How much turkey can one eat?

So tell me, just how much turkey can one eat? LOL As I already wrote, brother D took us out for xmas dinner...we thought he and I were going to get away with not having to cook a big turkey dinner this year at all...HA HA that didn't happen.

N's Mom came up from NS to spend xmas this year with her two boys (N and W). She stayed with W and had xmas dinner with them on xmas day. N invited her out to our place for boxing day dinner,,yep you guessed it, turkey and all the trimmings...LOL

We bought a turkey, not just any turkey... a 30lb turkey. I mean this sucker was huge, I didn't even think it was going to fit in the fridge without major shelf moving and adjusting. We got it home and I dug out the roaster pan,,,LOL it wasn't going to be cooked in that!!!LOLPMP The humongous bird's ass would barely fit..LOL

So N went to Wally mart, no roasters, stopped at Sobeys and bought two of those throw away tin ones....what was he thinking? LOL Then he thought about checking out Zellers and sure enough they had a nice large one there, bought and bagged and he brought it home. We struggle to get it back out of the fridge to check it for size,, and luckily, it fit like a dream.

Now you may be asking yourself, why would we buy a 30lb turkey for just four people...well, we had invited N two kids, my two, all the gr.kids and the rest of the family, which would bring us up to 13 people. See the rational now?LOL

Problem was after having a nice green xmas, we were suppose to be lambasted with a boxing day storm...10-15 cm snow, freezing rain... just real shitty all around ya know..

So I am up at 8am making the famous "Parr" stuffing, doubling the recipe for this big turkey sitting in the fridge....lol I keep looking out the window in the kitchen hoping and praying that the storm would go away...like that was going to happen....

At 10am the turkey, fully stuffed in every orifice I could find,, goes into the oven to cook for the next 6 hours. The snow starts around noon, the freezing rain starts around 1:30 and by 2 :30 calls started coming in from family canceling...LOL D called after getting back to town from taking T out to her mothers, and just didn't want to take a chance on the roads after dark. B called to say that F had to work from 3-7pm so they would miss it, S called to say that the kids didn't want to go down for a nap so they wouldn't be coming, N did a sigh of relief because he was going to go in and pick S, and the two gr.kids and he really didn't want to travel on slick roads either...

N's Mom showed up at 3pm saying the roads were getting slippery. M called at 3:50 to say that J was sick but she was bringing her brother R and they weren't going to be here at 4pm.  S called back to say that she wanted to come, N didn't want to go out after her so I had to tell her I would save her some...like that was going to be a problem with a 30 lb turkey..

So we ended up with 6 people, the meal was good... but suffice to say we have turkey left over... and a large ice cream container full of stuffing, another full of gravey. We have had turkey sandwiches, another full turkey dinner and today I made a huge pot of turkey soup, with the two cats twisting in and out around my legs as I cut up the dark meat into the pot. Yes, I did give the cats some...lol

I finially broke down and put the rest of the turkey in freezer bags. I love turkey sandwiches with some ranch dressing instead of mayo....but I think its run its course and decided that we just couldn't eat any more turkey for a day or so at least... am I starting to gobble?? 

How many sleeps till Christmas?

Ok, so that question is over with...lol anyone with a kid will know exactly what I mean. Christmas has come and gone for another year, it was a green xmas actually and I'm not sure I can even remember having no snow on the ground xmas day. But let me just say that for the record I love "Global Warming" LOLPMP

I hate snow, that phenomenon only comes with getting older I think, because as a child I couldn't wait to dawn my snow suit and get out side.... those days are only faint memories now...lol

Anyways, we had to go outside before bed time xmas eve and sprinkle some "reindeer dust" that Jacobs teacher had given him. The idea is that you sprinkle this magic dust in the yard so that the reindeer can see the glitter as they fly, and then then know where to stop. They eat the oats while Santa unloads the gifts.. Jacob was certain that "Rudolf" would eat the most.

After getting Jacob settled, Norm put together his "train" bank and we put out the gifts and called it a nite. I set my watch to go off at 6am, I wasn't excited or anything...lol I was so afraid Jacob would pick that morning to sleep in and we were going to be running on a tight schedule as it was. It went off and I quickly made a pot of coffee then went up to the living room and turned on the tree lights. With (new)video camera in hand I went in to wake up Jacob.

"Jacob, I heard the reindeer on the roof... I think Santa's been here", I said.

His head shot up off the pillow and his eyes sprung open, it was seconds and he was down his ladder and running out towards the xmas tree.

