One For The Road

And that was always why....

2011-12-22T13:39:00.002-06:00

Have been further considering beginning a new blog. And today I stopped over at Roses place for the first time in a very very long while.

And laughed. Hard.

And learned things about what was going on in her life.

And I got a little thoughtful....

I miss that part of my life. I miss reading and sharing and writing... Taking the funny, or the frustrating, the ridiculous and the mundane and just... Well.... Blogging it.

It used to be fun. And fulfilling. And with all that's going on there is bound to be some gooftacular crap for me to write about.

Thinking about starting over....

2011-04-14T11:12:00.002-05:00

With a new blog anyway.

Amongst a few other areas of my life that are *definitely* in the process of being remade.

Some while ago - I was incredibly frustrated with the state of Echo comments. They were great while they were still Haloscan. But Echo?? Echo sucked. Sucked! Anyhoo - I was just sick to death of trying to fix and deal with them. And for a while OFTR was completely FUBAR. So what did *I* do?? I went to the Blogfather himself and ~~asked~~ begged for assistance.

It was determined that I could get blogger comments here - but Echo/Haloscan comments would be forever lost. Frustrated as I was - I waved my hand and said "Oh to hell with it - dump 'em...." Oops. Damn...

Now months and months later I have regrets about that.... I have documented a little over 6 years of my life here - and there have been some great ups and a few downs. And the comments?? The comments made it for me... **sigh** Oh well. if I had been smart, I would have just closed up shop here - and opened new digs elsewhere as other much smarter peeps have done. Anyhoo - as they say, hindsight is 20/20.

The good news, I suppose, is that the posts and the pics remain. Though I must admit, when I delve into the archives looking for a story, or a recipe, or a time line of events it just makes me sad... (Oh great - getting teary now.... I really need to install a cut off switch for that! ) Just one more reason I think to pull up stakes and begin anew elsewhere.

Anyway - what say you? Thoughts?? I have a couple of name ideas kicking around in my noodle too but am always open for suggestions. And I am ready to be done mourning all that has ended. And start celebrating some new beginnings! Enough all ready.

So here ya go - one for the road.... ::pours:: Let's get truckin' shall we??

Pennies...

2011-03-30T10:22:00.002-05:00

To be honest, this is a pretty accurate description of what my last couple of weeks have been like. Seemingly benign right up the Zombie takes my brain....

I may have to just give in and watch Zombieland - hone my mad Zombie killing/survival skillz. Apparently I need some! Have any tips for me??

Seriously - I have one of these....

2011-03-18T10:36:00.003-05:00

And somehow I think that is a good thing... Just sayin'...

Uhhhhh.....

2011-03-15T14:25:00.002-05:00

I know, right? Nothing since Christmas.

Nothing!

And right this second you know what I have found to celebrate? The sun is shining today. And I still have peanut M&Ms in my desk drawer. And Ella Fitzgerald is singing. All of these things work for me...

I would love to have something incredibly funny or profound to post, but I do not. And you know? Given the shit storm that has blown through over the past few months, I am really okay with that. Time to refocus and prepare for the rest of the ride, day, millennium... Whatever.

It is what it is...

So today I will focus on the sunshine. And on the chocolate. And on Ella Fitzgerald.

And I know that this feeling?? The gray moments? They shall pass... By in large I keep an excellent poker face in place. Fortified by M&Ms when necessary... ;)

Christmas in Phoenix

2010-12-25T14:48:00.007-06:00

I know - pretty, right?? And can I tell you? The weather has been fabulous...

Christmas morning dawned bright - and the kids were all ready for some fun and Presents!

And my sister-in-law and I even threw down with some twister... lol No trips to the ER though thank gawd... There was certainly potential!

And this pic I took of the cousins soon after our arrival... Love it. Edgy rock band?? Check!!

So today I am chilling on the patio reading my book... Soaking up the sun. And just between you and me?? This is a VERY good thing.

Merry Christmas. And here is to a much happier New Year. :) It is time...

Making some Changes...

2010-12-13T14:24:00.002-06:00

And doing some bloggy housekeeping that has sooooooo needed to be done.

For. Ever.

When blogrolling lost it's everlovin' mind some time ago - I just ignored it and hoped that it would correct itself (effective, I know) and then it went all viral. So I shrugged and just dumped the whole damn thing. I figured I would eventually take the time and just re code the blogs and bloggers that I *do* keep up with (or would like to) back into the side bar....

Yeah - it's been like a year. Have done bupkus... And I am missing some really great people that *used* to be on my side bar...

So I am going to work on that today. Maybe get off of Face Book (a little)... And see if I cannot rebuild a little teeny corner of myself again...

Still alive....

2010-12-11T13:31:00.005-06:00

Promise. :)

I have just been busy...

I turned 40, put the house on the market, increased my workload, and have been trying to get into the holiday spirit.

That last one?? That's been a killer.... But I am trying - for sure...

I am certainly ready to kick the door shut on 2010. I just need some Christmas cheer to get me to that point... If it came in pill form I would soooooo take two, and call you in 2011.

But all in all it hasn't been as bad as it could have been... At least that's what I keep reminding myself... And I have still able to laugh at damn near all of it. Thank gawd...

The pics were taken at my Brother's house in Phoenix on my birthday. I had a wonderful long weekend and the sunshine was good for the soul... So good that the girls and I are joining my mother and we will all celebrate Christmas together there... I am pretty sure that I will find my spirit in Phoenix as well... Right next to the saguaro... :)

Halloween is in the air....

2010-10-07T11:35:00.010-05:00

I took these pictures yesterday as I left the office... The spider infestation there is terrifying! Goodness! And we all know how much I enjoy spiders... ::shudder::

Needless to say, I am not walking anywhere near the shrubbery, signs, posts, columns, or anything else in that lot. Good grief! I saw one the other day that you could have put a freeking leash on!

In other news, in keeping with the Halloween feel of the day I have once again added to my scar collection. Lovely.

The doc noticed a little somethin' somethin' on my right leg during my annual "check the oil and kick the tires" physical last week.

"How long have you had this here?" He asked.

"Oh.... A little over a year or so..." I shrugged. "It didn't seem to fit any of the criteria to be concerned about so I haven't really been worried about it."

"Well, all in all given your history I think we should go ahead and get it removed for biopsy."

Again - lovely. Biopsy is (for obvious reasons) is *not* one of my favorite words to hear.

And really - it's getting to the point that I think I should start naming my scars. Don't you think? Ha! The external ones anyway...

And this song seems appropriate for today... Have been enjoying it of late... Erase My Scars Love Evans Blue. I have been listening to a lot of Octane of late... Can you tell? ;-)

Oh well hell - it's just another scar... And as Pop would say "Shit Rich, it's a long way from your heart... You'll live..." lol

Play nice out there... Watch out for the webs...

Back in the Saddle...

2010-09-29T15:07:00.002-05:00

And you know what?? It's time... To start delving into doing the things I well and truly enjoy. To *make* time for the things that give me pleasure. To stop simply muddling though...

Last night Sporta and I watched a movie - In theLand of Women. And while for me it may not have been the best choice (seriously - should have read a plot summary or something - lesson learned), it was nice to just relax and enjoy the eye candy that is Adrian Brody. Very nice. :)

I have the new Janet Evanovich book to read. There is bound to be some good laughter to be had there, right? And a good friend of mine hooked me up with Tales of the City. Cannot wait...

This weekend I am catering a birthday dinner for a 97 year old beloved grandmother. And no - prunes are not on the menu. lol I will be serving pork cutlets marsala, roasted vegetable asiago penne in a marinara sauce, green beans almondine, a lovely green salad, and fresh rolls. Oh - and tiramisu. Yes - there will be pictures and recipes to come.

So that's a start. One foot in front of the other... :)

Sixteen...

2010-09-24T14:00:00.004-05:00

Sixteen years ago today I got married. It was a fun day filled with hope and promise. Much laughter and many friends and beloved family... And good bad or indifferent, I had *really* big hair. (Photo proof here - lol)

And about an hour ago I signed off on all of the paperwork and filed for divorce.**

And while there are many valid and painful reasons for my decision - I will not be airing them here. There is no reason to. Just trust me when I say this is the right decision for all involved. And I have received MANY signs that I am on the correct path...

There simply comes a time to stand up, dust yourself off, square your shoulders and get on with it. Or as Pop would often say... "Rich, suck it up. Get tough." So that's what I am going to do. We have agreed to be amicable, and hopefully all will go smoothly. Though I have retained a savvy lawyer. Seemed like the smart thing to do all things considered...

I have a pretty good plan in place I think, and during the times that I am not just feeling completely overwhelmed by the enormity of the undertaking (and the paperwork - my GOD! The paperwork!) and thinking about all of the details that need to be resolved and covered I am actually pretty excited about the future. Or as it was best said in Armageddon... "I am 98% excited and 2% scared... Or maybe it's 98% scared and 2% excited... It's hard to tell."

So that's what I am doing today. Also going to go out for drinks with a few of my good girlfriends tonight. I need to laugh, and I am lucky to have some really sassy, brave, witty women in my posse...

And one day this will all be okay.

**The paperwork just happened to be done today. When the paralegal called she asked if I would prefer to come in next week since it was my anniversary today. I told her no. As Pop also used to say, "You either get busy livin' or you get busy dyin'... Make a choice."

September

2010-09-02T09:00:00.002-05:00

Goodness. It's September. Where does the time go??

The girls have started school once again - 7th and 8th grade. And the hormones?? Well, let's just say that I am ever so thankful at times that there are 4 bathrooms in this house... Even though that means I have a lot of toilets to clean every week. Ha!

In other news some pretty big changes are in the works for me. I am turning forty soon and life is going to be getting very interesting on every level. My plan is to land on my feet, headed in a new direction. It is time.

My funny is still MIA by in large - though I do laugh every day. More would be better and I remain hopeful. There had got to be some comedy in this deal somewhere, right??

So - still alive. Still kicking. Still digging for a pony...

Summer...

2010-07-17T18:37:00.003-05:00

And and it is hot - as well as BUSY!!

