February 2010

We had our Valentine’s party @ Phyllis’ house again this year. It was a super duper comfy party where everyone came as comfy as they wanted to be. Well, everyone except for Peg & Lori who were no-shows this month. Peg was battling a cold & Lori had family visiting from out of state, so she had to entertain them instead of us. We were all on time this month, but after announcements & business, we didn’t actually start playing until 7:00. By 7:30, we were on our first caller & only 3 people had cut! We thought that meant we were in for a long night, but we managed to pick up the pace & wrapped up around 10-ish(I think). We couldn’t get putting in right all night. You’d think with just 6 of us playing, we would have it under control but…nnnooooo! We had to start putting in as teams so we wouldn’t mess up anymore!

Phyllis made super tasty chicken alfredo & lovely chocolate cake. Marge brought some cream horns. I baked up some bacon/cheddar rolls. Patt brought some tasty fresh fruit & Kate made delicious “naughty & nice” Strawberry Daiquiris. On the table, Phyllis put out Valentine’s candy. It was the Dove Martha Stewart variety which included precious pearls of wisdom inside the wrapper. They were all pretty corny, so as we were reading them out loud, Phyllis thought it would be fun to do like you do w/ a fortune cookie & add “in bed” at the end. This did make it much more entertaining! Debi passed out some old-fashioned Valentine cards & stickers, Kate passed M&M’s and Fun Dip around. I gave everyone a glow bracelet & stickers. At the end of the night, Phyllis gave us all mini flower arrangements to take home. There was a little bit of love for everyone!

MYSTERY BOX

I was responsible for bringing the Mystery to the party this time. Patt was the big winner! The box may have been small, but it was chock full of goodies! It was all about loving yourself…NOT like that! Get your minds out of the gutter! There were all kinds of things to make you feel pretty: body scrub, hand lotion, hand sanitizer, heart health/vitamin C packs, smart heart cereal, a Mary Kay lip gloss/perfume combo & silver heart bracelet in a butterfly trinket box. Perfect for Patt since she loves butterflies!

MARCH POKENO

It’s going to be an “Irish Spring” theme @ Peg’s house this year. Be there & be ready to party on SATURDAY, MARCH 27th @ 6:00. We will be dining on ham, pineapple pudding, potatoes & soda bread.

CASE OF THE MISSING CATS

When Kate hosted the January party, the Pokeno Cat banner was missing (dun dun dun…dramatic music)! She took the banner from the Christmas Extravaganza back to her house. We all had a whole bunch of stuff for that party & the Jeep was loaded to the max for the ride home. Kate tore her house apart trying to find the banner to bring to Phyllis’ this month. However, after much looking – it’s nowhere to be found! Kate was very upset because she knows how much work Marge put into it. So, she went online & managed to find a (90% done) exact copy of the banner! She had to order it from some lady in England and is hopeful it’ll be here in time for the March party. This spurred us to take a vote that from now on; the banner will live in the Pokeno bag & just visit the hostesses’ house on the evening of the game. Phyllis has her own theory about what happened…she thinks Kate’s boy cats took the banner to use it like some sort of Playmate pin-up somewhere in the basement. We all got a good chuckle out of that one.

TASTES LIKE CHICKEN!

Even though Peg was a no show this month, she sent the Mystic Seahorse in her place. Patt had him hiding in her pocket. We decided to pass him around the table (to the left of course) to see if his mystical powers would work for us common folk too. Thanks to my Statistical Dept (Debi), it was noted that everyone who used him…or in some cases abused him…won at least 1 pot. Exception to this rule was Phyllis who was extra super nice to the “Seaho” & won 3 times in a row. Marge was noted to reluctantly take the seahorse & stuck him in her jacket pocket while she played. Then he fell on the floor & she tried to pass him along to Kate. Kate was too scared to hold him after what happened w/ the cat banner so she passed him along to Debi who won the 2nd cover all of the night. I guess some of us had better luck with the Seahorse than others.

RANDOM FUNNIES

What kind of party? Back in the day, our mothers would have ladies only get-togethers just like we do with Pokeno. Only difference was, they would go bowling or have Tupper Wear parties. Someone heard this as “rubber wear parties” & the laughter began! I guess in a way Tupper Wear IS kind of rubbery. Not really sure, but that was just one of the many things that got us giggling this month!

Dog-gone it! Debi was getting her stuff together for Pokeno & had her bag sitting on the floor. One of her dogs, “Killer” the Chihuahua, likes to root through her bag. I guess it always smells like someone’s animals, or delicious food. Anyway…Killer goes rummaging through the bag. Next thing she knows, Debi looks over & sees Killer running around the house w/ her magnetic chip wand stuck to the spikes on the dog collar! I even made an artist’s rendering (actual picture of Debi’s dog) to show you how funny this must have looked!

