Xmas at the Ruthenbergs

Here are some pictures from Xmas Eve at Dave's parents.

Dave and his lovely mother, Joanie
Grandma Helen
Aunt Emily
Diana, Dave's sister
Good ole' dad, Les.

Xmas 2006

Well, the first real family Xmas with all my children together in a long time turned out to be a lot of fun. I have been lucky to be able to see all my kids a lot this year. Here are some of the pictures that didn't turn out too bad.

Charly pondering why cameras are always stuck in her face.

Mindy and Kari just hanging out.

Mark pondering why Charly is pondering.

Mike - chilling.

Mindy - chilling

Brett and Charly checking things out.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Oh, boy....the last holidays of the year.

The year has been eventful. Dave and I moved to a house. Yes, we are now homeowners.

My youngest daughter gave birth to a lovely baby girl in May and my other daughter is pregnant and due in May next year.

Brett started a new job and I am excited for him, as I think there will be more room for advancement at this job, besides all the opportunities to increase his knowledge.

This will be the first year that all my children are in my home at the same time since......since, hmm, it has been a while. I think that all three were at my apartment when my dad and his girlfriend, Inky, came up from Florida to visit. Not sure what year that was. I enjoy my sons-in-law and look forward to continuing the tradition of having everyone over for Xmas each year. As time goes on, the group will become larger and that will be exciting.

Dave's parents will also be there. They had a little taste of how my family interacts with each other in August, so hopefully they will not be too overwhelmed.

The menu is a little crazy, macaroni and cheese, italian meatballs and sauce, ham and mustard sauce, vegetable, salad, and desserts. I will be using the best dinner ware that the dollar store had to offer. (time washing dishes will be reduced - always a plus).

The whole affair is meant to be relaxing and fun, not a showcase for fancy things.

Well, have to go clean the toilet and vacuum the floor. (don't want the baby crawling all over a dirty floor) Then later I will be starting the appetizers and get the mac and cheese ready to put in the oven tomorrow.

sleepless in dearborn heights

Yep, I am sleepless again. Not sure what causes it. Too much sugar, caffeine, not enough exercise, too many thoughts? Could be any of those things, but I am not willing to make any changes, so I have to put up with the sleeplessness.

Watched The Office. Michael the office manager creeps me out. The Validity Committee was a riot, the marking the girlfriend was funny, and the CIA running gag was priceless.

>>You have been compromised>>Abort mission>>Destroy phone - Dwight is a dork.

Looking forward to 12/23. All the family coming to the house. It will be a "real" Christmas as a family in a long time. What movie should we watch and tear apart? Maybe we should watch Princess Bride and give Grandma Joannie and Grandpa Les a taste of the McMillan/Selleck sense of humor.

what did he say?

Last night Dave got out of bed to relieve himself. He woke me up as he got back into bed. I was still half dreaming, half awake. He was messing with the pillows, trying to get comfortable and I thought I heard him say, "I got a quarter". I thought it was odd that he would have found a quarter in bed, but who am I to question. But I did question. I asked, "Did the tooth fairy leave it?"


PS: Actually he was saying "I got a corner." Still not sure what he was talking about.

football championship press conference

I always tag along with Dave when he goes to the press conferences after the football games. I always feel uncomfortable for the team that lost. Here they are in front of all the press and they have to explain why they lost. Whereas the winning team comes in and the mood and atmosphere change noticeably. The air even feels lighter after the losing team leaves.

I was trying to remember how I felt and how my team felt after losing gymnastic meets or swim meets, but I don't remember that far back. Must be it didn't scar my psyche, so I guess the football teams that I have been seeing will not be scarred either.

comment overheard

I overheard this comment while at the MAC Championship game. Three people, two males, one female, were watching the TV screens. There was a break in the football game and the Fan Cam was scanning the crowd for interesting people. One fan had brought a sign that said: I had to sell my plasma to come here.

The female watching this turned to her co-workers and said: "You mean he had to sell his plasma TV to come here?"

Oh, my, gosh......did she really not know? Well, I overheard this as I passed them, and I turned to say: "He had to sell his blood plasma." My comment was returned with confused stares. Yikes.