Merry Christmas

Christmas day didn't start out so well. :( No matter how hard I try at not being disappointed--I mean, after over 15 years, I should be used it by now--I couldn't pretend not to care, anymore. He told me more than once this month, that "he wouldn't have time" to go out and buy me a Christmas present. I KNOW he's been very busy, and I KNOW he hates Christmas, but those excuses finally all piled up this year, and I told him that I didn't want to hear any more excuses or half-hearted explanations anymore.

He has time to stop at a store to buy stuff for M, or himself, but never can find enough time to think about me--even if it's just a little token something. A gift card, for cripes' sakes, would do, just to know that he took five minutes out of one day for his wife. :(

D is really hard to buy for--whatever he wants or needs, he usually goes out and buys for himself. And, I was really at my wits end this year, with time running short, and I suggested that maybe we should forego an individual gift for each other and just go out and buy a new couch. That idea got nixed by him without a second thought, so I was back to square one when I saw an ad in the paper for the perfect gift. I drove through snowstorms, and battled the full parking lots and crowded stores in search of this lousy--but great and practical--gift, only to come up empty handed at the last minute. :( So, I bought a card and put a picture of the gift in it, and used it as an IOU.

Granted, I had more free time than he has lately. But, do you really think I WANTED to battle the snow, and the crowds, and the messy parking lots? That answer is a resounding NO! But, I tried--I really TRIED--and, that's my whole point. He never even tried. :( Usually, he manages to find at least a card for me, or he buys me something that I've not only hinted at, but need to explain--in detail--what type, and where to buy it. Even though I knew what I was getting...at least it was something.

He plows a jewelry store parking lot, for God's sake! And, an electronics store, and a World Market store (among others)! He's spent more time in that parking this month than he has at home. Don't tell me you can't take 1/2 hour break and find something. They manage to find 1/2 hour time slots to diddle around doing other things. So, I can no longer accept the "I don't have time" excuse anymore...just not acceptable! And, now he knows it, and feels lower than the scum on the bottom of a rancid pond.

I--and other people--have tried to rationalize it, with the his-brain-is-just-built-differently-type of excuses. Sorry...it's just not cutting it anymore. :(

But, I'm trying to make the best of it. Last night, we had a light dinner of shrimp cocktail, little smokies in BBQ sauce, chips and salsa, cheese and crackers, etc. I put it all out on my best serving dishes to try and make it festive, even if it was only the three of us. Of course, I get the "who's all coming" question. ;) But, what the hey.... And, this morning (after the argument), it was all about M and his gifts, where the focus should be--on the children. I made a HUGE breakfast for us, and now M's enjoying his gifts; I'm hanging out; and D's off somewhere.

He got a concerned call from his brother, regarding his dad. But, all is relatively well in that aspect, for now (and, is too much to get into at this time), so I don't know what he's up to for the rest of the day. As long as he's home for dinner tonight.

A "wheel-wind" weekend!

"Wheels" is the word of the weekend around here. :( First, my flat tire, and now D's snow plow truck!

He calls me just as I'm getting home from work yesterday. "Could you come rescue me and M from the freeway? We seem to have had some difficulties with the truck". :o Being as cold as it is, I'm thinking engine trouble, and worry they're not keeping warm enough. So, I head on out on the 20 mile trip to where they are, only to find out that he lost BOTH rear left tires on the truck, as he's cruising down the interstate--he said they just FELL OFF! :o At least the engine was in fine working form, and they stayed warm in the subzero temps. :) Luckily, with his driving experience, he was able to maneuver the vehicle to the side of the road without mishap, and traffic was light enough where the tires didn't hit any other vehicles on their roll into the unknown. However, he was able to retrieve both tires, so hopefully, they'll be able to save those-although, I'm not sure about the total damage to the truck, itself. :(

But, that calamity was one of the more minor ones, for the truck's owner. :( I guess, poor P went down to his shop yesterday a.m., and the furnace had broken down, thereby causing the pipes to freeze and burst all over the shop! :o Other maintenance vehicles were also broke down, for one reason or another. One trouble at a time is bad enough, but when it all happens at once...he's either going to take up drinking, or have a stroke. :(

This weather is either going to make, or break us, I tell ya! What a winter, so far! It's nice, steady money (the snowplowing part), but good grief, will the snow ever stop?! Just when you think you're going to get a break, the temps drop into the subzero numbers, only to climb again just enough for it to snow again. :p It's now predicted for 3-5 inches both tonight, into tomorrow, and again on Wednesday! Makes ya wonder what January and February will bring. :o

Lovely...just lovely!

(insert big raspberry here)

Plans for shopping today have gone out the window! Not that I was really looking forward to fighting crowds, but it was an opportunity to do it ALONE! But, that is not to be, as a tire on my vehicle is completely flat---flatter than a pancake! :(

It was low the other night, and we pumped it up. Yesterday, since I was snowbound, I didn't really pay attention to it, so didn't notice if it was going flat again. And, this morning...well, you know. I've already called D, and he'll be home in a few hours, but not sure if there will be enough time to take it down to the local garage to get it fixed so I can use it to go to work tomorrow. I'll go out in a bit (when I'm done here) and try to pump it up with M's little (itty bitty) compressor. If for nothing else, to see how fast it deflates again. If it can't be fixed right away, I guess I'll be driving the Black Beast for a few days--yay rah! :p

Ya think this is just one more sign that I should get a newer vehicle? ;)

Please make it stop!

...the snow, that is. At least for a little while, anyway! :( Twelve inches in as many hours is a bit ridiculous, don'tcha think?! And, that's not all...tomorrow night and into Sunday morning is the start of another predicted 3"-7", with blowing and drifting (blizzard type visibility) and subzero windchill factors. Have I ever told you I'm not all that fond of winter?! Did I tell you I'm scheduled to work on Sunday?! I'd threaten to fly to a warmer climate, but the damn airlines are cancelling flights left and right (they're open now), so that doesn't do me much good. :p

I've got a small reprieve tomorrow, and I'm going to take advantage of it. I need to go get one more big Christmas present, and a couple stocking stuffers, along with some household essentials. Maybe, I'll even pick up a movie. ;)

I baked a couple different kinds of cookies today, amongst the shoveling and the plowing. I'm not sure I'll be making much more, as no one really eats them, and if they're laying around I eat them, and that's not a good thing. :p Although, I'm really craving chocolate covered pretzels, so if I don't see them in the store tomorrow, I may just have to make them myself. :D

HIVES!!!

