Like most Americans, many of my Christmas gifts were ordered through Amazon.com. I was so proud of myself - got all the stuff I wanted, got it all on sale, and got it ordered early. I've been preening around here like I'm all that with butter, because I'm ahead of the game this year!
Not so fast, kemosabe.
Day before yesterday, I got an email from Amazon which basically stated that some of my stuff had been returned to them as "undeliverable." I was like, this has GOT to be spam, because I'm all that with butter. But nope. Turns out, I'm not all that, and apparently I have no butter, as Amazon shipped all my stuff (probably my butter, too) to my OLD address.
I *know* I changed that address back in November, because my daughter's Barbie karaoke machine was shipped, via Amazon, right here to our current residence. I have since learned that what I actually changed was the shipping address, not the default address. Dude, that hurts.
So now I sit here in a panic with the rest of the free world, wondering how the heck I'm going to get all those items back in time for Christmas. I'm fairly sure that ordering online is out, because shipping prices and times are insane this week. And now the kids are out of school for Christmas, so they'll have to be with me when I go shopping. And worst of all is the fact that I will no longer be able to score such great deals - I've not seen the gift I bought for my father-in-law ANYWHERE for less than fifty bucks. (I'd ordered it for a fraction of that through Amazon.)
Everyone, hear me. Learn from my mistakes. Always check your shipping address when you order something online. And while you're at it, pass the butter, would you?
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Saturday, December 17, 2005
No!
Here is a list of things I do not want to do. I am, at this moment, crabby as hell; therefore it is likely I will name some things which I do actually want to do eventually.
But for now, I don't want to do these things. Not in this lifetime; not ever. I will never change my mind. Unless I do, in which case everyone is entitled to say...eh, please don't say anything. I hate "I told you so."
Onwards.
1. I do not want to go back to school in the spring.
2. I do not want my eyes examined, unless it it guaranteed I can have Lasik. Because I know I will need it. My eyesight is getting worse.
3. I do not want to cry, yet here I go.
4. I do not want to see "The Passion of the Christ." I consider myself a Christian, I know that Jesus died for my sins, and overall I am aware of his plight. No, I may not fully appreciate the intense manner in which he was killed, but it's MY decision not to see a movie about it if I choose not to. It's a movie, darnit. Come on.
5. I do not want to see another animated movie. (Unless, perhaps, it's done by Pixar, whose work I generally love.) If not wanting to pay for and sit through two-hour cartoons makes me a bad parent, well, OH MY GOSH, who died and made YOU judge?!
6. I do not want to buy a Bible for my daughter that has cartoony bugs on the cover.
7. I do not want to ... crap, I can't say that one out loud.
8. I do not want to watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy unless I decide to on my own. (What's with all the forced movie-watching? Enough already.)
9. I do not want to drive a minivan all my life. (I don't know where that came from....)
10. I do not want to use four ellipses at the end of a sentence. Three is enough. Who taught me that crappy rule?
11. I do not want to wrap presents that I did not purchase.
12. I do not want to miss Evil Amy's email, but it's not in any of my inboxes.
13. I do not want to whine about my life, as it's really pretty good. But whee! Here I go. Again.
14. I do not want to sit at home with my kids all next week.
15. I do not want to make plans every day while my kids are home all next week.
16. I do not want to go to the post office next week.
17. I do not want to buy more Christmas presents.
18. I do not want to miss Saturday Night Live. So that about wraps it up.
Have a good weekend.
But for now, I don't want to do these things. Not in this lifetime; not ever. I will never change my mind. Unless I do, in which case everyone is entitled to say...eh, please don't say anything. I hate "I told you so."
Onwards.
1. I do not want to go back to school in the spring.
2. I do not want my eyes examined, unless it it guaranteed I can have Lasik. Because I know I will need it. My eyesight is getting worse.
3. I do not want to cry, yet here I go.
4. I do not want to see "The Passion of the Christ." I consider myself a Christian, I know that Jesus died for my sins, and overall I am aware of his plight. No, I may not fully appreciate the intense manner in which he was killed, but it's MY decision not to see a movie about it if I choose not to. It's a movie, darnit. Come on.
5. I do not want to see another animated movie. (Unless, perhaps, it's done by Pixar, whose work I generally love.) If not wanting to pay for and sit through two-hour cartoons makes me a bad parent, well, OH MY GOSH, who died and made YOU judge?!
6. I do not want to buy a Bible for my daughter that has cartoony bugs on the cover.
7. I do not want to ... crap, I can't say that one out loud.
8. I do not want to watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy unless I decide to on my own. (What's with all the forced movie-watching? Enough already.)
9. I do not want to drive a minivan all my life. (I don't know where that came from....)
10. I do not want to use four ellipses at the end of a sentence. Three is enough. Who taught me that crappy rule?
11. I do not want to wrap presents that I did not purchase.
12. I do not want to miss Evil Amy's email, but it's not in any of my inboxes.
13. I do not want to whine about my life, as it's really pretty good. But whee! Here I go. Again.
14. I do not want to sit at home with my kids all next week.
15. I do not want to make plans every day while my kids are home all next week.
16. I do not want to go to the post office next week.
17. I do not want to buy more Christmas presents.
18. I do not want to miss Saturday Night Live. So that about wraps it up.
Have a good weekend.
Chronicles of Narnia
Good movie. The battle scenes may be a tad over the top for, say, five year olds and younger, but overall I do recommend it.
It's a little long, though - about 2:20. Something to keep in mind when you're choosing a movie to see with your little ones.
Awesome cinematography. Pretty actors. Cool wardrobe! Go see it if you get a chance.
See, hubby? I did not think it sucked at all.
It's a little long, though - about 2:20. Something to keep in mind when you're choosing a movie to see with your little ones.
Awesome cinematography. Pretty actors. Cool wardrobe! Go see it if you get a chance.
See, hubby? I did not think it sucked at all.
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Too hung over to take the kids to church
We-ellll, as you have probably gleaned from the title, last weekend was a doozy. (Doozie? Doozy? Doozy.) A former co-worker of hubby's held her annual Christmas gathering, to which we were invited. There were bushels of food, and pecks of liquor. It was like, deck the halls with boughs of wine. Thank goodness, too, since I knew exactly 3.5 people at this gathering, and my shy side was coming out. I just had to drown her with four large glasses of red wine, y'all. There is no shyness allowed at holiday parties, you know. Not at the fun ones, anyway.
So at the start, there I was, being all bored and stuff. I was chatting with a very nice lady (one of the 3.5 - she's the .5). But then she got up to greet a new arrival, and I was left alone in my uncomfortable straight-backed chair. Hubby was talking to Someformercoworker, which was fine, but I was bored. Then I was offered a glass of wine, and it was like manna from heaven. Okay, not really, but at the time it sure sounded good.
Partway through my first glass of wine, a couple comes in. The wife used to work with hubby; her husband is a self-made, fairly wealthy businessman. Oh, and also an ass. When I first met him, we were standing near the hors d'oeuvres table, and I was telling him that figleaf-wrapped rice bites were not as good as they sounded (gag). Two sentences later, he's telling me, "My wife doesn't draw a paycheck anymore." After I got over my initial reaction of "Figleaf...paycheck...wha??", I started thinking, "Hey, ass, you've got two beautiful daughters that your wife takes care of (thank God they both took after HER). Let's see a little respect, 'k?"
I left at that point, but a few minutes later, I'm somehow drawn into a conversation with my hubby, the ass, his wife, and some other people outside that familiar 3.5. Ass turns to me and this exchange follows:
Ass: "Do you work?"
Ass's wife: "She has three kids; of course she works."
Pley: "Yes, I'm a stay-at-home-parent."
Ass: "Do you draw a paycheck?"
Pley (thinking he's deaf; he can't be that stupid): "I, um, share with hubby."
Ass: "But how do you earn your spending money?"
Pley (gawd, I can't stand it anymore): "In the bedroom, of course."
Then I walked away, picking up dropped jaws all around. It was freakin' awesome.
The rest of the evening was not so much fun, although the wine did help me have several conversations with fascinating people who shall remain nameless because I cannot remember their names. Or faces. Or whether they were real people or actually lampshades.
I got violently ill later that night, and vowed once again (say it with me): NO DRINKING ON AN EMPTY STOMACH! This happens to me once every five years whether I like it or not (Not). You'd think I'd have learned by now.
And thus the title of this essay. I was still ill the next morning, and we all missed church. Which is a shame, actually, because I'm sure the pastor would have loved to hear about how I earn my spending money.
