Perhaps the biggest thing I'll remember about 2007 is that it went by really fast. I did sell my parents' house (finally) and settle the estate business. That was nice. We did a lot of remodeling to our own house. That was maddening, but now that it's all finished, we're happy we went ahead and did it.
2008 will bring me a 10 year old, a 2 year old and my 40th birthday. The Evil Twin inches one year closer to AARP age and will be 49 this year. We'll celebrate our 15th Anniversary in October. Wow.... It seems hard to believe it's been that long. Oh well... my dad wished us a LONG (and wanted to emphasize the "long" part) marriage.
There hasn't been anything terribly tragic happen this year, so that's good. No one in our families died. Well, except my sister in law's stepson who we had never met (he was in prison when they got married).
I'm looking forward to 2008 - seeing my children grow and change. I started working on a budget last year and I hope to have that running better and see some real changes in our bottom line.
I also hope to meet my biological mother and sister in 2008 and be able to visit my oldest childhood friend who I reconnected with this year after 20 years of not being able to find her. The internet is an amazing thing and for that, I am eternally grateful.
I've also met a lot of really cool, fun and funny fellow bloggers. They make my life a whole lot more interesting and I look forward to continuing to be a part of their virtual lives. Thanks for being there, friends!
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Elder Abuse
My little Sissy will be 23 months old on Jan. 2 and she's still a tiny thing - tall but slender. That's the MO for both of my kiddos, though. Buddy was such a laid back little guy. Happy all the time and if you told him "No" once, that was it.
His sister, however, has a fiesty temper and is very persistent. She also likes to waller (wallow) all over us. She'll sit on your head, walk on your hair, try to pick your nose, and just generally wreak havoc on a body.
I am not a spring chicken by any stretch of the imagination, but I like to try to get down on the floor and roll around with her. Well, she takes that to mean open season on poor old mom.
Yesterday, I got a head butt to the mouth, which resulted in a blood blister on the inside of my lip. Today, she head butted me so hard in the nose, I was sure it was broken (it's not). I will not be surprised if I wake up with facial bruises tomorrow, though.
I knew it had to have hurt her head, but she wasn't fazed at all. She kept going. She is so cute and funny, we just laugh it off. It's hard to even get mad at her - she's just having a good time in her mind. She doesn't realize she's causing bodily harm.
She has a few new sayings. One is "I a pirate. (then real deep voice) Arrrghhh." Only she says pirate like parrot, which makes it even funnier. Her other big saying is "Boo! I scary now." She got that one from "Jack's Big Music Show" which we both love to watch.
I can't believe she'll be 2 in February and Buddy will be 10 in January. I'm not old enough to have a 10 year old! And I can't imagine life without either of them.
His sister, however, has a fiesty temper and is very persistent. She also likes to waller (wallow) all over us. She'll sit on your head, walk on your hair, try to pick your nose, and just generally wreak havoc on a body.
I am not a spring chicken by any stretch of the imagination, but I like to try to get down on the floor and roll around with her. Well, she takes that to mean open season on poor old mom.
Yesterday, I got a head butt to the mouth, which resulted in a blood blister on the inside of my lip. Today, she head butted me so hard in the nose, I was sure it was broken (it's not). I will not be surprised if I wake up with facial bruises tomorrow, though.
I knew it had to have hurt her head, but she wasn't fazed at all. She kept going. She is so cute and funny, we just laugh it off. It's hard to even get mad at her - she's just having a good time in her mind. She doesn't realize she's causing bodily harm.
She has a few new sayings. One is "I a pirate. (then real deep voice) Arrrghhh." Only she says pirate like parrot, which makes it even funnier. Her other big saying is "Boo! I scary now." She got that one from "Jack's Big Music Show" which we both love to watch.
I can't believe she'll be 2 in February and Buddy will be 10 in January. I'm not old enough to have a 10 year old! And I can't imagine life without either of them.
Friday, December 28, 2007
The Flu?
Ugh! Like a bad girl, I didn't get a flu shot yet. My insurance covers it for me every year (because of the MS).
Today, we got up and went to meet friends for lunch (Mayberry's! Hooray!). Lunch was great. Afterwards, one friend and her daughter came over to our house. Buddy wanted to play the Wii and even though his friend had gotten one for Christmas, it wasn't hooked up at her house yet.
It's always nice to chat with my friend. The Evil Twin made coffee for us and went downstairs. We gossiped and laughed and were having a great time. Then, my head started to hurt - really bad. I tried to ignore it, but it felt like someone was banging a ball-peen hammer on my forehead above my right eye.
The Evil Twin came upstairs and joined us. We were all talking about horror movies and ones we loved (my friend and the Evil Twin are the same age and are both really into the old Universal movies). I started feeling worse and worse. I was all sweaty and I thought I was going to have to excuse myself to the restroom and throw up.
Well, I really hate throwing up and the thoughts of losing my good lunch made me tough it out.
Finally though, I said I had to lie down for a bit. I felt like a horrible hostess, but I was getting light headed and probably was not good company at that point anyway.
I slept for a bit and when I woke up, my head hurt a lot less, but I still had a low grade fever.
I really do hope it's something else because the other friend we met for lunch is a teacher and I held her 3 month old son. That's really what bothers me most is the thought that if I have the flu or some other communicable virus, I may have given it to him. So please keep me in your thoughts that it's something milder or even something not air borne would be most excellent. I don't want my family to get sick, either!
Yuck.
Today, we got up and went to meet friends for lunch (Mayberry's! Hooray!). Lunch was great. Afterwards, one friend and her daughter came over to our house. Buddy wanted to play the Wii and even though his friend had gotten one for Christmas, it wasn't hooked up at her house yet.
It's always nice to chat with my friend. The Evil Twin made coffee for us and went downstairs. We gossiped and laughed and were having a great time. Then, my head started to hurt - really bad. I tried to ignore it, but it felt like someone was banging a ball-peen hammer on my forehead above my right eye.
The Evil Twin came upstairs and joined us. We were all talking about horror movies and ones we loved (my friend and the Evil Twin are the same age and are both really into the old Universal movies). I started feeling worse and worse. I was all sweaty and I thought I was going to have to excuse myself to the restroom and throw up.
Well, I really hate throwing up and the thoughts of losing my good lunch made me tough it out.
Finally though, I said I had to lie down for a bit. I felt like a horrible hostess, but I was getting light headed and probably was not good company at that point anyway.
I slept for a bit and when I woke up, my head hurt a lot less, but I still had a low grade fever.
I really do hope it's something else because the other friend we met for lunch is a teacher and I held her 3 month old son. That's really what bothers me most is the thought that if I have the flu or some other communicable virus, I may have given it to him. So please keep me in your thoughts that it's something milder or even something not air borne would be most excellent. I don't want my family to get sick, either!
Yuck.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Post Holiday Schtuff
The gifts - in particular the Wii - were all hits. I'm having a good time with the Wii myself. I like that bowling game. Buddy got mad because I kicked his butt at it several times, but my parents were on a league when I was younger, so I spent every Monday night in a bowling alley for years. I know my way around the lanes.
My brother and his wife and their two children visited during the afternoon yesterday and it was a really great visit, Their kids are just adorable. They kept us all in stitches. Their son is 3 weeks younger than Sissy and their daughter is 3.5, so the three little kids had a blast running around together. Buddy was too busy with his Wii to care much about those pests. LOL.
The Evil Twin and I don't exchange gifts, which is fine by both of us. My brother and his wife did bring us cookies, which I thought was nice.
A friend of mine sent me a "We Are Marshall" hand blown glass ornament which I love. The box it came in was crushed in on one side and even the box on the inside was crushed, so I didn't have much hope for my ornament (she'd told me she'd sent it), but it was in perfect condition! Amazing.
Tomorrow, my mother-in-law and her husband will be dropping by. They always do holiday cookies and snacks, so they're coming with that stuff. I love all the snacks and things, but I have put on several pounds so far and I think for the first time in my life, I will be making a New Year's resolution to lose about 10 lbs. That will put me back under 120, which is where I'm most comfortable.
All in all, I've got to chalk this up to a very nice Christmas for us. Not too hectic or too many gifts, but still loads of fun. I hope you all have had wonderful holidays as well.
My brother and his wife and their two children visited during the afternoon yesterday and it was a really great visit, Their kids are just adorable. They kept us all in stitches. Their son is 3 weeks younger than Sissy and their daughter is 3.5, so the three little kids had a blast running around together. Buddy was too busy with his Wii to care much about those pests. LOL.
The Evil Twin and I don't exchange gifts, which is fine by both of us. My brother and his wife did bring us cookies, which I thought was nice.
A friend of mine sent me a "We Are Marshall" hand blown glass ornament which I love. The box it came in was crushed in on one side and even the box on the inside was crushed, so I didn't have much hope for my ornament (she'd told me she'd sent it), but it was in perfect condition! Amazing.
Tomorrow, my mother-in-law and her husband will be dropping by. They always do holiday cookies and snacks, so they're coming with that stuff. I love all the snacks and things, but I have put on several pounds so far and I think for the first time in my life, I will be making a New Year's resolution to lose about 10 lbs. That will put me back under 120, which is where I'm most comfortable.
All in all, I've got to chalk this up to a very nice Christmas for us. Not too hectic or too many gifts, but still loads of fun. I hope you all have had wonderful holidays as well.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Anyone Santa Watching?
I swear, I am so excited this year...and I'm not even getting anything. I think it's just going to be so fun in the morning with both kids, even though Sissy is really still just a tad young to "get" the whole thing.
We've had a pretty laid back day today. I did do a couple loads of laundry and picked up around the house a bit. This morning, I decided to run to McDs and get a couple of the McSkillet burrito things. I had a coupon for BOGO free, which is a good thing, because those suckers are $2.50 each! I got each of the kids a hash brown, because that's about all they'll eat from there off the breakfast menu.
Both the Evil Twin and I were less than wowed by the McSkillet. It's nowhere near as big as it appears on the commercial - but really, what fast food ever is? This excellent site really gets behind the comparisons: Ads vs Reality.
So, okay, the McSkillet is a bit on the small side, not as small as the Breakfast Burrito though. You might think the potato pieces would be a good idea and tasty, but that's clearly not the case. They become a bit smashy. And, the Evil Twin brought up the fact that for some reason, all restaurants feel like everyone must want a southwest flavor with their eggs (like green peppers, etc.). Some of us just want eggs and sausage, maybe a little cheese.
On the plus side, it did not give me explosive diarrhea, so that's something to cheer about!
It's back to the Sausage McMuffin (no egg) for me.
Merry Christmas, to all my good blog friends. I enjoy your comments and your blogs. I've learned so much since I started blogging myself and I am extra blessed to have stumbled across the best blogs on the web. Hope Santa is good to you, each and everyone!!! Love ya, Evil Twin's Wife
We've had a pretty laid back day today. I did do a couple loads of laundry and picked up around the house a bit. This morning, I decided to run to McDs and get a couple of the McSkillet burrito things. I had a coupon for BOGO free, which is a good thing, because those suckers are $2.50 each! I got each of the kids a hash brown, because that's about all they'll eat from there off the breakfast menu.
Both the Evil Twin and I were less than wowed by the McSkillet. It's nowhere near as big as it appears on the commercial - but really, what fast food ever is? This excellent site really gets behind the comparisons: Ads vs Reality.
So, okay, the McSkillet is a bit on the small side, not as small as the Breakfast Burrito though. You might think the potato pieces would be a good idea and tasty, but that's clearly not the case. They become a bit smashy. And, the Evil Twin brought up the fact that for some reason, all restaurants feel like everyone must want a southwest flavor with their eggs (like green peppers, etc.). Some of us just want eggs and sausage, maybe a little cheese.
On the plus side, it did not give me explosive diarrhea, so that's something to cheer about!
It's back to the Sausage McMuffin (no egg) for me.
Merry Christmas, to all my good blog friends. I enjoy your comments and your blogs. I've learned so much since I started blogging myself and I am extra blessed to have stumbled across the best blogs on the web. Hope Santa is good to you, each and everyone!!! Love ya, Evil Twin's Wife
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Enjoying the Spirits of Christmas
We had a load of friends over last night (hence, no Saturday update - I was far too plastered to attempt something that complicated). There were 10 adults, 6 children and more hootch than anyone has a right to.
The drinking got started around 5:30 pm and went downhill from there. But, oh!, we had such a wonderful time! The Evil Twin risked life and limb to trek to Kroger's and get chips and veggies and snacks.
Some of our guests had other people/parties to attend, so the crowd thinned out around 8:30. By 9:30, I was wrecked and ready for bed. I bid our other guests a good night and got in bed before I got naked or did anything else to embarass myself. I slept amazingly well and woke up at precisely 5 am.
I felt great, but I couldn't get to sleep again, so I decided to make myself useful. I got up and started the prep work for a beef stew in the crock pot. At one point, the Evil Twin, hearing noises in the kitchen, came in (naked!) to see what was going on. I assured him that I hadn't lost my mind and was just *awake* for the day. Before he went back down the hall, he said when I was finished in the kitchen, I could come back and finish the naughty business we had (apparently) been involved the evening prior.
I gave Mr. Twin an early Christmas present. We were talking and I was sitting up in bed about halfway. I reached over to grab my tube of Vaseline I keep on the nightstand (NOT intended for dirty use). It's what I use before bed to moisturize my lips and when I wake up and they feel dry ... I'll give 'em a swipe of Vaseline and they feel great.
So, I'm slathering it all over my mouth when I notice that it didn't smell like Vaseline. No, it wasn't. In the dark, I had picked up a similar sized tube of DIAPER RASH CREAM and was liberally coating my lips with it.
I asked the ET if he could hand me the jizz towel on his side of the bed. He said, "Well, it's covered in jizz." and I said, "It's also going to be covered in diaper rash cream because I'd rather have jizz on my face than diaper rash ointment."
After that bit of excitement, I was able to lay back down and snooze for another hour or so until Sissy woke up.
We still have loads of booze left, so I think it's going to be a very Merry Christmas, indeed at Casa Evil Twin.
The drinking got started around 5:30 pm and went downhill from there. But, oh!, we had such a wonderful time! The Evil Twin risked life and limb to trek to Kroger's and get chips and veggies and snacks.
Some of our guests had other people/parties to attend, so the crowd thinned out around 8:30. By 9:30, I was wrecked and ready for bed. I bid our other guests a good night and got in bed before I got naked or did anything else to embarass myself. I slept amazingly well and woke up at precisely 5 am.
I felt great, but I couldn't get to sleep again, so I decided to make myself useful. I got up and started the prep work for a beef stew in the crock pot. At one point, the Evil Twin, hearing noises in the kitchen, came in (naked!) to see what was going on. I assured him that I hadn't lost my mind and was just *awake* for the day. Before he went back down the hall, he said when I was finished in the kitchen, I could come back and finish the naughty business we had (apparently) been involved the evening prior.
I gave Mr. Twin an early Christmas present. We were talking and I was sitting up in bed about halfway. I reached over to grab my tube of Vaseline I keep on the nightstand (NOT intended for dirty use). It's what I use before bed to moisturize my lips and when I wake up and they feel dry ... I'll give 'em a swipe of Vaseline and they feel great.
So, I'm slathering it all over my mouth when I notice that it didn't smell like Vaseline. No, it wasn't. In the dark, I had picked up a similar sized tube of DIAPER RASH CREAM and was liberally coating my lips with it.
I asked the ET if he could hand me the jizz towel on his side of the bed. He said, "Well, it's covered in jizz." and I said, "It's also going to be covered in diaper rash cream because I'd rather have jizz on my face than diaper rash ointment."
After that bit of excitement, I was able to lay back down and snooze for another hour or so until Sissy woke up.
We still have loads of booze left, so I think it's going to be a very Merry Christmas, indeed at Casa Evil Twin.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Alone At Last
The one thing I truly love about Friday nights is that most of the time, the Evil Twin and Buddy will abscond to our downstairs den and watch a scary movie for the evening. They do popcorn, sodas and other snacks and turn all the lights off for their evening of scariness. Sometimes, they watch a more humorous movie or just whatever they feel like seeing. Doesn't matter to me one whit.
All I care about is I have my upstairs den all to myself. Sissy is in bed. It's warm and quiet. Plus, it gives me an evening off of laundry. They don't like it when I run the washer and dryer, since the utility room is downstairs also and the noises interrupt their good movie viewing - although most evenings, I can hear their TV even upstairs and this house is super soundproof. The guy who built it was a shift worker for an engineering plant, so if he needed to sleep during the day, he was gonna be damn sure he could sleep during the day.