I am alive. In some ways barely... In others fully. It is what it is... Though I do hope to start regular blogging again aaaaany minute now.... Aaaaany minute.

Promise.

It is time to pick up the reigns again - and become fully present in my life on all levels.

It is time.

Thanks for bearing with me...

Really??? Can I buy some logic?

2010-06-09T19:04:00.004-05:00

So I gave WxMan a call - we needed to compare schedules for tonight. And this is the "heads up" I got...

WxMan: "Hey - just so you know Sporta was playing with a BIG water balloon in the living room tonight...

Me: "Really..."

WxMan: "Yeah. And you know? It really wasn't registering for me until it popped all over her...."

Me: "So.... okay... The whole idea of "no water balloons in the house" didn't occur to you??"

WxMan: "Apparently not... I figured that out after the fact."

Me: **sigh** "Well there you go..."

Can you sprain an eyeball rolling it? I think you can... Yeesh...

450?? Really??

2010-06-08T18:02:00.005-05:00

So today I volunteered at school as I am want to do from time to time... Sporta came home with a sob story re: the precarious state of the "Irish Picnic" scheduled for today...

"But Moooooom! If they don't get some parents to volunteer it will be canceled!! Can you help??"

"Well hell - of *course* I can. Just get me signed up - something I can do in the morning before I go into the office, okay?"

"Thanks Mom!"

Hey - I will take any thanks I can get at this point from my teenaged pterodactyl people who live here.... But note to self - be careful what you let your kid sign you up for...

So I get to school - to find out what part of the Irish Picnic I would be helping to set up... Sportas teacher pointed me in the right direction and I shook hands with my partner mom (Kim - very nice) and looked to the other teacher gal for instruction...

"Okay, " she said "So we were going to do water balloons today but with the weather the way it is the kids will be playing a different game indoors."

Okay - I am with her so far....

"So what we are going to need is for you two to blow up some balloons for a game. Each kid gets a balloon and gets to tie it to their ankle with a bit of string. Other kids try to pop the balloons. Last kid with a "live" balloon wins!"

Got it - moving on... So I asked the money question... "How many balloons do we need to have blown up?"

"Well, " she said "We have three wings. Three sixth grade classes per wing and we will need 50 balloons per class...."

The other mom and I just stared.

I did the math. "That's 450 balloons. Are you joking?"

"Nope," she said "and we will need a few extras per class just in case of poppage..."

...

Seriously?? WTF? Are you kidding me? So the other mom and I gathered our supplies - there *was* a mini air compressor (that was a total POS by the way - I went with the manual method which was sooooo much faster...) and moved off to our corner of the hallway to get to work...

Can I just tell you? 450 balloons is a shit ton of balloons... We definitely had our work cut out for us. Then the other mom made the whole thing even better....

"I hate to tell you this - but I am TERRIBLE and at tying balloons. Never mastered the skill..."

Lovely. Shit.

So as hind sight is 20/20 I have to tell you... If you are in charge of blowing up 450 balloons** it would behoove you to tape up the index and middle finger of you non-dominant hand. It *my case that's my left... Because after about 75 or so you *will* wear the skin off of those fingers while tying said balloons... YOU WILL. And that shit stings - can I tell you? Stings!

I won't bore you with many details - but I can say that unequivocally this was the *worst* volunteer at school experience I have ever had... Ever. And just between you and me? That's saying something... I have been in charge of the hula hoop room fergottssake full of fifth graders. Twice.

And insult to injury - got a text from WxMan this afternoon... (Sporta roped him in to volunteering too...)

WxMan: wow u all blew up a lot of balloons

Me: It was a nightmare... I wore the skin off my fingers and will be sore... Good grief.

WxMan: wow... well i helped pop them

Me: Well i hope you and the kids had fun... Was it fun?

WxMan: Yep loud too

So there you have it. No sympathy for me but hey - it apparently was fun and loud to boot.... And skin grows back right?? Of course it does...

And we all know how inherently evil balloons are, right? Couldn't stop thinking about this while they were kicking my ass...

Billy's Balloon direct link

Next time I will make sure I am in charge of bringing in cupcakes or whatever though.... I am sooooo much better at that. LOL

**And seriously - I had to bug out and go to work after the first 300 or so... Good gawd... And I felt bad for leaving - though thrilled at the same time. Yeesh.

Things I just shouldn't do....

2010-05-21T15:45:00.008-05:00

**Warning!** Not for the squeamish!! I never did learn how to put posts "below the fold" though - so just FYI

Think of this as a "what *not* to do kind of lesson... PSA ahead.

So, note to self - when doing a little fix-it project for Mom it's probably best to stick with standard tools... You know... Screwdrivers. Pliers. That sort of thing. But frankly, the standard tools were just not getting 'er done!

So I went out to Pop's shop and spied this little number...

And I thought oh yeah - *that* will do some damage... TO THE CHAIR. I needed to put some hurt on a chair I was working on. Good grief...

So last Sunday I was working on a stool - trying to remove one of those damn wooden button thingys that cover the screw head (so that if need be you can uhhhh - I don't know - tighten the damn screw if need be??) Oh yeah.. And Pop (being Pop) had superglued the damn things into place.

Oh joy...

So with great care and determination - and trying not to fuck up the chair I got busy with that little tool. Made some decent progress too...

Right up until I slipped...

Shit.... SHIT!!

Then the mad dash to not bleed on the carpeting commences while cupping my arm and wiggling my fingers thinking please God please God don't let me have taken out any tendons!!!

So here ya go if you want to see... The day after...

All in all not soooooo bad. Deep? Yes. Hurt like hell? Oh yes... But all of my fingers worked and while it swelled way up and bled like the dickens for two days I figured it would be okay...

Until the following day. That's when it didn't take a medical professional (AKA me) to realize that the stitches were blown and Huston?? We had a problem...

[No pic of this - believe me. You should be relieved...]

So another trip to the ER followed... And you know? It's just never a good thing when the ER attending (who treated you the first time around) takes one look and says "I am going to put in a quick call to Dr. Soandso... The hand specialist. I am sure he can come right over... "

Oh shit.

So he did. And this guy looked me in the eye and basically told me how very damn lucky I was. I just missed the median nerve - in fact he said he was absolutely amazed that I managed to miss it... Good grief. And that was the nice part. After that, he removed the stitches (why does that have to hurt so damn bad!?!?) and then proceeded to reopen the wound to "clean it out" (oh holy motherofgod!!!) And reclose it.

Thanks for playing! Here's your compression bandage! Keep it elevated!

But it did look better after a day of Mom bird doggin' me and making me elevate it and keep still, no?

And today? Well lets just say that it aches like hell and I am matching my outfits to the bruise... Might as well, eh?

And hell - you can always learn something, right? As the ER nurse said, "Hey - well if you ever decide to slit your wrists you know just what tool to use right?!?!"

Word. No kidding... Can't imagine the damage one could do if one were trying... Yeesh.

So take note - watch out for wicked sharp tools and play safe out there! :) I am going to go elevate my arm. Again.

Because it's pretty...

2010-05-19T19:28:00.002-05:00

:)

A tale of carnage to follow soon... Oh yes - I am sooooo coordinated... NOT. ;)

Godspeed Pop...

2010-05-08T14:42:00.007-05:00

It is finished. And my father is finally at rest. I was truly blessed to be with my Mother at his bedside as he crossed over as well as for the weeks prior... He was truly a warrior. And I am fortunate to have learned so very much from him. People have often asked me, "Rich - how are you holding up?" And all I have to say is...

"I am my father's daughter..."

And nothing more needs to be said. He raised us to be tough as well as compassionate. To be ever helpful but not to suffer fools lightly or allow others to take advantage...

I am lucky.

Godspeed Dad. And I hope the golf is as good as the fishing is bound to be in heaven.

Martin Anderson Oct. 1946 - May 2010

I will miss you...

Sleeping in a storm...

2010-04-23T12:19:00.004-05:00

So as busy as things have been - I have not had oodles and scads of time to read of late. Though I *did* just finish Mitch Albom's new book "Have a Little Faith." It was an outstanding read - and had lots of things that really made me stop and think. This in particular (on page 93)...

From a Sermon by the Reb

"A man seeks employment on a farm. He hands his letter of recommendation to his new employer. It reads simply, 'He sleeps in a storm.'

The owner is desperate for help, so he hires the man.
"Several weeks pass, and suddenly, in the middle of the night, a powerful storm rips through the valley. Awakened by the swirling rain and howling wind, the owner leaps out of bed. He calls for his new hired hand, but that man is sleeping soundly.
"So he dashes off to the barn. He sees, to his amazement, that the animals are secure with plenty of feed.
"He runs out to the field. He sees that the bales of wheat have been bound and are wrapped in tarpaulins.
"He races to the silo. The doors are latched, and the grain is dry.

"And then he understands. 'He sleeps in a storm.'

"My friends, if we tend to the things that are important in life, if we are right with those we love and behave in line with our faith, our lives will not be cursed with the aching throb of unfulfilled business. Our words will always be sincere, our embraces will be tight. We will never wallow in the agony of 'I could have, I should have.' We can sleep in a storm.

"And when it's time, our good-byes will be complete."

------------------------------

You know? I am probably going to have to work on some of that - though it rings pretty true to me... For some reason that particular parable has been rolling around in my head for weeks now and I find it to be quite comforting. And hey - comfort is good!

At any rate - I am headed back to Wyoming on Monday. It is what it is - and Mom needs me...

I will be buying some brain candy to take on the plane with me, however. Any suggestions? I need a new book...

And then there is a bridge...

2010-03-29T14:25:00.008-05:00

Taken while we traveled down Shell Canyon in the Big Horn Mountains yesterday...

Of course - it's the perfect place for a photo op with the girls...

You know? I have probably driven/ridden past that bridge 1000 times. But we never stopped when traveling to see my grandparents on the other side of the mountain. Yesterday was a beautiful day to stop - and have a look around...

I think Molly had a great time!

And WxMan and Sporta had a ball throwing rocks through the snow at the waters edge. Whats not to love about throwing rocks to your heart's content?? And lord knows there were plenty around... ;)
As for me...

