February 29, 2008

Hello Fellow Blog Hoppers!

Welcome to any and all Blog Hoppers! Happy Friday! I hope you enjoy your stay---take a look around, I've got a Friday's Feast for this week, a Thursday Thirteen that you will probably identify with, and just general blather about my life.

So, to commence with the blather....

It's nice and cold and snowy today. Well, actually, it's not as cold as it has been as of late. This evening it's actually a bit warm. My Weather Bug here on the Netscape Navigator says 29.8 degrees. Wow, that's warm. Considering we've had negative wind chills off and on, and it was downright frigid yesterday. Good thing it wasn't so bad inside ;-) T and I have managed to keep each other warm as of late :-D But all this snow makes for a rough drive. Our driveway/parking lot is difficult to navigate, especially with the mix of below freezing temperature snow and the new layer of near freezing temperature snow. My Goodness, as I typed, T got stuck in the driveway, leaving to go to work! No kidding! That makes the second time in an hour---I got stuck going up the driveway of the church that my daughter's Girl Scout troop meets at, to pick her up! :-\ Man, I hope it starts to get better, I've got Penny Savers this weekend (just like every weekend, even though now I want to get out of it!), and I'm heading over to drop something off with my mom's roommate tomorrow.

Oh, that's a bit of good news. Check back, here and at my crochet blog (sorely in need of an update). I've finished Rosa's afghan. I think it looks just BEAUTIFUL. It's in the washer now, I really should switch it over to the dryer! It's going to be heavy, all wet and everything....good thing I have to only take it about 10 feet! I will CERTAINLY post pictures once it's all dry. I'm not sure if I'm going to have the matching pillow done this evening, or even this weekend, but I will have it done soon. I've just got the back to finish, the join it around the edge, stuff it, close it and secure it with another row around.

I've sorta started my bookmark flush. There are already some links up on my del.icio.us account. Take a look at the Tag roll up on my sidebar. You might even find yourself! LOL!

D's latest big thing she keeps harping on that she learned at school---the fact that rusting on a metallic object is a slow fire. She just came in here with some Allen wrench set that T's got talking about how it's hot but oh the fire is so slow it's like a snail. Silly girl.

Well, once I get P to bed, I will be back here and do a bit of Blog Hoppin' myself! :-)

Friday's Feast #10

I may be participating in Blog365, but since I've already taken a few days off, with or without meaning to, I'm just going to go right ahead and post right through our "day off". Gotta make up for those others somehow! :-P-Psssst!

Oh, and once I realized I was a bit behind on my Friday's Feasts (as in, I saw someone else had already posted this week's and so I went to the sight and saw that they had a bunch of them up from when it went down until this week), I posted the ones I had missed. So they are here and here.

Appetizer

Who was the last person you hugged?

P. Since I put him to bed every night, and it's usually about the time T goes to work, it will almost always be P who will be the last person I hug at night.

Soup

Share a beauty or grooming trick or tip with us.

Don't make me laugh. Me? Beauty or grooming tips? They don't belong in the same paragraph, let alone the same sentence.

All I can say is, if you try to keep stains off your clothes, and make sure to only wear them once before you wash them (especially undergarments), then you should be good. And keep your hair combed (though sometimes for me that's just running my fingers through them, which isn't the greatest since I have longer hair now). You know I'm having a really good day when I get as far as to brush my hair, look decent, make sure I put on deodorant and slap a little lipstick and mascara on me. Teeth brushing is optional---if I've made it that far, man is it a GOOD DAY!

Man, do I sound like a slob or what?

Salad

What does the color yellow make you think of?

T. His favorite color of roses is yellow. Also, I guess it's a "Gemini" color. Or is it just May? Oh well! :-)

Main Course

If you were to make your living as a photographer, what subject would your pictures revolve around?

Either people's craft objects (like, I'd go around and make sure everyone I know that crafts has had their items photographed), or families. But candid, not posed. There's so much more life in the candid ones than the posed ones. I'd also like to do live action---I'd go and take pictures for a local paper or something like that, not so much for sports but for everyday life, parades, meetings, etc. I could do that---it sounds like fun. My sister actually DOES make her living as a photographer---she's the manager of the PictureMe studio---the portrait studios in WalMart---down in the town they live in.

Dessert

What was the longest book you ever read?

This is an easy one---The Complete Unabridged Version of The Stand by Stephen King. Just after I turned 14. :-D I'm pretty sure it's even longer than the Bible, which should be the next longest thing I read...I've got to get to work on that! :-P

Finally Friday, again.

Feeling the comment love once again! :-) I received 12 whole comments in the last 24 hours---some for my recent Thursday Thirteen (including some back and forth between me and another blogger---Hi Lou!), and some for the Friday's Feast. I hope to keep this memeing going. And I'm going to use my del.icio.us help keep my side bar in order. More widgets, if that means more loading time, I'm sorry! I'm just trying to keep my blog pretty as can be :-)

You know, I've found that God does answer prayers. Okay, right now He's answering all my "big" prayers with a great big old

Blinkyou.com alpha word makerBlinkyou.com alpha word makerBlinkyou.com alpha word makerBlinkyou.com alpha word maker

But He lets me know that He IS listening in small ways. Like last night, not for the first time, I brought the fact that my attraction to others is making me feel distant from T...and I swear within minutes He helped me revert my mind to thinking of something just about T. TMI, I'm sure....but you know, I KNOW I didn't actively do that. And there have been other times, with other things---two specific nights, when I had the tv on the Contemporary Christian music station and was feeling very distant from God, when I prayed and asked for Him to comfort me, "Broken Road"---which I originally heard after Rascal Flatts recorded it, but that was recorded by other people in these instances---came on. For me that's a really big song when it comes to my faith, because I know I needed to follow the road I did to get back to Him, and I REALLY know He was there all along while I was clearing my head and returning to His arms. It never really applied with T, because the road we took to each other led us to each other's arms. Our song is "Keeper of the Stars" by Tracy Byrd---and right in it, it says that the Keeper of the Stars had this plan all along.

So, what else is there? I'm not really sure. So, I hope you have a good rest of your day...of rest if you're doing Blog365

February 28, 2008

Thursday Thirteen #8 - Thirteen things I need to pick up off my floor

This will be my first TT from my email....even though I already have blogger open. Oh well, LOL!!!

Must get back into this.

1. Paper of various shapes and sizes - Some are small receipts (like the McDonald's one at my feet), some are oddly shaped because kids ripped them up.

2. Short and long pieces of yarn - Between finishing up Rosa's afghan and redoing the pillow, I've done a lot of clipping yarn. Some are long pieces from cutting off the ends after I weave them in, some are really small pieces in the salvaging of yarn from the pillow's first incarnation.

3. Envelopes - Because some of those pieces of paper are pieces of mail, so they have accompanying envelopes. Plus T got a few things off ebay recently.

4. Pens - Because I keep all my pens in this never-used-for-peanut-butter jar, and P likes to get into them.

5. Various Winter Items - Coats, mittens, hats, scarves, boots. It's the middle of winter. What do you expect, really?

6. Toys - Well, I have a 2 year old. What do you expect?

7. Various pieces of clothing - in our room, I don't have a basket in there right now. In the living room, there's 2 baskets of clothes I need to fold, and those are what needs folded in there.

8. Towels - for the same reason as above (though, there aren't any towels on my bedroom floor)

Things I'm happy not to have to pick up off my floor:

9. Food - At least not the dried on, rotted kind. I pick up most of what food hits the floor

10. Poo of any kind - If it drops out of a diaper (if you're a mom you'll understand that), it quickly gets picked up. But we don't have any animals, so I don't have to worry about them too.

11. Multiple utensils - I try to keep these off the floor too. If one lands there, it will get picked up quick.

12. Mold - I may not wash my floor every month day, but at least the mess isn't so bad that it grows this disgusting stuff.

