Christmas & Sushi

Hello Folks,

It's the day after Christmas, and I am so glad that's over! Hey, Hey, no Bah Humbug here, just friggin tired! Picture this: Rob comes home to pick me up on the 23rd the day before Christmas eve, and I have already been to the store, taken care of Connor, and cleaned the house etc. You get the picture. I'm tired. He says to me, oh we only have a few things to get. I'm thinking, me and him shopping, and stopping to get a bite to eat, since I have only had a nibble of food around 11am.

No such luck. 5 stores later, I'm dragging myself around, and Mr. Christmas Chicken is basically 10 steps ahead of me! Come on hurry up!!! I sqeek out the word, I think I'm going to faint, as we begin our last voyage through the Albertson's grocery store! I don't even get the cart to hang on to before I go down! But alas, I see Sushi, Fresh made (I'm sure this morning and this was this evening now around 7:30 pm)and I make a bee hive for it! Yep, if I can get the wrapper open, nothing is going to stop me as I hunch over my open package of "fresh" sushi and ahhhhhhh alas food!! I glance up to see a look of complete horror on the face of Rob. His eyes are huge, and I glance around protecting my 'kill' as if someone any second would tell me to "PUT THE FOOD DOWN, BACK AWAY FROM THE FOOD!" Nope, not me! I proceded to down 3 California Roll slices and take a deep breath. By this time, I can see Rob turning the corner towards the meat aisle and the cart is on two wheels!

He's completely mortified! I, now with about three morstles of food for fuel catch up with him. He says to me, "What the hell are you doing?" all the while still looking at me like I have committed a murder straight in front of the sushi station, right there on Christmas Eve, Eve. "HELLO, I told you I was about to pass out, from not eating!" Rob quietly looks around and says to me. "Only fat people eat while they are grocery shopping!" WHAT?? REALLY? I started laughing like a hyeana, right there and of course he was mortified again. I didn't go straight to the cookie asile and grab a bag, tear into it and begin a trail of crumbs!

I get this thing called hypolycemia. Effects can range from vaguely "feeling bad" to seizures, unconsciousness, and (rarely) permanent brain damage or death. I know I was close to a seizure, unconsciousness and permanent brain damage for sure!!! Ok... maybe I already have a bit of permanent brain damage, so let's just skip that one and go to unconsciousness. Yes the cookies would have made a huge difference, because you need a large and quick dose of carbs, when you get to the hypoglycemia stage, my body knew this because I instantly craved the sushi when I saw it!! So I figured the sushi was right there, easily accessible and fairly easy to eat without someone running away from me mortified and such!

Well we finished the shopping and came home, and yes I climbed up the stairs one at a time, and on all fours!!

Into bed to begin dreams of who know where my brain will take me tonight!

Christmas Eve was the next day, and I worked my tush off! We had TONS of food, which included Lobster tails, Shrimp, Beautiful Clams with Linguini, Cod, the best mushroom recipe ever, and tons of Noshes! My dad and mom Jacquie came over as well as Dale and Stacy and the 4 kids. Coco, Connor, Bear, Boo (who had to work till 9) Rob and I and Grama Jojo had a nice night. We ate a lot, and talked a lot, and just had a blast.

Christmas day we got up and had some bagels and cream cheese and Lox with eggs etc. We then opened our gifts which were so nice to see. Berto and Coco got a lot of the Fiesta ware they wanted, Ray got a new Cell phone, and Uggs as well as Boo getting a new GPS guidance system for her car and Uggs too! Everyone got Uggs! (except the boys)

We went over to Steve and Sheryl's for dinner with Michael and Ben and his girlfriend Alex. We played Just Dance 2 on Wii, and it was hilarius!! Had a few bloody mary's and some wine.

The menu was traditional pasta, with sausage and meat balls, it was very good! Steve worked his butt off for the meal, and Sheryl did with the table setting and the decorations. Good work!!

It was very good, but we stayed too late. I was totally wiped out. I am always the designated driver and by 11:30 I wanted to cry I was so tired. We drove home, all happy and wiped out but thankful for such a good time!