So at the start, there I was, being all bored and stuff. I was chatting with a very nice lady (one of the 3.5 - she's the .5). But then she got up to greet a new arrival, and I was left alone in my uncomfortable straight-backed chair. Hubby was talking to Someformercoworker, which was fine, but I was bored. Then I was offered a glass of wine, and it was like manna from heaven. Okay, not really, but at the time it sure sounded good.
Partway through my first glass of wine, a couple comes in. The wife used to work with hubby; her husband is a self-made, fairly wealthy businessman. Oh, and also an ass. When I first met him, we were standing near the hors d'oeuvres table, and I was telling him that figleaf-wrapped rice bites were not as good as they sounded (gag). Two sentences later, he's telling me, "My wife doesn't draw a paycheck anymore." After I got over my initial reaction of "Figleaf...paycheck...wha??", I started thinking, "Hey, ass, you've got two beautiful daughters that your wife takes care of (thank God they both took after HER). Let's see a little respect, 'k?"
I left at that point, but a few minutes later, I'm somehow drawn into a conversation with my hubby, the ass, his wife, and some other people outside that familiar 3.5. Ass turns to me and this exchange follows:
Ass: "Do you work?"
Ass's wife: "She has three kids; of course she works."
Pley: "Yes, I'm a stay-at-home-parent."
Ass: "Do you draw a paycheck?"
Pley (thinking he's deaf; he can't be that stupid): "I, um, share with hubby."
Ass: "But how do you earn your spending money?"
Pley (gawd, I can't stand it anymore): "In the bedroom, of course."
Then I walked away, picking up dropped jaws all around. It was freakin' awesome.
The rest of the evening was not so much fun, although the wine did help me have several conversations with fascinating people who shall remain nameless because I cannot remember their names. Or faces. Or whether they were real people or actually lampshades.
I got violently ill later that night, and vowed once again (say it with me): NO DRINKING ON AN EMPTY STOMACH! This happens to me once every five years whether I like it or not (Not). You'd think I'd have learned by now.
And thus the title of this essay. I was still ill the next morning, and we all missed church. Which is a shame, actually, because I'm sure the pastor would have loved to hear about how I earn my spending money.
Friday, December 02, 2005
Christmas list
Believe it or not, I've completed most of my Christmas shopping. Yay! I'd love to list it all here, because I got some AWESOME deals, but I can't because my entire freaking family reads this blog. Gah!
Kimmer, I'll email you what I got for hubby, cuz you're special. ;)
So today I went to Tnk's house to help her unpack some stuff. We got a LOT of kitchen stuff put away, then we put the empty boxes out for the garbageman (funny how that made the kitchen seem ten times bigger). Then we went to IHOP for lunch, and we were good girls. Sis had the fruit and yogurt plate, and I had the low-carb chicken/broccoli/salad plate. It was hard to pass up the yummy-looking burgers and stuffed French toast, especially since we were starving, so I'm especially proud of us. Yay, Tnk-n-Pl3y!
By the way, Tnk is looking all hot now. She doesn't see it, but she's definitely lost weight since she started doing police work. Beeyotch.
Kidding on the beeyotch part. I don't want a ticket. Love you, sis!
So, in honor of eating well lately, my sis-in-law and bro-in-law are bringing over chili and chocolate cake tomorrow. (Have I mentioned they're coming over to watch the UT vs. Colorado championship game? Well, they are.) I'm thinking salad is on the menu for dinner tonight. Phooey. Eating healthy stinks sometimes. Okay, it stinks ALL the time.
Back to that first paragraph - turns out I'm not as done as I'd thought. I still have to get stocking stuffers. That can be either fun or torture, depending on the recipient. I mean, I'm sure my mother-in-law loves Carmex and Altoids, but how much is Santa allowed to bring to her before she starts asking WTHeck? (She doesn't curse. Much.) She'll be all, "Where's my jewelry?", and I'll be all, "Dang, woman, I already spent $9.37 on you; WTHeck?" (I don't curse much, either. Hey, stop judging me.)
Okay, I've actually spent more than nine bucks and change on her. Just so ya know. I'm not THAT cheap. ;)
By the way, if anyone has inexpensive stocking stuffer ideas (note my careful non-usage of the word "cheap"), please post them in the comments section.
Oh, and thanks to all who said my house was purdy. I just have to admit that I completely agree with you. I feel very fortunate to live here; I just adore this place. [contented sigh]
Kimmer, I'll email you what I got for hubby, cuz you're special. ;)
So today I went to Tnk's house to help her unpack some stuff. We got a LOT of kitchen stuff put away, then we put the empty boxes out for the garbageman (funny how that made the kitchen seem ten times bigger). Then we went to IHOP for lunch, and we were good girls. Sis had the fruit and yogurt plate, and I had the low-carb chicken/broccoli/salad plate. It was hard to pass up the yummy-looking burgers and stuffed French toast, especially since we were starving, so I'm especially proud of us. Yay, Tnk-n-Pl3y!
By the way, Tnk is looking all hot now. She doesn't see it, but she's definitely lost weight since she started doing police work. Beeyotch.
Kidding on the beeyotch part. I don't want a ticket. Love you, sis!
So, in honor of eating well lately, my sis-in-law and bro-in-law are bringing over chili and chocolate cake tomorrow. (Have I mentioned they're coming over to watch the UT vs. Colorado championship game? Well, they are.) I'm thinking salad is on the menu for dinner tonight. Phooey. Eating healthy stinks sometimes. Okay, it stinks ALL the time.
Back to that first paragraph - turns out I'm not as done as I'd thought. I still have to get stocking stuffers. That can be either fun or torture, depending on the recipient. I mean, I'm sure my mother-in-law loves Carmex and Altoids, but how much is Santa allowed to bring to her before she starts asking WTHeck? (She doesn't curse. Much.) She'll be all, "Where's my jewelry?", and I'll be all, "Dang, woman, I already spent $9.37 on you; WTHeck?" (I don't curse much, either. Hey, stop judging me.)
Okay, I've actually spent more than nine bucks and change on her. Just so ya know. I'm not THAT cheap. ;)
By the way, if anyone has inexpensive stocking stuffer ideas (note my careful non-usage of the word "cheap"), please post them in the comments section.
Oh, and thanks to all who said my house was purdy. I just have to admit that I completely agree with you. I feel very fortunate to live here; I just adore this place. [contented sigh]
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Pondering/Wondering: What's the diff, really?
Today I am specifically wondering if I'll ever get used to one of my kids not getting off the bus as they usually do. K is staying after school this afternoon in order to participate in Karma Chamel...er, Culture Club. The school bus just came and went, and even though I *knew* K wouldn't be getting off, my heart did a little flip-flop when the bus went by without stopping.
Weird stuff, parenting.
In other news: I'm also wondering why I cannot sleep when I am hot. I mean, I canNOT sleep unless there is a chill of some sort in the air. Last night was one of those times, which is odd because it was 40 degrees outside and the heater was off. I tossed and turned until 2:00 a.m., and as a result, I have been yawning all day. In fact, here comes one now....
[YAWN!]
Better get myself another hit of hot tea. Unfortunately, it's decaf, which won't help with the yawny situation, but at least the activity of it will keep me awake.
Oh, today I scrapbooked four lousy pages. It's not that I didn't have the supplies, or that S and I gossiped too much. Nothing interesting like that. Apparently, this is what happens when you have not scrapped in eleven months - you get out of the groove. (Has anyone seen Stella? Perhaps she can help me get it back.)
Tonight P has a Girl Scout meeting, but before that, we have to drive up to the school to get K. I can't wait to hear how the Boy George meeting went. (Okay, yes, I've got to stop that. But not just yet. heehee)
One more pondering: I got another free newspaper tossed onto my lawn today. Thank you, Houston Chronicle, for giving me another free crossword puzzle to do. Now my coffee shant be lonely.
Oops, thought I was done, but this just hit me: I also wonder why the neighbors are still paying a lawn service to mow when the grass ain't growing anymore. (I hear the buzz of the mowers and blowers as I type this. Hello, it's December.) I do realize why the lawn guys are doing it (cha-ching!), but *I* sure as heck wouldn't be paying someone to pretend to cut my grass. Must be nice to have disposable income. Maybe they could dispose some my way.
And with that, I must leave you. It's time to pick up K!
Weird stuff, parenting.
In other news: I'm also wondering why I cannot sleep when I am hot. I mean, I canNOT sleep unless there is a chill of some sort in the air. Last night was one of those times, which is odd because it was 40 degrees outside and the heater was off. I tossed and turned until 2:00 a.m., and as a result, I have been yawning all day. In fact, here comes one now....
[YAWN!]
