The Mamma Has Spoken

I Knew I Should Have Ran Faster!

2012-01-26T19:04:00.001-05:00

Damn, Val tagged me in her post. Then she posted on my blog about it.
Hum, guess she doesn't know that I don't play these games very well. Heck, I've received blog awards in the past and I never accept them because I just don't do these rule thingies well.
Sigh, she's right though, I've been gone from the blog world for a couple of weeks. Though I have commented on several of my favorite blogs so that counts doesn't it?
Oh well I can't complain too much because it does give me something to blog about.
So, hum, guess I need to post the rules:
Rules:
~Post these rules.
~You must post 11 random things about yourself.
~Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post.
~Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
~Go to their blog and tell them that you've tagged them.
~No stuff in the tagging section about "you are tagged if you are reading this." Legitimately tag 11 people!!

Val, I'm warning you know, I never play games by their rules. Some rules are meant to be broken.

OK I am suppose to tell 11 random things about myself.

Crap.

Random.

Guess I can do this. My mind is totally random this time of night.

1) I can curl my tongue. I can also make clicking sounds with it by bouncing the bottom of my tongue on the roof of my mouth. Comes in handy when I want to make cricket sounds.

2) I became a speech therapist by mistake. I was wanting to be an occupational therapist but thanks to a really bad high school guidance counselor I applied for the wrong thing. By the time I figured it out, I decided I liked it and gave it a try.

3) I hate Starbucks coffee. I love coffee but not theirs. It's too bitter for my taste.

4) If it lived in the water, I won't eat it. There is NO sea food that I like. None. I find it too gross.

5) I grew up in a family that believed that if you killed it, you eat it. I have eaten almost every creature there might be living in the woods including frog, turtle, squirrel, rabbit, deer, wild boar. Now as an adult, I can't.

6) Because of #5, I can skin small animals and tan their hides.

7) I have been to Paris. No, not Paris Kentucky, but Paris, France. Granted I was a poor college student and didn't speak a word of French ~~and I spent the whole time drunk because wine was the cheapest thing to drink,~~ but it was a wonderful trip and would do it again in a heartbeat.

8) Speaking of travel, I have seen all of the USA east of the Mississippi River by it's waterways. My parents owned a HUGE boat and they would take us on trips viva the rivers, lakes and ocean.

9) I've walked down Bourbon Street in New Orleans as a teenager and watched my younger brother get proposition by a 'professional lady'. My parents were too busy laughing about it to take offensive or do anything else about it. It's one of our favorite family stories!

10) I love to speed. Seriously, put me in the car and I have a hard time staying within the speed limit. I think that's why I love driving in Georgia and Alabama because you can do 80 and it's legal.

11) I have grown my hair long enough to donate to Locks of Love three times. Each time I do it in memory of my mother who died of cancer.

Now for Val's questions:

1) What was the name of your favorite pet growing up? I don't remember their names but I had a pet squirrel and possum as a child. Those were great pets until the squirrel fell into a pan of bacon grease and while cleaning it we found out it had fleas. My mom then wouldn't let us keep ANY pets in the house.

2) Have you ever been arrested and why? Nope never been arrested. However I have been pulled over three times: once for expired plates, once for what the police officer called a 'cheesy stop' and once for speeding. I talked my way out of a ticket each time.

3) What was the name of your kindergarten teacher? I'm so old, they didn't have kindergarten when I went to school. However, I had NINE first grade teachers. The first one only lasted the first day of school. I remember her sitting at her desk with her head on it, crying.

4) If you only had an avocado, cream cheese and chocolate bar, what would you do with them? I would pretend that I was on the show 'Chopped' and make ONE dish out of the three.

5) How many cars have you owned in your lifetime? Too many to count! I'm famous for once I pay off a car, I buy a new one. I don't like driving a car that might break down mainly because that's what I drove for the first five years I could drive and vowed that if I had the money, it would never happen again. Nothing worse than being stranding on a highway with a broken down car....

6) Are you on a diet? Of course, isn't everyone?

7) Do you drink pop and if so, what kind is your favorite? I gave up pop (soda in some areas) several years ago. I rarely drink it now, too many empty calories, but if I do, I never drink the same thing.

8) What kind of cell phone do you own? if any? I own a pre-paid android. I love using the internet on it ~~when I am in meetings!~~

9) What size shoe do you wear? Boat size, enough said.

10) Do you decorate for Valentine's Day? I decorate for EVERY holiday.

11) Do you have your summer vacation planned already? This summer is hubby's and mine thirtieth wedding anniversary. We are planning to take a big trip with the family to celebrate.

Now I am suppose to tag 11 people and ask them 11 questions. This is where I say I'm too tired of running and chasing Val to do this.
Told you I don't play by the rules........

There's A Cat In The Freezer

2012-01-06T08:05:00.000-05:00

Last night I was watching a new show on Animal Planet call American Stuffers. As I laid in bed, laughing at the premise of the show, my mind wander back to a good friend of mine who would have been perfect for this show if it had happen a good 10 years ago.
Let me tell you about Susan.
Both Susan and I lost dear pets around the same time one year. She came up to my house to share a drink and hear my story about how my dog died at the vets office. Mike claimed the body, took it to my family's farm, and dug a hole to bury Rusty in, making sure that it was deep enough so that other creatures couldn't make it a meal. A hard feat considering that the ground was frozen. I told her how I found comfort knowing that Rusty was buried next to Copper, another dear pet, and not in a land fill if I had left him at the vet.
"I know what you are saying, my cat died this week and I haven't buried her yet because the ground is too frozen to dig in." Susan informed me.
"I am so sorry Susan, I know you loved that cat!" I lied to her, ~~mainly because the cat was kept in her basement where it hardly had any human contact~~. "What did you do with it?"
"It's in my freezer."
I choked on my drink, "You have it where?"
"In my freezer. I tried digging a hole in the back yard but the ground was too hard. I couldn't leave it in the house because it would start to decay and I didn't want to leave it outside because I know the raccoons would eat it and I couldn't let that happen. So I put it in the freezer."
I asked about why she didn't put it in the garage, but I don't remember why.
"It's in my freezer, safe and sound, in a Market day pizza box. I will bury her in the spring when the ground isn't frozen."
We continued our chat and the cat was forgotten until one day in the summer, my son came home from playing at Susan's house.
"Mom did you know Susan has a dead cat in her freezer?"
I corrected him, "She HAD a dead cat in her freezer, she should have buried it by now."
"No mom it's still in there. Kyle and I were hungry so we went to the freezer to get something and when I said let's make a pizza, Kyle told me it wasn't pizza but the cat! I had to look in the box and sure enough, there was a dead cat in the pizza box!"
I giggled, thinking this was so Susan who has a tendency to procrastinate when it comes to unpleasant tasks. I gave her a call to offer help in digging the hole and holding a 'funeral' for her pet.
"Oh Bonnie, I'm not going to bury her, I'm going to have her mounted!"
Susan continues to tell me how she saw in a magazine where this person had their pet mounted and she wanted that for her cat.
"I want her to look like she is sleeping and I'm going to put her on my hearth, curled up on a pillow. I think it will look so cute and she will always be with me."
The problem with Susan's plan was she couldn't find a taxidermist willing to do a pet.
Oh we had plenty of taxidermist in the area. I live in one of the 'kill em, stuff em, eat em' states of the south. But none of the many would do pets. She made several calls, talked to them in person. She would get leads about another taxidermist only to find a dead end. Finally after several years, she found one hours away.
Problem was the cost.
Susan saved and saved and every time she got enough money together to get it done, something happen and the money was used for the emergency: repairs on a car, the house, the dryer, things that happen in life especially when you have kids.
And all along the cat was in the freezer, in the pizza box.
Fast forward 5+ years. Susan and I are talking and the subject about the dead cat comes up. She tells me it's still in the freezer, she's still trying to get the money together to get it mounted. But now she tells how her son is embarrassed about it and doesn't want her or anyone talking about it any more. Now up until now, it was a joke among our shared friends, even doing a 'fund raiser' for the cat. Unfortunately we didn't raise a lot and drank our profits..... So I forgot about the cat.
Recently, Susan and I were again at my kitchen table, talking. I brought up the subject about the cat.
"Oh it's gone." she informed me.
"Gone?" I said in a shocked voice. This dead cat had been a part of our relationship for the past +10 years.
"Gone. I took it to my friend's farm and bury it."
I asked her what happen to having it mounted. Turns out that by keeping the cat in the freezer for so long it became freezer burned. When she went to take it to have it mounted, the taxidermist told her there was nothing he could do with because of the freezer burn.
We made a little toast in memory of her cat.
Her cat that spent more time in her freezer than in her basement.
And this became one of my many Susan stories to tell.
So what about you, would you have your pet mounted once it dies?

Ramblings

2011-12-30T16:49:00.000-05:00

It's that time again, time to clean out the old brain. As one they don't make a post but put them together and you get........
I've been watching a lot of daytime tv recently especially those shows on the history channel. I can't help but make a few connections, insights as such on the programs. Take for instance American Pickers. They go to some of the most cluttered places one would ever want to go to. They call it a life style but on any other show they would call it hording. They find things that they call rusty gold but the rest of us would call junk. I am always amazed at the price they are able to get for the stuff and how much it shows that it's worth. This always makes me think of my mother who would say that the monetary value of your stuff is only in what someone else is willing to pay for it.

Then there is Pawn Stars where there just happens to be great stuff coming in their door every day. Someone once told me that the producers search for the items to be shown on the show, contact the owners, and sends them or at least their items to Las Vegas to be on the show. Uhm, wonder what of interest I have that can be on the show......

Speaking of Las Vegas, my sons want to go there for hubby's and mine 30th wedding anniversary this June. We've talked about going on a cruise to celebrate with the whole family but when we check into the nicer cruise lines, it's all to places we don't want to go ~~and can't afford~~. There are many places I really don't care to go to and Las Vegas is one of them. We have 'Las Vegas' style casinos and resorts not far from us and I've been to one a few times. It's fun when you go with family and friends but in the end I can think of other things I enjoy more to do. Though my brother in law was telling me about his son who is on a six month vacation aboard a schooner. He's only been on the boat for a month and he has hit every bad weather and/or catastrophe there can be short of sinking. Makes me rethink the whole cruise/vacation thing right now. Humm, but the thought of going to an all inclusive resort is sounding better and better..... maybe somewhere tropical.....

My niece and nephew are in the process of adopting a baby girl from Haiti. He's been there a couple of times doing missionary work and has been spirituality moved to go forward with this. They don't have the money to do this but they are doing MAJOR fun raisers to get the funds. I am always amazed at people who are moved to do this and I have donated to their cause. May God bless them and I wish them luck.

The New Year is just a day away and I am looking forward to it. I have my bunko group coming to my house right off the bat and I have many things I need to do for the preparations. It is wonderful to have a group of friends that you see at least once a month to share friendship with, a meal, and to chat,. The game is just incidental. And oh am I ready for some good old girl time! Too many manly things happening around here including non stop football. Guess I should get off here and get busy.........

Blogging Christmas Cheer

2011-12-07T16:36:00.000-05:00

This past week I made out the dreaded Christmas cards. I use to love this task, but this year, with all the anticipation of the arrival of our first granddaughter, it just seemed to be one more thing I needed to get done but no time to do. You see, I am one of those over-achiever card givers who does the yearly update letter for those family and friends whom I never see or talk to. I would stop writing this letter, except when I do meet up with these people, they will comment about loving my update letters. I've always wondered if these people were being nice or do they really like my updates?

I mean my dad's companion sends an update letter with her Christmas cards and we love her letter but it's because we can't believe how she can write two pages about herself and no one else ~~and make fun of what she wrote.~~

At least my letter is about each member of the family and it does take some thought, planning and time to write the ~~damn thing~~ news about the family.

But I regress about making out Christmas cards. This year I wrote the letter and started the task of signing each card by hand and addressing each envelope, thinking that some day I need to do a data base of this information so that I can let the printer do all the work for me when hubby came by and offered to help. Not one to refuse the help, I had him use our address stamper on each and every envelope.

Yes I'm funny about that, I don't send ANY mail without my return address on it.

As I was handing the envelopes to hubby, he would look at the name and address. If he knew them, he would comment about it being a niece or nephew, uncle or aunt, neighbor from long ago, etc. If he didn't know them, he would question who they were. With the exception of a college roommate, they were all friends from blogging. People I've never met, but know as well as I know my close friends. Some of them have stopped blogging, but I've kept up with them thanks to facebook.
One in particular Jason, has been sending me a card for the past couple of years. Last year he sent me one of his wonderful 5X7 professional photos instead of a card. It was a beauty:

I had it framed and placed it where everyone would notice it, on the dry bar:

This year, he's giving out 100 of his 5X7 photos to the first 100 people who respond and link back to his site.
I just had to do this because his photos are that great.
I, in return, have sent him a Christmas card minus the family news letter because, you know, he reads about my life here on my blog for the past few years. Hubby saw his name and address and question who he was.
I explained how he was a blogging buddy who happen to be a facebook friend that I've never met.
Hubby rolled his eyes at me and gave me that 'only you' look.
Somehow I don't think he understands this friends without meeting thing.
But hey, if you want a photo of Jason's just go here and read all about it. It will be worth your time.
Jason is a nice guy even if I've never met him, and he tells many a funny stories about his life in the classroom.
Oh and if you want a card from me, send me your address viva an email located on the left hand side.
I just might include my family update letter for you to read.

A Baby Shower in Pictures

2011-11-27T12:40:00.000-05:00

We celebrated the upcoming birth of our first grandchild with a family baby shower. I could write a book about the fun we had, how the men didn't understand the silly games that were played, but I am too tired from my overbooked but exciting week-end. Instead, I'll let the pictures do all the talking for me.

I had to make Duke part of the cake since he is a big part of Noelle and Scott's family.

Noelle, tired with feet swollen, but oh so happy and excited about the upcoming event.

Dinner time!

Noelle's family with Mike and Steven

The proud parents to be

My great niece loved the cake so much she wanted her picture taken with the cake. Scott and Noelle just happen to be there ;o)

And Duke, the inspiration for the cake topper. This is the photo that the cake designer used to make his likeness of.

Yes, it was a fun and exciting week-end with all the going on for Thanksgiving on Thursday and baby shower on Saturday.

I think I'll need a week to re-cooperate from it all.........

My Eyes Are Old

2011-11-20T20:46:00.000-05:00

Yes, I am feeling my age.

Oh there are the normal things that everyone experiences, the aches and pains, the lack of being able to do things that I've always been able to do. But recently, it has hit me full force as in it has slapped me in the face and laughed.

It all started at the beginning of the month. I was able to get Noelle to pick out a stocking to match the rest of the family's stockings that hang by the fireplace:

Ah it's a beauty! Counted cross stitch no problem, I've done many a needlework like this before. When it arrived a week later, I was excited and couldn't wait to get started! However, within the first two hours, I couldn't see where to put my stitches, nor could I see well enough to read the chart. My eyes ached, my head ached, my fingers hurt, I was a mess! I explained my problem to a friend who told me I need to get a magnify glass that hangs from my neck. Bought it and after almost 30 hours of work, this is what I have:

Ah Noelle, I don't think I'll get it finish in time for Christmas.......

And now the sons are having fun reminding me that I have to use an "old lady's" tool in order to sew. It will be beautiful WHEN I get it finish, whenever that might be.....