Pretty soon:

13. Me - I'm tired. And I even slept in and went to bed early last night. I've really got to get myself to a doctor! :-S



Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

February 27, 2008

What were you thinking?

It finally occurred to me just this evening, I don't have to keep going to my blog to post a blog post!  I can do it from right here, in my email!  Wow---duh!  It'll make it easier and cleaner for me---then I can save the posts until I'm ready with them (though, yes, Blogger allows for that), and I don't have to go and open a whole other window---well, actually, I do because after I'm done here I'll be going over to my blog to make sure it looks kosher.  But really, now I have little excuse.  I've had the email address set up for a while, I'm just going to start doing this.  But since I have my email open so much, I'll be able to come and go with the post as I please, and not even have to worry about it getting lost.  Yeah, the great thing with Gmail is that it automatically saves your draft as you go along.  :-)  So I'll have them here waiting for me no matter what :-)

So, today...

I went to MOPS.  As always, it was fun.  Not too much to report there, though I'm hoping I didn't insult the Pastor that is the mentor---with the activity the speaker had us do, I mumbled that she just has way too much fun.  Dang...I'll have to say something to her on Sunday if I see her.  And if not then, I'll have another chance next Tuesday, because we have MOPS then too.

Then we went to see mom.  It was hard to tear the little guy away from mom's lunch tray.  He had so much fun eating off it after the last MOPS we went to.  He's a good kid.  They both are, it's just getting difficult with D because she's getting older, and more of an individual.  :-|  But isn't that what we want?

Then I finished weaving in the fringe on Rosa's afghan, and started adding an edge to the ends to match the other 2 sides, then started equaling out the whole edge, adding the last row all the way around.  I'm not done with that yet.  I'm going to have to remake the pillow, as (I don't think I mentioned this last night but I might have) P hacked into it with my scissors.

After D got home, I got T up so that I could run to the post office and Weight Watchers.  Not directly after, but soon after.  Her clarinet mouthpiece is still missing.  If she (we) can't find it real soon, it will be a cost of $70+.  :-|  Not amusing.  I've got to get off here soon and go to bed so I can use all of tomorrow to clean as much as I can round here.  :-|  Both to help her look for the mouthpiece, and just because it NEEDS it.  D=

Weight Watchers was somewhat uplifting.  I lost 4.4 pounds.  I hope this is the start of a turn around in my weight loss journey.  In that now I hope I start losing again, since I've been gaining bit by bit since the holidays.  I think last weeks "Everybody has those days" (unfortunately, even though I'm not a big fan, D is a fan of Hannah Montana, so that song sometimes goes through my head) theme of the talk the meeting leader gave (not exactly the title, but that's the gist of it) helped some.  I hope.  I'd like to lose quite a bit more---20 pounds or more---before we go out to visit T's family in August.  So I can surprise the pants of his grandma (though her actually losing her pants would be scary!). 

Then to the store.  Do you know, it doesn't take much to pick up a gallon of milk?  But it's interesting the fracture points possible in a plastic jug.  I dropped the thing on the floor just inside the doors---I was going to take all the bags out to the car, instead of having to push it through the slush.  But wouldn't you know, I picked the milk up and just as I had it over the edge of the cart, it fell to the floor.  Some girl was walking in, talking on the phone, and a bit of it splashed on the bottom of her pants leg!  I could feel really horrible about that---I apologized repeatedly to her as she got her cart, and walked away.  She mentioned it to whoever she was talking to, but she said "that's okay."  I'm sure she was complaining to them after though. 

Then home.  To find the floor still a mess, the kids running rampant, the hubby changing a diaper...:-|  But I can't expect much when I leave them alone.  Just more work for me tomorrow.  Oh well. 

One good thing about this evening---I think T has figured out why the hot water heater wasn't putting out such hot water all the time.  And it had to do with something up here, not downstairs.  The bathroom faucet is...faulty.  So, he stopped the leak (by turning it good and all the way off), and slowed down the bit we have running in the washroom, to keep the pipes from freezing (okay, that's only one reason it's on in there).  And the water in our shower proved that it was indeed the faucet leaking in the bathroom that was the problem.  Oh boy, is that water HOT when the water heater's turned all the way up!  :-S  I learned that QUICK, thanks in part to P coming in and playing with the shower faucet :-S  T just has to go down and turn it back down---and now I have good and hot water to do dishes with. 

Woo hoo?  :-|

Okay, enough, good night.  :-)

February 26, 2008

[Ten on Tuesday] 10 Movies That You've Intended to Watch, but Haven't

This should be a fairly easy list to make, all I really have to do is look over what dvds we have in our collection that I haven't read yet!  :-)  So, here's the pile, with a couple that we don't have or that have passed through my "to watch" pile!

1.  The Lake House - this was bought with several others (some that I haven't watched yet either) because it sounded good, and I just haven't sat down to watch it yet!

2. Luther - I bought this because I was raised Lutheran and have always been interested and intrigued by the history of, well, my history.  It's sorta like why I got The Dreamcatcher, a movie based on Native American history (Native American Studies was my minor in college)---but I've watched that one.  I like it so much that I bought it---it was a made for tv movie.

3.  Bambi II - can you believe they made a sequel to this?  What, does Bambi actually die in this one?  What's the point?  But I want to one day see if the story in this one can match the original.

4.  Lord of War - simply because we bought it, and it's still sitting on the shelf.  I'm pretty sure T's already watched it (because he would be the one it was bought "for").

5.  The Wicker Man - it seemed intriguing when we bought it.

6.  Van Helsing - it's got Hugh Jackman.  Need I say more?

7.  The Neverending Story II - I know I've seen the original like a million times.  Can they capitalize on the success?  And would it be a good idea?

8.  Fahrenheit 9/11 - I'm interested in politics.  It's not just a passing fancy---but it's so complicated and depressing that I really can't concentrate on it long.  Or I'll get really...depressed.  But I WANT to watch it. 

9.  SiCKO - We haven't bought this one yet, but I DO want to see it---and everyone that HAS seen it highly recommends it!  (Hi, Teresa!)  And of course for the same reason as #8. :-)

10. Gone in 60 Seconds - My dad owns the remake.  And the original.  And my mom got the director/writer/producer's autograph when we saw him one day on the streets in his...hometown, which is the next town over from where we live (a little research WILL finally get you where I live) just DAYS (if not the day before) he died.  That was tragic!  :-(  I'm not as interested in seeing the remake as I am in seeing the original.  Few names as big as this came from this area. 

Bonus:  This I should be *real* proud of...my exercise videos.  I've really got to start hitting those :-|


To check out other Ten on Tuesday participants, go here

February 25, 2008

Weekly Winners Feb 18 - Feb 24




Pathetic, isn't she?

How can such a little pain in the neck be so darn cute?



Well, mom SAID to put them on!


Stuck again!

Tired little guy!

Crystaline Beauty


The world from a 2 year old's perspective.

If you would like to see other Weekly Winner's Contestants, go here

I'm feeling something, but....

I'm not feeling the comment love. Tell me, do I really complain that much? Do I offend? Sorry :-(

Today was actually a pretty good day, all things considered. I was in a GOOD mood most of the day---not that "woo hoo, it's a GREAT DAY, I can DO ANYTHING" kind of mood, but definitely not "dang, everything sucks". No, more like "It's all good, I'm going to be cool as a cucumber, and only get minimally upset over just the most important stuff." I was going to post my Weekly Winners today---they're up on Flickr, I just have to post them here. I'll do that later....well, later today as I seem to be up at 1:30am :-| Oh well, later today then.

