Life With Wyatt

Bounce Bar - Gets the bounce.

2010-02-05T14:10:00.003-05:00

Ok, so a few months ago I thought I would try the new Bounce Bar. You affix a plastic holder to the inside of your dryer, slide the Bounce Bar in and don't have to use dryer sheets.

I thought this was a great idea for several reasons:

1. Not having to remember to put a dryer sheet in every load.
2. Not having used dryer sheets roaming all over the house.
3. It is supposed to last up to 4 months.

That being said, I can't say I was that happy with it. I liked not having to put a dryer sheet in every load. I liked not having used dryer sheets roaming all over the house.

BUT:

It did NOT last 4 months. I tried it several times and none lasted a month.

The other thing is that I didn't feel it softened quite as good as the dryer sheets.

The final straw was when cold weather really hit. It did NOT control static at all.

So, out of frustration, I went back to Bounce Dryer Sheets. I noticed that our clothes were MUCH softer and the static was gone.

Oh well, live and learn.

Why I May Never Go To Wal-Mart Again

2010-01-25T14:30:00.003-05:00

Ok, I will still probably go to Wal-Mart. But, I've just discovered an amazing way to avoid it as much as possible.

I subscribe to www.flylady.net for home/life organization. Today, the post was how planning can save you money. For instance, if you plan your shopping list carefully, you won't forget something and have to make a second trip to the store.

I was scrolling thru the comments (not something I normally do) when I saw a pattern. Several people mentioned www.alice.com. I had to go check this out.

IT IS FREAKING AMAZING!

You sign up for a free account. Choose some categories of items you typically purchase (very much like your Wal-Mart list) and then you can go thru, check the category, look at the items offered and order from them. If there is a coupon for an item available, they will automatically tag it and deduct it from your total.

The prices are around the Wal-Mart price range . . . and, here's the best part . . . SHIPPING IS FREE!!!! No minimum order!

I had started a Wal-Mart list this morning and went ahead and tried www.alice.com with my list. Altho there were a few items not on it, the bulk were on it and it will cost me no more than Wal-Mart would. And, I won't be spending gas money or buying 5 things I saw in the store but really didn't need.

HOW COOL IS THAT?

I figured that shipping would take 2-4 weeks since this was such a good deal, but the checkout showed 1-2 business days.

If this really works like it says it does, I'm in love!!!!

The Start of Something New

2010-01-17T13:57:00.003-05:00

I'm always for starting new projects. I just never seem to finish them because of my short attention span.

But, for several days I've been seriously thinking of "going green" in household cleaners. I'm not doing it to save the world. I'm doing it because I have over a dozen different bottles of cleaners in the house. It makes remembering what I need to buy hard to keep track of and it can get expensive.

So, for the last few days I've been researching non-toxic and "green" cleaning products. I pulled out several that I want to try. In the meantime, I'll keep my store bought stuff to finish it up (so as not to waste money) and just in case the green ones don't do the job.

It's always best to take baby steps so I started with just that. Lately, my dishwasher hasn't been cleaning the dishes as well as I would like. And there tends to be a greasy feel to the dishes even when there wasn't anything greasy in the dishwasher.

The proposed solution? Vinegar. Yup, plain white household vinegar. It's a disinfectant and degreaser. So, I gave it a try. I poured about a cup of white vinegar in the bottom of my dishwasher (with no dishes in it) and ran it.

The next load of dishes I had included a greasy pan so I thought this would tell me whether or not the vinegar worked. Not only did the dishes come out completely clean, there was NO greasy feel to them.

The BBC show "How Clean Is Your House?" suggests doing the "vinegar treatment" on your dishwasher once a month. Apparently the trap at the bottom collects bacteria and grease and the vinegar disolves it.

Ok, one experiment down and it was successful!

The REAL 12 Days of Christmas

2009-12-19T08:46:00.000-05:00

On the first day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
The worst cold I ever did have.

On the second day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Two hours of sleep
And the worst cold I ever did have.

On the third day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Three last-minute invites
Two hours of sleep
And the worst cold I ever did have.

On the fourth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Four wound-up kids
Three last-minute invites
Two hours of sleep
And the worst cold I ever did have.

On the fifth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Five no-show sitters
Four wound-up kids
Three last-minute invites
Two hours of sleep
And the worst cold I ever did have.

On the sixth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Six pleas to grandma
Five no-show sitters
Four wound-up kids
Three last-minute invites
Two hours of sleep
And the worst cold I ever did have.

On the seventh day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Seven cups of egg nog
Six pleas to grandma
Five no-show sitters
Four wound-up kids
Three last-minute invites
Two hours of sleep
And the worst cold I ever did have.

On the eighth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Eight off-color comments
Seven cups of egg nog
Six pleas to grandma
Five no-show sitters
Four wound-up kids
Three last-minute invites
Two hours of sleep
And the worst cold I ever did have.

On the ninth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Nine disagreements
Eight off-color comments
Seven cups of egg nog
Six pleas to grandma
Five no-show sitters
Four wound-up kids
Three last-minute invites
Two hours of sleep
And the worst cold I ever did have.

On the tenth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Ten accusations
Nine disagreements
Eight off-color comments
Seven cups of egg nog
Six pleas to grandma
Five no-show sitters
Four wound-up kids
Three last-minute invites
Two hours of sleep
And the worst cold I ever did have.

On the eleventh day of Christmas
My true love gave to me Eleven silent curses
Ten accusations
Nine disagreements
Eight off-color comments
Seven cups of egg nog
Six pleas to grandma
Five no-show sitters
Four wound-up kids
Three last-minute invites
Two hours of sleep And the worst cold I ever did have.

On the twelfth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Twelve nasty looks
Eleven silent curses
Ten accusations
Nine disagreements
Eight off-color comments
Seven cups of egg nog
Six pleas to grandma
Five no-show sitters
Four wound-up kids
Three last-minute invites
Two hours of sleep
And the worst cold I ever did have.

(Which is probably why we’re not talking to each other right now.)

Adios Broom!

2009-11-12T13:01:00.003-05:00

Along with following Fly Lady to organize my life and get my house clean, I'm working on "downsizing" things. My cholesterol, my weight etc.

So, I've been taking baby steps to improve my general health. Most days I walk between 1.2 miles and 1.5 miles in my 20 minutes of exercise. I eat oatmeal most mornings for breakfast. And, I try to eat smaller portions of healthier food in general.

So, I'm excited about that . . . but I'm more excited to say Adios to my broom! Last week, I looked at the Fly Shop and couldn't resist ordering some of the tools. Of course it took me a while to decide what I wanted because I'm skeptical of new-fangled stuff and indecisive a lot of the time.

But, one of the things I DID order was the Fly Lady's Rubba Sweepa. I got my order in about a week or less even though they said to allow 2 weeks. I immediately assembled it because I was so excited. They have a video on how to assemble it on their website but I found it to be fairly intuitive.

So, today I decide to take this baby out for a spin. I sweep my kitchen, entryway and mud room floors pretty much every day. But, I could not believe the dirt that this thing pulled up! And, the cool thing was that when you "swished" it towards your pile, it didn't go flying everywhere. It was much more controlled. The only downside I saw was that it felt "weird". It felt kind of rickety but that's because of the soft rubber bristles giving way as you sweep. It wasn't anything to do with the construction of it and I'm sure I will be used to it in no time.

At the current price of $9.99 (plus s&H) it's not really that much more expensive than a decent broom. And, it works so much better.

I'm hooked now!

The Journey

2009-11-07T10:26:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I did pretty good with my "downsizing".

I had my oatmeal for breakfast. It took a little less time to eat it. It probably took 20 minutes and didn't seem quite as bad as the day before.

For lunch I had an apple with peanut butter.

I did my 20 minute walk. I got to my goal that I had tried the day before and still made it back right at 20 minutes. On the way back from town, I clocked the distance. It was .6 miles. That means round trip I did 1.2 miles. Not bad for starting out. I really enjoyed yesterday's walk even though I almost didn't do it. I really didn't feel motivated. But, once I had done it, I felt fired up!

For dinner I had a hot dog and a little bit of cheese dip and chips. And yes, I had my 4 Oreos. That's ok though. Rome wasn't built in a day. Maybe tonight I will skip the Oreos. We'll just have to wait and see.

I also started reading the book called Body Clutter yesterday. It seems to make some sense. It approaches your weight not just from a physical point of view but from your emotional state and mental state as well.

I must really be open to life changes recently. Not only am I enjoying www.flylady.net and doing my Baby Steps, but I feel ready to start making those small changes in my diet and exercise to help my general health. I have really felt a little better the last few days.

Right now I'm having a detox smoothie to give things a jump start. I thought I would really hate it, but it's actually not too bad.

Here's the one I made:

1 banana
1 handful of frozen berries (I had some in the freezer)
1 small orange (no peel, but with the white stuff on it)
1 small apple with the peel
2 T. of ground flax seed (I obviously had to go buy this the other day)

I put all of that in the blender and added a little bit of water. Blended until it was smoothie consistency.

Then, I added a pinch of sea salt. It's supposed to help detox. You have to add the sea salt AFTER blending or the smoothie will taste really salty.

That's it. It made a nice full glass of smoothie. I think tomorrow I'll add a little baby spinach to it for some extra vitamins.

Why I Fly

2009-11-06T14:41:00.005-05:00

In my previous post (and don't worry, I'm not going to post multiple times a day) I mentioned FlyLady. I need to explain it.

FlyLady is a system of life/home organization. The website is www.flylady.net. I looked at this (probably ran across it looking for something else and got sidetracked) several months ago. At the time, I didn't see the beauty of it. But, a few weeks ago,I went back to it prompted by a friend saying something about it on FaceBook. And, I decided to give it a try. I'm now on Day 17 of it and I'm addicted. I feel like I'm in a cult.

FlyLady starts you off with baby steps. For instance, on Day 1, the assignment is to empty your sink and clean and shine it thoroughly. I thought it was kinda dumb, but couldn't hurt anything. You know what? I LOVED my shiny sink. That made me clean the counters and backsplash. . . . and the top of my stove.

Anyway, you can see the baby steps on her website. But, here is what I like about her. She says several things that really got to me.

The first is that we often don't clean or get organized because we feel we don't have enough time to do it "right". So, we do nothing. Her answer for this? It doesn't have to be perfect, just do SOMETHING. And, 15 minutes of cleaning or organization is better than nothing. Right? RIGHT!

The other thing she reminds us is that our house/car/office/life didn't get this way in a day or a week, why should we expect to get it back to perfect in that amount of time?

She also points out how much time we lose in life by being disorganized or worrying about the state of things. It's amazing.

One of the other first suggestions she made was to establish an evening routine that included laying out your clothes the night before and organizing the things you need to get out the door in the morning. She calls the place you put your stuff your "launch pad".

I can tell you that I'm not a morning person. But, since I started following this routine, getting ready in the morning and out the door is a breeze. Everything is where it's supposed to be and I know my clothes (and Wyatt's) are clean, matched and ready to go. and I know where my purse and keys are. That's pretty amazing considering my lack of observation and my short attention span.

So, this lady's attitude is why I FLY. I finally found an organization system that I can follow and that I actually enjoy. It's basic ideas really touch home with me. Maybe it's not for everybody, but I think everybody could take a little something away from it if they tried it. Each morning, I get an email with reminders about where I should be in the routine, what I should be getting done that day and then I go to the website and check to see what "Baby Step" I'm on. She makes it so easy. She just adds a little more each day and so many of the assignments are 15 minutes or less. Sounds too simple, but it REALLY works.

Resolutions

2009-11-06T14:25:00.001-05:00

Ok, it's been almost a year since I posted. It's been a hectic year actually.

But, forget that, let's start with now.

So, I went to the "woman" doc earlier this week. I was expecting the normal check under the hood but got SO much more. Apparently, I am completely abusing and neglecting my health. I'm not sure why that's a shock. But, when she listed all the issues, I felt like someone who had taken their car in for a tuneup and found out that $2k worth of repairs needed done.

The first issue is my weight. Yeah, I know. I've put on some weight this year, not counting the weight that I didn't lose after Wyatt came along. So, here I am, just this side of the "normal" weight range. I will admit I am "curvy" in all the right and wrong places right now. We discussed that I have no diet or exercise plan other than planning to have 4 Oreos every night after Wyatt goes to bed. I was aware of this and had done some thinking. But, being a fantastic procrastinator, had put the issue on the back burner.

Yesterday morning began the diet modification. I prefer to call it the downsizing plan. I went to the store (because it was errand day according to FlyLady) and bought some instant oatmeal, Banana Nut Cheerios and some apples along with the other regular groceries. When I got home from the store (I managed to skip my beloved Square Donut from the gas station) I made myself a bowl of the instant oatmeal. I tried blueberry first since it seemed the flavor I would like best. I made it with water, not milk and didn't add anything to it. It took me at least half an hour to eat. I hate oatmeal.

For lunch, I had a handful of baby carrots (nothing to dip them in) and a small apple. I cannot say the last time a raw carrot (or maybe any carrot) passed thru my lips because I hate them. But, I ate them and didn't disguise the taste with anything yummy like ranch dressing. Right before the last few bites of apple, I was craving something sweet. So, I put peanut butter on the last two pieces and it was yummy. It seemed like dessert. I had a brat for dinner, no side dishes and I wasn't hungry afterwards. Oh, but I had my Oreos after Wyatt went to bed. It was my first day and I did good so I gave myself a little treat.

I starting off with a very minor and simple plan for getting a little exercise into my life. I know not to go overboard and to start gradually. Yesterday, I started off with a 20 minute walk. I figured I'd walk 10 minutes down the road and 10 minutes back. I did. And, I got further than I thought I would, but not quite as far as I really wanted to.

I even (gasp!) drank a bottle of water after my walk. I wanted to drink more water but couldn't really get around to it. Besides, I had made some positive steps in my life and didn't want to throw my body into shock.

I have to admit, I sat and stood up straighter after my walk and felt better in general. The exercise, sunshine and fresh air did me some good.

Now I have to continue on with my water drinking, lowering of the cholesterol and exercise as well as taking vitamins. She gave me the things to look for in a vitamin and I bought them. Didn't take one yesterday, but I bought them. Baby steps, right?

Wyatt's Big Boy Bed

2009-01-12T13:29:00.004-05:00

So, last week, we decided to ditch the crib and get Wyatt a toddler bed. It sort of struck me and by the end of the day, I had chosen the bed and given the hubby the info to go pick it up at Wal-Mart.