WORKOUT RECOMMENDATION

Some of you may have made a new year’s resolution to get in shape/eat better/workout more. My stepmom passed along this new workout routine & I thought the rest of you might like to try it as well.
• Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side.
• With a 5-lb potato bag in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides and hold them there as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute, and then relax.
• Each day you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer. After a couple of weeks, move up to 10-lb potato bags.
• Then try 50-lb potato bags and then eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100-lb potato bag in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute.
• After you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each bag.

Before I sign off for the month, I’d like to take a moment to send out a great big THANK YOU to my fellow Pokeno sisters for throwing me (& Nathan) a super fantastic baby shower. It was really fun & I got most of my lost items replaced! Thanks again for all your love & support during the last 8 months.

That’s all the love we were feeling for February. I’m sure there will be lots more fun stuff to report on next month. Until next time, may the foxiest bitch win!

January 2010

Happy New Year everyone! We settled in to play our first official game of the year at Kate’s Tiki Lounge. Even though we only had appetizers this time, we still had plenty to stuff our faces with! Crab nachos, spinach dip, pepperoni/cheese/crackers, monkey bread, salsa dip, fruit, won tons & mini quiche. The food sucked! HA! Just kidding…I just felt like saying something other than “it was delicious” – like I do every other month! Kate wanted to change it to a “sweatpants party” at the last minute, but when she saw us all rolling up with our bling on – we decided to save the comfy clothes for next month. It was funny because nobody was really dressed up, we just all happened to show up in pants, cute tops & sparkly jewelry. Phyllis’ choker was so sparkly that it was a distraction to those sitting across the table from her!

There were 3 way flushes all night! Seriously…it got old after a while! Let’s try to not have that happen anymore…ok? Remember how Kate got a cool new magnetic chip/wand combo from Debi last month? Well, she did...and it was a good thing she did because she was throwing/dropping chips all over the floor all night! Lady luck was with birthday girl Patt when she was the big winner at the end of the night winning a cover all on her own.

WE’RE ALL HEART!

This year, our Valentine’s party will be held at Phyllis’ house. Be there on SATURDAY 2/27 @ 6:00. Come in your sweatpants, jammies, or most comfortable outfit. It’s may be a V-day party, but we all decided we still wanna be super comfy this time. Nothing wrong w/ being comfy I say… Phyllis will be making Chicken Alfredo for our main dish. The rest of the menu will fall in place sometime between now & then.

MYSTERY BOX

Not only was it our first game of the year, but it was Lori’s first time to bring a Mystery Box! The big winner was me! The box was a bit heavy & wrapped in snowman paper (that should’ve been a clue to the theme). Inside, it was stuffed to the max with snowball cookies (in snowman tin) – plus plates to share, tote, platter, snowflake tablecloth & other various snowman decorations.

SHOUT OUTS

#1 - Here’s a big shout out to Patt for celebrating a birthday this month! Hooray!!! Unfortunately, when I packed the many bags for our Christmas party – I took the tiara out to make room for other stuff. So, Patt had no crown to wear. Please see my artist’s rendering of her on the side bar over there. That’s what she may have looked like if I had remembered the crown.

#2 – Peg had a big announcement for us. You might remember a few months ago, Peg announced that Ophelia & the Mystic Seahorse were expecting their first child together. She was pleased to announce they had a lovely baby seahorse. Her name is “Jewels” because she’s covered in tiny pink crystals. I’ll have to take a photo to post here next time.

HELP WANTED

As I’m sure you’ve heard by now (but may have forgot), Marge & Peg are currently out of work. Both Penn Fish & Peg’s patient have shut down permanently. Since the best place to find employment is through networking, I’d like to post a note right here to remind you that if you hear of anyone looking for an experienced secretary/office worker – you can refer them to Marge. Or, if someone is looking for a stress relieving massage/home health aide – please refer them to Peg.

RANDOM FUNNIES

It’s All Sticky! Lori brought a tasty cocktail to the party. They were called “Cowboy Cocksuckers”. As you can imagine; this lead to a bunch of snickers & chuckles around the table. At one point, Lori spilled hers all over her card & it got all sticky! When the words came out of her mouth, this just led to even more chuckling around the table! Probably wouldn’t have been nearly as funny if it didn’t already have such a bad name!

Hold On…What??? Another first for the Foxy Sisters… Early in the evening, we were settling in. For some reason there were like 3 conversations going on at the same time. Imagine! Being the “voice of reason” this time was…Phyllis??? Yes, she actually told us we were being too loud!

