Saying Goodbye To 2011

Some really wonderful things happened this year. I got engaged and married, for one. We traveled quite a bit and I actually got to meet one of you people in San Diego. ;)


We are almost completely finished with the sunroom/bar, and we love the room so much that we eat exclusively in there. The only thing left to do is have the electrician do some re-wiring and get the bar top sanded and finished.

It was a busy year and it flew by. I made some new friends and cemented some old friendships. I found a really remarkable group of women that I didn't know existed until a year and a half ago whose strength matches their kindness, and isn't that a nice surprise in this day and age. Sometimes I feel isolated living so far from so many friends, and it is a relief to know that I can touch base with so many of you through this blog or on Facebook. JerseyGirl, Prodigal Cheez. Chemgal and TNbelle, I talk to you every day and you are my touchstone and my sisters in spirit and heart,


Leenie, you are wonderful. I know that you couldn't move out here but I will never give up on trying! Leigh, AlisonZ and Cissie, you are always at the ready with a smile and something positive to say. Skatt, Classy Drunk, TrueLifeDiva, April, Iwannabeanarchy, kdfinjpn, and Dane, I always look forward to hearing from you. Your insights and senses of humor are head and shoulders above 99% of commenters anywhere. Kbird, you are my inspiration in all things foodie and tongue-in-cheek. Baler! I missed your crazy ass! We've come a long way from the Y bridge, no? Diatribes and Ovations, it was a really nice bonus this year to find you and your blog. You are a great guy with an even greater moral compass. And Bob. What can I say about Bob? He has, hands down, one of the most excellent blogs out there. If you aren't reading I Should Be Laughing, then get your ass over there right now!


If I left any of you out, I apologise. Comment more! Just kidding. Not really.


I will leave you with some photos from our trip to Maine last month and my wishes for all of you to have a safe, happy and healthy New Year. It's going to be a Dragon, which is my Chinese astrological sign and the harbinger of good luck and fortune. Don't waste it!


Love you all.

Searching for sea glass and clams on the beach.

A beautiful Victorian we passed on our way from Kennebunkport to Portland.

Oysters at J's. Sublime and delicious. The only thing that beat them was the scallops. We are forever spoiled  by the incredible quality you find up there.

A weathered door down by the wharf in Portland. Speaks volumes about the history and character of this place.

Seafood Mecca. I am not joking. If you want Maine lobsters, this is where you buy them. This is also where we got the scallops to die for. I am pretty sure that manna in heaven was patterned after them.

If you needed any proof that the friends we stayed with were awesome, here it is. Their daughter, aged 3, with a chainsaw.

Perhaps the most beautiful lighthouse in the world. 

Words can't express how much I loved it there. I'm hoping that the friend we visited stays healthy enough so that we can go back in the Spring and visit him, and some other friends too. I really do love it there.

Enough about me. What were your highs and lows, and how are you approaching the new year?

Shit Girls Say

I love that she is munching chips with a tiny vodka bottle tucked in between her and her boyfriend.

Shit that me and my girlfriends say:

Where's the Xanax? You swore that there would be Xanax at this party!

You want a blow job? You're gonna have to promise me a mother-in-law free holiday.

I think she might actually eat that Hillshire Farms catalog.

Is she trying to plug the cable box into the toaster?

She's got Munchausen by Facebook proxy.

No, she's a Whirling Dervish of the Mundane!

That's so cyu-ooo-ute!

Do they still enforce child labor laws?

You are all just a bunch of Nigerian princesses.

Bless her heart!

No self respecting cat would sit still for that.

Are you mad at me? You're not mad at me, right?

I secretly love Tang.

Maybe Groupon will offer a deal on liposuction that I can jump on.

You know who you are....There are many, many more, trust me.

Napa Loves Me

How cute is my girl? She leans on my knee gazing adoringly at her Mama and telling me she will never eat me if I accidentally die while Mr. McSlore is out of town and no one checks in with me for a few days. 


Yes, this is a blatant attempt to get Chemgal to adopt a puppy.

Michigan House

Here are some photographs I took of my friend's cute and kitsch weekend home in Union pier, Michigan. It's for sale, by the way. Not including antiques, of course (unless you're easily impressed by my persistent proclamations that they are worth the extra hundred grand I will insist he add on to the price).

Hallway mirror and chiffonier- worth almost as much as the clock that sits there and doesn't tell time.
I love this kitchen. I don't remember anything that ever happens there, but a case of wine in three days will do that to you. Do gays roofie straight girls?

Mark has a thing for Chinoiserie. I do too. I will not fault him for it. He discovered happy endings in Thailand and won't shut up about it, something about their love of tapioca. Not sure. I never really listen after the third glass of Malbec.

The dining room. A place to hang your coat, drop your stuff as you come in from the outside. Have we actually eaten at the table? Why bother actually sitting down when we never stop eating or drinking the entire time we're there? That isn't completely true. We do take breaks to make bitchy comments while watching cooking shows and Tosh.0. And flash pizza delivery guys. I'm famous in Union Pier, bitches. Jealous much?

Entryway and living room beyond. You have no idea how many times I have wanted to drop stuff on Mark when he comes home. He uses the rear entrance, sadly. Always trying to stay on top of things, so to speak.

Our room when we visit. It's like sleeping in a tree house. Mark made the quilted headboard himself. Mr. McSlore and I helped decorate it, but you need one of those fancy CSI blue lights to see the pretty designs. Sorry.

The house really is for sale. If you're interested in owning a beautiful house an hour and a half outside of Chicago in Harbor Country, email me. I'll give you all the details. I'm sure he'll throw the headboard in with the listed price, if you ask real nice.