Thought I'd share a picture of Daisy who, since Duke isn't here anymore, has found that she likes the bottom of the bed best. It just happens to have been Duke's favorite place too:

Ah blogging with a dog who happens to be running in her sleep.

Lovely!

Stealing Dad's Honor on His Birthday?

2011-11-06T18:49:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my dad's 80th birthday! Yes he's in great shape for his age. My dad's companion had a big celebration for him with a local politician declaring it Bob Kirby day in the commonwealth of Kentucky:

And a cake that was model after one of his many boats:

I was even able to get all the sons and Noelle to come and celebrate with us!

Darn Eric and David, they hate getting their picture taken.

It was a fun time up until they gave my dad's companion a microphone:

Now here's the thing that has bugged me since yesterday. It was all great up until she did a photo tribute to my dad. She did a wonderful photo slide show about my dad's life, showing him from birth to today, including pictures that I had never seen before. However after just a few minutes of looking at pictures of dad it changed to pictures of her, her art work, her family, her friends. I thought this was totally inappropriate, a perfect case of narcissism. She announced that it was ok because it was her party. The slide show lasted over 30 minutes with her commenting on EVERY picture including the ones about her. Most of my sons agreed that they really enjoyed the pictures of their grandpa, loved the stories told with them but found the pictures of her out of place.

But her friends thought it was great.

What are your thoughts?

Recycling Birds

2011-11-04T07:38:00.000-04:00

Hubby has a thick, thick beard. So thick that when I cut it for him, I do it on the back porch, letting the hair drop to the ground to be forgotten. The leaves are now off the tree in the backyard which made it possible to see this nest:

You see that white, fuzzy stuff? That's cuttings from hubby's beard.

Guess that bird knew it would keep her babies warm.

I Am Whatever You Want Me To Be

2011-11-01T18:22:00.000-04:00

Halloween has come and gone in a flash. I didn't put much thought into my costume for work this year. I just wasn't that much into it. However, I did dress up, finding a robe-ish type outfit in the costume tote. Funny thing about the outfit: no one knows where it came from. I had to adapt it some, not liking the funny rubber things that were going across the chest. I pulled out some necklaces from my grandmother's jewelry box, painted both my toe nails and finger nails black, and put some dark shade of eye make-up on and you get this:

Every year, students will ask me what I am suppose to be and every year I tell them I am whatever they want me to be. This year I heard everything from a red witch, a wizard (thought only men could be a that), the devil's bride (love that) but my all time favorite has to a lady bug! Yes a lady bug because of the four black spots on the front that were left went I removed the rubber plates. I really do love dressing up with no set conception of being anything specific if for no other reason it drives some students nuts! I had a student in the morning ask me what I was, I told him I was whatever he thought I was, other students in the group named several things and he shrugged his shoulders, acting like it was no big deal. Later in the day, he asked me again, and again I told him what I had told him before. He took in a deep breathe and again asked me what was I suppose to be as in "When you got dress this morning, what did you think you were going to be." He was totally frustrated with me when I told him again, that I was whatever he wanted me to be.

The truth of the matter, I love challenging their imagination in order to make them think, because it's not often that I get to be whatever you think you want me to be.

The Day Before Halloween Ramblings

2011-10-30T10:12:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow is Halloween and I have yet to come up with a costume idea. Usually by now I have not only the idea but have made it. But not this year. It's not that I haven't been thinking about it, I just don't seem to have creative thoughts about it. I need to come up with something, anything that will be child friendly, any suggestions?

Speaking of Halloween, I have bought candy THREE times for the trick or treaters. My mistake the first two times is I put it into the pumpkin bowl located in the living room. Now any other time, no one, NO ONE ever goes into the living room. But put out the candy and EVERYONE is cutting through it to get to the kitchen and must pick up a piece or two on their way. The third time I bought candy, I kept it in a shopping bag and hid the bag. They are all now asking what I am going to hand out tomorrow, wondering if what little bit of candy I have in the bowl is going to be enough. They've even offer to go do a candy run if need be. Wish I had known that they were willing to do the candy run earlier. Nothing is better than someone else paying for the candy with guilt ;o)

I know I could take care of the candy problem if I buy sweet treats that they don't like but really, is there such a thing? Plus if they won't eat it, would any kid eat it? When my sons would go trick or treating they would give me the candy they didn't like and I would take it into work as rewards for my students. Hubby didn't like this because he wanted the candy, hence proving there is no such thing as a candy no one likes.

I didn't put out all my Halloween decorations this year. Usually, I have all the front windows decorated for the month but not this year. In part I just didn't feel like doing it. I also made a new window seat for the bay window. No one ever sits in that window but the dogs love it there. Maybe that's why I didn't get those decorations out, but I'm kinda happy that I don't have to worry about putting them away.....

I was invited to a Halloween party that happen last night and I didn't go. I don't know why I didn't go except I'm just not up to doing these type things any more. The friend posted pictures of the party on her facebook wall this morning and now I feel bad for not going. Maybe I should go to work tomorrow dressed up as a party pooper......

The Next Best Thing to Having A Housekeeper

2011-10-19T17:02:00.000-04:00

I feel like I should have posted something these past few days. It's not that things aren't happening, this mind of mine is working over time. Too bad it's working over time thanks to the overwhelming amount of paperwork I have to get done by the end of the month. I go to bed thinking and making lists of what needs to be done the next day, waking up and feeling out of sorts because I can't remember all the things that I had on my list. But I thank God that I have a job and the hubby doesn't. He has turned into a wonderful househubby. He can now do a load of laundry correctly AND fold it, he can clean, vacuum, run and empty the dishwasher. We are now working on his cooking skills.
I was the mom who taught all the sons how to cook. It came in handy when they were in college especially when they would meet a girl who wanted a home cooked meal. They were pros at the art of microwaving and George Forman grills.
Hubby is different.
I think it's because he knows I will be coming home and will make something, anything so that there is dinner on the table.
However lately due to the overwhelming amount of stress at work, all I want to do is crash when I get home. So I have encouraged hubby to take over the cooking of the nightly meal. Don't get me wrong, he can make a great chili, three way spaghetti, chili cheese coneys, and he has mastered how to make green beans, potatoes and ham in one pot.
But there are some dishes that seem like a no brainer to me, are just too hard for him. Take grill cheese sandwiches. He asked how to make them. I told him how to butter one side of two slices of bread, put cheese in the middle, throw it on the grill, and cook both sides of the sandwich.
I forgot to tell him that the butter side of the bread goes on the outside, not the inside.
Today is a cold, rainy day so dreary that made me looked forward to a pot of chili simmering on the stove when I got home. On the drive home, I kept thinking about about how I just knew hubby made dinner already and that I could go home, take two aspirin for a headache that has plagued me all day, eat and sleep.
Instead I came home to the smell of Eric's grilling lingering in the air but nothing to back up the smell since he had taken what he had made to work. Hubby had laid something out for dinner, ham steaks. Yes he knows how to bake them, but he doesn't know how to make any of the side dishes meaning I would still have to cook.
After some ~~whining and complaining~~ discussion, hubby is now making a huge pot of chili.
Yes I can get use to having him home all day..........

Fall Break in Pictures

2011-10-09T20:19:00.001-04:00

Watched Steven coach Freshman football against his Alma Mater

Clean out ~~all the dog hair and spilled Kool-aid~~ the frig.

Visit with my grand dog Duke and his owners

Watched/listen to Scott be the key note speaker at Wright Patterson for their Heroes Honoring Heroes program

Enjoyed some time at the Apple Butter Festival in Enon, Ohio

And I still have one more day left.........

Thoughts During A Sunday Drive

2011-10-03T16:35:00.000-04:00

It's nice having Scott and Noelle living closer to us. Granted, the car ride is an hour and half on a good day when traffic is light. Unfortunately this is rarely. I have come to the conclusion that the state of Ohio grows orange barrels on the sides of their highways. Truly, you see them start out as cones and by the next trip they have grown bigger until they have ripen into those dreaded orange barrels. It starts as soon as you hit the state line. Barrel after barrel lines the road, Thousands of them reminding you that there is some kind of road construction going to happen somewhere during my travel. Or is it a conspiracy with auto body shops and tow truck drivers to have stop and go traffic to encourage accidents that will need costly repairs? You know an easy way to boost the economy.
Either way, I have found that my drive up has become a trip of landmarks that greet me, making my mind churn with thoughts so bizzard at times, I worry about myself. It starts about an half hour into the trip. I see Traders Joe on the right follow by the mega church, home of the buttery colored touch down Jesus. Well it use to be home to it, until lightening hit it, caught it on fire, and it became toast. I couldn't help but noticed that they are 'resurrecting' their Jesus with an iron skeleton already in place. It makes me wonder what purpose a bigger than life Jesus serves? Couldn't/wouldn't that money be better used on feeding the poor, housing the homeless, healing the sick? As for me, it serves as a reminder that in under a mile, I will be driving through what I call the white knuckle section of the journey where prayers especially Hail Mary's are said in succession.
For several miles, there is a section of highway that has major construction happening. The three lanes have been narrowed to just a bit over the width of an SUV. If this isn't bad enough, you see signs that trucks must use the two left lanes or pay fines. Problem with this is there is a concrete barrier on the left all through the 20+ miles of construction. This barrier makes the trucks overlap into the next lane, which causes the domino effect into the other lanes. Look out when a truck is passing another truck. I've learn to just back off and wait it out before getting around the trucks. I know the best way to travel throught this is to stay in the far right hand lane, and hope that no slow poke gets in front of me.
I know that there isn't much more construction when I see the life size palm trees of yellow, pink and unnatural green advertising the home of Paradise something or other where one can get their very own slot machine. I've always wonder who would want their own slot machine? Would you encourage who ever came into your house to put a quarter into it? And what would happen if that person happen to hit it big on your slot machine, would you tell them that 'the house' has to take part or all of the winnings? Wouldn't that make you seem like a cheap hostess if you demanded the money won from the slot machine. Maybe hang a sign that warns of the consequences of playing but making sure it's tiny just in case. Or would this be a reason to have long lost friends to visit so that they can drop a coin or two in your conversational piece, hoping to win. Just seems like a big item to have in one's house for whatever reason one would have.
Once the construction ends, I look for the Dayton Daily News building on the left. As soon as I see it I know that 675 is close by. But the structure of the building is interesting with it barrel roof line and extended roof line that doesn't seem to serve any purpose but to draw your eye to the roundness of the roof. I wonder how business is for this paper. My local paper went under and now it's the 'Enquirer' from out of Cincinnati. They pawn it off as a local paper by adding the name Kentucky in front of the enquirer part and adding a Kentucky living section but it doesn't fool me. Epecially when the 'Kentucky' section is full of pictures of Ohio happenings.
As I journey to the right in order to merge onto 675, I notice the super Walmart to my left. Just like the Hardees of the South, I know I'll be passing way too many more during the 22 miles left to travel along with Home Depot, Lowes, and McDonalds. Seems like no matter where one goes, it all looks the same, thanks to the chain stores that every town seems to have. There is also a Salvation Army store close to the Walmart stating that it is the world's largest Salvation Army store. I chuckle that the two are so close together since I think they could be one and the same.
I see a church to my right. A denomination that I am not fimilar with. Each time I pass, I try to make a mental note to look it up, always forgetting the name each time. Once, my son noticed it too and commented the same thing that I have thought. I tell him I think they are a step up from being Amish in that they might have cars, electricity and such but have the same ridget, belief system, but that I'm not sure. David and I converse about religion and the reson for different faiths. I can't pass that church now without remembering our conversation but still can't remember their name.
I know I am close as I see the overpass that has the well kept grass and landscaping surrounding it. I wonder who maintains this so nicely and well. There isn't a brick, rock, or blade of grass out of place. Is it the city and if so how do they justify the expense for this kind of work? There is also a high school close to this exit, do they have a program where the students do this? And if so, how are they able to get the students off school property in order to do it? Naw it can't be the school, the liability alone would be a principal's nightmare. Maybe it's a well meaning civics group but do civics group do this sort of thing any more?
Thank goodness my exit is coming up, my mind needs a break from all these thoughts. Hubby thinks I think too much. Guess I have to agree...........

More Ramblings

2011-10-01T16:02:00.001-04:00

I've had several great ideas for posts but have been to ~~lazy~~ busy to write them. Guess it's time to clean out the old brain and do some rambling.

I went to the doctor a couple of weeks ago. Everything is in good working order except my cholesterol. It's now in the high average range which the doctor said isn't bad except the numbers are significantly higher this time from the last time I had blood work done. Of course she gave me the good old get more exercise, avoid carbs and such ~~lecture~~ talk AND she wanted me to start taking fish oil pills. Thank goodness she didn't say I needed to start eating more fish, I.HATE.FISH! Any and all fish I can't stand the smell, the taste, and the texture but I think I can handle the fish oil pills. Plus I have a bunch at home already thanks to the dog. Yes the dog takes fish oil pills for her dry skin. So I started taking the ~~huge ass~~ pills, choking them down each morning with my other meds and a cup of coffee. And every morning around 8:10, as I am walking into school, I start burping up the awful taste of fish. Ugh, I've been doing this for two weeks when at lunch I shared with my friend my problem. I was ready to stop taking those dreaded fish pills when she told me about the burp free pills.
'Go to Meijers and that isle right in front of the door you will find them.'
I went to Meijers this morning and I found them! The bottle says 'No Fish Burps!' I will give these a try, keeping my fingers cross that it lives up to it's label claims......

Hubby is still unemployed. Sigh, money is tight but not a problem yet. Instead the problem is keeping him busy while I am at work so he doesn't ~~waste~~ spend all his time on the computer. Though he did one of those on-line surveys and he really did get a check for fifty dollars. Any way, I've been having hubby do those 'some day' jobs that you always say you'll do it 'some day' when you find the time.
He has the time.
One of those jobs has been to give the grill a good cleaning. We are the type we like the charcoal grill/smoker but not necessarily the mess of the ashes and grease. This grill had at least two years worth of crud inside it. Hubby tackle the task with gusto and cleaned it almost as good as the day we bought it! However, he took all the crud he scraped out of it and put it in the compost pile thinking this would be a great place for it.
Well it wasn't. Dutchess the dog found the greasy ashes in the compost pile and ate it. Not sure how much she ate, but she threw up for 8 hours before she stopped. Of course this was during the wee hours of the night. Nothing is more gross than dog vomit unless it is dog vomit with charcoal hunks and ashes mixed in. She threw up on Eric's bed, various places on the floor including on carpet and non carpet areas, and of course the dog kennel.
Guess you figure out what hubby's next 'some day job is going to be. It involves getting friendly with the carpet cleaner......

Speaking of dogs, Scott finally took Duke. Yes I miss that ~~dumb~~ dog. He's been in my house for the past five, since he was a puppy. But we've always known that he was Scott's dog and that some day Scott would be taking him to live with him. Well Scott and Noelle have their own house now, and Duke is there protecting it. When they moved into the house, hubby went up there for a couple of days to help them unpack. Funny thing about this: I didn't miss hubby, but I missed Duke. Yes, I was missing the dog more than my hubby! I was missing Duke who loves to cuddle in bed (hubby doesn't), who loves to sleep on hubby's pillow and snore, just like hubby snores but not as loud. I told Scott about this and he laugh. Turns out one of the things they are having a hard time getting use to is the dog's snoring......