I just thought it was pretty. I think I will be framing this one... :)

Just so...

2010-03-23T19:30:00.003-05:00

I have posted this month. Good grief...

Running up hill wearing rollerskates is exhausting. Seriously...

Where the hell??

2010-02-24T16:04:00.004-06:00

I know... I know... It seems as though I have hung up my blogging spurs.

To be honest (and it's not much of an excuse) I have been busy as hell... AND my funny has gone away. It's hard to write about/laugh about things when you feel that your joy has been muted, and your emotions just vary from passive to pissed.

I am working on it - promise.

But just now I took a scroll back through my archives. Camping out in a hospital room increases the time you have to do that (amongst other things, like setting up a new email addy - aol is soon to go buh-bye for me**).

I used to be/have a WHOLE lot more fun I think... It sure seems like it anyway. But maybe retrospection is just rosier by design. I don't know... I seem to be hanging out on Face Book a lot just because it is quick and easy. That seems to be my approach to cooking and housework these days as well - just taking a quick and easy approach to everything.

Is that a good thing? Maybe. Maybe not. But what I know for sure is that quick and easy is my mindset these days. I am hoping to inject a sense of joy and fun at some point. (Sooner than later , please!) But for now I have gone to ground and am in work mode.

I looked back and saw that Pop (a.k.a. my Dad) was diagnosed with cancer July 14, 2006 - just before his younger brother died of this damnable disease. Pop's cancer journey has been fraught with far too many downturns and far too few upswings in my humble opinion. And no, damnit, just surviving the treatment doesn't really work for me as far as being a big boon of encouragement (Woot! FUBAR but alive!) or big cause for celebration. Though *I* am very glad to have been given the luxury of some more time with him... One begins to weigh "quality" vs. "quantity" at some point. I don't care who you are... The stance I have taken is to support him in whatever choices he makes. (This time it was his choice to have more radiation done - this time on his brain...) This is his rodeo - not mine... I am just a clown trying to distract enraged bulls long enough to do someone some good. (Note to self - I need more barrels...)

So where is this all going?? (Post? Rodeo? Pop's journey?) Damned if I know. Hospital rooms make for more introspection than one person needs, I think. The PT guy (Travis) was in earlier. Just hoping to help Pop's range of motion in his neck with some (more) deep tissue massage. When he arrived both Mom and Pop were snoozing away as I dinked around on FaceBook. Travis waved me into the hall...

Travis: "Hey - you think your Dad is up to working with me today? Or is he just too tired?"

Me: "Oh - I am sure he would hate to miss you. He enjoyed you so much the other day... And he's been napping on and off today. I think he will be fine..."

Travis: "And how is your Mom holding up?"

Me: "Mom's a rock. I am just here to be the shim..." ::smile::

Travis: "Yeah - I can see that... Good for you."

So there you have it. That's where I am at... I am shimmin'. Not a bad place to be all in all. And the RimRocks are within throwing distance. Maybe I can take that as a good sign, eh? Maybe... Shims galore there, after all... I am in good company.

**And yeah, yeah... I know. I am like the last aol user on the planet. Definitely time to join the 21st century. Leave my dinosaur status behind. ;)

Happy Birthday Sporta!!

2010-02-11T10:45:00.005-06:00

Here she is "sporting" her latest look... I think her new glasses look awesome! :)

She turns 12 today - and said that she feels it. Ha! 12.... I can hardly believe it. We have come a long way from Livingston Montana where she was born - that's for sure. A lot of water under the bridge. What an adventure it has been thus far - can't wait to see what happens next! I just hope that it doesn't involve the microwave... ;) Just sayin'.

What??

2010-02-04T18:02:00.003-06:00

How in the world did it get to be February already?!?!

Sheesh.

So let's see. What's going on... Well, work continues to go well for me - thank God. I just have a few more tweaks to make with my weekly routines to make sure I can get everything done and not feel like I am running uphill on roller skates all the time. (Note - you fall down a LOT. It sucks.)

Sporta turns 12 next week. Holy cow. And she is sporting a new look - the four eyed kind. I think she looks really great in her new specs. We found out at the eye appt. that she is one of the few people in the world (less than 1% of the world population according to the doc) that has a birth mark on the lens of her right eye. It's called a Mittendorf's Dot - she thinks that is pretty dang cool. I do too...

Otherwise things are rocking along pretty fine here - in most ways. I wish I had more time to dink around and read (I have 3 books that I am dying to dive into) but oh well. Such is life.

And yesterday was sunny - after weeks of gray gray gray - that was nice. So I am boring. But then again - boring can be good, right?

As the (soap) bubble bursts...

2010-01-19T18:24:00.003-06:00

OMG - walked into the house after work to discover a strong odor. A "clean" odor - but still!

I asked Sporta about it and she told me she decideded to do an "experiment" putting a bar of soap into the microwave... WTF?? Seriously?? Why would you??

After much arm flapping (and some choice words) from me, she has agreed *not* to do it again...

**SIGH** The more things change the more they stay the same. Remember when she melted the fridge?

Note to self - don't reheat anything for awhile that I do not want to have taste like soap. And this is what makes it logical to gift them luggage at graduation and send them off at 18, isn't it?? Yeesh...

Yep - that's about right...

2010-01-12T07:12:00.002-06:00

Seriously - I need a tropical vacation. Bad...

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T13:19:00.003-06:00

And Miss Molly sez "It is best to anticipate treats and belly rubs in 2010. Don't sweat the rest... "

Good advice right there, eh? :)

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T16:15:00.001-06:00

From my family to yours! And here is to a blessed and peaceful 2010!

It's Christmas in Wisconsin!

2009-12-16T08:06:00.002-06:00

How do I know??

Because last night I watched my hubby gift wrap a case of beer for the corporate gift exchange today.

A case of beer.

Ok. So granted, it was a case of pretty good beer (a mixed case of local microbrews, not PBR or anything) AND he included steins - but still.

Merry Christmas! Here's your beer...

Uh - right.

So maybe it's a Wisconsin thing. I will just roll with that... ;)

I am not dead...

2009-12-15T20:55:00.003-06:00

I just have oodles and scads going on... Big changes (mostly good ones) have been afoot. And I have been "blog lazy" - hoping to be back in the saddle sooner than later...

And has anyone noticed that it's Christmas next week?? Gadzooks! Who knew!?!?!

Sillyness...

2009-11-10T07:03:00.012-06:00

And really - all it took was a couple of foam noses on Halloween...

Even Pop and my hubby got into the act!

So when I said I would post pictures from my trip out to Wyoming, this wasn't exactly what you expected, Eh?

Well - those will have to wait. I am celebrating a little sillyness today instead... :)

Home!!

2009-11-02T17:45:00.002-06:00

Woot!

And now I am going to go stand (yes - STAND) with a glass of wine and make my list for the week. Have to hit the ground running tomorrow...

The trip was good. Pop is feisty and we couldn't have asked for better weather - while we were there and for travel. :)

Pictures to be posted soon...

Over the mountain...

2009-10-27T10:28:00.006-05:00

Whenever I think of Wyoming - this kind of scenery is what I envision...

Really - the only thing misssing is a heard of antelope watching you go by. And we saw oodles and scads of very well fed antelope. :) They are just camera shy - or it might be that it's dang near impossible to get a good picture of them when you are crusin' along at 82MPH... Ya think??

And for the illustrious TNT - who never got to go over the mountain with me last time - I took a few pics while coming down the "Oh My God" Highway a.k.a. alt. US 14.

There are times when you think about just hurtling off of the edge... Not that you would want to or anything! But still...
Yeepers.

The view makes all of the ear popping well worth the effort however...

So at any rate - we made it in fine form to my folks for a visit. It's all good...

My ears finally popped. :)

Note to self...

2009-10-22T10:21:00.002-05:00

Just because you hear a loud THWOK while taking a shower there may be no need to tiptoe throughout the house wearing nothing but a (now) wet sarong and dripping suds all the way looking for an intruder.

The THWOK may very well be the 2 liter of diet coke on the counter - expanding. Duh...

Time to hope that the neighbors haven't been traumatized. Again.

Yeesh.

Some days....

2009-10-15T10:55:00.002-05:00

I just can't seem to get it together. Typical Wisconsin Fall weather - gray and dreary again today. That's not helping for sure...

But in a few days I will be on the road to Wyoming - time to go visit with the folks. Hopefully this time a U-haul and kid in the ER free trip!!

At least I know the scenery will be good - once we get past South Dakota anyway...

And that *only* takes a day and a half... ;)

So what's the point of this post?? Meh - don't have one... I just like the picture - I took it in August at the Dead Indian lookout over the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway. Makes me happy.

And some days that's enough.

Today's post is brought to you by Molly...

2009-10-09T09:04:00.002-05:00

May we all find that level of relaxation sooner than later. Happy Friday!

F.Y.I.

2009-10-08T10:22:00.001-05:00

Some days it's *not* so good to be ahead of the curve...

Just sayin'...

And it made me giggle so there's that. :)

Mum's the word!

2009-10-06T12:39:00.003-05:00

But the flowers sure are pretty... :)

Any idea if I should be deadheading this guy to keep him happy?? I am horticulturally challenged at best...

Mud is a motivator...

2009-10-05T10:11:00.004-05:00

Who knew?? LOL. That's my little hitter with one of her best buds from the neighborhood. :)

Sporta had a blast at her football game Saturday. Apparently a muddy field makes tackling people easier - she got in some pretty good hits!! (And I only had to shut my eyes once...)

I don't know who was happier - Sporta or her Dad. But it really was a fine thing to watch... They ended up analyzing college games all afternoon. Heh.

And we are supposed to get even more rain this week. Can't wait to see how *that* works out! I'll just have to get more laundry soap - eh?? And remember to bring an old blanket for her to ride home on in the car... Hey - I never said that *I* liked the mud... ;)

And there it goes....

2009-09-30T12:26:00.002-05:00

It's official - time to start wearing socks again... **sigh** Boo.

And Fall is usually my favorite time of year! This year though it just feels like an unwelcome transition... I am not ready...