I'm going to take advantage of my time this evening. I'll have a glass of wine and admire the Christmas tree, I'll check my YouTube favorites and laugh like a loon. I'll sort thru Christmas cards and make sure I haven't missed anyone on my list (there's still time to send out a few late ones!) and I plan on engaging in some online banking thrills and paying off some debt that's been bugging me, but I've been too cheap to part with the dead presidents in my account.
Doesn't that sound like fun, folks? I'm making some small changes for the New Year and I think 2008 is going to be a good one for Casa Evil Twin.
All I care about is I have my upstairs den all to myself. Sissy is in bed. It's warm and quiet. Plus, it gives me an evening off of laundry. They don't like it when I run the washer and dryer, since the utility room is downstairs also and the noises interrupt their good movie viewing - although most evenings, I can hear their TV even upstairs and this house is super soundproof. The guy who built it was a shift worker for an engineering plant, so if he needed to sleep during the day, he was gonna be damn sure he could sleep during the day.
I'm going to take advantage of my time this evening. I'll have a glass of wine and admire the Christmas tree, I'll check my YouTube favorites and laugh like a loon. I'll sort thru Christmas cards and make sure I haven't missed anyone on my list (there's still time to send out a few late ones!) and I plan on engaging in some online banking thrills and paying off some debt that's been bugging me, but I've been too cheap to part with the dead presidents in my account.
Doesn't that sound like fun, folks? I'm making some small changes for the New Year and I think 2008 is going to be a good one for Casa Evil Twin.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Christmas Movies I Like
Probably my number one favorite is "Scrooged" with Bill Murray. It's funny and sweet. I don't know what my scoop is with Bill Murray. I don't think he's a hottie. For whatever reason, most movies I pick from Netflix have him in them - and I often don't realize that until the movie gets here. The Evil Twin thought I was trying to foist some sort of Bill Murray brainwashing on him.
When my family moved to Kansas from Georgia, we got cable TV. Wow. Including HBO. Us kids didn't know what to make of this all movies all the time thing. One of the first Christmas seasons we lived there, HBO was running "Emmett Otter's Jugband Christmas" and I think I watched it every time they ran it. I've thought about it off and on over the years - and I'm now on a quest to find and own a copy of my own.
No one would be even remotely human if they didn't list "Charlie Brown's Christmas". Watching it as an adult is really not the same. I don't feel the same heart full of joy as when I was a kid, but it's fun to watch my kids enjoy it.
And the list wouldn't be complete without "The Grinch". And I'm not talking about that POS with Jim Carrey. Whoever thought they could improve upon the original must have been on acid.
Whenever we flip around the channels, if we see "A Christmas Story", we at least have to stop and watch part of it. It's just too cute to pass up.
There are some other movies I enjoy, but don't really lump them as strictly Christmas, like Bad Santa - very funny movie, set at Christmas time, but not really a heartwarming tale of Christmas Spirit (unless the spirits are in the booze scenes). "Elf" is also a cute movie, but if it weren't for Will Farrell, I'd have to give that one a pass. National Lampoon's "Christmas Vacation" is a classic, for sure, but it seems to be less about Christmas than the foibles of the Griswold family - who do some very funny shit!
Sad to say, but I don't think I've seen "It's a Wonderful Life" all the way through. Or any of the "older" Christmas tales. Not sure why... The planets just haven't aligned in such a way that I can catch any of those on TV or whatever. Maybe someday, I'll buckle down and make a long list of Christmas movies I haven't seen and put them on our Netflix list!
On the agenda for this evening, courtesy of Netflix, is "Eight Crazy Nights" which was on The Film Geek's favorites list. (he's over there to your right - check him out!).
When my family moved to Kansas from Georgia, we got cable TV. Wow. Including HBO. Us kids didn't know what to make of this all movies all the time thing. One of the first Christmas seasons we lived there, HBO was running "Emmett Otter's Jugband Christmas" and I think I watched it every time they ran it. I've thought about it off and on over the years - and I'm now on a quest to find and own a copy of my own.
No one would be even remotely human if they didn't list "Charlie Brown's Christmas". Watching it as an adult is really not the same. I don't feel the same heart full of joy as when I was a kid, but it's fun to watch my kids enjoy it.
And the list wouldn't be complete without "The Grinch". And I'm not talking about that POS with Jim Carrey. Whoever thought they could improve upon the original must have been on acid.
Whenever we flip around the channels, if we see "A Christmas Story", we at least have to stop and watch part of it. It's just too cute to pass up.
There are some other movies I enjoy, but don't really lump them as strictly Christmas, like Bad Santa - very funny movie, set at Christmas time, but not really a heartwarming tale of Christmas Spirit (unless the spirits are in the booze scenes). "Elf" is also a cute movie, but if it weren't for Will Farrell, I'd have to give that one a pass. National Lampoon's "Christmas Vacation" is a classic, for sure, but it seems to be less about Christmas than the foibles of the Griswold family - who do some very funny shit!
Sad to say, but I don't think I've seen "It's a Wonderful Life" all the way through. Or any of the "older" Christmas tales. Not sure why... The planets just haven't aligned in such a way that I can catch any of those on TV or whatever. Maybe someday, I'll buckle down and make a long list of Christmas movies I haven't seen and put them on our Netflix list!
On the agenda for this evening, courtesy of Netflix, is "Eight Crazy Nights" which was on The Film Geek's favorites list. (he's over there to your right - check him out!).
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Ready to Exhale
Buddy's last day of school is tomorrow and then he's off until January 2nd. The Evil Twin will be off from Monday the 23rd until January 7th! How great is that? I'm really looking forward to having the whole family around and having a real loose schedule.
The baby and I have spent the last two days being a bit lazy. Tomorrow will be the Christmas party at Owen's school and I'll be there to help set up and help out in any other way they need me. Their parties are always really nice and the kids have a good time. It's nice for me because I get to spend time with other moms and adults! Something I don't get much of during the week.
I'm really hoping that our Christmas will be fun, but I'm feeling doubtful and ashamed. I did something I shouldn't have done and the Evil Twin is upset with me and rightly so. I'm trying soooo hard to make it right, but he tends to hold his grudges close to his heart and is reluctant to move on. So we'll see.
I know the kids' will be excited and I'm excited for them. We've been careful to set Buddy up that the Wiis are sold out everywhere and so he's not entirely sure he's getting it. It's already wrapped and under the tree, along with a few games - that Sissy keeps picking up and saying "Book". LOL. I guess they're roughly book shaped and the case is hard like her board books.
Thank goodness for her. She's been keeping my spirits up. She's a real snuggler and she's learning all kinds of phrases, like, "Boo!" "Am I scary?" or "Ready, Go!" then she jumps up, or she just says "jump, jump, jump" all the way down the hall.
Well, my oldest kid is still up, doing his homework when he should be getting his shower and getting ready for bed at this time. I've got laundry and bills to pay, so this should be a great evening for me.
The baby and I have spent the last two days being a bit lazy. Tomorrow will be the Christmas party at Owen's school and I'll be there to help set up and help out in any other way they need me. Their parties are always really nice and the kids have a good time. It's nice for me because I get to spend time with other moms and adults! Something I don't get much of during the week.
I'm really hoping that our Christmas will be fun, but I'm feeling doubtful and ashamed. I did something I shouldn't have done and the Evil Twin is upset with me and rightly so. I'm trying soooo hard to make it right, but he tends to hold his grudges close to his heart and is reluctant to move on. So we'll see.
I know the kids' will be excited and I'm excited for them. We've been careful to set Buddy up that the Wiis are sold out everywhere and so he's not entirely sure he's getting it. It's already wrapped and under the tree, along with a few games - that Sissy keeps picking up and saying "Book". LOL. I guess they're roughly book shaped and the case is hard like her board books.
Thank goodness for her. She's been keeping my spirits up. She's a real snuggler and she's learning all kinds of phrases, like, "Boo!" "Am I scary?" or "Ready, Go!" then she jumps up, or she just says "jump, jump, jump" all the way down the hall.
Well, my oldest kid is still up, doing his homework when he should be getting his shower and getting ready for bed at this time. I've got laundry and bills to pay, so this should be a great evening for me.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Insanity
That would be the only word I could use to describe our decision to go out shopping on Saturday - 10 days before Christmas! LOL.
Before we set off on our journey, I had the family pow-wow with my gang. I said, "Today is a beautiful day. We will all have fun and smile at everyone. We know it's going to be hectic out there, but let's make the best of it." Surprisingly, there was no whining, cussing or grousing about the situation. And that goes for the kids, too!
Buddy really needed new tennis shoes and of course, he has to be with you to try them on, so it became an outting for the whole family. We went to Kohl's for the shoes. He also needed socks and a new belt, so we were able to get all that there and even though the store was crowded, it was crowded in an orderly way (at least at the check out lines).
After Kohl's, there was the daunting trip to the Toys R Us. TRU was a bit nuttier than Kohl's and even more crowded, but still manageable. Since I still needed to get a few small stocking items for each child, The Evil Twin took Buddy to check out the electronics and I took Sissy in the cart and did the shopping. We had to divide and conquer since Buddy would totally be on to us if he saw the items I was buying. I finished up quickly - we're not having a lot of extraneous "junk" this year - and made it out the store.
A quick trip into the IGA for bread and coffee by the Evil Twin and we were on our way back home. Now, some folks may not know about our weekly Saturday tradition of eating out, or grabbing fast food. It's our one special junk food night. As usual, none of us can agree on a location. I always vote on Wendy's, but I think I've burnt everyone else out on Wendy's. Buddy always wants McDs - which kind of gives me the willies - but I went along with it for the sake of peace.
I got a Big Mac and about half hour later, I had RonnieZuma's Revenge. Damn those Big Macs!
When I finished my ass-plosion, I came back to the den where the Evil Twin was setting up the new "King Kong" (Peter Jackson version) on the DVD player. He had seen it before, but wanted to watch it on the BATV (Big Ass TV). I got interested in it and even though it's 3 hours long, it's very fast paced and the CGI effects are amazing.
It was a nice ending to a crazy day!
Before we set off on our journey, I had the family pow-wow with my gang. I said, "Today is a beautiful day. We will all have fun and smile at everyone. We know it's going to be hectic out there, but let's make the best of it." Surprisingly, there was no whining, cussing or grousing about the situation. And that goes for the kids, too!
Buddy really needed new tennis shoes and of course, he has to be with you to try them on, so it became an outting for the whole family. We went to Kohl's for the shoes. He also needed socks and a new belt, so we were able to get all that there and even though the store was crowded, it was crowded in an orderly way (at least at the check out lines).
After Kohl's, there was the daunting trip to the Toys R Us. TRU was a bit nuttier than Kohl's and even more crowded, but still manageable. Since I still needed to get a few small stocking items for each child, The Evil Twin took Buddy to check out the electronics and I took Sissy in the cart and did the shopping. We had to divide and conquer since Buddy would totally be on to us if he saw the items I was buying. I finished up quickly - we're not having a lot of extraneous "junk" this year - and made it out the store.
A quick trip into the IGA for bread and coffee by the Evil Twin and we were on our way back home. Now, some folks may not know about our weekly Saturday tradition of eating out, or grabbing fast food. It's our one special junk food night. As usual, none of us can agree on a location. I always vote on Wendy's, but I think I've burnt everyone else out on Wendy's. Buddy always wants McDs - which kind of gives me the willies - but I went along with it for the sake of peace.
I got a Big Mac and about half hour later, I had RonnieZuma's Revenge. Damn those Big Macs!
When I finished my ass-plosion, I came back to the den where the Evil Twin was setting up the new "King Kong" (Peter Jackson version) on the DVD player. He had seen it before, but wanted to watch it on the BATV (Big Ass TV). I got interested in it and even though it's 3 hours long, it's very fast paced and the CGI effects are amazing.
It was a nice ending to a crazy day!
Saturday, December 15, 2007
The Neighborhood and Nicknames
When the Evil Twin and I got married, the next order of business was finding a home to buy and settle in. We looked all over. We eventually learned that in our price range (almost zilch), there wasn't much available that seemed even somewhat habitable.
I would check the classifieds for houses and the real estate guides, and then I stumbled upon information on a new subdivision being built, in the next county over and the prices were what we could afford. So, we set about choosing a lot and having our little 3 bedroom, mid-entry built.
After many months and many set-backs and many altercations with the contractor (who was only slightly evolved from a caveman), we signed the closing papers and moved in - one month shy of our first anniversary. We were so proud to be homeowners and our little house was fine for the time being.
Then, we get to know the neighbors. Oh my! What a pack of loons we were surrounded by. The next door neighbors were fundamentalist Christian (not that there's anything wrong with that). However, they were so hyper religious, we dubbed them Ned and Maude Flanders (after "The Simpsons" cartoon characters). They were okay, but if you were on your driveway more than 5 seconds, Maude would come out and proceed to chat your head off. She also targeted other people walking their dogs or strolling by. After a while, we started to refer to this accosting as "being Flandered". We got Flandered a lot. They eventually moved out.
The neighbors behind us were just trash. We called them "The Nut-Nuts". The Nut-Nuts had two nut-nut kids who were menaces to the neighborhood. They would turn out their little dog, Co-co and then stand at the back door, hollering "Co-co, Co-co, Co-co" ad nauseum until I wanted to run out there and just grab the nasty, barking moron and hand it to them. One night, Mr. Nut-Nut went to the store to buy more beer and was pursued by the cops until he wrapped himself around a tree and killed himself. Shortly thereafter, Mrs. Nut-Nut had a new boyfriend living there. He had precisely four teeth and they got a pit bull that was so aggresive, I would not allow Buddy in the back yard. And, I traveled very quickly from the car into the house with my small child. (I feared "Little Benny" would jump the fence and maul us both).
When the house across the street went on the market, we were happy when a nice young couple with two girls bought it. Well, until the husband would ring our doorbell at odd hours of the evening for coffee or something else to mooch when he was over there doing remodeling before they moved in. He was quite possibly the hairiest man on the planet and he would often mow his grass shirtless (with an electric mower, no less). He was dubbed "Captain Caveman". Once, the Evil Twin was getting out of his car and Captain Caveman was mowing his grass. When he saw ET, he stopped his mower to come across the road for a chat. Later, the Evil Twin related that Captain Caveman had a large, yellow snot wad that was just dangling right on top of his mustache and apparently had no clue. Poor ET, it was all he could do not to wretch right in front of the dude.
Our next door neighbor was the superintendent of the county school system. He was a sauce hound and was always drunk. Nice, huh?
The neighbors in the cul-de-sac had two see thru children we called "The Albinos". The Albino children and the Nut-Nut children often ran around together. Once, we were running the sprinkler in our front yard and they were all out in OUR yard (before we had children) - playing in the sprinkler. Fine, fine. I let them do it. Then, they rang my doorbell and asked for towels and popsicles!!!! I said I had neitherand they went away.
The toothless boyfriend of Mrs. Nut-Nut would go around the neighborhood and offer to do "odd jobs", so he became "Odd Jobs". Odd jobs, as I mentioned, only had four teeth - what appeared to be 2 eye teeth up top and two similar placed teeth on the bottom. As a result of his toothlessness, he pronounced his Js as Ds. So, the older couple on the top of the hill (who also owned the lots therein) were Dim and Dune (Jim and June).
Another couple moved in - he was a cop, she was a nurse. They had differing stories on their marital status, but they had a little boy and later had a girl. They were a biracial couple (again, nothing wrong with that), but we honored them with the nicknames "Ebony and Ivory". Ebony was the cop and he would tell the biggest lies in the world. For example, he had a detail once in which he did security work when President Bush was in town. Later, he told us all that the president was coming to their BBQ at their house. We all laughed and wondered where he'd land Chopper One.
After 10 years of living amongst these colorful characters, we had enough. The interest rates were good and we had enough equity and we needed more room. So, we put our house on the market and started searching again. This time, we knew we weren't going to build... we wanted an older house, one with character and not a fixer upper. We found our current house and fell in love. It was more than we wanted to spend, but we figured we'd save money by being closer to Buddy's school and with a large down payment, our mortgage wouldn't be a complete strain.
Now, we only have one set of neighbors with nicknames and that's the couple across from us. They moved in a few months after us (that house was on the market when we bought this one). And, ever since then, they are rarely seen. So, we call them Momma and Poppa Roach. It's like daylight would kill 'em or something.
But, that's fine with us. I'd rather they be stand offish than be all up in our bizness all the time (not that we're cooking meth or anything - we just like our privacy). Socializing with the people we choose as friends is much better.
I would check the classifieds for houses and the real estate guides, and then I stumbled upon information on a new subdivision being built, in the next county over and the prices were what we could afford. So, we set about choosing a lot and having our little 3 bedroom, mid-entry built.