Better get myself another hit of hot tea. Unfortunately, it's decaf, which won't help with the yawny situation, but at least the activity of it will keep me awake.
Oh, today I scrapbooked four lousy pages. It's not that I didn't have the supplies, or that S and I gossiped too much. Nothing interesting like that. Apparently, this is what happens when you have not scrapped in eleven months - you get out of the groove. (Has anyone seen Stella? Perhaps she can help me get it back.)
Tonight P has a Girl Scout meeting, but before that, we have to drive up to the school to get K. I can't wait to hear how the Boy George meeting went. (Okay, yes, I've got to stop that. But not just yet. heehee)
One more pondering: I got another free newspaper tossed onto my lawn today. Thank you, Houston Chronicle, for giving me another free crossword puzzle to do. Now my coffee shant be lonely.
Oops, thought I was done, but this just hit me: I also wonder why the neighbors are still paying a lawn service to mow when the grass ain't growing anymore. (I hear the buzz of the mowers and blowers as I type this. Hello, it's December.) I do realize why the lawn guys are doing it (cha-ching!), but *I* sure as heck wouldn't be paying someone to pretend to cut my grass. Must be nice to have disposable income. Maybe they could dispose some my way.
And with that, I must leave you. It's time to pick up K!
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Hello, strangers
Okay, okay, I'm back. I haven't actually been "gone" - just lazy about updating my blog, I suppose. Sorry.
Since this post will definitely ramble on, I have made the executive decision to post in "list" form. There may be lots of parenthetical notations and quotation marks. Bear with me.
1 - No new car; at least, not yet. The old clunker is still running, and we're still trying to decide whether we should let it putter along for another year or so, or buy a new (or used; whatever) car now. I just don't know. In any event, nothing that monumental will happen before Christmas, as I am busy spending all our money on cool stuff to stick in pretty boxes under the tree.
2 - Okay, not really spending all our money. I'm actually doing VERY well this year on gifts. I am the great deal-finder. In fact, I bought the coolest thing for hubby today! It's a - HA, hubby, like I'd let you find out that easily. Keep on dreamin'.
3 - K has decided to join Spanish Club at school. Actually, there is no "Spanish" club, per se. All the foreign languages make up one big group called Culture Club. Yes, Karma Chameleon goes through my head every time I hear that - and now it's going through YOURS, too! Bwahahaaaa! Ahem. Well, K wants to make friends (or at least one friend; how sad is that?), and he (okay, "we") figured he'd do well to get involved in something.
4 - My body image sucks. Y'all, this is serious. I am 38 years old, and for some reason, I'm not getting any younger! What the hell? I knew it was serious when I went into a dressing room today and freaking cried when I saw my reflection. That is some serious shit. So here I go - low carbing (because it's been effective before), and exercise (because I have to; certainly not because I want to). To this end, I've been riding my bike every day, and I think I've progressed out of wussy-biker stage: I no longer want to throw up after a mile.
5 - My husband rocks. He is the most amazing person I've ever met, and I do not know what I'd do without him. And to him, I apologize for using the word "shit" in this post. Twice now. Sorry sorry, hubby hubby.
6 - Here's a picture of our new house. Okay, it's only "new" to us, and we moved in five months ago. Anyway, I think it's nice and I want to share it. Well, heck, I do not know what is going on with this picture - I've been trying to post it here for an hour - you'll have to click the ugly picture below to see it; sorry.
Click me:
7 - In this house, I finally have the banisters and stair railings that I've always wanted. Last night I wrapped pine garland around them, and they look so good, if I do say so myself. Maybe one day the fact that I have banisters and stair railings will not be so very exciting. But I doubt it.
8 - Tomorrow I will be spending the morning scrapbooking with a friend of mine. I'm so happy about that. She's going to come over after she drops her little boy off at preschool, and we'll be able to chat about whatever we want because there will be no kids NOR husbands around! Woohoo! Oh, and we'll probably get some scrapbooking done, too. Maybe. Heh.
9 - It has occurred to me that this post rambles on and is not all that exciting. Tough nookies.
10 - I'm just so respectful to all my blogger fans. HA!
11 - Hubby and I have another chance to take a trip next month, but are undecided about where to go. We'd like to go to Santa Fe, New Mexico, but that probably won't work out. West coast would be ideal (because hubby's dad is giving us some frequent flier miles, and the west coast apparently uses up the fewest), but neither of us are sure if we want to visit San Francisco right now. Thoughts, dear readers?
12 - It's cold in Houston right now. (Kimmer, stop laughing at me! I'm from Texas - anything below 60 is chilly to me! LOL!) I love love love cold weather. Well, "Texas cold." I'm not sure how I'd do in Michigan right now - my heaviest coat is probably considered a windbreaker to those in colder climes. Anyway.... I mention this right now as a filler for my post because my train of thought has jumped the tracks, and as my mind wandered, the first thing it thought was "hey, my feet are cold." Thus my comment. See how nicely this paragraph came full circle? I should totally be doing NaNoWriMo.
13 - Tnk got all moved into the house. There's still a bunch of work to be done on it, but she's living there now. She's even got running water! Woohoo, welcome to the 21st century, Tnk! (I kid; I'm a kidder.) She also got a cool job as a real live police officer. Props to you AGAIN, girl! I'm so proud of you!
14 - Other sis (hereinafter known as EMT) is doing well with her new leg-therapy dude. I am so glad she found a physical therapist who was not trained at Nazi boot camp. Sis is walking very well now, and at last 100% healing is on her horizon. I know she can't wait to get back to work - and the ambulances can't wait to have her!
15 - I'm enrolled in college for the spring (at last). I'm taking an accounting class, a business class, and a physical fitness class. I am excited about getting started, and my husband is excited that I'm getting back into the swing of learnin'. Yup. I need that degree - only about 30 more classes to go! [sigh]
16 - My kids are begging me for hot chocolate, so I'd better stop here. Hey, they haven't had dinner yet, either! Chop Chop, mom!
17 - You guys have a great week, and I'll try to update more frequently in the future. At least, I definitely promise to when and if we get that new car. :)
Since this post will definitely ramble on, I have made the executive decision to post in "list" form. There may be lots of parenthetical notations and quotation marks. Bear with me.
1 - No new car; at least, not yet. The old clunker is still running, and we're still trying to decide whether we should let it putter along for another year or so, or buy a new (or used; whatever) car now. I just don't know. In any event, nothing that monumental will happen before Christmas, as I am busy spending all our money on cool stuff to stick in pretty boxes under the tree.
2 - Okay, not really spending all our money. I'm actually doing VERY well this year on gifts. I am the great deal-finder. In fact, I bought the coolest thing for hubby today! It's a - HA, hubby, like I'd let you find out that easily. Keep on dreamin'.
3 - K has decided to join Spanish Club at school. Actually, there is no "Spanish" club, per se. All the foreign languages make up one big group called Culture Club. Yes, Karma Chameleon goes through my head every time I hear that - and now it's going through YOURS, too! Bwahahaaaa! Ahem. Well, K wants to make friends (or at least one friend; how sad is that?), and he (okay, "we") figured he'd do well to get involved in something.
4 - My body image sucks. Y'all, this is serious. I am 38 years old, and for some reason, I'm not getting any younger! What the hell? I knew it was serious when I went into a dressing room today and freaking cried when I saw my reflection. That is some serious shit. So here I go - low carbing (because it's been effective before), and exercise (because I have to; certainly not because I want to). To this end, I've been riding my bike every day, and I think I've progressed out of wussy-biker stage: I no longer want to throw up after a mile.
5 - My husband rocks. He is the most amazing person I've ever met, and I do not know what I'd do without him. And to him, I apologize for using the word "shit" in this post. Twice now. Sorry sorry, hubby hubby.
6 - Here's a picture of our new house. Okay, it's only "new" to us, and we moved in five months ago. Anyway, I think it's nice and I want to share it. Well, heck, I do not know what is going on with this picture - I've been trying to post it here for an hour - you'll have to click the ugly picture below to see it; sorry.
Click me:
7 - In this house, I finally have the banisters and stair railings that I've always wanted. Last night I wrapped pine garland around them, and they look so good, if I do say so myself. Maybe one day the fact that I have banisters and stair railings will not be so very exciting. But I doubt it.
8 - Tomorrow I will be spending the morning scrapbooking with a friend of mine. I'm so happy about that. She's going to come over after she drops her little boy off at preschool, and we'll be able to chat about whatever we want because there will be no kids NOR husbands around! Woohoo! Oh, and we'll probably get some scrapbooking done, too. Maybe. Heh.
9 - It has occurred to me that this post rambles on and is not all that exciting. Tough nookies.