Maybe it's just my state of mind. [ed. Gee - ya think, Rich?? Duh!!] Yeah - it's definitely my state of mind. I have been trying to heal some personal heartbreak (from multiple sources) - and not doing a very good job of it, unfortunately. Ever wish you could just excise certain things from your mind?? Permanently?? Just so you can go - "You know, I am just NOT going to think about this anymore." And then *blam* - the shit gets deleted and you can move on with your life...

Yeah yeah - be careful what you wish for. I know.

Maybe like the tree I should just try to focus on the pretty parts.

Let's see - Computa turned 13 last week. This is going to be interesting... Especially now that I have access to her daily grades online - oh yeah. Technology is a wonderful thing! (She and I are going to have a talk after school today, btw.) Now I have just got to come to terms with the whole hair and makeup aspect of being 13 in the year 2009... Hoo boy!

WxMan and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary last week as well - holy cow, time flies. Or maybe that should read holy time cow flies... It certainly boggles *my* mind! Anyhoo - we went out for yummy snacks and stand up comedy. It certainly felt good to laugh for a change...

I am looking forward to a visit with T1G and Mr. and Mrs. Bad Example later this week - that is always a good time. And sometimes I learn things! Granted, a lot of the time they are things I never *wanted* to learn (see the excise things from your mind wish above) but its good to learn things none the less. Right??

And there is always lunch.

Hey - I am good at lunch! we are focusing on the positive here, people!!

And uh...

Well...

Okay then.

I am off to find some socks... Fuzzy ones preferably.

Fodder - but no time...

2009-09-18T09:46:00.003-05:00

Isn't that jsut the way of it though?? Something finnally happens that I'd like to blog - but I have no time to do it.

Yeesh...

At least that guy got a donut out of the deal... Though ys know? I do have my Nonny's donut cutter - I bet I could make some pretty good ones too...

Happy Friday!

Agendas...

2009-09-11T09:34:00.003-05:00

A not so gentle PSA... (click to embiggen)

Agendas - it's the hidden ones that are the most dangerous in my opinion... Wouldn't you agree??

As for me - I am going so spend more time checking behind rocks, I think. Just to be safe... It's legal to shoot snakes and buzzards, right??

Not that I really hope to find any - but still... Having access to recourse is a good thing. Always.

Some funny for a Labor Day...

2009-09-07T09:39:00.003-05:00

At least it amused the hell out of me...

So, note to self... Sometimes it's better to not think too much - just flap. Heh. And in the interest in that line of thought we are off to partake of some fair food and Demolition Derby today.

Car crashes and cheap thrills. A good plan I think...

September 1st

2009-09-01T13:25:00.002-05:00

And school has begun.

The girls (even after all of their complaining) were up and adam and ready to go this morning.

Heh.

As for myself, I plan to skip my annual tradition of cleaning all day. I am going to enjoy the patio and some quiet. I am beyond ready...

T - minus 5 days...

2009-08-26T10:14:00.003-05:00

Until school starts.

Holy crap - it's the end of summer already. How in the heck did *that* happen?!?! It feels like just a little while ago we left on our ~~vacation~~ whirl wind trip of all things family and now it's time to get back into the daily grind of school, homework, dinner on time, schedules, activities... Yeesh.

For the first time I am on the same page as the girls - not ready. I have really liked the whole "sleeping in" option this summer. One of the bennies of the girls being older is that they like to sleep in too! Who knew?!?! But all of that is coming to a close... Boo.

But it is what it is - time to get another year under all of our collective belts. And at least it will be Fall - not that I feel we had much of a summer (where's my global warming, dang it?!?) but Fall is my favorite season. So there's that...

(I know. I know... Keep diggin' for that pony, Rich! It's gotta be in this pile somewhere!)

And just because I can, here is a pic taken of Sporta and Computa registration day...

At least they look ready, right??

T.G.I F.

2009-08-21T09:39:00.003-05:00

Works for me. This week has been kicking my ass...

Happy Friday!

Home again....

2009-08-16T09:53:00.003-05:00

And another 1200+ miles logged on the road. Good grief - this has soooo been the summer for driving!! I am beginning to think that I need both a sherpa and a chauffeur in my next life. But I digress...

First and most importantly - Sporta came home from the hospital yesterday. While the doctors are fairly sure that dehydration and heat precipitated her collapse, it was the rest of the episode that called for hospitalization and a number of tests to be run. They are still running some cultures and what not but it looks like everything will be okay. Thank God. The whole thing certainly scared the crap out of WxMan and me... Yeesh.

The folks are hanging in there. It was good to spend some time... And it was good to get all of the stuff I have had in storage in Wyo out of storage and home. Though I must admit, driving a U-haul through South Dakota and Minnesota in high gusty winds will wear your ass OUT! Thankfully I had a co-pilot, or I would have probably lost my everlovin' mind for sure! Thanks TNT!

Today it's time to find homes for everything. Thankfully, most of the furniture already has a spot all ready to go. Like this guy for example...

Looks cozy, no?? To be honest, I would like nothing more than to curl up right there and read ~~all day~~ a while. Oh well... Duty calls...

At least I don't really have to drive anywhere. :)

And the hits just keep on coming...

2009-08-14T09:47:00.005-05:00

Wanna know one way to get down out of your tree in a big hurry?? Get the word that your daughter has gone down at football practice and is being transported to the hospital when you are 1200 miles away. That'll do it.

Very early this morning she was transported to a bigger and better hospital with a great pediatric department in a nearby city and WxMan is with her. As her condition seems to have stabilized, I am going to stick to the plan - get my U-haul full of ~~things I really need and want~~ crap as scheduled and beat feet home.

Fortunately I have an excellent co-pilot with me. TNT is the best of the best, and while I will never be able to repay the favor I do sooooo appreciate her coming along for the ~~freakshow~~ ride this trip has been. Good grief.

And hopefully Sporta will be released today. And they will figure out WTF exactly happened to her...

So I am outta here. The stress express is hitting the road... Hope to land intact on the other side...

And I am already there...

2009-08-10T15:05:00.001-05:00

In Wyoming, that is. It was time to visit my folks and see how things are going plus get a couple of other tasks done that have needed to be done for some time.

One task involves driving a U-Haul home. Yeesh... Blogfodder there for sure.

At any rate - Pop continues to hang in there okay and all is rocking along. Boring is good these days. I will take it. And they seem to have finally figured out the chemo dosage so he's not hurting so much. Nothing bad about that. And let's face it - we have had enough bad for a while...

My hometown is just the same. Well... okay. Not exactly the same. The bakery closed and is now a bank (wtf??) but by in large things don't change much around here. I keep having flashbacks to 1987... Always weird.

My mom gave me a book to read - The Shack. I highly recommend it!! Wonderful wonderful book. And I needed both the lift and the imagery. Needed it bad. Very very bad. I have been way to far up in my tree of late. Going to try and get down for a while... It's either that or jump or fall and there's nothing good to be had from those scenarios, Eh? Yeah. I don't think so either... Climbing down is much better...

Anyhoo - it's not my patio, but the deck here is nice. Think I will go hang out for a while... And maybe read a little more. :)

Another Mom to the rescue!!

2009-08-04T11:11:00.006-05:00

And all I can say is thank God she saved me. I was seriously in over my head...

Why, you ask??

Sporta and I were shopping for cleats. Ok - that's not exactly it, because I would never willingly shop for cleats with Sporta on my own accord. WxMan has certain jobs around here - spider killing, lawn mowing, and most things sports related (equipment wise) for the girls. Generally that means cleats.

And shopping for any kind of shoe with Sporta is the bane of my existence. Seriously. It is excruciating and tedious. She's like Goldilocks on steroids when it comes to shoes. This one's too this... That one's too that... and it's endless. And Gof forbid *I* make a suggestion - I can collapse a whole genre of shoes because I made mention of them! Looks always play a part, but comfort is in the mix too. And she is picky. Picky picky picky picky... This, of course will serve her well as a grown-up! Any shoes she gets will be shoes she really likes. But to go shopping with her?? Oh my God, it's awful...

So anyway, WxMan had taken her to get cleats this morning. They made it through the decision making progress in a record 45 minutes! Woot! And got out for $25.00! Double woot! And I didn't have to go!! Triple... Well I am sure you get it by now.

Flash forward to just a couple hours later - WxMan is at work and Sporta is showing her buddies her neato bajito brand new cleats during which I hear a distressed call... "Mom?? Moooooom???? Come here quick!!"

Oh great - now what.

"Mom!! They say my cleats are illegal!! I won't even be able to practice tonight with them!!"

(In our defense, we just found out about this whole gig last Wednesday and got her signed up. the coach was thrilled as one team in the league really really needed another player.)

So I queried the little buggers, sent WxMan a text, and determined that odds were pretty good that they were about as illegal as they get. Shit. Do we have time to go return them? Yes. Great. I am so thrilled. Not.

Because I knew what was going to happen...

Just like with all shoe shopping experiences I have had with Sporta, she would fight me every.step.of.the.way. Wanting this - not wanting that and never ever agreeing to my suggestion of the basic normal "sure to be legal" plainish black cleats that would surely be in the mix. It's just how it is with her...

And as I mentally predicted it - sure enough... We got to the sporting goods store, she led me to the "cleats" section, and the fight was on! She picked out (after much discussion) the most freeking complicated looking cleats EVER. Declared that as you could "see no metal" they MUST be legal. Holy crap - I don't think she would be able to walk in the damn things, let alone run in them. I mean I get it and all... They really did look pretty bad ass - but she's a beginner fer gottsake! She's only been playing in neighborhood games!! I could see her digging in and though the "let's just get outta here" vibe was hitting me hard, I decided to call in reinforcements if I could.

So, there was another mom at the end of the isle who obviously had this whole "cleats" thing down to a science. I needed an expert - bad... Really bad. So I approached her and just asked if she knew about the ins and outs of the legality of these particular cleats?? Because as I told her, "I have absolutely no clue what I am doing and it is patently obvious that you do!!"

OMG - the woman was an absolute doll... in about 5 minutes she explained the whole "which cleats are legal" thing to me and advised Sporta to go with the much more sedate (plain black) cleats that I had suggested. Because those mac daddy cleats that she had picked out would most likely hurt her feet and make the games and practices not very fun. And Sporta??

