RAW TURKEY DAY

let me start by saying i was very appreciative that my housemate fixed most of the thanksgiving dinner.  i provided the homemade mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, table settings with seasonal tableware and cloth, and offered iced tea, but she made her own.

as we sat down to eat, i realized that my leg meat was a bit chewy.  she later told me that i had taken "her" thigh meat, but either way, it wasn't done.  i went back and got some breast meat, since it appeared to be done. i asked her if the pop up timer popped up, and she said it did after she took the turkey out of the oven..........sheeeeesh.  rule of thumb.........always cook the turkey at least 30 minutes AFTER the pop up timer pops up.  the poor little turkey wasn't even browned to a rich golden perfection.  there was a smudge of amber at the very top of the breast, but everything else was anoemic.  she gave me the two legs and half the breast to carry back with me and i cooked it in the oven another 30 minutes before we ate it for supper.  but we had a good time together and enjoyed conversation and the rest of the food was fantastic. 

since i am working 2 jobs now, i stay tired alot and don't get here that often to make entries.  so let me tell you about my sunday.  my assistant manager gave me my schedule for last sunday on the previous friday.  he said it was for 11 am to 4:30 pm.  that would mean i didn't have to close, and could get home early enough to see my favorite show, the amazing race.  i got up on sunday, cold and shivering from the low outside temps, and showered, dressed and went to the jobsite at 10:30 am.  my general manager met me at the front door asking me why i was there so early.  i told him the assistant manager told me i was to be there at 11 am.  he started shaking his head and said that that was the wrong schedule.  i was supposed to be there at 3:30 pm till closing.  so.............he told me that he was sorry that happened, but he couldn't let me stay, and for me to come back at 3:30 pm.  then he said he would buy my lunch one day during the week to compensate me for coming in early.  i went back home and back to bed for a couple of hours, then came back and worked my shift.

well, i  am off from both jobs today, doing my errands, so i told my manager last night when we worked together, that i would like my "free lunch" today.  so he told me to come by the store and i did.  he gave me $10 to each lunch on..........woo hoo!!  i will eat at subway for under $5 and put $5 of gas in my car.  well worth the inconvenience that sunday. 

i still haven't put up my christmas tree.  it is already decorated, i just have to put the angel on top and plug it all in.  i don't have many decorations for the rest of the house due to people breaking into my storage shed behind the house where i used to live, and stealing all my decorations, even the ones my daughter made when she was a child.

speaking of my daughter..........i texted her thanksgiving day and wished her a happy thanksgiving...........no word back from her..........sigh.............kids.........they can break your heart over and over..................i do love her so.

well, better scoot.  haven't eaten yet, and subway is calling my name....................

HAVE A GREAT WEEK........................

FIRST

WOO HOO..........I GOT MY FIRST PAYCHECK!!!!!!!!!!

well, first one from the new job, lol.  only problem is.......they don't take out federal taxes.  so that means i won't be able to get my taxes back as soon as i thought.  sigh.

i have to work my "old" job today, so have to hurry and write.  i have millions of things to do before i go to work. 

i am sorry i have been so busy and haven't been attentive to my friends out in j-land.  i miss reading your journals and i also miss  not writing a comment in them.  i will try my best to do better in the future.  i appreciate each and every one of you that visit, and truly enjoy reading your comments. 

my housemate and i are cooking the thanksgiving meal this year.  i bought the turkey and stuffing mix, and she is baking the turkey and making the stuffing or dressing.  i am going to make homemade mashed potatoes and bringing the cranberries.  my new job gave each employee a gift certificate for $15 to buy whatever they needed for their thanksgiving dinner.  i guess i will go and buy a package of rolls and a pie or two. 

i sincerely hope that everyone out there has a marvelous thanksgiving day.  don't forget to give thanks for all your blessings........but for your trials as well......for they are what make us stronger. 

          HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!!!!!

WORKING A FULL SCHEDULE

be careful what you ask for, lol.  i didn't get enough hours at my old job, so i went out and got another part time job........now i work 5-6 days a week.  i stay tired, but when i get my first paycheck, it will be worth it.  i am hoping for a better year in 2008.  and i wish a great year out there for everyone.

in case i don't get back online between now and thanksgiving, may all be blessed with everything you need:  food, prosperity, friends, and family.

THE PICTURES THAT I PROMISED

they didn't turn out all that great, but i promised halloween pictures, so here they are.

cat's eyes luminaries and the jack-O-lantern that my housemate and her grandson carved

the other side of the front steps with my luminaries and my housemate's stuffed black cat.

my grim reaper with scythe dripping "blood" (the kids were really scared of this one)

a side shot of my grim reaper, with my flapping and booing ghost in the background, as well a spiderweb encased rocker.

more spiderweb encased rockers.

windows dripping blood and skeletons guarding the cauldron of candy.

a "beware" bat, black RIP wreath and skull with candle.

my ghoulish gourmet table.  the skull in the cauldron emitted mist from the openings, as well as red devilish light.  the plates on the table offered up "finger" food and eyeballs with blood dripping from them.  there were numerous bottles of potions and a cup of blood as well.

my light up "boo"sign, with a nice little black bat with red eyes.

my huge spider web with spider, and bat hanging from mailbox.

eerie faces in the window and a bat.

the cauldron of candy as well as the table and other cauldron.

beware signs in the front yard.

my homemade tombstones, skeletons trying to escape.

the spiderweb covered entry and fence, with caution tape, skeletons.

another view of the entry gate.

a view from the gate of the front of the "haunted house".

a close-up of my handywork.

since my digital camera doesn't have a flash, i have no night pics of the frightened humanoids coming up the walk.  it was worth the effort of decorating and getting dressed up.  i scared alot of kids that night...........but mostly the 12-14 year old boys......now that was fun................