10 - I'm just so respectful to all my blogger fans. HA!
11 - Hubby and I have another chance to take a trip next month, but are undecided about where to go. We'd like to go to Santa Fe, New Mexico, but that probably won't work out. West coast would be ideal (because hubby's dad is giving us some frequent flier miles, and the west coast apparently uses up the fewest), but neither of us are sure if we want to visit San Francisco right now. Thoughts, dear readers?
12 - It's cold in Houston right now. (Kimmer, stop laughing at me! I'm from Texas - anything below 60 is chilly to me! LOL!) I love love love cold weather. Well, "Texas cold." I'm not sure how I'd do in Michigan right now - my heaviest coat is probably considered a windbreaker to those in colder climes. Anyway.... I mention this right now as a filler for my post because my train of thought has jumped the tracks, and as my mind wandered, the first thing it thought was "hey, my feet are cold." Thus my comment. See how nicely this paragraph came full circle? I should totally be doing NaNoWriMo.
13 - Tnk got all moved into the house. There's still a bunch of work to be done on it, but she's living there now. She's even got running water! Woohoo, welcome to the 21st century, Tnk! (I kid; I'm a kidder.) She also got a cool job as a real live police officer. Props to you AGAIN, girl! I'm so proud of you!
14 - Other sis (hereinafter known as EMT) is doing well with her new leg-therapy dude. I am so glad she found a physical therapist who was not trained at Nazi boot camp. Sis is walking very well now, and at last 100% healing is on her horizon. I know she can't wait to get back to work - and the ambulances can't wait to have her!
15 - I'm enrolled in college for the spring (at last). I'm taking an accounting class, a business class, and a physical fitness class. I am excited about getting started, and my husband is excited that I'm getting back into the swing of learnin'. Yup. I need that degree - only about 30 more classes to go! [sigh]
16 - My kids are begging me for hot chocolate, so I'd better stop here. Hey, they haven't had dinner yet, either! Chop Chop, mom!
17 - You guys have a great week, and I'll try to update more frequently in the future. At least, I definitely promise to when and if we get that new car. :)
Saturday, November 19, 2005
Time time time...see what's become of me
A better question might be, "Time time time, where the heck have you gone?"
The past few weeks have been so busy that I've met myself coming and going. I absolutely cannot believe that Thanksgiving is in five days. Seriously, my brain just will not wrap around that concept. And Christmas? Fuggedaboudit. "Black Friday" sounds more like death than fun right now.
Tnk's house is coming along, although it doesn't seem quite as close to done when you consider that her moving day is next freaking Wednesday. I don't want to freak out, but I'm starting to anyway. And it's not even my house! I guess I'm just so closely involved in the process that it feels like my problem. Or perhaps these are sympathy pains I'm suffering. I mean, Tnk's got enough to worry about, so maybe if we share the worries, I'll lighten her load.
Yeah, let's go with that.
Speaking of lightening loads, you may have noticed that the NaNoWriMo icon is gone from this page. I finally realized that a snowball in Hades had a better chance of survival than I did of finishing fifty thousand words in 30 days. Thanks anyway, Katie, for hosting the pic for me. I'll shoot for next year instead. I *think* Tnk's house will be done by then. ;)
This weekend we're babysitting EMT's dog. She is the sweetest little thing, and the kids adore her. You all know what this means, don't you? Santa's bag had better have enough room for puppy chow, is all I'm saying.
Today hubby and the boys are going to the Renaissance Festival. Thankfully, P has a Girl Scout thingie that she's committed to, so I didn't have to go to RenFest. I hate RenFest; sue me. It's too far away, costs too much, walking around in mud all day sucks (apparently the fairgrounds are perpetual mud), and EVERY single time I've ever gone, it has rained. Today's forecast says "cloudy," but I'm thinking, yeah, right. That's what they always say just to lure you in. When you get there, the skies open up and the only umbrellas for sale are made of PAPER (what the hell?). Oh, and turkey legs? Overrated.
In other news, the principal of K's school called me the other day and apologized profusely for the Cody incident. He took complete blame for the whole thing. No excuses were made, and man do I respect that.
Well, gotta run take P to Scouts. Then I have to go buy a new car for hubby. Oh, did I forget to mention that? Our Saturn (his current commuter car) is eleven years old and has over 157,000 miles on it. And now the "check engine" light will not go off. Couple that with the fact that the headliner is so shot that you think you have dandruff whenever you ride in the car, and I think it's time for a new vehicle. I just hate the thought of getting back into car payments again. It's been a blissful five months. But the last thing we need is for hubby's car to break down on some crazy ass Houston freeway.
And with that, I'm out of time. Have a good weekend, all.
The past few weeks have been so busy that I've met myself coming and going. I absolutely cannot believe that Thanksgiving is in five days. Seriously, my brain just will not wrap around that concept. And Christmas? Fuggedaboudit. "Black Friday" sounds more like death than fun right now.
Tnk's house is coming along, although it doesn't seem quite as close to done when you consider that her moving day is next freaking Wednesday. I don't want to freak out, but I'm starting to anyway. And it's not even my house! I guess I'm just so closely involved in the process that it feels like my problem. Or perhaps these are sympathy pains I'm suffering. I mean, Tnk's got enough to worry about, so maybe if we share the worries, I'll lighten her load.
Yeah, let's go with that.
Speaking of lightening loads, you may have noticed that the NaNoWriMo icon is gone from this page. I finally realized that a snowball in Hades had a better chance of survival than I did of finishing fifty thousand words in 30 days. Thanks anyway, Katie, for hosting the pic for me. I'll shoot for next year instead. I *think* Tnk's house will be done by then. ;)
This weekend we're babysitting EMT's dog. She is the sweetest little thing, and the kids adore her. You all know what this means, don't you? Santa's bag had better have enough room for puppy chow, is all I'm saying.
Today hubby and the boys are going to the Renaissance Festival. Thankfully, P has a Girl Scout thingie that she's committed to, so I didn't have to go to RenFest. I hate RenFest; sue me. It's too far away, costs too much, walking around in mud all day sucks (apparently the fairgrounds are perpetual mud), and EVERY single time I've ever gone, it has rained. Today's forecast says "cloudy," but I'm thinking, yeah, right. That's what they always say just to lure you in. When you get there, the skies open up and the only umbrellas for sale are made of PAPER (what the hell?). Oh, and turkey legs? Overrated.
In other news, the principal of K's school called me the other day and apologized profusely for the Cody incident. He took complete blame for the whole thing. No excuses were made, and man do I respect that.
Well, gotta run take P to Scouts. Then I have to go buy a new car for hubby. Oh, did I forget to mention that? Our Saturn (his current commuter car) is eleven years old and has over 157,000 miles on it. And now the "check engine" light will not go off. Couple that with the fact that the headliner is so shot that you think you have dandruff whenever you ride in the car, and I think it's time for a new vehicle. I just hate the thought of getting back into car payments again. It's been a blissful five months. But the last thing we need is for hubby's car to break down on some crazy ass Houston freeway.
And with that, I'm out of time. Have a good weekend, all.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Here we go again
Remember last week when K saw Cody (a.k.a. "little turd") erasing other students' PowerPoint presentations? Well, now we have a whole new can of worms, smashed open and crawling all over the friggin' place.
Below is an email I sent to K's teacher this afternoon. (I grow weary of having to babysit teachers and administration....)
Mr. Jones,
When I spoke with you last week regarding the fact that K witnessed Cody erasing PowerPoint presentations, you told me that when/if K was called down to the office to tell the principal what he saw, Cody would not be there. K's coming forward would be confidential; in fact, I specifically asked you about this and you assured me that he would be protected.
Yesterday K was called down to the assistant principal's office. Then D (another witness) was called in. Then Cody. All three boys were in the office at the same time. This is completely unacceptable.
Today Cody began bullying K and calling him names such as "fag" and "tattletale." Again, this is unacceptable.
I would like know what you and/or Mr. F plan to do alleviate Cody's bullying tactics. Please contact me at your earliest convenience.
Thank you.
I can't wait to hear what they have to say.
Below is an email I sent to K's teacher this afternoon. (I grow weary of having to babysit teachers and administration....)
Mr. Jones,
When I spoke with you last week regarding the fact that K witnessed Cody erasing PowerPoint presentations, you told me that when/if K was called down to the office to tell the principal what he saw, Cody would not be there. K's coming forward would be confidential; in fact, I specifically asked you about this and you assured me that he would be protected.
Yesterday K was called down to the assistant principal's office. Then D (another witness) was called in. Then Cody. All three boys were in the office at the same time. This is completely unacceptable.