She listened.

Holy crap.

We left with the slightly more expensive plain black cleats - and Sporta is thrilled with them. I should bake that other mom a cake, but I didn't get her name and that would be a little stalker creepy anyway. I did tell her thank you though! Big time...

So Sporta's got her cleats and she's all ready to start practice tonight. Wanna see what sport she chose?? Check it out...
Badass. I should probably get a blindfold, eh? This isn't flag football after all. Wait until you see her in her pads. Holy crap.

Oh and the wristband?? She got that at Disney Land. She got it because she thought it was really pretty and she wears it all the time... **sigh** I don't have the heart to tell her that it can be perceived another way. Sheesh.

On the fence...

2009-07-28T13:31:00.000-05:00

This time literally!

Thank God no one was around with a camera. Hell! Fortunately, no one was around period!

So yesterday I was working with a client. While in the process of fixing lunch, I noticed that they were out of napkins. Ok - fine. No problem. Paper towels then....

Whoops - no paper towels either. Hmmmm... After looking for an extra roll for a while, I thought okay - I'll just go out to my car and get some of the extra napkins out of the glove compartment. So I walked out of the client's house gently pulling the door closed behind me and turned to see that I had WxMan's car. Duh... Not mine. And I had locked it.

I walk back to the house to go get the keys and the damn doorknob won't turn... WTF??

Shit!!! It locked behind me! Crap crap crap crap crap CRAP!!!

Ok - take a breath...

Right - no problem... The front door is open. We were enjoying the breeze! I'll just go in that way!

So I go around to the fenced front yard to go in through the unlocked front door.... Yup - you guessed it. Padlock on the gate...

Double SHIT!!!

My keys? Inside.
My phone? Inside.
My elderly client? Inside. Hard of hearing, and ensconced in his chair watching Days of Our Lives. Shit. No help there...

So after a few moments of internal freaking out I start to scope out the fence. Oh good God...

Keep in mind that I do not ever remember having successfully climbed over a fence even when I was a kid. And I feel confident that I am even more clumsy and uncoordinated NOW than I was THEN. But what else am I gonna do??

Find a sturdy spot. Check.

See if I can hoist my ass into a position where I have potential to end up on the other side of the fence. Check. (Though this part took the longest and I am sure looked beyond ridiculous.)

Prepare to land on the other side without breaking anything. Gut check.... Geronimo!!!

So the good news is, I got over the fence without breaking it or myself in the process. And without impaling myself on anything. Bad news? Birkenstock sandals (oh shut up - they're comfortable!) are not meant for climbing fences - or anything else for that matter. I have the bruises to prove it...

Or maybe I am just a total clutz. Either way, I was glad no one was there to watch though I am sure I was funny looking as hell...

And the client?? Never even missed me, thank God. Next time I will just fold up some tissue and call it good...

I'm not dead...

2009-07-17T10:32:00.002-05:00

Just busy as all get out.

The girls made it home yesterday - very happy to be back in their own space. :)

So we have lots to do and lots to catch up on...

And of course, laundry is first on the list!

Hey - I never said that my life wasn't filled with adventure...

More fun to be had...

2009-07-09T11:03:00.002-05:00

While the home front is now quiet (all fingers and toes intact, post 4th) the girls continue to have a good time with grandparents** as they make their way back this way...

Last week they spent some time exploring the grand canyon. (For some reason pics aren't loading to blogger. I will try later.)

After that, a day for some cooler fun in Sedona and slide rock was definitely in order.... Here is Sporta making her jump...

Dang, that looks fun. Computa had fun too - it's just harder to catch her at it these days...

They have also spent time at Disney Land and California Adventure and made a trip to Leggo Land. And while they are sounding more than a little homesick, I find it hard to feel all that sorry for them.

I know. I know. Mean old Mom... But hey - it's better than cleaning out closets and cleaning carpets - that's what I have been doing!

So they will start making their way North-ish today. And I *have* been missing them both. I do wish that I could bottle up a little of this quiet for the next day of screeching that is to come along though. That would be fabulous...

**And a big THANK YOU to Loretta and Dal for making this all happen. I hope the screechy days have been few and far between!

Happy 4th of July!!

2009-07-04T15:14:00.002-05:00

And as is tradition, we are off to have some fun with good friends and make things go 'splodey.

As I said to Zonker, "Here's the thing. I'm cookin' and we're gonna blow a bunch of shit up. It's always a great time! Feel free to come on up!"

And the food is pretty good too. I hope all y'all have a great fourth! I am off to go load the fire extinguisher... Oh - and bail money.... ;)

Vacation!

2009-07-02T10:24:00.002-05:00

Alternate title: "How to drive from damn near Canada to damn near Mexico and back in 11 days and survive..."

We started out heading for OKC. WxMan's grandmother turned 90 - and there is no not celebrating that! GG looks absolutely fabulous, and thoroughly enjoyed her party and seeing all of her children, grand children and great grand children all together for the first time in ages!

I can only hope to be as with it and spry at 70 - let alone 90!!

The next day WxMan was off to golf - so I met up with a dear lady who I have been meaning to get together with for YEARS! Rave was all that and a bag of chips - clapping even! ;) And she picked the best place to meet up.

Pops on Route 66 - holy crap that was a LOT of soda. Some of it pretty dang interesting... The kids DEFINITELY had fun trying things that I would never drink in a million years...

The food was great, the atmosphere bubbly, and it was great to see Rave and meet her sons - both charming.

The next day it was time to hit the road again... GG insisted on cooking us breakfast before we left town...

For the record, she prepared a family favorite - Wormy Pancakes. (Translation: Homemade funnel cakes with plenty of butter and syrup. Mmmmmm....)

That's WxMan's dad ~~seeing if his is ready~~ supervising. ;)

GG - once again - was in her element! But soon it was time to go and we spent the day making our way to Phoenix.

Fifteen plus hours later we rolled into my brother's driveway and staggered inside.

But getting to spend the next day chilling by the pool made it all worth while... This is my cutimous nephew. :)
And the "pool within the pool" was a big ball of fun... Note my girls are in tee shirts - we are translucent after all...

Anyhoo - after a day of R&R it was time to head to Tucson for WxMan's family reunion. His mom was hosting the event and it all went off without a hitch! (Note to self - family reunions and casinos work well together. Go figure!)

So, here are the girls at a Mission - damn near Mexico :)

And here they are chillin' in their grandparents backyard - pretty cool, eh?

I am pretty sure they didn't mind seeing WxMan and I hit the road home that evening without them. Heck, my hiney still hasn't recovered from the trip! And they had more fun coming. Next stop Slide Rock and the Grand Canyon! Woot!

As for me, I have company arriving today and tomorrow so we can ring in the Fourth of July!! Ready for some things to go BOOM? I sure am....

4300...

2009-06-24T16:58:00.002-05:00

...miles logged on this trip. Wisconsin to OKC to Phoenix to Tucson to Wisconsin.... In eleven days.

But we are home now. Family obligations all covered. Whew!

Pictures and more soon to follow!

(Anyone know how to cure a numb a$$?? Good grief...)

Vaca...

2009-06-17T12:07:00.001-05:00

I am currently at my brother's house in Phoenix. If you need me I am the one by the pool - umbrella in my drink....

Not a bad way to live, if you ask me. :)

All dogs go to heaven...

2009-06-11T14:58:00.004-05:00

And Miss Taylor was certainly worthy of a ticket to enter. She was nearly 16 years old and went down peacefully with both WxMan and I comforting her today. Sadly, it was time...

She always looked a bit regal even when putting up with shenanigans from me.

Go play and enjoy the treats. I will see you at the Rainbow Bridge. Good girl...

Rocket Man Chick!

2009-06-09T08:48:00.006-05:00

The school year is (finally!) winding down - and there have been some fun ~~projects~~ distractions for the kids to focus on of late. Most recently, it was a grand scale launch of the end of the year rocket project.

As I have a lot on my plate right now - I welcome the distractions more than ever. And rockets?? Well, rockets are just damn cool...

Sporta and her teacher Mrs. D prepare for the launch...

Fire in the hole!

You can hear the countdown now, can't you?

Whoohoo!

Really - Rockets are cool...

And if we didn't already have the 4th of July bug around here, we've got it now... Hoo boy!

But they're HAPPY skulls!

2009-06-02T09:30:00.003-05:00

Only in *my* house - swear to God...

Computa has entered into a bit of a "wear funky tee shirts, paint your fingernails bizarre colors, do odd things to your hair" indie stage. She's twelve and while it all remains fairly benign, I am going with the flow at this point.

My folks are here for a bit, having done some follow up at the Mayo Clinic, and the following conversation happened out on the patio the other day...

Grandy: "Computa! That is such a darling shirt! I just love it!! The designs are so cheerful!"

Computa: *blink* "Uh - thanks."

Me: "Mom - those are skulls."

Grandy: "Skulls? No they're not..."

Me: "Really, Mom - they are. Look - skulls."

Grandy: "Well, they're happy skulls. I like them."

Computa and I simultaneously *blink*.

And then I started to laugh...

Happy skulls - who would have ever thought. So here you go - you tell me. Do they look happy to you??

I think I need something...

2009-05-28T08:16:00.003-05:00

I need to find my funny again. For now, however, this will have to do...

Words to live by, there...

76 Trombones...

2009-05-19T09:21:00.002-05:00

Here we go! Though 76 may be a little bit of an overstatement, there are definitely trombones in my future. And really - how often does one get to say *that* out loud?? Huh?

Sporta has chosen to play trombone in the school band next year. Also, unbeknownst to us, her best buddy in the neighborhood has chosen trombone as well. They are already planning practice sessions together. Big plans. Lots of practice.

Here. At my house.

I am soooooo going to invest in some earplugs for a while...

The good news is that my folks own a trombone - two in fact! So there will be no rental fees. Also - no reeds to buy. That should be nice.

And the kids are excited too. To be honest, the trombone really suits Sporta's personality. It's not very subtle and can be loud, shiny and flashy all at the same time. Trombones have flair!