Steven had a birthday last week! We all went out to a local Japaneses restaurant that serves sushi and has a hibachi grill. I bring this up only because we were charged 18% gratuity because we were a group of more than 5 people. I think this is wrong especially since the waiter wasn't that great. I told him, my sons told him and hubby told him that ~~they~~ we wanted the sushi as an appetizer which means BEFORE the meal, not during which is when he brought it. Then when he brought it, Steven found a bug crawling inside the roll! Steven had to ask for a new roll AFTER he pointed out the bug to get the waiter to get him to do it. There were other things but I think it's just wrong that for the hour we were there, he made almost sixty dollars off of us. You'd think with having to pay that much gratuity, he should have stood beside my table, and waited on us hand and foot, predicting our every wants and needs. Tonight we are going out to dinner at a place that has the same policy. I'm thinking I have two choices: 1-tell the waiter/waitress that to earn his/her 18% gratuity,he/she needs to make sure to wait on us hand and foot or 2- have them break down the check into 8 separate checks so that I can pay what I think they were worth......

Afterwards we had a fun evening playing a new board game called 'The Logo Game.' Think about pop culture meets your shopping and tv viewing habits and you have what this game is about. We had a fun evening laughing until it hurts and learning about things that we didn't think would ever be needed to know. For example did you know that Taco Bell has a least four different types of tacos? And you can tell them apart by a picture of all four on a three by four card? Yea, never eat there myself, there is a reason why I call it Taco Hell. What made this all the more funny is the fact every time it was hubby's turn, he got a car about Taco Bell or another place that he has never heard of or been to. But on the 'pat myself on the back' side of it: I knew the answers to questions about ESPN only because Steven watches it non stop. Another thing I learn: don't sit to the left side of Steven when playing-he is a walking fact spewing machine who never misses any question, leaving the chance of you getting extra point for answering unknown questions to zilch.....

No Laptop = No Blogging

2011-09-25T13:29:00.001-04:00

It's been awhile thanks to the blue screen of death on my lap top. Yes I have a desk top computer too but I don't like using it. Why? Because my well meaning son has it so secured that I can't do anything on it. Seriously, every time I get on it, I get the message that I am headed to an unsecured website. Now I agree being on facebook is not a the best thing for any computer but my bank's? Every time I tried to check my accounts, I would get a warning message that I would have to click once, twice, three times to get to the page THEN tell it to show all content.
I have to do this with every page I would go on........
Which leads me back to the lap top. It crashed thanks to what we think was a virus. But not to worry, I bought the extended warranty six months ago from a national chain store known for it's geek squad. Funny story about this: I took the lap top in, told the geek about the blue screen of death, and all he wanted to do was sell me a program that costed more than the lap top. Of course I showed him my paperwork that showed I had paid for that extended warranty. Geekman told me that it didn't covered my problem. For the first time in my life I was speechless but luckily I found my voice and asked him what it did cover. He told me only damages. I informed him that I was willing to take the laptop outside, smash it in the parking lot and bring it back in. My son stepped in, started talking geek, my laptop was sent out, and now it has a new hard drive and running like new.
I'm glad to have the laptop back, I missed it so much. But during my three weeks ~~of hell~~ of no laptop, I discovered some interesting things about myself. Mainly, that I can get a lot done when I don't listen to the voices in my head that tells me I should be on the lap top. I also learned that I don't have to get up two hours before work to get ready ~~since I spend an hour of that time on the computer.~~ But I also learned that I don't like watching tv without a laptop, surfing the web, playing never ending games of solitaire, checking everyone's updates on facebook.
Ah yes facebook, it might have been the cause of all the problems but I just can't help myself. I do hope to be around to all of my favorite blogs and catch up, leaving a comment or two along the way.
That's after I finish my updates on facebook............

2011-08-26T23:01:00.000-04:00

I was eating lunch at work yesterday with my best friend. Nothing fancy, just some leftovers warmed up in my school microwave. I had finished my packed meal and still had the craving for something.
Something sweet.
I have a candy box full of sweet treats including jaw breakers-my favorite, but I wanted something chocolate, totally unusual for me. I just happen to have Tootsie Rolls. Ah yes Tootsie Rolls, and not those little cheap ones that are handed out at Halloween but the big thick ones, bigger than your thumb, that take some jaw work to chew.
I ate one and it tasted so good, I had another.
I should have stuck with just one.
I bit into the chocolate goodness and started to chew, once, twice, third time I felt the pop.
"I just lost a cap!" I exclaimed to my friend.
I pulled out the chocolate mess from my mouth and there, inside the blob, was my cap.
Of course I wanted to finish the tootsie roll, but my friend reminded me of the situation. I was grateful that I hadn't swallow the cap, those things are not cheap. I carefully placed it on my desk, and proceeded to call my dentist.
All I got was the answering machine.
Uhm, I looked at the cap sitting on my desk, taunting me, reminding me that some foods just aren't appropriate for my mouth full of caps and fillings. My tongue kept going to the spot where the cap should be, rubbing the stub of what remained of the tooth.
I felt stupid.
But more so, I felt like everyone could see my gaping hole even though my friend has assured me that it's not noticeable because it is in the back of my mouth.
Now to understand how this made me feel, one needs to know that, thanks to my job, I have a thing about teeth. More specific, the lack of teeth and bad teeth. When I am talking with anyone, I have a tendency to watch their mouth and the way they articulate their sounds which makes me notice their teeth. If that person has problems with dental work, I notice it.
And now I have a missing tooth that I just know everyone notices.
I was able to get a hold of the dentist office and made an appointment for first thing this morning. I've seen this dentist for the past 20 years. He's the only dentist that the sons, while growing up, loved to see. During the past 20 years, he has had other dentists come and go from his practice, but I have to say I've never had anything bad happen. Besides, he's one of the few dentist that takes the dental insurance that I have. His wife has told me many times that he looses money with this insurance but he still takes it as a way to thank teachers for what they do.
I arrived at my appointed time and noticed a young man standing in the reception area. I recognize the young man as a former student from many years ago who happens to be the dentist son. In my mind, I think how nice it is that he is there, helping his dad out. I go about my business, signing in, giving the receptionist my insurance card and driver's licenses, when the young man says,
"Are you ready Mrs. Cronin?"
I wonder why he is taking me back to the dental chair, when I something caught my eye.
That cute first grade student whose dad is my dentist, is now a dentist too.
He tells me that he can glue the cap back on but because most of the tooth is now gone, he can't say how long the cap will stay on. He recommends that I get a post added to the tooth and a new cap, something I just can't afford at this time. I have him glue the old cap back into place with a hope that it last for a little bit longer.
I left that office feeling old with a bigger distaste for Tootsie Rolls.

Ramblings

2011-08-21T22:39:00.000-04:00

I know it's been awhile since I last post and there has been lots of ideas rolling around this old brain. You know those thoughts, by themselves they don't make a post, but put them together and you get:

Blogger hates me tonight so I apologise now if the format looks wrong. I keep resetting it to the way I want it but as soon as I get the cursor into place, it goes all wrong and back to what I just got rid of. Just this moment, I had it all in place to start a thought and it keeps jumping up and down the page. Guess I need to really watch the computer screen and not the tv as I type.....

School started for me last week and I've made way too many observations of my peers which has lead me to believe that I am cynical. Case in point: every time something needs to be done you hear,

"It's for the children."

"It's what's best for the child."

Now I'm not disagreeing with the importance of dedication to my job because I do love the children, but every time I hear this I just want to say,

"What's best for the children is having a happy me."

Scott and Noelle are in the Dayton at Wright Patterson Air Force base! They bought a house and should be moving in the next couple of weeks. It's been a long summer with lots of paper work, dates that keep changing, trips back to Alaska, and picking up a truck over 600 miles from here. Back when I was in college, a military recruiter tried to get me to enlist but I had already met hubby and fell in love ~~and besides I was way to out of shape to do it~~. I have looked back and wondered what would have happen if I had enlisted. This past month has made me realize that there is no way on God's green earth that I could have handle a career that included the bureaucracy of the military. Can't help but think the things that they have been going through has been God's way of reminding of this.....

Noelle had a sonogram and they are 80% sure that it is a girl! I've been having fun calling the baby 80% Amelia. I've already bought her some cute outfits that her mama help picked out and today I bought an antique cradle that both Scott and Noelle saw and fell in love with. I now have to make a mattress and sheets for the cradle which made me thankful for my mother who taught me how to sew. Scott had once said he wasn't sure what he would do with a girl (as in he knows nothing about girly things) and I had to admit neither do I. But as I look at the many different things that I learned from my mother, grandmothers, and aunts, I do have something that I can share with a girl. I can teach her to sew, bake, make crafts, crochet, knit, cook, gardening. I can also do all these with a grandson but I am loving that the things that were taught to me by important women in my life can now be pass on to the next generation. Yes I've taught some of these things on to the sons but not all of them. I just wish that I had learned more from my grandmother, mainly tatting. I have some of the things that she made and I love them but once they're gone, the knowledge of how to make them is gone and it makes me sad.

While at the antique mall today, I saw many things that I have in my own home and many things that were in my parents and grandparents homes. It was fun to see that so many things that I own were there. It was sad to see that they weren't worth as much as I thought they were worth. Of course these items are priceless to me because they came from my parents and grandparents but I won't be getting rich off of them any time soon........

My son David is a 'photo specialist' of a local chain drugstore close to home. He comes home with stories that leave me shaking my head and I could devote a whole post to them. But a couple of stories that are sticking out to me lately. A lady chewed him out which happens quite a bit. This lady had pictures of her children developed but didn't want them. He tells her that she doesn't have to buy them and proceeds to put them in a bin. She asks what will happen to those pictures and he explains that they will go on to corporate to be recycle. The lady gets mad and demands that he gives her the pictures because they are pictures of her children and she doesn't want others to see them but refuses to pay for them. He thinks that this was her way of getting them for free but, really? Would you go in, have pictures developed then ask for them for free due to them being your creative property? Which leads me to another one of his stories. This time of year, there are way too many people who bring in senior pictures that they want copied. He explains to them that the store can't copy them without copyright clearance from the photographer. EACH person who does this gets mad at him and wants to argue that because they paid for the picture they have the right to copy it. What they don't/refuse to understand is that they don't have that right and by asking/ yelling/ demanding him to copy it is illegal for BOTH them and him.......

Saturday night I played domino with the family. When the sons were younger I usually won. Now, I'm either in last place or next to last. I still love playing the game with them and I'm usually the one who keeps score. I think next time I'm going to have to do some 'creative score keeping' in order to win ;o)

That's What She Said Facebook Status

2011-08-12T19:59:00.000-04:00

It's been awhile since I've shared dinnertime conversations with you and tonight's was a doozy. I had made bacon cheeseburgers that happen to be so thick that by the time I put all the toppings including the lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles on a bakery bun it was HUGE. My son Steven noticed the size of my sandwich and wondered out loud,
"I can't wait to see how you're going to get that to fit in your mouth!"
"That's what she said!" David snapped back in a laughing tone.
"Oh hell wait, did I just say that about my mother?" he moaned as he hit his head with the palm of his hand.
Now I have heard this statement several times in the house, one of the benefits of having youth in the home is one gets to hear all the new sayings. I have lived through many catch phrases that has come and gone including 'your mama' 'door knob' 'speak to the hand' oh the list can go on and now the new one.
I had no idea what it meant.
But now I do.
Any time someone says something that can be mistaken for sexual undertones you can say,
"That's what she said."
Go out shopping and see large Christmas ornaments and exclaim,
"Look at the size of those balls!"
Don't be surprise if you hear someone in the store say,
"That's what she said."
Steven shared one with me about a female friend who said,
"I take whatever I can get."
to which a male friend said,
"That's what she said."
I asked if she was the male friend's girlfriend.
"No mom, she's single."
Now being from the stone age, being single can still mean you have a boyfriend, you're just not married or engaged yet.
Stupid me.
Tonight I learned that single means just that: there are no attachments to another.
And how did this come about?
Facebook.
Yes facebook has not only taken over our cyber lives but it has now inched it's way into the mainstream of relationships and how they are perceived.
Case in point: In David's communication class, the professor asked how you can't tell if a person is married. Some said to look for the wedding ring, and other methods that were used before facebook. But the professor told them that now all one has to do is look at the person's facebook status: single, married, in a relationship, it's complicated (always wondered what that meant), engaged, in an open relationship, widowed, separated, divorce, in a civil union, and in a domestic partnership.
Which got me to thinking about how there is no more asking a friend of a friend about someone you are interested in, just check their facebook status! Wondered what happen to that old flame, just check his/her facebook status! Thought that person might be gay? Check his facebook status! Wonder if they are swingers? You got it, check their facebook status!
But what about those who don't have facebook?
Maybe they are the smart ones......

I Forgot.....

2011-08-08T21:04:00.000-04:00

Scott and Noelle were staying my home this week-end. We had fun doing a variety of things: shopping, eating, playing board games, visting and talking, talking, talking. Many conversations took place including one about my last post. Scott made a comment, something about what he would say to his child. I told him I would write a post as to why that was a bad idea to do that to any child.
AND
I forgot what his comment was........
It would have been an awesome post........
I'll see him tomorrow to take him to the airport. He has to go back to Alaska to 'process out' of that base so that he can 'process in' to his new base.
I'll ask him what his comment was.
Only problem:
I'm not sure if he can remember what the topic was either.
TBI's will do that do you........