Mom stayed with Aunt Sheila for Xmas day, she was with us in the morning to open gifts, and then was over to Janine's to watch the dogs, as they were in NJ.

That's about it! So much for Christmas....Bring on the new year!!


Love to all!!

Stacy

It was all about Hopping yesterday!

Yesterday was a fantastic day! It was my sister-in -law's 40th birthday bash. We started at Olive's in the Bellagio hotel! What a beautiful place to dine. It's the 3rd time I have been there, and everytime I go I am always satisfied. Right outside of the restaurant they have a Menu board, all touch screen it's pretty Future, and I loved it!

I had the Cheese Ravioli, with a thin red sauce with succulent sausage inside! Fantastico!

We left Olive's and went over to the new COSMOPOLITAN Hotel! Unbelievable hotel! Very upscale, and smelled so new. It just opened 4 days ago. The amount of crystal, and mirrors and glass, and oh everything is so beautiful.

From there we took the limo over to Aria, which is a property on City Center. I haven't been to City Center, which is sad since it has been open for a year! We stayed at Aria, and I played Roulette, which I love to play!

We left Aria, and walked over to the Mandarin Oriental and went to their bar on the roof level and just loved the views! That was a beautiful view with the city lights sparkling through the windows!

After Aria, we went to one of our favorite places Charlie Palmers. It's inside of the Four Seasons hotel inside the Mandalay Bay! We had a blast for a while until we were told we were a bit noisy!

After that we walked over to the Mandalay Bay and went to Eye Candy, a small club and sound bar in the middle of the casino!

After that.....Del taco, and then crawling up the stairs into my nice soft bed!

I didn't wake up until 8:00am. Late for me. That was a great day, and I feel so blessed to be able to do that, be healthy enough to go around and spend the whole day with family and friends! There were 13 of us!

Well making Christmas Cookies today with Ray and Boo, and off to the market to get the ingredients for Rob to make his amazing gravy for pasta tonight!

Love you all!!

Stacy

Having a Blessed Day!

How often do you hear people say, "Have a Blessed Day"? Probably not much. To me, this phrase is a tender greeting, blessing someone on their day. Encouraging generosity. It's about sharing love and kindness and giving the person on the other side of the blessing a chance to take a break from the original "Have a good day" and really think about having a blessed day! There is a difference. The usual "Have a good day" is of course usual. Most people say it without thought or presence. Have a fantastic day, or wonderful day, or great day...a little better of course than the usual, but still doesn't give the person you are 'blessing' that extra OOMPH!

I get up early every morning and take the time to search my mind for the good things that will come my way today. It's like putting your radio on a control called "seek" and the radio automatically begins to find all the strong signals or stations available. Good thoughts can be louder and stronger than anything, if you let them. So when my mind went on automatic and began to seek the positive thoughts, I took the controls and decided where I wanted my mind to stay.

I decide every day to look in the mirror and love the person I see, however imperfect. I put on my clothes, comb my hair, put on a little makeup and gave myself my warmest smile, generally reserved for those I love. I decide to feel blessed and focus on the wonderful things going on in my life. You see, whatever is not going well in your life will still be there tomorrow. And tomorrow you can decide not to have that blessed day, if you like.

One day at a time, but on this day, I decide that I was blessed and I was going to stay that way for the entire day. I set my mind solidly on this "station".

I made this statement out loud--"Whatever comes into my day today, whether it is wonderful and beautiful, or even if it is masquerading as trouble, I am setting my mind on having a blessed day."

All through the days that I lived consciously blessed, I find goodness. Sure, somethings don't go as planned, like having to take my son his spare key to his truck 30 miles from my home because he accidentally locked them in his car. But instead of complaining, I listened to Christmas Carols on radio and watched my grandson in the review mirror bob and weave to the tune. (He's only 14 months old!)

Maybe there are other intrusions masquarading as trouble that enter your day. It's all in how you respond to them. But by being conscious of your choice to have that blessed day, you know that changing your thoughts can indeed change your day!!

Love you all!!

Stacy

One Size Fits All

Do you know what I find is super special?? Seeing my grandson eat. How boring right?