I wasn't so set on the color of the wood (altho I like the natural look) as much as the style. I was sure he would come home with a different color but would be ok as long as it was the right style.

He came home with right color AND style and had it set up and made by the time I got Wyatt home from Nana's.

I wanted to give Wyatt a chance to check out the bed before he actually had to sleep in it. The look of awe on his face when he saw it made my heart warm. He couldn't believe that it was for him.

Naturally, he wanted to know if he could jump in it because he loves to jump in beds. I let him and he spent about an hour before bed doing it.

He even slept in it all night. He is so excited to go sleep in his big boy bed each night.

Top 10 Reasons To Go To Work Naked

2009-01-12T13:03:00.001-05:00

Ok, I needed a good giggle this morning and this certainly filled the bills.

So, the Top 10 Reasons To Go To Work Naked are as follows:

1. Your boss is always yelling, "I wanna see your butt in here by 8:00!"

2. Take advantage of computer monitor radiation to work on your tan.

3. Inventive way to finally meet that babe/hunk in Human Resources.

4. I'd love to chip in, but I left my wallet in my pants.

5. To stop those creepy guys in Marketing from looking down your blouse.

6. You want to see if it's like the dream.

7. People stop stealing your pens after they've seen where you keep them.

8. Diverts attention from the fact that you also came to work drunk.

9. Gives "bad hair day" a whole new meaning.

10. No one steals your chair!

I'm a slacker . . . so what?

2009-01-07T15:59:00.003-05:00

Yeah, I'm a slacker and haven't been blogging. I could give you a million reasons why but I don't feel the need to make the effort.

But, I'm back.

A few weeks ago I had this awesome thought. I want to take a class in something like soap or candle making. It's not that I think I'll really get into doing it, but it would be stretching my wings a little bit and would shake things up.

Well, even though I live outside the most liberal town in Bloomington, I seem to be having problems finding a class.

Apparently cake decorating is the in thing. I don't think I need a class where I can eat my mistakes and enjoy it.

Anyway, that has put that project on the back burner. So, now, I am out of new things to procrastinate. What does that mean for me? That means I'm actually going to have to get around to doing old projects I've started.

Here's my list (in no particular order):
1. Clean out and organize mud room. This was started a few weeks ago because we kept smelling diesel fuel in it. It turned out that the smell was coming from the garage because the tractor did not have the gas turned off and it was leaking.

2. Work on my scrapbook/photo album of Wyatt. I think I put pictures in from his first bithday and that's ALL that's in there even though I own a whole bunch of the materials I need to do it. I DID order some more pictures today. I need to upload some more to Wal-Greens and order them while they are having a good sale.

3. Pull out all of Wyatt's car seats, swings, walkers, etc. and clean them up. Then, I need to take pictures of them and list them on craigslist.

4. Clean out my closet . . . I don't want to even talk about it.

5. Either have hubby build a doghouse for the new dog or find a home for him. See, this dog showed up on our front porch around Christmas and made himself at home. So, we bought two bowls and some dog food and named him Larry. But, I feel sorry that Larry is an outside dog.

6. Pack up the clothes that Wyatt has outgrown and either put them on craigslist or donate them to a charity.

7. Rearrange the home office. It's still just cram packed from the remodel.

Yeah, yeah, yeah . . . I have more than plenty to do. I will get around to it . . . eventually.

My Desk

2008-11-21T07:59:00.002-05:00

Ok, this is my desk this morning when I came in. Yesterday was obviously a rough day.

Nuff said.

As I look at the picture, I wonder when I thought I would have time to read the magazine on my desk?

Apparently, you CAN get it from a toilet seat

2008-11-17T13:51:00.001-05:00

I forgot to mention in my previous post the funniest thing about my visit to the doc in the box on Saturday.

As I walk in, there is what I will nicely call an "older rough looking" woman sitting in the waiting room.

As I am signing in, she says loudly to the receptionist at the desk . . . "And they told me you couldn't get it from a toilet seat."

Ok, those of you who know me, know that it was almost impossible for me to not burst out into giggles.

But, I managed to keep it in. I'm sure that my eyes went pretty wide though.

The receptionist told the woman with a very professional smile, "Yes, you CAN get it from a toilet seat."

At that point, I decided that I didn't have to pee as bad as I thought and I tried to busy myself so that I wouldn't become a part of that conversation.

The Birthday Curse

2008-11-17T11:15:00.002-05:00

Ok, so since I was 30, I have had what I call the Birthday Curse.

Every year, either the day before, the day of, or the day after my birthday, something goes horribly wrong.

On my 30th birthday, I broke my foot looking for a tiara to wear to an ice hockey game.

One year, I had a miscarriage the day after my birthday.

One year, I was supposed to take Wyatt into surgery the day before my birthday . . . and we got to the hospital and they turned us down for surgery because he had a yeast infection. That's a long story. I think that was the year that the boy waiting on the bus in the Elmer Fudd hat gave me the finger too.

That gives you an idea of what seems to happen. I won't go thru every year.

However, this year was just like the others.

Saturday morning, I got up and I was hurrying to go to Nana's because it was opening day for gun season (deer) and I was taking lunch over for the guys.

I scooped Wyatt up in my arms because I couldn't find his shoes and headed out the door. Unfortunately, it had been raining and our wooden steps were slick . . . very slick.

I managed to cradle him enough that he didn't get hurt when I went down on my back. But, I was in a lot of hurt. I thought I would be ok though, so I went on out to Nana's. It didn't take long to realize that something was really wrong.

So, Nana and Aunt BB watched Wyatt while I ran in to see the doc in the box. When he went to check my knee, I had to explain that I had almost no feeling in the right side of my right knee due to a surgery mishap nearly 10 years ago and that I have a metal rod in my right thigh. Unfortunately, they decided that I needed x-rays. The nurse came in with one of those slimming, fashionable hospital gowns and announced that I needed to change into it for x-rays.

Now, I tend to feel I have a very expressive face. Apparently, at that moment, my face expressed how I felt about changing into the hospital gown. The nurse literally took a step back from me and started explaining why I needed to do it.
I personally feel that if an x-ray machine can see thru a hospital gown, why couldn't it see thru my shirt?

But, after about 30 seconds of awkward conversation by the nurse, I agreed to put the gown on. They let me keep my jeans and socks (if you know me well, you know why the sock thing is important) on.

She asked if I needed help with it and I let her know that I have PLENTY of experience with hospital gowns. As she was shuffling (and that's how I was walking at that point) to the x-ray room, she was trying to make sure my gown back stayed closed. I reminded her that most people would not get excited over seeing my back (remember, I had pants on) and to stop worrying about it. If someone got worked up over seeing a tattoo (or two) that was their problem.

Once in the x-ray room, the nurse handed me this REALLY heavy lead apron and asked if I could just hold it up over my waist with only my left hand while they x-rayed my right shoulder. Oh sure, why not?

As she went to duck out of the room to do the x-ray, she looked back and asked me if I thought I might be pregnant. I think I surprised her with my HELL NO! answer.

So, we got done with that x-ray and they needed to do my knee. She basically tells me to "hop" up on the table. It took some maneuvering, but I got up there with minimal pain.

Unfortunately, when she grabbed my toes to point them outwards, the pain was NOT minimal and I let her know what I thought of it. I also pointed out how stupid it was that they needed me to remove my shirt for a shoulder x-ray but not my denim jeans for a knee x-ray.

So, it came out that I had bruised the bone in my shoulder. My knee is fine. But, I will be sore all over from the fall for several days and it will take a while for the bruse on the bone to heal.

The doctor did tell me after the x-ray that the metal rod in my right thigh was impressive. I thanked him for noticing. I'm not sure he found that as funny as I did.

My directives? Rest. Yeah, the man totally doesn't get it, does he? At least they gave me some Lortab to take the edge off the pain. And, that's all it's doing. It's not getting rid of it.

So, if you need me, I will be in Lortab Land.

Surprise!

2008-11-14T08:32:00.003-05:00

So, last night my friends and family threw a small surprise birthday party for me.

I was really floored when it happened.

One of my nephews got THIS for me for my birthday. They actually fit in the envelope of the birthday card.

As if this morning didn't suck enough . . .

2008-11-13T11:46:00.002-05:00

So, today I had to rearrange my morning a little bit.

Scott needed to leave our house by 5 this morning. This meant that I either had to shower at 4 am or take Wyatt to Nana's at the usual time and come back to to the house and shower . . . which would make me late for work.

I chose to be late to work.

So, I get Scott up and he gets out of the house on time I assume. Then, Wyatt gets up around 5:15. So, I got him a sippy cup of milk and brought him into our bed and snuggled up with him while he watched cartoons. He was very affectionate and we enjoyed snoozing and snuggling.

I finally got out the door with him and thought that everything was going ok. However, there were some bovine that thought I needed an obstacle course this morning. I came around a corner on Anderson Road and there were cattle standing in the middle of the road. So, I hopped out and herded them over to the correct side of the road. I wasn't sure if they would stay since the fence was open right there, but at least they were out of MY way. I looked over to the other side and there were three cattle still standing there. I caught myself asking the ladies if they cared to join their friends on the other side of the road. That's when I decided that I am alone too much. I left them there and continued on my way.

Once I got to Nana's, Wyatt didn't really want me to leave. I finally untangled his arms from around my neck and headed back. As i was going up Low Gap Hill, a squirrel darted across the road, turned back and went back to the original side. I managed to miss him, but he looked confused.

At the top of the hill, I realized that I had tucked my cell phone into Wyatt's diaper bag and didn't get it out at Nana's. So, I turned around to go back. The squirrel did a little replay . . . honestly I felt like I was in a shooting gallery and I managed to get my phone.

So, I rushed back home and got ready for work. I threw the laundry that was in the dryer into the clean clothes basket. I put the laundry in the washer into the dryer. I started another load in the washer. I unloaded, reloaded and set the dishwasher timer to start for later. I put trash bags in the trash cans and headed out the door.

Now, I realize that I need to go BACK to Wal-Mart (this is at least the third time this week) and get laundry soap.

What's next? A bird shitting on my head?

One of my co-workers has an interesting way of dealing with stress. They find acorns and use a pen and Wite Out to make little heads that look like Jamaican people. I think they are pretty stressed. The tribe keeps getting bigger and bigger.

HALLOWEEN

2008-11-07T15:57:00.002-05:00

Ok, so I am a week late . . . but it wasn't that exciting.

Wyatt did NOT want to get into his chicken costume when it came time to trick or treat. I was heartbroken. But, Daddy suggested putting him in some camo and taking him. So, we changed his clothes, gave him a slingshot and his plastic pumpkin bucket and headed over to the neighbor's house.

We got to exactly TWO houses before he informed me that he wanted to go home and stay home.

It was a big disappoinment. AND we didn't have very many trick or treaters.

Like father . .. like son

2008-11-07T09:00:00.003-05:00

Nuff said.

Wyatt also has a habit of sticking his hand in my bra when he's tired, nervous or upset. He always tells me that he needs booby.

The other morning I was getting dressed. I don't hide anything from him at this point. When he points out parts on my body I just tell him that everyone has parts but everyone's looks a little different. So, the other morning he told me he needed booby as I was getting dressed. And then he said . . . I need it bad.

I had to laugh.

Meet Moo-Moo

2008-11-07T08:45:00.002-05:00

This is Moo-Moo. Trina bought her for Wyatt a few months ago. Ever since he got it, Wyatt has insisted on keeping her in his bed.

Every night, we have to make sure that Bob-Bob (Sponge Bob) and Moo-Moo are where he wants them in his bed.

However, the last several nights, there has been a new twist to the routine. I now have to kiss Moo-Moo goodnight and tell her that I love her. And, he does too. And, he wants to hold Moo-Moo while he's having his milk cup before going to bed.

This morning, he insisted on bringing Moo-Moo into our bed while he watched tv with Daddy so that I could shower. He "shared" his milk cup with Moo-Moo. He would put the cup up to her mouth and then make little drinking noises for her.

A Huge Compliment

2008-11-07T08:30:00.001-05:00

My mother-in-law gave me a huge compliment today.

She was talking about how her sisters are coming to visit tomorrow and they wanted homemade yeast rolls.

My mother-in-law asked me to make them. She said that I make the best and that they are so light and fluffy.

I almost cried. This came from a woman who is a FANTASTIC cook.

Raising him up right

2008-11-06T12:22:00.003-05:00

So, Wyatt of course has a fascination with the vacuum cleaner . . . and ours was out last night because something was wrong with our furnace (that's the closet where we keep it). Once the furnace was fixed, which was apparently a quick fix, Wyatt wanted to sweep.

I found out he's been spending a little too much time with Nana. He went around the living room, put up his toys, picked up anything on the floor (like shoes) that he didn't want to have to sweep around and went at it.

I'm excited that he's helping, but worried that he's a little obsessive/compulsive about it.

Sweet Moments

2008-11-05T16:51:00.002-05:00

Ok, with a toddler, they don't come along very often (at least when they are awake) but I have been seeing some lately.

Most nights, after dinner and before his bath, Wyatt and Daddy sit down to "read". Yeah, it's usually one of two picture books . . . but still, it's time they spend together with a book. Wyatt likes those two books because they contain pictures of things he likes to talk about: chairs, bananas, the moon, popsicles etc.

Right after this picture, Wyatt stabbed me in the thigh with the fork in his hand.

A Little Known Fact

2008-10-21T14:13:00.001-04:00

The Cleveland Public Library, Harvard Law School, and Brown University all have books clad in skin stripped from executed criminals or from the poor.

Serves them right for being criminals. I wonder about the thing with the poor though . . . did they sell their bodies to be used once they were dead?

For Baby Ella . . .

2008-10-20T14:02:00.000-04:00

LUMINARIA HELD ON MONUMENT CIRCLE FOR SIDS, PREGNANCY, AND INFANT LOSS AWARENESS MONTH
On this day, in communities across America, expectant moms will feel their baby's first kick; parents will listen joyfully to their newborn's first cry; and families will celebrate their healthy baby's first birthday. Also on this day, seven babies will be lost to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS); more than 70 new parents will have listened sadly to their stillborn baby's silence; and countless lives will be lost to miscarriage and other sudden, unexpected infant deaths.

Indianapolis, IN – October 2008--October is SIDS, Pregnancy, and Infant Loss Awareness month, and AnEveningForElla.org is teaming up with the nation's leading organization dedicated to infant health and survival to help increase awareness about the devastation of infant death.