WTF??? While reviewing my notes from the party in order to assemble this month’s Rag, I came across the following note… “Waltzing bitches? Long flowing locks – nice dresses”. Can anybody remember what that was about? I sure as hell can’t! This is probably right around the same time Kate was talking about “Pink Warriors” & I was laughing so hard, I was hyperventilating! Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Ahh, I’ve finished the first Rag of the year! One down, 11 more to go & then start all over again! Until next time, may the foxiest bitch win!

December 2009

December is the time for our annual Holiday party. This year, we partied down in Delaware. Since we were 2 hours from home, we decided to make this one a slumber party. It was a nice trip to get to a lovely house for a lovely evening. “Love One Another” was the motto of the evening thanks to the inspirational sign hanging in Debi’s kitchen. Everything was very festive. We had a tree, decorations, even a mini train set. There were stockings hung by the chimney w/ care. Unfortunately, Debi found that if you hang the stockings too close to the fire part of the fireplace, the toes may get a little warm.

We had lots of good stuff to eat. We wrapped up around 12:00, although some people stayed up & played until around 1:30. Then on Sunday morning, some of us were up @ 7-ish makin’ bacon, waffles, pancakes & eggs before we headed back up north. Marge skipped breakfast & rolled out around 9. She took all of her winnings with her. She hit 3 in a row on the first cover all.

Thank goodness we picked the weekend we did as the following Saturday we were hit with the biggest snow storm in the last 100 years! Timing is everything!

MYSTERY BOX

Patt was responsible for the Holiday Mystery. Lori won for the very 1st time! Patt stuffed the Box as a car emergency kit. A blanket, flashlight, hand warmers, snacks and other goodies were inside. Lori was very excited to win. I wonder what she’s going to bring…hmm….

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I don’t know about you guys, but 2009 just seemed to fly by. Now we have to plan our big New Year’s party. This year we’ll be ringing in 2010 @ The Mt. Holly Tiki Lounge on Saturday, JANUARY 16TH. We will be doing appetizers this time around since we stuffed ourselves for the last 2 months with the holidays.

HO HO HOLIDAY WRAP UP

In case you forgot in the flurry of flying wrapping paper – here’s a rundown of who got what. Debi gave Kate an angel, hand-crafted dime tree, grooming kit & tote bag w/ magnetic chips & matching wand. Kate was super excited as she left her money/chips @ home & didn’t remember until we were well on our way to the party. Kate gave Phyllis a wine rack & wine fund that will go perfect in her Tuscan kitchen. Phyllis had a special Christmas dance to present Lori with her gift of a decorative snowman. Lori gave Marge a gift card for dinner @ Charlie Brown’s. Marge gave Debi a homemade wine bag to hold her Manichewitz & rechargeable batteries. Patt gave me 2 beautifully scented candles & bag of coffee. I gave Peg 2 pairs of cuddly slipper socks & tucked inside one of the toes was a gift card to get her nails done. Peg gave Patt a Christmas…tampon??? No, not really…just wrapped to look that way. Peg also gave out personalized Tupperware containers to all of us for leftovers the next morning. Lori made glasses for everyone. They still had to be baked and/or completed & should be ready for a New Year’s toast @ Kate’s house. I gave everyone a little something along with a bag of home-made cookies. Marge gave everyone some little crafty things. Debi gave us all personalized stockings filled with goodies. As usual, everyone gave/got lots of nice stuff. Thanks to everyone for your generosity!

RANDOM FUNNIES

Funny #1: Timing is everything! Patt noted that she was “always in the right place at the right time”!

Funny #2: The chips are supposed to go on your card! Debi gave some of her chips to the baby bank, and then gave Lori some to put into the pots! Later in the evening, Debi almost ate a chip instead of whatever she was snacking on at the time.

YOU KNOW YOU’RE BROKE WHEN…

Right about now, you’re probably maxed out on your credit cards from all that holiday shopping. Here’s how you know you’re really broke:

• AMEX calls & says, “Leave home without it!”
• You’re working on a plan to rob the food bank
• You clean your house in the hopes of finding change
• You think of a scratch-off ticket as an “investment”
• Your bologna has no first name
• McDonald’s supplies all of your kitchen condiments
• You wash your toilet paper
• You’re sterilizing your urine for re-consumption

Here’s to the last Rag of 2009 & wondering what’s ahead in 2010… Until next time, may the foxiest bitch win!