After many months and many set-backs and many altercations with the contractor (who was only slightly evolved from a caveman), we signed the closing papers and moved in - one month shy of our first anniversary. We were so proud to be homeowners and our little house was fine for the time being.
Then, we get to know the neighbors. Oh my! What a pack of loons we were surrounded by. The next door neighbors were fundamentalist Christian (not that there's anything wrong with that). However, they were so hyper religious, we dubbed them Ned and Maude Flanders (after "The Simpsons" cartoon characters). They were okay, but if you were on your driveway more than 5 seconds, Maude would come out and proceed to chat your head off. She also targeted other people walking their dogs or strolling by. After a while, we started to refer to this accosting as "being Flandered". We got Flandered a lot. They eventually moved out.
The neighbors behind us were just trash. We called them "The Nut-Nuts". The Nut-Nuts had two nut-nut kids who were menaces to the neighborhood. They would turn out their little dog, Co-co and then stand at the back door, hollering "Co-co, Co-co, Co-co" ad nauseum until I wanted to run out there and just grab the nasty, barking moron and hand it to them. One night, Mr. Nut-Nut went to the store to buy more beer and was pursued by the cops until he wrapped himself around a tree and killed himself. Shortly thereafter, Mrs. Nut-Nut had a new boyfriend living there. He had precisely four teeth and they got a pit bull that was so aggresive, I would not allow Buddy in the back yard. And, I traveled very quickly from the car into the house with my small child. (I feared "Little Benny" would jump the fence and maul us both).
When the house across the street went on the market, we were happy when a nice young couple with two girls bought it. Well, until the husband would ring our doorbell at odd hours of the evening for coffee or something else to mooch when he was over there doing remodeling before they moved in. He was quite possibly the hairiest man on the planet and he would often mow his grass shirtless (with an electric mower, no less). He was dubbed "Captain Caveman". Once, the Evil Twin was getting out of his car and Captain Caveman was mowing his grass. When he saw ET, he stopped his mower to come across the road for a chat. Later, the Evil Twin related that Captain Caveman had a large, yellow snot wad that was just dangling right on top of his mustache and apparently had no clue. Poor ET, it was all he could do not to wretch right in front of the dude.
Our next door neighbor was the superintendent of the county school system. He was a sauce hound and was always drunk. Nice, huh?
The neighbors in the cul-de-sac had two see thru children we called "The Albinos". The Albino children and the Nut-Nut children often ran around together. Once, we were running the sprinkler in our front yard and they were all out in OUR yard (before we had children) - playing in the sprinkler. Fine, fine. I let them do it. Then, they rang my doorbell and asked for towels and popsicles!!!! I said I had neitherand they went away.
The toothless boyfriend of Mrs. Nut-Nut would go around the neighborhood and offer to do "odd jobs", so he became "Odd Jobs". Odd jobs, as I mentioned, only had four teeth - what appeared to be 2 eye teeth up top and two similar placed teeth on the bottom. As a result of his toothlessness, he pronounced his Js as Ds. So, the older couple on the top of the hill (who also owned the lots therein) were Dim and Dune (Jim and June).
Another couple moved in - he was a cop, she was a nurse. They had differing stories on their marital status, but they had a little boy and later had a girl. They were a biracial couple (again, nothing wrong with that), but we honored them with the nicknames "Ebony and Ivory". Ebony was the cop and he would tell the biggest lies in the world. For example, he had a detail once in which he did security work when President Bush was in town. Later, he told us all that the president was coming to their BBQ at their house. We all laughed and wondered where he'd land Chopper One.
After 10 years of living amongst these colorful characters, we had enough. The interest rates were good and we had enough equity and we needed more room. So, we put our house on the market and started searching again. This time, we knew we weren't going to build... we wanted an older house, one with character and not a fixer upper. We found our current house and fell in love. It was more than we wanted to spend, but we figured we'd save money by being closer to Buddy's school and with a large down payment, our mortgage wouldn't be a complete strain.
Now, we only have one set of neighbors with nicknames and that's the couple across from us. They moved in a few months after us (that house was on the market when we bought this one). And, ever since then, they are rarely seen. So, we call them Momma and Poppa Roach. It's like daylight would kill 'em or something.
But, that's fine with us. I'd rather they be stand offish than be all up in our bizness all the time (not that we're cooking meth or anything - we just like our privacy). Socializing with the people we choose as friends is much better.
Friday, December 14, 2007
OMWord, I Ate Too Much
The Evil Twin typically picks up pizza on Fridays and today was no exception. It was so good, I had 4 pieces. Yikes. But, now, I'm all bloaty and sick feeling. Yuck. It was just so good and I just had to have one last little tiny piece (and it was tiny, but apparently the slice that pushed me over the edge).
I recieved my Christmas card pictures today, so this evenings chore is to work on cards. I already have a few addressed and ready to go, they just need the pics slipped in and stamps. I'm really feeling behind on things this year, but it's just so crazy.
Buddy is going to be happy when Christmas finally gets here. Don't tell - but he's getting a Wii. I had to sign my soul over to Satan to get it, but it's here and most of it is wrapped. I found a good deal on a bundled package fom Gamestop and that came with the console, three games, extra controllers, the recharging dock and a memory card. We're giving him the Wii and a couple of games. Santa will bring the rest. I also found a deal at Toys R Us a couple of weeks ago for buy 2, get 1 free on Wii games. I got online and ordered those, so he's set. It's an all Wii Christmas for him. I know he'll be thrilled. It was really the only thing he wanted.
Sissy is getting an Aquadoodle and a My Little Pony. I might get her a couple of Santa gifts and a stocking toy or something, but that will be it for her. She's not even 2 and has no clue. I found an old Blue's Clue stuffed animal this morning out of Buddy's old things and she's toted it around all day and went to bed holding it. I told the Evil Twin, I should have held onto it and wrapped it for Christmas. Mwhahahaha!
Amazingly enough, she has left the tree alone. She'll look at the ornaments and point and name the things she knows, and twice, she's brought me a present over - but I put it back and said "No." and miracle of miracle, I think she's finally understanding that word. That's my Christmas present!
I'm off to work on cards~ Catch ya tomorrow!
I recieved my Christmas card pictures today, so this evenings chore is to work on cards. I already have a few addressed and ready to go, they just need the pics slipped in and stamps. I'm really feeling behind on things this year, but it's just so crazy.
Buddy is going to be happy when Christmas finally gets here. Don't tell - but he's getting a Wii. I had to sign my soul over to Satan to get it, but it's here and most of it is wrapped. I found a good deal on a bundled package fom Gamestop and that came with the console, three games, extra controllers, the recharging dock and a memory card. We're giving him the Wii and a couple of games. Santa will bring the rest. I also found a deal at Toys R Us a couple of weeks ago for buy 2, get 1 free on Wii games. I got online and ordered those, so he's set. It's an all Wii Christmas for him. I know he'll be thrilled. It was really the only thing he wanted.
Sissy is getting an Aquadoodle and a My Little Pony. I might get her a couple of Santa gifts and a stocking toy or something, but that will be it for her. She's not even 2 and has no clue. I found an old Blue's Clue stuffed animal this morning out of Buddy's old things and she's toted it around all day and went to bed holding it. I told the Evil Twin, I should have held onto it and wrapped it for Christmas. Mwhahahaha!
Amazingly enough, she has left the tree alone. She'll look at the ornaments and point and name the things she knows, and twice, she's brought me a present over - but I put it back and said "No." and miracle of miracle, I think she's finally understanding that word. That's my Christmas present!
I'm off to work on cards~ Catch ya tomorrow!
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Melchior and the gang
On Tuesday, after my neuro appointment, I went to Wally Mart to get fabric that looked "Wiseman"-ish and I found the perfect stuff. I only spent $8 too, so of course that made me really happy. It's been kind of a whirlwind since then.
Today, I just had to get to the post office (groan...) and then to school pick up and then after the Evil Twin came in from work, we all got in the van and headed to Mayberry's for dinner. Then, we went across the street to the sc hool and watched the play.
We are soooo tired this evening. Next Thursday is Buddy's last day of school and then, we'll have a couple of weeks off of the old crazy schedule.
Anyway, I wanted to thank everyone for the germ comments! I don't want to come off as a germ-0-phobe or anything - cause I really am not. It's not that my steering wheel IS dirty, it's my perception of the situation. I do carry wipes in the car, too, so if I truly felt too skeeved out, I could get a quick wipe down.
So, I don't have much to report. Oh! I did get some really cute stamps at the post office. They're called Holiday Knits and they're little swatches of knitted Christmas themed stamps. How cute?
As is my typical MO, I didn't take the camera or video camera to the play. It wouldn't matter anyway, because I'm always in the way back and only hear a few lines of dialogue. It's always hotter than hell in there and I just bide my time until Buddy is on stage and then I go all goo-goo. LOL.
Hopefully, there will be something new to report or discuss tomorrow. I did have some things lined up, but my brain is on vibrate right now. ZzZZZZzzzZZzz.
Today, I just had to get to the post office (groan...) and then to school pick up and then after the Evil Twin came in from work, we all got in the van and headed to Mayberry's for dinner. Then, we went across the street to the sc hool and watched the play.
We are soooo tired this evening. Next Thursday is Buddy's last day of school and then, we'll have a couple of weeks off of the old crazy schedule.
Anyway, I wanted to thank everyone for the germ comments! I don't want to come off as a germ-0-phobe or anything - cause I really am not. It's not that my steering wheel IS dirty, it's my perception of the situation. I do carry wipes in the car, too, so if I truly felt too skeeved out, I could get a quick wipe down.
So, I don't have much to report. Oh! I did get some really cute stamps at the post office. They're called Holiday Knits and they're little swatches of knitted Christmas themed stamps. How cute?
As is my typical MO, I didn't take the camera or video camera to the play. It wouldn't matter anyway, because I'm always in the way back and only hear a few lines of dialogue. It's always hotter than hell in there and I just bide my time until Buddy is on stage and then I go all goo-goo. LOL.
Hopefully, there will be something new to report or discuss tomorrow. I did have some things lined up, but my brain is on vibrate right now. ZzZZZZzzzZZzz.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
A Poach and a Confession
A few days ago, Buzzardbilly posted a blog called A Hillbilly Will Help You Out in which she focused on two occasions where friendly mountain folk helped her out in public restroom settings.
One comment was that the toilet seat in a public restroom was actually not as filthy as the things your hands touch in the restroom. And, that's true. I once read or heard that a pubic lice (crab) cannot live on a toilet seat for very long at all. They need a host and a cold old toilet seat is not going to cut it.
Now for the TMI and confession part. I do not lay down toilet paper, use the complimentary toilet seat covers (if you can find one) nor do I "hover". I just sit down. Because, if there is some poor crab lying in wait for a host, he won't find anything warm and hairy on that part of my body to snuggle in and I don't put my orifices on the seat. They are positioned directly in between the hole. The only part of my body that touches the seat is the back of my legs and some bottom flesh.
I'm a quick peer and I never do #2 in a public facility unless it is an absolute, dire emergency. So, I figure my contact with the seat is minimal anyway.
Trust me, when I was pregnant with both kids, especially Sissy (who I could swear was riding my bladder like a mechanical bull for 39 weeks), I had to pee alot. I became very familiar with all the restrooms up and down Kanawha County. For the record, The Cracker Barrel in Cross Lanes is always nice, it smells good and seems sanitary.
So, I got to thinking about the sinks and door handles on public restrooms, which is where the majority of filth and germs live. I DO wash my hands and I do try to use the paper towel to then open the door to exit the ladies' room.
Another place I suspect is a freaking germ wagon is the steering wheel in my car (or yours, or yours or even yours!). Let's think on this. We go out about our business and imagine all the items at a store or restaurant that your hands come into contact with. Money or your debit card, which is handled by the cashier then back to you. Front doors. Items in stores that you fondle and either buy or put back. Then, you hop into the car and drive home.
I can't tell you how relieved I am to get home because the first thing I do is wash my hands.
And, yes, I carry the Purrel type of antibacterial, but nothing really says clean to me like warm water and real soap!
One comment was that the toilet seat in a public restroom was actually not as filthy as the things your hands touch in the restroom. And, that's true. I once read or heard that a pubic lice (crab) cannot live on a toilet seat for very long at all. They need a host and a cold old toilet seat is not going to cut it.
Now for the TMI and confession part. I do not lay down toilet paper, use the complimentary toilet seat covers (if you can find one) nor do I "hover". I just sit down. Because, if there is some poor crab lying in wait for a host, he won't find anything warm and hairy on that part of my body to snuggle in and I don't put my orifices on the seat. They are positioned directly in between the hole. The only part of my body that touches the seat is the back of my legs and some bottom flesh.
I'm a quick peer and I never do #2 in a public facility unless it is an absolute, dire emergency. So, I figure my contact with the seat is minimal anyway.
Trust me, when I was pregnant with both kids, especially Sissy (who I could swear was riding my bladder like a mechanical bull for 39 weeks), I had to pee alot. I became very familiar with all the restrooms up and down Kanawha County. For the record, The Cracker Barrel in Cross Lanes is always nice, it smells good and seems sanitary.
So, I got to thinking about the sinks and door handles on public restrooms, which is where the majority of filth and germs live. I DO wash my hands and I do try to use the paper towel to then open the door to exit the ladies' room.
Another place I suspect is a freaking germ wagon is the steering wheel in my car (or yours, or yours or even yours!). Let's think on this. We go out about our business and imagine all the items at a store or restaurant that your hands come into contact with. Money or your debit card, which is handled by the cashier then back to you. Front doors. Items in stores that you fondle and either buy or put back. Then, you hop into the car and drive home.
I can't tell you how relieved I am to get home because the first thing I do is wash my hands.
And, yes, I carry the Purrel type of antibacterial, but nothing really says clean to me like warm water and real soap!
Monday, December 10, 2007
Monday is Day Off Day
And I had a fairly productive day in spite of it. I made a few phone calls and followed up on a few items on my "To Do" list. 2 loads of laundry, emptied and reloaded dishwasher and cleaned the shower. My brother called (he never calls).
I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow. It's my regular check up with my neuro. For those who may not know - I've had MS for about 7 years now and I'm doing great. My appt. is later in the day, so I'm going to have to send Buddy to After School Care. He's thrilled about it. He loves going and having extra play time with his friends. He once asked me why he couldn't go to ASC more often and I replied that since I don't have a job outside our home, I'm always available to pick him up when school ends. He wasn't real happy with that answer.
But, there are times when After School Care saves my butt and tomorrow will be one of them. Of course, I'll get charged for it, but it's really not that expensive and it is nice to blow off that 2:45 deadline from time to time. I think I'll visit the doc and then hit Kroger's before I make it over to the school. That'll make him happy.
On Thursday night is the school play. Buddy has the role of Melchior (one of the wise men for those atheist or agnostics or just don't give a poo about religion types - not that there's anything wrong with that. The Evil Twin is agnostic). Anyway, it's my job to costume my child. The Evil Twin suggested a turban and I thought some purple fabric draped over his shoulder and a rope belt would be sufficient. After all, the wise men were kings, so they dressed vividly and not in rags! Right? If you have any suggestions, I'd appreciate it. I have until Thursday evening to put this costume bizness together.
I have a sneaking suspicion that I will come home tomorrow or Wednesday with a sewing machine - even if it's just a basic model.
I grow more domestic by the minute.... Scary times, kids.
I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow. It's my regular check up with my neuro. For those who may not know - I've had MS for about 7 years now and I'm doing great. My appt. is later in the day, so I'm going to have to send Buddy to After School Care. He's thrilled about it. He loves going and having extra play time with his friends. He once asked me why he couldn't go to ASC more often and I replied that since I don't have a job outside our home, I'm always available to pick him up when school ends. He wasn't real happy with that answer.
But, there are times when After School Care saves my butt and tomorrow will be one of them. Of course, I'll get charged for it, but it's really not that expensive and it is nice to blow off that 2:45 deadline from time to time. I think I'll visit the doc and then hit Kroger's before I make it over to the school. That'll make him happy.
On Thursday night is the school play. Buddy has the role of Melchior (one of the wise men for those atheist or agnostics or just don't give a poo about religion types - not that there's anything wrong with that. The Evil Twin is agnostic). Anyway, it's my job to costume my child. The Evil Twin suggested a turban and I thought some purple fabric draped over his shoulder and a rope belt would be sufficient. After all, the wise men were kings, so they dressed vividly and not in rags! Right? If you have any suggestions, I'd appreciate it. I have until Thursday evening to put this costume bizness together.
I have a sneaking suspicion that I will come home tomorrow or Wednesday with a sewing machine - even if it's just a basic model.