What's In A Name

2011-07-31T11:54:00.001-04:00

I had lunch with a group of girlfriends the other day and we got to laughing about names that parents give their off springs. I can remember when the sons were born, hubby and I already had names picked out for if it was a boy or a girl. Yes two sets of names were always ready. This was back in the days where finding out the sex of your baby wasn't as frequent as it is today. Hubby and I would have our names picked out, proud of the combination that we came up with. We wanted names that were strong but not over used and had no negative connection with it for me.
You see, when you teach, no name is safe. For example, my second son's name is Eric Daniel. When I was pregnant with him, hubby had picked out the name Eric but I didn't want that name. At one of the schools that I was working at, I had an Erick and he was a stinker. Hubby reminded me that I had taught some good Erics but those students were overshadow by the stinker Erick. There was no swaying hubby from the name, he wanted it and I prayed for a girl.
Eric was born, we named him Eric Daniel, I went back to work and Erick who thought I named my baby after him.
"My name is Erick! You named him after me!" Erick gleefully shouted out to the room.
"His name is Eric Daniel." I politely told him.
"Me too! My name is Erick Daniel!"
I quickly got the group on task, and kept in the back of my mind that I need to check that out. On break, I pulled his file and there it was, he was right, his name was Erick Daniel. My only saving grace was that his name was spelled with a k and my Eric wasn't.
My girlfriends and I were bringing up names from the past, laughing at some, shaking our heads at others, and trying to decide what those parents were thinking when they named their child.
Names like Absolutely Precious came up. Poor thing, her dad named her and we weren't allowed to shorten her name to Ab or Precious, we had to call her Absolutely Precious.
God All Mighty was talked about by a friend who taught in eastern Kentucky.
Other names came up too in our conversation, the Jesus's, Angel's, the Heaven spelt backwards Nevaeh, the list went on and on covering everything from last names as first, names that sound like stripper names, names of cars. Even had a family who named their children after the months of the year.
But my all time favorite was Baby.
Yes Baby.
Let me tell you about Baby.
Several years ago I was working at a preschool screening for 3-4 year olds to see if they qualify for our public preschool program. To qualify you have to be eligible for free/reduce lunch or you have a handicapping conditioning. Delays in speech and language is a handicapping condition. I was working at a school building that wasn't my home school, in a classroom that I never saw before. It's just where the administration put me. It was the end of the school year, and the room looked like any classroom after school let out. Desks and chairs were stacked over to the side, the walls were bare of decorations, boxes of books were stacked in a corner. The one thing out of place was the class pet. There was some kind of lizard in a tank directly behind me.
I was sitting at a table when a colleague walked in,
"Oh you're going to love this next one." she whispered to me and walked back into the hallway.
"That's right come on up the steps, you'll be in this room." the colleague gave directions down the hallway, waving her arm in the 'come this way' manner, turning and winking at me.
Into the room came a woman but no kid. One could tell by the woman's dress and manner that her child would qualify under the free/reduce lunch part of the preschool program.
"Can I smoke in this room?" the well worn woman with the raspy voice asked.
"All public schools in the county are smoke free." I informed her wondering where her child was and why she was sitting there, not worry about where her child was.
"I hope this doesn't take too long, I need a smoke." the parent mumbled.
I was about to ask her where her child was when she bellowed out,
"Maw, where's Baby? We don't have all day ya know, I need a smoke!"
Did she just say baby? I shook it off and asked her for the yellow file folder given to her at the registration desk that all parents were to bring with them. This folder has all the paperwork needed for each professional (including me) to fill out on each prospective preschooler.
"Naw, maw has it."
"Maw you coming yet? This lady needs Baby!"
She said baby again. I made a mental note about talking to the mom about use of nicknames in a school setting when into the room waddled a girl who looked to be at least five years old and weighing at least 75 pounds. Behind her came an older woman holding a toddler boy's hand.
Was he baby? Both the boy and girl went running around the room looking at everything, trying to open boxes. They spied the class pet and ran to the tank, knocking my chair and me in the process.
Before I could say another word, the mother yells,
"Maw this lady needs that yellow folder, where's that damn, yellow folder?"
The older woman handed me the yellow folder, while yelling,
"Baby, Baby come sit! You want to come to preschool don't ya? You have to come sit and talk to this nice lady!"
Uhm, grandma used the name baby too, I really need to talk to them how that nickname is inappropriate for school. Want your kid to be bullied? Call them Baby.
The little boy came running over and I was thinking thank goodness lets get this done and over with when the grandma yelled again,
"Not you Bubba, you can't come to school yet. Baby, Baby don't make me come and get you. This lady needs to talk to you!"
I did a double take at the girl standing behind me trying to figure out how to get the lid off the tank. She was as wide as she was tall. Her cheeks were so fat you couldn't see her eyes. She could hardly bend her chunky fingers.
"No! I'm hungry!" the girl yelled back to her grandmother.
Does this family know how to talk in any other manner of communication besides yelling? Add this to the list of things to talk about: the hazards of yelling all the time.
The grandmother tried to bribed the girl, "We'll go to McDonald's if you come and sit."
"Will you get me french fries?"
"Yes we'll get you french fries."
"And a shake?"
"Yes a shake too."
"Chocolate shake, I want a chocolate shake too."
"OK Baby we'll get you french fries and a chocolate shake too but you have to come and talk to this lady."
"Oh and chicken nuggets, I want chicken nuggets, french fries, and a chocolate shake!"
Baby waddled over to the chair and for the first time I was able to look at her folder. On the tab of the folder was her name.
Her name was Baby ___________ (No I can't tell you her last name).
I opened the folder in disbelief that a parent would name their child Baby. Then I saw her middle name.

picture came from here

Poor thing, she has a long road ahead of her.
(For those who don't know who this character is go here)

You Know You Are A Redneck

2011-07-25T03:19:00.000-04:00

I previously wrote about my brothers and how they taught my sons to shoot bottle rockets out of their hands. Yes I know, not a smart thing to do but I truly have a family that can be as redneck as an other southern family. It's true and to prove it I have compiled a list of things that my family has done. Seriously these are all true stories.
~My brother was driving along the road on his way home when he saw a HUGE snapping turtle on the road. He stopped, picked it up and put it into the back of his truck thinking that it would make a wonderful dinner. When he got home, he didn't have time to do anything with the snapping turtle except to throw it into the freezer. A month or so later, he decided to take the turtle out and defrost it for dinner. When he came back a few hours later, it was gone. The turtle had gone into hibernation while in the freezer, once out of the freezer it came out of hibernation and crawled away.
~Same brother loves to eat natures bounty as in there isn't an animal that he hasn't tried. He's been known to stop and pick up fresh road kill and have it for dinner. Now I'm not talking sitting on the side of the road all day road kill, but if he saw it getting hit or he hit it himself, he will stop and pick it up.
~My nephew bought a good use truck for off roading. When I say off roading, I'm not talking about a hard dirt road, I'm talking about creating your own trails through some heavy woods. Now if this doesn't scream redneck what he did to the truck does. He spent so much money on accessories for the truck, that the accessories cost more than the truck itself. Each time he went off roading, he would break something on the truck which would cost more money to repair. He finally stopped off roading when he figured that what he spent on the repairs would have bought him a new truck.
~I have a relative who hates pools (yes outdoor mom I thought of you) but loves to swim in lakes, streams, ponds. Her reason for hating pools is that she is afraid of people peeing and doing 'other stuff' in the water. I'm always reminding her that people can pee in lakes/streams/ponds along with the wildlife that lives there but she doesn't see it being the same.
~I have an aunt who hates to drink or eat after someone else. If she puts her drink down, and goes back to it but is unsure that it is hers, she will go and get a new one. If you ask to try a taste of her food, she makes you get a clean fork/spoon to use. However, she lets her dog lick her on the face and mouth. Her dog who uses that same tongue to lick it's butt.
~My uncle keeps a salt block out in his front yard for the wild life. Now before you go 'Oh that's nice!', he does it to make it easier to bag a deer when deer season comes around. He also feeds the wild turkeys on a regular bases for the same reason.
Oh there could be more stories but I'll save them for another time. But how about you, do you have some wonderful 'redneck' stories?

What I Made This Summer

2011-07-18T17:36:00.000-04:00

Happy First Saturday after the Fourth Or Was It?

2011-07-10T16:58:00.000-04:00

My family doesn't celebrate July 4th on the 4th, instead we wait for the first Saturday after the fourth. This way it gives everyone a chance to go to the local firework displays and parties ~~without feeling guilty about not going to my brothers~~ and prolong the celebrations for a few days more. The interesting thing about this celebration is what started out as just family and a few close friends, has turned into a large gathering of neighbors, friends of friends, and even a few who saw all the cars parked on the front lawn and wanted to see what was going on, once finding out, deciding to stay for the fireworks. What once was around 50-75 people has now grown to over 200 people.
It was nice seeing and talking to friends that I haven't seen for a year or more, catching up with them about themselves and each other's families. I enjoyed showing off my two of my sons, telling about the two who weren't there. One son was at the NASCAR race in Sparta on a VIP pass from a friend, enjoying the free booze and food. But my heart ached when I would share with them about my oldest, missing him and his new wife. They are due to come into town this Friday or Saturday. Here they will stay briefly while they get settled in Dayton near Wright Patterson Air Force Base. Noelle will be teaching there while Scott will continue his medical treatment.
Yes it's only a week away, but it would have been so nice to introduce the son that everyone has heard about but yet to meet.
This all changed when the fireworks started. Scott has told me numerous times that one thing he can't enjoy since he's came back from Afghanistan is fireworks. The sounds of them going off remind him too much of the missiles that were shot at his base on a regular bases, up to four or five times a day, especially those that make the whistling sounds. He tells me how when he hears that whistle sound, he ducks, peering around to see where the incoming missile is, flashing back to those days that he wants to forget.
My brother shared a story about his younger days soon after the Vietnam War had come to an end. Several of his friends including one who had just returned from war and him went camping near a pond on the family farm. A pond that was located by an old tobacco field in the middle of no where, surrounded by thick woods on all sides of the cleared field, the nearest home being over a mile away. This was back in the early 70's when recreational drugs, pot, and beer were the norm for this kind of camp out. He told how they all had sat around a camp fire, smoking drinking, the sounds of frogs from the pond was their music. A night full of partying, made each one pass out on top of a tarp used to keep their sleeping bags dry from the morning dew. When they awoke the next morning, they found themselves asleep under the tarp, a soft rain falling all around them and their war hero no where to be found. Each person looked around wondering how they got there and what had happen to their friend, finding him locked inside a van parked far away from where they had spent the night. They questioned him as to why he was locked in the van. The soldier told them how the night with the drinking of the beer, the smell of the pot, and the sounds of the frogs croaking, had him flashing back to many nights spent in the wilds of Vietnam. When it started to rain, he was back in Nam and did what he would have done: he made a tent out of the tarp with items found around the campsite, he picked up each friend and threw them under the tarp tent, and then walked back to van and locked himself in, knowing that the flashbacks could/would get worse.
The firework display last night would rival any professional display. It was full of colorful explosions of red, white, and blue. The smoke drifting off away from us, made us thankful for the light wind blowing. As I watched each color splash against the night sky, I thought of my mother and how she loved firework displays. Once we were driving on a major expressway when she noticed fireworks in the sky. She pulled over onto the shoulder of the road and we all climbed out of the car in order to have a better view of the show. July fourth was one of her favorite holidays, with her having a gathering of the family, shooting a hodge podge of fireworks at dusk. My brother teaching my sons how to shoot bottle rockets from their hands into the sky and at each other ~~yes we are a red neck family.~~ But as last night progressed, and the fireworks got bigger and louder, I knew this wasn't the place for Scott, especially when a multitude of the squealers were sent up. I'm not sure if this was on purpose or not, but it was loud and lasted a good five minutes or more with the finality being 20,000 fire crackers connected between two trees lasting for fifteen minutes.
And all I could think about was how Scott would react to the popping and snapping and the wheezing. And for the first time that night, I was happy that he wasn't home.

Ramblings

2011-07-06T21:13:00.000-04:00

It's that time again, time to clean out the old brain. Thoughts that by themselves don't make a post but put them together and you get:

The Casey Anthony trial is over and I am disappointed in the verdict. However I am glad it is over and I find comfort in the thought that when the time comes and she stands before her maker, he'll be the one who makes her pay for her sins, whatever they may be......

I planted four cucumber plants this year. I only wanted two but when I bought them, they came in a cell pack of four. I knew four were too many and that I shouldn't plant the extra two but I did. Now I have way too many cucumbers. Think it's time to become the cucumber fairy to all my neighbors.....

I've been working on a baby quilt for the new grandbaby. First I embroider by hand each letter of the alphabet and an item that started with that letter. As I did this part, my mind would organize the letters by thinking about which one I was on and how many more to go. Now I am doing the quilting of it and my mind is doing the same thing. Only problem is when you quilt, you start in the middle and work out. My mind doesn't know how to do the alphabet this way: N, M, J, K, L, I, S, P,Q, R, S. I really do like doing things in sequence which makes me feel like I have OCD. I have no idea of how many more I have to go but I'll have photos when it's complete.

I went to Frankfort to check on my retirement. I know I am getting close to where I can start thinking about retiring and parts of me are oh so ready. I have to teach 1.05 more years or I can buy back the time I took off for maternity leaves. I'm checking into buying back that time. I was told I can use my 403K to do this and with the way the stock market is doing, I think this will be a better investment of my money. It's times like this I could really use my son, the financial whizz, but he's still in Alaska. Thank goodness he's due back in the area by the end of the month.......

While in Frankfort, I was asking the retirement people about social security. I always knew I couldn't claim it, but have heard conflicting things about hubby's. Found out that I can claim my own social security but only 40% of the amount that I am allowed (yes I work other jobs beside teaching even when I am teaching) but none of my hubby's if something should happen to him. However, if I pass away before him, he can claim my teacher's retirement AND his social security! Doesn't seem fair to me........

I had to have my big toe toenail removed. Not to gross you out, but it had been looking funky white since Marchish and even had a pedicure done in April. Nice lady didn't say anything about my funky toenail so I thought it was ok, no big problem. Well, two weeks ago I was letting the dog out and the chain caught my toenail and ripped it right off. Took 2/3's of it clean off with no pain. None, nana, zilch. That in itself was weird but the nail bed looked even weirder. Went to the podiatrist to see what was wrong with my toe nail bed, he didn't know but suggested that he removed the rest of the toenail and send it away to see if it can grow fungus. It's been over a week and my big toe still hurts. I painted the rest of my toenails red to match my big toe that is missing the nail. Through all this, I think about how would you like the job of seeing if my toenail (or any one's toenail) can grow fungus?

My new tv viewing has included My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding on TLC. There is so much I could comment about this show including how in the hell do they afford these weddings, why is the prime to get married is 16 but being 22 is too old to get married (talk about short shelf life), but I won't. Instead my biggest wonderment about this show is why would you want to get married in a dress that doesn't fit down the church aisle or that you can't walk in without looking like a dancing horse?

Shot Gun Shells and Booze

2011-07-02T11:22:00.000-04:00

Eric and David brought back gifts for Mike and I from Alaska.

David brought back shot gun shell lights:

Yes they are real shot gun shells put on a strain of white Christmas lights:

I love them and they look great lit up!

When David gave them to me, he asked if I was going to put them on the Christmas tree. I just couldn't wait that long, hence why they are up and going on my kitchen window.

Yes the kitchen window because this is where I hang seasonal lights.

But what season is appropriate for shot gun shells?

Eric also brought back a gift more for hubby than me. When I came back from Alaska, I made the comment who would want to drink Salmon flavor vodka. Hubby said he would. One should watch out what they say around here:

Yes we now have our own personal bottle of smoked salmon vodka.

Wanta come over and enjoy a drink while looking at my lights?

Proof That The Sons Read My Blog

2011-06-28T23:01:00.000-04:00

Eric and David came home today and brought me a gift from Scott.

I hung it in an appropriate place:

The message was fitting to my last post:

Thanks Scott! I found it funny however your dad didn't.