November 2009

November is time to gather together with those you care about & be thankful for what you have. Or in our case, it’s an excuse to stuff our faces @ Peg’s house. We had a true Thanksgiving feast of turkey, stuffing, veggies, potatoes, pie & other goodies. We all agreed we ate way too much & were very full by the end of the night.

Phyllis had a ladybug land on her wine glass @ the beginning of the night. She took this as a sign that she was gonna win big this time! She was also the birthday girl this month; could the combination of the two bring her extra luck? At one point during the evening, she won 4 corners & Pokeno. I guess that’s pretty good!

Peg took a moment out of the evening to make a special announcement. She noted that we haven’t seen her fish “Ophelia” since the luau @ Kate’s. Her explanation was that Ophelia is currently expecting! Unfortunately, the photo I took didn’t turn out so well, so please refer to my “artist’s rendering” over there. She & the Mystic Seahorse are looking forward to the arrival of their fishy babies.

MYSTERY BOX

I was responsible for the November Mystery. Patt was the winner! This box contained stuff to use while entertaining over the holidays – or any old weeknight would do. There was a bottle of wine, bottle of sparkling grape juice, set of stem-less wine glasses, corkscrew, recipe booklets w/ coupons, 3-D glasses (for when you’ve finished the bottle of wine/feeling silly) & something called “Drinkin’ Mate” for the hangover you may encounter the morning after enjoying this Mystery. She was excited about the wine glasses since she just broke some of the ones at her house. Patt promises something really wonderful for December!

BAH HUMBUG!

No Scrooges will be allowed at our holiday party! Bring your most festive mood to Delaware on SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12TH. You can arrive any time after 12. This doesn’t mean be there by 12, it’s pretty much open all afternoon. Since we’re spending the night, this party’s more about hanging out & playing at a more relaxed pace. Patt & Debi were nice enough to provide us all with directions on how to get there (just go straight…really). They also went over some “house rules” that we will be expected to follow. Basically, treat the house like a time-share; follow the “park rules” & please – no streaking! There are 3 bedrooms & couches to crash out on whenever you feel the need to do so. Bring your cuddly stuff & anything else you might need for the night. You might also want to pack a morning bag w/ toiletries if you wanna freshen up your skanky ass before heading back home (ha, ha, ha). We managed to assemble 2 menus for dinner & breakfast. Everyone’s responsible for something & we should have a really good time! You can read a recap of what I remember about it in this space - coming early 2010.

I’M THANKFUL FOR…

As I do every year, I took a moment to go around the table & find out what all you fine ladies are thankful for. The 2009 results are as follows: Marge is thankful for her friends for being there – especially over the last few months; Peg is thankful for the miracle of life; Debi is thankful for her “monthly escape”; Lori is thankful that we all have somewhere warm to live; Nathan & I were thankful for all the wonderful/delicious food; Patt is thankful for people who take in kids in need; Kate is thankful to finally be able to play Pokeno (after waiting a few years); Phyllis is thankful for her friends who she thinks about every day! She swore that doesn’t mean she’s stalking you…

I’m thankful that I’ve finished up another Rag! I am SO looking forward to our Holiday Slumber Party next month. Until next time, may the foxiest bitch win!

October 2009

Boo to you! I guess you can’t really scare someone in writing…so just pretend! As usual, we had our Halloween party @ Phyllis’. What a great party it was! Luckily for you guys, I can actually remember some of the things that went on! There were lots of goodies to eat. We had Bat Wings in Blood Sauce (chicken parmesan), Ghoulish Pasta, Cupcakes, Caramel Apple Bars, Brownie Bites, Cheese Ball (shaped like a pumpkin) & other yummy stuff. Phyllis also made a special cocktail called “Pond Scum”. I even got my own “virgin” version (try saying that 3 times fast). Thanks again to “Spiderella” for being such a super swell hostess!

I thought last year couldn’t be topped, but you guys really went all out with the costumes this year! In case you forgot, here’s the run-down…Kate came as a Keg (w/ beer-dispensing tap); Patt & Debi came as Condom-Mints (Heinz 57 & Classic Yellow Mustard). These costumes were discarded immediately after a photo was taken & Patt looked all over for a change of clothes. Peg came as a Kitty Cat/Cougar (depending on the situation); Phyllis was Spiderella – Queen of the Spiders; Marge was a Colonial-era Ghoul; I was a Demonic Diva w/ red buns in my hair – NOT a space princess! I also had black lips & fake eyelashes. Fake eyelashes are distracting. Not just to the wearer, but also to party guests across the table from them. Later in the evening, some of the ladies switched spots. Patt was now sitting across from me & kept staring @ my lashes. She told me to shut my eyes & started laughing! What’s so funny? This is my 1st ever attempt to wear fakies & it took 20 minutes to even apply them. Patt said she’s laughing so hard because I put them on backwards! Geez! Unfortunately, the lashes did not come w/ instructions. Most original costume of the evening HAD to be Lori’s “Chickendale” outfit! We knew we were in for something special when Peg came in w/ a boom box & music for Lori’s entrance. We were all patiently waiting & finally we hear “Hot Stuff” by Donna Summer. We were rocking out & next thing we know, there’s Lori – dancing away, doing her best “junk shake”. And by “junk”, I mean the 9-inch device in her pants! Her dancing must’ve been good, because Phyllis tipped her a dollar! The “testosterone” led Lori to make many inappropriate man comments during the night. Hopefully no one was offended too much!