Today Cody began bullying K and calling him names such as "fag" and "tattletale." Again, this is unacceptable.
I would like know what you and/or Mr. F plan to do alleviate Cody's bullying tactics. Please contact me at your earliest convenience.
Thank you.
I can't wait to hear what they have to say.
Memoriam (sigh)
Farewell to my grandfather, who passed away yesterday. Your memory will live on through your five children, seventeen grandchildren, and countless great-grandchildren.
May you rest in peace.
May you rest in peace.
Monday, November 14, 2005
Recovering
This weekend we held P's 8th birthday party here at the house. In addition to the three little girls she invited, we also had lots of family members and friends in attendance. It was crowded around here, but also very warm and cozy. I enjoyed visiting with everyone (especially playing poker with T & J & siblings - heh).
The only problem was that I didn't order enough pizza to go around. Not nearly enough. Next time I'll do better.
Two of P's friends stayed for the slumber party. I don't know why they call it a "slumber" party, because there sure wasn't much slumbering going on! The girls were up until midnight, then up again by 7:00 a.m. They had a great time - the mess in P's room is certainly proof of that. The way I see it, though, a slumber party is not a success unless it takes you at least two days to clean up afterwards.
Hmm, wonder why I don't host more slumber parties.
Today I'm heading back to Tnk's house to work on getting it shipshape so she can move into it. Our biggest project today will be installing the new kitchen cabinets. I spent Friday priming and painting the kitchen, and can't wait to see the finished product.
So - this entry is a short one because I've got to run. Y'all have a good day now, ya hear?
The only problem was that I didn't order enough pizza to go around. Not nearly enough. Next time I'll do better.
Two of P's friends stayed for the slumber party. I don't know why they call it a "slumber" party, because there sure wasn't much slumbering going on! The girls were up until midnight, then up again by 7:00 a.m. They had a great time - the mess in P's room is certainly proof of that. The way I see it, though, a slumber party is not a success unless it takes you at least two days to clean up afterwards.
Hmm, wonder why I don't host more slumber parties.
Today I'm heading back to Tnk's house to work on getting it shipshape so she can move into it. Our biggest project today will be installing the new kitchen cabinets. I spent Friday priming and painting the kitchen, and can't wait to see the finished product.
So - this entry is a short one because I've got to run. Y'all have a good day now, ya hear?
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
It's Wednesday
Today I accomplished a major feat: I went to the grocery store. I had not been in well over a week, and our list was getting rather long. So I clipped some coupons and headed to Kroger this morning. I spent $114, after saving $24.14 with coupons. That's 21.17% off my grocery bill. Can't beat that with a stick. Go, me.
After grocery shopping, I drove K to school. (Yep, I got moving early.) During the drive, K told me about a kid in his Social Studies class who has been up to no good. Apparently, each class has been working on PowerPoint presentations. This little turd has taken it upon himself to open other classes' presentations, delete the information within, and re-save the file. That really ticked me off. I asked K if he'd told the teacher, but he said he had not because he didn't want to be obvious. I told him I'd contact the teacher for him, but in the meantime he was not to hang around Turdboy. He told me not to worry, that he'd already realized that "Cody is a jerk."
I'm so proud of my kid.
I spent the rest of the day working on sis's house. Today's adventures included painting the laundry room and shopping for crown molding for the living room. Tnk's cabinets were delivered today, and they look awesome. I am getting excited about seeing the finished product. After all this work, though, Tnk and I both wish we could snap our fingers and make that happen! Don't we, Tnk?
Tonight we celebrated P's 8th birthday. Dear Lord, how did eight years go by so quickly!?! Her little "party" was a study in simplicity - she wanted Burger King for dinner because they have the new Star Wars toys. {sigh} Then she wanted dump cake for dessert, which is incredibly easy to make. Then she opened two presents - one of which was the Barbie Karaoke Cam. Man, you'd have thought she won the lottery! She was so happy. I took pictures, but I was wishing I had a video camera to capture that moment.
Maybe I'll ask for a video camera for Christmas. Then *I* can do a happy dance.
After grocery shopping, I drove K to school. (Yep, I got moving early.) During the drive, K told me about a kid in his Social Studies class who has been up to no good. Apparently, each class has been working on PowerPoint presentations. This little turd has taken it upon himself to open other classes' presentations, delete the information within, and re-save the file. That really ticked me off. I asked K if he'd told the teacher, but he said he had not because he didn't want to be obvious. I told him I'd contact the teacher for him, but in the meantime he was not to hang around Turdboy. He told me not to worry, that he'd already realized that "Cody is a jerk."
I'm so proud of my kid.
I spent the rest of the day working on sis's house. Today's adventures included painting the laundry room and shopping for crown molding for the living room. Tnk's cabinets were delivered today, and they look awesome. I am getting excited about seeing the finished product. After all this work, though, Tnk and I both wish we could snap our fingers and make that happen! Don't we, Tnk?
Tonight we celebrated P's 8th birthday. Dear Lord, how did eight years go by so quickly!?! Her little "party" was a study in simplicity - she wanted Burger King for dinner because they have the new Star Wars toys. {sigh} Then she wanted dump cake for dessert, which is incredibly easy to make. Then she opened two presents - one of which was the Barbie Karaoke Cam. Man, you'd have thought she won the lottery! She was so happy. I took pictures, but I was wishing I had a video camera to capture that moment.
Maybe I'll ask for a video camera for Christmas. Then *I* can do a happy dance.
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Hap'Bur-day 2 Me
Today has been so good. I started it off by letting R & P miss their bus. Okay, that was unintentional - the driver was early again. Luckily hubby was here to drive the kids around to another stop so they could get on. Thank you so much, hubby.
K made his bus no problem. I think his driver was even a couple of minutes late, which was very considerate of him.
After the kids got off to school, I drove down to the DPS office to renew my driver's license. Yes, folks, that's always an enjoyable way to spend the anniversary of your birth - spend half the morning with surly people who don't like their jobs and are going to take it out on you. Oh, and don't forget the other surly people who are there for the same reason you are, and who are also going to take it out on you.
Heh, not today. There was no line at my DPS office this morning, and the workers I dealt with were very pleasant. For a moment, I thought hell had indeed frozen over. But then two morons got in line ahead of me. They were so unprepared that both of them actually left the window to go get money/registration/social security card from their cars! Even worse, the workers held their place in line. This was really only annoying because there were only two workers doing driver's licenses in the first place. So the nonexistent line turned into one about ten people long before I left.
Still, though. Only ten people + DPS office = happy fun day!
I, of course, was prepared, so my whole process took about a minute. That was a great birthday present, DPS. Thank you from the heart of my bottom.
I was back home by 9:20, and my sister Tnk came over about an hour later. She brought me a small but suspiciously heavy present. It was a picture frame stuffed in among packing peanuts. Well, a new-and-improved version of packing peanuts. Packing "peanut butter candies" - my favorite halloween candy of all time. Sweet of her to remember that.
Sis then drove me out to have lunch with her and my other sister (EMT) and my stepdad (T) and J. We went to Chuy's (Mexican food; GOOD stuff).
EMT had bought me some balloons, which were tied to the back of my chair. I felt very obvious, lol. She always gets people balloons on their birthday, which makes us feel special. Several people told me Happy Birthday just because of the balloons - that's always nice. Oh, and EMT gave me the BEST present of all - she's telling everyone I'm 32. She so rocks! :)
T and J brought me a gift of some Mary Kay products. I'd mentioned to J about a month ago that I liked a certain type of MK lotion (a sample had come in the catalog I'd received in the mail from her). She somehow remembered that one comment. She gave me a large bottle of the lotion, plus a large bottle of the same-scent body wash. I'm gonna smell very very good.
After presents, we ate lunch. I got the Lite Plate, which consisted of a taco, a small dish of queso, and a dollop of guacamole. We then had sopapillas for dessert. Good food, but not so much that I'm full. In fact, I'm not full at all, which is great because I think tonight's dinner will be a big one. My dear MIL is cooking steaks, plus she asked what kind of wine I like. I foresee a fun, sparkly-eyed evening.
After lunch, T and J brought me home because they needed to go to a store near my house. Tnk had a business appointment up near where we had lunch (about 10 miles away). She was going to bring me home anyway, then go back. I thought it was very nice of her, but there was no reason for her to burn all that gas when T and J were coming this way anyway. It was so sweet of her to offer anyway.
It's now 1:38 CST, which means I've got a lot of birthday-ing left to do. Perhaps I'll indulge myself with peanut butter candies and some lame TV. Sounds good to me.