I grow more domestic by the minute.... Scary times, kids.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Getting Merrier
This is the mostly done tree. I've added an ornament here and there since last night. We decided to tackle the major decorations after we put Sissy in her crib for the night. We figured she'd be really excited this morning, but I think it just freaked her out.
There is a Mickey Mouse ornament on the tree and the Evil Twin hung it fairly low, so she'd be sure to see it. That was one of the first things she did pay attention to, and she kept pointing and saying, "Mouse". Yep, baby, that's a mouse. Then she went to her room and got one of her stuffed Mickey Mouses to tote around the house. Something tells me we've got a trip to Disney in our future. LOL.
So, I don't know if it was the tree or what, but I woke up this morning feeling good. I even made a trip out to the WalMart world of Walmartians. I knew it would be packed and it was, but I was happy and I smiled at everyone. I took my time on my shopping - I left the kids at home with Daddy who didn't want to venture out due to football.
But, it was a really nice day - the temperature was about 60s and it didn't rain all day, as predicted. We did have a spot of sunshine about mid day.
I think I'm going to try to wrap a few more gifts this evening, so it looks even more festive. We don't buy a lot for our kids, but they get plenty from other family. We started out when Buddy was smaller by putting a limit on the amount of things he could ask for Santa, and from us. He makes sure he chooses carefully and it also lightens the burden on our budget. I think kids get way too much these days anyway - all the time. It seems like it's always some holiday! Buddy's birthday is less than a month after Christmas and Sissy is my Groundhog Day baby (February 2), so it's a constant party here from Halloween to February.
Let the party begin!
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Yummy?
Last night, Buddy had his best friend over to spend the night. Since I am almost out of any decent cereal, the Evil Twin had promised to run to Tudor's this morning for breakfast.
Tudor's is a local fast food restaurant known best for their breakfast - in particular, their biscuits. They offer a wide variety of choices and they're all tasty.
I must have Buzzardbilly on the brain, 'cause I ordered her favorite, the Mary B. Why it's called the Mary B. I have no idea, but it's a biscuit with bacon, egg and cheese. I get my egg portion scrambled because I no likey the bouncy egg form usually presented.
The danger with the Mary B. is within the bacon part. Sometimes, the bacon is so done, it's practically burnt and sometimes, it's barely done at all which makes for stringy, chewy bacon hell.
Wonder what I'll get this time?
I hope it's just right. Because of the bacon iffiness, I often opt for the Dottie - hash brown, egg and cheese on a biscuit. Again, I go for the scrambled egg on this one. It's about the biggest biscuit I've ever seen. It's approximately 4 inches tall. It has to be eaten very carefully.
Once, I was transferring the Dottie from the coffee table to the loveseat (so I could have it right beside me) and I was lifting it by the wrapping paper on either side of the enormous biscuit. Well, it ripped right thru the wrapping and fell on the floor. In pieces. I had to reassemble it and attempt to enjoy it while the rest of the family laughed their asses off at my misfortune.
That's how heavy that sucker is.
Ahh, my Mary B. is perfection....
Tudor's is a local fast food restaurant known best for their breakfast - in particular, their biscuits. They offer a wide variety of choices and they're all tasty.
I must have Buzzardbilly on the brain, 'cause I ordered her favorite, the Mary B. Why it's called the Mary B. I have no idea, but it's a biscuit with bacon, egg and cheese. I get my egg portion scrambled because I no likey the bouncy egg form usually presented.
The danger with the Mary B. is within the bacon part. Sometimes, the bacon is so done, it's practically burnt and sometimes, it's barely done at all which makes for stringy, chewy bacon hell.
Wonder what I'll get this time?
I hope it's just right. Because of the bacon iffiness, I often opt for the Dottie - hash brown, egg and cheese on a biscuit. Again, I go for the scrambled egg on this one. It's about the biggest biscuit I've ever seen. It's approximately 4 inches tall. It has to be eaten very carefully.
Once, I was transferring the Dottie from the coffee table to the loveseat (so I could have it right beside me) and I was lifting it by the wrapping paper on either side of the enormous biscuit. Well, it ripped right thru the wrapping and fell on the floor. In pieces. I had to reassemble it and attempt to enjoy it while the rest of the family laughed their asses off at my misfortune.
That's how heavy that sucker is.
Ahh, my Mary B. is perfection....
Friday, December 7, 2007
In A Slump
I guess it's the weather as of late, but I've been feeling completely unmotivated to do anything. I haven't even gotten my Christmas cards yet, but that will be happening later this afternoon (long story on that one).
I don't feel sad or depressed, just kinda blah - tired. I can't get interested in cooking or cleaning or reading. I feel like I should be doing holiday things instead. And, I'm tired of my standard menu. My picky family (including me) makes it difficult to try new recipes with any success. Sure, there have been a few winners along the way, but not very often. Then, I feel bad because I wasted money on the ingredients and no one liked whatever was served. :::Sigh:::
Maybe I'll feel more cheery and Christmas-y after we get our tree and other decorations out this weekend, We don't do the outside of the house. Occasionally, we'll hang a wreath or other door decor, but that's about it.
The tree is always fun to look at. I think I'm feeling a little anxious because I have a few more things to do and I'm afraid the weather isn't going to cooperate with me. Isuppose it's that "time is running out" thing, too.
Gee, lots of weird feelings. Okay, I'm just gonna take a deep breath and have faith that it will all get done and hopefully all before December 25th.
I don't feel sad or depressed, just kinda blah - tired. I can't get interested in cooking or cleaning or reading. I feel like I should be doing holiday things instead. And, I'm tired of my standard menu. My picky family (including me) makes it difficult to try new recipes with any success. Sure, there have been a few winners along the way, but not very often. Then, I feel bad because I wasted money on the ingredients and no one liked whatever was served. :::Sigh:::
Maybe I'll feel more cheery and Christmas-y after we get our tree and other decorations out this weekend, We don't do the outside of the house. Occasionally, we'll hang a wreath or other door decor, but that's about it.
The tree is always fun to look at. I think I'm feeling a little anxious because I have a few more things to do and I'm afraid the weather isn't going to cooperate with me. Isuppose it's that "time is running out" thing, too.
Gee, lots of weird feelings. Okay, I'm just gonna take a deep breath and have faith that it will all get done and hopefully all before December 25th.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Snow Day!
When I woke up this morning, the snow was coming down heavy. I had already woken Buddy up and given him breakfast before I checked the school closing status online.
Originally, it was a 2 hour delay, which I really hate. We carpool with our friends and she drives Buddy and her son in the morning and I pick them up in the afternoon. I'm so not a morning person, so this arrangement works out great for me.
In the event of a 2 hour delay - our friends still need to get to work so they usually drop their sons off at their grandparents house and then I need to get Buddy to school myself. Which means getting Sissy bundled up and out of the house in the freezing cold. I really hate driving just in normal weather, so I truly get the heebies having to drive in the snow. I was hoping the county would change the 2 hour delay to a closed all day, so I wouldn't have to face my fears AND be my normal grumpy morning person to boot.
The snow kept falling all morning and by the time Sissy woke up, I checked the school status again and saw that it was closed! No getting out today, at all! Yippee.
We got about 2 inches before the snow plow truck came by around 9 am. The Evil Twin then got ready and shovelled the drive way and went on into work. It's just about all melted by now.
I hate snow and I hate winter. But I love a snow day!
Originally, it was a 2 hour delay, which I really hate. We carpool with our friends and she drives Buddy and her son in the morning and I pick them up in the afternoon. I'm so not a morning person, so this arrangement works out great for me.
In the event of a 2 hour delay - our friends still need to get to work so they usually drop their sons off at their grandparents house and then I need to get Buddy to school myself. Which means getting Sissy bundled up and out of the house in the freezing cold. I really hate driving just in normal weather, so I truly get the heebies having to drive in the snow. I was hoping the county would change the 2 hour delay to a closed all day, so I wouldn't have to face my fears AND be my normal grumpy morning person to boot.
The snow kept falling all morning and by the time Sissy woke up, I checked the school status again and saw that it was closed! No getting out today, at all! Yippee.
We got about 2 inches before the snow plow truck came by around 9 am. The Evil Twin then got ready and shovelled the drive way and went on into work. It's just about all melted by now.
I hate snow and I hate winter. But I love a snow day!
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
LOL
A quick one, since Wyldth1ng asked and the Evil Twin noted that I did not update about Santa and his same line (about me to Buddy), "This must be your sister." Well, he's at 100% because the line came out this past time as well! Of course, Buddy was patting Sissy on the head and saying, "No, THIS is my sister."
We all laughed just like we do every year. That must be his "flattering the mom" line. LOL. Should we trick him next year and say I am Buddy's sister? It's probably not nice to trick Santa because he might bring coal for us all.
We all laughed just like we do every year. That must be his "flattering the mom" line. LOL. Should we trick him next year and say I am Buddy's sister? It's probably not nice to trick Santa because he might bring coal for us all.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Fiestaware!
We had the greatest time at Tamarack. I hit up the Fiestaware area pretty quickly and bought 3 dinner plates, 3 salad plates and a pie plate. Now, I have 11 different colored plates and 11 different colored salad plates. Yippee! I also have a whole bunch of other stuff - mugs, little coffee cups and saucers, bowls, spoon rests, butter dish, etc. etc. I've been collecting for a many number of years now, so I buy what I like when I see it.
The way I look at it is: the fun and the thrill of collecting gets taken away when you're finished with your task. So, I take my time and pick up pieces here and there. That's one reason I love the Hallmark ornaments. They have new ones out every year, so I'll never have as many as I want and be done. I know there will always be at least a handful I can't live without every year (and handful is a pretty shady way of saying, "I wonder how much my lay-away will set me back this year?").
Anyway, we had a great time visiting with the relatives and we even got to chat with Santa for a bit! Buddy was so stunned, he could barely get a word out and Sissy was just taking it all in. I thought she might freak out, but she just stood there and looked at him. Now, why Buddy was so speechless, I don't know. We see this same Santa every December at Tamarack and we've been going for years now. At least 5 or 6 years in a row. Who knows with kids? I would think Buddy might be about the age when he starts to catch wind of the whole Santa ruse. Maybe he knows the truth, but plays along so the gifts keep coming? I don't know and I'm not going to spoil it for him yet if he does still believe.
We're planning on putting up the tree this weekend. We'll decorate it after Sissy goes to bed. I can tell you this is going to be one very interesting Christmas at Casa Evil Twin with a "not quite 2" toddler and a tree full of festive Hallmark decorations. LOL.
The way I look at it is: the fun and the thrill of collecting gets taken away when you're finished with your task. So, I take my time and pick up pieces here and there. That's one reason I love the Hallmark ornaments. They have new ones out every year, so I'll never have as many as I want and be done. I know there will always be at least a handful I can't live without every year (and handful is a pretty shady way of saying, "I wonder how much my lay-away will set me back this year?").
Anyway, we had a great time visiting with the relatives and we even got to chat with Santa for a bit! Buddy was so stunned, he could barely get a word out and Sissy was just taking it all in. I thought she might freak out, but she just stood there and looked at him. Now, why Buddy was so speechless, I don't know. We see this same Santa every December at Tamarack and we've been going for years now. At least 5 or 6 years in a row. Who knows with kids? I would think Buddy might be about the age when he starts to catch wind of the whole Santa ruse. Maybe he knows the truth, but plays along so the gifts keep coming? I don't know and I'm not going to spoil it for him yet if he does still believe.
We're planning on putting up the tree this weekend. We'll decorate it after Sissy goes to bed. I can tell you this is going to be one very interesting Christmas at Casa Evil Twin with a "not quite 2" toddler and a tree full of festive Hallmark decorations. LOL.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Gearing Up For Tomorrow!
Every year, we travel to Tamarack in Beckley, WV to get together with two sets of my aunts and uncles and a cousin. We have lunch, look around and they always have gifts for the kids for the holidays. Of course, they always go overboard, but it's such a great tradition. We've been making this trip for several years before my parents' passed away, so we've been at it for quite a while .
The Greenbrier runs the food court at Tamarack and the food is just spectacular! I've already been online to try to memorize their special Sunday menu to see what I want. Everything is good, and it's difficult to pick just one. We always eat like pigs!
They have a really great authentic looking Santa who wanders around and stops to chat with all the children. He's really wonderful. He always, and I mean always, asks Buddy if I'm his sister. LOL. I think to myself, "Pal, you really need a new line!"
We just have the best time and everyone is so happy. It's always fun to look around at the over-priced goodies and trinkets at the shops. They carry open stock Fiestaware - that's my favorite shop. Everything sold is crafted by a West Virginian artisan, so that's cool.
If you're travelling through the Beckley area, I highly recommend stopping by Tamarack on your way through. Make sure you're hungry and have some lunch or dinner - you won't regret it. Even if you do have to practically sell a kidney to afford it! LOL.
What I am NOT looking forward to is getting up at the crack of dawn to get ready and get on the road. We'll have to leave here by 9 am or so and it takes me a while to get going in the morning. Plus, I have to get the kids ready. I'm hoping to get a decent picture of them with Santa or in front of a Christmas Tree so I can have pictures for my Christmas cards. So, they'll be nicely dressed tomorrow.
I'm also not looking forward to doing mucho walking. On Wednesday, I did *something* to my right foot. I think I pulled a muscle or twisted something and it really hurts. I've started taking some pain meds (anti-inflammatory) and I'm hoping that makes it bearable. If it still hurts by Monday, I'll call the doc. But, I seriously doubt it's anything more serious than a pulled ligament or muscle...something like that that just has to heal up on its' own.
Well, I'm off to watch WVU choke... I mean, er, play as good as they can against Pitt. Y'all have a great weekend!! :-)
The Greenbrier runs the food court at Tamarack and the food is just spectacular! I've already been online to try to memorize their special Sunday menu to see what I want. Everything is good, and it's difficult to pick just one. We always eat like pigs!
They have a really great authentic looking Santa who wanders around and stops to chat with all the children. He's really wonderful. He always, and I mean always, asks Buddy if I'm his sister. LOL. I think to myself, "Pal, you really need a new line!"
We just have the best time and everyone is so happy. It's always fun to look around at the over-priced goodies and trinkets at the shops. They carry open stock Fiestaware - that's my favorite shop. Everything sold is crafted by a West Virginian artisan, so that's cool.
If you're travelling through the Beckley area, I highly recommend stopping by Tamarack on your way through. Make sure you're hungry and have some lunch or dinner - you won't regret it. Even if you do have to practically sell a kidney to afford it! LOL.
What I am NOT looking forward to is getting up at the crack of dawn to get ready and get on the road. We'll have to leave here by 9 am or so and it takes me a while to get going in the morning. Plus, I have to get the kids ready. I'm hoping to get a decent picture of them with Santa or in front of a Christmas Tree so I can have pictures for my Christmas cards. So, they'll be nicely dressed tomorrow.
I'm also not looking forward to doing mucho walking. On Wednesday, I did *something* to my right foot. I think I pulled a muscle or twisted something and it really hurts. I've started taking some pain meds (anti-inflammatory) and I'm hoping that makes it bearable. If it still hurts by Monday, I'll call the doc. But, I seriously doubt it's anything more serious than a pulled ligament or muscle...something like that that just has to heal up on its' own.
Well, I'm off to watch WVU choke... I mean, er, play as good as they can against Pitt. Y'all have a great weekend!! :-)
Friday, November 30, 2007
Settle In, Get A Snack
I was born in Alabama in 1968. I was given up for adoption at birth. Back then, girls who weren’t married didn’t keep the babies unless they wanted to bring shame on their family. I was placed in a foster home until the paperwork for the adoption could be completed. I was two months old when the adoption took place.
I often say that if God had let me hand pick my parents, I couldn’t have done a better job. I was adopted by a wonderful, loving couple who were unable to have children of their own. After they had turned in their paperwork to be on the list for adoption, they waited only 6 months before they got the word that I would be theirs.
I knew I was adopted for as long as I can remember. My parents never withheld that information from me. When I was younger, people would often ask me if I wanted to find my birth mother. I never really gave it much thought until after I became a mother myself right before my 30th birthday. I figured it would be good to find out more about my medical background and - as a mother - I realized that if I were in my birth mother’s shoes, I’d want to know the baby I had to give up was happy and healthy and had a good life.
I still didn’t really act on finding her at that time, though. I did visit some adoption websites and check if anyone was looking for someone with my same birth date and details. I never found anything.
The summer before my dad passed away, Buddy and I were visiting and I was working on Dad’s computer (I was his IT person, LOL). When I was finished, he said, “There’s a box in my closet you might be interested in looking at.” I had a feeling it had something to do with my adoption and I really did not want to get into that that day. I said, “Dad, I don’t have time now, but I will look at it soon.”