It's Not All Steven

2011-06-24T11:10:00.000-04:00

Mamma is down two sons this past week. I put Eric and David on a plane Monday in order to visit their brother in Alaska ~~lucky dogs~~. I wish I could figure out how to download a picture that was sent to my phone, they sent me a really cute one that I would love to share but no matter what buttons I push, all I can get the picture to do is enlarge.
I would take a picture of this but David has my camera.
Any way, two of the sons are gone and I spent Tuesday cleaning the house. I scrubbed everything especially the bathrooms (look out David and Eric, I also cleaned your rooms). A problem with cleaning the house when four men and three dogs live here: It's dirty again by the end of the day. It took a lot out of me, cleaning like this, but it felt good knowing that I had a clean house.
Best part of having the house clean: not feeling guilty when I spend the whole day on the computer.
It was great to wake up Wednesday and the house was still clean. Went downstairs to make coffee and my happy place was soon darken by the sight of dishes in the sink. I could tell they were Steven's since the plate had remands of pizza on it. Hubby doesn't eat pizza that late at night. A glance at the green light on the dishwasher let me know the reason why.
Steven will only empty the dishwasher if he is directly told.
Oh well, life is still good, I have a clean house and more importantly, clean bathrooms where I don't have to worry about sitting on a wet toilet seat while navigating my feet in a manner so that I don't step in wet, yellow, drippings that seem to pool around the front of the toilet.
Not sure what I am talking about? You must not live with a man or you have one awesome man that
A) can make sure that all fluids make it into the toilet
or
B) knows how to clean up after themselves when they are finished using the bathroom.
If you have any of the above thank your lucky stars, they are a rare breed.
By the afternoon, my glee was tainted.
There was a puddle on the floor.
I lifted the toilet seat up, and there was splash back on the toilet bowl rim.
Uhm, and Steven wasn't home.
See every time I point out that there is pee on the floor and toilet rim, all I ever hear is,
"Must be Steven, he's the one who pees like his d**k is a fire hose."
Oh and I complain about the pee on the floor ALL.THE.TIME!
I also point out that it has to be one of the males in the house since I sit, they stand, my pee stream goes down, theirs goes every where and any where. I will stand outside the bathroom door, and go in when one of the males of the house is finished in the bathroom. I will call that person back into the bathroom to point out the pee puddle and be told,
"It was there when I came in."
We've had family meetings where the topic of discussion is the pee that doesn't make it into the toilet bowl. All are quick to say it's Steven, even hubby. Steven, sheepishly will promise to do better but lets it be known that it's not just him while the others are sure they are not the offenders.
I get to the point where I only use the bathroom off of my bedroom because no males are allowed to use it except for hubby.
And he has to sit.
Yes I will check on him to make sure he sits.
But here I was, my euphoria was tarnished, thanks to pee on the floor. I called Mike into the bathroom, showed him the wet floor and the toilet bowl. He wanted to say it wasn't him but before he could finish, I reminded him that two were in Alaska and Steven was at school.
Caught red handed, or should I say yellow handed.
He grabbed some toilet paper, cleaned the mess and mumbled,
"Happy now?"
I was happy, because it wasn't me cleaning somebody else's body fluids up.

This morning I came downstairs and there were dishes in the sink but no green light on the dishwasher. I sigh, and was grateful that Steven at least put some water into the bowl. I grab the coffee pot from the dishwasher, cleaning it by hand, when hubby came down, stopping first in the bathroom. When he was finish, I went in and there it was: a puddle on the floor and a wet rim.
I pointed out to hubby that he was the cause of the mess.
He told me to get over it.
As you see from the post, I'm not........

Memories of Road Trips

2011-06-20T13:51:00.000-04:00

Not my mom's car, picture taken from here

Today mamma is feeling a little nostalgic all the way to the days of her youth. Namely, my own mother and her love of driving red Ford station wagons and road trips. In all my years growing up, my mother always drove a station wagon. Every five -six years, my dad and her would go out and buy a brand new one, always red except for her last one which was green. She hated that green car but at the time they bought it, the station wagon was on it's way out and the SUV was making it's appearance. Even after all six of us kids left the nest and dad bought her a new SUV, she still drove her station wagon that she wouldn't let dad sell.
The thing that I was remembering with clarity were the family trips. Even though the station wagon was referred to as mom's car, when my dad was in the car, he drove, never my mom, never any of the sibilants who had their licenses, just dad. We would go all day and night and dad would drive the whole way, only stopping at a motel when he could no longer go, never mind us six kids who were bored to tears in the car, stuffed in like sardines in a can.
While my dad was driving, my mom sat beside him, in the middle with my oldest brother Bob beside her. He ALWAYS got the front seat. Yes us younger ones would complain about this arrangement stating how unfair it was, but to no avail. Bob always sat in the front seat. And not only did he get the front seat, he had control of the front seat window that he always had down at least an inch or two. No matter what the weather was outside, he had that window cracked. Those of us stuck behind him would complain and complain, but it didn't matter, he would have it open, his nose lifted so that he could breathe the fresh air coming in.
As for me and my other four brothers, we were stuck in the back seat and the trunk space. Three of us would pile in the middle bench seat. Forget seat belts. Back then most cars didn't have them and if they did, you pushed them in between the seats to get them out of the way. No one ever wanted to be the unlucky person stuck in the middle. Even being stuck in the trunk with all the luggage that didn't fit on the roof rack, knees up to your chin, was more appealing than the middle of the middle seat.
As a little girl, I loved sleeping on the floor board between the front and middle seat, using the middle hump as my pillow, the hum of the drive shaft my lullaby. For some reason whomever was in the middle seat with me, didn't mind that I slept on the floor. In fact, they would request that I would sit on the seat with them, then entice me with thoughts of sleeping on the floor boards. As time went by, I grew too big to fit in the foot well, and sleeping in the car was never the same.
And my brothers quit begging for me to take the middle seat.
My dad was never one to drive with the radio on either. No music or talk radio to entertain us on our way. Then came the invention of the 8 track system. My dad whom I had never witness listening to music developed a love for country music. Not the modern country music, but the country music of old, with the whinny guitars, banjos blaring, hillbilly twang that no one could make out the words to.
It was my vision of purgatory.
And I was stuck in the car listening to this for the 24+ hours on our way to Florida. Now if this didn't seem bad enough, my dad had a tendency to be a little OCD when it came to his favorite song on that 8 tract tape. He had it down to a science what songs needed to be play on what track, so that he could switch quickly to the track that had his song on it. We never listen to the other songs on that tape, just parts of two songs and all of this one, his favorite.
It was truly purgatory, purgatory on wheels.
Many years later as a married mother, I found the CD and gave it to my dad as a father's day gift. Funny thing, he claims not to remember this part of the family history, where as it is etched in my mind.
Forever.
The other bad thing about road trips with my family was bathroom breaks. My dad didn't believe in stopping for something as trivial as the need of relieving yourself. The brothers would keep a can/ bottle/jar in the car for such purposes, but nothing for me. I remember doing 'dances' that shook the car
but it didn't bother my dad.
"We still have plenty of gas in the car. You'll just have to wait!"
Even requests from my mom didn't phase him.
"We'll stop when we get to (insert name of city here), you'll just have to hold it until then."
This made stops into a mathematical word problem. City A is located at mile marker C, we are at mile marker B, how many more miles do we have to travel? If the car is traveling at 55 miles per hour how long will it take to get to city A?
I still use this mental math when we go on trips.
Yesterday, I noticed my dad bought a new SUV. It was HUGE with leather, heated seats that can tilt, plenty of leg and head room, personal air systems including temperature control and vents, and built in video systems.
Oh how fun it would be taking this on a road trip!
Makes me wonder if the car road trips from hell stories are on the way out?

When News Is the Only Thing On

2011-06-08T10:57:00.002-04:00

It is my first week of summer break and I've already discovered that there is nothing on daytime tv.
Nothing.
How is it you can have over a hundred channels and all you can find are shows about women having babies, had babies, or both.
I think it's going to be a long summer.
Now before you go to thinking I am a couch potato, well I am. But I also like having the tv on as background noise as I go around the house doing things that I've put off till the summer.
Since there isn't anything on tv I've had it tune to the national news stations. This is a post by itself in that can we say lean to the left, lean to the right, no one is in the middle of the road. What ever happen to impartial news reporting.
However there are two news stories that has grab my attention this past week. Wienergate and the Totmom trial. Both leave me in wonder as to what in the world were they thinking? Thanks to Congressman Wiener, there is a new definition to what is infidelity. I don't like it. I hate to think that I am old fashion but I guess I am. Talking about what you want to do the person in a sexual way is a form of cheating. The wife agrees that it isn't cheating. However one has to take into account who his wife is getting advice from: Hilary Clinton.
And yes Bill Clinton, getting a blow job is having sexual relation with that person.
As for Totmom, Casey Anthony, it has me feeling sorry for her family. But it also has me wondering what has made her so narcissistic?
I have a good friend who is going through a lot of issues with her 27 year old son. Many of these issues I see has a result of her. Background information is needed here: Her son is the product of her first marriage, second hubby can't stand him. Because of this, when the son turned 21, my friend set her son up in her mother's house, paying most of the bills. Son destroyed the house, didn't pay his part of the bills, got her in trouble with the city, etc., etc., etc. Now she has moved him into her own house on the belief that he is going to pay back all that he owes her. However he is now trashing her own house and not following rules that she set down for him when he moved in. When I told my friend her son needs to pay the consequences of his actions, she says she can't do that until he pays back the money he owes her which is in the five-six digit range at least. I see it as a no win situation for her. She is going to let him walk all over her in the hopes of recouping her lost money, he knows this and is going to take advantage of the situation.
Which leads me back to Casey Anthony. Did her family do the same thing? Did they not give her consequences for her actions because they wanted to see their grandchild? And because they were always bailing her out of situations, she begin to believe that social rules don't apply to her and she can get away with whatever she does?
One thing is for sure, that family will never be the same.
And I will be glued to the news reports because there is nothing else to watch or listen to during the day.

All Because of Money

2011-06-04T08:37:00.000-04:00

I've been missing from the world of blogger for the past few weeks. It's been nice to see and read the many personal notes both on facebook and in the inbox of my email, checking up on me. I feel your love, support, concerns.

Thanks.

This past month has been stressful for me with the going ons at mamma's house and work. Guess I should start from the beginning and fill in for those of you don't know what all has happen.

I had post previously how hubby had his dream job back, life was good, birds were singing, couldn't get better than this. Well he came home a month ago and told me that he was fired. Turns out in the world of automotive they only want you for your knowledge when it comes to setting things up and cleaning up messes left from those who don't know crap. Once you have full filled their needs they fire you and rehire the one who had turned it into crap for lower pay just because he is quicker than you on the counter.

Life sucks, lawyer says nothing we can do about it.

So much for those posters that hang in places of employment that states about job discrimination.

Then Mike's dad fell and broke his femur in 6 places. Major surgery is a hard thing for an 86 year old man. I told Mike this is God's way of saying that he needs to take care of his parents.

Mike's not in agreement with me.

But those who know me, know that I can find a silver lining to this, there has to be something good out of something so bad.

The only bright thing I had was my job security with the same school board for the past 27 years, same school for 25 of those 27 years. No worries here.

Or so I thought.

In the land of education, money is tight. So tight that those higher up had to come up with ways to bring more money into the county. The past several years, many of us were able to bill medicaid for our services. It wasn't much, but when you add each person's amount to the kitty, it was a nice chunk of change. Of course, none of us saw this money personality or professionally, but it was there for the school board to use. Through these years, medicaid, bleeding like it is, has tried to close up the flow of money by putting restrictions on these funds. The newest one that affected me was only those therapist who have national board certification can bill.

I don't have this. Didn't need it 29 years ago if your plans were to work in the school system.

Of course those higher up think it's nothing to get it.

They're wrong.

For me to get it, I would have to go back to college full time for 2 years, 300 hours of free work time in a clinic, and pay them each year to have this certification that the state department says I don't need but my school board is pushing just so I can bill medicaid.

Not worth it to me especially since by the time I do all this, I can retire.

And I am not the only one. There are many of us in my county who can't bill medicaid. The school board's solution: Move us around so that there is someone in each building who can, making sure that those students who are medicaid are given to them.

Of course they wouldn't tell us for a month who is affected by this decision.

It was one of the hardest months in my life. So hard that I couldn't find anything positive or funny to blog about. I couldn't find any joy in reading other's post. It was like I was in such a stupor that all I wanted to do was sleep, eat, and veg in front of the tv when I wasn't at work.

Yes it was depression. A deep depression for me that lasted the month of waiting.

I found out yesterday that I am still at the same school with another therapist who has been there with me for a long time. Yea!

But

They put in another therapist who I can't stand working with there too and I loose 18 wonderful students just because they are medicaid. ERRRGGGG!

However many of my friends are having to say good-bye to the buildings that they love and move to a new place.

All because of money.

So my summer break has started, and I am still in a funk. A funk that has my outlook on life and creative writing juices clogged. Give it time dear friends, it will start flowing again. In fact, I think I have found my new subjects to write about:

I spotted a family of raccoons living under my porch last week. There is a mamma and four babies. This is a picture of two of the babies who weren't camera shy,
Now before you all go 'AAAHHHH they're cute!' on me, they are a huge pain in my butt.
Give it time, I'm sure there will be a many postings on how I'm trying to get rid of the pests under my porch.
Yes, they need to go and maybe I'll learn how to get rid of my professional pest at the same time.....

We're Such Party Animals

2011-05-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

When the sons were growning up, our lives weren't our own. We spent our evenings doing things with the sons, taking them to their activities, cooking them dinner, cleaning their clothes, all the fun things that go with being a parent. Mike and I would comment that some day, they will be gone and we will have time for ourselves, and when that time comes we would so be doing things that we want to do and the tv will once again be ours.
Well that time has come, the sons are pretty much out on their own (or at least they don't need us to be their taxi drivers) and the evenings are once again ours to do what we want to do with them. These past couple of nights, Mike and I have been enjoying having the tv to ourselves and watching what we want to watch. The problem is after sitting for only a few minutes, Mike looks like this:

Yes that is the dog sleeping too with his head in Mike's lap, both seeing who can snore the loudest.

So much for having time to ourselves......

Finding Myself On the Wall

2011-05-16T19:31:00.000-04:00

This school year is almost to an end. One of the traditions of our building is to let the fifth graders leave a permanent message to the school. Well permanent until the end of the next school year when the custodians paint over it and the new group of fifth graders put up their messages. The fifth graders love doing this and those in the lower grades plan what they are going to write years in advance. We almost had to do away this tradition. Last year it became more of a 'hook-up wall' with so and so loves so and so forever, and so and so is the cutest ever. There were even references to some not so politically correct groups that had many parents up in arms. Funny thing was the parents of the students who wrote the inappropriate things found it funny and cute and was offended to find out that their child's block was painted over. One parent even went back later and wrote a personal message to her son because she didn't think it was fair that his block was painted over because of the content.
The school decided to let the tradition continue with more guidance from the teachers. We talked to the fifth graders about the purpose of their messages, what is appropriate and what wasn't. Each fifth grader had to draw a rough draft of their block and have a teacher approve it.
I am happy to announce that this year's blocks look great!

Though I have to show you some of my most favorite blocks. I think you'll be able to figure out why.

Of course I love Kennedy's message to the world!

No I did not pay her to do this. Kennedy is thinking about becoming a speech and language pathologist and has spent many a times job shadowing me.
I think I am going to miss these guys more than they say they are going to miss me.

I Am Such a Cry Baby

2011-05-06T20:14:00.000-04:00

Hello, my name is mamma and I am a cryer. A cryer as in at the drop of a hat I can have tears streaming down my face. It's true. I cry when I am sad. I cry when I am happy. I cry when I am mad. I cry at weddings. I cry at funerals. I cry during movies. I cry when the National Anthem is played. I cry just because I can.
Case in point: In March my nephew got married. I cried. I couldn't help myself because I was watching him and remembering the young kid who was one of my sons best friend. It just seemed like yesterday that he was running around my house with Scott and Eric, playing whatever game. It made me long for that time. Of course my sons noticed me crying and made fun of me.
They then took bets as to how long it would take for me to cry at Scott's wedding.
I started crying before the ceremony even started.
But it's not my fault. The soloist was warming up with one of the songs she would be singing and it is one of my most favorite wedding songs. Scott smiled at me and laughed at me too. I told him to stop it and listen to the words of the refrain.
It made him stop laughing at me ~~I might has seen a tear or two in those big brown eyes too~~.
Of course I got myself together and held it together through most of the ceremony.
On the plane ride home from Alaska I watch the movie Marley and Me on my lap top and, you got it, I cried.
I even cried when they announced that they found and killed Osama bin Laden.
Last night I cried again. It was a good cry, a cry full of love, joy and happiness.
You see I got a call that filled my heart with the most wonderful news there can ever be.
I'm going to be a grandma come this winter.
And I wasn't the only one crying last night.
Congrats Scott and Noelle. We can't wait to meet the new little Cronin!
And yes I am crying as I type this post......

