June 2013

This month, we played at Lori’s house. There was lots of delicious food! Lasagna; bread sticks; bacon ranch dip; salad; fruit; assorted cookies & daisy cake. Once again, the music was great. Lori made a special summer mix to play this time. The “super moon” was out so we took a break to go check it out & take photos. That was the only clear shot we had all night. We thought it would look really cool driving home; however, it was covered by hazy clouds! Probably better to not be distracted while driving anyway…

We had a very short night this time. We started playing @ 7:00. By 8:30, Peg was too tired to go on & decided to head for home. We did our only cover all @ 9:00 (Phyllis won all by herself) & everyone left! Patt had to be somewhere early on Sunday, so her & Marge had to go. Kate wasn't feeling well. She had a migraine & actually wasn't going to come. At the last minute, she decided to put her big girl panties on, take a bunch of Excedrin chased with some caffeine & come out for the night. However, by 9, she couldn't hang in there anymore, so we left too. This may have been the shortest Pokeno game in our history. But…everyone still had a good time. As we were leaving, Lori gave us all goodies bags w/ scented fake roses, bubbles, bracelets & beachy Yankee votive candles. And, I’m very excited to report that nobody ran into the giant clock this time!

MYSTERY BAGS

Patt was responsible for June’s Mystery. Everyone picked cards. Lori had an Ace. Everyone else checked their cards & knew they couldn't beat that. I took my card & totally forgot that Peg was on my left & neglected to let her pick a card. After MUCH ado…we decided on a re-pick. This time, I got the high card. I offered to split winnings w/ Lori, but she declined.

The bags were all about “comfort”. Inside Bag #1 was a lumbar support; moisturizing socks (step 1: apply moisture); cake notepad w/ pen; envelope of chicken noodle soup; bag of micro popcorn; travel bottle of Advil; dark chocolate (I gave to Lori for all her trouble with the pick); antibacterial wet wipes; mini bottle of Southern Comfort & crossword puzzle book. Patt & Marge had a story for the contents of Bag #2. Apparently, they had been running all over the place all day looking for this particular item. After hitting many stores, they gave up. While driving back, Marge spotted the mystery item in a parking lot. Patt stopped the car so Marge could jump out & trash-pick the item. After the story was told, I was allowed to go into the bag to discover a neck pillow from the Borgata. They assured me that it could be “spot cleaned”.

JULY TOGA PARTY

For the 6^th year in a row, we will have our annual Toga Party @ Spanky’s house. Get ready to party on SATURDAY, JULY 27TH. If you’d like to swim for a bit, please bring your bathing suit/towel & get there @ 4:00. If you just wanna get down to business, please get there @ 5:00. So far the menu will consist of the usual BBQ fare: burgers, hot diggity dogs, fried tomatoes w/ gravy, fruit salad, tomato salad, pasta salad & pink lemonade bunt cake for dessert.

RANDOM FUNNY

Diversion garden? When you get to the Toga Party next month, ask Spanky to show you her garden! While we were waiting for Cosmo to show up so we could head down to Lori’s, Phyllis told me about her rabbit problem. She has peppers, tomatoes & other various plants growing in her backyard. One day, she went to check their progress (she needs those tomatoes for the Toga Party) when she realized the bunnies were eating ALL of her plants! Oh no!!!! These bunnies don’t understand…if there’s no fried tomatoes…there WILL be rioting among the Pokeno Sisters! In a moment of brilliance (or insanity…not quite sure which) – Spanky decided the only option was to plant a “diversion garden” full of goodies that bunnies like. So, she planted a bunch of carrots, lettuce, etc. in the hopes that this will work.

SHOUT OUT!

Now that summer is here & school is out, I wanted to take this moment to thank you guys for saving all those Box Tops & Labels over the last year for my kids’ school. I’m pleased to announce, that thanks to all your clipping…Jacob’s class was rewarded with a pizza party the last week of school.  Even though school’s out, you can still save them for me for next year. Thanks again!