Several months later, Dad passed away and I spent the next 14 months taking care of my mom - she was in bad health even before Dad died, and she needed me. One night, she fell and broke her pelvis. I had to coerce her into going to the hospital. I spent a lot of time going back and forth from their house to the hospital and one day, I decided to look in that box.
I had a name. A different name than my current name. I thought, “She named me. She cared.” Somehow it just seemed like proof to me that perhaps she really didn’t want to let me go, but circumstances prevented her from keeping me. There was another document in the file regarding the laws in Alabama in regards to a closed adoption. The legislation had changed in the year 2000 to allow adoptees to petition the court and receive copies of any documents in their sealed file. I sent $20 and my info - I received my original birth certificate with my birth mother’s name and address on it.
In doing some research online, I located a woman in the area listed on my birth certificate who operated as a “Search Angel”. She helped adopted people looking for information in her city and gave them what she could find. She was an angel, alright. She emailed me back within a few hours with details about my birth mother’s parents and their last known address - in North Carolina - and their death dates. So, I had quite a bit MORE information.
I kept searching online and finally found my birth mother, but couldn’t find a phone number and didn’t want to send a letter. So, I entered my information that I had into a few adoption websites and hoped that someone would be looking for me and find the trail I had left.
A year after I had entered that information, I got a phone call from a younger female. She is my biological sister and is 6 years younger than me. My biological mother had gotten pregnant when she was 17 and had me 3 days after her 18th birthday (I knew that already), but several years later she and my biological father got married and had two more children. A third child was stillborn. They had gotten divorced in the early 80s. My biological sister and I traded pictures online and she could be my twin.
Anyway, after I spoke to my sister, several hours later, my biological mom called and we talked for hours. I still talk to both of them and we email frequently. We plan a get together soon, but my sister is in school, studying for her LPN and really can’t get away until after mid December.
Oh, and this is probably the funniest thing: when my bio parents got married - he was Catholic, she was Presbyterian and they really (in the hippy dippy 70s in San Francisco) wanted to find a religion they could both practice and feel comfortable. They settled on Judaism. So, my sister and brother were raised (and still are) Jewish and I am Catholic.
I have not spoken with my brother and my bio father is still unsure that he wants to get involved. I'm not sure he's convinced I am his, even though the pictures don't lie. That's okay. I'm not looking for replacement parents. I was looking for some insight into my ethnic and medical background - I'm Irish, baby! Whooot!
Also, my bio mom is only 4 feet 11 inches. I am nearly 5 foot 9! LOL. I think that is hilarious. I think I'm the tallest in the immediate family.
I'm enjoying getting to know this new side of my life. I've learned so much and I think I've made my bio mom happy and helped her realize she made the right choice. For both of us.
I often say that if God had let me hand pick my parents, I couldn’t have done a better job. I was adopted by a wonderful, loving couple who were unable to have children of their own. After they had turned in their paperwork to be on the list for adoption, they waited only 6 months before they got the word that I would be theirs.
I knew I was adopted for as long as I can remember. My parents never withheld that information from me. When I was younger, people would often ask me if I wanted to find my birth mother. I never really gave it much thought until after I became a mother myself right before my 30th birthday. I figured it would be good to find out more about my medical background and - as a mother - I realized that if I were in my birth mother’s shoes, I’d want to know the baby I had to give up was happy and healthy and had a good life.
I still didn’t really act on finding her at that time, though. I did visit some adoption websites and check if anyone was looking for someone with my same birth date and details. I never found anything.
The summer before my dad passed away, Buddy and I were visiting and I was working on Dad’s computer (I was his IT person, LOL). When I was finished, he said, “There’s a box in my closet you might be interested in looking at.” I had a feeling it had something to do with my adoption and I really did not want to get into that that day. I said, “Dad, I don’t have time now, but I will look at it soon.”
Several months later, Dad passed away and I spent the next 14 months taking care of my mom - she was in bad health even before Dad died, and she needed me. One night, she fell and broke her pelvis. I had to coerce her into going to the hospital. I spent a lot of time going back and forth from their house to the hospital and one day, I decided to look in that box.
I had a name. A different name than my current name. I thought, “She named me. She cared.” Somehow it just seemed like proof to me that perhaps she really didn’t want to let me go, but circumstances prevented her from keeping me. There was another document in the file regarding the laws in Alabama in regards to a closed adoption. The legislation had changed in the year 2000 to allow adoptees to petition the court and receive copies of any documents in their sealed file. I sent $20 and my info - I received my original birth certificate with my birth mother’s name and address on it.
In doing some research online, I located a woman in the area listed on my birth certificate who operated as a “Search Angel”. She helped adopted people looking for information in her city and gave them what she could find. She was an angel, alright. She emailed me back within a few hours with details about my birth mother’s parents and their last known address - in North Carolina - and their death dates. So, I had quite a bit MORE information.
I kept searching online and finally found my birth mother, but couldn’t find a phone number and didn’t want to send a letter. So, I entered my information that I had into a few adoption websites and hoped that someone would be looking for me and find the trail I had left.
A year after I had entered that information, I got a phone call from a younger female. She is my biological sister and is 6 years younger than me. My biological mother had gotten pregnant when she was 17 and had me 3 days after her 18th birthday (I knew that already), but several years later she and my biological father got married and had two more children. A third child was stillborn. They had gotten divorced in the early 80s. My biological sister and I traded pictures online and she could be my twin.
Anyway, after I spoke to my sister, several hours later, my biological mom called and we talked for hours. I still talk to both of them and we email frequently. We plan a get together soon, but my sister is in school, studying for her LPN and really can’t get away until after mid December.
Oh, and this is probably the funniest thing: when my bio parents got married - he was Catholic, she was Presbyterian and they really (in the hippy dippy 70s in San Francisco) wanted to find a religion they could both practice and feel comfortable. They settled on Judaism. So, my sister and brother were raised (and still are) Jewish and I am Catholic.
I have not spoken with my brother and my bio father is still unsure that he wants to get involved. I'm not sure he's convinced I am his, even though the pictures don't lie. That's okay. I'm not looking for replacement parents. I was looking for some insight into my ethnic and medical background - I'm Irish, baby! Whooot!
Also, my bio mom is only 4 feet 11 inches. I am nearly 5 foot 9! LOL. I think that is hilarious. I think I'm the tallest in the immediate family.
I'm enjoying getting to know this new side of my life. I've learned so much and I think I've made my bio mom happy and helped her realize she made the right choice. For both of us.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
It's That Time of Year, Again
And no, I don't necessarily mean the holidays, although that is part of it. It just seems like once Thanksgiving is over, time speeds up and sends us hurtling into Christmas, New Year's, Buddy's Birthday, Sissy's Birthday and then - whew - I can relax. After I've written all the Thank You notes for the gifts!
Between Christmas cards and Thank You cards, I probably spend a good $50 in postage alone during the holidays.
It's pretty cool, though, because we have a lot of friends who live out of town and if they're going to squeeze in a trip "back home", Christmas or New Year's seem to be popular times. Since Sissy has her early bedtime, friends can usually be bribed into coming to our house and spending time here.
It's also the time of year my sinuses go all crazy. If Buddy comes home from school with a cold, the rest of the family will eventually get it, but with me - it'll hang on FOR WEEKS. Usually until I'm in such pain from coughing, I have to call my doctor and beg for liquid codeine, like some sort of drug addict. I'll get the big jug of codeine and a prescription for a Z pack.
Luckily, I only have a few more gifts to get, but unfortunately, it's for my biological sister, her husband and his two small boys. Keep in mind, I just got to know my sister in July, and I don't really know much about her husband or step sons, so it's actually going to take some sleuthing and good picking.
Happy Speedy Weeks!
Between Christmas cards and Thank You cards, I probably spend a good $50 in postage alone during the holidays.
It's pretty cool, though, because we have a lot of friends who live out of town and if they're going to squeeze in a trip "back home", Christmas or New Year's seem to be popular times. Since Sissy has her early bedtime, friends can usually be bribed into coming to our house and spending time here.
It's also the time of year my sinuses go all crazy. If Buddy comes home from school with a cold, the rest of the family will eventually get it, but with me - it'll hang on FOR WEEKS. Usually until I'm in such pain from coughing, I have to call my doctor and beg for liquid codeine, like some sort of drug addict. I'll get the big jug of codeine and a prescription for a Z pack.
Luckily, I only have a few more gifts to get, but unfortunately, it's for my biological sister, her husband and his two small boys. Keep in mind, I just got to know my sister in July, and I don't really know much about her husband or step sons, so it's actually going to take some sleuthing and good picking.
Happy Speedy Weeks!
The Tidy Bowl?
Okay, we have two brand new toilets in this house (well, new since Summer time) and I'm an avid bowl cleaner. I even bought those Scrubbing Bubbles toilet wands and brushes for all three bathrooms. All bowls get a regular swabbing.
Then, why is it the toilets collect black-ish looking junk under the rim that never wants to budge? Is this a matter of just needing to slather it in bleach, let it sit, then scrub with sandpaper (or something equally abrasive)?
I'm just really annoyed by having 2 new toilets and they aren't as sparkly as when they were first brought home.
I can't even guesstimate how much money I've spent over the years trying to find the perfect bowl cleaner. I've used the drop ins, I've used Kaboom, I've scrubbed with a hard bristle brush (really hard) and still.... there's a yucky bit of "junk" under that rim!
I'm desperate friends. If you have any tried and true, guaranteed formula for the toilet problem that has me flummoxed, I'd appreciate it. It's been shameful to stand before you and admit my toilet defeat, so please no LOLs.
Then, why is it the toilets collect black-ish looking junk under the rim that never wants to budge? Is this a matter of just needing to slather it in bleach, let it sit, then scrub with sandpaper (or something equally abrasive)?
I'm just really annoyed by having 2 new toilets and they aren't as sparkly as when they were first brought home.
I can't even guesstimate how much money I've spent over the years trying to find the perfect bowl cleaner. I've used the drop ins, I've used Kaboom, I've scrubbed with a hard bristle brush (really hard) and still.... there's a yucky bit of "junk" under that rim!
I'm desperate friends. If you have any tried and true, guaranteed formula for the toilet problem that has me flummoxed, I'd appreciate it. It's been shameful to stand before you and admit my toilet defeat, so please no LOLs.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Things That Make Me Go GRRRRR
A few months ago, we bought the Evil Twin a new computer. I think I've disclosed that he does graphic design work and has freelance work every now and then. His old computer wasn't able to keep up with the types of jobs necessary. So, Welcome Brand New HP desktop - with Vista! Eeeeek.
First, I had to buy some mighty expensive software because you can no longer "borrow" copies from your friends and install them on your computer - at least not the mega expensive design programs that he needs. He installs that stuff - so far, so good.
I wanted to scan a photo, so I was using his computer - that's where the scanner is, but it won't work. ET says he needs to download a new scanner driver to get it to work with Vista. I also discover that I can no longer print wirelessly from my laptop to either printer we have in the office. Apparently, all these issues are related to Vista.
The Evil Twin went online and tried and tried to find a new driver for the the scanner, at least. It's an HP scanner, HP Computer--- he got a message that THIS HP Scanner is not supported in Windows Vista. We just bought this thing not too long ago. So, on top of a new computer, new software and possibly a new printer, we have to buy a new scanner. Oh, and we gave Evil Twin's old desktop to Buddy for his room, so that required the purchase of a wireless adapter card so Buddy could use the wi-fi. Not to mention the new printer cable we had to get so the new HP could be hooked up to the HP Laser Printer.
Why don't they tell you in advance it's gonna be a money pit? Crappity. I plan to make a little phone call to HP support tomorrow and log a complaint. Hell, if I act the way I usually do, maybe I'll get a discount on a new scanner. Tee hee. My dad was right, I should have been a lawyer.
First, I had to buy some mighty expensive software because you can no longer "borrow" copies from your friends and install them on your computer - at least not the mega expensive design programs that he needs. He installs that stuff - so far, so good.
I wanted to scan a photo, so I was using his computer - that's where the scanner is, but it won't work. ET says he needs to download a new scanner driver to get it to work with Vista. I also discover that I can no longer print wirelessly from my laptop to either printer we have in the office. Apparently, all these issues are related to Vista.
The Evil Twin went online and tried and tried to find a new driver for the the scanner, at least. It's an HP scanner, HP Computer--- he got a message that THIS HP Scanner is not supported in Windows Vista. We just bought this thing not too long ago. So, on top of a new computer, new software and possibly a new printer, we have to buy a new scanner. Oh, and we gave Evil Twin's old desktop to Buddy for his room, so that required the purchase of a wireless adapter card so Buddy could use the wi-fi. Not to mention the new printer cable we had to get so the new HP could be hooked up to the HP Laser Printer.
Why don't they tell you in advance it's gonna be a money pit? Crappity. I plan to make a little phone call to HP support tomorrow and log a complaint. Hell, if I act the way I usually do, maybe I'll get a discount on a new scanner. Tee hee. My dad was right, I should have been a lawyer.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
A Sunday By Any Other Name...
Is still a Sunday. My Sundays don't vary much. Maybe the time I get my shower is a little different each week, but that's about it. The dag-gone crossword puzzle was out to get me today, I think. It was harder than usual, but I did finish it and I didn't even have to resort to "Google Cheating".
This whole weekend has been pretty ho-hum, actually. I knew we didn't want to deal with the crowds, so shopping was out and we had plenty of food, although we did get Wendy's on Friday due to holiday food fare burn out.
The Evil Twin drags home new music all the time and I'm not even sure what all we have - there are literally hundreds of CDs in the collection. I had read an article on Amy Winehouse and asked if we had her newest CD. He said "yes", so I found it and gave it a listen (it's easy to find things because the Evil Twin keeps all CDs and DVDs in alphabetical order). Now, that girl is a hot mess, but she can sing. I only had the patience to sit thru about half of it last night, but I liked what I heard and will try to finish the listen tonight. While I do laundry, unload and reload the dishwasher and have a conversation with my biological mom - we have a routine. She calls me on Sunday Evenings and I call her on either Wednesday or Thursday Evenings, depending on her schedule.
I promise I will get around to telling the story of my adoption and my reunion with my biological family. It's completely surreal - even to me, even 6 months later. I'll even try to get to it this week sometime. How's that for a loving friend?
This whole weekend has been pretty ho-hum, actually. I knew we didn't want to deal with the crowds, so shopping was out and we had plenty of food, although we did get Wendy's on Friday due to holiday food fare burn out.
The Evil Twin drags home new music all the time and I'm not even sure what all we have - there are literally hundreds of CDs in the collection. I had read an article on Amy Winehouse and asked if we had her newest CD. He said "yes", so I found it and gave it a listen (it's easy to find things because the Evil Twin keeps all CDs and DVDs in alphabetical order). Now, that girl is a hot mess, but she can sing. I only had the patience to sit thru about half of it last night, but I liked what I heard and will try to finish the listen tonight. While I do laundry, unload and reload the dishwasher and have a conversation with my biological mom - we have a routine. She calls me on Sunday Evenings and I call her on either Wednesday or Thursday Evenings, depending on her schedule.
I promise I will get around to telling the story of my adoption and my reunion with my biological family. It's completely surreal - even to me, even 6 months later. I'll even try to get to it this week sometime. How's that for a loving friend?
Friday, November 23, 2007
A Holiday Update from Casa Evil Twin
We had a really nice day - laid back. We had all gotten up fairly early because Sissy makes that happen. I started on my pound cake and boiling the potatoes for mashing. I wanted to really boil the hell out of them, because the Evil Twin doesn't want any lumps in his AT ALL. So I wanted those suckers to be reaaaallly soft!
They were a tiny bit lumpy, but at least they were soft lumps. The pound cake turned out great. I had asked the Evil Twin if he wanted me to do a turkey breast or pick up stuff from Heavenly Ham and he voted on Heavenly Ham, so I was totally off the hook for bird duty. Although we did joke with Buddy that we were going to put Apple (our budgie) on a stick and cook him for a meal. [True tidbit: Budgie is short for Budgerigar, which means "Good to Eat" in the aboriginal language - they probably taste like chicken!]
Apple was in no danger. He's too cute and entertaining to get the "fried bird on a stick" treatment. I have raised this wild bird myself and trained him to be a real family pet. He still gets nippy from time to time, but he knows if he acts ugly, he gets put back into his beloved cage - and really, he does love it. It's BIG, like a McMansion for such a tiny bird.
My brother and his wife and their two children stopped by later in the evening yesterday and that was actually nice. My brother and I don't have the best relationship and his wife and I have an even worse relationship. There has been a lot of bad blood between us, especially since my brother and my parents' died. I got no help from him on anything and handled the entire estate by myself (paperwork, selling of contents, shoring up the house with updates and putting it on the market, etc.), so that's been a point of contention.
