This Just In!

Ex NY Gov. Spitzer:
Trysts with high priced hookers exposed,

his subsequent resignation from office...
It's a newsworthy story.
And I understand why.

New NY Gov. & Mrs. Paterson:
Their mutual affairs (and now repaired marriage) exposed...
It's a newsworthy story??
I can't imagine why it would be.

There's "news" and there's "trash talk" that pretends to be news. It seems we have lost track of which is which. Above is just one example. What do you think makes it news? What makes it trash talk? What standards should we set and demand to make news newsworthy? Where have our standards gone??

xox from an irritated squacker, TSannie

~~~

Ironically, I have discussed this myself today! ...

It's their children I truly care the most about.

And mine.

Today is the 5th anniversary of our invasion of Iraq. We pay $4 for a gallon of gas, it costs me three times as much today as it did 5 years ago to put food on the table. Shall we not even begin to discuss how much we spend to heat our homes? Oh, and Dick Cheney goes on national television and says everything is hunky-dory, and that the public opinion means nothing to him. Pretty.

What are we doing?

sigh, MPM

~~~

Spring Is In The Air!

shoes....it's all about spring-time shoes!!

~~~~

umm....isn't it all about our squacks?
...just sayin'
MPM, jules, TSannie

March is List Month II

• wood fire smoke
  
• lily of the valley & violets
  
• pot roast
• cinnamon
• baby powder on a baby
• Cinch window cleaner
• Grape Nehi (don't ask)
  
• the earth in the spring just after it's rained
• homemade hot buttered popcorn
  
• non-farting dogs (do they actually exist?)

squacks & good smells to ya,  xoTSannie

~~~~

verbena

fresh-cut grass

the world just after it's rained

a newborn baby

old ladies before they start to smell old

chocolate and more chocolate

gasoline, but it can't be diesel

a good garlicky pasta sauce on Sunday (think family dinner)

my daughters' hair when shampooed in smelly stuff

rosemary, lavender (and more verbena)

how's your sniffer??  I'm just sayin', jules

~~~

• glue
• peonies
• baking bread
• sauteeing garlic
• cabernet
• dial soap
• a baby's head
  mmmmm, MPM
  
  
  

Thought of the Day

I've made an ass of myself so many times,

I often wonder if I am one....
(thx to Norman Mailer)

Yep, big night in Cocktail Corner.....I'm going to have to rest now, too.
(yep, I'm still a copy cat)

squacks & kisses, TSannie

~~~~

I'm still on the JV squad...

sipping and squacking, MPM

~~~~

And, I was up at the butt crack of dawn with 3 mischievous boys who
raided the sister's room whilst she's away...
sq sq squack
(a little stutter...due to lack of sleep)
Jules

G

goo

gina

gone

gas

google

gggggjules

~~~~

gag

gulp

gizmo

gum

goose

xgxgxg, MPM

~~~~

grin

girly-girl

giggle

gobble

gross

g-g-g-go!TSannie

~~~

WHAT THE...??!?!?!

It's Sunday Family Dinner and it's at TSAnnie's house this week.

Imagine my horror when, in the middle of dinner, I look up
at the ceiling over our kitchen table and see the below images!!!

SFD's are just that - family affairs - and totally G rated...

Well! I guess not this week!

(Of course, another explanation could be that TSannie's
mind is totally in the gutter...she sees things...sexshul things...)

Either explanation, I'm squackin' horrificationally!! - xoTSannie

~~~

Here's mine

xxoo, MPM

~~~~

Here's Mine!

I'm just sayin'

jules

~~~

Yep...I sure can see how you two see sexshul things in your pictures, too. Yep...I really can see that...yep! (That was written at 12 noon today)

(It is now 3:00pm and I have just had a quite startling revelation!):

OOOOOHHHHH!! NOW I get it! (Takes some of us (that would be me) longer than others. I guess my mind IS in the gutter...(sigh))

WAIT!! Where's that picture, WHERE'S THAT PICTURE??? Must immediately replace those first two pics above - I also have one of my very own, just like MPM and jules do! We are so lucky, we three!

xoTSannie

~~~

March is List Month

• Eggplant
• Mussels
• Elisabeth Hasselback on The View
• Bad manners
• The people in front of you on a plane who put their seat all the way back
• Snoring
• Vermouth
• Sweet pickles
• Sweating for no reason
• Flannel sheets
• Sandy spinach
• Narcissists

What could these be??? Things I don't like??