Egads, at first, I thought it was just my sweater and dry skin irritating each other, but it got worse and worse as time went on. The sweater is old and soft, and I haven't used any new detergent recently, so I ruled that out. It could've been something I ate, but I've never had a reaction to food--ever--and, I didn't eat anything I haven't ate before yesterday. Loratadine and Benedryl weren't doing the trick, and I got barely any sleep last night. :( I finally just got up really early for work, and headed to Urgent Care, because I knew they'd give me some prednisone. ;)

As the day wore on, the itching finally subsided, for the most part, but the red splotches are still in some spots, yet. It was mainly on my torso and neck area (thus, thinking it was the sweater), but by morning, it had spread to my legs, arms, hands, and face, hairline, and scalp. How miserable. :(

But, on to bigger and better(?) things. It's snowing--AGAIN! According to the meteorologists on television, this is the "easy" storm...3-5 inches of light, fluffy snow throughout the night. Then, Thursday, the "big daddy" moves in, with a possibility of up to 12" of snow, with rain/freezing rain beforehand. :P Just can't wait for that one. ~~rolling my eyes~~

I've got most of my Christmas cards addressed. I just have to make a few more copies of M's school picture to include in them, and I'll be able to send the balance of the cards off this week. Nothing like waiting till the last minute. LOL

I've got it arranged for someone to cover my hours all of next week! Now, I just have to figure out what I'm going to do about the following week. :p I hate to take the both weeks, as that would deprive me a whole 2-week paycheck! I'm just going to hope and pray that M can go with his Dad, so I can get some hours in.

I think I'm about done

...with Christmas decorating, anyway. :) I finally got the tree up these last two days...just not in the mood this year. :( If it weren't for M, I probably wouldn't have put it up. :p

Now, I just have to figure out what to do about xmas vacation! I don't want to lose hours at work, and yet I don't want to leave M home alone all day for 2 weeks straight, either! He could go to work with is dad, for the most part, but gee, what kind of 'vacation' is that? :p Doesn't help, that the boss would rather hire extra help (the usual college kids), than just trade one employee for another. I have a new plan, though, but I have to talk to him about it on Monday, first, before I ask the one girl to cover my hours. ;)

There's also the matter of doctors' appointments the week of Christmas, too. M's appointment with the orthodontist is Monday afternoon, and I have an appointment with a new GP on Tuesday afternoon. :p Then, there's the Christmas cookie baking, and last minute shopping to do. Gosh, I might as well take the whole week off, since my weekends are already shot. :(

I have to type quickly now, because I need to get in the shower SOON, as we're going to an out of town wedding today. Don't want to go, but it's a PR kind of thing, so I'll suck it up and waste two more precious days of time off. :p D will be home in about a half an hour, and he'll have to get in the shower and pack, too. At least I've got MY stuff packed. Ugh. The last thing I want to is get all dressed up and put a smile on my face, when I'd rather just hang out in my loungewear and cuddle up with a good book. :p

What a week!

Man oh man, I'm just whipped! :( Monday and Tuesday was a madhouse...almost 500 scripts each day! :o Wed and Thursday wasn't TOO bad, but today was another scramble, for whatever reason. :p UGH!

Thanksgiving was great! M and I traveled up to the cabin Wednesday, but didn't get up there till about 11:00 p.m. That sucks, but I spent most of the day with my elderly lady friend, and she cooked us a little T-day lunch. Had a most enjoyable visit with her, while the boys did their he-man hunting thing. :) Then, I cooked a dinner for us and the neighbor couple that evening.

Friday, I left M with Dad, and I traveled back to my hometown for the weekend. Saw some old friends and relatives, and had a great time...until the snow warning came, and I had to head back home much earlier than originally planned. :p But, it all worked out, as I traveled with fairly light traffic and it didn't start snowing until about an hour after I got home. :) Then the work week started. ~rolling my eyes~

Last night, I had been invited to a "Women's Advent Dinner" at a local church. One of the neighbor ladies invited a group of other neighbor ladies, and we had a very nice time. It's hard to explain in short, but it was beautifully decorated...each lady of the church had a table to decorate in whatever Christmas theme they wished (ours was Scandinavian); there was beautiful singing by a women's quartet, and a short play with the theme on the order of losing the spirit of Christmas and letting God back into your life. It was quite inspirational (with a humorous touch), and pretty emotional for me, because some of the dialogue was like they were talking directly to me (with being the first Christmas without Mom, and how Mom wasn't afraid of dying, yet the children of the parent worry about that, etc.). I have to admit, that I had tears streaming down my face for part of it. :( Then, the damn quartet sang "O Holy Night", and got me crying all over again because it brought back memories of singing with Dad in the choir. :(

Tonight, we took M into town, as his school choir sang for the tree lighting ceremony on the sqaure. Oh BOY was it COLD!!!!!! Good thing it was a short ceremony! Even with insulated underwear and my heavy jacket and boots, I was freezing. :( Then, dingbat D--I told him to dress warmly--he was complaining that he should've left his insulated coveralls and boots on. :p Dumb, dumb dumb! LOL M's following in his footsteps. I also told him to put his longjohns on and wear his snowpants...he refused. Now, we'll all probably be sick by next week. :o

Tomorrow is another busy day. My plan is to get up early and go xmas shopping. I don't have much to get--just for M--and I know what I WANT to get. It's just a matter of trying to get it done by one-stop shopping. Cross you fingers! ;)

Winter Wonderland!

