Word of the Day:

Videlicet
\vuh-DEH-luh-set\
adverb
: that is to say : namely

Example Sentence:
The restaurant is famous for several dishes: videlicet, arroz con pollo, olla podrida, and carne asada.

Pogo Challenges for 12/31 to 1/6

Pogo challenges for 12/31 to 1/6:

Hangman Hijinks

Erase the Year Badge

Solve 5 bonus words this week!

Hog Heaven Slots

Holiday Hogs Badge

Clear 120 flying pigs from the bonus area at the top of screen this week!

Happy New Year 2009 Super Badge

Win 3 Challenge Badges between 12 AM PST Dec 31 and 12 AM PST Jan 7! (This includes personal and Premium Challenges!)

Word of the Day:

Scapegrace
\SKAYP-grayss\
noun
: an incorrigible rascal

Example Sentence:
Joanna was at a loss for ways to help her teenage brother, a scapegrace who always found himself in trouble with the police.

Word of the Day:

Xeric
\ZEER-ik\
adjective
: characterized by, relating to, or requiring only a small amount of moisture

Example Sentence:
Many cacti have thick, succulent stems that can store enough water to allow them to survive even in xeric habitats.

Word of the Day:

Meander
\mee-AN-der\
verb

Meaning
*1 : to follow a winding or intricate course
2 : to wander aimlessly or casually without urgent destination : ramble

Example Sentence
As we meandered through the underground maze, we stumbled upon a pile of stones that appeared to mark a burial site.

Apple Hill 2008

My family has a tradition on the day after Thanksgiving. We all head up to Apple Hill to cut down our Christmas Tree!! It is without a doubt my favorite day of the entire year. We have been going there for about 7 years now and were very blessed to have great weather this year!!

Our first stop is in old town Folsom for breakfast at Sutter Street Grill. They have the most amazing omelette's!!!! I usually get the cheese, spinach, mushroom and avocado. Oh my.... I'm salivating just thinking about it. Johnny met up with us in time for breakfast.


My brothers oldest two kids had spent the night with us so they too were there for breakfast.

After breakfast we walk around the old town and into the antique shops. Once we are done there we head up to Apple Hill to find the perfect tree. Here goes Jack tearing through our options on his search.

Catrinia is happy to be held and take it all in.

After we find the tree we cut it down. Well, we used to cut it down... but now we just wave the guy with the chain saw over and they cut it down for us. Then it is family photo time. Here is the best of the bunch:

Letty got creative and took this pic of Johnny and I. I think it's pretty cute!

Hey when you have to go, you have to go:

My mother loves to take a picture of our backsides while we are all walking back to the car. She calls it 'The End'. Ha!!! Here is 'The End' 2008:

Logan helped Grandpa Buttons take the tree to the car. What a good helper.


After the tree is strapped down and we grab a turkey sandwich from Letty's car, we head over to old town Placerville. There is always a tree lighting ceremony as well as carolers, a live nativity scene and a stagecoach ride. This year my parents and the kids went on the stagecoach ride around the block. While they did that Johnny and I walked around and checked out all of the shops and antique stores. I guess the kids had a blast... but soon after they had a melt down and headed home.

Yes, I made him put this hat on. LOL!!

Once we have walked and seen all that we want to in Placerville we head off to dinner. We ended up at Tahoe Joes. YUM!! I had the bacon wrapped fillet and lobster. Oh yes I did!!! Then it was time to go home. Which makes me sad. I wish Apple Hill day would go on forever. Such a great day!! I'm looking forward to Apple Hill 2009!!

Word of the Day:

Christmas Bogus

Meaning
Receiving nothing from your employer for Christmas.

Example
Once again my cheap boss gave us all a Christmas Bogus.

Thanksgiving 2008

(I'm about a month behind here... I know.)
Thanksgiving 2008 was pretty low key this year. Which was very nice. Mom and I made the food. As usual it was an amazing spread. :o) Here I am making the dessert. See that pile of chocolate?? It's for the chocolate soup. YUM!!!! It is the favorite dessert of the girls in our family. Maybe one day I'll post the recipe.

Mostly everyone just kicked back in the living room. The kids colored and played. The adults visited. My grandparents where here from Livermore and my Uncle Terry was here for Georgia.

We normally take a picture at the dinner table all looking at the camera... but we didn't this year. This is as good as it gets. Ha!

After dinner Denae showed up and stayed for a few hours. We all visited and she helped the kids color.

It was a great day!! Filled with family, friends, love and memories. The best kind of day!!

Holiday Cartoons

It's like Exile Island... but BETTER!!

Below is a layout of the building that I work in:

Let me show you around. Let's start in the back.

- There is the Warehouse and Field Office that our Field Managers use.

- You can enter the back of the building into the offices through Production. Production is where Patty and Allison sit and where I actually started out in the building.

- Monique sits in 'Maria's Office'.

- Across from her is the kitchen & break room.

- K.K is where the owner Sally sits when she comes to town.