Just annoyed and squackin' MPM

~~~

• blue cheese
• cilantro
• the word cutlet
• the word martyr
  
• cigarette breath
• flannel sheets
• non-cotton socks
• the rats in NYC underground parking garages
• judgmental people
• religious zealots
• having my cuticles pushed back - makes me nauseous

Hmmm.......that's all I can think of.....squacks and kisses, TSAnnie

~~~

• Luv handles
• Farting dogs
• Pious people
• 1st grade homework
• Remembering to water plants
• Men when they get sick
• People who consistently top your story
  
• Rehab
• Therapy

I'm just sayin'
Jules

It Was The Best Party EVER!

I just returned from not sunny San Jose after a visit with my brother and his family. I was lucky to have visited during the time Bill & Chrissy have their annual Crabacular Tequila MockingCrab bash. And bash it was! Right now at this very moment it is my favorite party of all time!

There's been other memorable bashes, tho. Let's think.....some of my very favorites:

My 50th surprise party. I have always told my husband in no uncertain terms to NEVER EVER have any kind of surprise party for me (and he never had until the damn half century mark) as I would first kill him then divorce him then banish him to Never Never Land. I had a most excellent, wonderful, awesome, fabulous, lovely, giggly, best surprise birthday evening EVER!

My 12th birthday party. I knew about the party, but I didn't know that mom had called all my friends (all girls that year, boys were still relegated to gross) and asked them to dress up as she was throwing me a formal dinner party. Mom insisted I put on the new dress she had gotten me before the guests arrived. (It was possible for me to walk from the door to my bedroom and not notice anything because our dining room was off to the side and you couldn't see it unless you intentionally went to it.) After we were all gathered, mom led us into the dining room. Dead silence. It was GORGEOUS! The table couldn't have been set any more elegantly at a formal state dinner. I have no clue what we ate, but I do remember that at each plate there was a small party favor containing little round green candies - they sorta looked like green peas. "Fer cryin' out loud, Ann! Why o why would your remember that??", you might ask. Because the shell of it was very thin and the center was liquid and my 12 year old self found this to be amazing. My princess party. I felt so elegant!

New Year's Eve 1999. (Remember all the doom and gloom talk about how the world would basically stop at the stroke of midnight?) By default NYE ended up being at our house. It was sort of a word-of-mouth party and we ended up having probably 100 people - our friends, our 3 kiddos and their friends and a few people we'd never met. You know how that goes. It was potluck, both food and spirits, and it was delicious w/plenty of spirits! What no one knew was my hubby GB and our middle and only son (MOS) had struck up a devious deal when at the stroke of midnight MOS would turn off our home's main circuit breaker, effectively plunging our house into complete blackness. They did just that. The house went dark and EVERYONE. JUST. STOPPED. TALKING. You really could have heard a pin drop. There wasn't a sound. Of course, if thoughts could have been read, all that probably would have been heard in the first few seconds would have been along the lines of "HOLY SH#T! IT'S ALL TRUE!".

squacks! xoTSabb

~~~~~

April 20, 2002. Squazz and I eloped. Took our kids and got married on a beach. Just us. Best. Party. Ever.

Squacks and kisses, MPM

~~~

My 40th...@ the golfing center...nothing but fun...well, until the fake baked, tight ass, baby oil'd, stripper humped my mother-in-law...(actually, I did get a little chuckle out of that!)
and a friend who tossed the salad (literally) across the artificial green....Ahhhh, to be 40 again.

Birdies and squacks,
Jules

Random Acts of Kindness...

Inspired by sorrow, a friend of mine started a company called Angel Quest, ...a challenge for consumers to perform random acts of kindness. The art below represents one of the beautiful angels illustrated for Angel Quest.

