How I Ended Up with a Leg Lamp

Holy cow!  Is it really nearly 11:15AM? Yes, it is!  Where has this morning gotten to?  Oh, I know!  I was having fun working, sipping on me tea, making videos of the cats and the morning just blew on by!  I love that!

I am totally in a zone this morning even though it's wet and rather dreary outside.  I'm having a fabulous day! I've just discovered that as an Amazon affiliate, I can go virtual shopping and find products to promote that make me smile, giggle and laugh.  I can also find products that are very useful and priced reasonably.  I am so digging that!  So far today, I've found these things:

I actually own one of these!

A Yodeling Pickle!  I need dis!

Yes, I own a leg lamp. How I came to own said leg lamp is a pretty funny story actually.

One year, I decided to buy my family nothing but gag gifts.  For my brother, I bought him a marshmallow shooter.  For my mom, I found a very funny and silly mistletoe that was motion activated and spew off insults when you walked past it.  For my father, I bought the leg lamp.

When said lamp arrived in my home, I was tickled. It was exactly like the one in "A Christmas Story"!   My brother came over at some point and I showed him the leg lamp.  I remember us sitting in my house and laughing our asses off because I had purchased a leg lamp and we had it now in our possession. At some point, my brother requested that I let him in on the gag. Of course I happily obliged because pulling pranks on mom and dad (especially our dad) is always more fun together.  We were going to get our dad good with our clever and devilish Christmas gift. We laughed about this for hours, plotting how we were going to wrap it and deliver it to him. We were thinking of having one of my brother's friends deliver it special on Christmas day because we were trying to make this gag the biggest one yet. In fact, we also even went so far as to try to find a pine box to put it in because we wanted it to be as authentic as the one in "A Christmas Story."  (If you've never seen "A Christmas Story, it's a holiday MUST SEE!  The leg lamp plays a crucial role)



Well, we couldn't find a pine box so we settled for the cardboard box it was delivered in.  We labeled the box "fragile" and "this side up" with arrows in our attempt for authenticity. When it came time for opening presents, we made sure that dad's gift was the last one because it was the best present of them all.

So while we were opening the presents, I remember my brother and I having a hard time keeping ourselves together. We kept looking at each other and snickering.  My parents could not figure out what was going on which made it even harder to not bust a gut and give up the gag.  We soldiered on though and the big moment came for my dad to open the leg lamp.

My father got the wrapping paper off and my brother and I just lost it. We seriously could not even talk because we were laughing so hard! My brother said, "Look, dad!  Fra-gee-lay!  Fra-gee-lay!" just like in the movie.  My  mom understood at that point what the gift and subsequent joke was and she lost it too!  She then started to egg my dad on to open the box.

Finally, my father opened the cardboard box and there was the lamp in all its fabulous and leggy glory.  My father laughed and then asked "Where in the heck did you find a leg lamp and why on earth would you spend money on one?"  I replied with a "Well dad, you won an award and it was funny.  I thought it'd look good in your office."

We all laughed at that point, even my father who was (and probably still is) dumbstruck in disbelief that anyone would waste money on a leg lamp for him.   As for the leg lamp, it never did end up proudly displayed in his office as I had hoped, but it was prominently displayed in my parents' house year-round for years in their living room.  My mother, who loves "A Christmas Story" as much as my brother and I do, didn't have the heart to put it away with the Christmas decorations.

A few years later, they decided to re-gift me the leg lamp because I loved it so much which is why I have it now.  I'm thinking that sometime in the future I am going to ship it back to them because it really still belongs to my dad.

....and that my friends is how I became the proud owner of a leg lamp!

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!

Calm Before The Storm

Sunday, Fun-Day!!

So I got up early this morning and the cats were waiting for me in the kitchen.  Sunday's are wetfood day for them and like clockwork, they were waiting.  It's hard to believe that people think cats are stupid. They know the sound of a cat food can being placed on the counter and the swoosh of the lid when I tear it off.  They know the clink and clatter when I get out the little glass dishes I serve their food in and put them on the counter.  Cats are not stupid in the least.  They just choose to pay attention to things when it suits them.  They are very discerning little creatures.

Five Very Happy Felines

Do you own a Cat or Dog?

Anyway, so I gave them their wet food treat and then I started puttering about the house.  I'm doing some laundry and I cleaned up the bedroom a bit.  Eventually I'll make my way to the couch and finish knitting G's scarf cause I'm on the homestretch with it and cannot wait for it to be finished.  He is gonna love it. 

Now I was looking at my schedule for my part time job and shaking my head because I'm on the schedule for nearly 30 hours this week.  It's the holidays and retail so it's not that surprising.  I'm just so used to setting my own schedule that when I actually HAVE a schedule like this, I shake my head. This is the calm before the storm.

Don't get me wrong.  I appreciate the money and the job.  I really do enjoy working in retail, but the rush of holiday shoppers and the craziness that ensues is NOT my idea of fun.  The one thing that made me quit retail years ago was holiday shopping and the rude assed people shoving and pushing and destroying my shop all for a 5 dollar teeshirt.

Stop Yur Shoving!  IT's just a FIVE DOLLAR TEESHIRT!!

See, I used to be in retail management years ago and I remember that for several years, I would get maybe 2 days off between the first of November and the end of the year.  Guess what days I got off?  If you guessed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, then you guessed correct. Two days off!  I remember missing holiday parties and family gatherings because I was always working.  In fact, most days were 10 hours or longer because our part-time help was always calling out sick and as a manager, we had to have coverage.

Anyway...I have the rest of the day off today before the week starts. I am definitely thankful for that.

And I beg and plead with you my readers to stay home on Black Friday.  Stay home!!  Shop in your PJ's on the internet!!  There are heaps more deals online and they don't run out of stuff like they always do in the store!!

Here are some good deals and ideas for at home holiday shopping!

Rainy Monday

Woke up to rain, pouring rain.  On days like this, I like to hole up in my house, make a big pot of soup or stew, bake bread and knit or read.

Today I choose knitting.  I started a scarf for my fiance with yarn that he picked out when he was here.  So far, I'm enjoying it. :)

Knitting is relaxing and it's so cool when you finish a project and give it to it's intended. People usually ask me where I bought the item, be it a hat or a scarf or anything really.  I get such delight from telling them that I made it.  Usually they are shocked, unless they know me and know that knitting is just another one of the things I do.

So here's a photo of the unfinished scarf:

I think everyone should knit! Think of all the people you could impress with your handmade gifts?  Heck, you could make your own stuff and impress them with that too.

Well, it's time for me to get back to working on my scarf.  :)  I hope everyone has a great afternoon.

For some free knitting patterns CLICK HERE