December Ditties - 2018 - Song Lyric Sunday - Girl

Helen has given us the companion word to last week's "Boy" prompt, which for some reason I didn't do.  I know there are a ton of songs out there with that word in it but I just wasn't feeling any of them (although the rest of the #SLS gang had no trouble and it was fun to listen to the songs they chose).

Anyway, today's "Girl" seems so much easier and I had a lot of choices.  I picked this one because it makes me want to get up and dance and because, well, you know...

Hot Girls In Love by Loverboy:

Hot Girls in Love

Loverboy

She's so young at heart
She likes the pleasure of his company
She cuts the inside groove
With her silver spoon
She likes her tapes on ten
And it's the same as her anatomy
She's on a rainbow cruise
All the way to my room

She's turnin' on the heat
She's got the magic touch
She's turnin' on the heat
And it's a little too much
She's turnin' on the heat
And it's a hundred above yeah
Hot girls in love
I'm in love

Too many men to please
She counts them all on her rosary
You know you might get burned
So be careful where you touch
She gets it when she can
Don't need no anniversary
And she deserves the best yeah
A cut above the rest

She's turnin' on the heat
She's got the magic touch
She's turnin' on the heat
Oh it's a little too much
She's turnin' on the heat
It's a hundred above
Hot girls in love
And baby I'm in love

Some say she do
Some say she don't
Some say she will
And some say she won't
Some say she can't
Well I know she can
I say I got to be
Her lovin' man

She's turnin' on the heat
She's got the magic touch
She's turnin' on the heat
Oh and it's a little too much
She's turnin' on the heat
It's a hundred above
Hot girls in love
Hot girls in love
It's a hundred above
Hot girls in love
Yeah

Be careful where you touch
'Cause it's a little too much
She got everything she needs
What she does in front of me

She's turning on the heat
She's turning on the heat
She's got that look in her eye
I think I gotta know why
Ah
Hot girls and I'm in love

Songwriters: Bruce Fairbairn / Paul Dean / Paul Warren Dean

Hot Girls in Love lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

We've seen Loverboy a couple of times.  Once was years ago at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk at one of their free Friday night concerts.  You know how I love free!

When they sang this song and got to the line "Hot girls in love" the first time, Mike Reno held the mike over the crowd.  I shouted it out and he pointed to me!  That was pretty cool because we were standing at the railing across the sand from them so I didn't think he'd be able to hear me.  Here are some scrapbook pages from our concert album:

The next time we saw them was just this year at the Mountain Winery.  They were there with Greg Kihn and Rick Springfield (I suppose I could have used Jessie's Girl too for today's prompt.)

Here's what I was able to capture that night.   Not the whole song but almost.

And the original.

The guys look a little older now but they still can get the crowd rocking!

Thanks again to Helen for coordinating this music party, even when she doesn't always feel up to par.  Be sure to check out some of the other participants.

December Ditties - 2018 - Blog(mas) Gingerbread Houses

This is an open apology to my kids.  I'm sorry, we should have been making gingerbread houses every year when you were little but I was "too busy."  Really, I just didn't want to deal with the mess because you know that once you were done making them, you were done.

Isn't this one cute?  It looks like a happy face I think.  At least, I think that way now.  Then I thought, "That doesn't look like the picture on the box."

You see, at that time I wanted them to be perfect.  I wasn't allowing for creative license or little kids having fun.  Kind of selfish on my part now that I think about it.   

This one is a little closer to what the picture on the box looks like but it was done by our daughter and her boyfriend (at the time) and they were in high school.  

I had some nerve thinking that it had to be picture perfect given the fact that I had tried to make some "special" cakes for them that didn't quite turn out like I wanted them to:

Look like a crayon box?

Princess castle?

They never said, "Mom, that doesn't look like the picture" and the cakes got eaten for sure.  Of course, the next year they might have said, "Mom, can I have a store bought cake this year?"  Still, that would have been okay with me since it was much easier to buy a cake than make one.