And I am going to need earplugs. That I know for sure...
;)

I really should blog something....

2009-05-13T08:09:00.003-05:00

Something

There - that oughtta do it...

It's just been a busy assed week. Mother's day had to be postponed to Monday (for me anyway) and the rest of it has been up hill on roller skates at best. Yeesh...

I am catering funeral food for a friend (tomorrow) who lost her dad on Sunday, and putting together an open house for work on Friday. So if you need me, I will be in the kitchen.

At least I really like being in the kitchen... :)

Mother's Day Fun

2009-05-09T13:57:00.002-05:00

A sign I saw on my way into town today....

"And on the seventh day, the Lord rested. And Mom took over..."

Hahahahahahahaha... I enjoyed it a little to say the least!

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there. :)

May!

2009-05-05T11:11:00.002-05:00

When the hell did that happen?? Jeez - it's freeking May already??

And apparently I have been hiding out - or at the very least, just incredibly busy. Both are true, I think. And let's face it - I should know...

First up in "How to Not be a Suck Mom 101" let's start by *not* sending the kid to school with freeking Whooping Cough. Because yup - I did that... For a couple of weeks, in fact! Nice, eh?

Of course in my defense, I had NO IDEA that Sporta had pertussis. I mean, both she and Computa are completely up to date on their inoculations. ALL of them... But with this experience we have come to learn that in the year before kids are due for their booster shots (usually just before 6th grade) they can catch freeking Whooping Cough. And it presents with a barking cough and NO fever. Great. I thought it was seasonal allergies or something because aside from the cough she felt just fine - so I simply dosed the crap out of her with over the counter meds and sent her to school armed with cough drops and asking her to "Please not 'show off' in class by letting the cough get so out of control... Sip some water fergottsakes!"

Lovely. Time to put more money in the therapy fund! AND take a gazillion phone calls from the health department so they can follow up and notify anyone you have been in contact with...

Even better.

Yeesh.

Between that, the church news letter (done!), and catering the instillation ceremony for the new priest - I have barely come up for air... Maybe that's why *I* didn't get the damned Whooping Cough. Anything is possible...

Oh, and how to get a bunch of clergy persons to simultaneously snort with laughter?? Simply say, "Holy Crap! It's like running the God gauntlet!" as an aside to your friend that you're walking into the church with and have your voice actually carry for the first time in YEARS.

Again, yeesh...

But at least it's Cinco de Mayo, right? There's gotta be a margarita in there somewhere for me....

Eight!

2009-04-29T11:15:00.002-05:00

The 8 Things meme, stolen from Pamibe. Why not?!

8 things I am looking forward to…

1. School letting out for the summer.
2. Sporta getting over this wretched cough she has...
3. Humming birds arriving to entertain me on the patio.
4. The next Harry Potter movie hitting theaters! July 15th! Whoo!
5. Finishing the @%^@% church newsletter (again).
6. Payday!
7. The new Lee Childs book arriving in May!
8. Getting rid of this headache.

8 things I did yesterday…

1. Went to Home Depot and bought some flowers for the patio.
2. Had a migraine.
3. Went out to lunch with WxMan and beat him 4 to 3 playing buzztime trivia! With half my brain tied behind my back no less!!
4. Dishes.
5. Put clean sheets on my bed.
6. Worked on the @%#$@%$ newsletter.
7. Read a book - The Key To Midnight - it was good!
8. Talked to my Mom.

8 things I wish I could do…

1. Become invisible.
2. Fly. Wait - I hate to fly... Uh... Teleport!
3. Sing :)
4. Write really well - as much as I love to read I wish I had the talent to craft such wonderful stories...
5. Win the lottery.
6. Cure cancer.
7. I thought about the government here a LOT and couldn't come up with one wish... Things are FUBAR.
8. Have more fun - remember how to play.

8 shows I watch…

1. Diners, Drive Ins and Dives
2. American Idol - (I forgot to last night though...)
3. Mythbusters
4. Fox News
5. Grey's Anatomy (but I haven't in a while - it's gotten stupid...)
6.
7.
8.
To be honest, I rarely sit down and watch TV. I often have the TV on for background noise - usually on the news or a movie that I like to listen to. But I am not a "sit and watch TV" person...

But I did enjoy this back in the day...

Just because it makes me happy.

How you can tell if your wife has been cooking a LOT...

2009-04-27T09:10:00.004-05:00

(A conversation by text message... The new normal.)

Me: So - you want breakfast??

WxMan: Yep

Me: Well, what sounds good to you?

WxMan: Dunno - what are my choices?

Me: Sky's the limit - you are going to be driving right past the store! Or there is IHOP or perkins. Otherwise i have eggs and hot dogs...

WxMan: mmmm... eggs and hotdogsss. haha. we can go out.

He's a smart one, eh? And I am oh so subtle... Heh.

But in my defense, I cooked dinner for 70 last night! I am tired... And I don't want eggs and hot dogs either. :^p

Just because I liked this....

2009-04-25T11:13:00.001-05:00

'Nuff said...

My thoughts on Earth Day

2009-04-22T15:45:00.002-05:00

Are really best summed up here... (Not really safe for work - shocker I know. Because it's Carlin fergottssake.)

I miss George Carlin. I do... I threw away some plastic bags today in his honor. I hope the "Big Electron" is treating him well...

What do you mean God didn't invent blow dryers??

2009-04-20T10:24:00.002-05:00

As you all know - we are merging onto the hormone super highway around here... This is going to be a big ball of fun - I can tell already. The eye rolls are an indicator, I suspect.

Take the other day - Sporta was complaining about her new (and I think totally cute) haircut.

"Moooooom - I hate my hair cut! It dries funny so one side flips under and the other side flips up! It looks stupid!"

"Well, just go use my blow dryer next time you get out of the bath and dry it the way you want... That's why God invented blow dryers - to save us from stupid hair."

Sporta just looked at me.

"Jeez Mom - God did NOT invent blow dryers. He's GOD! He's got more important things to do!"

"Yeah well - think of all of the women He was hearing from on a daily basis - 'Oh God, what can I do with my stupid hair!!' or 'God help me, I have a date tonight! And my hair!!' He probably got soooo sick of hearing those prayers he purposefully tapped some other guy to invent the blow dryer. Six of one - half a dozen of the other if you ask me..."

Rendered Sporta speechless, it did - and these days that's saying something...

You 'spoze eye rolling on that scale can cause any permanent damage?? Or do the hormones kick in and save the day?? It might be interesting to test the theory if nothing else... Heh.

Well, it's not like swimming in Belize...

2009-04-18T13:17:00.006-05:00

But c'mon - that was Belize!

We still managed to have some fun at the local aquatic center over Spring Break.

Sporta is a master at R&R...

And hey - even *I* tried the slide. :) You just will never see a picture...

To say the girls are disappointed that Spring Break is sliding to a close is an understatement. But hey - summer is right around the corner!! Right??

(Yeah - they're not buyin' it either... But I am tryin'!)

A Lynx, huh?

2009-04-15T11:37:00.002-05:00

Swiped from Teresa...

You Are a Lynx

You are a quiet observer of the world around you. Your wisdom comes from listening carefully.
You've always been extra sensitive and aware. And it's made it difficult for you to fit in.

You see past people's outward personas. You are able to penetrate a stranger's soul.

What you've learned about people is both beautiful and ugly. And you keep these secrets to yourself.

What Big Cat Are You?

Actually, that sounds about right... My gut instincts about people rarely mislead me - And I like having that sixth sense about folks. It has saved me a great deal of time and trouble over the years and more than a little heartache...

Be careful what you wish for...

2009-04-14T10:33:00.003-05:00

So for Easter Sunday, both Sporta (11) and Computa (12) decided that egg hunts were for "little kids" and they didn't really want one. (Just between you and me, I really hope they change their minds for next year. I love to hide and hunt eggs...) However, they *did* want to have a basket hunt!

Well, alrighty then - that's something at least!

Sporta has taken on a very "know-it-all" attitude of late and feels that it is her job to instruct everyone on just abut everything. Basket hiding techniques included.... As if I got my bunny ears yesterday... Huh.

So, she is all over me - "Mooooom - now make sure that you hide them really really HARD. We are not little lids any more! You can't just put them up high and have them be in plain sight! This need to be HARD or it wont be any fun!!"

"Yeah - I got it..."

"Seriously Mom, make sure! Remember - it has to be HARD!"

"Hard. Got it."

So I sent the girls away to go do whatever in the basement while I took my time (5 minutes tops) hiding the baskets and went back to making Easter dinner. Thirty minutes later I hear a tentative - "Mom?? Are you ready?? Did you have enough time to hide it HARD??"

"Yeah - I think I managed okay. Go for it..."

So with that - the girls were off! Sporta looking in some pretty inane spots - these baskets are not tiny after all - and Computa mostly unconcerned, letting her nose lead the way. Five minutes in to the deal, success!!

Computa: "I found mine! Whoohoo!! I almost didn't see it!!"

Sporta: "What?? It was in that closet?? I already looked there and didn't see anything!!"

Computa: "Yeah - Mom hid them HARD, remember?? You have to really look!!"

And off she went to examine the contents of her basket...

Two minutes later a visibly disgruntled Sporta was begging for clues. "You hid my basket too HARD!" She whined. To which I replied - "Be careful whet you wish for, it's in the house. Good luck." (Inside, of course, I was cackling maniacally...)

More stomping around - some half hearted attempts, many envious looks at her sister, Sporta finally gave in to her pride and begged Computa for some help... Computa sighed - and tired of her sister's endless pleading went to go help her look. Five minutes later she was back down stairs, a smug smile on her lips.

"I found her basket..." she said. "And I am not going to tell her where it is..."

Ha!

"Good." I replied. "She wanted this to be hard..."

Computa gave me a grand eye roll. "Jeez Mom - *I* found it. It wasn't THAT hard!"

And Sporta *did* find her basket eventually. And said later that it wasn't all that hard...

Well alrighty then. Looks like I better have my bunny skills sharper for next year, eh?

Just for fun...