A GOBLIN FILLED HALLOWEEN

first, i would like to say thank you to my readers for sticking with me.  your comments are always welcomed, and they make me feel good.

second, my halloween was a success.  i was off on tuesday and wednesday, so i started decorating on tuesday morning.  i had purchased a piece of foamboard at my workplace and painted a sign letting trick or treaters know i was open for business on halloween night.  like i have done my yard sale signs in the past, i taped the sign to the bottom of the mailbox.  i secured it well with duct tape and went on about my business.  i ran a few errands and upon my return, i noticed my sign was gone.  it had been ripped from the mailbox with force, since there was residual duct tape with pieces of the sign still attached.  i was very upset, but then figured it was the mailman/woman.  i remember from my one time delivering phone books that you are not supposed to place anything within so many feet of a mailbox that hasn't been postage paid.  so i figured my mailperson had taken the sign.  but they never took my yardsale signs off the box nor do they pull those stupid flyers stuck in the flag or mouth of the box, and neither of those have had postage paid. 

so i got a box, cut out a piece of cardboard, painted it black, and redid my sign in orange on the black background, and attached it to my fence, more than 10 feet from the mailbox.  it remained intact..........sigh.

i don't have my pictures with me today, since i was too lazy to upload them onto my flashdrive last night (actually,too tired), but my front porch looked really great.  i had skulls, one that had mist coming from it, with red eye sockets.  i had ghosts, bats, fingers and eyeballs...........and of course the grim reaper........who looked real.  good gory fun.  the kids loved it.  well, all except one........i had a young boy about 12-14 come up and was looking at all the stuff on the porch, standing next to the grim reaper, who had a scythe dripping blood, and when i stepped out into the group from the shadows, i thought he was going to wet his britches.  he held his chest and kept saying "oh my gosh, oh my gosh........"  it was so much fun.............i had two plates with napkins out on my table.  in one plate there was a couple of eyeballs with blood on them.  on the other plate there was a severed finger with blood sauce.  when the kids came up i would ask them what they wanted.  if they just said "candy" i would tell them that if they didn't say the magic words, i would cut off a finger to feed to the next child that came.  suddenly the kids started saying "trick or treat", lol.  the parents were really into it as well.  one father was with his 2 young girls, around 5 and 7, and he was showing them all the ghoulish stuff on the table, really getting into the spirit of things.  only one child wouldn't come anywhere near me or the candy.  i even told him to get the candy himself from the bucket, but he wasn't going to have any part of it.

there were several groups at a time that came from the "trunk or treat" from the church across the street.  most were small children 5 and up, but there were several groups of older kids, maybe 12-16.  but it was truly fun..........and i have tons of candy left over.  i am making a bag for my co-workers and one bag for my housemate's grandson, even though he did go trick or treating earlier in the week.  i bought the good stuff.....hershey's kisses with cordial cherry juice inside.......kit kat........reese's mini cups, assorted body parts (flavored gummies) and chocolate truffle eyeballs, etc.  my housemate was sick, but she contributed some butterscotch candy (which i love) and peppermint candy. 

speaking of the roomie, i finally had the opportunity to confront her about not speaking to me sooner about my arm or even thanking me.  but i didn't handle it properly.  i had allowed my feelings to go from hurt at her not asking how i was, to anger.  so when she came home from work on tuesday to have lunch, i jumped her.  so later on that day when  she came home, i sat her down and apologized for attacking her like i did, and told her how i felt, calmly.  she claims she DID thank me, and that she had no clue i was hurt.  sigh.............she is more naive and childlike than i first imagined.  but we "made up" and she and her grandson carved a pumpkin to put out on the front step with my ghoulies. 

i did think it funny though that when she first came upstairs yesterday to pay me the remainder of my money from when i worked for her, she was sick as a dog.  she had caught something from a co-worker.  when i was putting out my halloween stuff, she stuck her head out and moaned and groaned about being sick.  but after i had it all out and was dressed up (i looked hideously scary) and ready for the trick or treaters, she was all out there in the middle of it.  she even went across the street to the church to see if they were serving food of any kind.  she finally went back in and closed her door.  then the kids started coming and she was all excited again.  so much for being sick, huh?

ever since i had my dental work done i have had a toothache come and go.  it isn't the tooth they fixed on the left bottom, but the one next to it, that has a crown.  not sure if the dentist stirred up the nerve or if there is some problems with the tooth under the crown.  i was getting food trapped under there before the dental work was done on the other tooth.  oh well, i have my ibuprofen.

the arm has its good and bad days as well.  i have discovered that my elavil, taken for my neuropathy, does well in relieving the pain in my arm as well.  so i guess i need more of that wonder drug, lol.

well, i have to get home and get my halloween decorations down and into my room.  so i better scoot. 

have a great weekend.......................i will be working................