Here's to a Safe New Year

As a Mom, I really don't like New Year's Eve. My three oldest are now 27, 24 and 21. We don't have to worry about the underage drinking thing any more, but there are still plenty of hazards.

So tonight, I called each of my boys, told them I loved them and asked them who they were going to kiss at midnight.

Bob was first. He is going to go out with his former fiance, and staying at her parent's house.
You heard me right. Yeah, I know. Hmmm. We'll have to watch that one...

David is half sick and is going to a buddy's house to watch football and eat a good dinner. The friend is married and has a little one, so he's pretty safe there.

Number Three is going to dinner with his girlfriend, and they are coming back here. They don't want to do the downtown bar thing that most of the 20 somethings feel they have to do. I feel pretty good about that! Progress is being made.

Soccer Boy will stay up late and play video games. So all in all, looks like old mama bear will get some sleep tonight.

I just hate to have them out on New Year's Eve. No only do we have to worry about their
judgement, but that of every other person is a 50 mile raduis as well!

Hope your friends and family all have a great New Year's Eve, and many more.

Oops! I just heard Number Three come in, and it's only 10:25. Looks like I can go to bed early!
(late for me, any other day of the year). Good thing I saw the New Year's celebration in Australia this morning!

Just Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland

I am participating in Six Word Saturday, hosted by Cate at Show My Face.

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

We used to love to read this charming story to our boys. But these days, I have my own version.

It is called If You Buy a New TV. Here is how it goes...

If you buy a new tv to replace the old floor model, you will probably need to buy a stand for it also.
If you buy a new stand, you will probably find that it doesn't fit in the corner where it needs to be. So you will have to take out the built-in cabinet under the window.

If you take out the built-in cabinet under the window, you will find that you need to change the heat register, since it used to blow out through the cabinet.


If you change the heat register to the floor, you will notice that the brick from the side of the fireplace was removed to make room for the cabinet you took out. The brick will have to be replaced, because now you can see the side of the hearth.

You will want to hook up the surround sound that has been in the family room for 12 years and not used. Because after all, it's a new tv and the speakers have been just sitting there.

So when the sound guy hooks up the surround sound, he will tell you that the surround sound never worked before because you need a new receiver.

When you buy a new receiver and get the sound guy back, he will hook everything up. Three hours later, he will tell you that because of the way it was wired originally, some components sit under the tv and some are behind the couch in the armoire. In order to adjust the volume, you have to click over your shoulder, and have the doors to the cabinet open. So you will probably need to buy a new radio controlled remote, or never close the doors when the tv is being used.

When you buy the new remote, it comes with a guy to program it. It takes him three hours to program the remote, and it is very complicated. When he leaves, everything is fine. The next day, for some reason beyond our understanding, the tv has no sound. We have a Packer party planned, and there is no sound! After many frantic calls to the store, a salesman reached the remote control programmer, who does not work on weekends, and convinces him to make a house call on Saturday.


When the programmer comes on his day off and fixes the sound, you are grateful. You give him a big tip and have the party.


At the party, a guest says "Gee, that tv stand is kinda junky. The doors are hard to open and it sticks out into the room. I see you had to remove the cabinet to get it to fit in the corner. Now you need to fix the bricks and the vent. Why didn't you just have me make you a stand for the new tv?"


So you check to see if the old one can be returned, then say "OK" and hire him to build a new cabinet for the tv...


Do you see where this is going? Everything touches something else, and nothing is easy!

If this were only the end, that would be one thing. But no! There's more. Because nothing is easy, remember?

Here pfishy, pfishy

Sorry I've been away for so long! I have had many misadventures in the last week or so, but I

came THIS CLOSE to being a victim of pfishing. That is a scam where you are contacted, by e-mail or phone usually, by creeps meaning to do you harm. And they almost got me!

I was caught up in the busy pre-Christmas hustle and bustle when the phone rang. Think I was baking cookies and had laundry in and had the vacuum out, that kind of chaos. The caller said he was from BankCard Services and wanted to lower my interest rate. Great. I was distracted, but yeah, go ahead, lower my rate. So I talked and talked, hunted down my cards, and talked some more. I talked to at least two people, maybe three. They were soooo nice.

To make a long story short, I gave them my full card number, expiration date and 3 digit security number. For two cards. Oh, and to be a complete moron, I also gave them balances and credit limits. Brilliant! I finally sat at the desk, and Googled Bank Card Services. Interest rate reduction scam came up! So I read it, and guess what! That's what this was, almost word for word.

We were just at the part where he said that for "$895 they would guarantee me that I would never pay a double digit interest rate on any of my cards again, and could I just record our conversation?". When I said "Let me think about it" he made some comment like "Good luck

paying off your balance at that rate, expletive deleted", and hung up on me!

So I called my bank Saturday morning and confessed what I had done, and they closed the account and sent a new card. They were able to determine that up until that time, no new charges had been made. Wow. That sound you hear is me, breathing a sigh of relief!

Another common pfishing scam is the e-mail, telling you that you have won a foreign lottery.

They go on and on. Pay attention, and just say, "Hey, I'm on the Do Not Call List. How'd you get this number?" And if you aren't on the list, get on it. Problem solved.

HAPPY 20th ANNIVERSARY

To the best Christmas movie ever!

All week, AMC is having back-to-back showings of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, to celebrate the movie's 20th anniversary. You should watch it at least once or twice!

What is your favorite Christmas movie?