Before we started playing, Phyllis brought our attention to the Pokeno Cats banner. She showed us how she fancied it up for the party. She took (removable) foam stickers & gave the cats masks and pumpkins. She assured us, “No pussies were injured in the decorating of this banner”!

Once we started playing, Phyllis was whining about wanting to call. We tried reminding her (again) that there’s an order to be followed. Whoever wins Mystery calls first, and then cards get passed (to the left) around the table until the end of the night. I went first & there were 4 people in between. It wasn’t looking very good. She was starting to get upset, but then she realized that not only would she get a chance to call, but she’d get to do the final cover all! See, we saved the best for last! She was so happy that she went around the table & gave the ladies some neck/shoulder massages! That was nice! We should have massage breaks more often!

We pulled Pollyanna this month in preparation for our Holiday party (Saturday - 12/12 @ Debi’s DE beach house). This was quite possibly the most painful Pollyanna since…oh…2 years ago! Lori went first. She checked her slip & said she had herself. So, I held the slip & had her pick again. She picked herself - again??? So, I held that slip (which really DID have her name on it), put the original slip back in the bag & had her pick for a 3rd time. She wound up w/ whoever she picked originally (not herself). A few picks later, someone else picked their name & had to re-pick. Later on, Lori’s arm cuffs were mangling her slip so badly that it actually ripped it in half! So, I set it aside on the table. At the end of the night, we were cleaning up & getting our stuff together when Patt noticed part of a slip without any writing on it. Lori tried to trade w/ her or something - I’m not really sure what happened there. But Lori did get her slip back again. At another point during the evening, Marge was looking @ her slip & noticed there were only 2 requests on it & NO name! After 1 of the ladies fessed up to doing hers that way, Marge knew who it was. That might spoil the surprise, but I’m guessing that nobody’s gonna remember who’s got who by December anyway!

MYSTERY BOX

Patt had to bring the Box for October. For the first time in almost 2 years (I’m not kidding) I actually won! I’ve provided 2 emergency Boxes for other ladies, but haven’t actually won for myself, so I was pretty excited. Inside a giant bag was a really cool pumpkin-shaped basket chock full of Halloween goodies (candy, flashlight, glow sticks, candles, tattoo & black cat candleholder). Unfortunately due to my pregnancy-induced clumsiness (‘cuz I wasn’t clumsy at all before) I dropped almost every single thing as I was opening it! Luckily I didn’t drop anything that was breakable – phew! I’m looking forward to putting together a super-swell Mystery for some lucky winner in November.

TIME TO GIVE THANKS!

We will be having our November Party @ Peg’s house. Hopefully this time it’ll be cool enough to light the fireplace! We will gather together & give thanks for good times with our friends on SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14TH @ 5:30. Peg requested the early start (not like anyone’s really gonna be on time) so we have plenty of time to stuff our faces with a Thanksgiving Day-style feast. Peg will provide turkey & stuffing; Phyllis is making green bean casserole; Marge is making sweet potatoes; I’m making loaded mashed potatoes; Patt is making her famous pineapple pudding.

WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS

As you all know by now, Marge has recently been going through some very trying times in her personal life. In true “we got your back” fashion - the Pokeno sisters gathered together in a show of support & chipped in some of their hard-earned cash (not dimes) to present Marge with a Visa gift card. She said she’s gonna apply it towards a bill. We know that every bit helps!

After the party, Marge asked me to tell everyone how much this gift has helped her out. She’s very thankful to have you fine ladies on her side!

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

From time to time if some of you ladies have something exciting going on, I like to let everyone else know about it too. This month, I’ve got 2 announcements that may be of interest to you. If you don’t find them interesting, please feel free to move along to the next paragraph.