K made his bus no problem. I think his driver was even a couple of minutes late, which was very considerate of him.
After the kids got off to school, I drove down to the DPS office to renew my driver's license. Yes, folks, that's always an enjoyable way to spend the anniversary of your birth - spend half the morning with surly people who don't like their jobs and are going to take it out on you. Oh, and don't forget the other surly people who are there for the same reason you are, and who are also going to take it out on you.
Heh, not today. There was no line at my DPS office this morning, and the workers I dealt with were very pleasant. For a moment, I thought hell had indeed frozen over. But then two morons got in line ahead of me. They were so unprepared that both of them actually left the window to go get money/registration/social security card from their cars! Even worse, the workers held their place in line. This was really only annoying because there were only two workers doing driver's licenses in the first place. So the nonexistent line turned into one about ten people long before I left.
Still, though. Only ten people + DPS office = happy fun day!
I, of course, was prepared, so my whole process took about a minute. That was a great birthday present, DPS. Thank you from the heart of my bottom.
I was back home by 9:20, and my sister Tnk came over about an hour later. She brought me a small but suspiciously heavy present. It was a picture frame stuffed in among packing peanuts. Well, a new-and-improved version of packing peanuts. Packing "peanut butter candies" - my favorite halloween candy of all time. Sweet of her to remember that.
Sis then drove me out to have lunch with her and my other sister (EMT) and my stepdad (T) and J. We went to Chuy's (Mexican food; GOOD stuff).
EMT had bought me some balloons, which were tied to the back of my chair. I felt very obvious, lol. She always gets people balloons on their birthday, which makes us feel special. Several people told me Happy Birthday just because of the balloons - that's always nice. Oh, and EMT gave me the BEST present of all - she's telling everyone I'm 32. She so rocks! :)
T and J brought me a gift of some Mary Kay products. I'd mentioned to J about a month ago that I liked a certain type of MK lotion (a sample had come in the catalog I'd received in the mail from her). She somehow remembered that one comment. She gave me a large bottle of the lotion, plus a large bottle of the same-scent body wash. I'm gonna smell very very good.
After presents, we ate lunch. I got the Lite Plate, which consisted of a taco, a small dish of queso, and a dollop of guacamole. We then had sopapillas for dessert. Good food, but not so much that I'm full. In fact, I'm not full at all, which is great because I think tonight's dinner will be a big one. My dear MIL is cooking steaks, plus she asked what kind of wine I like. I foresee a fun, sparkly-eyed evening.
After lunch, T and J brought me home because they needed to go to a store near my house. Tnk had a business appointment up near where we had lunch (about 10 miles away). She was going to bring me home anyway, then go back. I thought it was very nice of her, but there was no reason for her to burn all that gas when T and J were coming this way anyway. It was so sweet of her to offer anyway.
It's now 1:38 CST, which means I've got a lot of birthday-ing left to do. Perhaps I'll indulge myself with peanut butter candies and some lame TV. Sounds good to me.
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Boo and Hiss!
To the weather, that is.
We had beautiful weather all day yesterday. I mean, picture-perfect: low humidity, cool breezes, and sunshine. Utopian, I tell you. This morning we're having the exact same weather.
But last night at 5:00, the skies opened up. But it was not just rain; oh no, the halloween deities decided to play the cruelest trick ever. Thunder, lightning, and a torrential downpour pelted us until nearly 9:00 p.m. By then, of course, it was much too late to take the kids trick-or-treating.
So K did not get to be Harry Potter (and he would have been the BEST one, seriously). R did not get to be a Jedi. And P - poor miss P - did not get to be a rock star. Y'all, she had leather boots and everything. Her little heart was just broken.
But all is not lost! Next week is P's birthday, and we've decided she can have a rock star party. Her friends will all dress up as rock stars, and they'll make rock videos all afternoon. (P doesn't know it yet, but she's getting a Barbie Karaoke Cam for her birthday. Her cousin has one, and the girls spend hours upon hours rocking out.)
So now I'm off to do some shopping. My list looks like this:
Barbie Karaoke Cam
Toilet Paper
So, which store sells both? I'm all about minimizing my errands, you know. Although if I can't, I won't run out of energy - I've got six tons of chocolate in my living room. We weren't the only ones who didn't trick-or-treat last night.
We had beautiful weather all day yesterday. I mean, picture-perfect: low humidity, cool breezes, and sunshine. Utopian, I tell you. This morning we're having the exact same weather.
But last night at 5:00, the skies opened up. But it was not just rain; oh no, the halloween deities decided to play the cruelest trick ever. Thunder, lightning, and a torrential downpour pelted us until nearly 9:00 p.m. By then, of course, it was much too late to take the kids trick-or-treating.
So K did not get to be Harry Potter (and he would have been the BEST one, seriously). R did not get to be a Jedi. And P - poor miss P - did not get to be a rock star. Y'all, she had leather boots and everything. Her little heart was just broken.
But all is not lost! Next week is P's birthday, and we've decided she can have a rock star party. Her friends will all dress up as rock stars, and they'll make rock videos all afternoon. (P doesn't know it yet, but she's getting a Barbie Karaoke Cam for her birthday. Her cousin has one, and the girls spend hours upon hours rocking out.)
So now I'm off to do some shopping. My list looks like this:
Barbie Karaoke Cam
Toilet Paper
So, which store sells both? I'm all about minimizing my errands, you know. Although if I can't, I won't run out of energy - I've got six tons of chocolate in my living room. We weren't the only ones who didn't trick-or-treat last night.
Monday, October 31, 2005
Boo!
We are three hours away from even leaving the house to trick-or-treat, and I am sick of candy already. I knew I should have bought big bags of Almond Joys or Smarties, neither of which I like. But noooooo, instead I picked up large packages of Skittles, M&Ms, Snickers, and Whoppers. Darn it, I am in love with all of them. Well, I was. Now I loathe them. I loathe them all.
[gag] I swear, if I could just puke right now, I'd feel so much better. Stupid candy. The good news is that I will mostly likely be leaving the kids' trick or treat bags alone tonight. See, children, the sacrifices I make for you?
Hubby, just so you know, tomorrow you may be taking a bunch of chocolate bars and other assorted candies to work. Nay, not a bunch. A friggin' boatload. All I know is, it's not staying alone in the house with me anymore.
Tomorrow I start working out. Yeah, y'all check up on me, wouldja?
Speaking of working out, I've decided not to join Curves. As much as I enjoyed getting out there every morning, I wondered why I was never sore. No matter how hard I pushed myself, I never felt like I was doing anything that would help me tone up (which, at my age, is pretty much A-Number-One on the get-fit list). Don't get me wrong - Curves can be a really good thing. But I just don't think it's for me. So on I go with the fitness search.
First step: rid house of all chocolate.
Tomorrow.
Happy trickin' and treatin', y'all!
[gag] I swear, if I could just puke right now, I'd feel so much better. Stupid candy. The good news is that I will mostly likely be leaving the kids' trick or treat bags alone tonight. See, children, the sacrifices I make for you?
Hubby, just so you know, tomorrow you may be taking a bunch of chocolate bars and other assorted candies to work. Nay, not a bunch. A friggin' boatload. All I know is, it's not staying alone in the house with me anymore.
Tomorrow I start working out. Yeah, y'all check up on me, wouldja?
Speaking of working out, I've decided not to join Curves. As much as I enjoyed getting out there every morning, I wondered why I was never sore. No matter how hard I pushed myself, I never felt like I was doing anything that would help me tone up (which, at my age, is pretty much A-Number-One on the get-fit list). Don't get me wrong - Curves can be a really good thing. But I just don't think it's for me. So on I go with the fitness search.
First step: rid house of all chocolate.
Tomorrow.
Happy trickin' and treatin', y'all!
Friday, October 28, 2005
Writing and Scouting and Schmoober, Oh My!
I signed up for NaNoWriMo. Check out the cool new icon at left (props to Katie for making that happen). I am filled with excitement and dread, although the latter is rather a stupid feeling, since it's not like I'm being graded on what I write. It's all good, though, because I am counting on myself to be successful in this endeavor. Go Trace; go Trace!
As if spending countless hours at my computer next month weren't enough, I have taken on a whole new endeavor as well. At her request, I took P to sign up for Girl Scouts last night. There were lots of girls there, but unfortunately not many from P's school. It takes five children to make a troop, but as P was the only 2nd grader from her school at the rally, she was put together with all the 1st graders. To say that she is less than thrilled would be a heavy understatement. I told her that if she was unhappy, she didn't have to join, but she said she still wanted to try it out.