FINAL THOUGHT

Since I don’t have anything witty to wrap up with here this month, I’ll share some useless trivia instead. Did you know that June has 3 birthstones? They are pearl, alexandrite or moonstone. June’s birth flower is the rose. Benjamin Franklin discovered electricity not too far from us on 6/15/1752. June is also “Turkey Lover’s Month” (hopefully that means they love to eat turkey & not love it in a dirty way). It’s also “National Candy Month”. Unless you’re me…and that holiday is celebrated all year long! Until next time, may the foxiest bitch win!

May 2013 - Luau @ the Tiki Bar Edition

It was time to kick off the summer season with our annual Luau @ the Tiki Bar! We dined on Polynesian pork; Teriyaki chicken; caprese bites; tropical fried rice; sticky bun cake & other assorted goodies. Thanks to the thunderstorms that rolled through, we weren’t able to enjoy the hot tub. We probably started somewhere around 6 (I think). Peg was a no show this month as she was already having a rough week, plus she picked up a new patient & was just too tired/worn out to come play. It was all good; we played on with the 7 of us.

Kate was playing music on her TV. We were listening to a good mix of tunes, but some of the facts & pictures showing up were just too much! First was the photo of doo-wop star Frankie Valli who looked more like a serial killer than a “Jersey Boy”. Then there was the photo of the elderly couple who were overly happy about their new catheters! What??? One fun fact we discovered was Dusty Springfield’s real name. It’s Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien. No wonder she changed it!

We did our first cover all @ 8. Phyllis won all by herself! We did the 2^nd cover all later where I won all by myself! At the end of the night, Kate passed out little bottles of nail polish & nail files with hibiscus headbands attached.

MYSTERY BASKET

Not only did she get to be “hostess with the mostess” this month, Kate was also responsible for giving a Mystery away. Patt was the winner of a basket full of manicure/pedicure goodies! There were tons of different colored polishes, files, polish remover, toe separators, even a bottle of Palmolive & soaking dish. Patt was very excited to win (even though she’s not much of a nail painter) & was making plans to take her goodies to the beach house w/ Debi for a girly nail night.

JUNE POKENO

We will play at Lori’s house once again. This time will be on SATURDAY, JUNE 22^ND @ 5:00. This is a super comfy party, so please come in your most comfortable attire. Please remember that Lori’s house gets kind of warm, so if it’s really hot that day, dress accordingly! Lori will be making lasagnas for us. You guys have to fill in the rest of the blanks – snacks/appetizers/dessert.

FINAL THOUGHT

So…there you go. That will wrap up another action packed edition of the Rag. Until next time, may the foxiest bitch win!

Spring Has Sprung! April 2013

We had a “spring fling” @ Debi’s house this month. Marge was sick, so she did the smart thing & kept her contaminated ass at home. I mean that with love of course... Peg over-booked herself. She had a retirement party to go to that she thought was the weekend after Pokeno. The party turned out to be the same weekend, so she had to do that instead. We dined on pizza, wings, chocolate cherry crisp w/ ice cream, pot stickers, crab dip, ham ring & fresh fruit.  

This year, instead of an egg hunt, Debi set up a “flower hunt” for us. She placed various springtime flowers around her house & we all got to choose one to take home! I passed out boxes of candy & dimes w/ Cheeto carrots on top. We started playing @ 7. It was a very relaxed game…even with all the candy we were eating! We did the first cover all @ 8:30. I won all by myself! The second cover all was around 10. Kate & Debi shared that one. We all know that Juggs needed more dimes…she told us she cashed in around $25 (minus a small fee that Patt charged for using her bank) & still had a whole cup full!