Our niece and nephew are as cute as can be and both friendly, outgoing kids. I just loved seeing them again (as you can tell, another point of contention, we don't get to see them often!)
I hope you all had lovely days with your families or friends and watched some ball.
And, a special gift for Renn: My Tats:
8 Things
Buzzardbilly over at Buzzardbilly tagged me for the 8 Things meme, an instant meme where I tell eight random or interesting (or both) things about me, then I tag 8 more bloggers. (I totally ripped that last part off from her - hee hee.).
1. I have three tattoos and would love to have one more. I'm waiting on the Evil Twin to design it for me.
2. I'm not much of a meat eater and I don't eat anything with a bone. I've never had a buffalo wing.
3. When I was 20, I got my hair done in a mohawk (yes, shaved completely to the scalp on both sides). My hair grows very fast, so within three weeks, I had a crew cut.
4. I was adopted at 2 months old, but this past summer found my biological mother and sister. That's a whole 'nother blog.
5. If I find a pubic hair anywhere in my house, I know it's not mine. I've shaved "down there" for 20 years.
6. I am bi and a half lingual (bet you thought I was going somewhere else with that, didn't you?). I speak English, Spanish and a little bit of French.
7. I was raised Baptist, was agnostic for many years and converted to Catholocism about 4 years ago.
8. My mom sent me to Charm School in Georgia, run by the Miss Georgia 1977 or 78. We walked with books on our heads and that sort of thing. FWIW, I'm the crudest person I know. LOL.
Oh, I'm not going to tag anyone. I think everyone's been hit, but if you haven't and if you want to do the 8 Things, help yourself - and let me know you did so I can read your lists. I'd be interested in everyone's answers!
1. I have three tattoos and would love to have one more. I'm waiting on the Evil Twin to design it for me.
2. I'm not much of a meat eater and I don't eat anything with a bone. I've never had a buffalo wing.
3. When I was 20, I got my hair done in a mohawk (yes, shaved completely to the scalp on both sides). My hair grows very fast, so within three weeks, I had a crew cut.
4. I was adopted at 2 months old, but this past summer found my biological mother and sister. That's a whole 'nother blog.
5. If I find a pubic hair anywhere in my house, I know it's not mine. I've shaved "down there" for 20 years.
6. I am bi and a half lingual (bet you thought I was going somewhere else with that, didn't you?). I speak English, Spanish and a little bit of French.
7. I was raised Baptist, was agnostic for many years and converted to Catholocism about 4 years ago.
8. My mom sent me to Charm School in Georgia, run by the Miss Georgia 1977 or 78. We walked with books on our heads and that sort of thing. FWIW, I'm the crudest person I know. LOL.
Oh, I'm not going to tag anyone. I think everyone's been hit, but if you haven't and if you want to do the 8 Things, help yourself - and let me know you did so I can read your lists. I'd be interested in everyone's answers!
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Even Better Today!
Ah, I got to sleep in a little bit and I'm finding that having my nearly 10 yr old son at home is a good deal. I paid Buddy a buck to watch Sissy while I got a shower. LOL. If I don't get up early and get my shower, trying to get one after Sissy is up is tricky bidness.
Then, after I got my shower and got Sissy dressed for the day, I started on my Chex Mix. I love the smell and just the fun of making my own Chex Mix. My family likes only Rice Chex, Corn Chex and peanuts, so I follow the basic recipe and then just wing it on amounts of those three things. It smells so good in here! I'm about halfway finished with the mix!
I did some dusting earlier, so the Big Ass TV looks nice. I'll clean the oven down after I'm done with the Chex Mix and it cools off a bit. I've got laundry and dishes that need attended to, so that will happen at some point today! Yippee!
I think it's about time to put Sissy down for her early nap and I can get more done for a bit.
I'm so thankful this year. I'm thankful I was able to have Sissy almost 2 years ago. She really completes our family and adds so much joy. I'm thankful for The Evil Twin and Buddy. I'm thankful for this blog and having a space to write out my thoughts and feelings and for friends who stop by and leave comments. I've "met" so many cool people these last few months! There's waaaaay more I could add, but in the interest of brevity, I'll leave it at that!
Then, after I got my shower and got Sissy dressed for the day, I started on my Chex Mix. I love the smell and just the fun of making my own Chex Mix. My family likes only Rice Chex, Corn Chex and peanuts, so I follow the basic recipe and then just wing it on amounts of those three things. It smells so good in here! I'm about halfway finished with the mix!
I did some dusting earlier, so the Big Ass TV looks nice. I'll clean the oven down after I'm done with the Chex Mix and it cools off a bit. I've got laundry and dishes that need attended to, so that will happen at some point today! Yippee!
I think it's about time to put Sissy down for her early nap and I can get more done for a bit.
I'm so thankful this year. I'm thankful I was able to have Sissy almost 2 years ago. She really completes our family and adds so much joy. I'm thankful for The Evil Twin and Buddy. I'm thankful for this blog and having a space to write out my thoughts and feelings and for friends who stop by and leave comments. I've "met" so many cool people these last few months! There's waaaaay more I could add, but in the interest of brevity, I'll leave it at that!
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Feeling Better Today
Thanks to all my blogger friends who had kind words for me yesterday, or even the people who stopped by to read... I feel so much better today.
I had a pleasant surprise this morning. A good friend of mine called early and asked what my plans for the day were. I told her I was going to WalMart and she asked if I wanted company. We stopped by Cracker Barrell for breakfast and went to the grocery store. It was nice to have someone to chat with . Sissy acted like a demon all morning, but that's kinda her regular MO.
I picked up my prescription and started taking that again. I also found a really neat "toy" at WalMart - it's a doll of Mary, the mother of Jesus. She's a little larger than Barbie size and she quotes passages from the book of Luke. The area next to her on the shelf was empty, but I looked at the tag with the price and it was Jesus! Sold out, though. They also had Moses, David and a couple of others. I bought her for Sissy as a Christmas present, but she's just so cool, I might keep her for myself.
Please don't think I'm making light of this doll. Myself and the children are Catholics and Mary is such an important part of the Catholic faith. Plus, she makes me feel better.
I'm also relieved that this was Buddy's last day of school. Having a school aged child is almost as much work for the parent as it is the child. I have to supervise and assist with homework (i.e. nag him to get it done), get him up in the morning, give him breakfast and make sure he looks nice for school. The fourth grade teacher is very big on the uniform policy and the boys will get in trouble if they are missing a belt for the day. Tuesdays and Thursdays are Mass days, so I make sure he has his tie on those days as well. It's usually just chaos during the school year, so I'm happy to have a few days "off". The Evil Twin is off on Thursday and Friday, so it's a nice long weekend for all of us!
I'm hoping the weather on Friday or the weekend is halfway decent because I'm trying to talk ET into vacuuming and washing my van. It could really use it!
I'll be back tomorrow evening and in the meantime, I'll be lurking on my blogroll over there - leaving comments and love!
I had a pleasant surprise this morning. A good friend of mine called early and asked what my plans for the day were. I told her I was going to WalMart and she asked if I wanted company. We stopped by Cracker Barrell for breakfast and went to the grocery store. It was nice to have someone to chat with . Sissy acted like a demon all morning, but that's kinda her regular MO.
I picked up my prescription and started taking that again. I also found a really neat "toy" at WalMart - it's a doll of Mary, the mother of Jesus. She's a little larger than Barbie size and she quotes passages from the book of Luke. The area next to her on the shelf was empty, but I looked at the tag with the price and it was Jesus! Sold out, though. They also had Moses, David and a couple of others. I bought her for Sissy as a Christmas present, but she's just so cool, I might keep her for myself.
Please don't think I'm making light of this doll. Myself and the children are Catholics and Mary is such an important part of the Catholic faith. Plus, she makes me feel better.
I'm also relieved that this was Buddy's last day of school. Having a school aged child is almost as much work for the parent as it is the child. I have to supervise and assist with homework (i.e. nag him to get it done), get him up in the morning, give him breakfast and make sure he looks nice for school. The fourth grade teacher is very big on the uniform policy and the boys will get in trouble if they are missing a belt for the day. Tuesdays and Thursdays are Mass days, so I make sure he has his tie on those days as well. It's usually just chaos during the school year, so I'm happy to have a few days "off". The Evil Twin is off on Thursday and Friday, so it's a nice long weekend for all of us!
I'm hoping the weather on Friday or the weekend is halfway decent because I'm trying to talk ET into vacuuming and washing my van. It could really use it!
I'll be back tomorrow evening and in the meantime, I'll be lurking on my blogroll over there - leaving comments and love!
Monday, November 19, 2007
Bleh
I've had such a bleh day. Every Monday it seems like I have no energy, I feel anxious and depressed. This Monday, it's probably because I haven't had my anti-depressant since Saturday.
See, I was at Walmart on Thursday to get my prescription refilled. I had called my doctor's office prescription line on Tuesday to request a refill and felt a 2 day waiting period would be sufficient. Well, my prescription wasn't there and when I called the docs to ask after it, I was told they didn't call in scrips on Wednesday and mine wouldn't be called in until after 6 pm on Thursday (the day I was there). So, I said, "Well, I'm here now." And she said, "Well, we can't do it now."
Seeing as how I was unwilling to waste gas to go back to Walmart for just one prescription, I figured I'd wait until I was there next time I was grocery shopping. Turns out, that'll be tomorrow. I took my last pill on Saturday morning and it's been downhill since then.
I get that particular med filled at Walmart because it falls under their $4 plan. Walmart is not super convenient for me, but I do get there at least once a week for my main shopping trip.
If I didn't like my doctor so well, I'd be finding a different physician. But, this wasn't his fault - this falls squarely on the office employees and their new prescription line policies.
Then, we have to add in the upcoming holidays that add to my gloom. My dad passed away in September 2004. My mom followed 14 months later in November 2005 (two days after Thanksgiving). Neither of them lived to see Sissy and that breaks my heart. My dad would have loved her so much.
See, I was at Walmart on Thursday to get my prescription refilled. I had called my doctor's office prescription line on Tuesday to request a refill and felt a 2 day waiting period would be sufficient. Well, my prescription wasn't there and when I called the docs to ask after it, I was told they didn't call in scrips on Wednesday and mine wouldn't be called in until after 6 pm on Thursday (the day I was there). So, I said, "Well, I'm here now." And she said, "Well, we can't do it now."
Seeing as how I was unwilling to waste gas to go back to Walmart for just one prescription, I figured I'd wait until I was there next time I was grocery shopping. Turns out, that'll be tomorrow. I took my last pill on Saturday morning and it's been downhill since then.
I get that particular med filled at Walmart because it falls under their $4 plan. Walmart is not super convenient for me, but I do get there at least once a week for my main shopping trip.
If I didn't like my doctor so well, I'd be finding a different physician. But, this wasn't his fault - this falls squarely on the office employees and their new prescription line policies.
Then, we have to add in the upcoming holidays that add to my gloom. My dad passed away in September 2004. My mom followed 14 months later in November 2005 (two days after Thanksgiving). Neither of them lived to see Sissy and that breaks my heart. My dad would have loved her so much.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Mischief and Merriment
I was prodded to do this particular blog by Buzzardbilly and since she suggested it, I figured it might make for an interesting topic.
Before I met the Evil Twin, I dated a guy who lived in town here, while I was in college at Marshall in Huntington, so I'd come home on weekends and spend them with him. One weekend, he and I and a small band of our motley friends went to a movie, then to Captain Ds to grab a bite to eat. One guy had ordered the deluxe platter that came with a deviled crab. He didn't really want it, so we took a coupla french fries and broke them in half (making four half pieces) and planted them in the crabcake middle, so they created "legs". Then, we took ketchup and made little dot eyes. We named him Russell and took him grocery shopping on our way home.
We ended up leaving Russell on a shelf in the cereal aisle - certain that whoever discovered him would find him every bit as fun as we had. Well, we had quite a laugh that evening thinking of the night crew finding Russell and what Russell might be smelling like after a few hours being "out". This little excursion lit my fire for more random mayhem.
By the time I met the Evil Twin (who is on the same mental maturity level as myself) and we put our brains together, we had all sorts of fun tricks up our sleeves. Our main one involved fake grocery lists. This one was simple, cheap (free) and brilliant. We'd start by jotting an actual list of regular items, like bread and milk. Then, we'd add things like "a douche for my smelly twat" and "preparation h for my burning 'roids", you know, things of that nature. 14 condoms, enema (Fleet brand), 7 packs of butt wipe, cockroach traps.... The more random or disgusting, the better.
We'd do our shopping and conveniently leave the list on a shelf in a pretty open area, so it would be sure to be found. Then, we'd imagine the looks on the face of who ever found it and read it. Would they take it home and show their spouse? Because if you found such a list, wouldn't you assume that it was someone's TRUE list?
There was one other time when we threw a pink dildo on the sidewalk of a busy downtown area. That's been about 15 years ago and we still laugh about that one. Cause, y'all, SOMEONE had to clean it up. I imagine some really disgusted state maintenance employee with a coupla sticks or one of those long "grabber" type things.
I never said that The Evil Twin and I were mature.
Before I met the Evil Twin, I dated a guy who lived in town here, while I was in college at Marshall in Huntington, so I'd come home on weekends and spend them with him. One weekend, he and I and a small band of our motley friends went to a movie, then to Captain Ds to grab a bite to eat. One guy had ordered the deluxe platter that came with a deviled crab. He didn't really want it, so we took a coupla french fries and broke them in half (making four half pieces) and planted them in the crabcake middle, so they created "legs". Then, we took ketchup and made little dot eyes. We named him Russell and took him grocery shopping on our way home.
We ended up leaving Russell on a shelf in the cereal aisle - certain that whoever discovered him would find him every bit as fun as we had. Well, we had quite a laugh that evening thinking of the night crew finding Russell and what Russell might be smelling like after a few hours being "out". This little excursion lit my fire for more random mayhem.
By the time I met the Evil Twin (who is on the same mental maturity level as myself) and we put our brains together, we had all sorts of fun tricks up our sleeves. Our main one involved fake grocery lists. This one was simple, cheap (free) and brilliant. We'd start by jotting an actual list of regular items, like bread and milk. Then, we'd add things like "a douche for my smelly twat" and "preparation h for my burning 'roids", you know, things of that nature. 14 condoms, enema (Fleet brand), 7 packs of butt wipe, cockroach traps.... The more random or disgusting, the better.
We'd do our shopping and conveniently leave the list on a shelf in a pretty open area, so it would be sure to be found. Then, we'd imagine the looks on the face of who ever found it and read it. Would they take it home and show their spouse? Because if you found such a list, wouldn't you assume that it was someone's TRUE list?
There was one other time when we threw a pink dildo on the sidewalk of a busy downtown area. That's been about 15 years ago and we still laugh about that one. Cause, y'all, SOMEONE had to clean it up. I imagine some really disgusted state maintenance employee with a coupla sticks or one of those long "grabber" type things.
I never said that The Evil Twin and I were mature.
Friday, November 16, 2007
6 Degrees of Secretation
I was tagged, first by Ron at Warped Mind of Ron and then, I got tagged again by Rosemary over at Rosemary's Attic. How cool is that? I, for one, think it is very cool! Without futher ado, the meme goes as follows:
THE RULES:
1. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
2. Each player list 6 facts/habits/secrets about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
Okay, so this was harder than I had imagined. I spent most of the day ruminating on what I'd like to share and jotted down some points of interest, wherein I will hereby elaborate on them.
1. I have "Mystery Lactose Intolerance". I call it a mystery because I'm never sure when or where I might be stricken. I can have a bowl of cereal and be just fine and dandy or I can have a bowl of cereal and be running for the toilet inside of an hour. I never know, so I don't take chances. I also carry a bottle of Immodium AD in my purse. Just in case.
Menfolk may want to pass on by #2, but I'm giving you fair warning.
2. You've heard of the "crazy cat lady" right? Well, I am the crazy pad lady. After Buddy was born (by emergency c-section), I was told that I may have bleeding or spotting for up to 12 weeks. 12 weeks? That's just crazy talk. Since Buddy was in the NICU for 6.5 weeks, the Evil Twin and I spent a lot of time visiting him up there. I had had a couple of "good" days - i.e. nothing going on down south AT ALL. So, I went to the NICU wearing legging pants (the popular style then) and as I was sitting by Buddy's isolette, I felt a gush. Luckily, the Evil Twin had his Air Force jacket with him and I was able to wear that out of the hospital. But, ever since that fateful day, I do not get dressed without wearing a panty liner. Just in case.