October 22, 2008 at 7 pm on Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis, we will host "An Evening for Ella and Friends." A luminaria and memorial service will take place on the south staircase to remember the lives that have been lost, and will continue to be lost. Each luminaria bag will have the name of a baby lost. To submit a name, e-mail aneveningforella@gmail.com. The public is invited to attend.

"AnEveningForElla.org was established after the loss of our 10 week old daughter, Ella, on April 22 of this year. We hope to help parents prevent their baby's last night of sleep and at the same time, help them find the support they need to get through the devastation of miscarriage, still birth, or infant loss. We want people to remember the babies that have been lost so we can give the babies that are here the best care possible." ~Mel McMahon, Radio Personality 93.1 WIBC, 97.1 HANK FM, B105.7

According to the most recent data available, in Marion County alone, 146 babies were lost before they turned a year old and 117 babies were lost before they were full term (Source: IN State Department of Health ERC Date Analysis). Although those numbers may not seem high, the impact of those losses is immeasurable.

To learn more about this event, call Mel McMahon at (317) 684-8714 or visit www.aneveningforella.org. To learn more about the efforts of First Candle, visit www.firstcandle.org. Interested individuals can access information on ways they can help create awareness and/or show support for families and babies in their local community. Bilingual crisis counselors are also available 24/7 by calling, toll free, 1-800-221-7437.

First Candle/SIDS Alliance is a national, nonprofit, health organization dedicated to promoting infant health and survival during the prenatal period through age two with programs of advocacy, education and research; while at the same time providing compassionate grief support to those experiencing an infant death. For more information ..ing babies survive and thrive, to access local support services or to make a donation, please call 1.800.221.7437 or visit www.firstcandle.org

2008-10-15T11:34:00.002-04:00

Ok, we may not all be able to attend, but everyone can take a moment to donate a little bit. This is not some random cause I have taken up (and we all know that I tend to be totally random, but not really big on joining causes), this is something that really speaks to me. Ella was lost, but we can help in saving future little ones. Let's honor her with a donation.

Every day is Monday this week . . .

2008-10-15T08:41:00.002-04:00

I swear it's true.

This has been a crappy week.

I thought yesterday was bad. I was excited to go home, go to bed and wake up to a new day. Little did I know, that it was only going to get worse.

Yesterday, nothing seemed to go right. Everything annoyed me. I had no motivation. Scott called to say he was going hunting. I was annoyed and ok with it at the same time. I was annoyed knowing that I was going to have to take care of Wyatt by myself when I was exhausted. But, I was relieved knowing that once I put Wyatt to bed, I could work on my Blackberry. Bob hasn't been happy lately. The battery keeps going dead and I am not receiving any emails.
I took it to AT&T the other day to discuss the battery. Right after the lady played with it, i stopped getting emails. So, I had planned on spending some time trying to get the email set up again.

I picked Wyatt up after a long and exhausting day at work. He fell asleep on the way home. So, when we got home, I decided to lay down with him on the couch for a few minutes. Apparently, I fell asleep.

Scott came in the door at 6:30 and woke me up. Wyatt was not in a good mood when he woke up. It took us until 8:00 to get him thru the evening routine and back into bed.

By that time, I was so exhausted that I just wanted to go to bed. But, I needed to work on my Blackberry. I fiddled with it for an hour and then gave up and went to bed. I should have packed Wyatt's bag for this morning and laid his clothes out, but I didn't.

So, this morning, I woke up on time. But, my back hurt so bad, that I didn't feel like getting up because my back was really bothering me.

By the time I packed Wyatt's bag (I needed to pack enough stuff for him to spend the night at Nana's), it was time for us to BE there, not time for us to leave. And, I still had to pick up some milk and Gatorade at the gas station. Wyatt picked up my cell phone and dropped it. And the battery fell out. I put it together again quickly and received some emails. So, I thought I had solved the email situation somehow.

At the gas station, Wyatt ran around like a maniac while I tried to get everything we needed. As we got to the car, I squeezed too hard on my Polar Pop cup and dumped Mt. Dew on myself. Great.

We got to Nana's and I realize I had forgotten to get milk. I gave her a couple of dollars and kissed the child and headed out the door.

I got to Anderson Road (near where it intersects with Old 37 and the road was closed. So, I had to turn back around and backtrack.

I got to to work in a very bad mood . . . again.

My email stopped working, again. I looked things up online and finally decided to take the battery out and wait a few minutes. Apparently, there is a problem with the network every so often that causes emails to stack up.

I turned the phone back on and got 11 emails. So, I sent myself a test email. Nothing.

So, I'm sitting here cursing Bob and waiting to put the battery back in . . . again!

Projects, Projects and More Projects

2008-10-13T10:53:00.002-04:00

It's that time of year where projects seems to be piling up even more than usual.

Besides a wedding, there are lots of other things going on.

Next week (I don't know which day yet) I am going to chaperone a trip to the FFA convention in Indianapolis.

I need to get some professional (or at least really good) pictures taken of Wyatt to include in the Christmas cards.

I need to start organizing addresses for the Christmas card list.

I have the crystal pieces to the chandelier that used to belong to my great-grandparents and I want to make them into Christmas tree decorations.

I have decided to put some of Wyatt's old clothes on ebay.

And, I want to take a course on digital photography.

That's all aside from the actual normal projects, holiday cooking, gift buying, etc.

I need a personal assistant!

Is it Monday?

2008-10-03T10:26:00.003-04:00

I woke up late this morning. Now, what's funny is that late seems to be normal recently. So, I'm not sure why I'm calling it late.

But, I woke up late and with a sinus headache.

Wyatt refused to participate in getting ready to go to Nana's. Then, he dilly dallied out to the car. Once we got to the car, he gave me the trouble-making look. I dropped everything in my hands to catch him (knowing that he was going to make a run for it) but it was too late.

I ended up chasing him around 3 of our 4 vehicles until I caught him. Once I got him in the car, he griped the ENTIRE way to Nana's. He didn't want to be in the car. He didn't want to be in his carseat. He thought he had a boo-boo. I knew this last one was a ploy just by the way he was whimpering. He has an obvious fake whimper. So, I had to listen to him bitch at me all the way to Nana's. And, since I got up late, I hadn't had my nicotine, my Mt. Dew, or my daily medication . . . or a chance to treat the sinus headache.

I was feeling pretty sorry for Nana (and myself) when we pulled up. But, Poppy was there to get him out of the car and he cheered right up. Go figure.

So, the hubby is fishing in the last tournament (hopefully) of the season tonight. And, he'll probably bow hunt most of the weekend. I'm looking forward to a little peace and quiet this evening once I get Tropical Storm Wyatt off to bed.

My goals are to sort thru his clothes and make the change for seasons and size. And, I really need to order some pictures online while there is a sale going on. I also want to make some cinnamon rolls for the girls at my hair salon. They deserve them. I've just been so exhausted every night when I get home.

I was going thru my Blackberry (Bob) this morning and found this picture I took several weeks ago. I need to look at it and remember how sweet Wyatt can be.

Other Facebooks Groups I Won't Be Joining . . .

2008-10-01T13:25:00.002-04:00

#1 I'm still sittin' in my dirty pee pants and I'm hammered drunk!
Ok, even if I need to join this one . . . I wouldn't admit to it.

#2 I'd Give up Sex For Boose as Long as I Could Still Jerk It
First of all, Booze is spelled wrong . . . and I pretty much have given up sex, without the booze. I don't have the time or the energy.

#3 Victims of Involuntary Accidents
Isn't every accident involuntary? Do we really need a group for it?

#4 I don't need to walk around Kennedy Pool because I work there bitches!
Nuff Said.

#5 Girls that may have intercourse with Tony Garossino
I have no idea who he is. Refer to #2

Crotch Laser, Activate!
Don't even understand this one. Refer to #2

They Had A Lot of Cats - To Love And Live In Cable Guy
Again, don't understand this one.

Donate to Adrian smith needs a left testicle foundation
I personally don't care if he needs a testicle. Refer to #2

FAT Friends Ltd.
I just thought this one was funny. I don't have anything against it.

Things that made me laugh . . .

2008-10-01T12:43:00.002-04:00

So, I was looking for someone on Facebook today.

Of course, if you don't have their email address, you get all kinds of crazy results.

While looking for my cousin, I found a group that made me laugh. The title of the group is:

Bring back Lovejoy!! (That new blokes a twat!)

I'm trying to remember the last time I used the word twat. It was probably in 8th grade.

It made me laugh out loud though.

What the Hell?

2008-10-01T10:46:00.003-04:00

I usually don't comment on local news here . . . mostly because not much interesting happens in this sleepy little town.

But, today, we had a complimentary edition of the local paper and something caught my eye:

Police seized two Doberman pinschers, computer hard drives, video equipment and a 4-foot-tall marijuana plant from the residence of a 41-year-old Bloomington man charged with bestiality in connection with a videotaped sexual encounter that involved the man, an unconscious woman and one of the dogs.

Thomas L. Meador, 324 E. First St., is charged with three felonies: bestiality, sexual battery and maintaining a common nuisance. He was arrested after police searched his home Friday. He bonded out of jail and is scheduled to appear in court for an initial hearing Friday.

According to documents filed in Monroe Circuit Court, Meador admitted performing the sex acts he is charged with, which were documented on a videotape that a house sitter discovered on his computer, copied and gave to police.

A probable cause affidavit filed by police says Meador and the 30-year-old woman had become intoxicated during the Indiana University-Murray State football game Sept. 6 and returned to his home. The woman apparently passed out, and Meador then masturbated the dog while in bed with the woman. He also is accused of sexually assaulting the woman while she was unconscious, and videotaping his actions.

The woman later told police she had no idea what had taken place that day in Meador’s bedroom and that she did not give consent for what had happened.

Bloomington Animal Control took the dogs from Meador and have kept them in custody so they could be examined for any signs of abuse.

Ok, now let's think about this . ..

The guy has a drunk and passed out woman on his bed and he jacks off the dog?

I'm not advocating him sexually assaulting anyone . . . but where do you get to the point where you say to yourself:

"I really want to pleasure the dog."

AND

Is the other dog jealous?

Another funny Quote

2008-09-26T14:19:00.002-04:00

I have a friend who has a child who is (for generic terms) sick. So, illness and the possibility of death often come into our conversations between her child being sick and my job. Religious/spiritual beliefs often come up as well.

Today, we had a very odd conversation (well, other people will probably find it odd) and it ended with what I found to be a hilarious quote from her.

Somehow we got on the topic of people being "cured by God". The quotes are mine, not hers. Since I do not believe in God, I feel pretty cynical about this issue. I try not to . . . but I can't help it. And, I told her that I didn't feel God was going around and touching children/people and curing them. She said that she felt it was possible, but not likely. I like that we can have opposing views and not argue about it.

But, she was telling me about a family of a hospice patient she had assisted with. When the patient died, they wanted the hospital to leave the deceased relative in the hospital bed for 24 hours in case God wanted to bring her back to life/cure her.

I got a good laugh out of this. I asked my friend why God couldn't "cure" her if she was down in the morgue? Would he not be able to find her? Did he not have access to the morgue?

And my friend's reply was . . . "God can cure cancer, but he can't defrost you."

I pointed out the following:

1. You aren't frozen in the morgue . . . you are in a cooler.

2. And, if God could do something as big as bring you back to life . . . would it matter if your body temperature was a little lower than the room temp?

So, there it is . . . God has limits.

It made sense when I said it . . .

2008-09-26T12:25:00.003-04:00

There's nothing worse than a high cow .. . well, except for raisin cupcakes of course.

I've heard of spanking the monkey . . .

2008-09-26T09:16:00.001-04:00

but not washing the monkey.

Which came first?

2008-09-25T13:01:00.002-04:00

The chicken or the egg?

WHO CARES!

Wyatt originally wanted to be a vacuum cleaner for Halloween. I thought that I was going to end up making a costume for him.

But, life is just too busy and I'm not talented enough.

So, a friend of mine mentioned a few weeks ago that a certain second-hand children's store had put out their Halloween costumes and they were reasonably priced. She bought one for her daughter.

Today, after buying a birthday gift for a friend, I popped into the store to look at Halloween costumes.

There seemed to be no organization to the racks and I didn't feel like sorting thru things. I asked one of the clerks how they were organized. She said that they weren't. I sighed and cruised thru them again. But, I just couldn't find what I was looking for quickly enough. My head started to pound. I decided to give up. As I turned and took one last look, a chicken costume caught my eye. It was hanging up really high on the wall.

I asked the clerk what size it was and she didn't know. But, she offered to get it down for me to look. She glanced at the tag and told me there was no size on it but I was welcome to look at it and to just hang it up on a rack when I was done. Obviously, she does not work on commission.

I looked in it and the size tag was still there . . . it was a 2T-3T. PERFECT! So, I got it. It was only $7!

Wyatt will love being a chicken and getting to say bawk bawk. He does it in such a cute way. . . well, I think so because he's mine.

My brain has paused

2008-09-24T10:01:00.002-04:00

for station identification.

Besides life being the usual hectic thing, I had a migraine Saturday and Sunday that has caused my life to pause.

It always takes at least a day to get back into the swing of things after a migraine, but this one really did me in.

I'm still having a little problem with my vision. I'm also just getting over dropping everything, switching words around and forgetting words that I typically use.

But, I'm hoping that today things will get more back to normal. . . or at least my defitinion of normal.

Last night, Scott was talking to Trina on the phone about her lawn mower. I know, facinating stuff. I was playing a game on Bob and half-ass listening to his side of the conversation. Since I don't like to talk on the phone, I typically relay information thru him when he's on the phone to someone so that I don't have to get on the phone.

Well, Scott said something about it not being easy to remember things and it had something to do with living with me. I filed that in the back of my brain . . . not really thinking that it would come back up.

But, this morning it did . . . in a weird way. So, I decided to look online to find ways to make working more efficient. Since I have an email inbox, a physical inbox, multiple stacks of paper on my desk, stuff on my printer that I have printed out to remind me of things to do, my handwritten to do list and reminders on my Outlook . . .things get a little hairy. How best to handle it? Let's ignore all of them and surf the internet to figure out how to deal with them. Long live the Queen of Procrastination, huh?

I ran across some interesting things under Zen Habits. That led me to look at something else and then read yet something else. Then, something struck home. The guy talked about not being able to filter things properly. In other words, he was so busy "logging" things that he wanted to remember, that he logged things he didn't need to or forgot why he thought he would be interested in them.