MYSTERY BOX

I was responsible for the April Mystery. Kate was the winner! I managed to recycle the box & some paper (that I turned into decorations). Inside the recycled box was a basket full of pampering goodies: shower/bath stuff, hair stuff, Puff, candles, lighter w/ recycled duct tape, candy, carrot, tea, and half of the roll of dimes I won in last month’s Box. Now, Kate will be responsible for being hostess as well as providing the May Mystery. Who will win? Check back in this spot next month for the answer…

COME GET LEI’D AT THE TIKI BAR

Once again, we kick off the summer season @ Kate’s house. We’ll play SATURDAY, MAY 11^th. If you’d like to come relax in the hot tub for a little while before the game, please bring your bathing suit & get there @ 4:00. If you’d like to get right down to eating & playing, please get there @ 5:00. Thanks to modern technology, we sent text messages to the sisters who were unable to be at the table to be sure we scheduled a date that would be good for everyone! We will be dining on teriyaki chicken, Polynesian pork, tropical fried rice & tomato mozzarella bites. If you haven’t done so already, please let me know what you’d like to bring so I can update the menu.

RANDOM FUNNIES

Meowf? Before we started playing, Debi’s dog decided he was going to be nasty. I can’t remember its name, but you might recall this as being the same dog that viciously attacked Marge @ Holiday 2011. Anyway, since the puppies couldn’t play well with others, Debi kept them in another room while we played to avoid any further nastiness. While we’re sitting around the table, we start hearing this really weird “meowing” noise. We thought there was a cat trapped somewhere or something. That’s when Deb told us it’s no cat…it’s her Chihuahua Killer (the one without a taste for blood)! It went on like this for a little while. Sometimes it even sounded like he was making words! We were all astonished later when Debi told us her husband had slept through it!

Jumpy butt? Phyllis suffers from this on game day. Lori says it sounds like dog disease! No, this is a disease of excitement & joy! Spanky gets so psyched up to see everyone that she just can’t wait until game time & she gets ants in her pants…or as she so eloquently put it “jumpy butt”!

Blind Cat Crossing! Continuing with the antics of the animals of Casa de la Juggs… Before we started playing, Deb noticed that her blind cat was still outside (it was a beautiful day) & told us that she may run past us to get inside. We played for a little bit & took a break on the lido deck. Kate was standing by the door. Next thing we know, this cat comes running up & makes a bee-line for the door – which Kate opened to let the cat inside!!! We laugh & I say, “Are you sure that was Debi’s cat? What if you just let some wild stray in there?” We all start laughing even harder! Eventually it was determined that it was in fact Debi’s blind old lady cat & she was supposed to be there.

Caulk! It fixes everything! Recently, we had some bad rain roll through the area. Patt & Deb went to the beach house shortly after. It turns out there was a lot of leaking! Patt thought it would be a good idea to head over to the local home improvement store & get some supplies to fix the problem. In her ever brilliant DIY moment, she knew that caulk would fix the problems! They stocked up on caulk & other supplies, and then headed back to the house. When they got back, they were too exhausted from their outing that they wound up NOT fixing anything! Patt invited all of us down to the house for a “caulk party”! We all declined. She tried again later on in the evening & it became a running joke.

FINAL THOUGHT

Now that spring has sprung, get out there to enjoy the sunshine & warmer weather! Take time to stop & smell the flowers. I’ll be sure to take my allergy meds before I do that… Until next time, may the foxiest bitch win!

March 2013 - Irish Edition

After last month’s blog blunder (when I accidentally deleted all my notes), I was smarter about it this time. I got home from Pokeno & immediately sent notes to my e-mail. This way, I was sure I wouldn't lose anything. It worked, so it’s an actual full blog this time! Hooray for modern technology!

It was our first time playing @ Lori’s house. Her place was really cute & comfy…maybe a little cramped around the table (watch out for the clock!), but we managed. We also managed to eat lots of good stuff! Ham, pineapple pudding, mac & cheese, soda bread, salad, spinach dip, chocolate mousse cake, as well as other assorted candies/cookies. Future tip…if you pick up a mousse cake, it’s supposed to be kept in the fridge! The cake was still very tasty – just a bit gooey. Everyone had a very lovely evening. Lori also had some “party mix” CD’s made up. There was a good mix of stuff for everyone to jam out to.