The forecasters said it would snow, and I believed them--the snowplows woke me up this morning! LOL I looked outside, and there was a beautiful blanket of snow on the ground and in the trees--about 2 inches. :) Okay, so that's last year's picture...but it looks the same. LOL

Going to work was interesting--like learning how to drive all over again. :) But, I refused to flip on the 4WD, just for spite. LOL I ended up having to follow a snowplow to work, which turned out to be a good thing, because half way to work, I noticed blue and red lights flashing ahead, and we ended up having to maneuver around cop cars, an ambulance and a fire truck, along with several other personal vehicles that belonged to the volunteer EMT's, etc.! As I came upon the scene, there was a red Grand Am tipped on it's driver side, in the field, about 50 feet off the road. :( I only hope the occupant(s) weren't badly injured.

The parking lot where I work is on a slight incline. So, I parked in my usual spot, put the vehicle in "park", and promptly started to slide back out of my space! LOL So, I moved to more even ground. ;)

Work was a madhouse today! :o We had just over 200 scripts done by 11:30. It was so busy, I didn't even have time to check the totals before I left. It'll be interesting to see the final count. :) I suppose everyone's loading up before the holiday. ;)

Well, time to go snuggle up in my recliner and go watch the Packer game! I hope I can stay awake long enough to see 4th quarter! LOL

My "vacation" without leaving home

Ahhh...hear the quiet? :) Dh has been gone since yesterday morning (early), on his annual hunting expedition to the great white north. It'll just be me and M until Wednesday, when we join him at the cabin. :)

M just left, to go to the PTA movie night at school. He went with the neighbor kids, so I've got about 2 hours of peace and quiet. So, this is my mini-vacation. LOL

Next week, we'll go to the cabin for a couple of days. Then, I'll have another "mini-vacation", as I will leave M with his dad, while I travel back to my hometown for a couple of days or R & R. Something I've been looking forward to since this summer...a chance to visit with friends and relatives at my leisure, instead of running to and fro and catching a few minutes with them, at a funeral. :( So far, even the weather gods are cooperating. But, that could change at a moment's notice, too. :p

In the meantime, we'll carry on as usual...work and school, and housework. LOL

Winter's coming...

...or is it here, now?

The weather has been so unseasonalby warm (low 70's early in the week), that the cold and--yes--snow flurries we've had the last couple of days is quite a shock to the system! However, the snow melts by the time it hits the ground, but, still, it IS November, for cripes' sakes...it's supposed to be cold and snowy. :p Doesn't make me feel any better, though. LOL

Last weekend, we were blessed with beautiful weather, for our getaway to my sister's cabin. It was just so nice to go somewhere and not have to BE anywhere, at any given time! Their place is in a wonderful location--out in the country, with trees all around. The neighbors are somewhat close, but not too close where you feel you're on top of them. They're only a few miles from the nearest town(s), and the towns have pretty much all the amenities that are needed for everyday stuff.

So, now, it's back to the same old grind again. Our next "outing" will be Thanksgiving. Haven't decided how I'm going to go about that, yet. Of course, D will be at our cabin for the hunting season, and I will have to do the obligatory T-day with him. But, I'd really like to take a day or two and visit my hometown--sans child. UGh...this happens every year, and I never follow through with it. Just once, I'd like it to turn out the way I want it to. We'll see, though.

The time change is kicking my ass, too. I still get up when my body says to get up, but for goodness sake, it's an hour earlier than it's supposed to be! Then, I can barely keep my eyes open for the news, at night. :( But, like everything else, I'll adjust...eventually. :p

Another week over

Whew! So glad it's Friday....wish it were next Thursday already! LOL

I've got one day "off", tomorrow, before I hit the store again on Sunday. :p Good news is, that I'm only working through noon on Thursday, and taking the rest of the weekend off! Going to my sister's new 'retirement home', to check out the place and give our stamp of approval. ;) Will be nice to get away for a few days.

Although, M and I did go to Chicago last weekend. I love playing tourist, but it takes days to recover from all the walking! :o I think my hips and shin splints finally stopped aching by Wednesday. LOL My pocketbook is suffering greatly, though. :p Good thing we go only once a year--I can't afford anything more than that! LOL

For whatever reason, M loves it down there...he says he wants to live there someday. :o Umm...no thanks. I like being to take a walk by myself at night, and not have to be looking over my shoulder all the time. And, getting in my car and it taking only 15 minutes to drive a few miles, instead of 2 blocks. Free parking, or only a nominal fee (instead of a minimum of $10). Seeing trees wherever I turn, instead having to go to a park or a zoo (or a cemetery LOL).

Speaking of cemeteries, I truly wish we'd have enough time to visit the one where my ancestors are buried. We just ran out of time. :( So, next trip, I'm definitely having my friend take me there! It's not far from her apartment, and I hear the cemetery is beautiful--for a cemetery. LOL

Some people don't quite understand my desire to visit cemeteries. However, it's not just any cemetery I like to go to. They're cemeteries where I have an attachment of some sort to them--like my (or my DH's) ancestors. :) Even DH rolls his eyes when I want to go visit one. But, I made him take me to one this summer, and he didn't get it until I showed him the gravestones of his great-great grandfather and his children. He was pretty impressed. ;) The history behind them, is usually a mystery, unless you really delve into--and pay for--copies of the death certificates, etc.. Why did these children die so young--and, so many of them, too, from one family? :(

The mystery still remains, regarding my own ancestors. I don't think the cemetery, itself, will give me any concrete answers--it will just verify what we already have documented. But, it's still interesting to go and take pictures of the gravestones (if there are any left), and maybe get an inkling of a little more information by seeing who is buried next to, or near, them. What I really need to do, is find the church records. However, it's difficult, for that time period in Chicago is when there was a fire, or a flood--or some sort of disaster--that destroyed a lot of the paper records from that time. And, most everyone that knows anything at all is already deceased, or has forgotten such information. But, the mystery and the "detective work" is what makes it fun. :) I just wish I had more funds and time to really get involved in it. *sigh* someday. :)

My son is a genius!

Well, okay, not literally, but I'm pretty darned proud of him right now! :)

Just got back from parent/teacher conference...why'd I bother? M's pulling all A's, except for a B in Science (currently a 90%, and he needs 92% for the A)!! There wasn't ONE thing she had a complaint about, and was very impressed with his work, as well as his social skills.

