To blog or not to blog - that is the question?!?!

Lately I have not been in the blogging mood and I have really been questioning whether or not I should keep posting or not. Many of my pals have been telling me to just get on MySpace. I just don't believe in MYSpace I guess. Perhaps I am old fashioned but I truly believe the people I want to be in touch with, I already am in touch with and the people I don't want to "find" after all these years can stay out there in cyberspace and LEAVE ME ALONE! I have given myself a January 1st deadline, by then I will know if blogging is worth it for me or if I should just give up and focus my time and attention on something more worthwhile.

Anyway - updates here, Thanksgiving was lovely, we were at my parents'. Cooper provides entertainment for everyone by running around and knocking over cans of soda onto the carpet when no one is looking. He also ate a TON of food, as everyone likes to feed him, sort of like a little lap dog or something. Perhaps he won't be our skinny Ethiopian baby for much longer with all the holidays coming up, we shall see. The day after Thanksgiving I was at Younkers for the 4am opening and IT WAS GREAT - I wasn't even buying gifts- I was just buying stuff for myself:) 2 pairs of shoes, 1 comforter, and 1 outfit for Cooper later, I went to Kohls and purchased more things for myself. I did get Grandma a scarf and my mom a calendar, but mostly, I bought things for myself. I love Christmas shopping(for myself).

Friday continued with our newest family tradition - ringing bells for the Salvation Army, also at the mall. Cooper LOVED ringing the bell and literally running after people while ringing the bell. He was very good at luring people to donate. I was feeling really lucky as we were ringing bells and thinking about how nice it is to help out such a great charity, we will definitely make this an annual tradition. After we rang bells we carried on our other day after Thanksgiving tradition and went to Hooters for dinner. Hooters was the first restaurant Cooper ever went to in his entire life!

Tomorrow I plan to make a turkey and do a lot of sleeping!

How much can we accomplish in one weekend?

The answer for me is usually a lot! Here's the review of what was happening at the H-Haus:

Friday, my lovely sister Heidi volunteered to watch Cooper so we could have an actual date night. Jeff surprised me with a very extravagant night. We started at KoKo where Jeff loves to have cocktails. It was nice, my drink was a little yucky, but I should know better than to order martinis anymore, I just can't drink them. From KoKo we headed to Republic Chophouse, the newest most trendy Green Bay restaurant. It was delish: pretzel bread with cheese butter, bacon-wrapped scallops, french onion soup, a steak served with a shot of Jameson, some very good red wine from Chile, and Red Velvet Cake for dessert. I even felt like we were young and fun again.

Saturday, I headed out to UW-Green Bay for the Outstanding Student Award interviews, always nice to be there, did some shopping in the bookstore which is now located in the Union, then cruised through Walmart. Came home, had lunch with the boys, then headed to Barnes & Noble and JCPenny for some Christmas shopping. Finally stopped at the Kress library to pick up the December Mothers & More bookclub book.

Today, we cleaned the entire house, read the paper, paid bills, I did some reading, made a tie-blankie for my sister and made chicken with brown rice for dinner.

Also this weekend we started the holiday negotiation with Jeff's family, as usual, it is not easy, no on seems to be happy and Jeff already feels bad about an event that is a month away. I don't understand why everyone doesn't do it the way my family does, show-up, eat a lot, drink even more and play Catch Phrase while you are loaded. My plan is to bring a bottle of wine to each location, pretend like I am going to share it and then drink both bottles myself. And when I am serious about how the holidays are going to go I don't mess around. I do recall making the statement after one particularly horrible holiday session, "That's it, I am not going there next year, I will either be pregnant, have a newborn I can't travel with, or poison myself." And wouldn't you just know it, the next year Cooper was born. Before anyone can post a smart comment about getting knocked up to avoid the 09 holiday season, let me be clear - I will be poisoning myself in 09 NOT having a baby!

I am tired, I am cranky, and I am going to bed.

Too long - So Sorry!

Yes, it has been much too long since I last posted anything, so if anyone is still reading this blog I will be shocked. Here is what has been going on:

1)Cooper turned one & we had a fabulous party, if I ever have to upload pictures, I will share some
2)Cooper has learned how to walk and we continue to childproof around his latest skills
3)Cooper has a minor issue and will be having surgery next Tuesday(please keep him in your prayers)
4)I went to a craft show and decided that my fabulous cousin Adge & I need to start selling our knit items at craft shows, especially the gorgeous things she can make - SO MUCH nicer than the crap I saw at the show I was at
5)Work has been nuts and will probably be this way through the end of the year

And I decided to fill out one of these and just post it here instead of boring you all with the email:

What is your occupation right now? Senior Account Manager - I sell stuff
What color are your socks right now? What socks?
What are you listening to right now? Silence, it's nice when Cooper is asleep
What was the last thing that you ate? Panera Turkey Artichoke panini
Can you drive a stick shift? Oh no
Last person you spoke to on the phone? Petra
do you like the person who sent this to you? Jill is wonderous
How old are you today? 24.5
What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? Golf or College Basketball
What is your favorite drink? Red Wine
Have you ever dyed your hair? Of course
Favorite food?Cheese, chicken & Chocolate
What is the last movie you watched? I am in the middle of No Reservations, it just takes me 6 weeks to watch one flipping movie
What cd have you listened most to lately? Wee Sing on the Road(try not to barf)
Favorite concert? Goo Goo Dolls with Bon Jovi OR Neil Diamond
Where will you spend Christmas this year? Hopefully just in Manitowoc & here
Is there something that you would do over? What? Probably be more emotionally available to others in MANY situations, I am working on it
Favorite day of the year? Cooper's birthday 10/20
How do you vent anger? I blog or write in my journal the things that are so secret I can't complain about them on my blog
What was your favorite toy as a child?Barbie or Fisher Price Lil People
What is your favorite season? Summer
Cherries or Blueberries? cherries
Do you want your friends to e-mail you back? if they need an excuse not to work - sure. If not no big deal
Who is the most likely to respond? Who ever fits the above criteria
Who is least likely to respond? Everyone
When was the last time you cried? When we found out Cooper has to have surgery
What is your most favorite possession? My wedding ring and Cooper, both are with me almost all the time
What is the most favorite gift you've ever given? Anything I have given Jeff that really surprised him, that he thought I would NEVER buy for him, most recently his batman watch
What is on the floor of your closet? shoes
If your favorite color no longer existed, what is your next favorite? pink
Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending to?Adge?
What did you do last night? took a field trip to Walgreens, then played with CJ
What are you most afraid of? Losing those I love
Favorite dog breed? Westie
Favorite day of the week? Friday
How many states have you lived in? 1
Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds
What is your favorite flower? Gladiolas & hydrangeas