After everyone got there, we took care of business, stuffed our faces & started first round @ 7. Everyone called quickly (without incident) & pots went even quicker. We did our first cover all @ 8. Phyllis was the lone winner. Peg wasn't feeling well, so she left after that. Kate had a hard time remembering when she was supposed to clear her card. Earlier in the evening, she wound up clearing her card after someone got a flush! Luckily, Peg got Pokeno the very next card. However, when we did the first cover all, someone got Pokeno & I hollered, “DON’T clear your cards!” Kate (sitting directly across from me) did NOT pay attention & cleared her card once again! After we all had a good laugh, we recalled the cards for her so she could catch up & not miss anything. A few cards later, Phyllis hit Postage. As she was dumping the fat pot into her change purse, Peg announced that she too had Postage. After the cover all, they tried to do math & figure out how to split the winnings. There wasn't a fist fight or anything, so I guess they got it all squared away!

When Peg left, we settled in to play our 2^nd round. About 20 minutes later, Peg showed back up. We thought she was back to play, but alas, that was not to be. Actually, she got back to her house & noticed her phone was missing. She thought she left it @ the party. We tried calling her phone to hear it ringing…nope. We even went outside to help her look in the driveway/van…nope. Peg decided to go back home & look some more. We planned to call her in 15 minutes to help. We knew it would be 15 minutes because the grandfather clock would chime. Surprisingly, there were a few ladies who didn't notice it’s been going off the whole time we've been here.  Before we got to the 15 minute mark – Peg called back to let us know she found her phone…in her bathroom. Geez! At least she found it after all that! She settled in to relax/sleep & we continued on with the game. We had our 2^nd cover all at 9:45. Patt won all by herself & was very happy to be able to refill her coin pail.

MYSTERY BOX

Not only did Lori host the party this month, but she was also in charge of the Mystery! I told Lori that I had to win because there was a big bunch of Gerber daisies on top & they’re my favorite!  Turns out, it was meant to be as I pulled a King to score the big win. This month’s box had a “girl power” theme. Inside were 8 gifts to represent each sister. At first I thought this was another of those share the Mystery contents w/ your sisters, but no…it’s all mine…ha, ha, ha! Inside the giant box was: 2 packages of Girl Scout cookies, mini calculator, sparkly hat, floral arrangement, neon pink duct tape, key chain,  sparkly pink coin purse (w/ a roll of dimes inside), hand sanitizer & some glitter makeup. Now I have to think of something to give away to the next lucky sister. I wonder who the winner will be for April…

APRIL POKENO

We will have our “Spring Fling” @ Debi’s house on SATURDAY, APRIL 6^th @5:00. It will be a happy appy party, so please bring your favorite appetizer to share with the group. So far, we have pot stickers; ham ring & fruit salad. Also, in the event that Debi decides to have another egg hunt this time…no early hunting or peeking!!!

SHOUT OUTS

Shout Out #1: At the end of February, Patt had some reconstructive surgery to repair damage caused from her battle with breast cancer. Nobody faces a battle without getting a scar or two!  Surgery went very well. “Nurse Marge” stayed @ Patt’s house for a few days to help her out (no lifting, no driving, etc.). Pokeno was the first time she’d been out, so we kept checking to be sure she was feeling alright. She’s still a bit achy, but that’s to be expected. She also offered (on a few occasions) to show off her “noobs” (new boobs) to anyone who was interested. However, I don’t think anyone took her up on that offer. Congrats on the successful surgery! We’re all glad you’re feeling better! Enjoy shopping for new bras at a regular store!

Shout Out #2: I saved the best for last! This month, a super duper, extra loud shout out goes to our hostess with the mostess…Sister Giggles! I couldn’t be more pleased to announce that as of this month, Lori is now officially 1 year sober! Woo hoo!!! I know I speak for the rest of the sisters when I say how proud we all are of your accomplishment! Keep up the good work – stay strong! You can do it!

RANDOM FUNNIES

Whose fault is it anyway? Most of us were had a buddy during the game (as usual). But, we kept having pots be short by 1. Turned out it was Debi’s fault. So, Patt proposed that in the future, if any of the pots are short – it’s automatically Debi’s fault! Since she’s got plenty of dimes, she won’t miss a few!

