)

Anyway, I wish I could offer a favor to you - I guess I could come and clean your house or scrapbook your photos. That's about all I'm good for. :)

Let me know if you know anyone!

This man came from Cincinnati...

Just to think - he grew up a MILE from my house. I lived in Lockland. He lived in Wyoming. Damn...

I probably ran into him at the public library there.

Don't get me wrong. I'm totally happy with my Deer Park boy, but a wife has to have fantasies, right?

Click on the headline to go to the youtube video of Nick singing on Oprah yesterday. Oh - and the other photo - that was his halloween costume. It's Nick in a box!

Yea I know...

I suck at being a good blogger these days. It's just like all of the sudden, I don't have much to say. I don't know why - I just don't. I've been pretty busy with my house in turmoil right now. We're having a bathroom addition built as well as gutting our main (AND ONLY) bathroom that we had. SO - things have been turned upside down and there is this fine layer of dust that keeps covering everything. I'll dust and it reappears, so I'm just going to let it appear until the work is done and I can do a complete cleaning. In the meantime, it's driving me nuts.

Yesterday the family and I went over to Laura's to have our Christmas photo taken. It turned out pretty well except that Addie didn't want to cooperate - AT ALL. We have all of these awesome shots, but Addie is pretty pissed off in most of them. That's the wonderful life of a (soon to be) 2 year old.



But, what's even more funny is this photo of my niece's kids with Santa. That's the twins (Teagyn and Braelyn) and then their big sister, Ryan. Notice where Ryan is. I was laughing so hard that tears were in my eyes because the look on her face is pricess. I haven't taken my girls to see Santa, yet. I'm sure Addie will have her moment.



Hope you get a good laugh!

The old lefthander rounded third and headed to heaven...

I ran downstairs here at work this morning and every day the ladies out front put a quote on the messageboard. Today it read: "Rounding Third and Headed for Home" - Joe Nuxhall - 1928-2007. I nearly froze and tears started to well in my eyes.

If you're not from Cincinnati, it might not have much meaning to you. But, Joe Nuxhall WAS Reds baseball. When I was a kid, every game was announced by Marty & Joe. My dad loved to listen to those two and whenever he would take me to games, we'd always look up at the WLW booth to them with their broadcasting gear on. Sometimes they'd wave down to us because we'd get there early. Dad would sometimes bring a radio and listen while he watched. Why? Because they seemed to make the game better. Even if the Reds were losing, you at least got to hear the banter between Marty & Joe. Joe spent SIX DECADES with the Reds...

In the summer of 1994, my dad was very sick from his cancer and unable to really get out of the house. We couldn't go to the games, so dad watched them on TV and of course listened to the radio. I remember how exciting it was that Marty & Joe sent my dad well wishes via the radio - they told him to get better. We know how that story went, but I was just so glad to hear them say that to dad. It meant a lot to him. (My brother had asked them to say something to dad on the radio - which they happily obliged)

I guess it's another ending for me in terms of memories of my dad. I have some that I cherish and most of the time they revolve around Reds games because that was "me and dad's time". I can remember being tore-up about Riverfront when they imploded it to build Great American. Why? Because my dad and I went to Riverfront. Listening to the games on the radio are not the same. Why? Because it's not Marty & Joe. I know things change, but I'm not always ready to embrace them. I'm emotional that way, especially when it comes to my dad.

You'll be sorely missed, Joe. I know my dad will be happy to see a familiar face, but here in Cincinnati, Reds Baseball will never be the same.



Edited to add this photo. It's of my brother and Joe here a few months ago. He just sent it to me. Priceless...

I know...I know...

I have been REALLY bad about updating the blog. Truth is - I've been pretty busy lately and haven't had much to say. I guess I HAVE had a lot to say but just haven't taken the time. Sorry about that. I've received a few e-mails lately wondering where I am and I apologize. My laziness just got the best of me.

Since I last posted (which I realized was in OCTOBER - Bad me!) I saw John Edward. You know, the medium - Crossing Over, Cross Country, etc. He's amazing! I won't go into details right now because I'm not in the mindset to talk about it (I'm battling really bad vertigo courtesy of a raging ear infection) but I promise to post about it soon.

We're in the midst of bathroom remodeling which is probably going to take until the holidays. Our contractor was only in for 2 days last week. Not really sure what that's about but he's a pretty dependable guy so I'm not going to sweat it. As soon as the rooms are done, I might post pictures. Depends on how much I like them. (Which, for what I'm forking out - I better LOVE them!)

I've also been on a decorating binge. I saw Laura's apartment not too long ago and I LOVE her decorating style. So - now I'm hell bent to redecorate rooms in my house. I've been begging Scott to repaint the infamous orange living room. (We're talking TONY STEWART HOME DEPOT ORANGE here) I'm bouncing back and forth between chocolate and a pretty not-quite aqua blue. I haven't decided, yet. Well, and he hasn't committed to letting me paint it, yet, so we'll have to see.

What I really want, is for it to look like this:


Just clean and ORGANIZED. I'm trying to make an effort to get there - I really am. But, it's hard when you're trying to balance kids, full-time job, etc. But, I know that once I get organized, life will be easier.

Anyway - that's all for now. Sorry that I don't have any words of wisdom or anything. The diet is still...well, it's there. I'm trying. Or, half-assed trying. I haven't had any remarkable weight-loss in the past three weeks. I think I'm on hiatus and in hiatus denial. It'll kick back in. Soon, I hope!