I've noticed a fairly decent improvement over last year. He's always liked to read, but this year, he's really challenging himself, and according to his Lexile scores, he's reading a low 6th grade level right now (he's in 4th grade).

Now, he keeps bugging me about taking piano lessons, and wants to take band (possibly a clarinet). He's already in chorus.

I'm just so excited for him, as I was always afraid he'd take after his father in the school issues. Dh wasn't a bad student, he just didn't apply himself very well, and reading is a chore for him. He's more "street smart" than book smart--learning more from doing than from reading about it. He also can't carry a tune in a bushel basket.

So, all in all, he may look and sometimes act like his father, but his love for learning and musical talent comes from me.

Off I go...

I got the news the other day, that my aunt has finally passed away. :( The waiting is finally over for the family, and perhaps now we can start to heal after the double whammy we got this summer. The funeral is Thursday, so I'll be heading up to my cousin's tomorrow, after work, and should be home again by Thursday evening.

It's still baffling to us survivors, how five siblings can each get cancer, and yet none of them had the same type. Well, I'm not sure about this most recent one, and her brother--I think they both had lung cancer (that metastasized). The overall odds aren't that great, considering the size of the family, but the good news is that one aunt is a (breast cancer) survivor. :)

I hesitate to even put it into words, but I've decided to really try and quit smoking now. I think I'm finally ready. It's not "fun" anymore; I'm getting shortness of breath; they don't taste good--not that they ever really did. I generally just use it as a crutch now...stressful situations, boredom, etc. So, I think it's time. :)

So, I'll sit here and try to come up with something witty to write, while I burn up the last cigarette in my pack. ;) The trip north tomorrow will be a real test. I usually smoke while I'm driving, and it's a four hour trip! :o But, after that, it shouldn't be too hard, as my cousin doesn't smoke and it will be fairly useless (not to mention rude) to try and go outside and smoke at her house. LOL And, considering WHY my aunt probably got the cancer in the first place, should be a pretty good incentive, anyway. Not that it's stopped me before, but I can't think about it that way anymore. I'm getting older, and my mortality odds are getting shorter!

I always fear weight gain. Then again, with groceries costing what they do, and my income not increasing, it shouldn't be too bad on that aspect, either. :p I have to think of the money I'll be saving; and how much better I'll eventually feel. Think POSITIVE!! ;)

There... I'm done...that's it...DO NOT BUY ANYMORE CANCER STICKS!!! Wish me luck! :)

Back to work today

I kind of feel like I was on vacation, after being off for two days in the middle of the week. LOL However, my bubble burst (my own fault, I suppose) this morning, when the Sunday girl called to see if I'd work for her. So, I'll work tomorrow yet, have Saturday off, then work 6 days...off Saturday, and work another 6 days in a row. :p Oh well...better for the paycheck, I guess.--as long as M doesn't get sick again. :)

You know it's getting close to the major holidays when you look outside your window, and your mouth starts to water, and the birds still have their feathers! LOL

According to the neighbors, this happens on a regular basis. Must be true, because I saw this on Tuesday afternoon, and on Wednesday morning, they were back with re-inforcements! There were SIX of them in my front yard. LOL It's just so funny, because they stroll around the neighborhood like they own the place. ;)

October 1st

Yikes! OCTOBER already! And, the weather this week has definitely made a turn to the fall temperatures! Last week, it was in the 70's and 80's, and this week we're lucky to even get to 60, much less 70. :p

M's been sick since last Thursday. :( I knew something was up when he didn't eat dinner Thursday evening, and slept from 6 p.m. on. He didn't seem to have a fever on Friday, so I sent him to school, but by 11:00, we were both home, and he was feeling pretty funky. I took him to the doctor on Saturday morning, and he said M had a "throat infection" and ordered antibiotics. By Sunday, he developed sores in his mouth, and eating was a challenge. :( I left him home by himself on Monday, with hourly check in calls. Then, DH got rained out, so he was able to be home with him the rest of the afternoon (otherwise, I would've left at noon). I called in to the doc's office again that day, and was told that M "MIGHT" have that dreaded Hand, Foot and Mouth disease! :o By Tuesday, his mouth was full of canker sores, but luckily, nothing showed up on the rest of his body. :)

He probably could've gone to school today, but thought I better make a full seven days of staying away from people, just in case. So, together, we cleaned house, moved furniture around in the living room, cleaned out the garden of the last of it's bounty (what little there was), decorated the outdoors with our measly supply of miniature pumpkins, and put the storm windows on the entry doors. :) M also got all his homework done--at least for now. ;) I'm sure he'll have another boatload by tomorrow night. LOL

I feel so guilty about taking off from work. :( One, because we could use the money (my paycheck sucks to begin with); and two, it's the first of the month, and it's always really busy. There's really no one to cover, since the kids went back to college--and, there's another person out this week, on vacation. But, I'm sure they survived--they always do. ;) And, I'm sure I'll hear about it tomorrow. :p

Random thoughts and vents

It's been awhile...two weeks already--how time flies. :(

News on the homefront is good. No fights, more communication, and things are running rather smoothly. :)

Work's been busy, so that's good, too. :) There's the usual stupidity of some co-workers, but it's just something I have to put up with because no one has the balls enough to change things. :p I thought I was on a roll last week, when E called S to bump my wages. Got my paycheck today, and it was a lousy $.25/hr increase! So, even though I am equally qualified and experienced as another co-worker--who I might add, has been there 8 months shorter than I have--I'm still making $1.00 less than her! Needless to say, I'm am beyond pissed off! It's not my boss's fault--he does what he can. It's the owner of the company that doesn't have a clue, and frankly, I don't think he really cares, either. It's just baffling to me (and others) what his logic is, in how he pays his employees. :( No matter how you look at it, it just doesn't make sense.

M's school nurse called me today. M in the beginning throes of a cold and is miserable. Apparently, he was spending more time in the nurse's office than in the classroom, so being that I was fed up with work, I decided to leave early and take him home. And, even though he's had 2 extra hours to do any homework, we're still sitting here at 7:30, finishing that up. ~~rolling eyes~~ I don't really blame him though, it's language arts--in the process of learning how to form sentences and putting them into paragraphs and stories--and learning to spell and define the terminology of said process. For me, it's not only boring, but difficult (as I sit here and ramble endlessly in my blog LOL). He's great at spelling the words, it's just the matter of putting them into sentences, where he has a problem. I mean, really, who uses the word prewriting"?!? And, is there a real difference between the meaning of edit and revise?! Blech!