"Your right Nannie, he has been here", he exclaimed... excitement was building in his voice. "Awesome, Awesome", he shouted as he got closer... Santa brought my "Diego rescue center..LOOK, LOOK". (awesome is the new word lately) LOL

It was then rip and tear mode for the next while, the "awesomes", growing louder and more frequent..LOL He is so funny,,,

Papa and I opened ours, we got some really lovely things... as always, Santa and family was awfully good to us.

After a couple hours of playing, I managed to convince Jacob that he should stop playing long enough to eat and then we got ready and packed up the car to go to Stacie's place for yet another xmas present opening. Jaron and Jordan were excited and having a ball opening up their things and Jacob joined in... sometimes helping them rip and tear,, of course there was more choruses of "Awsome"...LOL

We let Jaron and Jordan have a nap and Papa, I and Jacob went home to play for a little bit and then get changed to go out to supper.

Uncle Doug decided to do something a bit different this year and he took the whole family out to dinner at the Delta. THANKS DOUG !!

I was shocked at the amount of people who came out to eat xmas dinner,,,I never imagined that there would be that many people not cooking at home.

We had a choice of a sit down Turkey dinner with all the trimmings or a buffet dinner. We all chose the buffet, and it was really good.. especially with the smuggled in olives(thanks to Doug)..we all had a laugh sneaking those around the table. Olives are a family tradition..

There was soup, turkey & gravy, stuffing,mashed potatoes, chicken Kiev, salmon, mixed veg, salads, king crab legs, shrimp, sushi, smoke Salmon and cheese cakes, puddings and jello it really was a spread !!

All in all the kids did pretty good at keeping the noise level down considering all the excitement that they had to deal with. And I didn't notice anyone in the restaurant giving us dirty looks,,,but then I had my back to the majority of them...LOL Jordan tried just about everything once, Jaron and Jacob did their usual picking but got a good fill too. I know Norm and I were stuffed, and it was a good thing there wasn't a couple of lazy-boy chairs handy or everyone would of heard us snoring! lol

After dinner we all waddled out to our vehicles and headed down to Doug and Trinda's for more gifts and laughs of course... that is evident by the picture of him with the "Orca" mask on and him modeling his new coat....LOL

We played a clip of "Ajax Liquor Store" on the CD player and really had a giggle. Vicki and the twins are all excited about going to Disney in Feb, they don't know it yet...but I'm buying a really big suitcase..(so I can go too) LOL

It was a great Christmas, with a really great family and loved ones..... Hope your xmas was just as special.

How many more sleeps is it till xmas?????? LOL

JJ's first xmas concert at school

Well what can I say, it was adorable, funny, cute...every adjective(those are adjectives right? lol) that you can think of. He was all dressed up in a white shirt with a stripped tie and black pants, picture it, 5 yrs old and looking so handsome. Now if that doesn't make you go awh..... I don't know what will ! He stood dead center and looked a bit nervous when the curtains opened and he saw a gym full of strangers looking at him.... Oh I remember that feeling, how about you?

I stuck my arm up and waved, he saw Papa and I and a big smile came on his face and the fear faded for a moment at least. The kids did a good job with their songs, the actions that went with them was amusing, and the curtain director cut off the show prematurely before JJ got to place the "pretend" present under the tree... I don't think you can fire a child curtain director can you? lol

All in all, it was a good time, he enjoyed himself and once he was convinced that he would look "handsome" and no one would laugh at him, he was fine with getting dressed up. I will end by telling you that when we arrived at school and he was in his classroom taking his coat off and putting his "indoor" shoes on, he spotted another classmate wearing a shirt and tie. He walked over to the boy and said "I have a tie too, like it?" The boy answered "yes". JJ then said," we are the only two looking handsome today", I just about cracked up. Kids, they say the darnedest things!

My Ultrasound

I have been having some left side pelvic pain, to make a long story short...ha ha, the Dr. sent me for an ultrasound. Now I didn't' have the privilege of having one when I was pregnant with either of my kids, so I missed all the fun of seeing the baby form and all that. This though,was not fun...

I normally drink water to help flush the crap out of the meds I take so they don't mess with my kidneys to awfully bad... when they phoned from the hospital yesterday to say they had an opening at 1:30 and could I come in for an ultrasound,,, they told me to drink water, 6,, 8oz glasses I think she said. So I'm thinking no big deal I will just drink a 500ml bottle around 12:30 and take another 500ml bottle with me to drink as I drive and another in my purse for while I sit and wait to go in.