As a people, we need to or try to do this daily...as simple as holding a door for someone, calling an elderly relative just to say hi, to lending a hand in the local soup kitchen or giving a gift to a complete stranger...whatever it is it should be from you with no return expectations.

I am challenging my fellow Squackers (myself included) to perform a random act of kindness and report back to me by Easter Sunday...lets start the ball rolling so we can pass it forward.......( I know it's not like we don't already do it...let's just publish it:)

ttfn

Jules

~~~~~~

Count me in, Jules!
I've heard kindness starts at home....hmm....
Random acts of kindness towards one's husband......
Is there such a thing?

And to all of you out there - our 1000's & 1000's of readers -
What are your Random Acts of Kindness?
Let us know!

xoabb

~~~~~

(a day or two later) Does not killing my husband count as a random act of kindness? Please tell me it does! I'm pretty PO'ed at him right now and could happily throttle him....random act....random act....kindness, Ann....think kindness....let him live!

I'm squackatated, TSabb

~~~

I have just returned from a vacation that was both wonderful and terrible for one of our fellow travelers.
Birthday Girl J came down with pneumonia.
You haven't lived until you spend a few days in Mexican hospital.

I was reminded hourly on the
importance of even the smallest of gestures,
and will continue to be kind.
In a random sort of way.

MPM

~~~

The Oscaren'ts

I'm over at Jules' house trying trying trying to watch the Oscars. It cannot be done. Must. Change. Channel. NOW!

Never has this show been worser, awfuler, boringer, grosser, stupidester......get my drift??

It is SQUAWFUL! xoTSannie

~~~~~

I would rather do a crossword puzzle with my Lovey ...yikes!
jules


~~~~~~~~~
Umm...excuse me...I'm becoming a bit perturbed here.....
well, actually a LOT perturbed here...for cryin' out loud, Jules....

You'd rather do A CROSSWORD PUZZLE WITH YOUR LOVEY???????
HAVE YOU TOTALLY LOST YOUR MIND???????
O MY GOD!!!!
QUICK, MentalM, WE MUST STAGE AN INTERVENTION!!!!
xoxoTSannie, squackin' fretful
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ummm. Sorry, I'm in Cabo. Can't be the least bit bothered.

xoxo, MPM

Group Meme

Okay girls, I've been tagged by Noble Pig for a meme similar to the one on my blog today. Only I'm changing the rules because I'm sick with a fever, and I am just doing it this way. Mkay? We have the regular meme rules, but I think we should list our crushes from way back when. So here are mine:

• John Denver--all time best crush. I wanted to be Annie.
• Wayne Rogers--M*A*S*H. I met him at a Red Lobster when he was in Nashville for a tennis event. Too cool.
• Lee Majors--not bionic, but Heath Barkley from The Big Valley. I really don't believe this needs any explanation.
• Chad Everett--Hello? Medical Center? He was with Wayne at the Red Lobster. I still have the paper with their autographs on it.

That's good, now Jules and Annie will squack about their crushes.

Love, MP Mama

~~~~

Good Morning (California time), Miss Lala - so very sorry to hear you're under the weather, although it certainly got your mental juices flowing this morning! Feel better before you vacation! If I were home I'd bring you a big hot steaming mug of chamomile tea....with a healthy shot of Meyers rum in it.

On to the meme. Secret crushes - my all-time biggest secret crush is no contest. No contest at all. Matter of fact, I still have a teensy tinesy secret crush on him (don't tell!).

• Kurt Russell. All time favorite favorite. It started with Disney films - his role in Mosby's Marauders sealed my undying Kurt crush. Tombstone prolonged it. That Goldie girl has good taste!
• Kevin Corcoran. Just look at that face! How could any young girl of the '60's not fall for that face?!? (Toby Tyler, Old Yeller & Swiss Family Robinson sealed it for me.)
• Tommy Kirk. He and Kevin starred in Old Yeller, Swiss Family Robinson, The Shaggy Dog together. He was the cutest!
• Illya Kuryakin. Oh. My. God! The British James Dean. I dreamed of this man. I loved this man. My tastes have changed. He's not pretty any more. He's old...like me.
  
• Sam Elliot & Tom Selleck. The Sacketts together. Sam in Tombstone, Tom in Magnum, P.I. (sigh).

xoTSannie

####

Ok Squack Squad here our my McDreamy's of my youth and beyond..In no particular order....I just sigh......

Michael Cole a.k.a. Pete from the Mod Squad--Too cool for rules

Harrison Ford...Indie makes me knees quiver

Kenny Loggins...Return to Pooh Corner and take me with....

Robert Redford...scruffy face and all

Bruce Springsteen a.k.a. the Boss...Born to run!

And, of course we cannot forget that rugged hunk...
Marlboro Man..and I'm not talkin' PW's version

Just a squack down memory lane...Jules

Oh Dear....Hope It's Not Permanent!

Just stopped by Julie's house. She wasn't there, but this note was. Oh dear.......ominous....
TSannie is just squackin' with worry!