Anyone who knows me well knows that there is no filter between my brain and my mouth. What I think comes out . . . unfortunately. If you want an honest opinion, I'm the person to ask.

But, that's not where I was going with this. I can't filter out information that I don't need or recall it later when I DO need it. I have no spam filter on my brain.

For instance, last week, I was reading Reader's Digest (yes, I'm an old woman at heart) and found an article about saving money. It included lots of tips including several websites where you can get great coupons or coupon codes. I keep meaning to pull those websites out of the article and mark them as favorites in Bob. But, I never seem to get that far.

Yesterday, I decided that I need diapers. Since I ordered from diapers.com last time and was really happy (free shipping, they came the next day and $10 off my order) I decided I would do it again.

Alas, my code doesn't work since I'm not a first time shopper. Didn't I get a code to use earler this month via email as a returning customer? I think I did . . . but I can't find it. I then spent the next 30 minutes trying to find a code that WOULD work. I could have driven to Sam's Club and bought the damn things by now. But, my mind is convinced that I should be getting them delivered to me and delivery should be free.

See what I mean? There's so much stuff floating around that I can't sort it out. Last night I had a moment of inspiration. I need a little notebook to put in my purse to write things down . . . wait a minute, I have one . . .

Where was I going with this?

Peas and Carrots JEN NAY!

2008-09-12T21:33:00.004-04:00

Ok, the Jenny that I am referring to will get the title . . .and be horrified that I am using it in my blog and adding her story to my story.

Earlier this summer, Jenny, Trina and I got together for lunch. This is a guaranteed laugh riot.

So, at some point, I catch Jenny telling Trina something along the lines that the chipmunk bit her.

I'm not really sure what I was doing that I missed the first part of the story . . . I was probably playing with my Blackberry, Bob.

But, I stopped the conversation at that point and made her start over.

Apparently, she was outside and saw a cat attacking a chipmunk. So, Jenny held the cat at bay (and this is where it gets funny), leaned down and picked up the chipmunk to "save" it. What did she get for saving its life? It bit her. She then threw it to the ground which probabaly made it a retarded chipmunk. That's a funny picture right there. I asked her why she just didn't squirt them with a garden hose. Surely they would each have run away. Or, at least be so stunned that the cat would stop attacking the chipmunk.

So, a few weeks ago, I was coming in the house and saw something moving in our little plastic pond. I figured it was a frog and I went over to check. For those of you not familiar with my strange ways, I am facinated by turtles and frogs. I rarely see one that I dont pick it up and fiddle with it for a little bit.

When I got closer, I realized it was a chipmunk in the pond. Apparently, he had slipped into it and couldn't get out because the edges are straight up and down and the water level was too low for him to grip the rim. Last year I found a dead baby mole in the pond for the same reason. I have considered posting a sign that says "No lifeguard on duty" to help alleviate the issue.

Now, I am normally one to let nature take its course. But, I didn't want to have to nag my husband about fishing out the dead chipmunk for a week.

So, I ran inside and grabbed the large purple plastic bowl that we use for Halloween candy. Don't ask why it was so handy. It's another story.

Then, I ran out to the pond, scooped up the chipmunk with as little water in the bowl as possible and dumped him out on to the ground.

He stood there panting for a few seconds and then skittered away. I did stop to take a picture of him before I rescued him. You know me, I have to have pictures of everything.

I AM NOT A TREE HUGGER, NOR DO I THINK I CAN SAVE THE WORLD. But, that had to be good for my Karma, right? And, I didn't get bit in the process.

Disco Baby!

2008-09-11T13:56:00.002-04:00

Today, in a roundabout way, I ended up on the subject of disco and it brought back a lot of memories. Here's the first album that I bought with my own money. It's just one song, but it's hilarious to think I wanted this album so badly.

2008-09-10T20:25:00.002-04:00

I have been sadly lacking in blogging lately.

It's not that nothing has happened. It's just that I've been too busy and too tired to get anything organized.

I have several topics from the past few weeks that I wanted to talk about. But, when Michelle sent this to me, it trumped everything else.

I Need A 12 Step Program

2008-08-28T10:28:00.004-04:00

Ok, I probably need more than one considering my vices and quirks.

But, this morning, I NEED an iced green tea latte from Starbucks. It's been on my mind all morning. I could have stopped and gotten one on the way to work, but I was trying to have some will power.

I finally gave in. And, now is on its way to me.

Considering how bad I am jonesing for this, I looked up the 12 Steps from AA and molded them to fit my problem and spiritual beliefs:

1. We admit we are powerless over Starbucks—that our lives have become unmanageable.
2. Have come to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of Karma
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Are entirely ready to remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly ask Karma to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Make direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continue to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admit it.
11. Seek through meditation to improve our conscious contact with Karma, seeking only for knowledge of it for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we try to carry this message to Starbucksaholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Anyone care to join me on this quest?

It's all perspective . . .

2008-08-25T14:44:00.004-04:00

Lately, there's been a LOT of contsruction going on in Bloomington and Martinsville. It seems that every part of my long commute is hampered by the construction. Even looking at the guys working along the road has lost its novelty.

Last week, I ran into a different sort of a traffic jam. I came over a hill and the road was FILLED with these geese. They had several cars lined up (and this is in the middle of nowhere) waiting for them to move.

I couldn't really get a good picture of them until they had crossed the road and went into someone's yard . . . but it did make me laugh. At least the scenery during the traffic jams had changed.

A Little Help

2008-08-22T09:34:00.003-04:00

Being a deep believer in Karma, I TRY to do some small random acts of kindness (even thought I hate that phrase) every once in a while.

Today, I need a little help in giving someone a lift up in the Karma area.

I listen to the same radio station every morning (of course, it's part of my OCD) and got wrapped up in the pregnancy of the traffic reporter on that show. I'm not sure why I originally got wrapped up in it. But, I anxiously awaited the announcement of the baby's birth. When Mel would not be on the show any particular day, I would be SURE that she was giving birth.

Finally, Ella came. Then, I waited for Mel to come on the show to talk about her. I remember the week that they were expecting Mel to come in with Ella. Even though I wouldn't see her, I was anxious to hear Mel talk about her.

Unfortunately, Ella passed away around the age of 10 weeks old. My heart went out to Mel immediately. Even though I have not had a child pass away and can't imagine the pain that she went thru, I felt some connection with her loss.

Last month, I finally reached out and sent Mel a message (thru MySpace) that I think about her every day. I didn't want to intrude on her life or her grieving, but just wanted her to know that people were thinking of her, even if they don't know her.

Mel lost Ella four months ago today. I'm sure she is having an especially hard time today.

Ellas was beautiful. She had the biggest eyes . . . and a smile that lit up the world. She had endless possibilities ahead in her life. And, she's obviously touched many lives.

Please take a moment to send Mel warm thoughts of support. We may not have experienced the loss of a child. But, we have ALL lost someone dear to us . . . now imagine that loss times infinity.

Some Days You Need A Little Jay & Silent Bob

2008-08-21T15:06:00.001-04:00

cleRKKS

Yesterday's Marathon

2008-08-21T10:23:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was a marathon day for me.

On the way to drop off Baby Boo-Boo, I paid the water bill.

Then, I worked hard to catch up on things at the office since Jenn is back from maternity leave.

I went to Wal-Mart to get stuff to make a diaper cake for Akram and his wife. The package goes out tomorrow.

Since Scott was picking up Wyatt, I stopped and got gas on the way home. Then, I made sure Wyatt had dinner, his bath, his milk and went to bed before going back into town to the ENT.

Now, the ENT visit was exhausting within itself. My appt. was for 7:50 pm, but I got there early, so I got in early.

The doctor is a little Indian (dots,not feathers) guy. He is soft-spoken and has an accent . . .and I can't hear out of one ear because of this ear infection.

I THINK we sort of got into it even before my appt. because he said something about Edwards and the scandal. Now, personally, I don't care about it. I vote Republican, so it doesn't matter.

However, I didn't think it was the appropriate moment to announce my political views, so I just said something along the lines that everyone goofs up, but people who are known nationally get more grief for it.

Apparently, he didn't like my lenient point of view on it.

The exam turned out even weirder. He asked me the same questions in the exam room that we had gone over in the waiting room and that I had answered on the forms.

When I got to the point about breaking my femur, he seemed a little confused. I got the feeling that he couldn't figure out what that was.

We also got into it about my smoking until I told him that a lecture from him wasn't not going to convince me to quit because I enjoy it.

He asked me if my nose ever itched. I told him yes and that I thought everyone's did. He agreed and then chuckled.

Then, he started testing my ears with a tuning fork. There was one that he placed on my forehead and that I couldn't hear at all.

So, what did he say?

I have an ear infection (surprise!) a sinus infection (surprise!) and some sort of allergies.

He gave me a prescription for Augmentin and told me my hearing should start to return by Monday. Then, he told me he would see me in 2 weeks for allergy testing.

I'm not particularly fond of this guy, but what choice do I have?

By the time I went to the pharmacy and got home, it was 9:00 pm.

I watched a REALLY strange episode of South Park and drifted off to sleep.

I'm hoping that today goes better. I still have a lot on my plate and I'm exhausted.

Big Doin's at the Davis House

2008-08-15T08:46:00.002-04:00

So, Saturday we are hosting a cookout for my Katie's family. I'm really excited about this.

We haven't done a big cookout since we moved to the house 2 years ago. It was kind of thrown together last night.

So, what's on the menu?

Hamburgers
Hot dogs
Brats
Deer steaks
Sweet Corn
Fresh green beans (from my garden) and new potatoes
Chips
Dip (homemade)
Pasta salad
Baked beans
Deviled eggs (of course)
Cinnamon rolls (in honor of Katie's mom, Lisa)
Homemade Reese's cup pie (I think)
Maybe some watermelon?
And,
Beer
Pop
Water
Tea
Lemonade? Katie and Brady got us this adorable drink pitcher with lemonade mix in it and I've been trying to find a special (and fun) time to use it. I think tomorrow would be perfect!

I'm really looking forward to not only having everyone over, but to all the cooking I'll be doing for it. I love to putter around in the kitchen on the weekends.

Katie and her family have been a blessing to us. They have taken us in as part of their family. They are always inviting us over and never asking us to bring anything. It's about time we did something for THEM!

Plus, us girls can talk wedding-talk!

My Short Attention Span & Lack of Patience

2008-08-14T15:47:00.002-04:00

My short attention span and lack of patience sent me off on a tangent today. I dug out my handy Wicked French for the Traveler book that was given to me by Mike Millar as one of my going away presents when I left the AHo.

It's a really funny book and I appreciate getting it.

So, to relieve some stress (since it's still illegal to kill people), I am going to pull a couple of phrases from the book with their translations.

Since I am in a bad mood, let's start with "Cultivating Your Attitude Problem".

Vous les paysans, vous avez des truffes ala place de cerveau!

translation:

You peasants have truffles for brains!

Je n'en ai rien a foutre, espece de depuceleur de vierges.

translation:

I don't give a shit, defiler of virgins!

And, my personal favorite (because it's short and to the point:

Va te faire foutre, fumier a l'haleine de roquet.

translation:

Up yours, dog breath.

*many accent marks are missing from these quotes because I'm too lazy to find and insert them. DEAL WITH IT!

I'm giving him an A for A-riginality

2008-08-13T11:28:00.002-04:00

Ok, so I heard about this story on the radio this morning. Now, being the Queen of Procrastination, I normally wouldn't get around to looking it up for two months. But, this had me laughing so I looked it up right away.

Here's the new story:

XENIA, Ohio (WDTN) - Some workers at a Greene County restaurant are in hot water with the health department, after an employee took a bubble bath in a store sink.

It happened at the Burger King on Orange Street in Xenia.

A four-minute video posted on MySpace.com captured the employee, self-described as Mr. Unstable, bathing nude in a large stainless steel sink as several other employees and a store manager looked on.

The video began making its rounds on the Internet Monday morning. One of the recipients was Greene County Health Commissioner, Mark McDonnell.

"My first thought was oh my God," said McDonnell.

McDonnell immediately sent staff to restaurant to investigate the numerous health code violations.

He said the restaurant was aware of the incident and had already taken steps to clean up, including disposing of all the utensils and sanitizing the sink twice.

All of the employees involved were fired.

"You can't account for everyone's stupid actions but when things do happen if you respond to it and take the appropriate action that's reassuring," McDonnell said.

Some Burger King patrons don't agree.

"That's just, it's wrong it's a place where families come to eat and them taking a bath in the sink that's just not work ethic," said Crystal Dodge, who said she used to eat at Burger King all the time.

2News reporter Megan O'Rourke went to the Xenia Burger King Monday afternoon looking for comment, but was met at the door by an employee who asked her to leave and referred comment to Burger King's corporate office.

Burger King spokesperson Denise Wilson emailed the following statement to 2News Monday afternoon:

"Burger King Corp. was just notified of this incident and is cooperating fully with the health department. We have sanitized the sink and have disposed of all other kitchen tools and utensils that were used during the incident.

We have also taken appropriate corrective action on the employees that were involved in this video. Additionally, the remaining staff at this restaurant is being retrained in health and sanitation procedures."

But for diners like Crystal, it may be too little, too late.

"That's just disgusting. I wouldn't want to eat here after I heard something like that, that's just not appropriate for employment," Dodge said.

"This kind of stunt really is a black eye for the restaurant itself."

Health Department officials plan to talk with prosecutors to see if any criminal charges will be filed, but they don't have any plans to issue fines at this time.

Report by Megan O'Rourke, WDTN. Web produced by Tony Heitmeyer

Here's the video: It's kind of hard to hear him . . .but I get the impression it's his birthday.

I'm also wondering who in the hell hired him? I don't have a problem with him bathing in the sink . .. hey, at least he's bathing. But, have you looked at his hair? Who hires him to serve the public?

Ok, it's been a week

2008-08-13T09:09:00.003-04:00

And I haven't posted. Between the torn back muscle and this massive head cold and ear infection, I have not had the energy to do much of anything.

I did get some more bread and butter pickles done this last weekend.

And, I made blackberry dumplings for my sister-in-law.

I helped one of my nieces choose her classes for her sophomore year in high school.

And, I went to a cookout. But, I am dead on my feet right now. I can't even hear out of my left ear because of the infection.

It will either get better or I'll die and I'm not sure which I would prefer right now.

However, I'm knee deep in helping to plan the wedding. I just have to get past the hurdle of finding a venue that fits the feeling she's looking for and fits a budget.