What was I thinking??? lol Well to be honest, since I seem to pee every 15 minutes I figured that what I drank, must just go straight to my bladder. WRONG! lol The technician calls me in, a guy.... tells me to drop my jeans to my knees and hop up on the table. 

So up I climb onto the table, hike my panties (yes they were clean) ...down to my pelvic bone. He squirts some warm gooey stuff on me and grabs this wand thing and rubs it across my full bladder. Hmmm, he said..."did you drink all the water you were suppose to".

"Yes, I drank 3- 500ml bottles since 12:30" I exclaim

"Does your bladder feel full" he asked

"My bladder always feels full" I replied...

"Well you only have about 84ml in your bladder" he snorts back at me..

"What, your not serious" I whinned....

"Yeah, your going to have to go to the waiting room and drink 3-4 more glasses of water" he stated mater of factly.

He handed me a towel to wipe the goo off, I pulled my pants up and headed back to the waiting room.

"Do you need a glass?" he asked

"No, I still have a bottle with me I can refill" I stated

"I just hope I don't have to sneeze", I said laughing all the way to the waiting room. He didn't laugh..

I think its a fact of life that after a certain age, a womans bladder just goes to hell in a hand basket. I can't sneeze or cough without crossing my legs and squeezing my butt cheeks together so I don't pee my pants...thats on a good day.. That maneuver is really hard to do when your driving the car, by the way... kind of like trying to keep your eyes open while you sneeze.. impossible! (Have you ever noticed that that always happens when your driving across the bridge...LOL)

So anyways, I'm back in the waiting room sucking down another bottle of water, this time tap water.. which is sooooo gross! and another lady who is also sitting sipping on a glass of water looks at me and smiles.

"Your bladder not full enough either?", she asked

"Well, that seems to be a matter of opinion", I replied laughing... she nodded her head knowingly.

A half hour later, they call my name again. This time a get a woman tech. The same routine with the drop the pants, but it didn't have the same effect as when the guy tech said it to me....lol

More goo, more pushing on my bladder, but this time she is taking pictures. I am watching on the screen, but the blurry grey and white pictures mean nothing to me... I don't see anything that looks like an organ of any kind. JJ strikes up a conversation with the tech about how dark it is in the room, and then in the same breath tells her about the new "power rangers" movie he got for xmas.

"I've watched it every nite" he exclaims

"Do you like it" she asks him

"oh, yeah its so awesome" he says

"theres one part where the girl power ranger kicks a bad guy right in his "pee pee", he said

I burst into laughter at this point... the tech does too and stops trying to take pictures till my stomach stops jiggling....lol

"maybe I should be watching this movie too" I said

"hmmm," the tech replied.. "you would just assume it would be ok for a kid to watch wouldn't you?"

As JJ continues to tell us the rest of the movie....

I must say he does keep a room amused.

All done, and I rush for the bathroom, awh.... relief... but only temporary,, the other 1000 ml of water isn't far behind. We bundle up and step out into the cold wind and head for the car. I can feel my bladder filling up as I lock JJ into his booster seat. Maybe it was the fact that my ass was stuck out in the -18 cold air as I was bent over him searching for the seat belt...lol

I have to drive to Oromocto to feed and check on B's cat.... 110kph isn't fast enough when you have to pee...

I unlocked her door and was unbuckling my pants as I ran for her bathroom...LOL I think JJ thought I had completely lost my mind by this point.

I feed the cat and try to coax it out from under the sofa, with no luck so I decided to head for home. I just got about by the "Big Potato" store when it struck again...fullness and pain in my bladder, and I wasn't even half way home!!

Of course I got stuck behind every senior out for a drive....I did manage to pass one and just swear at the other two all the way to the lights at Union and St. Marys streets.... Crips!

It was clear sailing from there to home, the longest 13min in my life...lol

I parked in our drive way and ran for the bathroom, calling out to JJ to close the car door behind him....

It was 5pm before I rid myself of all the water, with frequent trips of every 15 minutes to the bathroom.... you figure it out... thats alot of peeing....lol

Now I'm glad I didn't' have to go for an ultrasound when I was pregnant,,especially when I was pregnant with S. She had her foot or something pressed on my bladder for the last 3 months of my pregnancy...
I can't imagine doing that with a bladder full of water too!