~~~

I am broken and I can't get up...help! WTF? JIJS

~~~

I think I'm broken, too. Can I please be excused now? By the way, this was a note left by Julie's housekeeper. She was talking about the vacuum. Annie and I thought it was too funny to let go. Obviously. More wine, anyone?

Love, MP Mama

Election 2008

I don't like the choices we have. Can we get some more before November?
Just squackin', MP Mama

~~~~

Let's start a revolution...if O and Mc remain our only choices...I'm done!..I don't even want to pull the lever in November--What a disappointment...
...I'd rather vote for Homer


Jules squackin'

~~~~~~~

Remember, my fellow squackers - ANYONE ANYONE ANYONE is better than the bozo we have now. Le bozo has just 334 days left...I wonder how much more damage will be done.... squacks & sighs....TSannie

When One Squack Is Away.......http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

The Squacks Left Behind Still Play!

This time Jules & Annie shared giggles with MentalM's good buddies,
that sasser and her sassee, Martha and Sal, pictured above.

Miss LaLa decided to leave us to go on an adventure with her two 16 year olds, (which we're sure we'll be reading about over at the MP Chronicles) , so they could visit various and sundry college campuses and relative's houses...the NERVE of her! On the other hand, we certainly did not wait for her return to have us some fun! Hmmm...Annie's leaving tomorrow for sunny (pleeaaasee????) California...hmmmm....she just BETS those other two Squackers go
and have themselves a good old time without her!
Hmmm.... Just squackin! xoTSannie & Jules

P. S. That's Jules' leg there on the left...I do not know what she was doing...

~~~

Hey! You can't have them. Although we did have some fine adventure-type activities on our college trip, I like my S and M times. They are fun! And she never, ever sasses him. Ever.

Squazz would like me to follow suit, but I don't see that happening any time soon. Sorry Squazz.

Have fun Annie! Remember...I'll be in Mexico when you return from Cali. Try not to miss me. Squacks and kisses, MPM

~~~

What's In Your Purse?

We're squackin' on and on about the crap we schlep all over tarnation.

Mental P Mama has a bunch of good stuff in hers: Wallet with three dollars, credit card wallet, three pairs of reading glasses. Fancy sunglasses getting all scratched because the case is too big to tote around. Altoids cinnamon gum--curiously cinnamon-y. Tweezers and magnifying mirror because the light is really good when you're out driving around.... About 10 tissues in varying states of use. Chapstick and Dior Addict lipstick because I am, well, addicted to it. Phone. Three paper clips. A crumpled deposit slip. An old grocery list that I forgot to take into the store.

~~~

Jules here -
That's my stuff...all the essentials...but of course!

###

Hmmm......I'll be dumping out my bag a little later.....TSannie

It's now a little later - two days later - got sidetracked there, 'scuse me!! I've dumped it all out and the only thing I can say is it ain't pretty...matter of fact it's downright embarrassing the amount of crapola that's in there!