2009-04-11T14:42:00.003-05:00

These gave me a giggle today.

Hope the Easter Bunny is good to all you peeps. ;)

Seriously??

2009-04-08T14:48:00.004-05:00

I saw the picture of this little guy and my first thought was...

"I can soooooo relate to that."

Somehow I don't think that's a good sign.

I am determined...

2009-04-06T09:29:00.007-05:00

That *this* is going to be a better week. I have decided and so it shall be so. That's it.

So to get things rolling in that direction - check out my spoils from the whatever the heck I can't remember Book Sale that I got ~~drug to~~ went to weekend before last....

(click to embiggen)
Some of the books I have read before, and just wanted them back in my library. Some are by authors that I like or have been recommended to me over the years. And some just caught my eye! So I need to thank the illustrious TNT for ~~making me~~ suggesting I go - she was absolutely right! And I got to spend a little time with Mr. Bad Example too - always a bonus.

In other news, I received my copy of this book the other day...

It has been recommended to me by everybody and their brother and it is high time I read it, I think. Though I realize that it wont be nearly as fun of a read as say - Twilight. (Don't judge me - I like crap like that.)

So in my mind, this is all good news! I have plenty of newish books to keep me entertained and zero time to read them!

Oh wait - that's not such good news... Hmmm... I might have to shake the bugs outta this new plan of mine.

Happy Monday!

And the Monday just keeps on rolling...

2009-04-02T10:43:00.005-05:00

Good gray grief. What the hell did I do??

This week is ever so thankfully winding it's way down... I swear - it's been freeking Monday in every sense of the word Monday... Enough to make you start looking over our shoulder to as too see what's coming up next!

The good news?? The @#$%#$%#^ church newsletter got done. (And we all know how much I enjoy putting them together...) The bad news?? Along with the newsletter I have to get all of the worship booklets for Holy Week done. So all told - I figure that's about 12 hours of my life I will never get back. Do you think it would be *wrong* to pray for the Big Guy to make the copier work faster??

In other news, at Sporta's school they are studying Health and Human Development this week. You remember the drill - they separate the boys and the girls and everybody gets the 411 on basic puberty (usually with an embarrasing movie). Those lessons always makes for some discomfort and general teasing amongst the kids but one little ~~boy~~ shit has taken things to a whole 'nuther level. "Hey Sporta!" He likes to shout out (on the playground no less), "Why don't you come give me a Blow Job?!?"

Good gray grief. To say that I was horrified when I learned of this behavior doesn't even come close. And the story was confirmed by Sporta's best buddy in the neighborhood and study partner Conan. The good news is that the kid that been doing the shout outs on the playground lives here in the neighborhood too. So I am going to be having a chat with his Mom about this in the not too distant future - I can guarangottdamntee that. In fact, after a chat with Conan's Mom about the situation (she lives next door to the ~~little shit~~ lewd kid and actually *knows* his Mom).
I expect a call later today.

Joy.

WxMan has been down in the back - but he is *finally* going to go see a chiropractor today so maybe his mood will improve. I certainly hope so...

And me? Thursday is my day to clean house. This post is my reward for scubbing toilets. I feel so special.

Okay - back into the fray for me. Here's hoping that your Thursday is Monday free!

Fun and Games...

2009-03-30T08:35:00.003-05:00

And note to self - it's Monday. I should probably brace myself... ;)

Happy Friday!

2009-03-27T10:06:00.002-05:00

And while I personally have nothing interesting to say, the lovely Christina has not only beautiful flowers to show off but a grandly fascinating beginning to a piece of Feisty Fiction - part two continued by the talented Phoenix!

So there you go.

Happy Friday.

30 Things you wouldn't think to ask...

2009-03-23T12:07:00.005-05:00

Teresa tagged me - so what the heck... It's a blah rainy day - maybe this will help!

One of these things, which asks the hard hitting questions again. Answer these “30 Things You Wouldn’t Think To Ask,” then tag me so I can come and have a look. After that, tag 25 friends who you’d like to answer these questions (I’m sure we all know the drill by now).

1. Have you ever been searched by the cops? No. But I get nervous for no good reason if one is behind me in traffic...

2. Do you close your eyes on a roller coaster? Gawd - I hate roller coasters. All of 'em.

3. When’s the last time you’ve been sledging? Sledging??? What the hell is that?? It sounds like you would get wet and cold doing it - so probably not recently.

4. Would you rather sleep with someone else, or alone? With my hubby.

5. Do you believe in ghosts? Yup.

6. Do you consider yourself creative? Eh - not really.

7. Do you think O.J. killed his wife? Yes

8. Jennifer Aniston or Angelina Jolie? No, thank you.

9. Can you honestly say you know anything about politics? Yes - and enough to know that politicians suck.

10. Do you know how to play poker? Yes. I love poker.

11. Have you ever been awake for 48 hours straight? Yes - it was awful...

12. What’s your favorite commercial? This one that aired after 9-11.

13. Who was your first love? Hawkeye Pierce :)

14. If you’re driving in the middle of the night, and no one is around you, do you run a red light? Nope - I would stop. It would be just my luck to get nailed for running a red light...

15. Do you have a secret that no one knows but you? Probably but I tend to forget secrets that I know. Moot point.

16. Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees? Baseball?? I don't care...

17. Have you ever been ice skating? Yes. Gravity is a scary thing now...

18. How often do you remember your dreams? Occasionally - and sadly most often I am having a nightmare.

19. What’s the one thing on your mind? The ONE thing? You have got to be kidding me... I have a gazillion things on my mind at any given time.

20. Do you always wear your seat belt? No - but I know I should. Don't tell my mom, ok?

21. What talent do you wish you had? I wish I could write really well. Save that, I wish I could type worth a damn. Srsly - 34 wpm with mistakes. I suck.

22. Do you like sushi? No. Though I have enjoyed ceviche before...

23. What do you wear to bed? If it's cold - satin jammies. Otherwise tank top or tee shirt.

24. Do you truly hate anyone? There are a few people to whom I would refuse hospitality. (And between you and me - that's a big deal.) A very few. But I would neither break bread with them nor allow them into my home.

25. If you could sleep with one famous person, who would it be? Why the hell would I want to sleep with them - I would think getting to talk to them would be more enjoyable! Not that I can think of anyone "famous" I really want to talk to either...

26. Do you know anyone in jail? Nope - don't think so. Haven't had to bail anyone out in a while either.

27. What food do you find disgusting? Horseradish (hate the stuff) - though I guess that's more of a condiment than a food... Uh... Pigs feet are pretty gross.

28. Have you ever made fun of your friends behind their back? Made fun of? No - I do not make fun of my friends - except to their faces. :)

29. Have you ever been punched in the face? Not really - but I have punched someone in the face. He deserved it too.

30. Do you believe in angels and demons? Oh yeah. Definitely.

So there you go - reandom information for a random Monday. Hopefully your's isn't as dreary as mine!

The only down side of all of the snow melting...

2009-03-19T08:36:00.004-05:00

Is the river rising. Check it out...

Computa and I were downtown for an appointment yesterday and had a few spare minutes to check out the river walk a bit. Nice friendly looking stairs, eh? If not for public access then who for I wonder... Hmmm... Not that I am going to go down them. Yeesh.

It will be interesting to see what affect all of the forecasted rain has... Swimming in the streets?? Wouldn't be the first time! Not that I plan to take a dip - no sir.

At any rate, things are still rocking along here. I am just thankful I don't have a riverside seat at this point!

I am all about counting my blessings these days - oh yeah...

What ever happened to the time??

2009-03-16T11:41:00.002-05:00

The time I used to have to spend blogging?? Good grief...

I am short on funny stories these days as well - though there have been grand opportunities for humor I can't seem to find the giggle.

Maybe it's just this time of year.

Maybe it's just me.

But I am hoping that some balance will be found sooner than later and I can get off of the ropes.

Do you think burning some sage to chase away the eivil spirits would work?? Somebody hand me some, will ya?

Thanks.

Seriously??

2009-03-11T14:59:00.003-05:00

I know some of these people...

And as WxMan walked by and read the cartoon last night his comment was - "Hey, that looks like something *I* would do!"

Yep - and I married one too... That actually explains a lot... Heh.

Crazy busy....

2009-03-09T09:33:00.007-05:00

So here is some funny for Monday...

Time for me to ~~start~~ keep running!

Moods...

2009-03-04T09:08:00.002-06:00

And this sums up my mood today nicely...

Yup - that about covers it... Sometimes a little "flair" is a good thing, eh? Even as an early warning system.

Heh. Flair...

(May not be safe for work - there is some bird flippage and a little sweary part...)

And now back into the fray I go...

Heh - that reminds me of a funny...

2009-03-02T11:49:00.004-06:00

You can click to embiggen...

Ha!! - Hores are funny! And what it reminded me of was Sporta and fat shit sing - I am still giggling madly....

So as any calm, cool and collected parent would do I called Sporta into the kitchen and asked her to read the notation to me.

Sporta: "Mooooom.... It says
fact sheet sign... Okay???"

Me: "Of course it does... Thanks for
clearing that up for me..."

fact. sheet. sign.

Of course...

Happy Monday!

(Hores hat tip to Loretta and Dal)

TGIF

2009-02-27T10:35:00.004-06:00

(Update 5:47 - Rave gave me a call to let me know that comments are not working today. I confirmed with Haloscan and hopefully they will be back up and running soon! Thanks Rave!)

Good grief... What a whirlwind week it has been! And naturally, there is even more on tap for me coming up. Though in no way will *this* weekend be as busy for me as last weekend was...

Again - thank God.

On a positive note, I had a wonderful visit with my friend Steph - the girls did too! And she made it home safe and sound...

It's always so great to get to see her and spend a little good girlfriend time! I only wish we could have eked out a little more time just to play...

But like I said - it's been a BUSY week...

I honestly don't know how moms can work full time, manage all the kids activities, keep the house clean, cook, mind homework duties, etc...etc...etc... and not completely lose their everlovin' minds! Seriously! And then make it to church on Sunday!