Well to me it's great. Because he isn't an eater. he doesn't like food much and when he does eat, I can't help but be so happy about it. He's 14 months old, and just doesn't like food much. Give him the bottle, and he's so happy, but food...not so much.

Today I went to BJ's with Boo and Connor for lunch, he ate like a pro. He ate broccoli for the first time as well as pizza crust which he loves. The only thing he had to do was dip it in Ranch Dressing. He loves Ranch dressing...get's that from his Dad for sure!

I made a phone call today to Marc Heyeison from Men Against Breast Cancer, we are going to set up something for him and Fightpink to do something after the first of the year.

He's a gem. Lucky to know him! Tomorrow it's another phone call with Cin and our executive producer Derek for the movie we are working on. Supposed to be getting some good news so I am excited about that.

Cindy is so funny, she's always Ms. Sunshine! So it's good to surround yourself with that.

I was just talking to Ray, and asking her if I smell good, and she said to me "I don't have super sonic smelling like Amanda!" Nice....

Well today has been a good day! I am a bit on the tired side, go figure, I am running around all day with a 1 year old on my hip. No shopping tonight, not up to it. I want to just curl up in my snuggly bed, with some candles on my nightstand, and maybe a glass of vino!!!

This is kind of a boring post, so I think I am going to read my horoscope, be right back!

Ok Got it: You need to indulge your flair for original thinking today -- a weird problem that arises mid-afternoon or later demands it. Once you settle on the solution, you should amaze your people.

LO friggin' L. I need to indulge my Flair for original thinking??? ME?? What? How absurd! I don't think I can think any other way. A weird problem arises mid-afternoon? Well it's past mid-afternoon, and the only weird problem was me figuring out that 'One size fits' all is an incomplete sentence. Honestly it is. One size fits all ______ fill in the blank. Hippo's, Horses, Cows, Kids, Cats, Beer Drinkers, Mom's, Fathers, Cabbages. Honestly! I can't seem to settle on the solution of the One size fits all, so today, no amazing my people.

I will write more tomorrow..

Night!

Stacy

It's Friday Eve! TGIT!

It's Thursday, and I am looking forward to today being a great day!

I usually like to start my day off with a few thoughts and a good quote!

So here goes!

When one is total, life flowers — and that flowering is spirituality. Spirituality is not an attitude, it is not a discipline. It is an outcome of a life lived totally, joyfully, delightfully; of a life of no complaint; of a life lived courageously, intensely. Then this flowering happens. -OSHO

I like this quote! It is very appropriate!

I will write more later, once I have something to say!

Magical Forest

It's 9:30 pm, and I quietly lay in my bed nestled with my blankets and pillows all the while listening to my man quietly snoring and the ceiling fan whirring.

It was a great day today, and I wondered what I did today that helped another? This is one thing that I strive to do, do something that helps another. Well, not sure of today's deed, but I did help myself a bit to some free time and writing.

We went to the Opportunity Village Christmas Magical Forest with the baby tonight, he was so cute, yet not when he approached Santa! He screamed like a wild habanchi!

We laughed so hard! We got a great photo of Bear and Coco and Connor! My mom met us there and it was great until it got so busy we couldn't even walk anymore. So we promptly gathered up our flock and headed to Chili's for dinner.

Dinner was uneventful except for Connor playing in the corner of the booth in a world by himself!! While we were talking tonight Berto said, "Isn't it amazing how much fun he had sitting in the corner of the booth playing and laughing without a care in the world?" I smiled and agreed! What a blessing to be able to watch something so simple, and beautiful!

Well off to sleep now....

Gnight!

Stacy

Scrambled thoughts about Xmas, Blessings, and Checkout lines at the Market

It's that time of year again! My Faaaaaaaaavorite time of year where we celebrate such wonderful holidays! Hanukkah, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween...

Well it's December 14th, and we only have Christmas left, and of course around this house it's total chaos! We have already celebrated Hanukkah, with the beautiful lights and wonderful prayers of thanks and all that! I had the Menorah all wrapped around my Christmas Runner on my Island in the kitchen. It looked very nice!