I found a picture of a super cute vacuum cleaner costume online today.

And, when doing a search for "vacuum cleaner" on another Halloween website today, I came up with this picture . . . it confuses me.

The Foo-Foom

2008-08-06T08:38:00.001-04:00

Wyatt is obsessed with vacuum cleaners. He loves them. He loves to use them. He calls them Foo-Fooms.

So, it should be no surprise that, when I asked him Monday night what he wanted to be for Halloween, he said a Foo-Foom.

Hopefully he will change his mind before Halloween. But, if not, guess what I will be trying to make?

FINALLY!

2008-08-04T20:49:00.002-04:00

I have been absent from my blog the last several days.

Friday, Wyatt jumped from the couch and I tried to catch him. Unfortunately, I hurt my back.

BB came over on Saturday to watch Wyatt so that I could go to the doctor.

Apparently, I tore a muscle in my back and it's bleeding. That means no lifting at all for 10 days. I think they forget that I have a child and don't have much of an option.

But, Trina is filling in for a few evenings to help me out with Wyatt. Thank goodness for that.

And, we're planning a wedding! Brady and Katie are getting married!

I am SO excited!

More later. My back hurts. It's time for my pain killer and muscle relaxer. I just wanted to pop in while I am waiting for my new Blackberry to restore from the back up of my old one. Feels like it is taking forever. But, my whole life is in it, so I am not surprised.

A Bad Day

2008-07-31T10:03:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was a bad day.

I got up late . . . but that wasn't the worst of it.

I dropped Baby Boo Boo off at Nana's.

I stopped at the Bigfoot.

I stopped to get some breakfast.

I stopped to drop off some pickles to Trina . . .which is when I realized that one of my tires was almost flat.

I went over to the Wal-Mart gas station to put air in the tire . .. and it was raining. As I bent over, my phone and my debit card fell out of my shirt pocket and started floating down to the storm drain. I caught them in time.

When I got to work, I realized that I had dirt ALL over my clothes from the hose at the gas station.

Then, at lunch, I realized that when I hit keys on my phone, my phone just kept typing in "hl".

I took it over to AT&T and Parker said I needed to call the warranty number.

They said I needed to wipe it, but I had never backed it up.

I got a display case ready to ship and realized that it was missing a latch. So, I had to go to the hardware store to get a new one.

But, I forgot to put the latches on the case before UPS got there and took the case. So, I had to call them and ask the driver to bring the case back.

I DID manage to find the disk and cable to back up my Blackberry to the computer. I wiped it . . . but the trackball still doesn't do anything when I press it in. Luckily, there is an enter key on the keyboard.

I called AT&T and they are sending me a new phone.

I'm glad yesterday was over . . . but I got up REALLY late this morning. Can we just start the whole week over?

Does this car make me look fat?

2008-07-29T14:40:00.002-04:00

That's my question this week.

Friday, as I was driving home from work, I thought about how good I felt about the way I looked that day.

This is not a common thing for me.

So, I began to wonder what made me feel good about the way I looked.

It hit me. When I am driving the Blazer (the Mazda was in the shop again because the AC went out AGAIN! But, it was fixed at no charge) I feel smaller. I don't feel as chunky.

Which made me wonder if the old Mazda makes me feel fat and frumpy?

Pickeling in Peace

2008-07-27T16:05:00.002-04:00

That's right. I am pickeling in peace today.

I had decided that this year I would make my own bread and butter pickels out of our garden.

Yesterday, it became apparent that it was time to get on the ball. I had already asked Scott's dad for advice. He seemed tickled pink that I was starting up this tradition at our house because he loves to can.

He insisted on giving me the bread and butter mix that he likes and letting me borrow his cold packer . . . although I offered to go buy all of it myself.

Saturday morning I went and bought jars and some alum. He said that it would keep the pickles crunchy.

Saturday night we picked them . . . and a lot of green beans.

So, now I am pickeling them. Thank goodness I had the thought to buy some extra jars when I went to Wal-Mart (and some extra mix) to buy the vinegar.

The first box of jars is already filled with cucumbers and I'm waiting for the mix to boil.

Scott took Wyatt over to take some deer meat and some of the green beans to Rick and Lisa's.

So, I have the kitchen to myself and I'm having a ball learning this.

I may even learn to make jelly. I also need to learn how to make Scott's dad's salsa (it's fantastic) and his chili starter (again, the best I've ever had).

It's hard work . . .but it's so much fun. I love being able to putter around in the kitchen and try something new.

I'm also thankful today for our wonderful families and friends. We've had such a great weekend.

Although Wyatt was horrible at Wal-Mart yesterday when I took him (I actually told him I was going to leave him at the lost and found), we did get out a bit for Lisa and Rick's birthday party. Their family and friends are great. They've taken us right in and made us feel like part of their family. I can't imagine life without them.

BB took care of Wyatt so that we could go. Of course, I had my OCD list of things I wanted to accomplish yesterday. I had some of it done. She picked it up and went thru the rest of it and did it for me. I felt horribly guilty. And, we missed Wyatt's bedtime which always makes me sad. I did go in and check on him before I flopped down in bed though.

This morning, I made the boys breakfast and then I took a nap. I had a horrible sinus headache.

Then, off to Wal-Mart for the vinegar. I had to call my mom to find out where the vinegar was in the store. She's so great. She didn't even ask me why I wanted it, she just told me. And, of course, it was right where she said it would be. I love having a mom like that. She's the best.

So, now I'm pickeling in peace.

Too Good To Be True

2008-07-25T13:38:00.003-04:00

Ok, sometimes, my husband is too good to be true.

I am working most of this afternoon (although I don't normally work Friday afternoons during the summer) to catch up on some stuff in my office. It was getting scary.

I realized that I was out of cigarettes. I called the hubby to see if he was in town and could get me some.

Not only did he bring me cigarettes, he brought me lunch. A delicious one at that.

Out of gas

2008-07-25T07:39:00.006-04:00

This morning I was out of gas, mentally, physically and literally.

It's been a busy two weeks for me. There hasn't seemed to be a restful moment.

So, this morning, I was exhausted and looking forward to only working part of the day.

I KNEW that the gas tank on the Blazer was pretty much on E. But, I figured I might have enough to get to the gas station.

As I was pulling into the median to cross the highway to get gas, I realized that I had no power steering on the Blazer.

I looked down and realized that the Blazer wasn't running . . . . oops.

I cranked it . . . and it didn't start. Now, I wasn't worried about our safety (I had Wyatt with me) because we were in the median and literally right across from the gas station. But, I was a little apprehensive.

I cranked it again and it started. I scooted across the highway and hoped I wouldn't have to circle around the lot to find an open pump on the correct side of the truck.

We barely got pulled up to the pump when the truck died again . . . but we made it.

Earlier this week, as I was taking Wyatt to his Nana's, I came to a stop sign and saw the funniest thing.

Keep in mind, this intersection is at Farr Road and Anderson Road. Farr is a gravel road that runs thru the edge of the forestry between Old 37 and Anderson. It is really out in the middle of nowhere. I took pictures around it to illustrate it.

Why is it suddenly sitting there?

Singles Ads Part Deux.5

2008-07-24T11:11:00.002-04:00

Ok, one last story that sort of relates to the singles ad that I placed.

So, while my ad was running, I was dating other men that I had met the old-fashioned way (bar).

While at the bar one night, I bumped into (probably literally) a "cute" guy who looked to be in his late 30's, early 40's. I happened to be there with some friends and one or two co-workers. He asked if he could buy me a drink and we talked for a few minutes. Then, he asked if I would like to come over and meet his co-worker. So, I went over to their table and met his co-worker. He was a very pleasant man with a New Hampshire accent. Nice enough to talk to. But, the first guy seemed a little too eager. So, I told him I was a widow . . . I lie a lot when I drink. And, I pulled one of my co-workers over and dumped her off on them and moved on.

So, the next morning, I get up and find two business cards (for the first guy) on the floor with my clothes that I had worn the night before. I asked my roommate how they came to be on the floor. She said that she had seen the guy tuck them into the waistband of my pants while I was talking to him.

I kept the cards although I didn't think I was interested . . . I should have thrown them away.

But, several weeks later, I was coming back from Indpls from a date with an ex-boyfriend. Weird, I know. But, he was in Indy visiting his parents and we had decided to get together for a few drinks. Well, the date ended rather abruptly because I actually sort of had a date in Bloomington later that evening. I told the ex that he was more than welcome to come back to my place and spend the night. He wanted to go to a hotel. We couldn't agree, so I was driving back to Bloomington for my date later that evening. I am using the term date loosely here . . .and you'll see why in a minute.

I happened to see the business card when I got in my wallet to get my card to buy gas. On a whim, I called him and left a message. I explained who I was. A few minutes later, he called back and asked if I wanted to meet him for a drink. I agreed but admitted I had plans for later in the evening.

So, we met u p for a drink (or two, or three) and he seemed pleasant enough again. For some reason, I didn't want to stop talking with him, but I didn't want to stay at that bar either . . . you couldn't smoke in it.

So, I explained that I had plans for later that evening that would include a guy that I was sort of seeing on and off. I told him he was welcome to come but that things might seem a little strange until everyone got the vibe that I wasn't there to be with the other one. He agreed and we drove to the other bar.

As soon as I walked in, there was the first guy. I could tell he wasn't thrilled. But, he eventually got distracted by some other girl that was at our table for some reason (she wasn't part of our regualar group) and things seemed to be going ok.

So, as the night ends (Close your eyes Dad), we decided that I would spend the night at his place. I remember telling him right before things got too "busy" that this would not make me his girlfriend and not to get used to me because I wasn't looking for a relationship and certainly didn't want to date anyone exclusively.

The next morning, I am sitting at his table drinking some juice and reading the paper while he was busy doing something. As usual, I was looking thru the personals. He came over and was reading them over my shoulder. At one point, he pointed out that he saw one that he should answer. I laughed because it was mine. He didn't believe me. I handed him the phone, told him to call the voice mail box and listen to the voice.

What are the odds of that?

Too bad he didn't work out. He reminded me too much of my ex-husband and I reminded him a lot of his ex-wife. Plus, he was a CPA and very yuppy. I was a redneck girl managing a trailer park and some rentals.

But, it WAS funny!

Singles Ads Part Deux

2008-07-23T10:50:00.002-04:00

Ok, to follow up on yesterday's singles ads theme.

My other date was with an Italian (honestly from Italy) plumber . . . who I would guess was in his mid to late 50's.

He had his shirt unbuttoned too far, was hairy, was greasy and had WAY too much gold jewelry along with an accent I could barely understand.

But, I'm jumping ahead of myself.

Let's start with a little bit prior to the date.

He wanted to meet at a local pub. It's one that I enjoy going to during the day, but hate going to at night. We agreed to meeting during the afternoon.

I get there and I'm standing outside along Kirkwood (again, I HATE Kirkwood) and, as I am standing there a while, I notice that a VERY handsome man seems to be waiting for someone and keeps looking over at me. Ok, he had a ponytail, which is not my type, but he had on really tight jeans, cowboy boots and a cowboy hat . . . he was hot.

Anyway, I finally got up the nerve and asked him if he was waiting for a blind date. He said he was. I said maybe I was his blind date. He told me no, that his was a brunette. But, he did smile and say he was wishing it had been me. At that point, I should have asked him to ditch his date and we could go somewhere else. . . or at least give him my phone number, but I didn't.

So, hairy, greasy, hard to understand Italian guy showed up. Although it wasn't lunch or dinner time, he ordered a bowl of soup. I IMMEDIATELY knew (just from talking to him, not from the soup) that I was not interested.

So, I excused myself to go to the ladies room. From there, I called home with a plan to tell my roommate to call me and say there was some sort of an emergency and I needed to come home. She did not answer the phone. So, I left her a voice mail with my plan.

About 20 minutes (a LONG 20 minutes) later, my roommate called. We had a pretend conversation about her getting stung by a bee and me needing to take her to the hospital. Actually, that had nothing to do with the conversation, but I made my end sound like it did.

So, I made my excuses and left. As I got up to leave, he gets in his wallet and hands me a slip of paper where he has already written down his first name and phone number. Great.

Oh, did I mention that he asked me to come back to his trailer and smoke pot with him while he was eating his soup?

I had NO intentions of ever going out with (or speaking with) this man again. But, he kept calling me. Finally, he called me on a Friday and asked me out for that evening. He was very insistent. So, I lied and told him I was on my way to Louisville for a work-related trip and would be gone until at least the following Tuesday.

He kept calling. I finally told him that I was packing my stuff to move to Louisville for work.

He still called me for a while but I never answered his calls.

I still shudder when I think of him.

Singles Ads

2008-07-22T19:44:00.002-04:00

There have been a lot of commercials for online dating services lately. It's getting annoying.

While I am sure that there has to be some science to it . . . I find it weird.

It got me to thinking on the way home about my own experience with a personals ad several years ago . . . obviously while I was single.

I used to breeze thru the singles ad on a fairly regular basis because I found it curious. Who were all these people "advertising" that they wanted a date. And, I loved figuring out what the "codes" meant. SWF, DBM, ISO, LTR etc.

What always got me was camping. I personally feel that not THAT many people can be interested in camping. It must be code for something else that I don't understand . . . some subculture that I am obviously not part of.

Anyway, that's not the point. The point is (I think) that, one night, while lounging on the couch, I was reading the personals out loud to my roommate. She is a whole different story for some other time.

We then thought it would be funny to make up what MY personals ad would say. So, I scribbled it in the margin of the paper while we giggled about it.

Then, after SEVERAL beers (and probably a joint), I decided to do it. What harm could come of it? At worst, no one would be interested in me. At best, I might meet someone who is ok.

So, I learned that one should not drink and read the personals. Why?

I had exactly two dates (two different men) from my ad. Oh wait, I should back up. I should tell you what my ad said.

Now, I can't remember EXACTLY what it said (remember, several beers), but it said something like . . .

SWF - 30 year old female. 5'4", 102 lbs (yeah, it was YEARS ago) blonde/blue girl-next-door type looking for SWM. Age 25-45 (I'm an open minded woman when it comes to age) 6 ft. +, 220+ lb, must be educated and have sense of humor. Dark hair/eyes preferred. East Coast/Chicago accents preferred. Looking for "casual dating"

Ok, "casual dating" was the best term I could come up for what I really wanted. I didn't think they would allow what I really wanted to be printed in the local paper. (Cover your eyes Dad)

First of all, my roommate laughed at calling myself the girl-next-door type. She didn't think that fit me at all. But, when pressed for a better adjective, she couldn't come up with one. I was going for the "average" type but didn't want to use that word.