It went where? At some point during the party, Debi was enjoying a nice glass of wine. Unfortunately, her sip went horribly wrong & she started choking. When we asked if she was ok, Deb’s response was, “Yea, it just went down the wrong throat!” We weren’t aware that she had more than one… We all laughed really hard at this one. Then Debi said, “Isn’t that what you say?” We corrected her & said it should be “wrong pipe” or whatever.

FINAL THOUGHT

I look forward to seeing you all at the "Spring Fling" in April! Please allow me to wrap this up with an Irish Wish: May you always have a sunbeam to warm you, good luck to charm you, laughter to cheer you & a sheltering angel so nothing can harm you. Until next time, may the foxiest bitch win!

January 2013 - HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

So, I got a really cool tablet for Christmas from my husband. I was so excited to bring the Pokeno Rag into the 21^st century by taking notes on there instead of my tried & true pen/paper method. You know what that got me? I sat down to start blogging. I typed 1 line. I went to delete what I thought was only 1 line in my notes. It turned out that I actually deleted the entire entry! So…since I’m working off the top of my head, this should be interesting. Sit back & enjoy my wandering thoughts…there won’t be many.

The first party of 2013 was a comfy party. Everyone came in jammies/sweats/etc. The weather people were calling for “significant snow” the day of our party. Rather than have everyone risk the storm (they said we were gonna get), we decided to change venues & move the party to Marge’s place. It made more sense for everyone to drive 30 mins or less (except for Patt) than to pack everyone up, drive all the way to PA & hope the roads would be alright. As it turned out, the “storm” wasn't very bad at all. But, it’s always better to be safe than sorry!

We ordered food & Phyllis made a lovely snowflake cake. There were even decorative silver balls on there. I had the word written down, but it got deleted. Phyllis said she learned the word from Miss Piggy (of all sources)! We thought our food was here, so Marge went downstairs to meet him. Marge left the door cracked when she left. Sassy the dog saw this as a good opportunity to take a walk. When we noticed she was missing, Peg started down the hall after her. I went to help. For a dog w/ such tiny legs that she needs steps to get into bed (that she doesn't use) & a stroller for walks – she sure was quick! I did my best impersonation of “The Flash” & hauled ass down the hallway to catch the runaway dog. I found her at the elevator. I picked her up & she proceeded to piss all over me! This is the thanks I get for saving you? I carry the little furry piss bag back to the apartment & try to clean myself up. Peg says, “Did you bring a change of clothes?” Just like most of you…I do NOT bring spare clothes in my Pokeno bag! Maybe this should be a word for the wise in the future – you never know what might happen, so you might wanna bring a backup plan! Anyway, I dried off the dog pee & borrowed Patt’s Tide-to-go pen. Luckily, she still had it handy after spilling Vampire merlot on her shirt! The pen covered up the smell for a little bit, but by the time I got home, I smelled slightly better than a port-o-potty & immediately ran upstairs to change.

Not only did I get pissed on, but I also got dry humped by my aunt! Marge was playing her new stereo that some wonderful people got her for Christmas. Not sure what channel she was listening to, but they were doing double shots. This was all well & good until Marvin Gaye came on. The song was “Sexual Healing”. Now, I don’t know about the rest of you, but my immature brain can’t handle this song.  Every time I hear it, I bust out with a terrible case of the giggles. So, I’m sitting in my spot – chuckling to myself when everyone starts asking what’s so funny. I told them I can’t handle the song. That’s when Patt thought it would be a good idea to hump my arm. I feel so violated! Now I’ll really never be able to listen to that song the same way again!

Debi won a bunch more dimes this month. I think she may have won the first cover all? Or was it the second? Maybe both? Damn tablet… Either way, she won a bunch & we got disgusted, so we flipped off her & her stinking dimes! I swear, Debi’s gonna be able to retire on some nice beach somewhere & it will all be funded by our dimes… So, we played one round, then Peg & Lori left. The rest of us stayed & played on for a little while longer, wrapping up the party around 9:30 or so. It seemed everyone had a good time (except for me – thanks to all the pissing & humping) and we went on our merry ways until the next party.