Announcement #1 – Electronic Recycling! Ever wonder what to do with your cell phone after you drop it in the toilet, throw it at your cat, or get a new model? Peg has the answer! She will gladly take your outdated/used cell phones & recycle them. Apparently, there’s a group that will take them, fix them up & send them to our troops serving overseas so they can use them to call home. So check around your house & encourage your friends to do the same. It’s a VERY good cause!

Announcement #2 – Church Charity Sale! Looking for some stuff? Well come on out November 7, November 21, December 5, and December 19 from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. @ Logan Memorial Presbyterian Church Thrift Store. Huge discounted prices! Shop for a large assortment of clothes/accessories, children's clothes/toys, and a variety of house wares as well as holiday items. Logan Memorial Church is located at the corner of the White Horse Pike & 18 West Merchant Street in Audubon. You can Google it & find directions from wherever you are.

Another Halloween has come & gone. A fun time was had by all (as usual). Can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with next year! Get your tummies ready for our Turkey Feast in a few weeks. Until next time, may the foxiest bitch win!

September 2009

This month, we hung out @ my house. I decided since we have to dress up next month, that I’d keep the September party super low key/no frills. We ordered takeout from my local pizza place & stuffed our faces. Kate brought a variety of chips, Phyllis made an Italian appetizer, Patt brought some fruit concoction & I made chocolate PB bars. If you ever leave out of here hungry, it’s your own damn fault!

Everyone showed up on time. We finished up around 10-something. On the first cover all, Debi hit a super-fat 4 corners & the cover all by herself! So much for the hostess luck – I guess that streak is over with. Everyone was in a pretty good mood, feelin’ mellow. I’m pretty sure a fun time was had by all. You could actually feel the love!

MYSTERY BOX

Peg was responsible for the September Mystery. What a great Mystery it was! It finally went to Patt after 3 picks & a sudden death show down. We all agreed this couldn’t have been a more perfect person to win the Foxy Survival Kit. Peg started off with a beautiful card about friendship. It went downhill from there. After opening the first few items & cracking up, Patt said, “I can’t go on! I’m gonna pee myself!” She didn’t actually pee herself & managed to continue opening her goodies. Patt noted that since she’s such a “pin head” she’ll never be able to put together such an extravagant Mystery to compete w/ this most recent gift of Peg’s. I’m sure whatever Patt chooses to do will be just wonderful! Again, please remember - no pressure!

HALLOWEEN PARTY

Can you believe it’s (almost) Halloween already??? We will be having our party on SATURDAY, 10/24 - 6:00 @ “The Queen of Halloween” (Phyllis’) house. Unlike the toga party, you will NOT be able to miss her house this time as she will have the biggest, craziest stuff all over her lawn. She’ll probably have the cemetery fence up. Just don’t get confused & wander over to the REAL cemetery across the street! Please remember that costumes are MANDATORY! Last year was so great, I can’t wait to see how everyone’s gonna dress up this year!

We managed to discuss some food. Menu so far is Mummy Dogs, Bat Wings in Blood Sauce (Chicken Parm), Spooky Pasta, Caramel Apple Bars, Vampire Cupcakes & some other various scary appetizers.

PUT YOUR THINKIN’ CAPS ON

I know, it’s only September…who wants to think about Christmas? Well, you’re gonna have to think about it. We will be picking our Secret Santa’s during the Halloween party. So, I’m asking you to think of 3 things in advance so you’re not stumped while you’re sitting at the table. I’ll pass out slips during business & we can draw during our halftime extravaganza. There will be a $25 maximum. Gifts will be exchanged @ our Holiday party. This year to be held overnight in beautiful Delaware! I know most of you have been good girls this year so think real hard...ok…not THAT hard – I can smell smoke coming out of your ears…

SUPER SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Just a reminder to you all…I will be bringing a very special guest w/ me to Pokeno for the next 7 months! Ian & I are very excited to be bringing another rocker into the world. Here’s hoping that this pregnancy/delivery is a bit easier than the 1st one was! I’ll be sure to keep y’all updated as I go through the process. Thank you in advance for understanding my moodiness, emotional craziness, extra pigging out, etc. over the next few months. I might have to take some time off toward the end or after delivery (depending on how I’m feeling), but I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.

The best thing about this announcement has to be how I broke the news. After trying super hard to keep a secret to be able to tell everyone @ the same time, I realized some of you already knew my news. I planned an elaborate speech during the business portion, but that morning, I decided to do something even more fun – I took a picture. My favorite has to be the look on Peg’s face! Lori & Phyllis look surprised too. Lori told me after that, I’m never gonna be able to take another group photo because they’re gonna think I have some big news. I assured everyone that this is the last kid, so I’ll never be dropping that line again!