So again, I say to Amanda, Jeff and Rachel, I'm sorry that we didn't make more gingerbread houses because as I see now that you are all grown, its not about the houses, it's about the memories.  Love you!  Mom

This is part of the Blog(mas) series from KaylaAnn.  She is writing some pretty cool stuff about her Christmas memories and favorites as well.  You should definitely check it out.  

December Ditties - 2018 Stream of Consciousness Saturday - Hairy

Linda Hill has given us another good #SoCS prompt with the word "hairy."  We get bonus points if we can use it in two ways.

hair·y

/ˈherē/

adjective

1. 1.

   covered with hair, especially thick or long hair.

   
   

   "a hairy chest"

   
   

   synonyms:

   shaggy, bushy, long-haired; More

   • 
     
2. 2.

   INFORMAL

   alarming and difficult.

   
   

   "we drove up yet another hairy mountain road"

   
   

   synonyms:

   risky, dangerous, perilous, hazardous, touch-and-go; More

Choose languageAfrikaansAlbanianAmharicArabicArmenianAzerbaijaniBanglaBasqueBelarusianBosnianBulgarianBurmeseCatalanCebuanoChinese (Simplified)Chinese (Traditional)CorsicanCroatianCzechDanishDutchEsperantoEstonianFilipinoFinnishFrenchGalicianGeorgianGermanGreekGujaratiHaitian CreoleHausaHawaiianHebrewHindiHmongHungarianIcelandicIgboIndonesianIrishItalianJapaneseJavaneseKannadaKazakhKhmerKoreanKurdishKyrgyzLaoLatinLatvianLithuanianLuxembourgishMacedonianMalagasyMalayMalayalamMalteseMaoriMarathiMongolianNepaliNorwegianNyanjaPashtoPersianPolishPortuguesePunjabiRomanianRussianSamoanScottish GaelicSerbianShonaSindhiSinhalaSlovakSlovenianSomaliSouthern SothoSpanishSundaneseSwahiliSwedishTajikTamilTeluguThaiTurkishUkrainianUrduUzbekVietnameseWelshWestern FrisianXhosaYiddishYorubaZulu

Tip

Similar-sounding words

hairy is sometimes confused with harry

Working off the second definition first, I had a hairy experience trying to get tickets to see Queen last week.  Ticketmaster has changed their ways again (no surprise) and now you are allowed to enter a "waiting room" before the tickets are available. 

As you can see from this screenshot, I was in the waiting room 19 minutes and 22 seconds before the tickets went on sale. 

This was on my main computer.  I was also on my laptop and my phone app at the same time.  So really I was online about 20 minutes BEFORE 10 AM (PST).  

The next step is to get in line!  As you can see, there were 2000+ people ahead of me in line.  Again, that was on my main computer.  My phone showed that there were about 500 people in front of me and my laptop showed about 250.  I figured that was going to be my best shot.

It is hard to tell from the picture but there is a little purple man walking across the bar to tell you where you are in line.  I kept watching all three devices to see which one was going to pop up first.

As you can imagine, it was a hairy experience watching all three "lines" move forward.  Would I be able to get these tickets?   How did all those people get in front of me when I was in the waiting room 20 minutes BEFORE it was time?  I needed four tickets this time since our daughters were going to go with us.  Could I get four tickets together?

Once I actually was able to see which tickets were available, it was another hairy race to the checkout page.  I actually had four tickets in my cart and when I went to click "buy tickets" the screen said, "Sorry, another fan beat you to those seats.  Next time click faster!"  Well, not really that last sentence but you get the idea.  Frantic search for four more seats together, rush to push "buy" and check out. 

When I reviewed the order - YIKES - I had only purchased two tickets!!!  Hop back to one of the other devices which by now were allowing me to view what was available.  I was going to try to get two more tickets near us but wait, there were four tickets together on the floor!  Grabbed those and:




But what was I going to do with the other two tickets?  I briefly considered trying to sell them since obviously this was going to be a popular show but then I figured that I should try to cancel the first order instead.  Then there was another hairy few minutes while I waited for Ticketmaster to a) answer the phone, b) check my order and verify it and c) make a decision to allow me to cancel the order.  The kind gentleman suggested that next time something like that happens, I should call them first before buying the second set of tickets and they could just do a replacement.  I explained that the tickets were going so fast, if I had waited for them to come on the line, the better tickets would be gone, which he acknowledged could happen. 