Then, I get a wild hair and call that annuity company again, that I've been having problems with. Guess what? Now, they say we CAN do a cash surrender (first we could, then we couldn't, and now we can, again)! It's no wonder my hair is turning gray. :p They're supposed to be sending me paperwork to fill out to, cash it in. Once I get that, I'm going to fill it out immediately, and they better damn well do it! This is really getting to be ridiculous already. :(

MJ's doing okay. :) She's comfortably at home, and at least still eating. She'll never get any better, of course, but for now, it's all we can ask for. :)

The kitten has been my comic relief. She's also been my pain in the butt! LOL She sure is cute, but what a little stinker. We still have the screens on the storm doors--and, she still has her claws. She's taken to climbing the screen to the top, then launching onto the inside door, and hanging out on top of that. LOL Dumb cat...she'll be in for a big surprise when I change the screens to the storm window. Not only that, there will come a day in the near future, when she's too big to sit on a one and a half inch wide door! LOL Of course, she may learn that after she rips the shit out of my screens because she's too heavy for them to handle it. :( Eek.

She and Katrina are STILL not getting along, unfortunately. Layla just wants a friend and a playmate. Katrina, the old bag, doesn't want a THING to do with her. She's constantly hissing and growling at Layla. And again--dumb kitten--Layla thinks it's all in fun, and that if she persists, Katrina will eventually change her thinking. So far, Katrina's not buying it. LOL

So, it's been week...

Sorry about that. :p D finally came home Saturday afternoon, with his tail between his legs, so to speak. Trying to make a long story short, we had dinner, and a good discussion afterwards. Some stuff I couldn't bring myself to talk about, for fear of another upheaval, so I wrote him a letter (that took a couple of days to write), and I believe he finally read it on Thursday a.m.

But, I think it finally got through to him that family is not just a financial investment, but an emotional one as well. :) It's been very calm and...what?...productive--for lack of a better word--around here all week! :) He's been discussing his days with me, I've been discussing my days with him, and we've been getting along very well, even in the bedroom. :o (did I just "say" that out loud?! LOL) We've even touched on his fears and the situation with his father--which is a whole other story and blog to write about, but I won't...for now.

Today, was shopping day. Thank goodness for those Alltell rebate cards I got in the mail the other day, or my checkbook would look worse than it already does! :o M and I went to Target, and we got him a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, a long-sleeved shirt, a pair of tennis shoes, and an insulated vest. For me, I got a can of hairspray and ream of copy paper (whoohoo :p). Then, we hit McD's for lunch, and off to the grocery store, which I should probably own half of it by now....SHEESH! :o

Another little tidbit of semi-good news....I've been bugging my manager about bugging HIS boss about giving me a raise. Well, he FINALLY spoke to him about it yesterday morning. :) It was a quick "hey, bump Shari up to $XX an hour now" type conversation, and he told me the "big boss" said "okay". Now, we wait and see if really does it, and I told E to keep reminding S about it, before they cut the new checks in a week and a half. :p We'll see....

Then, there's the not so good news. :( I talked with two aunts this morning, and neither of them had good news regarding their baby sister. The cancer's just gone too far throughout her body, and poor MJ is suffering. :( The only thing left to do now, is just pray she goes peacefully. My one aunt even said she's been praying to my mom to help MJ go quickly. :( God, this is just so much for one family to handle all at once!! It's bad enough that my best friend and my mom went so quickly and so close together, but for my aunts and uncles to have two siblings to lose (or about to lose) to that damn disease in a short period of time...it's just too damn much! :( It doesn't sound like any of them are handling it very well at all. The two brothers that are the closest to MJ in age, are a wreck...first, their oldest sister, and now the youngest sister. They've already lost two other siblings to cancer, previously. But, the losses were spaced years apart, so I imagine it was a little easier to take. More than one person has said to me that it makes you wonder what's in the water up there. :(

Stuff on the estate is going well. The rent thing is settled--thank goodness! And, now, it's just a matter of waiting for probate to finalize. There is one little snafu we've run into, but I'm going to see if that can be remedied quickly, instead of dragging out for years. But, it's really no skin off my back if the stupid company wants to waste their money on paperwork, I suppose. :p

After working for the past two weekends, it's weird having two whole days off in a row! LOL I've got most of the laundry done today, so tomorrow is kind of a 'freebie'. :) M's supposed to take a picture of a bird for art class (huh?), so we may go for a walk tomorrow, to see if we can find a dumb bird...like we don't have any in our own back yard. LOL

Not waiting, exactly...

Although, it's not been highly unusual that he doesn't call during the day. But, recently, he's had the courtesy of calling by now, if he's not going to be home soon. It's almost 7:30 p.m., and I've heard not a thing from him.

Somewhat disturbing, though, is that M seems to almost look forward to D not coming home. :o He's been speculating about it all day, with no encouragement from me. So, what does that say? :(

On the other hand, we had a nice, relaxing day at home. :) I got all the laundry done, including the quilt from my bed, the sheets, and the bathroom rugs. I washed both the kitchen and bathroom floors, watered the gardens (the grass is burnt to a crispy crunch), and M and I went for a bike ride, and drooled over some items at a couple of garage sales. :) Matthew helped with no complaints. It was peaceful. Or is it the eye of the storm??

My butterfly bush is in full bloom now. Apparently, it's aptly named. LOL All three of these butterflies were feasting on the nectar at the same time, this morning. :)



I understand that Gustav will be coming ashore by Monday. I only hope that it doesn't pack as big a punch as Katrina did. I'm also hoping he keeps coming north and we get some residual effects from it. As I noted before, the grass is crispy and the flowers are wilting, from the dryness. :( Although, it's nice that we get such beautiful weather--nothing too hot or humid--but we need rain, bad!