What did I get from my ad?

The first guy called. He seemed ok. He wanted to meet that evening at the Starbucks just off of Kirkwood. I didn't have anything better to do . . . so I beautified myself and went to town. I HATE Kirkwood, but I thought it might be worth it. Was I wrong.

I had a cup of tea and we chatted for a while. He seemed pretty dumb, but seemed harmless.

He asked me at one point if I was a smoker. I figured this was a deal breaker but answered truthfully. He said he could tell because I was starting to bounce my leg.

He offered me the chance to walk around downtown with him so that I could smoke. Excuse me, but smokers don't tend to like to take walks. But, I agreed because I wanted to talk a little more and really needed the cigarette.

We ended up at the Irish Lion by a very long route. He stopped and asked if I would like to go in and have a drink. I felt that I could surely use one at that point.

We go in and sit down. I ordered a beer . . . and he orders water. Did I forget to mention that he's a "personal trainer"? I think I did.

I asked him why he wasn't having a drink and he said he didn't ruin his body by drinking and smoking. Oh Lord.

So, we continued to talk for a bit and then decided it was getting late. He kind of acted like he wanted to give me a kiss but I had already warned him that I didn't kiss on the first date.

Close your eyes Dad . . . unless, of course, we ended up knocking boots on the first date . . . but he and I didn't.

So, he asked if he could see me again. I thought it was pointless but I agreed. He said he would take me out on Thursday of that week for dinner.

I went home and told my roommate how it went. She gave me a hard time for agreeing to a second date. My other roommate had company and they asked who I had gone out with. When I told them his name, they said they had went to school with him and he was an idiot and somewhat psycho.

FANTASTIC!

I was really dreading going out to dinner that week. He called me just a few hours before the date and said that he had to go do something for him mom but asked if he could call me later to reschedule. I was relieved that he cancelled but reluctantly agreed that he could call me.

He never did . . . thank goodness.

Ok, this went on longer than I thought. And the other story is long too . . . so I will post about it later on.

It involves a secret phone call from a bar bathroom . . . it's really funny.

Zero Tolerance for bullshit

2008-07-21T16:21:00.003-04:00

That's where I am right now.

I have had it up to my ears with bullshit . . . and I'm done with it.

I'm done with it at work . . . I'm done with it with my friends . . . but most importantly, I'm done with it when it comes to dealing with family.

If you can't play nice . . . I'll play with myself. Ok, that was funny, you have to admit it. And, it made me smile a little bit.

I'm just in a rotten mood and it's not going to get any better until I get off my butt and do something about it.

Life has taken over . . .

2008-07-20T09:27:00.002-04:00

Someone once said that "Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans."

I think that's especially true this last week.

It has been absolutely crazy this last week at work. I don't like to go into details about work here (because this is a personal blog), but we had to let someone go which turned out to be a week long process. And, I had to pick up some extra tasks because of it. Tasks I had not done before or had not done in a long time. So, I had to read the instruction manual each time I wanted to do something. It will be ok though. I'll limp along until my co-worker (who is on maternity leave) comes back and takers back over.

Anyway, that means I haven't had much time to THINK about blogging let alone do it.

But, Scott and Wyatt are at Menard's. So, I have a few extra minutes.

It's 9:30 (I didn't get up until 7 because I was so tired) and I've got a load in the washer. The dishwasher is ready to go as soon as the washer is done. There's another load of clothes and dishes waiting.

The boys have been fed. I got Wyatt ready to go to town with Scott.

I've showered . . . that was a nice, peaceful shower with no one else in the house.

And, I need to put a roast in the slow cooker and start some homemade yeast rolls.

I'm also going to try to make a loaf of apple cinnamon bread for Trina and maybe some cinnamon rolls for work again.

I'd also like to find some time to get in the pool again.

It's finally up, filled and stabilized with the chemicals. YAY!

Ok, so, since I've complained this whole post, I'll stay on the topic.

There are some people down the road who have yard art that drives me insane. It's a gorilla. Yup, that's what I said.

Not only is it stupid, but sometimes they put hats (or a mask at Halloween) on it.

They've also recently put their house up for sale. I hope they take the gorilla with them when they go.

And the answer is . . .

2008-07-18T11:38:00.003-04:00

"What is a garden, Alex."

Yup, that pile of dirt was a garden.

I need a car with Auto Pilot

2008-07-14T08:51:00.003-04:00

My car has cruise control. And, I have been using it a lot the last month in order to make sure I don't speed in the construction zone on 37 and get some monster ticket.

But, it dawned on me this morning that what I really need is auto pilot.

With over an hour drive each way (by the time I drop off/pick up Wyatt, a significant part of my day gets eaten up in an unproductive way.

Seriously, think of the things I could do if I had auto pilot.

1. I could answer emails on my Blackberry. I already tend to read them while driving, but try to avoid answering them.
2. I could make up my "to do" list for the day.
3. I could get some general reading done.
4. I could update my blog, MySpace page and FaceBook.
5. I could take a nap.

But, no, I have to watch the road while driving. Bummer.

Meet Bob . . .

2008-07-12T14:37:00.004-04:00

For those of you who don't see me on a regular basis, you may not have met Bob. Bob is my Blackberry. I named him Bob because he's my battery-operated-boyfriend.

I got him in January so that I could combine a pda and my cell phone into one item.

I never dreamed that I would love him as much as I do. I spend quality time with Bob.

The reason I bring him up today is because I was thinking how quiet he is today.

I managed to leave the house this morning around 10 with only 2 false starts.

The first was that I got in the car and realized my smokes were in the house. So, back in I went.

Then, when I got almost to the access road to get on the highway, I realized my debit card was at home.

So, I turned around and got it. I was trying to hurry because I wanted to get to Wendy's in time to have a breakfast burrito. They are soooooo yummy!

I DID manage to make it there just before they stopped serving breakfast.

Then, I went to the John Deer dealership and got Scott a new hat. I hope he likes it . . . I really love it.

Next was the library. I was dreading going because I hate driving downtown and there's never any parking.

BUT, there was a spot as soon as I pulled in. How great is that? I wanted to pick up some books by a specific author. I've read a couple of her books and really liked them. Now, I don't tend to go to the fiction section of the library, so it took me a few minutes to find what I was looking for.

As I scooped up two of her books, I had a rumbly in my tumbly as Pooh would say. A LOUD rumbly. And, it didn't mean I was hungry. I put the books back and hightailed it to the bathroom.

When I got to the bathroom, there was only one other woman in there. Now, I don't like to poop in public bathrooms, but I felt this couldn't wait.

JUST as I sat down, the bathroom suddenly filled up with women. So much for that . . . I'm too shy of a pooper.

So, I went back out, got the two books I wanted, logged onto FaceBook to find a few authors I thought I would be interested in and got some of their books too.

On the way to checkout, I realized that our library now has a self-checkout. I thought I would give it a try. It was really easy and handy.

At that point, I thought I might go over to the office and use that bathroom since I still needed to go to Kroger and Wal-Mart. But, after fighting Kirkwood traffic again, I decided I would go home to go to the bathroom (praying that I would make it) and then just go to Martinsville and go to Wal-Mart. I couldn't go to Kroger in Martinsville because they are still flooded from last month. I would just have to buy my groceries at Wal-Mart. And, I needed to go to Wal-Greens to pick up a prescription anyways.

I made it home in time and headed to Martinsville. It took me FOREVER to get all of the stuff I needed and the cart was totally full. The air-conditioning wasn't working right and I was sweating by the time I got to the checkout.

And then it happened. I didn't have the checkbook or debit card that I needed. The debit card I had was for an account I keep minimal money in and didn't have enough in it for $190 worth of stuff that I bought.

I was freaking out because I knew my checkbook had been in my car. So, they cancelled my order, took my cart to the service desk and told me to come back to the service desk if I found my checkbook.

I sprinted out to the car and found it. Then, I sprinted back in and they just entered the order number and it re-rang my order up all at once.

By the time I got all of the stuff in the car, I was downright miserable.

I went to Wal-Greens and they didn't have my allergy prescription because it's not made anymore! Oh well, I picked up a Mountain Dew and some cashews for Scott for tomorrow.

By the time I got home from Martinsville, it was 2 on the dot. So, I had spent 4 hours running errands.

I got the groceries in the house and put away and took a 10 minute break to cool down. Did I forget to mention that I took my pants off to put away the groceries? It was just too hot . . . but I'm sure it was a funny sight.

So, now the errands are all run, the groceries are put away, the sheets are in the wash and I'm about ready to start making that cheesecake.

I'm excited to see how it will turn out. While it's baking, I'll unload the dishwasher and work on cleaning my kitchen.

Whew! What a day! I just want to take a nap but I still have too many things to do.

Isn't my life exciting . . . NOT!

And the marathon begins again!

2008-07-12T09:03:00.000-04:00

Why does every weekend feel like a marathon?

I always have a ton of chores that need done and someone or something always seems to get in the way.

Scott is working most of today and then he is going to register for a fishing tournament that he will be in tomorrow.

Luckily, Aunt BB is coming to pick up Wyatt for a few hours so that I can get into town and get some shopping done. I HAVE to go today because I need to get stuff that Scott needs for tomorrow.

Wyatt's bag is packed . . . For the second time since he unpacked it once for me. He just needs a diaper change and to put his shoes on. Right now, he's watching Sponge Bob.

Last night he used the potty chair twice again.

I think it's time to put pull-ups on him during the day. Maybe we are taking another step forward?

So, today's to do list:

1. Grocery store
2. Wal-Mart
3. Wash sheets
4. Fold laundry
5. Upload more pics to Face Book
6. Unload and reload dishwasher
7. Change the light bulb in. Wyatt's tractor night light
8. Buy a new hat for Scott (story about it later)
9. Clean my kitchen
10. Go to the library
11. Shop for a new digital camera for Scott's parents. Apparently, my old one that I gave them is acting up again.

That should keep me busy today.

The Porno Chicken

2008-07-11T14:46:00.004-04:00

Yup, that's what I said.

The Easter Bunny (Bawk, Bawk) brought Wyatt a basket of goodies on Easter.

One of the things he left Wyatt was this rubber chicken that you squeeze and it squeaks . . . think like a doggie chew toy kind of thing.

I have dubbed it the porno chicken because of the way it's mouth is open . . . it looks like a blow up doll.

See for yourself.

And, I think I am going to have to start collecting rubber chicken things.

I had one at my last job that someone gave me for Christmas. It was the stress ball version of the rubber chicken. Unfortunately, someone poked a whole in it's taint and it leaked these tiny little plastic beads out every time you squeezed it.

As I was getting ready to post this, I had a thought . . . maybe men who use the condoms in the previous post could use the porno chicken for their self-pleasureing needs.

At the Bigfoot

2008-07-11T14:26:00.003-04:00

Ok, so those of you who know me well, know I stop at the BP on highway 37, north of Bloomington, pretty much at LEAST once a day.

Altho it is now BP Gas and Circle K Convenience Mart, I still refer to it as the Bigfoot since that is what it was when I started going there years ago.

So, much of what happens in my life refers back to the Bigfoot.

I've seen a truck catch on fire, people go into convulsions, people fighting . . . all kinds of things.

The other day I needed some medication on the way home. My sinuses were driving me insane. So, I stopped at the Bigfoot.

As I am looking thru that section, I see lots of things that I find funny or curious. I'll get to those eventually, but here's the one I was to talk about today.

Condoms.

First of all, who HAS to buy a condom at the gas station? I can't figure out for the life of me why someone would need to do so. But, that's neither here nor there.

What got me was one of the kinds that I saw. Keep in mind I wasn't shopping for them, but this one just jumped out at me.

I desperately wanted to take a picture with my Blackberry, but thought that would look odd even for me. I mean, can you imagine the look on someone's face as they see me taking a picture of condoms at the gas station?

So, I came home and looked them up on the internet. First, I had the brand name wrong, so it took some research.

But, here's the information on the www.lifestyles.com website for this particular item.
LifeStyles®
Snugger Fit

Designed to deliver the added stimulation and natural feeling you crave.
Ultra sensitive with a unique, natural feeling shape.
Lubricated for extra glide and enhanced sensation.
Natural color and odor free.
Convenient 3-count pack.

Ok, there are several things that I am wondering about this:

1. Who is man enough to go buy a "snugger" condom. To me, this equates a man with a small . . . well, you know. Now, I'm not disriminating against those size-challened penises . . . or is it peni? But, you have to be pretty ok with yourself to do this. I think I would just order them off the internet.

2. What the hell is a "unique, natural feeling shape"? If it's natural feeling, what's unique about it?

3. Odor free? Come on, it's RUBBER . . . rubber has a smell to it. And if it doesn't, the lubricant surely would.

4. Convenient 3 pack. What number in a pack is inconvenient? 1,000? And I read into this that you only need 3 because, unless you are particularly talented with that tiny willy, 3 would last you 3 women . . . get my drift?

5. And again, who the hell is buying condoms from the gas station?

My Cup Was Runneth Over

2008-07-11T14:05:00.002-04:00

Well, not mine . . . and it wasn't run over.

But, a travel mug WAS sitting in the middle of the highway at the intersection of Hwy 37 and Tapp Road today.

The picture isn't great, because I was trying to turn left and watch traffic . . . and take a picture of the cup all at the same time. It's a wonder I don't wreck more often.

The Little (and Simple) Things

2008-07-09T16:50:00.002-04:00

The other day I needed to buy stamps. I cannot tell you the last time I bought stamps. I usually do everything online . . . or use the meter at work and throw my change in the bucket.

But, I had to have some and I wasn't at work.

I just bought a book. Who knows how long it will take me to go thru 20 stamps.

But, as I looked at them today, I couldn't help but smile. They are a little (and simple) thing, but make me nostalgic.

I hate to write letters, but love to send cards. I love to include a picture with the card.

It made me think . . . what was life like before ATM's? I remember when ATM's were new and scary. But, I guess you had to remember to get cash out of the bank before it closed for the weekend?

And, it's been years since I have bought a roll of film. With a digital camera, I take way more pictures than I used to. And, they are easier to organize on the computer rather than sit in a drawer. But, there was always something exciting about picking up your prints and wondering what they would look like.

Now, I can share my pictres instantly with family, friends, the whole world because of the internet.

So, with change has come some great things . . . but sometimes I miss the little and simple things . . . like stamps.