Random Thoughts About TV Watching

2011-05-01T09:36:00.001-04:00

Lately I've been watching tv way too much. As in, at least 5 hours a night and more on the week-ends. I'll blame it on the never ending rain that's been happening here. April 2011 was about to go down in the history books as the wettest month. It missed it by something like .025 inch.
Parts of me wanted it to rain one more time just so we could have the record and I could say I lived during the wettest month in history. Of course it's May 1st and it's raining now.
But I regress from topic. Thanks to all the rain, I've found myself watching more and more tv than ever before. Of course watching tv has made my mind churn with questions and comments. First off is the DIY channel. I've been watching many of the home improvement shows especially those where they 'crash' your home, bathroom, or yard. Some of the episodes are so neat, I wish someone would come and 'crash' my place. Which made me wonder, do they ever come to my area? I went to the local hardware store with hubby one night and I found myself looking around the store. Not because of all the interesting stuff but I was seeing if there was a guy with a film crew in the store. I would so say yes, whatever you want to do is fine with me. Let me take you home, NOW.
I've also watched many of the personal makeovers like 'What Not to Wear' and 'How Do I Look' I wouldn't mind a complete makeover like this either. Especially when there is an episode and they tell the woman what's wrong with the outfit and I recognize the outfit as one that I have hanging in my closet.
My tv seems to also like to end up on the Style Network channel too especially on Sundays. Is it bad that I watch 'Ruby' and 'Too Fat for 15' while snacking on non healthy foods? I use to be inspired by Ruby but lately, the episodes have her being so whinny and crying that I find myself talking to the tv, telling her to suck it up, get off her duff and do it.
I'm also watching the History Channel quite a bit lately on Monday evenings just so I can watch American Pickers and Pawn Stars. I've never been to a pawn store and it made me want to go visit one. That is until I found Hardcore Pawn. Though both shows make me wonder how much value there really is in the things that I consider my treasures especially when I watch shows like Storage Wars and Auction Hunters.
Then there is the Extreme Couponing show that still has me scratching my head for way too many reasons. Though true confession: Yesterday I went out shopping and went to a store I didn't need to go to but went because I had $20 dollars worth of coupons for that store that could be used in one transaction. I picked up a new pair of kitchen scissors and an Easter towel. I needed the scissors but I didn't need the towel except to reach the twenty dollar amount. I put the towel in my Easter storage crate, I'll figure out what to do with it next year. Guess I'm just as bad as those ~~organized hoarders~~ extreme couponers, just not to their extent. But I am still scatching my head at the twin sisters who have enough diapers for 10 babies and they don't have any children yet.
One thing is for sure, I'm hoping that it quits raining soon or there might be anothe post about my obsessive tv view......

Easter Memories Past and Present

2011-04-23T11:24:00.001-04:00

As I was getting caught up with my blog readings, I saw a pattern to their themes. Namely, Easter. Tomorrow is Easter, seems like all the blogs are full of Easter. Of course this stirred many a memories in my mind both good and bad. And, with it being my mind, it went in sequential order from my childhood to now.
As a child, we went to the local baptist church every Sunday, rain or shine, snow or ice, we were there. Nothing stopped my mother from taking us to church. Nothing. Notice I said mother, my dad didn't go with us. Instead, he would stay home sound asleep, in bed, until we got home. Easter Sundays were always the same. We would wake up to six Easter baskets in the living room. Each one had an egg that had our name on it. An egg that was one of the many that my five brothers and I decorated the night before. We didn't get a chance to check out our treats, instead mom would get us dressed and ready for Sunday school and church, new Easter outfits for the six of us. As we left for services, all six of us would scanned the yard looking for hidden Easter eggs that we knew that the Easter bunny had left all around the yard. The same scenario happening on the way home. It wasn't until years later that we figure out that it was my dad who hid them once we left for church. Once we were home, we still weren't allowed to eat our candy. Instead we had to wait until after breakfast. Yes, on Sunday we ate breakfast after church, around noon. Which made it to where we didn't get to dig into our baskets ~~that always had the same candy in it year after year chocolate bunny, jelly beans, malted milk balls, marshmallow peeps, and M&M all that were my mom's favorite candies~~ until after one in the afternoon. But only for a short time because those eggs were waiting for us, hidden in our acre yard. Looking back, I can't believe that we were so excited to find those hard boiled eggs, but I think it was all about the competition of who could find the most eggs. This tradition died out too soon with the marriage of my first brother.
Then when the grandchildren came to be, my mom would save her change for a year and put it into plastic eggs that she would hide around her yard. By the time she passed away, she had over 300 plastic eggs that only the grandchildren were able to hunt for, take the money out, and give the egg back to her. A wonderful dinner of ham would be consumed by the entire extended family of over 50; brothers, wives, husband, grandchildren.
When I had my own children, I knew I wanted to continue to do the Easter basket tradition with them. We didn't do the hiding of the eggs since I couldn't/wouldn't compete with my mother. Instead I would hide their baskets for them to find. Baskets that were not only full of candy but also small toys, and trinkets to have fun with. I loved Easter morning, watching four little boys hunting for their own basket, finding a sibling's basket but not telling them about it because they didn't want to ruin the fun for their brothers.
Then my mother passed away a week after Easter.
Easter became hard for me to celebrate. I felt like I was going through the motions of the holiday; dyeing eggs, making and hiding baskets and having to go to the dreaded in-laws for dinner. Seriously, dreaded. My MIL can ruin a perfectly good Honey baked ham and turn it into sawdust. Really, she thinks it needs to be re baked which makes it so dry, you can't eat it. Yes we've told her you don't need to do this to no avail. There are way too many more reasons why I don't like going there, my husband knows them all. However he keeps promising me that they won't be around much longer. He's been promising this to us for the past ten years. It's to the point where tomorrow, it will be just him and me going to his parents' home for dinner and I am wishing for a 24 hour bug to hit me tonight so I don't have to go.
I really do dislike going this much.
I sent Scott and Noelle their Easter box last week. I didn't put any candy in it. Instead, I found a few odds and ends and a gift card to get something for their home. When I told Scott there wasn't any candy in the box, I heard the disappointment in his voice.
I've learned my lesson, next year's box will have candy, lots and lots of candy and beef jerky.
As for the other three, I have most of their baskets complete. When I am finish, their baskets will be filled with some candy, lots of beef jerky and beef sticks, and booze. Yes booze, as in bourbon, wine, beer, and any cute little bottles of spirits I can find to fill up the space inside their baskets. But no adult toys, or electronics, or any non eatable items, they couldn't come up with anything they wanted ~~and I was too lazy to look.~~
But how about you, any Easter memories, past or present, you want to share?

Ramblings

2011-04-17T10:07:00.000-04:00

It's that time again, time to clean out the brain. As one the thoughts don't make a post, but put them together and you get:

It's been my spring break this past week. I had grand plans to get so much accomplished around the house. I only did a minimum of things. I'll blame it on the weird weather we had here this past week. One day it's so hot you want the air conditioning on, the next it's so cold you're turning on the furnace. But I'm not complaining, I did get those things that needed to get done now completed and there is only seven weeks of school left until summer break. I can get a lot done then. But why is it that a week off from work goes so much quicker than a week at work???????

Mike went shopping with me yesterday. While waiting for me to check out at the grocery store, Mike sat on the window sill. While sitting on the window sill, the Easter Bunny came and sat beside him and gave him a high five. Yes the big, white, fluffy creature with long ears came and sat beside hubby. The bunny sat there for a good five minutes, waving at people, high fiving hubby, mimicking movements that hubby made. Made me laugh so hard, I cried. First time in a long time I went out without my camera and I missed this perfect photo op. Wonder if I can get him to go again next week-end....

Went and saw the Asian man who did my nails for the wedding again. I was amazed at the fact that when I called to make the appointment and told him who I was, he remembered me and asked how the wedding went. I went all out and got a manny and a peddy. Spent almost three hours there. It was the best three hours I have spent on myself in a long time. Talked to strangers who I had no idea who they were, making jokes and laughing at Paul because he is that silly. Though when the nail tech had to shave the dead skin off the sides of my feet, it was the grossest thing I had ever seen.....

David and I went to the Cleopatra exhibit at our local museum center. While there we also watch the movie about mummies. We had the theater to ourselves and six other people. Both of us agree it was one of the best movies and exhibits that we had seen there in a long time. Best of all, we had a wonderful mommy and me day together. It also made me happy to know that no matter what age my sons are, they still enjoy spending time with me.........

Speaking of mommy and me days, I went out with Eric one day to spend some time together. Though Eric pointed out that whenever we have a mommy and me day, it's to shop for things so that he can do chores around the house which is true. Whenever I take him out, just the two of us, we end up buying something that ends up being work for him. This time it was a new sum pump.

I bought a dry bar on the internet. It wasn't cheap but I thought it would be a nice addition for our living room. Well and we really needed a place to keep all of our liquor and accessories in one place. It came only three days after ordering it, in 48 pieces that had to be put together with over 300 fasteners. One would think that with the price I paid for it, it would have came pre-assembled. It took Eric and I almost four hours to build it and it does look nice but I so would have paid someone to have done it for me......

I've been watching the show about extreme couponing. Never knew that mustard doesn't expire BUT why would you buy 72 bottles of it? How long would it take my family to use 72 bottles of mustard? I only buy maybe, MAYBE four bottles a year. I think having the storage space for other items would be more important than having a life time of mustard on hand. Now granted, I am a coupon user. In fact yesterday I saved 50 dollars in coupons. We won't talk about how I still spent 10 times that amount because it has been a long, long time since I went to the grocery store..........

A Child's Perspective On My Travel Pictures

2011-04-09T11:18:00.000-04:00

I feel like I've be MIA this past week from the land of blogs. I blame it on a bad case of jet lag. When I got to Alaska, I told Scott that I didn't understand all those complaints about jet lag, I seemed to be adjusting well to the four hour difference. He politely told me that it's not the being there that gets to you, it's the going back. Yea right I thought to myself and enjoyed every moment that I was there. I flew back during the night, getting maybe 3 hours of sleep total on the planes, stayed up all day Sunday, went to bed at the normal time and couldn't sleep because I was too tired. Spent the rest of the week trying to catch up, some nights sleeping the clock around but I couldn't get rid of the feeling of being oh so tired. It wasn't until this morning that I woke up feeling refresh and not tired.

Guess Scott was right but if I had to do it all over again, I would, jet lag and all.

This past week I shared my pictures of Alaska with my students. I used this as a tool that I would use to preplan a personal narrative to write. My students love when I do this part of the writing process and I love telling them the stories behind the pictures. Of course I get some fun responses to my pictures and I just have to share some of them with you.

First is the wedding pictures. The first pictures in my photo album are the wedding pictures. Many of the students aren't interested in them. To them it's too lovey dovey. However when they get to this picture I get the same reaction from them no matter their age:

"EEEEEWWWWW Yuck! They're kissing!"
Of course all the boys love this wedding picture:

"Is that a real cannon?"

I had a group of third grade boys wanting to steal it. I tried to explain how that would be impossible but to their 8 year old minds, it would be easy. Even when I explain to them about how this was on base with check points and lots of soldiers who would notice a cannon going down the road.

Silly boys.

Next photo up is the world's largest chocolate fountain:

Most wanted to eat from it and wanted to know if I ate any of it.

No I didn't, I'm not that much of a chocolate lover. Besides I can be a germ-a-phobia and eating from something this open just doesn't sound good to me. I did have a boy tell me he would jump in it and take a bath.

He's such a stinker, I could see him doing it.

The next picture is, well, silly:

I used this to talk about basic attributes. I was proud of all my students because they knew that to be a reptile you can't have fur. Many didn't understand why they would make something like this. I'm not sure why either but I found it funny funny enough to take it's picture.

Next up is a bear:

To understand my students' responses one has to know that there just isn't that many taxidermy animals in my area. Many thought it was fake. One wanted to know if it was real. When I told him yes, he wanted to know how they got it to stand so still ( he thought it was still alive). Our discussion turned to how the bear was dead and taxidermy. Poor kid left my room in tears.....

This photo is of school children having recess in the snow:

We don't have recess in the snow in my area. Notice some don't have a coat on, our students have to have a coat if it is below 50 degrees outside. Some said it was awesome that they could have recess outside in the snow. Many told me that they were glad we didn't.

The next two pictures received the most responses from my students:

"That's just silly!"

"Did you buy one?"

"Where do you wear that?"

"Can you swim in that?"

"Why does that one have a wolf head on it?" (Yes he has some visual perceptual skills issues)

Several covered the picture and refused to look at it even when I told them they were bathing suits.

But my all time favorite to explain is the moose poop:

Yes moose poop is sold in the stores in Alaska. There are moose poop earrings, rings, tie tack, drink stirrers, you name it, it has moose poop on it.

I'll let you use your imagination as to what comments I had on this one...

Good Bye Alaska

2011-04-04T07:26:00.000-04:00

Hello work. Thank goodness it's only for this week then it's spring break.

Yes even with 10 days away, I need a break.

Sad I know, but I've been going nonstop since I came home.

It's Too Expensive To Live Here

2011-04-01T20:42:00.001-04:00

The scenery here is absolutely beautiful, breath taking on the first sight. The people are friendly and helpful in oh so many ways. It sounds so great one should want to move up here right? Wrong. First off there is no spring or fall to talk of here, it is mainly winter and summer. In the winter it does get too cold to snow as in the negative digits. They have what is called the big thaw (which is what is happening now) and roads turn into rivers. It can snow all morning and be in the 50's by the afternoon. However in the summer the 70's is as high as it gets and damp. Very, very damp.
The cost of living is high here too with some items being twice as expensive as it is on the mainland. Now to put this in perspective for my non American friends, minimum wage here is $7.25 and hour. Granted that isn't every one's wages, but think of those who work in the service industry like food and sales. First off is the eating out. No dollar menus here, even at Mc Donalds, in fact you see signs like this:

The only place that prices were close was the liquor store. Though I don't think I'll be buying this one any time soon:

I did venture into a Fred Meyer grocery store while I was here and I was shocked at the prices of food items. For example diet Coke, a mainstay in my household. At home it runs around six dollars a case on sale. Not here:

Potatoes is another food item I buy on a regular bases:

Stopped at a gas station to get a drink:

Even the price of gas was unbelievable. Yes there is oil up here but it is sent back down to the lower 48 to be process into gas and then shipped back. Hence why it is so much more:

Not sure what the prices are on a good gun, we just don't get these ads in the Sunday paper:

Even the Walgreens ad prices were more than what it is at home:

Yes Val, the good side is they don't pay sales taxes in Alaska, residents get money back every year from the big oil companies. and they don't pay income and property taxes. Thanks goodness because they need that money for everyday essentials.
Driving rules are also very different up here than they are in the lower 48, but I'll save that for another post.

Sights So Far In Anchorage

2011-03-30T02:37:00.000-04:00

A waterfall

Scott with the waterway behind him

Bottom sign says that your pet might be eaten

Everywhere you look are the most beautiful mountains ever.

HUGE Ravens at every dumpster

Kids enjoying recess outside my hotel room.

Notice the one without a coat on.