Well, I better go and be a super mom, and watch WWE with M. :p Good thing I have an interesting book to read. LOL

*#$#&(&#^@##%!!!

First, I'll get the good news out of the way. My sister got the 2nd check today, from Mom's landlord. It was larger than I expected, and ecstatic that we're finally finished with those dunderheads! :)

Now, the day didn't start out too bad...well, the earliest part of it, anyway. LOL But, shortly after nine (when a co worker showed up), is when it started to go downhill. :p I may have mentioned before that we're short of help for a few days. Therefore, the full-time techs--well, at least me and another one--have been volunteering extra hours to fill in the gaps. Not to make the 3rd one feel left out, I asked if she would be willing to cover one day this weekend. All week, she's been hemming and hawing over whether she would do it--a whole 4 hours worth on Saturday. Yesterday, my impression that she would cover 4 hours--more if she cared to--on Saturday. But, just to make sure, I confirmed it with her this morning. She kept running over the top of her tongue with excuses, and even after I reminded her that she originally said she'd do it, I finally said, "Fine. I'll work the hours." She replies with, "Well, if you're sure...." AAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHH!!!! All I wanted was a simple yes or no at the beginning of the week, and she puts us through this song and dance every single time! Which is why I should know better than to even ask anymore. :( But, if I don't, then I get feedback, or later comments after the fact such as "gee, why didn't you ask me? I could've worked it". Again......AAARRRGGGHHH!

Then, this evening, Matthew has a meltdown at dinner, because I attempted to make him eat the crust of his grilled cheese sandwich. I know...I'm such a hardass. LOL The "threat" was, if you don't eat the rest of the sandwich, you don't get your bag of Doritos. Well, my goodness, you'd think we had asked him to eat his own fingers!! :o It didn't get too bad, until he threw the crust across the table! :o Then, he stormed off screaming "I'm so sick of this!" and slammed the door to his bedroom. Harumph! LOL

After he'd calmed down sufficiently, I suggested that since he didn't like the rules as we saw fit, that he should write up his own set of rules, and I would do the same. When we were done, we'd all read them together and come to a compromise. Note, that I said ALL--meaning the three of us (mom, dad, and son). Basically, it's just an expectation of duties and responsibilities in helping each other to keep the house orderly and what we expect in the area of meals and snacks, and the consequences thereof if things weren't done. (M's good for loading up on snacks and insisting that he hates pretty much hates everything I make, even though he's never eaten before).

Of course, M was done in a short order, while I took more time to word it properly and try to cover all the bases. ;) I was proud that he actually wrote down some of the same things that I did, but with a bit more of a 9 yr old's mind. LOL Naturally, my list of chores and consequences tended to be more geared toward M, but wanted to include all three of us, as to make it more equal and fair. But, of course, D decided I was taking too long and went to bed--even though I was printing mine out at the time he decides he can't wait any longer. :p

So, I sit M down at the table with my list (an agreement) to read, as I go back to the bedroom to try and roust D back out, so we can discuss this as a family. Mind you, I stayed quite calm and reasonable throughout this whole session. He doesn't see the need for him to go back out there "just because our son has an attitude problem, and is lazy". WTF?!!? So, I try to explain to him my point of view, that if EVERYONE helped around the house, it would lighten the load for all involved, everyone would know where each of us stands, and everyone (mainly me) would be happy campers. ;) So grumbling and whining all the way out, he's stuck on trying to explain one tiny issue I brought up, and making excuses why this particularly small thing hadn't been done previously. I'm trying to explain to him that that one tiny issue is just that--one small point in a much larger picture.

Oh, he doesn't have time for this crap, he's going to bed! :o Pardon me? So, he's dropping the ball on a unified family once again, because he thinks my idea is stupid, because he'd rather just complain about shit but not try to resolve the matter without verbal or physical abuse. :( It might have been petty, and in the heat of the moment, but I basically told him that if he wasn't willing, or didn't want, to be a part of this family, then he's welcome to leave at anytime. His response was, "Fine, I'll be gone in the morning." :(

Naturally, this made both M and I cry. It was said with such calm, that I'm not sure if he was being sarcastic or if he was serious. I apologized to M, and we dried our tears. He continued to read the agreement that I wrote up, and we talked about the one he wrote, and compromised on all of it. :) We both signed it, and left a space for Dad to sign it, too---just in case. I don't know if D will read it in the morning, nor whether or not he'll sign it--or if he really will leave and not come back. :(

M and I also talked about Dad some. He's a perceptive little thing and certainly not stupid as to what's going on around him. Of course, he's sad and hurt that Mom and Dad don't have the peachiest relationship. But, I think he's bright enough to roll with the punches if push comes to shove---bless his huge and sensitive little heart. :)

We also talked about why I would like and need some help around the house. Because we all work full-time jobs (M to school, and D & I to our respective careers), it's only fair that all three of us pitch in with the rest of the house and yard work, so that one person isn't responsible or overwhelmed with the whole job.

So, I ask you, is this too much to ask?! :(

And, you know what really bites? Is that the last couple of days, D and I have been having real conversations. Nothing earthshattering, but at least talking to each other more than we have been in months. And, now he pulls this crap--again. And, I don't even know what set him off. Just when I think we're on the same page, he flips to another chapter--or a whole different section of the library, for that matter. :( I'm pretty much done with trying to figure out what will make him happy and keep me sane at the same time. I don't know what he wants, and it's not for lack of asking. He either doesn't know himself, can't articulate it into words for whatever reason, or he's just afraid to tell me the truth.

I'm sure in his mind, it's all going to be my fault, one way or another. I've long ago accepted the fact that I'm not perfect, nor will I ever claim to be. Now, if he could do the same, we'd probably be much happier. :p

Woohoo!