3. I think my feet are adorable. They're really nice and smooth and my toes are all little and cute. My second toe is NOT longer than my big toe, which I think is cute. The Evil Twin says it's weird. I try to keep the toenails polished at all times, but since it's cold (no wearing sandals a possiblity), I'm giving them a polish break. I also have a odd shaped brown birthmark on the inside of my left foot, which I was always self conscious about, but I've embraced it and almost never pay it any attention now.
4. I do not think that sweats, track suits, or lounge wear are REAL clothes. I won't go out in public in them - and I don't even own anything sweat suit material. Nor will I let my children wear them out of the house. They're fine for hanging around the house on a cold day, but if we leave for any reason, I will change them into jeans, khakis, whatever.... NO SWEATS!
5. I have never eaten a brussels sprout and have no desire to do so. Ditto that on lobster.
6. I like to cook and consider myself fairly proficient at it. My mother was the best cook on this planet... I tried to learn as much from her as possible. However, no one can make a scrambled egg sammich like she could. I haven't even attempted to make one myself since she died.
Okay, the rules didn't say how many people I should tag, and I think most everyone on my blogroll has been tagged already, but I'll throw out Buzzardbilly, ...A Sour Apple Tree, and Kate from One More Thing. If they are so moved to do it. I'd enjoy seeing their "secrets".
THE RULES:
1. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
2. Each player list 6 facts/habits/secrets about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
Okay, so this was harder than I had imagined. I spent most of the day ruminating on what I'd like to share and jotted down some points of interest, wherein I will hereby elaborate on them.
1. I have "Mystery Lactose Intolerance". I call it a mystery because I'm never sure when or where I might be stricken. I can have a bowl of cereal and be just fine and dandy or I can have a bowl of cereal and be running for the toilet inside of an hour. I never know, so I don't take chances. I also carry a bottle of Immodium AD in my purse. Just in case.
Menfolk may want to pass on by #2, but I'm giving you fair warning.
2. You've heard of the "crazy cat lady" right? Well, I am the crazy pad lady. After Buddy was born (by emergency c-section), I was told that I may have bleeding or spotting for up to 12 weeks. 12 weeks? That's just crazy talk. Since Buddy was in the NICU for 6.5 weeks, the Evil Twin and I spent a lot of time visiting him up there. I had had a couple of "good" days - i.e. nothing going on down south AT ALL. So, I went to the NICU wearing legging pants (the popular style then) and as I was sitting by Buddy's isolette, I felt a gush. Luckily, the Evil Twin had his Air Force jacket with him and I was able to wear that out of the hospital. But, ever since that fateful day, I do not get dressed without wearing a panty liner. Just in case.
3. I think my feet are adorable. They're really nice and smooth and my toes are all little and cute. My second toe is NOT longer than my big toe, which I think is cute. The Evil Twin says it's weird. I try to keep the toenails polished at all times, but since it's cold (no wearing sandals a possiblity), I'm giving them a polish break. I also have a odd shaped brown birthmark on the inside of my left foot, which I was always self conscious about, but I've embraced it and almost never pay it any attention now.
4. I do not think that sweats, track suits, or lounge wear are REAL clothes. I won't go out in public in them - and I don't even own anything sweat suit material. Nor will I let my children wear them out of the house. They're fine for hanging around the house on a cold day, but if we leave for any reason, I will change them into jeans, khakis, whatever.... NO SWEATS!
5. I have never eaten a brussels sprout and have no desire to do so. Ditto that on lobster.
6. I like to cook and consider myself fairly proficient at it. My mother was the best cook on this planet... I tried to learn as much from her as possible. However, no one can make a scrambled egg sammich like she could. I haven't even attempted to make one myself since she died.
Okay, the rules didn't say how many people I should tag, and I think most everyone on my blogroll has been tagged already, but I'll throw out Buzzardbilly, ...A Sour Apple Tree, and Kate from One More Thing. If they are so moved to do it. I'd enjoy seeing their "secrets".
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Missed Out
Last night, there was a PTO meeting at Buddy's school. It wasn't on any of my plethora of calendars, datebooks, schedules or PDA, so when the little note came home "reminding" parents of the meeting, I was a little confused.
Yesterday was an overcast and depressing day in general and I was in no mood to leave the house after dinner and be at the school by 7 pm. Plus, you never know how long those things will last and I had promised my biological mom I would call her after 8 pm.
I really kind of hated missing out, though. They're typically comedy gold, but I was tired and just not in the mood for the upcoming angst and hilarity. I just didn't think my psyche was up to it last night, so I blew it off. This made Buddy all kinds of unhappy, since they have childcare available for the school kids and all the boys' bring their Nintendo DSs (that's a handheld game device for those not in the know) and they hook them up or play wirelessly and do whatever you can do on those things. So, he was extremely mad at me for being too freaking tired to sit and listen to a bunch of grown people piss and moan over fundraisers or whatnot.
I have added a few cool new bloggers to my blog roll over there on the right. A Sour Apple Tree , Buzzardbilly and The Film Geek are all local (WV bloggers). I've also added The Warped Mind of Ron , No Celery Please , One More Thing and Cynical? Who, me?. I know that's a bunch, but it's such a good bunch - please try to check them out, but only if you want to be entertained. You're welcome, by the way. I love you, too.
Ok, ok... really. I do all this research so I can bring you the brightest - and it's all good, baby.
Now, it's off to give my full attention to Survivor: The Country of the Season.
Ta ta.
Yesterday was an overcast and depressing day in general and I was in no mood to leave the house after dinner and be at the school by 7 pm. Plus, you never know how long those things will last and I had promised my biological mom I would call her after 8 pm.
I really kind of hated missing out, though. They're typically comedy gold, but I was tired and just not in the mood for the upcoming angst and hilarity. I just didn't think my psyche was up to it last night, so I blew it off. This made Buddy all kinds of unhappy, since they have childcare available for the school kids and all the boys' bring their Nintendo DSs (that's a handheld game device for those not in the know) and they hook them up or play wirelessly and do whatever you can do on those things. So, he was extremely mad at me for being too freaking tired to sit and listen to a bunch of grown people piss and moan over fundraisers or whatnot.
I have added a few cool new bloggers to my blog roll over there on the right. A Sour Apple Tree , Buzzardbilly and The Film Geek are all local (WV bloggers). I've also added The Warped Mind of Ron , No Celery Please , One More Thing and Cynical? Who, me?. I know that's a bunch, but it's such a good bunch - please try to check them out, but only if you want to be entertained. You're welcome, by the way. I love you, too.
Ok, ok... really. I do all this research so I can bring you the brightest - and it's all good, baby.
Now, it's off to give my full attention to Survivor: The Country of the Season.
Ta ta.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Busy, Busy
Sorry I didn't get back to this last night. I know I usually babble on in the early evening. The Evil Twin and I had "Apocalypto" to watch - and seeing how it is just over 2 hours long, we decided to get started watching it right about 8 pm. I didn't know much about the movie, really, other than what I had seen on the trailers and knew that Mel Gibson directed it.
Knowing that he's a talented director, I figured it would be worth a couple of hours of my time. Wow - it was worth 2 hours and more! I'll just leave it at: if you haven't seen this one yet, put it on your Netflix queue.
I woke up in a good mood this morning and thought about getting out with Sissy to run around a bit, but it's so overcast and gloomy, I can't get myself worked up to do anything. It's not cold out, just rather depressing, I guess you could say. I hope tomorrow is nicer and then, perhaps we can get out and have some fun together.
We need to go to WalMart tomorrow no matter what, cause I have a prescription to pick up.
Sory, I had to stop there for a bit and read a book to Sissy. She's learning new words every day. I love this age (well, all of them have their pros and cons), but it's fun to be a part of them learning things! Things we take for granted.
I hope your days are brighter, in all ways, than mine.
Knowing that he's a talented director, I figured it would be worth a couple of hours of my time. Wow - it was worth 2 hours and more! I'll just leave it at: if you haven't seen this one yet, put it on your Netflix queue.
I woke up in a good mood this morning and thought about getting out with Sissy to run around a bit, but it's so overcast and gloomy, I can't get myself worked up to do anything. It's not cold out, just rather depressing, I guess you could say. I hope tomorrow is nicer and then, perhaps we can get out and have some fun together.
We need to go to WalMart tomorrow no matter what, cause I have a prescription to pick up.
Sory, I had to stop there for a bit and read a book to Sissy. She's learning new words every day. I love this age (well, all of them have their pros and cons), but it's fun to be a part of them learning things! Things we take for granted.
I hope your days are brighter, in all ways, than mine.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
A Really Great Website
A friend of mine on a loop I belong to posted this link the other day and I've become obsessed with it.
It's www.freerice.com
It's a great way to donate to a great cause and build your word power. I think I'll go play right now for a bit, actually. Sissy is taking a nap and I've had lunch and checked all my blog-buddies.
I'll be back later, taters.
It's www.freerice.com
It's a great way to donate to a great cause and build your word power. I think I'll go play right now for a bit, actually. Sissy is taking a nap and I've had lunch and checked all my blog-buddies.
I'll be back later, taters.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Adorable Sissy
Sissy will be two in early February, so she is a toddling fool and into everything - all the time. In fact, when I think that almost 2 years have gone by, it seems so strange. Like, that can't be possible! Then, when I think about Buddy turning 10 in January, well, that's just crazy talk! Know what I mean? It's like they can't possibly be that old and I'm surely not old enough to have a 10 year old! Sheesh.
Anyway, Sissy is into everything. We keep our bedroom door and Buddy's bedroom door closed most of the time because there's just too much to destroy in those rooms. But, this morning, I was making our bed before my shower (an OCD trait that I picked up somewhere along the way), and our door was open. Sissy came in - and was poking around. I kept an eye on her.
She grabbed my bra and starting running down the hall with it! I walked behind her to see what she intended to do. She came into the den, slung one strap over her shoulder - the end of the bra strap was dragging the floor and she looked at the Evil Twin and said "Bye bye" while headed toward the door!
Like, she was good to go. She was still in her jammies, but apparently, that doesn't matter when you are 21 months old. You've got a bra-purse and that's all ya need.
We laughed sooo hard. She finally headed back to our room and deposited my bra back on the floor where she had found it (I take it off right before I get in bed and usually just throw it on the floor - because I put it back on first thing the next day - my girls are floppers).
I have to give her credit for returning it when she was finished playing with it. It's my favorite one, so I would have been bummed out to have to resort to 2nd best while searching around for numero uno.
Anyway, Sissy is into everything. We keep our bedroom door and Buddy's bedroom door closed most of the time because there's just too much to destroy in those rooms. But, this morning, I was making our bed before my shower (an OCD trait that I picked up somewhere along the way), and our door was open. Sissy came in - and was poking around. I kept an eye on her.
She grabbed my bra and starting running down the hall with it! I walked behind her to see what she intended to do. She came into the den, slung one strap over her shoulder - the end of the bra strap was dragging the floor and she looked at the Evil Twin and said "Bye bye" while headed toward the door!
Like, she was good to go. She was still in her jammies, but apparently, that doesn't matter when you are 21 months old. You've got a bra-purse and that's all ya need.
We laughed sooo hard. She finally headed back to our room and deposited my bra back on the floor where she had found it (I take it off right before I get in bed and usually just throw it on the floor - because I put it back on first thing the next day - my girls are floppers).
I have to give her credit for returning it when she was finished playing with it. It's my favorite one, so I would have been bummed out to have to resort to 2nd best while searching around for numero uno.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Apron Envy
I got my fancy new apron in the mail today! It is sooo cute. I actually opened it and threw it on, as I was forced into service to make dinner a little earlier than I expected. And, yes, I wore it with pearls, but seeing as how I go shoeless in the house most of the time, I was barefooted! LOL.
A good friend of mine, who I IM quite ofteen, and I were IMing last night. She was the one who pointed me in the direction of my KitchenAid mixer (sent me a link and it was a great deal). So, last night, she suggested I have a name for the beauty. We came up with Cherry - since it is red and my apron has cherries on it. Then, I added Baby after a childhood friend of mine. My brother always called her S___ Baby. I still call her that 35 years later. :-)
So, thanks J! Cherry Baby was in service last night making "Day Ahead Mashed Potatoes". Today I was going to do my mom's Blonde Brownies, but I got too lazy, so I'll do that tomorrow.
I think I slept on my head last night because my neck is so stiff! I can barely turn it to the right. I hate when that happens, but I know it will work itself out. Meanwhile, I will medicate with Chardonnay this evening. My boys - The Evil Twin and Buddy - are planning on doing their "Friday Night Freakshow" tonight, since they missed it last night. The movie of the evening is "The Black Hole". I have no clue what it's about, but it's an opportunity for them to spend time together, eats lots of junk foods and leave me the hell alone! Woot.
It doesn't get better than that people. Except when I have free range of motion in my neck. Ouch.
A good friend of mine, who I IM quite ofteen, and I were IMing last night. She was the one who pointed me in the direction of my KitchenAid mixer (sent me a link and it was a great deal). So, last night, she suggested I have a name for the beauty. We came up with Cherry - since it is red and my apron has cherries on it. Then, I added Baby after a childhood friend of mine. My brother always called her S___ Baby. I still call her that 35 years later. :-)
So, thanks J! Cherry Baby was in service last night making "Day Ahead Mashed Potatoes". Today I was going to do my mom's Blonde Brownies, but I got too lazy, so I'll do that tomorrow.
I think I slept on my head last night because my neck is so stiff! I can barely turn it to the right. I hate when that happens, but I know it will work itself out. Meanwhile, I will medicate with Chardonnay this evening. My boys - The Evil Twin and Buddy - are planning on doing their "Friday Night Freakshow" tonight, since they missed it last night. The movie of the evening is "The Black Hole". I have no clue what it's about, but it's an opportunity for them to spend time together, eats lots of junk foods and leave me the hell alone! Woot.
It doesn't get better than that people. Except when I have free range of motion in my neck. Ouch.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Did Someone Say Glamorous?
In my effort to truly be the glamorous hausfrau, I now have my wonderful KitchenAid Stand Mixer. But, it needed something...Something I couldn't put my finger on.... But, it's so fabulous all by itself. What could make it even more wonderful?
How great is that??? I can even cook while naked (if I want to) and still protect all my goodie bits. Go ahead, and imagine me in my birthday suit with that on with a duster in my right hand. Okay, maybe not if you've just eaten or don't want to think about someone with boobs around their belly button, then fine. You're free to think about Barbie wearing it.
But, Barbie doesn't have really cool black hair, tattoos and 12 earrings either. It's your pick. Like I said, I wouldn't want to influence your imaginations in any way...
Eat your heart out, Donna Reed.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Is There An FAQ?
Is there an FAQ for the etiquette of blog-land? Have you ever read a really great post, and thought, "Self, you have some pretty funny stories or anecdotes along that same line, wouldn't it make a great blog?" Cause after all, you don't want to hijack their blog in the comments, now do you?
Of course not. But, if you post a blog later on concerning the same/similar subject matter, only your take on it, doesn't that seem like blog poaching?
I would probably get a complex if someone posted almost the same exact subject as me on the same day or even a day or two later.
So where is the Miss Manners for Bloggers? Or the Blogger for Dummies book? Maybe I should start my own advice column. You know, "Ask The Evil Twin's Wife" or something like that. Lord knows I love to give my opinions on things, so I'd be good at that. And y'all, there are lots of folks out there who could use my services!
Okay, if you're in a quandry or need advice of any kind, feel free to email me. I'll keep your name private, if you wish and then come up with a decent answer. You can get my email off my "About me" page. Hell, most of you have it in your address books already LOL.
And my question to you, dear readers, is what do you think of blog poaching/hi-jacking? I'll update later with my own 2 cents.
UPDATE: My 2 cents: I guess the consensus is that lifting is OK, as long as credit/link is given. I can agree with that.
Buzzardbilly - probably time for a new stove... :-)
Rosemary - once you are 59 or older, you may feel free to make out where ever you'd like. You've earned it by that age, I would say!
Of course not. But, if you post a blog later on concerning the same/similar subject matter, only your take on it, doesn't that seem like blog poaching?
I would probably get a complex if someone posted almost the same exact subject as me on the same day or even a day or two later.
So where is the Miss Manners for Bloggers? Or the Blogger for Dummies book? Maybe I should start my own advice column. You know, "Ask The Evil Twin's Wife" or something like that. Lord knows I love to give my opinions on things, so I'd be good at that. And y'all, there are lots of folks out there who could use my services!
Okay, if you're in a quandry or need advice of any kind, feel free to email me. I'll keep your name private, if you wish and then come up with a decent answer. You can get my email off my "About me" page. Hell, most of you have it in your address books already LOL.