Oh, and I'm a genius again . . . being in the shower is one of the few alone moments I have each day.

Today I thought of something amazing . . . why don't they have solar recharge panels on cell phones like they do on calculators? Surely we have the technology now?

Is that super-smart or what? How many times have you had to rush home or to the car to plug in your cell phone? This way, just the light in your office or home could power it . . . duh!

And I miss the little devil

2008-07-09T14:38:00.001-04:00

So, today, I am back at work. I was relieved this morning to be back at work and into the old routine.

But, you know what? It just hit me that I miss him today. How sad is that? For two days I've complained because he's hung all over me . . . and now I can't wait to go pick him up.

I have no life.

A common theme

2008-07-09T08:41:00.002-04:00

So, I have decided there is a common theme going on in my life . . . not getting things done.

Yesterday started out great. Although I got up late, I DID get Wyatt to the church down the road to hand off him off to his grandparents.

Then, I ran up to Wal-Green's and got my presicription picked up.

I came home and started the long (and tedious) process of uploading pictures and video.

Then, as I was getting ready to blog for the day, Scott called and said he wanted to me to come into town and have lunch with him.

So, I went into town and had lunch. I had just gotten home and started on a project that he needed me to do and Nana called. Wyatt was running a really high fever and he wanted me to come get him.

I stopped at Wal-Green's and got some fever and cold medicine (including suppositories)and went and got him. On the way back from her house, I called the doctor and they got us in for an appointment.

By the time we got to the doctor, the suppository had done its job, but he was still feeling yucky.

The doctor said it was probably just a bug and to keep an eye on him.

I spent the rest of the evening taking care of Wyatt and not getting anything else done.

I was really disappointed that a day I had planned for just doing stuff around the house got derailed again.

Today, I am back at work. Not sure if I am glad or not. Lots of stuff to catch up on, but at least I don't have a cranky 2 year old hanging on me.

He seemed to feel a lot better this morning. He actually drank a whole cup of Gatorade and a whole cup of milk which I think was more than he drank ALL day yesterday.

And, I'm awake . . . again.

2008-07-07T23:11:00.004-04:00

This insomnia thing is driving me crazy.

Back to uploading pictures again, I guess.

Maybe this picture will put me in the mood:

I always like having people feel totally comfortable at my house, but sometimes it gets comical.

Wyatt went down for a nap one day, and Aunt BB fell asleep too. Note the chaos in the living room. Wyatt had been really playing hard prior to falling asleep.

Saved from the train wreck

2008-07-07T16:45:00.003-04:00

I'm not sure how I did it, but I managed to not let Scott being home derail all of my plans.

Dinner is almost ready. We're having pork roast, mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, homemade yeast rolls, deviled eggs and baked beans.

I also have chocolate chip & walnut cookies in the oven.

Wyatt's sheets are washed and his bed is remade.

Our sheets are washed, but I haven't made the bed yet.

Everything is laid out for Wyatt's evening routine when he gets home.

The laundry is all washed and dried, just not all folded again.

I have been uploading pictures all day to Facebook.

The trash has been taken out.

I need to scoop the kitty litter next.

I even did some billing for the construction company. Not a bad day at all.

My plan of action has been derailed

2008-07-07T11:41:00.003-04:00

I was moving along pretty decent . . . and then it happened.

Scott came home to hook up the plow to the truck and deliver the truck to the guy who bought it.

And, then he said he was done working for the day.

I'm sure I won't get much more accomplished.

But, I DID get the bathroom cleaned, took out the trash, did a load of laundry, washed the sheets (they are in the dryer right now), unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher, cleaned my stove top, cleaned my counter top in the kitchen, transferred one of my prescriptions to WalGreens and asked to have it refilled, restocked the bottled water in the refrig., put extra toilet paper in the bathroom, and started the rolls.

We'll see if I get much more done.

I am happy to say that the woman took all 4 of the geese, not just the 2 we promised to replace. So, the geese are gone from my yard. YAY!

A TRUE Day Off

2008-07-07T08:53:00.004-04:00

So, today is a TRUE day off.

Scott is at work . . . for now.

Wyatt is with Aunt BB.

I have the house to myself.

I am (once again) hoping to get some things done.

I need to get some pictures uploaded.

I have some minor housework to get done.

The dishwasher is already running. I will start the washer once the wash cycle is done on the dishwasher.

Yesterday, I needed to pack a bag for Wyatt. I decided it would be easier to pack it from the clean clothes that had not yet been put away.

When Scott saw me (and the couch) starting thru the laundry, he said we should wait until Wyatt was gone to fold laundry.

My response?

I'm not really folding laundry.

I think this picture of the couch tells a different story.

She has stolen my heart!

2008-07-07T02:15:00.000-04:00

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I'm awake, might as well get something done

2008-07-07T00:49:00.001-04:00

I was completely exhausted today. I took about a 2 hour nap today while Scott watched Wyatt.

Then, when Aunt BB came to pick him up, I put him in the truck and came back in to lay down on the couch and watch tv.

Apparently, I fell asleep for another 2 and a half hours. Now, I can't sleep.

So, I thought I would update the blogs a little.

Good morning! i think.

2008-07-06T09:36:00.000-04:00

So, Wyatt didn't get up until about 7:30 this morning. That was good since we didn't get home until 11 last night. Wyatt was terrified of the fireworks. We actually were running so late getting to them that our friends called and said they were waiting to start them because of us. So, by the time we got there, I didn't have time to take any pictures of anyone. And, Wyatt was too scared to let me take any pictures during them.

He DID enjoy an orange Tweety Bird sucker tho. At one point, he decided to store it in my cleavage for safe keeping.

So, this morning I got up and fixed the boys some breakfast. They had hacon, eggs, fried potatoes and bread.

The washer has already run once and that load is in the dryer.

The dishwasher is running the first load of the day. I think there will be 3 loads.

The sheets need washed.

And I think I am really making the pork roast and cherry pie today.

Aunt BB and Big Al will pick him up today and he will spend the night and all day tomorrow with them.

Scott will probably go fishing with his cousin Pat.

And, I might actually get some things done today, maybe.

We're home, temporarily.

2008-07-05T20:00:00.000-04:00

So, we got to see the new niece. She is too cute for words. I will post pictures tomorrow.

The geese have arrived. We ended up having to take 4 if we wanted any of them. So now we have 2 spare geese.

And, we are off to a 4th of July party that got delayed yesterday.

I am already exhausted.

Today's the day!

2008-07-05T06:04:00.000-04:00

FINALLY! I am finally going to see my niece who was born in February. I have been up since 4:30 filled with anticipation.

Wyatt's bag is packed and he's dressed.

The two bags full of gifts (I bought the cutest set of barrettes yesterday too) are waiing by the back door.

I am dressed and ready to go. I even have a touch of makeup on.

The dryer is running.

I will start the dishwasher before we leave.

I keep sending Wyatt in to wake up Scott.

I am ready to go see that baby!

I will load pictures tonight or tomorrow. I can't wait!

It's a short trip . . .

2008-07-04T10:55:00.000-04:00

To driving me crazy.

Yesterday I managed to get the dishwasher run twice and get the laundry done.

I made the cinnamon rolls and took them in to work.

I also managed to get some other stuff done. I took a check to the bank for Scott to be deposited.

I stopped in at Big Lots and bought some presents for my niece that I will finally get to see tomorrow. I bought her several toys, 3 or 4 new outfits and a fluffy pink blanket. Of course, I got Wyatt a couple of toys and new outfits.

I ran a quick errand for Trina and I got a haircut.

I still felt like I didn't get as much done as I would have liked to.

This morning, Wyatt is driving me crazy. I think he's allergic to me sitting down or finishing any one task. Every time I sit down or start to get something done, he suddenly has to have something.

I did get the dishwasher unloaded and another load of laundry done. For five minutes, all the dishes were clean and put away.

Now I am making those yeast rolls to go with the pork roast . . . Finally.

Wyatt is busy using the Dustbuster to clean up a mess he made. When he finally goes down for a nap, I am going to look up a cherry pie recipe. And, I am going to finish making my shopping list.

The rain has stopped us from doing anything outside.I guess that means no more work will get done on getting the pool set up.

If his dad doesn't get home soon, he may have to pick me up at the loony bin.

Anyone have a Valium?

And I am off!

2008-07-03T08:51:00.002-04:00

It's nearly 9:00 and here's what the plans for today are:

1. Unload and reload the dishwasher - Done.
2. Laundry - It's washed, just have to put it in the dryer.
3. Fold laundry. - Not done yet.
4. Make cinnamon rolls for the girls at work today - Done. I am just letting the caramel glaze cool a little before I put it on them.
5. Have lunch with Trina.
6. Get my hair cut - the appt. is for 1:30.
7. Clean up my kitchen.

I have a feeling the cherries and yeast rolls will have to wait another day.

Scott talked to his Mama this morning. They are already in West Virginia. They seem to be fine so far.

I have a headache . . . as usual. And, my back and hip are giving me fits. But, I am not going to let that slow me down. I have too much I need to do today.

Wyatt is with Aunt BB today so I can get some work done.

If I had a nickel . . .

2008-07-02T19:49:00.003-04:00

for all the things I didn't get done today, I might be able to afford a gallon of gas.

I did get the dishwasher run, but only once.

I got one load of laundry done.

And, I picked up a prescription.

That pretty much sums up my day. The little monkey hung all over me most of the day.

He DID take a nap this afternoon, but I napped with him since he got me up at 4:30 am to start the day.

Since I mentioned that Wyatt went with his grandparents earlier in the week to see his great-grandma (Mimi), I thought I would include a picture of her from last year.

Scott's parents leave for Virginia at 3 am. I'm nervous about them going this year. I can't explain why, but I am worried sick.

Wyatt will spend the day with Aunt BB tomorrow so that I can go into town and get some stuff done.

I Am NO Martha Stewart!

2008-07-02T09:12:00.000-04:00

But, I am at home with Wyatt today so I might as well get some things done.

What's on my exciting agenda today?

Well, the dishwasher is running for the first time today. It will run at least once more.

I am making homemade rolls to go with the pork roast we're having for dinner.

I need to use up some cherries in my refrig too. Maybe I will make a cherry pie.

I will need to clean my kitchen after all of that.

I have laundry (as usual) to do.

And, if the child ever naps, I have plans to upload some pictures to facebook.

Exciting stuff.

Tomorrow is a different story. It IS packed.

Ok, so I am Ok, I think

2008-07-01T07:32:00.002-04:00

Ok. So, tomorrow, I start some vacation time. Nana & Poppy are going to Virginia which means I needed a babysitter.

I decided to take some time off instead.

I have lots of reports I need to do at work today. I have a few projects I need to either wrap up or move on to the next stage, but I THINK I am feeling ok with this. It's very hard for me to step away from my job for nearly a week. I love it and want everything to go just right. I know, there are things that are beyond my control, but I need to let it go.

So, I am ok, I think.

Things that I see as a good sign for the week to come:

1. Gas was down to $3.96 this morning and I needed to get it.
2. I get to see my new niece (born in February) on Saturday. I will take lots of pictures and load them. I can't wait to see her! I'm gonna cuddle and kiss on that little miracle.
3. We're getting a pool! Yup, a pool. I decided to buy an 18' x 4' pool. I will probably go get it this weekend.
4. I have time to try new recipes.
5. I'm having lunch with Trina on Thursday. How cool is that!
6. I think I'm going to go get my hair cut on Thursday.
7. Today is technically my Friday.
8. Hell's Kitchen is on tonight.

I know, they are small things, but they add up. I've learned to be thankful for those small moments.

So, I'm off to start work for the day. Hopefully, I will have time to get on here and blog tomorrow. We'll see.

I am a genius . . .

2008-06-30T19:43:00.002-04:00

Ok, I am a genius. Did I spell that right? Who cares!

At Christmas, I gave my digital camera to my in-laws because I won a new one (the one I had been coveting) at our company Christmas party.

Well, a few weeks ago, they called to say it wasn't working right. They gave it to me about a week ago (along with the book) and I piddled around with it but couldn't figure out what was wrong. It was set for Auto, but the screen was always black.

Being the Queen of Procrastination, I put off looking at it again until tonight. They need it by tomorrow evening. I promised them that if I didn't have it fixed by tomorrow morning, they could borrow mine for a week or so.

Well, it only took me about 10 minutes to think I had fixed it. I tested it three times. Sure enough, it is working again. Don't know what I did, or how I did it, but I am a genius.

Have you seen my routine?

2008-06-30T07:11:00.002-04:00

Seriously, I am looking for it. I was out of whack with Wyatt being gone this weekend. . . although I enjoyed it.

Last night, Nana called and said that they would pick up Wyatt at the church down our road because they were headed to Terre Haute to visit Wyatt's Great-Grandma this morning. So, I had to have Wyatt packed and ready to go and down the road by 6:00 am. We normally leave for Nana's at 6:20.

I managed to get Wyatt up and ready (but not myself) and in the car by 5:50 this morning. As I was strapping him in, Nana and Poppy pulled up and said they were running early and they thought they would just pick him up at our house. So, I got everything out of the car (including Wyatt) and transferred to their car.

I work Monday and Tuesday of this week. I might come in on Thursday, but I have Wednesday and Friday off.

Then, next week, I have Monday and possibly Tuesday off . . . depending on the babysitter situation.

My routine is destroyed.

So, if you see it, could you point it back home? And, ask it if it's found 2 white geese yet.

Life Without Wyatt . . . Again

2008-06-29T19:50:00.002-04:00

So, I left Wyatt at Nana's on Friday afternoon so that I could get some stuff done at home.

Saturday morning, we spent the morning together while Daddy worked. Then, when Scott got home, he said Aunt BB was coming to take Wyatt for a few hours.

So, I got up to pack a bag for the afternoon. The normal stuff, a change of clothes, a bottle of Gatorade, a handful of diapers and Bob-Bob.

Then, Aunt BB called to say she wanted him to spend the night. Back to repacking the bag. He now needed more than one change of clothes, some jammies, more Gatorade, more diapers, an extra sippy cup and Georgie (his favorite pillow) and one of his favorite blankets.

So, what did Scott and I do without Wyatt? We went to dinner with Toby and Cheryl. Then, we decided to go to Big Lots . . . we were bored. That turned into going to Lowe's, which turned into . . . you guessed it, going to Wal-Mart.

By the time we got home, it was after 9:30 . . . that's pretty late for us.