The world's largest chocolate fountain with a sign that says no swimming

More of the mountains

Tomorrow I will tell you about the high cost of living here.

I met Sarah Palin!

2011-03-27T21:18:00.000-04:00

Well sort of:

She was quite, kinda flat and one dimensional but I still had to have my picture taken with her!

May I Introduce

2011-03-26T22:11:00.000-04:00

Captain Michael and Captain Noelle Cronin

Yes I cried through out the mass......

A Flight With Peggy

2011-03-25T15:18:00.000-04:00

I haven't flown in way too many years but I have to say this trip is a true adventure from day one.
My first part of my flight was uneventful but then I landed in Minnesota.
Minntasoooda that's how we pronounce it in the south. Any way, turns out that my connector flight is on the other side of the airport.
An airport the size of a city.
With a tram that can take you there because it's that big of an airport.
I hurry to the next gate that I need to be at even though I have a two and half hour layover, grabbing something to eat while trying to find gate F-5. It's close to gates G and H. Wondering where so many people are traveling to and from. A cute girl all of the age of 6 is behind me while I am ordering my lunch. She informs her guardian that she wants a number 1 with curly fries, a coke lite on the ice. I smile to myself, thinking that this young girl is a seasoned traveler. I glanced back and sure enough, she is standing there well put together with the cutest carryone bag with wheels that anyone would want to see. Perfect for her.
I do find gate F-5, the section of seats empty except for a few. I found a row of seats over to the side where I can be by myself to enjoy my lunch, surf the internet, answer emails. I get out my lap top, go to connect and nothing.
Nothing.
Turns out that there is no free internet services at St. Paul's airport.
Cheapskates
The gate worker explains to a gentleman that you have to pay to connect. I'm not willing to pay, I'll use my phone instead.
FYI: if you don't log into your facebook account on a phone that often, you'll get a message that you need to log in using your computer to secure your account.
While this is transpiring, there is an older couple who are talking non-stop to everyone and anyone. I had tuned them out up to this point but since even my phone doesn't like me, I listen in to their conversation. Turns out that the woman is upset that some man has left his bag on a seat and hadn't come back to claim it. She is in a tizzy because he had asked them to watch it but she felt he had been acting weird and he sounded funny to her. She sprinted up to the gate worker and tells her about the bag. The gate worker assures her that it will be fine. The frazzled lady points out to the gate worker that people are to report unattended bags. All the speakers announce this every few minutes. The gate worker reluntedly agree to call the airport police who arrive about 15 minutes later. During this 15 minutes the frazzled lady is becoming more frazzled talking obsessively about the bag, the man, and the lack of quick response by the police. A police officer came, looked inside the bag and all that is in there is a hat.
A cowboy hat with signatures to be exact.
The policeman was going to leave it there but frazzled lady keeps reminding him that bags aren't to be left unattended.
The police officer took the bag with him, shaking his head. I wonder at who.
Five minutes later, the owner of the bag came back. He asked frazzle lady about his bag, she told him to ask the gate worker, the gate worker told him to go claim it from the police.
And to hurry since the flight is on time and will be leaving in a half hour.
During all this time, I can't help but wonder if the man was a terrorist or not. If he is, isn't it my luck that this all transpired with me there. I am texting back and forth to two sons telling them that I have a story to tell them.
What I didn't know was the best part of the story hadn't even happen yet.
You see one of my seat partners was him, the man with the unattended bag. Turns out he doesn't speak English well and he's on his way to see his grandchildren in Anchorage. Grand children that he has never met.
But I didn't know this at first. All I kept thinking was this man sounds like Peggy from those credit card commericals.
But his English is worse.
I talk with the gentleman, turns out he is really hungry and doesn't know how to get any food. My mothering instincts kick in, I help him order food from the stewardess, I give him a magazine to look at, I let him play a game or two on my lap top.
At the end of my flight I realize something about myself:
I could have been like the frazzled lady the whole flight and worried about when the plane was going to explode. Instead, I kept an open mind and listened to the man who turned out to be a very polite and nice grandfather.
Even if he reminded me of Peggy.

Oh and to prove I am here, Enjoy some of my first views of Anchorage:

I know you all are jealous but I really am having a wonder time with my son and his soon to be wife and family!

Asian Karaoke

2011-03-23T20:22:00.001-04:00

Not my nails but a good representation from the internet

I'm down to the last night before I leave for Alaska. I haven't packed yet but I have made 6 dozen cookies so that Steven can give them out to his students on Friday ~~yes I am such a supportive mom I am willing to bake bribes for my son to hand out to his class.~~ One other thing I wanted to do today was get may nails done. First thing I have to tell you is that I don't like having my nails done. Nope, I hate having them filed, and scrapped, and whatever other thing they do to them when you get a manicure.
But my nails looked like heck and I wanted them to look nice for my trip and wedding. There is a new saloon that open only five minutes from my house and I wanted to give them a try.
And I had a coupon.
The coupon made me giggle because it said that all nail techs speak English. Can't be all bad if they all speak English.
I made an appointment for four o'clock this afternoon. I was early, the lady told me to go ahead and pick out a nail polish while she got Paul.
"Paw! Paw! Bownnee is here!Paw! She's here!"
Yep she speaks English even if it's heavily accented.
A middle age Asian man comes out of the back room, smiling at me,
"Hewo Ms Bownnee, you here for tips, what cowor you want?"
I explain how I want the french tips and that this is the first time I have done this. All my other manicures were with my natural nails but thanks to the major house cleaning from the week-end I had none left.
"Aw yes, the wite tips, I made them wook good for you."
I sit down and he starts working on each finger, grinding the top down, glueing tips to each nail. I look at my right hand with these tips at least three inches long. I make a claw with them and made a grasping movement in front of my face.
Paul looks at me funny.
"I feel like a cheetah woman with these nails." I giggle at him, embarrassed that I said it but at the same time finding having nails that long interesting.
"Oh Ms Bownnee you not the type for this, I will cut them down to working size so that you can still type and do what you need to do wif dem."
I tell him that would be perfect since I am not one to have long nails.
"I have wite woman who comes in here and she gets dese wong nails. It not wite."
I look at him with a questioning look on my face.
"You know wong, wong nails, you don't see many wite women wearing dem, only black."
I had to giggle again and make a mental note that Asians can be bigots too.
"Guess what dat wite woman do for a wiving? She cweans houses. Yes she cweans houses wif dose wong nails! I not know how she do it but she said she cweans houses."
I wonder how we got into this conversation but before I knew it Paul was singing at the top of his lungs along with George Michael. His 'what I found out was his wife' was in the back giving a pedicure, yelling up front that I might not like his singing.
"Aw Ms Bownnee don't mind, she sing wif me." he informs his wife.
And on and on he went, singing with the radio, making small talk with me, yelling at his wife that I like his singing. Before long, the lady who was getting a pedicure asks Paul if he wanted to go out celebrating with her that night.
I suggested they go sing karaoke at a local bar.
The lady didn't believe there were still places that did that but yes there is still a local bar that does offer karaoke on a regular basis and it is packed on those nights.
What was the most humorous throughout this was Paul was still singing at the top of his lungs, loving each song as it came on. He tells me that he knows he's not a good singer but he just loves music so much he can't help it.
With that I tell him what my sons would say to me when I sing:
Random son: Mom who sings this song?
Me: proud that I know the answer, responds with a whole hearted name of the artist.
Random son: Let's keep it that way.
Paul laughs, tells me my sons are so funny, and continues to sing as he does my nails.
After an hour he is finish, and the nails look great.
I'm going to go back there for a mani pedi when I get back from Alaska but when I do, I am going to bring my own CD for Paul to sing along with.
Just because I would find this even more humorous.

Alaska Countdown 4 Days to Go

2011-03-20T07:28:00.001-04:00

I am a planner and a list maker. At work I made a list of what all I need to get down before I leave. I'm proud to say that most of it is checked off ~~except for the four IEPs and two diagnostic reports to write that are all due when I get back.~~ What is left on my list, I should get done the next three days. No worry there.
It's the home front that I am worried about.
I mentally have made my notes on what needs to be done and have worked on that. My house is clean, the last load of laundry is in the washer and I am caught up with the wash (I'll be doing loads every day to make sure it's done when I leave), I went to the grocery story and bought ~~crap~~ yummy food that the men can make by themselves. Except for the meal I'm making, I am ready for Bunko at my house the Tuesday after I get back. I still don't know what I am making for dinner that night.
I've also went out shopping for myself. I wanted to get a new outfit for the wedding. I had planned to wear a pants suit that I already owned, but had second thoughts about it.
Damn second thoughts.
I went out yesterday, with several coupons in hand.
I love shopping with coupons.
I had coupons for three different stores, I should have some success. Store one had cute pants suits, but none that I like in my size.
Not one to let a good coupon go to waste, I used it and bought a sweatshirt jacket on clearance. With the coupon, cost me two dollars. It's lime green. I've never owned lime green before.
Went to store two with coupon in hand. Found nothing, nothing.
Since I couldn't use it on clearance items, I handed my coupon to a lady looking a Capri pants.
Store three had nothing either but that's ok. There was another store three in another city close by, I'll go there. No cute pants suits but I did find an awesome jacket, shirt and pants on clearance.
Score!
Or was it?
I'm sitting here doubting myself and thinking I need to go out again today and see what there is at two other stores that I like to shop at even though I don't have any coupons.
Besides, I'm thinking I want some new jeans, maybe a top or two. Which has me thinking. I hardly ever buy new clothes for myself but here I am, going on a trip, and I want new clothes.
Is this weird or are you the same way too?

The Top 10 Reasons to Buy A Car You Don't Know How To Drive

2011-03-16T19:25:00.000-04:00

Many of you comment as to why Eric would buy a car that he can't drive. Eric and I have composed his top 10 reasons why he bought this car: 10. It is an awesome color.
9. It has pleather seats.
8. It has a sync system or voice actavated system to us untech people. It can call me all by the sound of his voice.
7. It has an MP3 dock/USP port that can play songs from his phone, computer or any thing else that has a plug.
6. It has a really nice sound system.
5. It's a Mustang, who wouldn't want an American Muscle Car.
4. It was used but had very low milage on it, like under 9000.
3. It has 305 horse power and still gets 30 miles per gallon.
2. It was at a really good price for a 2010 AND with his dad's discount it brought it down even more.
1. The girls will find him sexy driving it.
OH and FYI, now that he knows how to drive it, he loves it! He says he'll never go back to an automatic again. He LOVES the power!

I Am An Awesome Teacher Even When It Comes To Teaching A Son To Drive A Stick

2011-03-15T08:03:00.000-04:00

Eric bought a new car this past week-end:

Yes it is a beauty but the problem was it is a five speed manual transmission.
He didn't know how to drive a five speed manual transmission.
He is a bright boy, a very quick learner, I knew he could have it down in no time at all. He went out with his dad to the local high school parking lot to learn. Two hours later they came back, his dad shaking his head and saying,
"He has retarded feet."
No one uses that word around me, even the mentally challenge can learn.
Sunday I took him out. He was going to learn how to drive this car!
First off I have to say, this is a fun car to drive. It shifts easily, everyone stops what they are doing and watches you pass. Hubby calls it a perfect mid-life crises car and I'm ready bring on the mid-life crises!
Wait, I need to focus in on what needs to be done.
Teaching a 25 year old son how to drive with a clutch. A type car I haven't had to drive for the past way too many years. At least 20 years has past since I've driven a stick on a regular bases.
I've never done this before. Both Scott and Steven drive a stick but someone taught Scott, Scott taught Steven.
But I am a teacher, I have 27 years of experience coursing through my veins I can do this.
And so I did. The first hour was full of squealing tires followed by a jerky shift many times stalling. I explained using 'mutimodelity techniques' I restated the information, paraphrasing and simplifying using my hands to show how the feet work, telling him to listen to the engine, smell when he got too much clutch going. But we still had squealing tires and stalling.
None of this was fun, it was oh so frustrating.
For both of us.
We saw people we knew, they offer advice, but none of it what I hadn't already said.
We took a break, went home, ate dinner, and came back to the parking lot.
Thank goodness we did.
As I was driving the car up to the parking lot, I noticed that I knew how to work the clutch by the feel of it on my feet.
Especially at the half way point.
Within an hour, he was driving it without jerky starts, squealing tires and stalling.
He even mastered stopping and starting on the hill by the stadium.
He now is driving it like a pro.
And loving every moment behind the wheel.

Planner or Carefree?

2011-03-13T09:04:00.000-04:00

I was talking on facebook with my niece late Friday night. Really late, as in actually Saturday morning, 3:30 to be exact. The time when no one in there right mind is up late.
I had a weird dream about hubby and I renew our vows, dirty cake plates with years worth of dust on them, my mother who is decease, telling me I shouldn't let things get this dirty, and an aunt who made a wedding cake for us and iced her extremely long hair into it so we couldn't figure out how to get it off her head.
Yep, I told you it was weird.
I woke up from this wondering what the heck all this is suppose to mean and a headache.
A headache that wouldn't go away.
Downstairs I went to take two aspirin and on the lap top I went, waiting for the medicine to kick in, when I saw my niece was online.
"Hello"
I typed to her.
"Hey! What are you doing up?"
Was her reply.
I explained to her about the bad dream, headache and the thousand of thoughts that were swirling around my head of what I needed to get done before I leave for Alaska on the 24th.
"Just pack your bags and go."
Was her words of wisdom.
I went on to tell her how I needed to get things for the trip, maybe a new outfit for the wedding, a smaller lap top meant for traveling, oh and a wedding gift for my nephew/her brother who is getting married on the 18th.
"I would just pack my bags and go, forget what needs to be done. Take your old lap top, and a nice outfit, and give Phil money."
Our conversation went on for about an hour but it stuck with me. Mainly her carefree thought of just packing and going with no care of what needs to be done before leaving. I am going by myself, my thoughts are not only on what I need to take and do for myself, but what I need to do to help those at home: buying groceries, cleaning the house, doing laundry, buying bunko prizes since I have it at my house the Tuesday I get back ~~poor planning on my part.~~
She reminded me that they are grown men who should be able to take care of themselves and the house.
Should is the key word here.
I wish I could have her carefree attitude and not worry about what it will be like here without me or more importantly, what it will be like when I come back.
Steven tells me he'll leave all his laundry to wait for when I get back to do even though he knows how to do it.
I can see the others thinking the same thing but it makes me evaluate myself and wonder:
Do I do all this stuff for them to feel needed, an important part of their life?
Or do I do it because that's how my mom was and she was a great mom which is what I've strived to be?
Either way does this make me an enabler?
But what about you, do you/would you make sure that all is fine on the home front before you would leave for an extended stay or would you be like my niece and just pack your bags and go?