MYSTERY BOX

Peg gave out the first Mystery of 2013. Lori was the winner! It was a super cute plaid box chock full of snacks! Now Lori will do double duty of hosting & providing the Mystery for March.

MARCHING INTO MARCH

We attempted to plan a party for February. However, it seemed that everyone was busy & we just couldn't get our schedules to sync up again until March. For the first time ever, Lori has offered up her place to play! So, get your green on & head over to Lori’s house on SATURDAY, MARCH 9 @ 5:00 for a St. Patty’s Pokeno. I will provide her address & phone number in a separate e-mail so you can get directions from wherever you’re coming from. Lori will be making ham; Patt will do (everyone’s favorite) pineapple pudding; I’m doing spinach dip (because it’s green); Kate will be making Irish soda bread; Peg’s making her delicious mac & cheese; Phyllis is bringing fixin’s for a salad bar; Marge will bring snacks & Debi will pick up some sort of dessert on her way to the party.

FINAL THOUGHT

Now that I know how to work my tablet (don’t delete anything until I’m totally done & send a backup to my e-mail acct), the Rag for March should be a bit better put together (I hope). My apologies for not covering all the news that was fit to print. Maybe you remember some of the highlights…or not…probably not. I know a lot of you depend on the Rag to fill you in on stuff that you missed. So, hopefully you didn't miss anything important! Until next time, may the foxiest bitch win!

December 2012 - Happy Holidays Edition

We played our very first game @ Marge’s new place. Everyone thought it was lovely & had a good time. There were goodies aplenty! We dined on all the traditional holiday fixin’s of turkey, stuffing, twice baked potatoes, whipped sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, salad bar, rolls, cranberries, other various condiments, with cookies & brownies for dessert! Just go back &read that sentence again…we really do know how to eat well! We all left very full (obviously) of not only great food, but holiday cheer & merriment! Thanks again to Marge for such a lovely evening!

There were other goodies too…Marge not only passed out bagel wreath ornaments, but she also cross-stitched a holiday cardinal that says “Welcome to our home”. She gave it to the person that picked the lowest card. That lucky sista was Spanky! She picked a 2. Can’t beat that one!  I made card-themed balls for everyone & cold preparedness kits (tea, lozenges, tissues & nasal spray coupons); Phyllis handed out decorative holiday signs; and Patt had cookies to share with the group. A notable Christmas miracle was when Kate passed her call so Phyllis could call sooner! Wow! They say sometimes friendship is the greatest gift of all…tear…

Maybe the good karma came back to Kate when she won the first cover all of the night all by herself. She also won a really fat 4 corners! The bra bag increased to approximately a C-cup! Lori was noted to win a lot of centers throughout the night. At the end of the evening, Debi won the final cover all by herself.

MYSTERY BOXES

I just realized it was a strange co-inky-dink that this time last year, I won the holiday box & this year, I was the one giving it away! The lucky winner of the December mystery was Peg! In one box was a microwave s’mores maker (pour water into reservoir & steam will make the chocolate/marshmallow nice & gooey). In box #2 was everything you need to make the s’mores happen! Chocolate bars (milk & dark); graham crackers; marshmallows & some hot chocolate to wash them down. This is gonna be a perfect thing for Peg when it gets a bit chillier. Brew up some cocoa, melt up some snacks & get cozy by the fire! Aww yea! I say…s’mores party @ Peg’s house…who’s with me?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It looks like Patt won’t be able to travel much in January. So, why not bring the party to her house! Gather up your carpool & head over on SATURDAY, 1/26, 2013 @ 4:00. Please come in your comfiest clothes & bring some cash to order food. Phyllis will be providing dessert, so you’re guaranteed it’s gonna be delicious! After all the hustle & bustle of the holidays, let’s ring in 2013 lazily!

NAUGHTY OR NICE?