At any rate, we now have 4 tickets on the floor for the Queen concert NEXT JULY!  Imagine those people who wait until the actual time the tickets go on sale, or wait until it gets closer to the date of the concert since WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE GOING TO BE DOING SIX MONTHS IN ADVANCE? 

Well, we know cos we are going to be seeing Queen who, while has not really ever been known as a "big hair band," has had some long haired periods in their career, and I think that covers definition #1.




Thanks again, Linda.  This one has been a fun one!

December Ditties - 2018 - My Guest Blog Post - The A to Z of the A to Z -

Shortly (because you know time flies when you're having fun) it will be time again for the A to Z Challenge.  This will be it's 10th year and I have been participating since 2016.

At the end of this year's challenge there was a poll about the different things we liked and perhaps didn't like about the organizational aspects of the challenge and the benefits or drawbacks to participation in the group and there was a contest to win a guest spot on the main A to Z Challenge blog.  I know there are hundreds of participants in the A to Z and I don't know how many entered the contest but I did and I was among the winners!

The A to Z of the A to Z according to me:

I was ABSOLUTELY thrilled when I found out I had won a spot as a guest blogger in the A to Z poll contest.  Then I had a moment of panic.  What would I write about?  I hope that my insights will be BENEFICIAL to those who may not be sure about joining for the 10th year of the A to Z.

There is a feeling of CAMARADERIE among the participants, even though the focus of our blogs can be very DIFFERENT.  We are not all writers or crafters or music lovers and yet we can find some common ground.  The EXPERIENCE of blogging almost every day for a month brings about a feeling of FELLOWSHIP among the participants and I GLADLY open my emails during the month of April to see what new posts there are.

Some people write HISTORICAL blog posts that are very INFORMATIVE and that helps to JUSTIFY the time I spend reading them!  KEEPING up with them all is a LABOR of love.   Some folks write about words and their MEANINGS, some write NOSTALGIC posts about their family history.

I love that the A to Z Challenge is OPEN to anyone who wants to join the PARTY and there are always the helpful co-hosts to answer any QUESTIONS that may come up.

I am excited and READY to start planning for the 2019 version and hope that I can bring a SMILE to your face as you read my posts.  I have my THEME and hope that I can share something UNIQUE to keep you coming back.

Our founding father, Arlee Bird, was truly a VISIONARY ten years ago when he started this WONDERFUL project.

I have only been doing the A to Z for the past three years so I am not sure if there have been any XYLOGRAPHERS who have shared their experiences, but the word itself may have been used by someone looking for that hard to find X-word.

This YEARLY gathering of bloggers is certainly something that I look forward to because there are some ZANY folks out there who put a lot of effort into coming up with new ways to entertain us.

Thanks again for allowing me to participate as a guest writer on the A to Z Blog.  Can't wait to see what Arlee and the gang have in store for the 10th anniversary!

December Ditties - 2018 Blog(mas) And the Stockings were hung...

but I can't say "by the chimney with care" because we don't have a fireplace anymore.  I wish we did. 

The stocking in the middle here is our oldest daughter, Amanda's.  She got it for her first Christmas from her grandparents in Oregon and has used it ever since, even though the rest of us have stockings with our names on them. 

Last year since my mom was going to be with us for Christmas and we had one of my husband's friends staying here, we added a few stockings to the wall.  

When the kids were little and wanted us to get up at some ungodly hour on Christmas morning we would say..."We'll be up in a little bit, why don't you see what Santa put in your stockings."  That might buy us another half hour or so but the risk was that they would eat the candy that was usually in there and be hyper.  Sometimes I remembered to say "Don't eat the candy!"