And my question to you, dear readers, is what do you think of blog poaching/hi-jacking? I'll update later with my own 2 cents.
UPDATE: My 2 cents: I guess the consensus is that lifting is OK, as long as credit/link is given. I can agree with that.
Buzzardbilly - probably time for a new stove... :-)
Rosemary - once you are 59 or older, you may feel free to make out where ever you'd like. You've earned it by that age, I would say!
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Too Busy
To dwell on much today. I've been busy since 7:30 this morning. Sure, it was just day to day stinky stuff, but it kept me occupied, so the old noggin couldn't linger on any one thing for too long.
Except getting home and relaxing for a bit. While I was at the lovely WalMart (home of Walmartians), I bought my favorite box o hooch - the Peter Vella Chardonnay and I knew that big ol' box was chillin' (literally) and waiting for my eager thirst to be quenched.
Now, if I can get Buddy in bed, I can truly focus on my other love: my blog. It's hard to concentrate when someone is always needing something from you, ya know? Don't get me wrong, I love him with all my heart, but everyone needs a moment or two to themselves. And, I'm still not done with all my evening chores, so I won't get much of a break at all this evening. Tomorrow, I'll spend the day Sissy-wrangling.... You know, the Girl Who Doesn't Want A Nap? Not yet 2 and already causing me more grey hairs. I actually bought the Miss Clairol Nice & Easy for Grey Coverage today. Not just the wimpy Nice & Easy regular, but this is supposed to be super duty.
I only have a smattering of greys, so I do feel it's necessary to color it, for now. When the greys are winning the war, then I'll rethink my strategy. After all, I really don't want to be one of those really obviously past 40s or past 50s or whatever gals who have blue black hair. Unfortunately, black is my natural color and there isn't much you can do with that once you reach a certain age.
I wish I could keep my black forever. Maybe I will. You know, just as a big Fork You to people in general.
Alrighty, I've got blogs to catch up on. I've been gone all day and haven't had a chance to visit my whole list of faves. Ta Ta!
Except getting home and relaxing for a bit. While I was at the lovely WalMart (home of Walmartians), I bought my favorite box o hooch - the Peter Vella Chardonnay and I knew that big ol' box was chillin' (literally) and waiting for my eager thirst to be quenched.
Now, if I can get Buddy in bed, I can truly focus on my other love: my blog. It's hard to concentrate when someone is always needing something from you, ya know? Don't get me wrong, I love him with all my heart, but everyone needs a moment or two to themselves. And, I'm still not done with all my evening chores, so I won't get much of a break at all this evening. Tomorrow, I'll spend the day Sissy-wrangling.... You know, the Girl Who Doesn't Want A Nap? Not yet 2 and already causing me more grey hairs. I actually bought the Miss Clairol Nice & Easy for Grey Coverage today. Not just the wimpy Nice & Easy regular, but this is supposed to be super duty.
I only have a smattering of greys, so I do feel it's necessary to color it, for now. When the greys are winning the war, then I'll rethink my strategy. After all, I really don't want to be one of those really obviously past 40s or past 50s or whatever gals who have blue black hair. Unfortunately, black is my natural color and there isn't much you can do with that once you reach a certain age.
I wish I could keep my black forever. Maybe I will. You know, just as a big Fork You to people in general.
Alrighty, I've got blogs to catch up on. I've been gone all day and haven't had a chance to visit my whole list of faves. Ta Ta!
Monday, November 5, 2007
Not My Best Day
But not too awful, either. Lately, I've been having days where for no apparent reason, I experience a higher amount of anxiety than usual. I had been on an anti-anxiety med for several years, but last year - around this same time - I started having massive panic/anxiety attacks and the med just wasn't cutting it at all.
By the end of January, the Evil Twin had to take me to the ER at the hospital - so sure was I that I was having a heart attack or stroke. When they triaged me, my blood pressure was sky high, so I was admitted and given the standard battery of tests.
When they could find nothing physically wrong with me, I was sent home with a prescription for Ativan, a pat on the head and a referral to see a shrink. Niiiiice. Part of my anxiety at the time was being over-scheduled, so in my mind, I didn't need yet another appointment to add to my already hectic schedule.
I was really pleased when the psychiatrist that I was referred to by my neurologist didn't take our insurance plan. So far, I've managed to dodge seeing anyone. My primary care physician changed my anti-anxiety med to an anti-depressant (tried Lexapro - no good, switched to Paxil - seems to be working) and has kept me on Ativan. He doles them out in tiny amounts with no refills. I have to call and ask for a refill from the office, then I have to drive to the office and pick up the prescription and take it to be filled. They don't phone in what they refer to as "nerve pills". Thanks, that's okay, I don't need anything to be easy for me.
So, today was one of my off-kilter days. I feel restless and anxious and just all frizzled. Generally, I only take one Ativan a day. Today, I took an extra one to take the frizzle off. Luckily, it did work.
I think I start getting worked up when I think about the holiday stuff. I know it's going to be really hectic and probably not as cheap as I would like, so that makes my mind race - add in that it's bill paying time and I'm liable to explode! LOL.
I'm off to try to find a recipe. I had it somewhere around the house - it's a chicken recipe with Stove Top stuffing and I've misplaced it and it was really good. Something the whole family liked - which is really rare around these parts. I'm off to recipe hunt and hopefully, get my mind off the madness.
By the end of January, the Evil Twin had to take me to the ER at the hospital - so sure was I that I was having a heart attack or stroke. When they triaged me, my blood pressure was sky high, so I was admitted and given the standard battery of tests.
When they could find nothing physically wrong with me, I was sent home with a prescription for Ativan, a pat on the head and a referral to see a shrink. Niiiiice. Part of my anxiety at the time was being over-scheduled, so in my mind, I didn't need yet another appointment to add to my already hectic schedule.
I was really pleased when the psychiatrist that I was referred to by my neurologist didn't take our insurance plan. So far, I've managed to dodge seeing anyone. My primary care physician changed my anti-anxiety med to an anti-depressant (tried Lexapro - no good, switched to Paxil - seems to be working) and has kept me on Ativan. He doles them out in tiny amounts with no refills. I have to call and ask for a refill from the office, then I have to drive to the office and pick up the prescription and take it to be filled. They don't phone in what they refer to as "nerve pills". Thanks, that's okay, I don't need anything to be easy for me.
So, today was one of my off-kilter days. I feel restless and anxious and just all frizzled. Generally, I only take one Ativan a day. Today, I took an extra one to take the frizzle off. Luckily, it did work.
I think I start getting worked up when I think about the holiday stuff. I know it's going to be really hectic and probably not as cheap as I would like, so that makes my mind race - add in that it's bill paying time and I'm liable to explode! LOL.
I'm off to try to find a recipe. I had it somewhere around the house - it's a chicken recipe with Stove Top stuffing and I've misplaced it and it was really good. Something the whole family liked - which is really rare around these parts. I'm off to recipe hunt and hopefully, get my mind off the madness.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Sunday Ramblings
I used my new KitchenAid mixer yesterday for the first time. I made a pound cake that I have made before (without benefit of the beloved mixer action) and it's a super easy recipe. Let's just say it got even easier with my mixer! Squee! The Evil Twin declared it as good, if not better, than a store bought pound cake. I thought, "You better mean it is highly superior, there, Mister!"
You should have seen him ogling that mixer while I was doing the pound cake. I think he's as in love with it as I am. You have to admit, it's a functional work of art.
Anyway, we had friends over last night and the Evil Twin made his delicious chili. We had that and 2 loaves of french bread. For dessert, we had my extraordinary pound cake and a store bought apple pie that the Evil Twin had picked up when he went to get the chili ingredients.
Today has been so nice. The very epitome of how a Sunday should be. Football, leftover chili, snacking and napping. Fall is officially here, I suppose. It's getting cooler outside, but our windows have really made a difference in the amount of heat or AC we have had to run in the past.
The whole "fall back" thing has me confuzzled, as usual. It'll take me a good week to get adjusted. I hope everyone has had a nice weekend and is looking forward to a good week!!
Til tomorrow, I am your humble hausfrau.
You should have seen him ogling that mixer while I was doing the pound cake. I think he's as in love with it as I am. You have to admit, it's a functional work of art.
Anyway, we had friends over last night and the Evil Twin made his delicious chili. We had that and 2 loaves of french bread. For dessert, we had my extraordinary pound cake and a store bought apple pie that the Evil Twin had picked up when he went to get the chili ingredients.
Today has been so nice. The very epitome of how a Sunday should be. Football, leftover chili, snacking and napping. Fall is officially here, I suppose. It's getting cooler outside, but our windows have really made a difference in the amount of heat or AC we have had to run in the past.
The whole "fall back" thing has me confuzzled, as usual. It'll take me a good week to get adjusted. I hope everyone has had a nice weekend and is looking forward to a good week!!
Til tomorrow, I am your humble hausfrau.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Is It So Wrong?
To love an appliance? Really...LOOOOOK at it:
and a different view: click for a larger view.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Fourteen Years
The Evil Twin and I celebrated our 14th Anniversary yesterday. Of course, we were out trick or treating, so we put off our anniversary dinner until this evening. We had a really nice time doing the trick or treat thing. We have friends who live a couple miles away and they have two boys. One is Buddy's age and they are best friends. Their other son is 5.
These friends like to "entertain" (that's code for drink) and I am all for that kind of entertaining. Another friend of ours had dropped off a bottle of champagne in honor of our anniversary when she dropped off goodie bags for the kids, so I took my champange and looked forward to the fun evening.
Usually, the mom of the wife comes to hand out candy, so we can all roam the neighborhood, drinks in hand and watch the kids. She's out of town, so the wife and I decided to babysit the legal beverages while handing out candy. The Evil Twin and the husband of the couple took their two and our two and hit the road for treats.
Buddy was a ninja and Sissy was the cutest little devil you've ever seen. She didn't officially trick or treat, but she rode along in her stroller so she could ber part of the whole activity.
Tonight, we went to Red Lobster for our special meal. It was good. We are all completely stuffed with shrimp (it's the endless shrimp feast).
Finally, a blast from the past. I wasn't able to scan this since the Evil Twin got his new computer, he needs to download a new driver to be able to use our scanner with it, so I just took a digital pic of a framed photo. Forgive the quality, but hey, I'm doing the best I can here. LOL:
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
A Loss
Dr. Syn, a much loved blogger friend, passed away on Sunday evening. It's a terrible loss for our little community here, his greater community at large and for his family and friends.
I can't say much more than what's already been said by the greatly talented writers over there on my blogroll (someday I'll figure out how to link them).
I hoped and I prayed for the best, but I was also really worried about him as each post from his wife brought scarier news than before. Thank God she kept us updated, though. I'm sure it was tough for her to find the words in her own time of worry.
I know Dr. Syn wasn't a religious guy, but I'll continue to pray for him and his family. Vaya con Dios, amigo.
I can't say much more than what's already been said by the greatly talented writers over there on my blogroll (someday I'll figure out how to link them).
I hoped and I prayed for the best, but I was also really worried about him as each post from his wife brought scarier news than before. Thank God she kept us updated, though. I'm sure it was tough for her to find the words in her own time of worry.
I know Dr. Syn wasn't a religious guy, but I'll continue to pray for him and his family. Vaya con Dios, amigo.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Plog II
The painting my Nana did - that my aunt sent last week:
Here is a detail of the two owls on the branch. This painting is titled, "Wise Old Owls", which Nana did to represent her and Pops:
As Tiff from No Accent Yet would say, click on the pics to embiggen them. Yay!!
Here is a detail of the two owls on the branch. This painting is titled, "Wise Old Owls", which Nana did to represent her and Pops:
As Tiff from No Accent Yet would say, click on the pics to embiggen them. Yay!!
Plog
Today I bring pictures. Thusly, my PLOG. First is my new front door and screen door. The photo came out kinda dark, so I tried to lighten it up a bit.
I did a close up on the window detail (and no, I can't see out of it unless I'm on my tippy toes)
Friday, October 26, 2007
Did My Song Drive You Crazy?
I love that little clip from YouTube. I hear it on Noggin about, oooohhh, 4 bazillion times per day. Every time it comes on, Sissy and I have to freeze whatever we're doing to give our full attention to the song and video.
Anyway, seeing the candy corn in the award from Rosemary made me think of that song, because, well, I hear it 4 bazillion times a day (I think I mentioned that). I have that little ditty just SEARED into my brain. There are several other "catchy" songs on Noggin that I find myself singing at odd times. Like, trying to get to sleep, I'll be humming the tune to "Max and Ruby" or "Wow Wow Wubbzy". No wonder I feel like I've gone round the twist lately.
I wrapped up another stressful afternoon at Buddy's school. Today was the Halloween Parade and party. It's the same thing every year- just a different grade - but, school lets out at 11:30. So you pick up your child(ren) then and then presumably get lunch and get the child(ren) changed into their Halloween costumes, then have to be back at the school by 1pm for the Parade. We only live about 2 miles from the school, so we don't normally have issues - except Buddy likes to dillydally. And, as the homeroom mom helper, I had told her I'd be there before 1 to get the punch started (we did the Sprite and Orange Shebert, so the stuff has to melt a bit).
The kids went out to do the parade - they walk around the block - and when they're back in their classrooms, snacks are ready. Our moms went all out on treats this time. The homeroom mom made "Boogers on a Stick", which were large rod pretzels dipped in green tinted velveeta, and "Your Sisters Fingers", which were mozzarella string cheese drizzled with red food coloring. She also did a dessert called, "Kitty Litter", which was partially melted Tootsie Rolls with white cookie crumbs rolled onto them. Hilarious! I had some kitty litter which was quite good, but couldn't bring myself to Boogers on a Stick. There were some other gruesome looking and named treats. It was fun, but it's always a lot of work. The kids are antsy because they can smell a holiday from a mile away.
I also had to bring Sissy along. She was doing okay until we started to clean up. I saw her reach in the trash can and eat a piece of candy someone had discarded. I hope it was on a plate! LOL. I think she enjoyed being with all the big kids. They always like to play with her, so she gets plenty of attention.
Now, it's time for me to reeeee-laaaaxxx. Have a great evening!
Anyway, seeing the candy corn in the award from Rosemary made me think of that song, because, well, I hear it 4 bazillion times a day (I think I mentioned that). I have that little ditty just SEARED into my brain. There are several other "catchy" songs on Noggin that I find myself singing at odd times. Like, trying to get to sleep, I'll be humming the tune to "Max and Ruby" or "Wow Wow Wubbzy". No wonder I feel like I've gone round the twist lately.
I wrapped up another stressful afternoon at Buddy's school. Today was the Halloween Parade and party. It's the same thing every year- just a different grade - but, school lets out at 11:30. So you pick up your child(ren) then and then presumably get lunch and get the child(ren) changed into their Halloween costumes, then have to be back at the school by 1pm for the Parade. We only live about 2 miles from the school, so we don't normally have issues - except Buddy likes to dillydally. And, as the homeroom mom helper, I had told her I'd be there before 1 to get the punch started (we did the Sprite and Orange Shebert, so the stuff has to melt a bit).
The kids went out to do the parade - they walk around the block - and when they're back in their classrooms, snacks are ready. Our moms went all out on treats this time. The homeroom mom made "Boogers on a Stick", which were large rod pretzels dipped in green tinted velveeta, and "Your Sisters Fingers", which were mozzarella string cheese drizzled with red food coloring. She also did a dessert called, "Kitty Litter", which was partially melted Tootsie Rolls with white cookie crumbs rolled onto them. Hilarious! I had some kitty litter which was quite good, but couldn't bring myself to Boogers on a Stick. There were some other gruesome looking and named treats. It was fun, but it's always a lot of work. The kids are antsy because they can smell a holiday from a mile away.
I also had to bring Sissy along. She was doing okay until we started to clean up. I saw her reach in the trash can and eat a piece of candy someone had discarded. I hope it was on a plate! LOL. I think she enjoyed being with all the big kids. They always like to play with her, so she gets plenty of attention.
Now, it's time for me to reeeee-laaaaxxx. Have a great evening!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
I've Been Awarded!
Sweet Rosemary from Rosemary's Attic gifted me with this really cool award:
Isn't that fun? I just love it. It reminds me of a little snippet that airs on the Noggin Channel. For those of you without the pre-school / toddler set at home, you probably don't watch a lot of kiddie programming.
We keep Noggin on all day here for background noise. Sissy doesn't really watch much of it, but she does like certain segments and I'm just hoping that she's learning stuff while checking it out (like counting to 3 and all).
They have this song running now and it's one of Sissy's favorites. She loves Moose and Zee (the little bird).
I can't figure out how to get it in this blog, so it's next up.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)