That was a trick question…we were all VERY good this year of course! Here’s who got what: Since Marge was hostess w/ the mostess, she got to give out her gift first. She had Patt. You’d think this would be easy as she knows Patt pretty well & all that. But! Patt was incredibly specific on her choice of gifts. She wanted some Motown CD that’s only available @ Wegmans! Marge frantically tried to find it locally & got a different one. As she starts to tell the story of trying to find this gift, Patt tells her that Bob has sent a package along. He knew exactly what CD it was, went to store, got it, wrapped it & totally helped Marge out!  Patt wound up w/ 3 CD’s worth of travelling music! Patt’s gift went to me! I got a gift card; sm bottle of vodka & coffee. Only problem w/ the coffee was that it’s decaf. She picked up the wrong bag by mistake! Anyone who knows me knows I think decaf is for pussies! She promised to fix it for me & have new coffee next time! I had Kate this year. Inside the polka dot extravaganza was a bottle of gingerbread syrup (for coffee or cocktails); Space Invader drink markers; tiki head can/bottle cozies; a tiki decal; beachy votive candles; and gingerbread tin full of cookies. Kate had Peg. She swore her gift was in a Santa bag! We looked & looked and just couldn’t find Santa. We did find a snowman…oh yea! That’s what she meant! After all that, inside the snowman bag was a bag of chocolate donut coffee& bling ring coffee mug! Peg was up next to give her gift to Phyllis. It was a Visa card to pamper herself however she sees fit! Phyllis had Marge. Inside the lovely bag was a nativity ornament (went right on the tree) & pot for her new kitchen! Looks like it’s down to Debi & Lori. Lori’s gift to Debi was a bottle of pinot grigio & dark chocolate. Debi also gave Lori dark chocolate along with coffee pot; coffee & filters.

PSA – POKENO SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

It came to my attention during the game @ Marge’s house that you ladies go through a LOT of water during our meetings. So, I’d like to let you know that in the future, if you’re going to be a hostess, you should always have bottled water on hand. Either that or someone should be a designated water bringer that month as part of food/beverages. The more you know…

HO! HO! HO

Dashing through the snow

to Marge's house we go

with lots of gifts in tow

for everyone we know

It's time of year again

to fa-la-la with friends

don't laugh too hard

or you might need Depends

Gather round the table

maybe you'll be able

to win a bunch of dimes

many, many times

When the night is through

we will say "adieu" (to you & you & you)

see y'all in twenty thirteen

with love from the Queen (of hearts)

Until next year, may the foxiest bitch win!

October 2012 - Día de Brujas Edition

Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve gotten around to this, but it has just been crazy the last few weeks! Good thing we decided to skip the November game because I’m pretty sure we would’ve had to do that anyway! Hurricane Sandy ripped through our area & it was quite devastating for some. North Jersey & NYC were hit hard with hundreds of thousands still without power (as of this writing); flooded subways; complete city blocks gone; and rides in Seaside Heights that wound up in the middle of the ocean! Pioneer Kate had to go without power for a week! Peg was out a few days. Patt lost some trees on her property. Halloween was postponed which made our kids not so happy. But now, it’s back to business!

Our party this year was wonderful. Coming to the join in the “Monster Mash” we had Phyllis as a ladybug. She made a few attempts at being a “lady” during the night, but it was really hard to take her seriously with the extra arms & deelie-bobber antenna on her head! Kate was a sugar skull/day of the dead lady (fantastic makeup BTW); Marge was a zombie gypsy; I was a 50’s sock hopper; Debi & Patt came as a gardener & a bag of leaves; Peg was a sexy kitty; Lori was a bride. She included all of us in her bridal party as bridesmaids & gave us each a ring pop! Another feature of her costume was the toy chapel that played the “Wedding March”. She played it on her way into the party & later in the evening, someone pushed the button. That was a bad idea! The stupid thing wouldn’t shut off! We had to make sure not touch it again! Of course there were lots of good things to eat! This time we dined on various Mexican dishes. There was a taco bar; quesadillas; Mexican wedding cookies; fruit salad; cornbread; oozing brain cupcakes; jalapeno dip; queso w/ tortilla chips & margaritas to drink.