So I and four other moms are sitting at this munchkin-sized table in the cafeteria at one of the neighborhood elementary schools. Two were breastfeeding; one was dressed like she either has a high-paying job, or married a man with one (either way, the process seemed to bore her), and the other one had apparently signed in at the start of the meeting and then vanished. Weird.
Then there was me, whose breasts have not nursed an infant in seven years, and who has not held a decent-paying job in five. Apparently, this means that I am automatically troop leader. I don't actually recall saying that I was the man for the job, but when not one but TWO harried-looking mothers with babes at their chests look at you pathetically, what are you going to do?
The "rich or married so but either way so very bored" woman said that there was no way she could be troop leader because the only camping she is willing to do is at Camp Hyatt. Well. Who wouldn't rather rough it with room service? I have a feeling she's going to annoy me for years to come. Or weeks, depending on how long P wants to stick it out. (Hey, I can dream, can't I?)
The next step in this process is that I have to go to a four-hour seminar next weekend on how to be a troop leader. I hate to give up a Sunday afternoon, but I suppose P's happiness is worth it. She'd darn better appreciate this, for I shall be reminding her for the next forty years or so of all the sacrifices I've made throughout her life. Am I evil? Nay. I am a mother. And not the "f'er" kind, either, lest you are thinking so.
Speaking of bad language, which of course I never, ever, use, we heard "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" on the radio tonight. The kids love that song, but I won't buy them the CD because one line says, "What's f'ed up and everything's alright." Why can't they just say "What's goobed up and everything's alright"? Or maybe use "dorked." Or "schmoobered." Just not the almighty F.
Man, I've had to erase u-c-k every time I've typed F. I don't want to spell out the whole word, but my fingers type much faster than my brain thinks sometimes. Thank goodness for delete and backspace keys.
Also speaking of bad language, a few choice words were heard around here this week. The Astros didn't win a single game in the World Series. "Shucky-darn" and "balderdash" were about the only bad-type words that went unsaid. But as bad as it feels to lose in four straight games, I am still very proud of my boys. It's an amazing feat to even get TO the Series, and most other teams didn't make it that far. Some didn't even come close. So hats off to you, 'stros - you're still hometown heroes to me.
As if spending countless hours at my computer next month weren't enough, I have taken on a whole new endeavor as well. At her request, I took P to sign up for Girl Scouts last night. There were lots of girls there, but unfortunately not many from P's school. It takes five children to make a troop, but as P was the only 2nd grader from her school at the rally, she was put together with all the 1st graders. To say that she is less than thrilled would be a heavy understatement. I told her that if she was unhappy, she didn't have to join, but she said she still wanted to try it out.
So I and four other moms are sitting at this munchkin-sized table in the cafeteria at one of the neighborhood elementary schools. Two were breastfeeding; one was dressed like she either has a high-paying job, or married a man with one (either way, the process seemed to bore her), and the other one had apparently signed in at the start of the meeting and then vanished. Weird.
Then there was me, whose breasts have not nursed an infant in seven years, and who has not held a decent-paying job in five. Apparently, this means that I am automatically troop leader. I don't actually recall saying that I was the man for the job, but when not one but TWO harried-looking mothers with babes at their chests look at you pathetically, what are you going to do?
The "rich or married so but either way so very bored" woman said that there was no way she could be troop leader because the only camping she is willing to do is at Camp Hyatt. Well. Who wouldn't rather rough it with room service? I have a feeling she's going to annoy me for years to come. Or weeks, depending on how long P wants to stick it out. (Hey, I can dream, can't I?)
The next step in this process is that I have to go to a four-hour seminar next weekend on how to be a troop leader. I hate to give up a Sunday afternoon, but I suppose P's happiness is worth it. She'd darn better appreciate this, for I shall be reminding her for the next forty years or so of all the sacrifices I've made throughout her life. Am I evil? Nay. I am a mother. And not the "f'er" kind, either, lest you are thinking so.
Speaking of bad language, which of course I never, ever, use, we heard "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" on the radio tonight. The kids love that song, but I won't buy them the CD because one line says, "What's f'ed up and everything's alright." Why can't they just say "What's goobed up and everything's alright"? Or maybe use "dorked." Or "schmoobered." Just not the almighty F.
Man, I've had to erase u-c-k every time I've typed F. I don't want to spell out the whole word, but my fingers type much faster than my brain thinks sometimes. Thank goodness for delete and backspace keys.
Also speaking of bad language, a few choice words were heard around here this week. The Astros didn't win a single game in the World Series. "Shucky-darn" and "balderdash" were about the only bad-type words that went unsaid. But as bad as it feels to lose in four straight games, I am still very proud of my boys. It's an amazing feat to even get TO the Series, and most other teams didn't make it that far. Some didn't even come close. So hats off to you, 'stros - you're still hometown heroes to me.
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Should I do it?
Katie does NaNoWriMo every year. Despite the fact that I really don't think I have The Great American Novel (hereinafter to be known as "TGAN") in me, I am really tempted to sign up. But can I write 50,000 words in 30 days? That's like a 1,666.66 word paper every day - and I don't know how to write .66 of a word. Would "a" or "I" count, maybe?
With all these questions and hesitations, why am I even considering signing up? I think it's just so I can say "I did it!" I mean, this year is practically a bust for me - I'm not in school this semester; I'm not working outside the home (not for money, anyway - my sis is paying me in Wendy's and Whataburger, which I think is a fair trade for stripping wallpaper and painting doors, don't you?); and I'm not having a baby, either, like Amy is going to do any day now.
So, okay then. I've talked myself into it. I'm going to write 50,000 words. In 30 days. Holy cow, that's a lotta words in a little time. Do you think I'm allowed to plagiarize my blog sometimes? After all, I'm the original writer of all the words before you; I should be allowed to copy myself, right? I have to write about what I know best, and that would be, well, me. One might ask if I really know myself, but philosophical and psychological discussions are not my cup of tea today. Ego, Id, all that jazz. Bleh.
Why is "Ramblin' Fever" going through my head? Follow this post and you'll figure it out. Heh.
Off to sign up for NaNoWriMo now. Hubby, will you join me in my quest? I know you have got TGAN in you. Time to see that bad boy!
With all these questions and hesitations, why am I even considering signing up? I think it's just so I can say "I did it!" I mean, this year is practically a bust for me - I'm not in school this semester; I'm not working outside the home (not for money, anyway - my sis is paying me in Wendy's and Whataburger, which I think is a fair trade for stripping wallpaper and painting doors, don't you?); and I'm not having a baby, either, like Amy is going to do any day now.
So, okay then. I've talked myself into it. I'm going to write 50,000 words. In 30 days. Holy cow, that's a lotta words in a little time. Do you think I'm allowed to plagiarize my blog sometimes? After all, I'm the original writer of all the words before you; I should be allowed to copy myself, right? I have to write about what I know best, and that would be, well, me. One might ask if I really know myself, but philosophical and psychological discussions are not my cup of tea today. Ego, Id, all that jazz. Bleh.
Why is "Ramblin' Fever" going through my head? Follow this post and you'll figure it out. Heh.
Off to sign up for NaNoWriMo now. Hubby, will you join me in my quest? I know you have got TGAN in you. Time to see that bad boy!
Monday, October 24, 2005
La de da
Don't have much else to write about, but I wanted to get the depressing post off the top of the page....
Recent thoughts I've pondered:
Why is it that no matter how many ways I try to steer company AWAY from the laundry room (which currently houses no fewer than five mountains of laundry), they always manage to see the mess anyway?
Why is it that I feel responsible for so many people's happiness? What is this urge within me that wants to please everyone, many times at my own expense? How the heck can I plug it up?
Why is it bad to be a little selfish sometimes? Or is it?
Why do I not want to go to school anymore? Not that I'm quitting, mind you; I just don't want to put forth the effort. At all.
Why am I excited about Christmas? I love love love that time of year. But why, exactly? This one has baffled me for years.
Why am I so happy to be helping my sister with her house? I mean, it's work. Hard work. But I love it. Maybe it's the sense of accomplishment that comes with manual labor. Maybe it's that I love socializing with my siblings. Maybe I feel closer to Mom in that house...? Maybe it's all those things. Maybe I should stop analyzing it and just go with the flow.
Why did Mitch Hedburg have to die so young? His comedy routines make me laugh hard, even though I've heard them over and over and over. Drugs suck.
The kids just got home from school, so I'll stop now. Well, maybe just one more thought: Tomorrow, GO ASTROS!
Recent thoughts I've pondered:
Why is it that no matter how many ways I try to steer company AWAY from the laundry room (which currently houses no fewer than five mountains of laundry), they always manage to see the mess anyway?