RANDOM FUNNIES

What’s it Called? Someone said, “I got ALL five!” Yup, that’s called a FLUSH! I guess we should be thankful that they had 5 instead of 4!

Lamest Excuse Ever! Someone couldn’t call their center “because of a full mouth”! Please note, if you are experiencing “full mouth syndrome” during game play, you may use charade moves to get your point across. Feel free to wave your arms, jump up & down or whatever else you feel will get you 5 seconds of attention to take your pot.

And that will wrap up September with a nice little bow. It was a bit short this month. I’m sure there will be lots of fun stuff to write/read about next month from the Halloween party. So, get to work on your costume (if you haven’t already) & I’ll see you @ Phyllis’ “crypt”. Until next time, may the foxiest bitch win!

August 2009

This month, we partied @ Kate’s Tiki Bar for our annual end of summer Luau. We had lots of yummy stuff to eat. At the end of the night (w/ a full belly), Peg says, “Why do we eat so much?” Um, that’s just how we roll! This time, we had chicken kabobs, ham, pupu balls (slightly over soaked in the whisky mix), a tiki cake & delicious cool whip/fruit concoction. We had a list of cocktails that were fixed by “Mix Master” Roger. Thanks again to Kate & Roger for being such super swell hosts!

Some of the ladies were running late this time. Imagine! I guess we got spoiled after the Toga Party when everyone was early. While we were waiting, we were talking about various Pokeno-related things. One was an early start time of 5:00. The early start would allow those who have to work/have plans on Sunday/will turn into a pumpkin @ 11:00 to get out earlier. When we started doing business, Patt & Debi brought up that they’d like to have a later start of 6:30. Debi said, “Well, maybe just 6:30 start for the rest of summer?” That’s fine considering that this is the last game of the summer & they showed up after 6:30 anyway! So we decided on an official time of 6:30 for August! From now on, if you wanna show up any time after 5:00, that’s fine. I know how excited everyone is to get together. We’ll still keep our 6:00 time w/ game start @ 6:30-ish. We’ll continue to get in 1 cover all & see if anyone wants to leave. That’s still an option. If you’re running late, that’s fine too – just remember to call/text so we don’t get worried. The other issue brought up was what to do w/ leftovers. Should we save up for a free night? Should the hostess keep? Should we put in cover all? A free night sounds nice. The problem w/ the hostess thing (Devil’s Advocate Lori) is not everyone hosts. Therefore, not fair to those who can’t host. Ok, that’s out. In the end, we decided on leftovers in the cover all (thanks to Roger’s suggestion). In the event that it’s a split, draw a card & highest one wins! Funny thing is that after all this discussion; there weren’t any leftovers this time!

Speaking of coveralls…we managed to get in 2 this month even w/ our late start. I called the 1st one. I went through the whole deck & 2 ladies each missed a card. The 6 of us w/ that last card split. Then we broke for dessert & played another round. I passed off to Kate, and then it went all the way around to Phyllis before someone wanted to call the last hand. And she thought she wasn’t gonna get a chance to call! This one was a 3 way split! We wrapped up around 10:30-ish. A nice night was had by all!

MYSTERY BOX

This month, Marge was responsible for the Mystery. However, in her current situation, we all understood that she didn’t have time/mental ability to put one together. Luckily for her/you guys, I had a back up Mystery all ready to go. It’s been SO long since I’ve actually won a Box that I had something good saved up. I packed up a brand new polka dot box chock full of all kinds of stuff you could use for a road trip. Inside was a few CD’s, snacks, a Mom/Wow sticker, various maps, note cards, a keychain, air fresheners, hand wipes (in case of sticky palms), magazines (if stuck in traffic only) & a $10 gas card. Here’s the part that’s really weird. Peg told us that she “had a dream” she was gonna win this month. She picked the 1st card & told the rest of us not to bother! Of course, we all picked anyway. And she was right; she had the Ace of Spades (start singing Kate)! Even funnier is the keychain is a dream catcher very similar to the one hanging over Peg’s bed! Then she tells us that her sister’s coming up soon & when she does, they were planning on a road trip. I guess it was meant to be!

SEPTEMBER POKENO

After much discussion, we hammered out the rest of our parties for 2009. Debi was going to host in September, but the week she wanted is the Dover race (tons o’ traffic), plus her in-laws will be there, etc. We figured that won’t work. So we decided that I’ll host the party SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19TH @ 6:00. Since we’re gonna have to dress up in October, this party will be super chillaxed, no frills, come in your comfy outfits. Also, please bring a few bucks to chip in for pizza/something delivered.