I was thinking of a lot of things to blog about while I was out delivering (most of) the Penny Savers. I even ended up getting pictures of that house, over on one of the streets I deliver to, that I love so much. I might post about just that too. I've got to Paint Shop some of them, as there are important features I LOVE about this place that I want to point out. I even ended up talking to 2 of the neighbors---one lady across the street and one lady next door to the place that happened to come out with some fruit for the lady I was talking to---and I got the name of the guy who owns it. I don't know what I'd like to do---I mean, I'd love to move in there, but then whether or not it would be in our budget would be important. What's more, if the guy would give us the option to buy---but the first lady who I talked to mentioned something about someone being interested at one point, but he didn't want to rent it, or something. It's really a nice place! I wonder if there's anything wrong with it? It was the owner's parents' house---I'm wondering if the name that's attached to the house (I looked up the guy's name soon after I got home, and noticed that the house is listed under his first name, where as where he's supposed to live, and must live since I know the house is EMPTY, is listed with his first name and a middle initial) is actually his dad's. All which includes with it a whole host of more questions. I had been thinking about the house just moments before, and then boom I was able to talk to a neighbor. It was interesting!

Well, it's my bed time. I hope you comment, because now you can!

February 23, 2008

Further thinking things out.

So I sat down here to do some Blog Hoppin', maybe write a blog post, and definitely do the papers.

I had ideas about what to write in my post. Instead of doing all I intended, I ended up reading a touching love story...theirs "ends" (continues) much the same as ours does, though it's nearly totally different. But I love to hear how others got together, so it's an interesting story...you can go read Emery and Chris's story for yourself :-) (Man, I hope if she gets my flow trickle of traffic to her blog to read her love story---which, by the way, you can get to by the links on her sidebar---she won't hate me. I don't even know her.) I actually got there because of reading another Blog Hopper's post (they're going to church together this weekend or something).

Of course, now I feel almost more lost than anything. But more scared and eager to talk to Pastor A at church. After this last bout of PMS (because I'm sure that's a big part of the problem that takes 2 or more weeks out of my month) and possible diabetes (because of the insatiable need for water I spoke of and people commiserated with me on during last week's Blog Hoppin' trekers), I'm left with questions.

I'm starting to wonder if my rant last week wasn't at least partly hormonally inspired. And the love story I read helps with that question in a way.

I'm just so confused....things are banging against themselves and the walls of my head, making it a nice little moshpit.

I still hate this apartment with a passion. I don't like the word hate, so to use it is important, note worthy.

Re the blog post---a thought that occurred to me. While my relationship with my husband defines me in a big way, as does my position as the mother of my children---it's not the only definition of me. And other than a small bout of jealousy here and there, and not feeling comfortable with my really quite portly self, I don't question the validity of our bond. Nary a question or a doubt, really---especially after the night he commented to me that our relationship was unconditional. I KNOW he loves me as God does. I worry that sometimes I don't...but I think most of the time I get pretty close. And a member of my crochet group made the comment in the email today that we much really be in love, because he's always with me at the get togethers. Well. We are. Our little group of 4 souls might have our squabbles sometimes (frankly, I left the house for about 15 minutes last night because I am just sick of all the yelling my 11 year old does, and after doing a bunch of it with her and then her having a bunch with her father, I had had enough and needed to get out of the house for just a few minutes. Never mind that we were actually on our way out the door to go to WalMart---I just needed some time away from them. Not much, just a little. And I needed to sorta collect my thoughts. Actually, the whole drive my mind was blank, until I made the decision to turn home. I never liked it when my mom yelled---and man could she yell, I'd hate to know what it sounded like in HER home when she was a kid. Because her mom was certifiable. So it's a bit disheartening to have to listen to D. And then, sometimes she tells mom things....with my mom I don't often know anymore. Oh gees...off the subject much?)but we are a closeknit little unit. We are our own little social circle---T and I both have friends, and of course D does, since she is after all in school---but the bulk of our time is spent TOGETHER. Like I was trying to explain to my mom the other day---to me, the idea of sitting around the dinner table now is more in the abstract. We eat dinner together, and more often than not it's in front of the tv. But we are TOGETHER. We can't get far from each other in this house. Hmm....and when we find another place, I don't want to have it TOO spread out. My parents' house in nicely organized---but, no, there is no way in heck I'm going to take over that shack. It's old and falling apart. No, we have our lives outside of the house, but most of the people T and I are friends with understand that the 4 of us are a package deal. And D's friends---if we don't get to know the kid and the kid's parent(s), there is little hope for that relationship. Hmmm, yeah, that makes sense considering some of the friendships she's had.

But, I have to ask---is it possible that we're here because we still have work. Like all the time it took my mom to get back up here from Ohio? What's our work? Might not find out for years. I just hope it doesn't take long for us to find out. Ugh, I can't stand this place on so many levels!!!

Wish me luck. I think I'm actually ending this on a positive note, at least in my mind. :-) Still feel like I'm on pause though!

February 22, 2008

Friday's Feast #9

Appetizer

Have you ever played a practical joke on anyone? If so, what did you do and who was your victim?

I'd have to say that the biggest practical joke that I can remember is when I got back into my pjs one day when we had a snow day then walked into my parents bedroom to tell my mom we had no school that day. I had to prove it to her before she'd believe me that I didn't have school. :-|

Soup

What do your salt and pepper shakers look like?

Well, I don't really use them as salt and pepper shakers, and they're pretty much destroyed now, but they are angels. Of course. Because I collect them. :-)

Salad

Where is the next place you plan to visit (on vacation or business)?

Take a look at the top post of my blog----to Colorado of course!!! :-D

Main Course

What kind of lotion or cream do you use to keep your hands from getting too dry?

Biz plug!!! --- My candle biz's Bella Balm. It helps out a GREAT deal, and while the amount might seem a bit small for the price, it's WELL worth it!!!

Dessert

Make up a dessert, tell us its ingredients, and give it a name.

Choose as many fruits as you'd like. Some can be canned, or not. For this, having them be canned might be best. Take a traditional Apple Crisp Crust recipe, multiply it as many times as fruits you have, then make it, divide it according to how many fruits you have(if you made it all together) and set it aside. Take each fruit and alternate them with the Crust, putting the crust as the last layer.

Tell, me, who pressed the Pause Button?

On my life. As I've been thinking about things, I realize I sorta feel like a giant pause button has been pushed (I am thinking about a way to show this graphically---I went looking for pause button images on Google---I just don't like any of them, and think taking a picture of my finger nearing the pause button or a picture of the box that comes up in the corner of the tv when you press pause during what ever you are watching just seems silly to me right now). On so many things. Our living situation, my health, my candle biz (oh, big big big pause button there :-S), just way too many things in my life. Those are just the big ones. And I'm at a loss---am I the one who has to press play again, and DO something to get things going---what I have been doing (which in a lot of cases is next to nothing---like with the candle biz) is definitely not enough. I know part of why I don't do anything is because I'm afraid. But with at least 2 of the things---this stupid stupid house and having to wait on even stupider people to do the things they SHOULD do, and of course my health because 2 weeks out of my month where I have no idea where my brain is, is getting a little old---I'm getting so dang peeved off! I want a new place---I just don't know how we're going to go about getting it. I mean, because we live in a college town most of the houses/apartments that come up in the paper for rent (3 bedroom, at least 1 bath) are for COLLEGE KIDS. I swear, if I ever get the money to do it, I'm going to come up with a complex JUST FOR FAMILIES. I mean, there are MULTITUDES of housing choices for college students---which is great and I completely understand both the need and convenience of coming up with such places, but it's incredibly irritating for those of us FAMILIES who are looking for 3 bedroom homes! I've had no less than 2 calls to an apartment and a house owner who told me right away that the apartment is for COLLEGE KIDS. UGH! It won't be any different when we move out to Colorado, but at least the beginning we'll have a place to stay (not that it's really big enough for the 4 of us---I'm going to have to consolidate a LOT no matter when we move!). I'm very dissatisfied with whatever else I do find in the paper for our area---there's a nice little "cluster" of homes that are all way out of our price range, even though the size (3 bedrooms) is right. There's always something wrong with a place. I'm contemplating looking into buying a house (in fact, my best guy friend's parents' house is for sale...it would be just inside of our budget too) more and more with each place I call about, and with each passing day. The only problem then would be getting approved for a loan. I'm not totally sure we can qualify for any first time home owners things, or even any grants. Though I suppose looking further into Grants.gov isn't a bad idea.