I just got an email from my sister...they only charged us $15.00 for cleaning the apartment! That is MUCH more realistic than the $115.00 they estimated! :) Of course, they're still idiots, considering my last email indicated that future mailings should be addressed to me, as personal representative of the estate, and they still sent it to my sister. :p Either way, it'll get deposited into the estate account, but it's just the principal of the thing. :p

See? It's already starting

Almost a week without posting anything. :p But, I have to admit, that I've been pretty busy. Other than last Friday, I've been at work everyday!! :o I'm trying to catch up on all the days I've missed when my mom died. Not to mention, all the college kids went back to school, and there was no one to work the weekend shifts now. I'm working again this weekend, but not sure if it's just Sunday, or if I'm going to do Saturday afternoon, too. One of the ladies said she would do Saturday afternoon, but really doesn't want to...make up your mind, already, and just give me an answer!! Geez, I feel like I'm talking to my husband. :p

Other than that, there's nothing too exciting going on. The county fair starts tomorrow, and I have NO money to take M. :( Even if the neighbor lady takes him, I'd still have to come up with some cash to pay his admission fee and some rides. I still have to talk to her and see if she's even planning on taking him--he says she is...we'll see. LOL

AF is soon to arrive, too........yippee. :( And, I can sure feel it, too. Today, I'm tired and out of sorts, and have the starting of a headache. Sure signs that she's on her way. :p

I took a roast out of the freezer this morning, and it's still half frozen! :o I threw it in the oven right away, and I sure hope 3 and a half hours will be sufficient for it to get done.

We've been getting phone calls from our caretakers of the cabin. Seems there's a bear in the area that LOVES our lilac bush!! :o It was there a few days previous to when we were up there last, and damage about 3 branches. This past week, he broke off three more branches! Stupid bear. :p If he keeps it up, I won't have anything left! :(

Crap! I just got a phone call from the dentist's office. Seems I was supposed to be there this afternoon, and totally forgot! :o I'm re-scheduled for Sept 8th...they said they'd call me at work that morning to remind me. LOL I had totally intended to call them yesterday to reschedule anyway, since we're broke and wouldn't be able to pay them. :p I hate doing that--forgetting appointments. :(

Should be interesting to see what I get in the mail in the near future. We're still fighting with Mom's landlord corporation over the rent/security deposit refund. :p I had to send them another nasty email the other night, and got a rather terse reply. But, I think they're finally seeing it our way. ;) We'll see.

Ta Da!!

See? I told you I'd get it done tonight! :D

The new addition to our home

This is Layla, otherwise known as Goober, Nobhead, or Ninja--Pouncing Kitty. She's currently, approximately 14 weeks old, and the terror of the house. ;)



I know some people are against de-clawing, however, I'm not particularly fond of having my curtains look like cloth vertical blinds. It's not the "in" thing this year. :p My legs and my arms are starting to look the same way...like I've been in a fight with a.......well, a CAT! Johnson and Johnson is making a lot of money off of me, lately, with Band-aids. So, very soon (as soon as I scrape some money together), Miss Layla is going for a little visit to the vet.

I can't believe I'm actually putting this out for public viewing! Don't laugh, but I was damned if I was going to spend $100.00 on something we could build--and I use that term loosely LOL--ourselves. I should say, I could make myself, since it's very apparent that it's me who's constructed it thus far. DH just silently laughs to himself...I know this, because if he dared to laugh out loud, I'd smack him. LOL



This is the cat condo I've decided to build. It's not done yet, as you can see that the carpeting isn't quite right yet, and it hasn't been all attached together, either. I'm stuck on this point, because the circular shapes are cardboard, and it's difficult to get a staple in there to hold, without having it stick out the other side. :o And, this is where my dear DH, with all his carpentry skills come into play. I got it this far...he can attach it together! :D So, really, it is a "we" project. :)

Might I add, that Katrina, our 14 yr old "wide load" kitty, is NOT impressed with this new intrusion into her domain. After a month, she's still hissing and growling anytime Layla comes near. However, it IS getting better. Layla can get within about 6 inches of her, before the radar goes off in Katrina. At first, it was about 2 feet! LOL Poor Layla, all she wants to do is play with a new friend, and all Katrina wants, is to be left alone. :) Now, if Layla would just learn to respect the old bag of fur's wishes, everything would be hunky dory. LOL But then again, Katrina should know better than to dangle her twitchy long tail over the chair, right in paw's reach of Layla. ;)

Nothin' much going on

Pretty boring day at work today, but I only worked 4 hours. :)

Yesterday, the neighbor lady suggested going to the lake for swimming. So, today, I drove M, me, the neighbor lady, and her ten month old charge to the lake. It was nice out, but not screamingly hot, and with a rather cool and steady breeze. Neighbor and the baby sat at the edge of the water, so baby could play. And, M's the only one who actually got fully wet. LOL I only waded in up to my knees, because I knew that once I got my whole suit wet, it'd be darn cold coming back out of the water! LOL Big chicken, that I am. :)

I'm supposed to be baking cookies right now (and there's the "p" word coming again). Yesterday, we tried making them, and I used some of Mom's old shortening. BIG mistake! (enter hurling motion here). So, today, I should start over.

Good news, though...I've got two rows left of the trim on that stupid afghan. Nothing like running it down to the last minute. LOL

Oh, and I got an update from my sister, regarding the landlord situation. Apparently, what she got was an estimate of the work that needed to be done. Too bad they didn't specify that when they sent the letter. In any case, we'll be seeing what tomorrow brings, with the "exact" amount they said they would forward to us, after the cleaning and "maintenance" workers get done. :p Funny thing is, they said they need to make the place "spotless" for the new tenant. Hmmmm...it certainly wasn't that way when Mom moved in, as when we were cleaning out the cupboards, we found an envelope with stuff in it, from the previous owner. (rolling my eyes)

Have I ever mentioned how much I hate the ringing of a phone?

Well, not really, but other than the phone ringing and it being one of M's friends, it's been pretty quiet around here, lately. But, I swear, Dh has a phone homing device embedded under his skin! He calls me around 4:00, to say he's in the area. I bet I got 7 phone calls within the next two hours! Not necessarily for him--mostly telemarketers, and nuisance calls--but, sheesh!