- B.K is where the owner Jack sits when he comes to town.

- The multi media room is in the middle.

- And across from that is Customer Service where Toni now sits.

- Then there is the conference room.

- Darvette's office is the first in the hallway. Toni used to sit in there too.

- Backing up to Darvette's office and Customer Service is the Reception Desk on the Showroom Floor. Toni also sat there. She actually started there, then moved to Darvette's office, then back to the Front Desk and now in Customer Service. Poor thing... She is all over the place!

- On the showroom floor is the Design Office that my Contract Sales people, Geoff, Paul & Sandra use when they are in town.

- Where is says 'Front' and all along the front there is the parking lot.


This is the view from the hallway on the showroom floor by the reception desk and before Darvette's office.

I know your thinking Stacey... where do you sit??... Well do you see the 'Play Room' off of the Showroom floor on the upper right hand side? Yes. THAT is where my office is. The 'Play Room'. All the way over there. As far from everyone as you can get!! In the picture above, the doorway to my office is to the left and behind the white window blinds display.

This is a picture standing outside the door to my office to the left of the window display looking back towards the Front Desk. Can you see the front desk waaaaaayyyyyyyyyy over there?? Yeah. It's far.

It is a walk to get anywhere from my office let me tell you!! I try not to walk back there that much. God forbid I get exercise. Hahahahaha.

Here is my desk. My messy desk. I change the swag above my cork board for every season. I'm a goober like that. See the white lights around it?? That is my favorite part!! As well as the pics on the board. The combo makes it very homey. I do love it back there... no one has a clue when I come in (which is good because I'm about 20 minutes late everyday... LOL!!!) or when I leave or what I do. I can have the radio on as loudly as I want and take a nap on my desk when I'm super tired (which I do often.. heehee). It is VERY rare that anyone walks back there to see me cause it is so far away. It's the PERFECT office... HA!!

So that is the grand tour. Hope you enjoyed. If you are even in town during work hours swing by and I will show you around... bring your walking shoes!! :o)

Snowman Coloring Contest

As stated in my Holiday Festivities blog, I initiated a Snowman Coloring/Creating Contest at work. Here are the entries my clever coworkers came up with:

This is by our manager Monique. You can't see it but it is entitled 'Dirty Old Snowman'... notice his jingle balls?? And the bird flying over his head is pooping on him. HAHAHAHA

By Patty. Clever use of hole punches for snow!!

By Angel.

By Anthony. I like how the crowd is above the picture and the outfits on the 'cheerleaders'.

By Toni... inspired by 'The Dark Knight' that she recently watched.

By Paul Piazza... not sure what this is supposed to be....

By Allison. Hard to see but the gloves, scarf, sled and presents are all glitter puffy paint.

By Kenny. I like how he used the scraps of the large cut outs as ornaments on his tree. Only question is how do birds fly while it is snowing... and how is the sun out at the same time... and with the sun that hot wouldn't the snowman be melting?? Maybe it is an asteroid or something. I will have to ask him.

By me. :o) I decided to do my in 3D. HA!!! The presents are actual working boxes. I used cotton balls for the snowman and snow. Paper was used for everything else.

I even braided strips of red and green paper together for the scarf.

The top hat and tree trunk were the hardest to make.

We didn't actually vote for the winner. I dubbed myself as the winner on account that myself and Piazza were the only entries in by the deadline.

All entries are posted along the hall at work... making it quite festive back there. Go me!!

Pogo Challenges for 12/24 to 12/30

Pogo challenges for 12/24 to 12/30:

Fortune Bingo

Foggy Glasses Badge

Win 2500 tokens this week!

Golf Solitaire

Snow Golf Badge

Complete 25 bonus puzzles this week!

SF Day 2008

We started a new family tradition last year of going to San Francisco to see the Christmas Decorations and visit with Denae and her boyfriend Derek. This year Johnny joined us. Here we are on our way:

We first stopped at D&D's apartment to check out their new place and new fish & tank. It is very cute. The view from their roof is amazing!! I don't have pics. So you will just have to trust me. Ha!! After we checked out their pad we took the bus down to the Ferry Building on Pier One. This was Johnny's first bus ride ever!!

We walked around the Ferry Building on Pier One and bought some bread and chocolate then headed over the Union Square. We saw the Macy's windows where all the little kittens were for sale in their little window displays. Very cute. We also saw the huge tree in the building across the street I don't know the name of:

Then we headed over to the Cheesecake Factory to make our reservation for dinner. There was over an hour wait so we lounged in the furniture department while we waited:

Then it was dinner and dessert time!!! Sooooo good!!! If you have never had the Avocado Eggrolls there... You HAVE to try them!!! They are the best!!! We all split the Banana Cheesecake for dessert. It was very good!!

Then we headed outside to take a picture by the tree. They also had an ice skating rink there this year... seems to be they are every where this year...

Did I mention it was cold?? Here we are by the tree:
I'm looking forward to SF 2009!!