February 20, 2008

February 19, 2008

Twisted around myself Tuesday...

So, I'm not totally sure how I feel about today. On the one hand, I don't feel too bad because I had an interesting talk with my mom about parenting, and I also have decided to stick with Weight Watchers after today's meeting, and what she talked about---that sometimes we all have off days or weeks (or, in my case, months). On the other hand, there's the reason my mom and I had the talk, and just how I feel about my parenting and comparing it to other people's parenting (namely the mother of the girls in the trailer park that my daughter has had as playmates the most).

I feel like a hypocrite when I think of her and her parenting style sometimes. I KNOW I'm a better mother than her---I would now definitely say that to her face, though we had a confrontation once just after P was born, and when she accused me of implying that with what I was saying, I backed off. I really would say that about myself....well, even then, but even more so now. I felt bad enough for her daughters, but now I also feel really bad for their son, their third kid together (he has one with his first wife, though you hardly ever see her around here anymore). Her yelling can get pretty bad. Though with my daughter as of late, just before bed has included a lot of yelling too. I look back to how I was at her age---I don't think I was much different. And in some ways my mom had to be just as hard---and was probably harder, because I feel like I can be a pushover a lot---as T and I are being. But I turned out pretty good.

Otherwise, I feel pretty good physically at the moment. Maybe part of the problem has been my eating habits. Which have gone steadily downhill since the holidays. :-| Probably a big part of it is that. I still don't like this place in so many ways right now. I want out of here so bad, but I feel like we're going to be stuck here for a very long time. I'm starting to do some research into first time home buyers assistance, but so far what I found doesn't look incredibly promising. Sure, there's assistance out there, but I don't think we are going to be qualified enough for any of it. I'll look when I've had some sleep again.

I've got a floor to pick up, thanks to Hurricane P!

February 18, 2008

Mellowish Monday...

I can't tell you how relieved I really am now that it's that time of the month. I'm pretty certain that whatever I am suffering from, it's PMS. I now want to get things to the point that they are manageable. One thing I hope to do with paying off the doctor bills, is find out if part of my problem is diabetes. Sometimes I feel oddly lightheaded, and I wonder if it's not being awash in hormones, but being awash in insulin or too high blood sugar. Sadly, because of family history (and I'm sure a horrible diet doesn't help much either), it's entirely possible. My sister, who is a full 5 years younger (and probably about 100 pounds LIGHTER) has already been diagnosed with diabetes. She's also been dealing with migraines and other things during her PMS times too.

We got nearly all the papers done today. And because it was starting to snow and cold, we used the car this time, again. D and I deliver the papers, while T and P are in the car, with the Penny Savers in the back, and he drops us off at one end then waits for us at the other.

*Pause for cheese curd...*

My dad stopped by with some curd from a local farm, that my mom had requested he get, and said to give some to me. :-) MMMMMMMMM......cheese......

It's all gone---but P got to partake of it too (D didn't want any, even though I offered). He liked it! :-) I might get the chance to experience yet another cheese coma...I had one the other day when I had wanted some ham and swiss cheese sandwiches---I did my usual and just ate all of the rest of the cheese after I was done making sandwiches for myself out of it. :-S

Took another break...did some cleaning (especially in the area of P's toys), and talked to D's friend's mom about her coming over tomorrow. This week of vacation seems fuller than a regular school week...she's going to see my mom and to her friend's house on Tuesday, she's going to my sister's Wednesday night to Thursday, and she's got a Girl Scout outing on Friday. I don't get to see her much, but considering she's a typical adolescent, it's not such a bad thing.

Yet another large break---this one included a late dinner, some tv, and now I'm taking a quick break from the rest of my world to talk to the rest of the world. If I stop and sit or stand still for very long, my head starts feeling weird.

I'm thinking about discontinuing with Weight Watchers for a while, so that I can get my medical stuff figured out. I'm not successful with it right now, and part is because I get very mindless about keeping track when I'm at the height of the period of time when I don't know what's going on.

I do feel a whole lot better right at this moment. And as soon as a little more steam has been released while I relax, I'm going to go to bed :-) It's going to feel nice.

Oh yes....and....I finished the Wendy Corsi-Staub book yesterday. I picked up The Anvil of the World by Kage Baker. It's pretty good so far. I'm 40 pages in. I fell in love with her work back when I was first nursing P---I did a lot of reading then, including For Her Own Good, which is perhaps my most favorite heavier reading of all times---and each and every one of Ms. Baker's books that are scheduled to come out or have already come out that I haven't read yet are on my PaperBackSwap Wish List! I got this one through PBS a while back (I also got the OLD edition, the first edition, of FHOG off PBS). I'm going to start going through as many books as I can. Since I realized my need and ability to read is still INSATIABLE!!!! And there is no reason for it to be. I'm always eager to learn, and my mind needs to be working all the time. It does anyhow, but I've felt dead as of late. Need to wake myself up, and not just physically, but mentally too! So that's what reading all the books in my bookshelf (before I move on to other bookshelves, ha ha ha) is for! :-) Plus it's just plain fun!

Yes, I think reading BOOKS is fun. I also think touching them is fun, and looking at them, and putting them back on shelves, and helping people find them, and sorting them, and filing the cards for them, and recording who took out what book is fun too. I want to work in a library. I went to college to get a BA in the path to becoming a librarian, and I will work in a library again some day! I interned at the Seneca Nation Library for my minor Capstone. See, if you read my dribble long enough, you get to learn something interesting about me :-)

February 17, 2008

Weekly Winners Feb 10 - Feb 17


A budding Picaso (or I should be really afraid...don't worry, it's dry erase)


The artist's hand

Size comparison (T likes these)

The artist's first fingerpainting!

My very own Naked Cowboy!

For links to other Weekly Winners posters, check out the home of the innovator.

February 16, 2008

Saner (?) Saturday

I always have to thank those that comment to my blog. It lets me know my contribution to the blog world doesn't go completely unnoticed! And I try to spread the love :-)

I didn't go to bed until 3 am last night, because that rant took me so long. I plan on getting to bed very shortly here, and I'm going to have to kick my 11 year old to bed as well. I've got a whole week with her thanks to Winter Break, oh joy. She's not going to be home absolutely every day, though, thank goodness---one of those days she's going to go to a friend's house, possibly over night (it would have been last night, only the kids had their dentist appointment, and she had Girl Scouts---which would have been just fine, since her friend could go with to visit, and I could let the troop leader know, etc), and another she is going to be going to a field trip for Girl Scouts. Another she'll probably go and spend the afternoon with my mom, either Tuesday or Thursday since those are the days mom doesn't have dialysis.

I've had some pauses in the last week, looking at my darling girl. Oh my, when did she turn into a little grown up? Sure, she's no where near there yet, but she's so not my little girl anymore. I was watching her while she was sitting in the audience, with the rest of the Concert Band at their concert on Wednesday, and I realized---hey, she's a SEPARATE PERSON ALL TO HERSELF. With people in her life, experiences I'll never know. Or variations of the same experiences I had myself, sometimes in the very same halls (since she is going to the school I went to until I was in 8th grade). I don't think she's nearly as boy crazy as I was at her age---oh gees, I had a crush on a different boy every month, it nearly seems like, from the time I was in KINDERGARTEN (no kidding, I can tell you who, because he was a friend's boyfriend in 6th grade and the valedictorian for that school the year I graduated) to the day I graduated. Actually, until about my senior year---I was stuck on one I guy I thought really was love at the time that whole year. I don't know exactly what's up with him right now, but I guess he's not doing too bad, ya know? I mean, with her...we've asked if there's a guy she likes, and she keeps saying no, they're all ucky and none of them are nice to her, so she doesn't see the point (woo hoo---mommy's saying all boys are yucky is working, as is her brain, it's good to know! I always liked the ones who were nice to me, or just plain shy). The only boy's name written on her jeans (something I used to do too, though I didn't always write the name of the guy I liked there) is her brother's name (it's not a super easy name to remember how to spell). I don't see any boys names on her books or anything. So I think we're safe for a bit yet with boys. She does say she likes to bug the ones who pick on her or don't like her, just to see them run. Silly girl.