I expected that Wyatt would come home around noon today. Scott went fishing and I worked on my MySpace page. Not long before noon, Aunt BB called to say that she wanted to keep him until 3:30 or 4:00 because he was invited to a birthday party for one of her nieces.

I went back to my MySpace page, did some laundry, did some dishes, made some homemade cinnamon rolls. I went BACK to Wal-Mart to do my actual shopping. It was nerve-wracking. I really didn't want to leave the house to start with. I decided to go at noon . . . it was really busy and lots of crying kids.

I came home, made some more cinnamon rolls, worked on uploading more pictures . . . did some general chores around the house.

Just as I sat down to write my blog (about 5 hours ago), Scott wanted me to go get gas for the mower.

By the time I got back and was pouring the caramel sauce over the last batch of cinnamon rolls, Aunt BB showed up with Wyatt.

Poor guy. He was exhausted! And he was happy to see us. I fed a good dinner (he had worked up an appetite) and gave him a bath. He had two sippy cups of milk and fell asleep in my arms.

It was so sweet . . . and he smelled so good. It was hard for me to put him in his crib.

HE DID IT!

2008-06-25T21:51:00.004-04:00

So, for the last couple of months, I have been trying to introduce Wyatt to the potty chair.

He really likes to take his shorts off, take his diaper off and sit on the potty chair for two seconds.

Then, he wants you to put the diaper back on, put his shorts back on . . . and he starts the process all over again.

So, I had put the potty chair away thinking that it wasn't time yet. I am trying not to push him.

This week, I brought the potty chair back out and put it in the bathroom. We have been talking about it when we go in the bathroom. We talk about how big boys use it and Daddy uses the even bigger one because he is all grown up.

Tonight, a miracle happened.

I was getting him undressed for his bath and he showed a little interest in the potty. So, I sat him down on it. He quickly got up and wandered around our VERY small bathroom for a few seconds and then announced, "Pee Pee" and started peeing on the floor. I grabbed a hold of him and got him to the potty chair and he finished by standing up in front of it.

I was so excited. I laughed and clapped and told him what a big boy he was. He was very excited too.

So, he got in the bath and then announced "Pee Pee" again. He scrambled out of the tub, positioned himself in front of the potty chair (with my help) and peed some more.

I know, it's just the first step and we're sure to take steps backwards, but it's exciting.

After he got out of the bath, he sat down on it again for a just a few seconds.

I never thought this day would come.

Things that make you go hmmmmm . . .

2008-06-25T13:22:00.002-04:00

Ok, so there are multiple things wrong with this picture but I am eating the Schwan's version of Dippin' Dots for lunch.

A. I don't eat ice cream.
B. One shouldn't eat ice cream for lunch.
C. On the bottom of the front of the cup it says:
"To maximize your eating pleasure, grasp cup in the Hold Zone."

WARNING!

2008-06-24T08:27:00.002-04:00

Ok, this was pointed out to me by a friend. I absolutely love it!

© The Journal of Irreproducible Results, vol. 20, #3, March 1974, pages 22-23.
National Geographic, the Doomsday Machine
George H. KaubPollution of many types and kinds is currently paramount in the public mind. Causes and solutions are being loudly proclaimed by all of the media, politicians, public agencies, universities, garden clubs, industry, and churches, ad infinitum. Pollution runs the spectrum from the air we breathe and the water we drink to the soil we till, as well as visual and audio pollution, and in recent years, pollution of outer space from junk exploration hardware.

These threats to our environment, our health and our mental wellbeing are real and with us, but not nearly as immediately catastrophic or totally destructive as the disaster which imminently faces this nation and menace of monstrous proportions can be likened only to the entire country resting on a gargantuan San Andreas fault. Earthquakes, hurricanes, mud slides, fire, famine, and atomic war all rolled into one hold no greater destructive power than this incipient horror which will engulf the country in the immediate and predictable future.

This continent is in the gravest danger of following legendary Atlantis to the bottom of the sea. No natural disaster, no overpowering compounding of pollutions or cataclysmic nuclear war will cause the end. Instead, a seemingly innocent monster created by man, nurtured by man, however as yet unheeded by man, will doom this continent to the watery grave of oblivion.

But there is yet time to save ourselves if this warning is heeded.

PUBLICATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE MUST BE IMMEDIATELY STOPPED AT ALL COSTS! This beautiful, educational, erudite, and thoroughly appreciated publication is the heretofore unrecognized instrument of doom which must be erased if we as a country or continent will survive. It is NOT TOO LATE if this warning is heeded!

According to current subscription figures, more than 6,869,797 issues of the National Geographic magazine are sent to subscribers monthly throughout the world. However, it would be safe to say that the bulk of these magazines reach subscribers in the United States and Canada, and it is, and never has been, thrown away! It is saved like a monthly edition of the Bible. The magazine has been published for over 141 years continuously, and countless millions if not billions of copies have been innocently yet relentlessly accumulating in basements, attics, garages, public and private institutions of learning, the Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution, Good Will, and Salvation Army stores, and heaven knows where else. Never discarded, always saved. No recycling, just the horrible and relentless accumulation of this static vehicle of our doom!

National Geographic averages approximately 2 pounds per issue. Since no copies have been discarded or destroyed since the beginning of publication, it can be readily seen that the accumulated aggregate weight is a figure that not only boggles the mind, but is imminently approaching the disaster point. That point will be the time at which the geologic substructure of the country can no longer support the incredible load, and subsidence will occur. Gradually at first, but then relentlessly accelerating as rock formations are compressed, become plastic and begin to flow, great faults will appear.

The logical sequence of events is predictable. First will come foundation failures and gradual sinking of residences and public buildings in which the magazine has been stored. As these areas depress the earth, more and more structures will topple and sink until whole towns and cities will submerge, then larger and larger land masses. This chain reaction will accelerate until the entire country has fallen below the level of the sea and total inundation will occur.

The areas of higher subscription density, affluence and wealth, will be the first to go, followed by institutions, middle class, urban, and ghetto areas in that order, with the relatively unpopulated plains and mountains finally sinking into the sea.

We have been warned of this impending calamity by a seeming increase in so-called natural disasters throughout the country, as well as isolated occurrences striking areas heretofore immune to natural destruction:

Increase in earthquake activity in California has been triggered by population growth and the subsequent increase in National Geographic subscriptions and accumulations of heavy masses of the magazine. This gradual increase in weight has caused increased activity along the San Andreas fault.
Earthquakes in the Denver area were not caused by pumping of wastes into wells at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, but by accumulation of National Geographic magazines by more and more people as the population increased over the years.
Sinking of several coal-mining towns throughout the country can only be attributed to the increase in workers benefits and pay increases, allowing them to subscribe to and hoard National Geographic.
Mud slides in California, which have brought destruction to hundreds of homes built on the hillsides, were triggered by the final straw in the form of the last delivery into these areas of National Geographic to subscribers and hoarders.
The list is endless. The warnings are clear.

The time grows short and we must act at once if this calamity is to be averted. The National Geographic must cease publication at once, if necessary by Congressional action or Presidential edict.

Redneck News

2008-06-23T08:28:00.003-04:00

So, I listen to Hank FM (97.1 out of Indpls) on a regular basis. They play all of kinds of country music and their morning team of Wank & O'Brien can't be beat for humor.

This morning, they did a news story that caught my attention. It was about a 265 lb woman at a dollar store.

Apparently, someone cut in line in front of her. So, she handed her 8 month old baby over to a store employee and proceeded to pull the hair out of the woman who cut in front of her and choke her. Then, when the cops showed up, she bit one of the cops.

Wank & O'Brien pointed out that there was one element wrong with the story to keep it from being a TRUE redneck story. Can you guess the element?

I guessed it right away.

She handed her baby over to a store employee. A TRUE redneck woman can do ANYTHING with a baby on her hip. I speak from experience.

Wyatt is back.

2008-06-22T11:59:00.003-04:00

So, Aunt BB brought Wyatt back around lunch yesterday. He and I spent the afternoon together until we both fell asleep.

Today, Daddy is at a fishing tournament. Right now, Wyatt is napping on the couch.

So, I am cooking like a maniac as usual. We are having meatloaf with carrots and new red potatoes and homemade yeast rolls. I haven't decided what we will have for dessert yet.

I am also trying to catch up on my blogs and work on my class list for my reunion.

The dishwasher, washer and dryer are all calling my name. I also need to fold laundry and take the trash out.

Sometimes, I think the cycle is neverending, but it's better than being on the wrong side of the grass, I suppose.

Life WITHOUT Wyatt

2008-06-21T08:14:00.002-04:00

So, Wyatt had his first sleepover this week. He spent Tuesday night at his Nana and Papa Davis' house.

Scott and I took advantage of it and went out to a nice dinner with some friends. We did call and check on him several times though.

Yesterday, Aunt BB stopped by and decided she was going to take him with her for a few hours. Then, the next thing I know, she was hunting down pj's and supplies because she wanted him for the night.

I put him in the truck with BB, Al, Jesse and Ronald and kissed him goodbye.

Then, I watched a little tv while Scott puttered around in the garage.

Around 6:30, we decided to go to Wal-Mart and pick up some stuff. BB called while we were there because Wyatt wanted to talk to me on the phone. It was so cute!

So, I'm not sure when BB will bring him back today, but I'm living the life of luxury this morning without a 2 year old hanging on me.

What are my plans for today? They're exciting . . .

Wash clothes
Wash sheets
Color my hair
Buy myself a new pocket knife
Make banana bread for BB and the boys
Pick up my living room
Return some shorts that Scott bought last night that didn't fit.

I told you it was an exciting day. What more could a girl want?

This morning, as I was sitting on the porch having a smoke, I caught a squirrel trying to break into the bird feeder.

Well, that's it for now. I had better get to my exciting "to do" list.

WANTED: 2 ADULT WHITE GEESE

2008-06-20T21:17:00.001-04:00

Ok, this is a weird way to start a blog post. But, when I sat down this evening to say what was on my mind, this is what popped up.

Last week one of our subcontractors ran over a client's geese and we now have to replace them.

So, I am desperately searching for 2 adult white geese. Sex is unimportant, though I would prefer you wouldn't take your perverted fetishes out on birds.

If you know of somewhere where I can these geese, please get in touch with me. We are willing to pay cash.

The Mazda's brush with death

2008-06-19T12:54:00.002-04:00

Ok, so I am a huge fan of Mazdas. The 1997 Protege that I have right now is my third Mazda. And, I am always bragging on the gas mileage (31 mpg) and that it never needs anything except basic maintenance.

Memorial Day weekend, the AC quit working. We assumed that it just needed charged. Nope, the compressor went out. So, I cussed, but decided it could wait a while to be fixed since my sister-in-law has my Blazer.

Well, this morning I heard an awful squeal coming from one of my belts and then it popped. Oh yeah. The serpentine belt broke. Luckily, I have a two belt system in my car, so I could still drive it. But, that meant no power steering either. I had forgotten what it was like to drive without power steering. The last car I had like that was the Miata and it was so small that you didn't need power steering.

I managed to get it over to the mechanic's and get in to work on time.

My sister-in-law brought my Blazer in and dropped it off.

But, I am sad that I'm finally having to fix something on the Mazda. I had planned on replacing the belt this fall.

Oh well. I should have the Mazda back by next Tuesday. Until then, I'll be driving the gas-guzzling monster of a Blazer.

It's a good thing I'm not a tree-hugger. Maybe I should start running them over with the Blazer?

The Attention Span of a Gnat

2008-06-17T16:32:00.003-04:00

Some might say I have a short attention span. I say, "There's no way I have . .. oh look! There's a chicken!".

Now, where was I?

Oh, right smack dab in the middle of this diagram.

Boo Boo and the Stink ... I mean Pink Eye

2008-06-17T08:13:00.004-04:00

Yes, it's confirmed. Baby Boo Boo has pink eye. Fantastic right?

I knew something was going on the last few days, but yesterday I had reason to believe that he might have Pink Eye.

So, I called the ped on the way home ...I was on hold 20 minutes. And, we went over his symptoms and they confirmed that it was Pink Eye. They said there was no reason to bring him into town and pay $50. They called a prescription in to our pharmacy and I went and picked it up.

And, tonight is the first night that Wyatt will sleepover at someone else's house. He is staying with Nana & Poppy Davis tonight.

Am I worried? Yes. Why? I know I'll miss him . . . and what if he keeps my in-laws up all night?

I'm trying to breathe and know that this is a natural part of life. But, how does any parent do it?

Tis the Season

2008-06-17T08:02:00.003-04:00

Tis the season for my allergy and sinus issues.

As I struggled with a sinus and ear infection this weekend, I wondered why I always look forward to Spring so much.

Today, on the way to work, it dawned on me.

Construction workers! They make my day. Nothing like a man in a hard hat and work boots.

Ok, this is not one of them I actually saw . . . but it proves the point, right?

Code Blue at Wal-Mart

2008-06-12T20:22:00.006-04:00

So, I'm at Wal-Mart today because I have a hankering for frozen egg rolls.

I find a few other things I need and start meandering thru the store to the checkout.

Suddenly, over the intercom I hear, "Attention Customers and Wal-Mart Associates, this is a Code Blue."

I thought it was kind of weird and wondered what a Code Blue was, but kept going towards the checkout.

About 2 minutes later, the voice comes back on over the intercom (as I see employees running around like chickens with their heads cut off) and says "Attention Customers and Wal-Mart Associates, this is a Code Blue. We are evacuating the building. Please walk calmly to the front of the store and exit the building."

As an employee goes by me I asked her what a Code Blue was.

She told me it was a bomb threat.

The guy next to me insists that the cashier should ring up the one thing he wanted to buy. When she told him no, he told her he was going to go buy it at another store.

Have you ever seen 200 cars leaving a Wal-Mart parking lot at the same time?

Jesus and the middle finger

2008-06-10T20:12:00.000-04:00

So, I have 16 (I think, at last count) nephews and nieces. They range from in their 20's to just born in February. There are 6 girls and 10 boys.

So, one of my nephews (who will be in 4th grade this fall) hurt his middle finger on his left hand. When I asked him to show me which finger hurt, he did. But, not in the naughty way. He pointed it down, not up.

His brother (who will be in 2nd grade this fall) yelled, "It's his flip off finger!".

His mother got after him for saying that. That's not the funny part.

Ronald (the 2nd grader) then informed us that there was nothing wrong with saying that because that finger is what Jesus gave it to us for.

I laughed out loud. I'm not sure where they got that from. They're not exactly religious.

Kids . . . what are you going to do with them?