Stepping out of the DOS age

Anyone remember DOS? You know... before Windows? In some ways I have resisted new technology - mostly because I was the person in the family/neighborhood that was the "go to" person for computer problems or information... Needed an upgrade, computer can't "see" the new hardware you just installed? Call Annie!

I hated it. I didn't want to know because I hated the process. I hated my own upgrades and the frustration of wishing you could just hold up that printer and scream at your monitor... "It's right there... can you see it NOW?"

I've had DSL for a few months now and I haven't connected my husband's computer yet. We haev a router that I used to know all the info and specs on... now it's just sitting there on his desk... I have to run both computers through it, and I'm sure it will frustrate me, so I avoid it...

But TODAY!! Today, I have to connect it, because I bought him WOW for Christmas - with the expansion pack.

I thought I'd start simple and connect a web cam - so my adorable grandsons in Texas can see the Granny that they were so stinking cutely waving at last night... and my daughter, now 7 months pregnant - I got to see the baby bump last night for the first time. So, it's hooked up - and it's too early to call them and say, "Look at me!"

Now, I just have to wait for the roads to thaw so my husband can get his little butt to work and I can scream at the computers, modem, and lastly beg some customer service rep at the phone company to help me please - I bought WOW and we're unprepared.. and I'm NOT giving up MY computer.

BTW - I reshopped for husband and bought him a self guided telescope from Sam's Club on Monday to replace the inversion table he received early (see previous post)

Tomorrow morning we pack up the gifts and deliver to my eldest daughter and her family, then come home and open our gifts. If my husband gets a video game before that, I'll never get him out of the house - OR he'll pout until we get home. :)

Merry Christmas to everyone!

Fa La La La La... La La La La

First, let me thank Dick's Sporting Goods & UPS for fast shipping on the Inversion Table I purchased my husband for his BIG Christmas gift. I ordered it online last Saturday night, and I was quoted a delivery date of sometime between the 22nd & 29th. It arrived Friday morning. It arrived in the original carton with a nice big picture of what the table would look like when assembled. I was out on Friday shopping with my sister. Fortunately, we didn't miss the delivery because MY HUSBAND HAD THE DAY OFF!!!!!! It's now assembled in the basement, and it's only the 21st! I was overjoyed.



Last night was our family Christmas party. A loud, raucous end to an exhausting week. An hour before everyone arrived I finally strung the lights on the tree. My nephew Keith flew in from Hawaii yesterday morning - he's in the Navy, and so we made it an event for our guests to put the ornaments on the tree. this was ultimate laziness on my part, but I dressed it up to look like a generous gesture of family participation. No one was willing to put the bows on, though, so I'm still looking forward to that....

A wrestling match broke out between my 25 & 27 year old daughters... which led me to break out in a chorus of "Merry Christmas From The Family" by Montgomery Gentry. I haven't a clue what they were goofing around about, but my grandsons took it upon themselves to get involved and start KICKING their Auntie... it was quite a festive scene!

We had the Christmas sing-a-long. A new tradition of about 3 years old - beginning when I completed about a year of piano lessons. I'll tell you this - it sounds oh so much better than the first year! My grandsons tend to crawl up on the bench beside me and play accompaniment to the melody. They are 4 and 2. My sister stands very close to me and sings off key in my ear - which does little to enhance my playing skills.

We had a fun white elephant gift exchange. Typically we do the grab bag thing, but with several poor younger people with small children - we decided to scale back a bit. Here are some examples of gifts given/received:

One badminton racket
An 8 X 10 picture frame containing 12 small pictures of the gift giver making funny faces.
A piece of firewood (from my husband)
VCR movie & a maraca
romance novels
a diaper with an opened tootsie roll inside - from a toddler's mom - who else?!?!?!

I forgot to buy batteries, so the gifts I'd planned for the toddlers to open would've been useless. So, I gave them the gifts that should've been mailed to my other 2 grandsons in Texas about a week ago. The adults noticed the incorrect name tags, but the kids didn't. Today I went and repurchased those Spiderman action figures on quads.

Lots of laughing took place.

I joked that if I wanted to finish a sentence, I should go visit someone else's family - where they are polite enough to pretend to find me interesting and at least let me finish my sentences. At MY family get togethers, if you don't get the entire sentence out QUICKLY - no one is interested enough to ask you to finish it... they have a short attention span and have already moved on.

My eldest daughter sells cemetary property. My mother is INTO preplanning. My daughter explained the financing programs, to which my brother asked, "If you pay off 2 years, but owe 1 year and die... can you continue to pay the payments?" "No everything must be paid for before interment." This led to my son-in-law and I coming up with comical outcomes of foreclosure on your cemetary plot and a phone call to "Come pick up your wife, she's been evicted!" Yes, we're sick. We mean no harm, but at times find insensitive comments quite hysterical.

And the star of the party was... The Baby Gate which was located in the doorway which leads to the basement. We heat with a woodburner in the basement - which radiates up through the open basement door and the floor vent. The Baby Gate prevents toddlers from falling down and breaking their heads open. It also allows terrorized housepets to escape those same toddlers... and lastly - it prevents old people - classified as anyone old enough to have their very own teenager - from going down to the basement because they're afraid of catching that last foot and leaving them with a broken hip at the bottom of the stairs - thus, 2 teenagers escaped to the basement to make out after the boy succeeded in impressing girlfriend with his punching routine on my husband's punching bag.

All in all a success.

Merry Christmas to everyone who stops by!

It's a meaningful spiritual holiday, and it's also a wonderful family time. But, take a look around you - do you know anyone who is recently divorced or widowed, single, or perhaps a single parent having a tough go of it this year? Maybe someone who is far from their family this year. Reach out and invite them over, or leave a few presents on their doorstep to let them know that they mean something to you. Write a letter to a business you spend your money at, and tell them about your appreciation for one of their employees.

It's a time to be generous, and that has nothing to do with spending money.

Tonight, after watching the Tivo'd Steelers game... I'm going to watch the Charlie Brown Christmas Special (also Tivo'd). I love when Linus tells Charlie Brown the real meaning of Christmas... To me, Christmas is a celebration of an offering God made to reach out to us, His Creation... to give an example to follow, a love to reach all, forgiveness and grace and a desire to be our closest friend. I hope Christmas means that to you, as well. But if not - it could be your gift this year, and unlike other common Christmas presents... He always has plenty in stock, assembly is not required, batteries are included, and there are no missing parts. The manufacturer's hotline is staffed 24/7 - even on New Years! Start with the Book of John in the Bible.