I managed to get a few things done around here---some more dishes (not much, oh well), dinner in our bellies, a bath for the little guy, some clothes washed, even some towels. I so miss being up to par. I'm not all the way there, not at all good enough for me. I'm looking forward to getting the bills taken care of that are blocking my way for doctors.

But maybe it's just SAD. It might be nice if it were as easy to explain as that. :-|

Oh yeah, I've got one other thing I'm happy about. I'm READING SOMETHING. I haven't felt like doing much reading lately, but I think from now on I'll just drag a book with me wherever I go. I have several to choose from thanks to PaperBackSwap.com. Right now I'm working on The Nine Month Plan by Wendy Markham. She's actually a local author, named Wendy Corsi Staub. And she's got a personal connection to my family---she's friends with my sister, who contacted her after reading some of her books I guess. And I guess her dad used to work the same place my dad did (maybe). Anyhow, my sister is mentioned in her thank you notes in her book based in Lily Dale. Because we graduated from CVCS, and my sister's best friend lived there in Lily Dale, my sister was able to help her with some things. What I don't know, but that's neither here or there---it's got everything to do with the writing craft, and I'm sure one day I might need the same help from someone. I have talked to her before, and I will again when I need help breaking into the writing world. I've got stories and such brewing, I've really got to eventually get on them.

It's a great book. I started just last night---I'm already 172 pages in. That either says how fast I read, or how good of a read this is, or both, or something. I like to read, I just don't put as much time in it as I really should. I can devour a book if I really want to. And if I just stay away from the tv. Which I sorta have in the last few days.

Anyhow, church in the morning. I wonder how the tithe sermon will continue this week. And how we'd get the recordings of the sermons we request. Hm.

Friday Again....

Thanks to all the Blog Hoppin' friends who have come around so far. I really appreciate the comments!! :-) I'm definitely a Comment Whore...And you know, I was feeling rather unloved and unappreciated in the blog world before I sat down here. So you raised my spirits!

Quick update, if you care to know what I've gotten done, relating to yesterday's post (if not, skip to the next paragraph)---I'm not preggers, I took the test this morning. An EPT. I was both happy and disappointed...especially after I looked at the box, because I couldn't remember what was a positive reading and what wasn't. I don't have the instructions anymore, but lucky for me it's got the 2 possibilities on the front---and what dope (and honey I'm no dope, otherwise I wouldn't have the upcoming) can't understand that a - in the one window would be negative and a + would be positive? It slightly confused D when she found it. I wanted to throw it away before she came home, but I'm just lazy right now :-| I explained that sometimes a woman needs to double check stuff like that, especially when she's feeling really tired (one of my first symptoms with P was that I was TIRED. DEAD tired...I woke up one day to go to class, as I was still in college then, and I was so tired when getting out of the shower despite having had a pretty restful night the night before, that I decided to go back to bed. It was a Friday, and a class I didn't enjoy much---and I hadn't taken many if any days off up until then. With D, I just knew because it was pre-Depo Provera, and I knew when I ovulated, plus when I was due for my monthly...because I was like clockwork before the Depo :-|), and her system is off. T thinks that once I get below 300 again (I started edging back up past the 300 mark, I'm gaining that 50 back...:-S), I'll get something again. I think it's coming either way...I'm awash in hormones again. But I'd rather be, really. I was thinking another little L baby wouldn't be so bad, but then when I thought it was possible, I was scared to heck...P's quite a handful now, I don't know how I would or could (with a goat, in a boat---yes, Green Eggs and Ham is a favorite around here) handle another :-| But, I also made sure the kids got to their dentist appointment (with how I feel that's a great accomplishment), ran 2 loads thru the washer and did 2 sink fulls of dishes. I know, it's not great, but it's big for how I feel right now.

But I've got to apologize to anyone else who shows up, because even though it's 1am and I should be in bed, I have to have a small rant right now...

As I was putting P to bed, I got to thinking.

I want to know what's going on with me. I mentioned yesterday that we got the State Tax Refund from H&R Block. Well, most of that is going to pay for 2 of the really big bills I've had with local doctors for the majority of the last 3 years---I've got to pay the 20% from the OB/GYN for the guy who (1) said "okay, give her that now" (for the pitocin, since P was essentially induced, though somehow I think he would have arrived on his birthday anyhow. We wanted him to be born the day he was for several reasons---it's T's dad's birthday, and she's born on my mom's birthday, which is 2 days after P and G's, and T's dad was here for the birth...so I wanted it to be special. I was hoping for that day, and when I talked with the other doc in the place, we decided if he didn't come on his own before that, we'd induce that morning), (2) put the remote monitor on the little guy's head once we were no longer able to get the heartbeat on the usual monitor put on my belly, and (3) came in and said "here I'll catch". Why they get paid so much for so little, I really don't know. I don't think the doc was in there an hour total---I was pushing more with the nurses standing there than I was with him in the room. I think it was maybe a half an hour that he was in while I pushed (and I think that's generous). The other bill is with my general practitioner, who I actually kinda like, and who was my parents doc as well for a while, and the heart check I got back at the end of 2006. I guess it wasn't as bad as it could have been, because he didn't have them call up and say "hey, you're gonna die if you don't get in here and get this taken care of". I've already gone in to try to make an appointment with the GYN, how T and I decided I'd do it---request an appointment and when they mentioned the bill, say I'd talk to someone to take care of it. I can't make an appointment until then, and I think the same will happen with the gen prac. I've got to go in or call them up---but I guess I won't be able to until Tuesday, since with President's Day everyone seems to be closed. I look forward to all that being taken care of because---I don't want to repeat myself too much, or sound like a total loon or something---but I just want to know what's wrong with me!!! I'm lucky if I have 1 good week out of the month. Even when I was like clockwork, I didn't have this problem. Okay, so I was like clockwork when I was in my teens, and as energetic as possible, but still. My sister didn't have it easy with her cycle, and she's not taken anything like I have birth control wise (though I think she might have taken the Pill, so maybe I'm wrong on that)...still she's friggin' falling apart at the seams. At 26.

I just get so sick of it all. I have so much I want to do...and I don't mean with things I want to do for ME. I mean, I want to be CONSISTENT....with the housework, with taking care of the kids (I'm not saying I know or think I'm a bad parent, but that there are a lot of places that could use a lot of improvement). I want to have the energy and the confidence to make my candle biz GROW. And yes, I want the energy to be able to do all my hobbies (I don't do each of the 8+ hobbies every day, but I'd like to do the big ones fairly regularly without much problem....you know, crochet [which is sometimes all I have the energy and desire to do], cook, bake, blog, write letters and OH YEAH write period. Not to mention read, which I don't do much anymore.). I think part of it is keeping the tv off. I don't like it much... I'm starting to feel like a sloth just because of that. There are only certain things I like to watch, most of them are in the evenings, but I prefer to have them DVRed, and watch them later. Some of them (like Monk and Psych) are things I prefer to watch with T, because he's a big part of why I'm watching them. I figure I could look into decreasing the cable bill, as money is always an issue weighing heavily on my mind (which is why I opened the candle biz in the first place. I'm just sayin' Also, because it was the only product I found that I LOVED, and I won't sell anything I don't absolutely love. Not even Avon. I'd like to sell my own handwork too, since I love to crochet, but that may come later...)by bringing us down from the premium stuff, which doesn't really get watched (like Cinemax, and stations 99-490...I like the music stations, but now that I've got the new Home Sound System, and some Christian music CD's---I bought the Songs 4 Worship Country, plus some old hymns and some other Christian music---I guess I don't really need to use the music stations on the tv anymore, do I? And D and P usually watch the kids shows on the lower channels---though P likes to watch Sesame Street, which I can just pull up at any time wit the Kid's Free On Demand channel...though I would guess teaching a kid some PATIENCE once in a while isn't a bad thing either). I wonder how much that would take off the cable bill---I switched the phone over to Time Warner, since to have unlimited long distance on it is cheaper than having to pay for 300 minutes through the local phone company. Despite the fact that I'd rather have the peace of mind that comes from having the phone there even during blackouts. And I NEED internet---not just for all the fun of blogs or the crochet group or email or games---but for the candle biz (yes, there it is again. I'm just sayin') too and because I don't want to go to the library to look stuff up.