To keep the party festive, Phyllis had the Halloween station on her TV playing various songs all night. Two songs in particular really stood out. The first one was the Elvira song – you might remember this one. In case you don’t, here’s how it goes…start making a noise in your throat, then use your finger to wiggle your Adam’s apple while making noise. You have just sung the song! It was really bad! The other song was the “12 Days of Halloween”. I don’t remember any of it other than “an owl in a dead tree – HOOT HOOT!” This song was so catchy, that we all started to join in with the hooting. It was a real hoot…heh, heh…get it? While on the flying animal theme here & also in an attempt to distract you from that awful corny joke, let me tell you about the bat game!

Everyone was presented with a plastic bat at the start of the game. Spanky informed us that the sister with the most bats at the end of the night would win a prize! My half of the table (West Side) lost all our bats very early on. The other half (East Side) had a bat monopoly. It was so bad, that someone was looking to steal a bat when we told them the bats were all at that end of the table. The winner of the game was…birthday girl Peg! In the end, she wound up “battiest sister” with 3 in her pile. Inside the prize bag was a black cat candleholder & tea lights. It was kitty karma since Peg wore a cat costume! We called the first cover all around 8:45. After winning a butt load of centers all night (how much is in a butt load – I’m not exactly sure, but it was a lot!) Lori also won the cover all by herself! She took her winnings & left with Peg while the 6 of us played on until 10 when I won the 2^nd cover all by myself! Birthday luck for me too! Before we left, our “lady-like” hostess gave us all goodie bags full of cookies, pretzels & fudge. Plus trick or treat signs!

MYSTERY BAG

Debi was responsible for the spook-tacular Mystery this time around. We pulled cards & everyone was complaining about what they picked. I picked a 9 & thought for sure I was out. Well, it turned out everyone had low cards & my 9 actually won! Inside the bag was a black cat pail with electric tea lights; haunted house placemat; pumpkin-shaped chocolate pop; aluminum wallet; Wawa gift card & shared dimes from the pile she got from Peg in September’s Mystery!

UPCOMING PARTY NEWS

We attempted to schedule a November get-together, but it turned out everyone was booked solid most weekends. Since we couldn’t all agree on a date, we made the decision to skip November all together & move right on to our December party.

While we were planning Nov/Dec, Debi offered up her house for January to ring in 2013, so be sure to look for more info on that party in the Holiday Edition of the Rag. Speaking of holidays…

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

This year, we will be having our Christmas party at a brand new spot! Now that Marge is all settled in at her new place, she offered to host the party there. Grab your gifts, give your reindeer some magic dust, hop on your sleigh and fly it over to Marge’s on SATURDAY, 12/1 @ 4:00. If you need directions, please let me know. As the party gets closer, I will e-mail you further instructions for parking & building entry. We will be having a traditional holiday feast of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, salad, cranberry sauce & condiments. With brownies & cookies for dessert!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

In October, Peg & I both celebrated birthdays. One of us celebrated a milestone! That would be our dear Sister Shiatsu who turned the big 6-0 this year! She celebrated by spending a week with her sister who came up from FL to visit as a b-day surprise. They did all kinds of fun stuff like sight see, relax & go out for dinner! She spent the following week in FL with her brother & dad doing even more fun stuff! Who says a birthday should be celebrated for just one day! Heck – when you’ve survived 60 years, you deserve at least a whole month to party! Whoop! Whoop!

Also, since we won't be playing in November, please let me mention that Spanky will be celebrating her birthday. Happy birthday lady!

FINAL THOUGHT

I’m looking forward to spending another holiday with my Sisters! Good thing Santa doesn’t mind us being naughty, or it would be coal all around! Until next time, may the foxiest bitch win!

PS - For anyone who happens to stumble across this little piece of the internet & wants to know how the game is actually played, please go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pokeno_game. There are many variations on how to play. We've been playing in one form or another for the last 15 years & this blog is about the wacky things that go on during our games & in our lives. It's not supposed to be a "how-to" guide.