I love being able to celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas. That's a long story! Born to a Jewish mother, (the one with the bony knees) who didn't celebrate being Jewish because they really didn't know they were Jewish until it was dug up some years ago. So not until she was on her own, and chose to be Jewish did she go back to her Jewish roots. I was always raised Jewish, yet we did have a Hanukkah bush as we called it! I married a good ole Italian catholic boy, and thus my 3 kids are Catholic.

So in the Martello household we are just so busy with getting everything ready for Christmas. On Christmas Eve we hold the family event. It's with my Dad and Mom (Jacquie) and my Mama, and my family with the kids Boo and Rachele and Berto with his wife Coco and the baby Connor. We invite Rob's best friend Dale, who happens to be Coco's uncle, and his two kids and his GF Staci, so it's two Stacy's which is always fun! Lats year it was the feast of the 7 fishes. Traditional Italian meal. This year not sure what the menu is yet, but I better get my self moving!

Every year we invite friends to spend time and share space with our family. Last year we had Trish and Dr. Gregg Rubinstein. They are friends from High School, who live in Midtown Manhattan. Trish went to school with Rob from 8th grade through High School, and I really think she is an amazing person. She is also a Breast Cancer survivor. We kept in touch through the years, and recently I worked with her on her non-profit organization that helps the children of The Fresh and Green Academy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She began doing fundraisers and helping the children, and it has become a passion of hers and Gregg, and they take at least 3 trips to the school each year.

What amazing people! I love to see how we can give back, that is what life to me is all about. Einstein said it best when he said that "Only a life lived for others, is a life worthwhile." I like that quote a lot. To me it is past a step of selflessness. To me the person who practices this has developed a sense of self worth, a loving self, and is able to surpass that, and give automatically, without thoughts of themselves. They are in no way compromising who they are, it's the opposite, they are giving to create more giving and so on.

Yesterday while shopping at the market, I smile at strangers, get mostly smiles back because it's the holiday season and shop while humming along. While checking out with my Mom and Ray, I always ask our checker, who by the way has only 3 teeth on her bottom jaw, and her husband is on house arrest for goodness knows what, (He just got out of jail, I know this because of multiple conversations over the past year or so) how she is. Giving her my full and complete presence. I stop moving, stare her straight into the eyes and ask how she is doing. She always responds. She smiles and says "Thank you for asking." I can feel her pain. She isn't so happy this soul, but deep inside she is beautiful. She is really a joyous soul. I feel that in her. We chit chat for what seems like 10 minutes, probably only 3 min. and I always Bless her, and say thank you. Being present in our conversation, not being on the phone, because I know she needs an ear, a heart that listens. When we were finished checking out, we get these stickers for Pot's and Pans. Collect enough stickers and we get a free pan. So why not right? I have 2 FREE shiny new pots thanks to Albertsons, that I got for only spending 1800$ in the past few months. I think that is funny, but if I spent $1800 at Smiths, I wouldn't have got anything, so why not spend the money and get a free pot or pan!! I almost have 90 more stickers only 3 shy, and then I will have another cooking pan! That $2700 spent in the past months shopping for 3 FREE pots and pans. LOL I love it!

Anyway....

Well as I was collecting my stickers, the man in the line next to me reached over tapped me on the shoulder and said "Merry Christmas" and promptly handed me 10 stickers! For each 10$ you spend you get one sticker. I loved that! He could have thrown the stickers away but this guy, nope he wanted to give something away. He was around 6 feet tall, football player looking kind of guy, not one that you would expect to hand you stickers and say Merry Christmas, but he did, right there smack dab in the middle of the checkout line. It's all about sharing and giving. I felt blessed right there...

Like attracts Like! It's physics.

I was completely present in my conversation, giving full joy, as well as not judging and the energy spilled over to the football guy in the next checkout lane.

So I promptly promised to pay it forward, and wished him a Merry Christmas too!

My daughter and Mom just smiled!

I absolutely love the way that life works, even when it's not perfect, it's exactly as it should be!

Love you all!!

Stacy