You know, my English teacher in high school told me I really like to go off on Tangents. But sometimes this is just how my mind works.

Still, same theme---I just want to know what's wrong. It's giving me fits. Is it physiological? Am I suffering from some mental problem (this does run in the family, but I don't think I've got the worst stuff, if anything I've got depression. Scizophrenia tends to start in people's teens-twenties, and I'm already in my 30's.)? I've been thinking---what is keeping me from losing the weight? Am I just lazy? Is there a hold up in my past that has me a real sucker for emotional eating? What is it? I mean, I'm a good person. Heck, not to be too full of myself or arrogant or anything---I'm a freakin' GREAT person. I'm loving, giving, humble (really, I am. This is very much an oddity for me to compliment the heck of myself...I'm usually very modest), kind, loyal...also, I've got many talents, I've got a friggin' college degree, I've got ambition (I want to do the best I can to take care of my family, I just don't want to be a "traditional" anything), I know how VERY lucky I am---I used to say "I'd like to have had a harder life, that way I could know what it's like to have really hard knocks." I don't say that anymore---I know how lucky I am. I had a good childhood---even though I didn't get all of the best things in life, I've got 3 things that I would never replace for the world---a great relationship with both of my parents (1&2), and a halfway decent one with my sister (#3, even though a lot of times I'd like to wring her neck) not to mention a childhood where I was LOVED, CARED FOR AND TAUGHT HOW TO BE A GOOD PERSON. And even though the way it all started wasn't perfect, God has continued to bless me in my adult life---I've got a WONDERFUL husband, who loves me JUST HOW I AM, and 2 absolutely wonderful (though not completely perfect) children, who I'm awesomely proud of, and who are the absolute center of my world. After God and Jesus, of course.

Maybe, to return to a thought I've had before---maybe this is a pruning period to get me to a point where I'll (a) appreciate the rest of God's blessing that he will eventually rain down upon me and (b) be able to grow once again, crazy like a weed.

I want so much for my family. I want so much for me. And I want it all so that I can give some of it back to God.

You know, if you have read this far and have any insight, let me know, k?

February 15, 2008

Friday's Feast #8

Appetizer

Name one thing that is unique about you.

My red hair. I do not often point that out. But I've got really great red hair---sure, there are lots of red heads out there, but in my whole immediate family---my natural nuclear family, of my parents and my sister, and the 4 of us in this house---I'm the only one with red hair. I thought for sure one of the kids would end up with it, but they both have blond/dishwater blond hair. Their dad has black hair. How did that happen?

Soup

Fill in the blank: My favorite _________ is __________ but I like _________ too.

My favorite food is pizza, and I love lots of other junk foods, but I like salads, fruits and vegetables too.

Salad

What type of wood do you have for your home’s furnishings?

Ha! We've got pressed and plywood for our home's furnishings. Nothing fancy, though the new couch we got (the one from Salvation Army, which we didn't get the matching loveseat for) might have some fancier wood on it.

Main Course

Who do you talk to most often on the phone?

My mom, hands down. Next would come my kids (when I call home and there are here---but especially my daughter) and my husband and my dad.

Dessert

What level of responsibility do you have in your job?

Complete and total responsibility. I'm a SAHM---that's 24/7 doing everything, watching out for everything and taking care of everyone. If something goes wrong, it's my fault. If the kids are bad, it's my fault (you know, if they turn out bad). If anything is good---well, hey, that's my fault too! :-)

February 14, 2008

Valentine's Day....

You know, I'm not a big one on celebrating Valentine's Day. As I told my daughter this evening, the most important thing for me on Valentine's Day (on any day, holiday or not) is to spend time with my family, having a good time, enjoying their company. She was putting up another one of her totally juvenile, 11 year old girlie fits. I've had just about enough of them---but unfortunately I know this will not be the end, not at any time. Once I nicely chewed her out, though, things were better. We enjoyed our time together, we sat and talked, T and I flirted (we actually do a whole lot of that).

The day has sorta ended on a bad note. I felt like crap AGAIN. I've been wondering, really, what's up with this? Am I getting sick? Am I preggers (which of course is always a possibility, and even with what I realized tonight, will still be checked out)? Am I coming down with something serious? I was suffering some SERIOUS fatigue, and a few moments of---mental pause? I can think of two times walking through the store this evening (I wanted to check and see if any coffee creamer company has more than French Vanilla flavored Fat Free coffee creamer. Thank goodness CoffeeMate does---I bought myself some Original Flavored and Hazelnut---for the times when I've run out of Hazelnut flavored coffee, and only have original flavored coffee. Ha ha....except for the fact that the next to last of the Hazelnut coffee my sister and her husband gave us is in the brew station now, and I don't think there is more than one or two scoops or cups of it left. I like the Hazelnut better than the Chocolate Truffle, though the CT isn't all that bad!) where I nearly fell over. Not really nearly fell, but stumbled just a tiny bit. Then we came home, and it came time to put P down to bed. My head was reeling then too. So I got to thinking...I do feel really dry. I can't think of the last time I had a whole bottle of water. Keeping a full bottle of water around me has been difficult since P was about 18 months, not that I haven't tried to keep a bottle or a glass of water nearby. But he likes to take it and either drink it himself, or pour it out all over the floor. But, I was thinking that I need to get some water. D decided she just couldn't fall asleep in her room (this is more common than you might think---I guess it can't be all bad, as she stated yesterday, and I've contemplated a few times myself before, she will not want a thing to do with us soon, so I better get all my older kid time in that I can now, huh? :-| My bed is still overrun by the byproducts of what goes on there @_@, and not free for just me! :-S), so I told her to get me some water. In the last hour or so since that, I feel much better. I've got another bottle (roughly, though not necessarily completely, 1 pt, 7.7 oz. What is that? I'm not going to do the math. It's one of the packages of bottled water T got at WalMart, again.)

T and I didn't get anything for each other. He bought a pot of tulips at WalMart this morning, but they weren't really for me. They are yellow---his favorite color flowers. :-| I don't know... maybe he's trying to make this pigsty look a bit better? I'm hoping for better tomorrow...I'm going to go to bed here very shortly because we got our State Income Tax refund, and chances are really good (if he's wide awake at about 9am), that we will be heading over to the bank it's printed up for in the morning.

What I want to get done tomorrow:

Straighten this place up more
Dishes
Clothes
Fold Penny Savers before bed?

I don't know if we are going to have a WNY_C meeting this month---it was supposed to be this weekend, but neither my co-owner nor I have said anything to the group about it yet. :-| We'll have to see what her response to my email asking about it is.

Let's hope I can get my water levels back up! :-| Remind me to drink a bottle, will ya?

February 13, 2008

Torturous Tuesday....

The morning started halfway decent---got up at about 8 and got ready, then headed off for MOPS. But after coming home, the day got progressively worse. I'm sure now I have to be coming down with *another* freegging cold.