Now that they are all older and living on their own "Santa" puts more practical gifts in there like travel size toiletries, lotto tickets, socks that kind of stuff.  Yeah, a couple of pieces of candy too. 

Do you have stockings?  Have a fireplace to hang them by?  What do you use as stocking stuffers? 

December Ditties - 2018 Blog(mas) - My first Christmas tree

I moved out of my parents home when I was almost 22.  I wanted to do the "adult" thing.  Of course, I made sure I could afford it but I forgot to add things like Christmas decorations into the budget. 

Fortunately for me my oldest sister, JoAnne, was very crafty and resourceful.  She invited me to her house one Saturday and we sat around her table and made some ornaments using pieces of felt, socks, bits of jewelry and even paper clips!. 

See the candle?  This was made from a couple of pieces of felt and stuffed with cotton. 

It has definitely seen better days but here it is on our tree a couple of years ago.  It is well over 40 years old and yet I remember so clearly the fun my sister and I had that day.

This little snowman was made using one of my brother-in-law's old socks turned inside out.  It, too, is still adorning our trees all these years later.

Every year when I put this Rudolph on the tree I think that I need to at least put his eye back on.  How can he see to lead the sleigh with only one eye?  

She had some broken pieces of jewelry that she used to decorate this tree.  

One of the ones that I thought was really clever was making an ice skate using a paper clip for the blades.  JoAnne was a teacher so of course she had plenty of those around.  This one could also use some TLC: 

For a while I was trying to get or make a new ornament for the tree every year but little by little that practice stopped.  I've even stopped decorating as much as I used to, but it wouldn't be Christmas to me without these special ornaments.

My sister, JoAnne, was 12 years older than I so I barely remember her being at home with us when I was young; she got married when I was 8.  As I got older we became really good friends and it is times like this when I miss her the most.  JoAnne passed away at age 59 in 2002.  Way too young.  

 

Do you make your own ornaments?  Have any special ones from your first Christmas tree?  Love to hear about it!

Thanks again to KaylaAnn for her Blog(mas) ideas!

December Ditties - 2018 - Blog(mas) A gift that keeps on giving

Blog(mas) Day 4

My family has spread out over the years and we really don't see each other as often as we'd like so one year I decided to make a gift that I hoped would help keep us closer.  I knew that everyone decorated their house so I made some little ornaments for each of the big holidays. 

Valentine's Day hanging pocket, Easter banner, 4th of July wreath and door knob hanger and a Christmas goodie bag.

I put one decoration for each holiday in a box and I wrote a little note to go with them:

Well I’ll bet you didn’t know it

but I’m really not a poet

and I never learned to do

that other thing called Haiku

so this year let’s just say

these little guys come your way

with love from us to you!

A ghost ornament, star wind chime, snowman notepad and Christmas banner

Cornucopia for Thanksgiving.  

I explained to the family that each time they changed the decorations in their homes, they would have some small thing to put up that was made by us and that way they would think of us all year long.  

This was a set one year, Valentine heart hanger, 4th of July star, ghost ornament, Thanksgiving magnet and a Santa pail.  

They really liked the idea and I know that I've seen the decorations up when I've gone to visit.  They were not expensive to make but I think it turned out pretty nice.  It was also a fun thing to do with my kids as they helped me make the decorations.   

After a couple of years I decided to try something different so I made up a "Surprise of the Month Club" along the lines of the wine basket club and fruit of the month club.  I sent this letter with the first gift:

This was the first gift, a gingerbread house.  You can see that it cracked a bit in the mail.  

For February I made individual heart brownies and put their initials on them.

March was brownies in the shape of a shamrock.

April was Oreos covered in chocolate and icing.

May was a cupcake flower basket.

I don't remember what I made for the rest of the year (assuming I didn't flake out and stop doing it!) and I don't have any pictures to remind me.  I'm a bit bummed about that.    

We have since stopped exchanging gifts at all, as things tend to go sometimes.  I don't even put up many decorations myself anymore.  It is fun to see the pictures and remember these things though.  

How about you?  Give handmade gifts?  Decorate for the holidays?  Love to hear about it.