The last phone call was from my irate sister (that makes two of us by that time, but for different reasons LOL). She got the final inspection notice from my mom's landlord and the deductions they made from her security deposit. By the time she got done reading the letter, I was pretty hot under the collar, myself! I personally called the people up there, after we'd vacated, to tell them that we cleaned everything on the list, except two of the items listed. They sent us a bill for about 5 hours worth of work, and listed each and every thing at $10.00/item! To tell you how ridiculous it was, they charged $10 each for wiping off the bathroom faucet, and dusting the cobwebs out of the patio door track. They listed things they did that had already been done! Not to mention, that one of the reps that were present during the week we were there, had told my sister not to worry about cleaning certain things (like wiping down the walls, because they had to paint anyway, etc.), and they still charged us for it! Dirty, rotten bastards! Nothing that they listed should've taken more than an hour and a half to do everything (and, that's being generous), at $20/hr.

My sister cc'd me the email that she sent to them tonight (we've got 10 days from the date of mailing to reply, supposedly in person), and told them that if she had to drive all the way over there (100 miles) to politely ream someone's ass, she was going to charge them mileage as well as her wages, for having to take off of work to do so. This should be interesting, considering I told them we vacated on August 2nd, and they still charged the full month's rent (9 days extra). I'm not so concerned about that, but we are pretty steamed about the cleaning bill! Wonder how many other senior citizens they've bilked out of their money. :(

Today's a new day

Sorry about being such a downer yesterday. It was rather cathartic to write that all out, though.

So, today I went to work...nothing too exciting happening there. Never really is, though. LOL It's that time in the month where business is steady, but not chaotic. Whereas, next week will be the start of the rush again. :p

DH finally got home this afternoon, after being gone for a week. He was up north, at the cabin, re-roofing that, as well as the neighbors' house. At least the $$ from the neighbor's work paid for our roof. ;) He took some pictures of his handiwork, but unless you know what it looked like before, it's not really that impressive. LOL Suffice it to say that the roof is now brown instead of black--or green--or whatever color it was before. ;) However, on one of his previous trips up there, he fixed up the front of the pole shed, and that looks pretty nice now (see above). :) For those that don't know, the pole shed used to be a grody, ugly yellow. The dark horizontal stripes are actually poly-d cedar. Really sets it off nicely, I think. :)

After work today, I went to school registration. I think M got a pretty good teacher, from what read in her bio. I have no personal connection with any of the 4th grade teachers, so it was a toss up. LOL After looking at the class list, I was (shhh, don't tell anyone) relieved to see that his neighbor buddy isn't in the same classroom this year. They're good friends, and all, and A is a sweet kid. However, the two of them together spells t-a-l-k-i-n-g and not paying attention in class. ;) There was only about 5 kids' names that I did recognize in his class. One, is another neighbor kid, and the other one, he was pretty chummy with in kindergarten. So, I'm hoping by mixing them up, he'll renew the friendships. :)

M's been bugging me to make cookies for over a week now, and I've been--yep, you guessed it--procrastinating!! So, this afternoon, I made a batch. However, I used some old shortening that I'd brought home from my mother's pantry. Suffice it to say, it was more than OLD! :o The batter didn't taste right, and the cookies tasted worse. :( So, one batch of baked and unbaked cookies went immediately in the trash! LOL I promised that we'd try again tomorrow--with butter. ;)

This evening, I managed to make progress on that afghan that I've been...um...er...procrastinating getting done. Long story short, I didn't want to make it in the first place, but someone's paying me to do it, so I accepted the "challenge". The baby shower is Saturday, and I don't work on Friday, so it HAS to be done by tomorrow night, to hand it off to the grandma. No problem, though...I've only got two more rounds to finish off the edging, and I can get that done in no time. :)

Am I stupid, or what?!

The other day, we (son and I) rented some movies. I've heard good things about the The Bucket List, so I thought I'd rent it, among others. Knowing full well what it was about, I hesitated, but I figured M wouldn't want to watch it, so I thought I'd watch it while he was doing other things. Well, it came time to watch, and M was all rarin' to go and watch it with me! I thought to myself, "egads, I hope most of this goes over his head". (that was the stupid part)

Everything was fine, until almost the very end, and I started tearing up. M asks, "Mom, are you crying?" "A little bit, yes", I replied. "So am I! I really miss Grandma!" Crap! :( All I could do was try to console him with the reminder that she was fortunate enough not to have to go through what these men portrayed in the movie went through.

She had the motto of "I'm gonna live till I die", and that's exactly what she did! She never had to lay there, in a bed, suffering in pain, or puking her guts out. In fact, she insisted that she never really had much pain--nothing a heating pad and some Tylenol didn't offset, anyway. Sure, she did one series of chemo, and had slight side effects from it, but nothing like some of the people I knew that had terminal cancer. The day before she died, she was ready to go to the casino to celebrate her birthday. She almost made it. :(

I knew, deep down, that it was close. I'd seen her a couple of weekends previous, and talked with her on the phone often. Little comments that she made clued me in. But, it was still a shock to get that phone call from my aunt, who found her...the one that was picking her up to go to celebrate her birthday that day. Especially, since I'd only talked with Mom the morning before, and she sounded good. Everyone that saw her that afternoon commented about how good she looked, and what a great attitude she had. I'm just sad that she died all alone. But, then again, she went the way she wanted to...she lived till she died. And, I have to accept that.

It's been a pretty crappy summer for me, all around. The first part of May, my best friend's husband called to tell me that his wife was just diagnosed with terminal Adrenal Cancer. We buried her July 5th. I was able to see her a few times, and I was able to say good-by to her. That helped, but it still didn't make it any easier to let her go. :(

My mom was diagnosed with metastasized Pancreatic Cancer, around June 1st. Three days after we heard the final prognosis on her (in mid-June), my Mom called to inform me that her baby sister had just been diagnosed with metastasized Lung Cancer. She's the one that's going through hell now. :( They're doing everything they can to slow down the progress, and she's hanging in there, but I don't think it will be long before I get THAT phone call, either. It's spread too far, and in too many places to be curable, anymore. I just hope and pray she can hang in there for as long as she can. That family needs a break. :(

A test post

So, here I am. Now, what do I do? LOL I'm not a really active blogger, so don't expect much from me. ;) But, once in awhile, I need to vent--or just ramble on--so I guess this is as good a place as any. Today, I'm just testing things out, and seeing if I can create a page as nice as those that I've seen recently.