And it doesn't help that I had to FINALLY go out and deliver the Penny Savers----with below zero wind chills, and a concert on Saturday, it was idiotic to get out and do them before this. And I only got 4 streets done. Out of 7. Well, 4.3, as part of one of the others got done. I had to get the card from mom for dad for Valentine's day, and butter so I could finally make her Crisp. Then I came home, lounged around a bit, had some lunch, crocheted for maybe another hour after D got home, and headed out to do those streets. Then we came back and went to Weight Watchers, where I found I gained yet another 2 pounds. I have to start pulling out the treadmill. Then to WalMart for dinner and a new keyboard (T spilled some water on the old one with some help from P). Then home to make the crisp (should have done it while waiting for D to get home, but oh well, I'm lazy), then over to bring it to mom, then home for dinner, a shower, then putting the kids to bed. I should be in bed now, and that's where I'm going as soon as I'm done.

The house looks like a bomb went off. D's got another concert. And I want to figure out why I feel so off. I'm going to work on ME. I have to figure this out...can't wait to have old bills paid off, just as soon as the state tax refund check gets here, as long as the state doesn't take too much out for not filing my state taxes at the end of the last quarter. *sigh*

Okay, bed NOW.

Later.

February 10, 2008

Sunday always starts a new week

Dang it's freakin' freezing! Even in the house---or nearly. It's definitely colder than it should be! The Weather Bug says 2 degrees. And the forecast is 0!!! The wind chill has to be even lower! I didn't deliver the Penny Savers---it was TOO COLD. And I couldn't do it on Saturday because of D's concert. (I think she's first chair! She was 2nd row, 1st clarinet. There was a whole row of flutes before her. But I don't know how "chair" is decided, or placed, or anything like that. Not being a band geek and all.)

Church today was something else. I guess God wanted me to focus just on this today. We didn't go last week because P's cough was so bad. And the 3 of us that went ended up sleeping in. She started a discussion on tithing. Let me just say---this is something that's been weighing heavily on my mind. I want to tithe as much as a I can---I have faith God will provide, I trust that he will, I want to show my love---but I am afraid that my wanting something in return is a disobedience. After service, I stopped and talked with the pastor that gave the sermon, and she really helped me out some.

I'm so dang tired. After I'm done here I'm going to bed.

And guess what? I'm done.

Weekly Winners Feb 2nd - Feb 9th


Weekly Winners - February 3rd(ish) to February 9th

My first installment. Enjoy!

How can we take pictures of her if she keeps covering her face??

I've decided, it's official---I'm the mother of a band geek!
(she's right there in the center!)

Mr. Cameraman.

My kids really are the apples of my eye!

I think someone has a future in yoga....
(or, "London P is falling down...")

If you want it done right, sometimes you just have to
do it yourself (like holding your kid to keep them from
pulling out the plug while you're vacuuming!)

P's self portrait (when you see this cutie, you are going to want to run!
Or maybe it's just me....)

He's got to wait another 13 years (don't worry folks, we
took away the keys!)


To view more, and the original, go here.

February 08, 2008

Thursday.....

Man, today was just friggin' crazy. Not bad crazy, not super crazy---just that little boy gave me a run for my money! I guess part of it was my own fault, from time to time, but man am I happy he's asleep!!! :-) Besides, he's so cute at this point. I find myself missing my LITTLE boy, when I had to do everything for him. I think he's finally getting near the point of full weaning---he only gets breastfed of any form when he's going to sleep one way or another. The length of time is getting shorter and shorter. I think that's one thing I miss the most about having a newborn, is the breastfeeding. Once I really got the hang of it, we had a wonderfully beautiful breastfeeding relationship. Wanting another one would mostly be because of that. Not that I do. Because I really don't want another one. I'm in 2 year old hell!!! :-S But at the end of the day, he's so cute, and they are so loving, and it's just a BLAST watching him learn...*sigh* I just don't want another one, really I don't. I'm trying to convince YOU here, not me. T doesn't mind either way. The way I figure it, though, is that I'm the one who would have to deal with all the physical changes, and the kids in general, day to day, so I've got a large part of the decision.

A controversy that's hit my crochet group as of really late...this website/email platform called Grouply. Have you heard of it? Do you use it? It looks perfectly harmless to me, nothing more really than any other email program, but I am trying to look into it. Please let me know if you've heard about it.

I made my second seriously indulgent purchase today. Half of the money from our tax return, which we've already filed by going to H&R Block, went to the tickets to Colorado in August, half goes to me to use for the first month and security deposit when I finally find a place. But I've been using a bit of it---it's that space right at the end of the last month, and the beginning of the next, where I usually don't have much money to work with because a large part of it goes to rent. Of course, if it's not a 5 paycheck month (I think I've explained this before---payday is Wednesday or Friday at T's work, the money hits on Thursday, so I just go by that as my "money day"), then it's all a crunch. Sadly, even with 29 days February can probably NEVER been a 5 paycheck month (though I can imagine a year when that's possible. It probably just happened before I was born or will happen after I die), at least in my life time. The only problem with the latest purchase---a stereo I've had my eye on since Christmas to replace the one P demolished when he was younger---he took of part of the front when he was like 18 months, and jammed the CD tray, because it was a 5 CD changer, about when he turned 2---the first purchase was the Brew Station I bought...because I got sick of having to worry about carafes getting broken---is the same problem with the last, only that I can't figure this one out---where do I put it that P won't get his hands on it? I have NO surfaces that are even imaginable. Of course, now I have an idea, but it's talking with T about it. Something may have to be rigged. Over the tv. Or some such. An independent shelf. We have no free floating ones...nothing on it's own. I'd put it on the mantle, only P may pull it down...on his head. He managed to tip over a box that happens to have a crate of books for PaperBackSwap on it (how exactly he did it is a bit of a mystery---I think he was in the middle of his favorite pastime----trying to CLIMB UP something. UGH! That precious precious head! :-S). I think it just hit his shoulder. Or scared him. Rained a book or two on him....he seems none the worse for wear though. Like I said, 2 year old hell....I'm sure others have it worse :-S

And of course I'm going to bed way too late. My current obsession....again, Farm Frenzy. It's just horribly addicting!!!! But now I need sleep! Before the clock for camping says "3 o'clock am" UGH ME...

I want to get my act in gear this next week. Please! At least I picked up the floor before I started this email.....

February 06, 2008

Wordless Wednesday - #7 - yum!

Last week was my dad's birthday. That's the first cake. The rest are past ones for various other family members :-) The last is my birthday cake last year, a carrot cake recipe I got off of the Weight Watchers site. The carrot was fun to shred, and it tasted GOOD!!!!! Who knew that cream cheese frosting was so easy to make?

I thought once about creating a blog just for posting all the cakes we've ever made, because they are so much fun to make! :-)



Tuesday Update

Looks like I haven't done the 10 on yet. I will, I just guess it will be a bit late. :-| As always.

My latest obsession---Farm Frenzy. Computer games are just evil, I swear. *sigh* But it's not as if I didn't get anything done. I went to Weight Watchers, I checked out the vacuum shop for the screws, and the hardware store across the street (both a no-go, which means I'm going to have to find the manual and see about product codes, calling up for more, etc). I did some dishes. I hope I've got enough momentum going on with them to finish them. I made a lasagna. They are surprisingly easy to make. It was always Christmas dinner at home, so I thought they were like super special and hard to make or something. Nope. :-) All because T bought Garlic Bread this morning (which I didn't heat up enough, but oh well). I got some of T's uniforms washed...he transferred them to the dryer. I'm going to have to do more tomorrow. I went though all my candle stuff earlier, before the last post, so now it's all nice and organized. I just have to get my butt in gear with all that, huh? I've got to do more clothes, and work on the floor some, somehow.