In no particular order: 4 lip sticks/glosses (I like a layered look); 2 bottles of eye drops, one for pink eye (that was so delightful), one for allergy eyes; 1 eye shadow pack for those times I want to get ~fancy~; 3 containers of dental floss (for my 3 sets of teeth - all real, no dentures here...yet); 1 mascara; 3 breath sprays/strips/mints (one can never be too cautious about the horrors of bad breath); a pretty pin I didn't know was in there and am pleased it's not broken from being in the bowels of my bag; 5 barrettes and such to hold back my hair that I just got cut so can't use any of them; a hair brush; 3 different sets of keys - all very important I'm sure; 1 work id; 11 pens, pencils or highlighters...why?; $7.42 in change (and I wonder why my shoulder hurts); a South Beach Peanut Butter Power Bar - always prepared here - it's the Girl Scout in me; small 2008 appointment calendar with absolutely nothing written in it; wallet with absolutely no money in it; digital camera - I don't leave home without it; and finally, 1000's of papers, be they receipts, lists, mail, notes-to-self, whatever - and the saddest of which is the score card from our last bridge game......it confirms I lost abysmally. That's about it, but GUESS WHAT??? I now have a very clean purse, thanks to you my MentalM friend!
squacks till later...TSannie

~~~

Rev up your engines.....

The Daytona 500 is this weekend. For the past 50 years thousands upon thousands of people converge into Daytona to watch this event...name the top 5 things you would rather be doing....

- Watching grass grow
- Clean the lint out of all major appliances in my home
- Make sock puppets
- Can pickles, plums or anything else that fits in a Bell jar
- Grout my tub

Jules

~~~~

• Travel with 16-year-olds
• Pick up dog poop in the yard
• Have a pelvic exam
• Go 3 months without a root touch-up
• Wear a tube top

Squacks and hisses, MPMama

****

1. do any craft project
2. scrapbooking
3. shop for a swimsuit - WAIT - I'd rather go to the Daytona 500
4. clean the litter box
5. go to lunch with George Bush - WAIT - See you in Daytona!

My squackin' is done here - xotstoneannie

~~~

Restaurants on Valentine's Day

GB and I, along with our cousins and their wives (and a niece and nephew) went out to dinner for Valentine's Day. Company was lovely. Dining experience was not.

Note to self: Not a good idea to go out to dinner on one of the busiest restaurant nights of the year - odds are never in your favor that the experience will be fabu.

Shoulda stayed home and conjured up a gourmet feast like Mental did.

I'm just squackin'.....xoTStoneA

~~~

Right you are...ours was indeed fabu, and we didn't have to deal with all the madness that this pseudo-holiday conjures up. Next time, you should listen to this old broad. Cheers! MPM

~~~

Oh stop your squackin' you could have been with me...ears ringing from annoying buzzers, neck fatigue as a result of left to right head movement, headache from the constant thumping on the boards...Oh, and we mustn't forget the distinct aroma of sweating bodies...just gotta love basketball! Happy post V-day
Jules

###

Something My Blogmates Don't Know About Me

I have no idea how to send a text message. Just squackin', Mental P Mama.