Why is it that I feel responsible for so many people's happiness? What is this urge within me that wants to please everyone, many times at my own expense? How the heck can I plug it up?
Why is it bad to be a little selfish sometimes? Or is it?
Why do I not want to go to school anymore? Not that I'm quitting, mind you; I just don't want to put forth the effort. At all.
Why am I excited about Christmas? I love love love that time of year. But why, exactly? This one has baffled me for years.
Why am I so happy to be helping my sister with her house? I mean, it's work. Hard work. But I love it. Maybe it's the sense of accomplishment that comes with manual labor. Maybe it's that I love socializing with my siblings. Maybe I feel closer to Mom in that house...? Maybe it's all those things. Maybe I should stop analyzing it and just go with the flow.
Why did Mitch Hedburg have to die so young? His comedy routines make me laugh hard, even though I've heard them over and over and over. Drugs suck.
The kids just got home from school, so I'll stop now. Well, maybe just one more thought: Tomorrow, GO ASTROS!
Seven Years
Today is the 7th anniversary of the day my mother passed away.
Mom had started complaining of a headache on Wednesday evening, October 21st. On Thursday, she stayed in bed all day long, only getting up twice to use the restroom. Both times, she had to inch her way down the hall to the bathroom because of the pain in her head. By Thursday evening, she was incoherent - and my dad was getting scared. He made her get up and come sit on the sofa, and he peppered her with questions like "how old are the grandchildren? what is your name?" She answered him, but slowly and with her head bobbing because she kept drifting off to sleep.
My parents finally went to bed around midnight, but around 2:00 dad felt something was wrong. He jumped out of bed, told mom they were going to the ER, and somehow got her to get up and get into the car.
At the ER, the nurses started questioning Mom again - "what's your name, address, etc." Same type of response. They put her into a room, and my dad stood by her and held her hand and told her he loved her. She replied "I love you, too."
Around 4:00 a.m., Mom gasped, threw her head back...and stopped breathing. Dad ran into the hallway screaming, and the nurses came in and put Mom on a respirator.
The doctor ordered CAT scans on Mom the next morning, and found that there was no activity in her frontal lobe. We were all there (all five of us kids, plus our spouses) when the nurses came in and unhooked the machines to see if she could breathe on her own. It was heartbreaking to watch and see that she could not. Despite the fact that her heart was still beating, Mom was gone. She was 51.
It was very hard to watch her go. As the years go by, I expect the ache in my heart to get better. And in some ways, it has. But as I relive that day, I find that the pain is still very raw. Writing it all out is therapeutic in a way. Many of my friends hesitate to talk to me about Mom because they're afraid they'll upset me (and I understand that), but sometimes I need to talk about her.
"Don't cry because its over. Smile because it happened."
Thanks for the memories, mom. And thanks for giving me life. I miss you so much.
Mom had started complaining of a headache on Wednesday evening, October 21st. On Thursday, she stayed in bed all day long, only getting up twice to use the restroom. Both times, she had to inch her way down the hall to the bathroom because of the pain in her head. By Thursday evening, she was incoherent - and my dad was getting scared. He made her get up and come sit on the sofa, and he peppered her with questions like "how old are the grandchildren? what is your name?" She answered him, but slowly and with her head bobbing because she kept drifting off to sleep.
My parents finally went to bed around midnight, but around 2:00 dad felt something was wrong. He jumped out of bed, told mom they were going to the ER, and somehow got her to get up and get into the car.
At the ER, the nurses started questioning Mom again - "what's your name, address, etc." Same type of response. They put her into a room, and my dad stood by her and held her hand and told her he loved her. She replied "I love you, too."
Around 4:00 a.m., Mom gasped, threw her head back...and stopped breathing. Dad ran into the hallway screaming, and the nurses came in and put Mom on a respirator.
The doctor ordered CAT scans on Mom the next morning, and found that there was no activity in her frontal lobe. We were all there (all five of us kids, plus our spouses) when the nurses came in and unhooked the machines to see if she could breathe on her own. It was heartbreaking to watch and see that she could not. Despite the fact that her heart was still beating, Mom was gone. She was 51.
It was very hard to watch her go. As the years go by, I expect the ache in my heart to get better. And in some ways, it has. But as I relive that day, I find that the pain is still very raw. Writing it all out is therapeutic in a way. Many of my friends hesitate to talk to me about Mom because they're afraid they'll upset me (and I understand that), but sometimes I need to talk about her.
"Don't cry because its over. Smile because it happened."
Thanks for the memories, mom. And thanks for giving me life. I miss you so much.
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Because it's been four days
...without a post from me. Here we go.
Astros lost last night, but it was actually a good game. The armchair quarterback (or the baseball equivalent) in me had a bad feeling about Roger Clemens pitching, but I am no one, so he started and we lost. Of course, he only pitched two innings, and left because of an injury, but still. If only Phil Garner had asked me what my feminine instincts were saying, the 'stros might have pulled this one out.
There's still hope - next game is tonight. Please, Pettitte, pull some tricks from up your sleeve. My feminine instincts are not overly optimistic about your throwing arm, either. Surprise me.
Moving on, because I know my non-baseball-fan readers will appreciate a new topic.
I helped my sister work on her house again last Friday. We had our first-ever experience with vinyl tile, which sis and I put down in her laundry room. That stuff is sticky. We're talking airplane glue times ten. When we finished tiling the room, both of us had to use a soapy Brillo pad to get the goop off of our hands - and that STILL did not remove all the goop. Lesson learned and lesson shared: if you ever do sticky vinyl tile, for Bob's sake, have some GooGone nearby.
One more home improvement lesson: if you ever need to trim down a door before you hang it, always always always do the trimming on the hinge side. Not the doorknob side. Trust us on this one. This is particularly important when hanging a bathroom door, as privacy is probably an issue in your house, too.
By the way, Tnk, the new laundry room door looks amazing.
Moving on again.
The weather here is absolutely gorgeous. We slept with the windows open last night, which was a real treat because we have not done that since we moved here. The windows are still open, and as I type this, I am watching the sheers in my living room blow gently with the breeze. I imagine this is what my grandmother's childhood home was like: air conditioning did not exist at that time, so their windows were always open. And they had large windows, like we do. I never saw their curtains blowing, but like I said, I imagine this is how it was.
Oh! My windup pendulum clock just chimed 12:00! A clock just like grandma's childhood home used to have.
Wow, have I somehow tripped back to 1937? No, wait, a 747 just flew by. Never mind.
By the way, Evil One, you're in my thoughts today. I hope the hurricane's path does not include your home. Take care.
Have a good week, all. And GO ASTROS!
Astros lost last night, but it was actually a good game. The armchair quarterback (or the baseball equivalent) in me had a bad feeling about Roger Clemens pitching, but I am no one, so he started and we lost. Of course, he only pitched two innings, and left because of an injury, but still. If only Phil Garner had asked me what my feminine instincts were saying, the 'stros might have pulled this one out.
There's still hope - next game is tonight. Please, Pettitte, pull some tricks from up your sleeve. My feminine instincts are not overly optimistic about your throwing arm, either. Surprise me.
Moving on, because I know my non-baseball-fan readers will appreciate a new topic.
I helped my sister work on her house again last Friday. We had our first-ever experience with vinyl tile, which sis and I put down in her laundry room. That stuff is sticky. We're talking airplane glue times ten. When we finished tiling the room, both of us had to use a soapy Brillo pad to get the goop off of our hands - and that STILL did not remove all the goop. Lesson learned and lesson shared: if you ever do sticky vinyl tile, for Bob's sake, have some GooGone nearby.
One more home improvement lesson: if you ever need to trim down a door before you hang it, always always always do the trimming on the hinge side. Not the doorknob side. Trust us on this one. This is particularly important when hanging a bathroom door, as privacy is probably an issue in your house, too.
By the way, Tnk, the new laundry room door looks amazing.
Moving on again.
The weather here is absolutely gorgeous. We slept with the windows open last night, which was a real treat because we have not done that since we moved here. The windows are still open, and as I type this, I am watching the sheers in my living room blow gently with the breeze. I imagine this is what my grandmother's childhood home was like: air conditioning did not exist at that time, so their windows were always open. And they had large windows, like we do. I never saw their curtains blowing, but like I said, I imagine this is how it was.
Oh! My windup pendulum clock just chimed 12:00! A clock just like grandma's childhood home used to have.
Wow, have I somehow tripped back to 1937? No, wait, a 747 just flew by. Never mind.
By the way, Evil One, you're in my thoughts today. I hope the hurricane's path does not include your home. Take care.
Have a good week, all. And GO ASTROS!
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