Oh, and when I bought the things I needed for the lasagna, on the way home from going to WW and seeing my mom (to return the things she asked me to wash), I also bought a single cup dispensing coffee maker. It's nice. I had to find a good place to put it so that small hands can't go and push the button to get the coffee, and burn his little hand. Because that stuff is HOT. The steam coming off it was something else!!! I hope it's in a good enough place. OMG that kid can get into ANYTHING. He can even (with the right tools) get into the medicine cabinet in the bathroom!!! :-S NOT GOOD. Part of what I know he's thinking is "oh, my cough meds taste really good. I want to get more." :-S Why can't they keep the stuff tasting nasty---Robitussin might taste so bad it gives you the chills (it still does me, but now the bad taste is somehow comforting), but at least it makes you better. I think I'll look into getting him some. It's just mommy's and daddy's jobs to force the kids to take the stuff so they feel better, that's all.

But it's way to late. I'm hoping to go to bed at a decent hour tomorrow.

And how about Super Tuesday? I watched a little bit of the after polls closing coverage. I should turn it back to that now before I go to bed. There was also the NY Time Alert saying who got what, at least with some of the states (including NY). Seems Clinton's got the large part of the votes here. I've been thinking of reregistering, registering myself as a Democrat. Currently I have no part affiliation. I didn't want one when I was just coming out of high school, and I've kept it that way for the last 13 years. But now I have evaluated everything as best I can, and I'm definitely a liberal. The more liberal of the 2 parties is the Democratic party, and the majority of my votes go that way, so I think it's the best choice for me. Besides, the choices there don't turn my stomach as much as the choices on the Republican party ticket. :-P McCain's not too bad, neither Huckabee---but I'm more comfortable considering Clinton for president, or Obama, than any of the men on the Republican ticket. I don't think that the fact that Hillary Clinton is the former first lady is a bad thing, even with all that brings with (including her husband, because I voted for him in the first election I had the ability to, in 1996), nor do I think the fact that she already is a part of the establishment is a bad thing either. Sometimes the best view point on changing the status quo is only viewable from the inside, and someone who knows the inner workings. Plus she's the first woman campaigning for a presidential nomination to get this far, and it definitely doesn't look like she's stopping any time soon. And of course I think that it's great that there is finally the potential for the first black president in the history of this nation. It's about stinkin' time. Honestly, I'd vote for Clinton before Obama in the primaries, but I would much rather have Obama as the presidential nominee with Clinton as the vice presidential nominee. Weird, huh? :-|

Speaking of which...I just realized, we will be leaving Colorado just before the Democratic Convention there in Denver. Dang nab it! :-| But that's right---the tickets have been purchased, we have the eticket number, and we will be visiting the great states of Colorado and Wyoming in August. I've started my campaign of praying for some sort of sanity and some help in dealing with T's grandmother. He told me yesterday, though, that his plan this time is to spend as much time going around to the places he's been wanting to show me for nearly 13 years now. How sweet---I have always felt like that one Rascal Flats song---the one talking about wanting to know every where the person's been. I mean, I've only heard of where he was born and seen it's name on a map. Now he LIVES in the areas that are special for me. It's my turn to learn about the places special to him! I know where the high school he graduated from is, that's about it. So I'm going to look for and add a ticker to this page, probably right up on top! Sounds like a good idea.

February 05, 2008

Tuesday.

Well, I sat down with lots of ideas of what I was going to do today, and now that I didn't list them just as soon as I sat down, I've lost some of them. Not all of them, though, because I did a bunch.

Let's see, I needed to start on wash because my mom asked me to was some stuff today, that's done. I haven't done any dishes yet, but there's a sink full ready. I've collected up as much garbage as I can. I've got 4 bags waiting to go outside. I've got 2 bags ready to clean out the car, I think I'll keep them inside and just bring a basket out. I've got a load of T's clothes in the washer. I was going to put them in after I took out mom's stuff, but I was talking to her on the phone at that point, and couldn't hear a dang thing, and never got back to the washroom after. I'd like to look into getting some screws for the vacuum cleaner. That's what I'm going to do next, while we go to Weight Watchers. Not my favorite thing, as I know I've gained some (a good amount, which is not a pretty sight), and I'm going to have both kids with me. :-( I've really got to work HARD on getting back on track. Really hard. :-( I had a plan for meals last week. Not that it helped any. :-(

I guess I'd better start getting ready for that, so I can get those screws hopefully before the vacuum cleaner shop closes.

I'll do the 10 on Tuesday later, after I get back home.

February 03, 2008

Sunday.....

We stayed home all day, except for doing the Penny Savers. P has a nice little cold, and he sounds so bad I don't want others to get upset that I might be getting their sweet little one sick too.

Did I mention that now he has a name tag for the nursery? I'm so happy :-)

I do regret missing the sermon. It's my favorite part of the service---I'll stand and deal with the singing part, just so I can get to the sermon part. :-)

Sorry to all those blog hoppers that might have visited here this week, I'll get around to everyone I can next week! :-)

February 01, 2008

My Friday.

Finish dishes - nearly there
Finish clothes - not quite
Make cake - done
Make chili (dad's bd dinner) - done

The frosting came out pretty good. It was more like regular frosting than a candy bar, really, but it was still pretty good. It tasted good at least, LOL! And the chili was pretty good too. It had a bit of a kick to it...it was a bit too much for mom, but I really barely noticed it. I guess I must have scarfed it down :-S

There's a load in the washer, and one in the dryer. Actually, the load in the washer is some of D's stuff, so I guess I've got them mostly done then, just need to fold. And do T's clothes. And I've got maybe 1 more sink worth of dishes to do. Maybe 2. Not bad. I'm pretty happy with the state of the floor too. And I really do plan to get to bed soon. I've got to set myself back on track with sleep :-(

I wanted to blog about several important things today. Like the Clinton Obama debate last night. You know, T's said for a while that he thought the two of them would be a really strong ticket. I'd love to see that, no matter which one got the nod from the Democrats. And I'm thinking seriously about making it a point of fact that I'm a Democrat. I would never think of voting for a republican, and most of my political view points are definitely liberal leaning---when the decision comes to decisions about things in my life, then I'm conservative, but I feel people need to learn for themselves, no matter what I think a decision should be. I believe in gentle coercion, not force. Praying and maybe friendly suggestion, not stating that something needs to be so. I believe in leading with my life, not with my mouth. I don't think I always follow that, but I believe that's the best path. I really wish I could live up to my own expectations, no matter how low I put them, sometimes it still doesn't quite seem good enough. :-(

Well, gotta get some water then knit then go to bed!

Hope your weekend goes well, I will be doing some blog hoppin' tomorrow night hopefully! :-)

Friday's Feast #7

Appetizer
What is your favorite kind of cereal?

Cheerios. Really.

#2 (especially since it's a CORE food) - Shredded Wheat. The Bite Size ones.

Soup
When was the last time you purchased something for your home, what was it, and in which room did it go?

Our "new to us" couch. We picked it up at Salvation Army. It has a matching love seat, but we didn't have the money to get it in time, and when we went with money to look yesterday, it was already gone. Not including tax the couch was $69.99, and the love seat was $39.99. Like I said, though, we didn't get the love seat :-( It would have been nice to have something that matched for once though.

Salad
What is the funniest commercial you’ve ever seen?

I hate to say this, but I can't answer this. I'm sure there are a lot that have tickled my funny bone---but lately so many seem absolutely silly. I can't tell you how many times T and I have looked at each other and one of us has said that what we just watched was a horrible commercial. :-|

Main Course
Make up a name for a company by using a spice and an animal (example: Cinnamon Monkey).

Cayenne Giraffe. I don't know what they sell. The question doesn't ask for that.

Dessert
Fill in the blank: I haven’t ______ since ______.

I haven't had a good night's sleep since sometime in July or early August of 2004. First there was mom's surgery, and dealing with all the garbage from that. Then starting up my last semester of college and THEN getting pregnant with P in September 04. When I got pregnant, one of my first signs was that I was just so tired all the time. So, I haven't slept by myself since then (which a husband who works nights, I slept by myself most of the time, which I was just fine with).

To see other Friday's Feast participants, go here.

Have a good day :-)