Here’s a little peek at our next few parties. Of course our October party will be hosted by “Queen of Halloween” Phyllis. Peg will be hosting a Thanksgiving party in November & we decided that the sleep over @ Debi’s would be best for our Christmas party. This should work out well as we can take our time w/ gifts & still get in a few rounds. We plan on having our holiday party early in the month to avoid any bad weather/holiday schedule conflicts. Dates/menus will be provided as these parties get closer.

PEG’S SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

When she got here, Peg couldn’t wait to tell us some big news about her Mystic Seahorse. After we all got settled & done discussing business, she was pleased to announce that her seahorse found love on top of her dresser. His love interest is a “blowfish” w/ a giant hole. It’s actually a shirt decoration. Peg was planning on wearing it w/ her island ensemble, but just couldn’t get it to work. That’s when the sea creatures eyes locked & they knew they were destined to swim together forever! This led to many jokes, such as “love @ 1st blow” & “like throwing a hot dog down a hallway”. The jokes & dirty positioning led to a fit of laughter at the table. I think this will be the latest addition to Peg’s lucky charms.

RANDOM FUNNIES

Whaddya Call It? Peg was looking for a lighter & says, “Does someone have one of those fire things”? This was even before we started playing! We all got a kick out of this & the new word stuck for the rest of the night.
Who Shot Roger Rabbit? This is what Debi shouted out after Roger was over @ the bar opening a bottle & it popped really loud. Nobody really got shot & no cartoons were injured.

It either is or isn’t! Patt was in the middle of playing when she said, “Like a postage”! This was immediately followed up w/ Phyllis singing, “Hey! Licked for the very 1st time”! Patt really did have the Postage & managed to collect her money while we were all chuckling.

Who Put That On? Well into the evening, Debi looks over her shoulder, sees the rotating light & says, “How long has that been on for?” Um, it’s been on all night! Glad to see you’re paying attention… There were lots of funny comments made about this one. However, I was laughing & writing & I couldn’t write fast enough because I was laughing so hard.

Crotch Crickets? Apparently it has something to do w/ crabs. I’m not really sure what exactly spurred this, but I do know it came outta Phyllis’ mouth & it was hella funny!

Put up your defenses! As you know, Kate has a few pets. 2 of those pets are tiny little dogs who like to rummage through trash for tiny pieces of chicken & wait for you to drop crumbs on the floor. After our dessert break; Patt, Marge & Debi put their cake plates on the side table so they could munch later/take it home. At one point during the game, Patt had to jump up from the table to fend off the hounds. She said, “I’m defending my cake”! Just goes to show you the lengths women will go to save chocolate!

SHOUT OUTS

Shout out #1 – we have 2 birthdays this month! Kate who celebrated on 8/3 & our newest addition, Lori who celebrates on 8/23. I recently got a new birthday crown for the ladies – since the last one kinda got bent & tore up beyond repair. This one’s a bit more heavy duty. I was originally looking for an actual rhinestone tiara thing, but they’re a bit pricey. Phyllis mentioned checking AC Moore’s wedding section for one. Brilliant! Next time I get a coupon, I’m there! Then, you can have a choice of which one to wear, or if there’s more than 1 b-day that month, you each get one!

Shout out #2 – Debi announced that her hubby decided to get a loan, cut down a bunch of trees on their property & install grass/landscaping. Why would someone do this sort of thing? Turns out he got this idea after he found the “Bad Boy” lawn mower & had to have a new toy! I found photographic evidence of this mower & put it on the side over there so you can all see the monster that is!

Shout out #3 – At the Toga Party, Lori was so happy to become part of the group that she made some goodie bags for us. Unfortunately, the game that Lori had been to previously, there were only a few of us playing & she didn’t realize there were 8 of us total. Because of this, some of the ladies missed out on yummy chocolate covered pretzels/Oreo cookies. She felt SO bad about this that she bought a few boxes of “fancy” candy to give to those who got skipped last month. She even wrote out nice little cards (Peg shared hers w/ the group). Thanks again to Lori for being so thoughtful. You’re a welcome addition to the table!

FINAL THOUGHT

We’ve had some bad news within the Pokeno Sisterhood recently. If you were @ the party – you know what’s up & I’m leaving it at that. I’d just like to take a moment to thank each & every one of you fine ladies for being the best possible support group around! It’s nice to know that in a fellow sister’s time of need, you’re there for a shoulder to cry on, a hug, a laugh, or in some cases – offers of super glue & firecrackers. I think it’s really swell to know we can depend on each other in times of need.

Ok, ok, enough of the mushy crap! Enjoy the last few days of summer. Hopefully I’ll see y’all in September. Until then, may the best bitch win!