~~~

I have no idea how to tivo tv shows. squacks&kisses TStoneA

~~~

I am an open book...what you see is what you get, what you get is what you see! I recently learned to TIVO, I can send a text message however, it may take a day or two. Oh, I've got one...but if you have been in the car with me you know...I put my makeup on while driving...What?
The lighting is better! Jules

Home Ablutions of the Irritating Kind

Will someone please explain to me why in my house I can't address an area's issues just ONCE and be done with it FOREVER? Why is it that things have to get dirty, not get emptied or maybe closed - whatever - and need to be done again and again?

Below are just three of the many things I find irritating about home maintainence. (I'm sure I will think of others in the days to come and, of course, I'll gladly share those, too.)

I'm certainly not talking about fashions and stuff like that, which I obviously know little about, (just ask mental m or jules), I'm talking about things that need doing over and over, ad nauseum. Like cleaning the floors, emptying the garbage/recycle bins, closing the garage door, etc., etc., etc......

I'm firmly of the school that continual household ablutions and other chores should be banned, or at the very least be automatic. It would be so much easier if all the floors were tile and each room with a drain in the middle of each room. a powerful hose could take care of the cleaning in a few jiffy!

We have a garbage/recycling drawer in our kitchen. Why aren't each of them connected to their corresponding outdoor units so the inside units automatically empty to the outside ones? This would save enormous amounts of time I spend picking up chewed garbage my Stella-dog strews everywhere in my kitchen. "Carry the dang garbage out!" you say? I do if the bin is full. If it's not, I've been threading a yard stick between the handles of the towel drawer above it and the garbage drawer. And now Stella-bella has figured out how to open the drawer anyway and have her way with the leftovers.

You know how, in many cars today, the light automatically shut off after the car's been vacant for a set amount of time? Why doesn't the garage door do that? Just close itself automatically after five minutes. How hard would that be? It would save me yelling at various and sundry members of my family that the pipes WILL freeze and they WILL have to PAY FOR IT!

There. I feel much better. I'm through squackin' cranky (for now). Thank for letting me unburden.

P. S. - Jules just asked what's on TNT as it is one of her favorite channels. Oh dear...WWF wresteling is on TNT. I'm beginning to get concerned about her TV viewing habits. I think she's been spending WAY too much time with her 7-year-old who is totally obsessed with the WWF. Jules, PLEASE tell me you're not going over to the ~dark side~. I just couldn't TAKE that! (Well, I guess maybe Stone-Cold Steve Austin is kinda cute in a gross wrestler kind of way.
xoxo&squacks to you, t-s annie

~~~

Huh? I keep telling you to get a Roomba from woot! Stella needs to get back in that durn crate. And train your rugrats to do some of that crap. Please notice below how Augie handles his laundry. Take special note of the marbling technique he has perfected on his NEW towels. Yessiree he is the champion laundry expert in our house. We won't discuss the great shoe debacle of 2008, though. Will we?

Anyway, I think we do too much house work and not nearly enough squackin'. Love & squacks, MPM

###

Yes, we all have different home groans..here are my top 10 tics

Top 10 things that tic me off!

-Being….
1. The only one that remembers to feed the dog.
2. The only one to make the beds…load the dishwasher, and feed the family.
3. The only one to grocery shop for food that goes bad in the fridge b-cause "they don’t like it!"
4. The only one that can run the washer and dryer, fold and return clothes to their proper drawer.
5. Told by their daughters they have no clothes to wear…yet their closets would put many boutiques to shame.
6. Told by your daughters they need spa treatments after I have done all of the above.
7. The only one to assist with 1st grade homework…make costumes for the school play and attend tedious PTA meetings.
-Having…
8. Your husband home when he normally is not (just breaks my mojo).
9. Muffin top over my jeans.
-And finally, the last thing that tics me off is...
10. Me, for doing it all and not saying NO!

Just squrants and squraves

Jules.

Evening Ablutions

As a woman of a certain age, I am discovering that it now takes an inordinate amount of time to get ready for bed nowadays. I feel the need to squack about it. Let's see: wash face, apply vitamin C serum, essential oil, mosturizer and eye cream. Apply rash ointment on upper arms because I have some sort of old lady winter rash. Do asthma inhalers. Floss and brush. Apply scar ointment on all repaired sun damage areas. Move to the bed. Apply lavender baby lotion to arms and legs to promote restful sleep. Apply foot cream to promote soft feet. Apply lip balm to keep them from drying up and falling off during the night. Good grief, writing all this crap down has made me tired. Love and squacks, MP Mama.

~~~

For God's sake, woman, what's with all that stuff you do?? Does it actually do anything?? Then again, what would I know. Sad to say I just brush my teeth, put on my jammies (a big tee-shirt - soooo sexy, thank you) and get into bed...and my bod loves me for that. You can tell, just by looking at me, how well preserved I am. (sigh)
squacks & kisses, t-stone annie

~~~

Oh for F*#k's sake...brush and floss, squack and snore...I'm just sayin', Jules

~~~~~~

SKWAK•N

What we do here... We squack. We squack a lot because we have opinions we aren't averse to sharing with all we know.

We're just sippin and squackin'.

Sippin' and squackin'.

It's what we do.

And we do it well.

Just ask our families.

Squacks & kisses,

jules, tombstone annie & mental p. mama