So cheers everyone.... have a drink of water for me tomorrow will you, I'm taking the day off to dry out...lol

Change is good

Yesterday I got in a cleaning mood. Since that doesn't happen often any more, I decided I better dawn the rubber gloves and get down to it. I had all the counter appliances moved out and was scrubbing down the counter and back splash when JJ walked in.
"Are you changing things Nannie?" he asked.
"Well, no, not changing JJ, just cleaning" I replied.
"Change is good Nannie, can we change my room?" he asked with wide eyes. Since he usually hates anything being changed or moved even an inch in his room I was totally shocked by him asking this.
I didn't have the heart to tell him moving furniture around would be too much for me to do alone...
"Ok JJ, lets go see what we can change".


Up stairs we went, him gripping my finger, me gripping the railing and willing my knees to bend. I glanced around his bedroom as he told me what he wanted moved, his bunkbed/desk, dresser, toybox, rocker pretty much everything but his tv/stand. I smiled at him, noticed the excitement in his face and started to push on his bunkbed.
JJ helped grunt and groan with me..(Laugh)


Of course with each item that was moved, came some new dust bunnies and food crumbs, mostly chips with the odd fruit snack rapper. So besides the furniture changing,the room got a really good cleaning.


Taking time in between items to let my aches calm down, in total it took me(or us..laugh) about two hours to set the room up the way JJ thought it should look.


He climbed up on to his bunkbed to survey the new room set up and said.."yep Nannie,I was right, Change is Good!"


Out of the mouth of babe's.... Sometimes we may not always like what life has to offer, but JJ is right...change is good for us all. It all depends on how we look at it, with negative eyes or positive ones.

One happy little boy

Oh what a day. JJ was soooo excited this morning when he got up. I still had some final running around to do, pick up the cake, pick up his mother and his two younger brothers....


So off we went, one child who was ready to jump out of his skin with excitment about his upcoming party and one tired Nannie who couldn't quit just yet.


Everyone showed up, sixteen in total. There was 6 kids and the rest adults, mostly grandparents, aunts, uncle and cousins. But it was fun, the kids are so cute to watch and some of the things they will come out with....well they just crack me up.


Later that nite as I was getting him a bed time snack, he looked at me and said "Nannie how many more sleeps till my Birthday?"...... and so it starts again LOL

Someone is turning 5

I woke this morning with yet another sore neck. Joints aren't too bad today so far, fingers are white and cold like usual...but I think I will hop in the shower and warm them up. My knees still hurt daily, but its a pain I can stand...nothing I have to take some drugs for. But then again, that's just me. I hate drugs of any kind and the fact that I am currently having to pop pills every day promply at 7pm(with the help of my alarm watch) really is irritating. But I have to keep this monster at bay, this monster called Lupus that is just waiting in the background to show its ugly head again.


I sit and write my list of "things to do today", like everyday now. I have no memory left, and while I think about it, I must call the Neurologist and make another apt. Hmmm, I'll write that on my list...LOL


I have dishes to do today. I have procrastinated long enough and now I have a pile to do. Well I don't really wash them,,,LOL I have to unload the dishwasher and put the dirty ones in it. That sounds pathetic doesn't it? Its been three days since the clean ones have sat in the dish washer! I make no excuse, I simply didn't want to do it. I had birthday stuff to buy, a daughter to drive here and there, and also go visit my other two grandsons. It seems that they will be coming home to their mother by next month. She is excited about it. I am apprehensive about it. If she can stay away from her abusive BF then she might have a chance of keeping them for a while this time. Right now, he is still behind bars, so.... she isn't in daily contact with him. But he is scheduled for release in October, so I will be on pins and needles when that date rolls around.


It never gets any easier, even the older they get... kids are very stressful!


Well our house is pretty hectic today. Tomorrow, Saturday.. JJ is turning 5 yrs old and he is so excited. Well that's an understatement. He has been asking his Papa and I everyday for the last two months "how many more days till my birthday?". LOL Its really hard to get him to understand that we have to actually wait until its his birthday before we can have a BD party... so we tell him that it's..."60 more sleeps", or "25 more sleeps" and that he understands.


I personally am really happy that its only "1 more sleep" till his BD.

Underconstruction

I am currently still going thru old tape recordings that I made when I was sick and will be posting them backwards in time. In the mean time I am going to try to write some each day so I don't fall really behind in posting on the blog.

I thank you for your patience

Do cats whiskers grow back?

It seems that JJ wanted to see if whiskers were like finger nails and grow back after you cut them.... he cut Dora's whiskers quite short... I explained the use of whiskers to a cat and then hid the sissors...lol