Me? I struggle... And I work part time. Now granted, this week if you count my cooking for the Relay for Life Chimichanga Dinner fundraiser (it was fabulous, btw) my work hours are really really close to 40, but still... I applaud all of you who can pull it off every week. Kudos to you!

Personally, I am ready for a break.

Not going to happen quite yet though - I am off and running again. I have a kid to pick up from school, a couple of errands to run (whaddya 'sopze the odds are that I can maybe run to Kohl's and find the *perfect* brown slacks in 20 minutes???), and I have to put a couple more hours in at the office...

Then dinner, finish the church newsletter, and make sure I am squared away for the weekend.

Is it too early to be thinking about cocktail hour?? Seriously...

Happy Friday!

And so it goes...

2009-02-24T08:05:00.004-06:00

So - remember the "perfect" new job I just landed?? Yeah - perfect on paper or in abstract thinking only... Yeesh.

And you know what? I only have to have my ass handed to me so many times before I figure it out. Fortunately, I had an ace tucked away. You know that whole "you can be terminated within 30 days of being hired without any reason" policy (that most companies make you sign off on before hiring) - well in my book, that is a two way street. So after another horrible day (day 3.2 for the record) I had made up my mind.

Life is too short, and I do not need this BS - I thought it all through, and called Chef yesterday morning and quit. Today I will return my key cards, badge, and uniform...

And now Ms. Molly is going to interpret how I feel about that...

I feel gottdamn FINE about it.

In other news... Well there really isn't any other news. All is well, my good friend Steph is here from St. Louis - we enjoyed the hell out of the Oscars (as we do every year) and are just having some good "girlfriend" time.

Steaks have been pulled out for dinner. I have a fire going. And I am sure we will come up with something yummy to have for lunch and maybe watch a movie today... Not bad for a Tuesday!

And the fact that I will *not* be getting my ass handed to me anymore?? That's just a bonus in my book... A BIG bonus.

Sub Zero....

2009-02-19T09:22:00.004-06:00

Again. :^P

Granted - that's with wind chill factored in, but still...

I.am.tired.of.the.cold.

Fortunately there is some humor to be found...

Heh.

Anyhoo - things are still way busier than they should be... We have guests arriving on Saturday and a party planned on Sunday. Yay Oscars weekend! Time to walk the red carpet! Even in the snow...

And, naturally, I am cooking for the Relay for Life Chimichanga Dinner fundraiser on Sunday as well - so I need to get a whole lotta prep done for that today.

And work?? Oh yeah - work too. There are a few kinks that need to be ironed out, but things are moving along...

Is it any wonder that I fantasize about naps these days?? No... Probably not.

At any rate, time to go put on another sweater and get to work. Don't want chattering boobs, now do we??

Oh yeah...

2009-02-17T14:45:00.001-06:00

Maxine and I agree... Yeesh.

Wow - Monday again...

2009-02-16T07:45:00.002-06:00

And once again I am runnin' and gunnin' today.

I need a vacation - going here right now would be nice!

Just sayin...

Golden....

2009-02-11T18:44:00.007-06:00

Birthday! At least, that's what the kids are calling it these days...

Sporta turned 11 today. Eleven! On the Eleventh! Golden! Whoohoo!!

So she has been getting lots of calls - you need your new skateboard for that, you know....

Computa even joined in the celebration - though I think it was the pie (Hello! Chocolate pie!!) that she was after...

And my folks were happy to be here too...

Make a wish!

Yup - don't care who you are... Birthdays are a good thing all the way around...

And Sporta was pretty dang happy about it, at any rate. Who wouldn't be - really...

Busy.

2009-02-10T14:24:00.000-06:00

Seriously freeking busy...

When did this happen??

Yeesh.

This post was brought to you by the letter F...

2009-02-06T12:37:00.005-06:00

Friday! Yay yay yay - it's Friday!!

And we are above freezing!!! Whoohoo! It's not sub zero today!

And my folks arrived safely last night! Yay folks!

I bet you were anticipating a whole different set of f-words... But really - today is a good day around here.

Pop just got back from a round of followup appointments at Mayo's. All things considered, things are going pretty okay for him!! Post surgery and treatment he can speak and swallow and they cleared him to start eating again. And *that* is good news... There have been more than a few bumps in the road, but the hurdles seem to be fewer and farther between. ::knock on wood:: His plan is to just keep on truckin' - and he has put in an order for brats sooner than later. I think I can do that...

The weather promises to be quite nice this weekend - with highs in the 40's. And just between you and me, to us that is WARM. Seriously. Like hang out on the patio warm... I saw two people in Wally World today wearing shorts. Shorts! And a jacket, of course... But still...

And it Farookin' Friday. that's something to celebrate in and of itself, right?

Right.

And now for something completely different....

2009-02-04T11:00:00.002-06:00

Seriously - it's quite something...

And really - it's impressive all that she managed to fit in! I mean - I have been known to carry my MP3 player there when I am working... But dang - I think I saw a frog at one point... Heh.

Hat tip: Loretta and Dal

Treat!!

2009-02-02T14:23:00.006-06:00

And see?? Ms. Molly can be tall! (Sort of...)

Sing it now... Anticipation... An tis a paaaaaa tion - he's making me wait!

Raaaaaaaaawl... Rummy Rummy good for tummy....

And really - who can resist a face like that??

:) We should all be so happy...

Shhhhhh....

2009-02-02T10:54:00.000-06:00

It's Monday. I am hiding out. :)

I have some runnin' and gunnin' to do today, and some prep work for the new job but otherwise I am just going to enjoy the quiet.

Happy Monday. More later...

Well, that went...

2009-01-30T11:19:00.003-06:00

GREAT!

So I was offered and accepted a new job!! The position will allow me to continue working part time for my current employer* (and keep my little client lady) and will hopefully afford me some great opportunities to grow in a career doing something that I love to do!!

What is it??

A chef's position at an assisted living facility!! Kind of a Country Club environment, really. And the head chef that hired me is a super nice, high energy guy who has revitalized their entire system. It's great! Everything (almost) made from scratch - and as he put it "The kitchen is the heart of every home, and above all we want this kitchen to be that here... We come in and have fun every day!! And we serve delicious meals too! What could be better?"

Exactly. Sounds good to me. The kitchen is my happy place after all - and you let me make suggestions and assist with menu planning?? Whoa nellie.... I am IN! And there are some pretty major advancement opportunities to be had as well!!

Seriously - this is a GREAT fit for me. And he was totally willing to work with me around family commitments... How cool is that?? Also - these folks like to eat WELL... No skimpy flavorless over processed dreck for them. Awesome...

Also - and honestly this made me feel really good - he mentioned that all of my references (including present and past employers) told him that if he didn't offer me the job and get me to accept before I left the building he was crazy... Wow. That's pretty nice.

I guess at least somebody likes me. ;)

So I am excited... Really really excited. And quite happy about this. And it's Friday to boot! Just doesn't get any better...

*I currently provide elder care - so it seems like a no brainer to be happy about a job that combines my two stregnths, cooking and caring for seniors!

As the week slides to a close...

2009-01-29T09:00:00.003-06:00

There is still just not much going on, really.

And really - I am just fine with that. It is cold and snowing lightly (again) and that will continue to be a pattern.... oh.... until May or so... Just like normal. I am sure we will be having more sub zero days to come as well...

And you know, sub zero temps are nothing to mess with. People can die in this kind of weather! It happens! (Granted - usually to drunk or injured people, but still...) But to those assholes that I just heard the report on who let their dog freeze to death or let their dog freeze to the sidewalk?? - There is a special icy place in hell for you and all those of your ilk. Bastards. You deserve to be publicly horse whipped.

In other news, I have a job interview tomorrow that I am pretty dang excited about. Now I just need to see if it is the kind of position that would work well with my family and all that they require. One can hope...

Computa and Sporta are doing their thing - normal school and tween stuff. It's really kind of nice to be in a rut, of sorts...

Tonight I plan do experiment a little more with puff pastry - I'll let you know how it goes... Oh! And last weekend I made a feisty Derby Pie -

It was fabulous!! Like cookie pie magic - with ice cream!!

Alrighty, then. Time to get to work... What do YOU have going on??

Signs

2009-01-27T10:46:00.003-06:00

And good bad or indifferent - that's where I am headed... Maybe I should take a camera...

Heeheeheee!! You know that's true...

And this is pretty dang good advice, really...

Word.

One For The Road

And that was always why....

Thinking about starting over....

Pennies...

Seriously - I have one of these....

Uhhhhh.....

Christmas in Phoenix

Making some Changes...

Still alive....

Halloween is in the air....

Back in the Saddle...

Sixteen...

September

Summer...

Really??? Can I *buy* some logic?

450?? Really??

Things I just shouldn't do....

Because it's pretty...

Godspeed Pop...

Sleeping in a storm...

And then there is a bridge...

Just so...

Where the hell??

Happy Birthday Sporta!!

What??

As the (soap) bubble bursts...

Yep - that's about right...

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

It's Christmas in Wisconsin!

I am not dead...

Sillyness...

Home!!

Over the mountain...

Note to self...

Some days....

Today's post is brought to you by Molly...

F.Y.I.

Mum's the word!

Mud is a motivator...

And there it goes....

Fodder - but no time...

Agendas...

Some funny for a Labor Day...

September 1st

T - minus 5 days...

T.G.I F.

Home again....

And the hits just keep on coming...

And I am already there...

Another Mom to the rescue!!

On the fence...

I'm not dead...

More fun to be had...

Happy 4th of July!!

Vacation!

4300...

Vaca...

All dogs go to heaven...

Rocket Man Chick!

But they're HAPPY skulls!

I think I need something...

76 Trombones...

I really should blog something....

Mother's Day Fun

May!

Eight!

How you can tell if your wife has been cooking a LOT...

Just because I liked this....

My thoughts on Earth Day

What do you mean God didn't invent blow dryers??

Well, it's not like swimming in Belize...

A Lynx, huh?

Be careful what you wish for...

Just for fun...

Seriously??

I am determined...

And the Monday just keeps on rolling...

Fun and Games...

Happy Friday!

Really??? Can I buy some logic?

This post was brought to you by the letter F...