In Two Weeks

2011-03-11T21:07:00.000-05:00

I have a trip in my near future.
I trip to Alaska.
Alaska home of cold, snow, ice, more cold, short days, long nights, more snow, more ice.
Do you get that it's really cold, I don't do cold. I don't do snow.
I don't like any of the above listed things.
But I am excited to be going because my oldest son is getting married on the 26th of March.
Yes the 26th of March as in two weeks.
He called me earlier this week and told me the great news. Noelle and him went and talked to the military chaplain and he can marry them on the 26th, of March, as in two weeks.
I am so excited to be gaining a wonderful daughter in law. I've told them both many times that she is the female version of him. They do make a wonderful couple who have already gone through a lot in one year.
If you are one of my friends on facebook you already know about how this has been a hell of a year already for the two of them. Scott with his TBI back in June and Noelle was in a serious car accident back in mid-January. She hit a patch of ice and rolled her car, crushing her left arm and severing the tendons, artery, ligaments, breaking the bones in three places. She was rushed to a hospital in Anchorage where they tried to treat her there. However after two weeks things weren't going great, they had to air lift her to Seattle where a team who specialize in this type of injury worked on her arm, taking muscles from her back, skin from her thigh, reconstructing her arm and making it functional. She is back in Alaska and on the mend.
They were to have a been married on February 13th but she was in the hospital.
They were to have a big family church wedding July 3rd but she is due for another surgery around this time.
They have postpone the big family church wedding.
But with both being military, they need to get married now since the military won't keep them together unless they are.
This is why they are getting married in two weeks.
Two weeks.
I'm excited but I have oh so many things to do.
I bought my tickets, on line. Now I need to talk to my son how to use them since the last time I flew you had to have the good old thick paper printed tickets in the envelope that you got at the ticket desk of the airport.
Yea, it's been a long time since I've been on a plane.
At least 13 years.
I went out tonight and bought a new coat meant for the extreme cold and snow. I went to a local sporting goods store and found one on the end of the season clearance rack.
Burnt orange.
Hubby said it was a great color on me. I took this coat along with some under armor gloves and hat up to the counter to purchase. I ask the nice clerk if he knew if the coat would be good in the extreme cold.
He looked at the name on it and smiled.
"Yes ma'am, it is. It's one that is used mainly for snow boarding."
Yea, I'm going to be one funky looking mamma in Alaska.
But at least I'll be warm.

Prayers Can Be Answered

2011-03-05T10:04:00.000-05:00

In order to tell this tale I need to go back a year. Hubby had his dream job working for a local dealership. One of those dealerships that has so many brands, you can get overwelmed by the choices. He was hired as a 'float' person to go from dealership to dealership to help out in the parts departments. He loved this job! He has always worked for a dealership his whole career and this one was the best. A few months into the job, they changed his job somewhat and put him in one of the slower moving parts department to see what he could do with it. He turned it around and where it was loosing money every month, it was now making a profit. A huge profit.
Problem was this brand of car wasn't selling and when the car isn't selling, they have to close that dealership down.
A year ago almost to the day, hubby came home with the news that they were closing the dealership he was working at. He was the last man hired so he might be let go. The economy in the car world last year was rough and budget cuts had to be made. It was between him or another employee who was always calling off sick, or not showing up at all, and had many customer complaints against him.
In the end it came down to money, hubby cost more to keep, the slacker was cheaper, hubby was let go on very friendly terms and a promise: If there comes a time that we can hire you back we will.
Hubby was devastated and he went through a grief like one does when someone dies. First the denial, then the anger, ending with the acceptance.
When he was offered the job at a big national auto parts store five months later, he was hoping that this would be a business that he could retire with. He took the job with a promise of management happening in the near future. It was a huge pay cut compared to his previous jobs, but he went in full of hopes and dreams. He started at the bottom, on the counter selling to those who walk into the door. It was hard, long hours spent on his feet. No stools or chairs to sit on. He made commission on his sales but it wasn't like the commission he had made in the past. He also had to watch his back due to others who would take his sales. A few months into the job they offered him the night time manager's job. Hubby was excited until he asked how much more it paid. There was no increase in pay, just responsibility. He turned it down and came to realization: this wasn't the job to retire on.
It wasn't just the lack of pay but many other things on top of it.
But mainly, his body just couldn't take it any more.
That's when we started talking about wouldn't it be great if his former employer called him back to work. If for any other reason, to have a normal work schedule again. I drove past the old dealership and noticed that they were doing a face-lift to it. Turns out that they were re-opening it with another brand of car. One that you might have seen a commerical for during the Superbowl. I kept my fingers crossed and said my prayers that they would be calling soon.
My prayers were answered this past week. His former employer called him up and asked him to come in to talk.
They talked, he was offered his old job back in the new dealership. The only catch was his pay is a dollar less an hour to what he was making when he last worked for them. He agreed to that since it was 4 dollars more than what he is making now at the national chain store. His only request was that his time he had with the company before be re-enstated for the purpose of benefits. They agreed to it.
He starts on Wednesday.

Longing for Better Times

2011-03-03T18:46:00.000-05:00

To see how much change that has happen in my life. one only needs to look at my tax returns.
Yes my tax returns.
I came upon this epithime when I was doing my taxes last week-end. I was entering numbers in the income section of Turbo tax, watching the numbers at the top of my screen bouncing from positive to negative, back to positive with each bit of information I enter. For my information it's easy. I have worked for the same employer for the past 26 years. No so for hubby. Due the economy, he had two different employers for the year 2010. He also had unemployment from both Ohio and Kentucky ~~which I think is stupid to pay taxes on since it comes from the government anyway.Seems like they're giving me money just so I can give it back to them.~~ With each bit of information, I recall the roller coaster ride of year 2010 was for us. The ups and downs and what seemed like the bottomless pit of downs. The slow chugging of going up, knowing that The Beast has nothing on us.
Hubby is thankfully now employed with a well known national chain of automotive parts store.
All I have to say is that we are thankful that he has a job.
A job that doesn't pay well, he works long evening hours, on week-ends oh and holidays.
It's a job.
We were talking in a rare moment together about how much I miss seeing him. On the week days I see him for a few moments in the evening because by the time he gets home, showers, and eats, I'm going to bed. On the week ends I see him for an hour or two before he has to head out. On his days off, I work, my days off, he works. I can't tell you the last time we actually spent the day together.
I miss him.
I miss our family dinner times together in the evening.
Yes we are a family that has dinner together with the sons -1. Sitting at the table, laughing, talking, eating and drinking. It is my favorite time of the day.
And the sons -1 agree that it is a wonderful family time.
But since hubby works late into the night, it's not the same. Way too late to wait for him before eating.
This evening he came home for lunch with some good news.
His former employer wants him to come in tomorrow and talk.
Hubby isn't for sure what he wants to talk about except he thinks it's about getting his old job back.
I'm hoping he's right.
Say a prayer that all goes well tomorrow.
I really do want to have my hubby back.
Along with the family dinners.

An Open Letter to Rand Paul

2011-02-23T18:14:00.000-05:00

I never write about politics on my blog, it's just not my style. However this morning the senator from my wonderful state was on Good Morning America.
I thought he was an ass.
A BIG ASS.
And it made me mad. Mad enough to send him an email about how wrong he is.
Have fun reading my response to a senator I won't be voteing for in the next election.

Dear Rand Paul,

FYI I do not make $89,000 a year. You are off by at least $28,000 and that's me being a teacher with 26 years of experience AND a masters degree that OUR state requires me to have in order to be a teacher after my 10th year. I will be working the next 5 years without ANY pay increase since my county has decided that after 27 years of teaching, you do not get a pay increase.

As for the wonderful benefits you are spouting: I pay for my health care at a whopping $420 per month for my family plan that has a deductible of $2500 BEFORE it kicks in and then I pay 10% after that. I have dental that I also pay for which is just as bad. I have a 403-K that has been totally me, no employer matching here. I have other insurances including disability and cancer. The premium on these total paid by me, not my employer. There is no vision plan. By the time these and taxes come out of my pay check, I only bring home half of what the gross amount started as.

I have had to take a job in retail in the past to pay for the removal of a son's wisdom teeth because the dental insurance didn't cover $1000 of it. Of that job I had to pay social security and medicare. Two federal programs that, thanks to being a teacher, I'll never be able to use hence money I paid that I will never re-coop. Nor will I be able to use my husband's social security or medicare benefits if the time comes all because I am a teacher.
I do have sick days but once they are used up, I take days without pay.

I have personal days that I can save up to four but never use because this is how I am able to go to funerals of close friends and extended family.

With all this in mind, I would like to know what wonderful benefits you are talking about?

I teach because I love my work. I work with an education, that in the 'real world' that you talked about would pay me twice as much, all because of my love for students. What few benefits including teacher's retirement are needed to make up the difference for all the years that I was a teacher.

Never mind that the state of Kentucky has 'borrowed' from the teacher's retirement program to make their budget balance in years pass AND of which has not paid back.

In closing, I think you need to get your information correct before you go on national tv and make such uninformed statements.

Sincerely,
A Kentucky teacher

Faulty Memories?

2011-02-19T09:48:00.000-05:00

Funny how the way we remember things can be different from others perspectives. Thanks to reading some of the young mothers' posts out there, I had a flash back to when the sons were young.
Being the mom of four sons, there are so many memories I have that, when shared in their presences, differ from theirs.
Case in point: The pee in the pencil box incident.
Our first house was a cute 3 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath,bi-level with a half acre lot, mature trees, quite neighborhood, walking distance to the park, shopping, everything that is perfect for a young first time home buying family. We brought each of our four sons home from the hospital to this house. And by the fourth son, we knew we had outgrown it. We put the house up for sale, and tried to keep it clean as we showed it month, after month, after month. One of the hardest places to keep clean was Scott and Eric's room. We had kept their toys in the family room but their books and crayons were kept in their bedroom, on a bookcase that always needed straighten up. I plopped myself on the floor, in front of dreaded bookcase, determined that it would be clean and straighten, wondering how a small three shelf bookcase could be so messy. I couldn't help but notice that all the crayons, markers, and coloring pencils are on the floor, beside the bookcase. That's weird, they should be in the pencil box that is on the bottom self. I lift the box up and it doesn't feel right. I open the box up and a smell so rancid hits me in the face.
It's pee.
Not only is it pee, it's pee that has been sitting there for some time.
How do I know this?
There is mold growing on the top.
I call the two culprits into the room and ask them about the pee in the pencil box.
Both blame the other for the incident, having no idea how pee got into the box.
Yea, no one did it, but someone had to have done it, pee doesn't just show up in a pencil box.
Fast forward a couple of years later.
I'm told that they both had peed in the box. They wanted to see what would happen to pee if you keep it for a period of time. Neither can agree on who came up with the idea and was the first to pee in the box.
Fast forward a few more years.
They're back to blaming the other for doing it but both agree that it was a 'Science Experiment' that I wasn't suppose to find.
Fast forward to the present.
The incident never happen, I just made it up to embarrass them. But if it did happen, it was the other person's fault. This past Christmas we even talked about the pee incidents.
Eric owned up to peeing on the white bear in the corner of his bedroom but not peeing in the box.
Scott claims he doesn't remember it. We'll blame it on his TBI.
After 20+ years, I still don't know who peed in the pencil box.

Just not Feeling the Justin Bieber Loven

2011-02-14T17:21:00.000-05:00

Last school year I had a first grade boy who loved Justin Bieber's music. He would put Justin Bieber's name on his papers, if we had a chance to talk he would talk about Justin Bieber's songs. One would have thought I was talking to a preteen girl instead of a six year old boy.
I had asked the sons about Justin Bieber. I had no idea who he was. They laughed at me and told me that I wasn't missing anything by not knowing who he was. I guess I could have googled him at that moment but I didn't. All thoughts about who this teen-age heart throb were gone until last night.
Last night I watched the grammys. The first group who won made a comment about being thankful that Justin Bieber wasn't a group act. Hum, wonder what the joke was about that? Later he was one of the performers. You can watch it here.
We all have our own unique tastes in music, I like all kinds of music including rap, pop, classical, jazz, spiritual, actually most genres. I even enjoyed Lady Gaga's performance. But I just couldn't get into his song. Maybe it was the lack of lyrics. When he was playing the guitar, he sang the same four words over and over with baby being said at least 20 times. Ok maybe five but still there wasn't much thought to it, just a bunch of fluff. Then came the samurai drummers. What the heck was that? Guess it had to do with the fighting he was singing about. Then he did it again. He kept singing the same words over and over and over:
I will never say never.
Thinking that I was just an old fuddy duddy, I asked my students today the same question:
Do you like Justin Bieber's music.
They all said no except for one fourth grade girl who was too busy screaming because I said his name.
A fifth grade teacher who found my topic question quite amusing, told me all about how he grew up poor, in a trailer park, and became famous all thanks to you tube.
Had to giggle when a fourth grader told me how he was taking his girlfriend to see Justin's movie this Friday. I asked what Justin Bieber's movie was about. He told me it was about Justin's life.
What life? He's only what, 15? 16 at the most?
I think my sons were right, I haven't been missing much.
How about you, are you a Bieber fan?

When You Get Too Much Information

2011-02-12T08:53:00.000-05:00

You'll want to get sick.

And this happen to me Friday at work. I have a group of two second grade girls. Both are as cute as a button. You just want to squeeze them and take them home type girls.
In honor of Monday being Valentine's Day, we were doing a sequence activity with a heart being turned into a Valentine. They had to color the page, cut out the pictures and glue them in order as to what would be first, second, third and so on to sixth. The girls were talking as they were coloring. Chattering about everything and nothing. I love listening to them and several times I joined in on their discussions. One girl, lets call her Mary, showed me her page.
"See this dot Mrs. Cronin?"
One couldn't miss it since it was the size of an pencil eraser.
" Yes I see it." was my reply.
"You want to know what it is? It's a bugger!"
Bugger as in that matter that grows in your nose that is impolite to pick in public (this info is for you non Americans since I'm not sure what you call them).
I just look at Mary and wonder why she would want a bugger on her Valentine when the second girl, lets call her Susie, tells me matter of fact:
"I like buggers!"
I couldn't help but look at Susie with a questioning look on my face.
"Yep, I like buggers. I like to eat them too. I think they're tasty. They taste really good. And at night, I lay in bed and eat them all from my nose until I fall asleep."
And with that I rethought about wanting to squeeze her and take her home with me.

It All Started With A Drip

2011-02-11T07:31:00.000-05:00

It all started thanks to a drip

No one seemed to be able to fix the drip. ~~Granted none of us know much about plumping.~~

I noticed that my water bill kept getting higher and higher all thanks to the drip.

I went out and bought a new faucet. Son tried to put it in, couldn't get the old faucet off.

Hubby tried to put it in, he couldn't get the old faucet off even with the new fancy tool we bought.

A tool whose sole purpose is to remove old and install new faucets.

Hubby now wanted a new sink and counter tops.

I made him stop at sink.

And I called my nephew to come and put it all in:

Of course when you get a new sink you need to get the new drain rings to match the sink:

But I do have my new faucet that is able to change it's stream of water all with a touch of this black button:

See that split in the faucet neck? Thanks to it, I can pull out the faucet neck and spray whatever and where ever I want:

Only sad thing about it all is when the nephew came to install all the new stuff he said to me,

"Aunt Bonnie, I could have fixed the old faucet and it wouldn't have cost you any thing."

2011-02-09T21:40:00.000-05:00

Picture a group of three fourth graders sitting at a kidney shape table. All three has that infamous distortion of the r sound as in they say 'wabbit', 'woad', 'wock', the only place they would blend in is New Jersey or Long Island. All three have made wonderful progress with this sound and today I decided to play a game with it. I would give each one of them a word, they had to come up with an r word that would be the opposite of the word. So if I said 'absent' they would say 'present', if I said 'inner' they would say 'outer' all with a great r sound production.
In this group is a boy we'll call Bob. Bob is the type kid who can't sit on his butt, he's always in constant motion. He always blurts out answers when it's not his turn, and he doesn't have a filter when it comes to his comments. I really like Bob, he is another fun kid to work with. I think his problem is his mind works so fast and at a higher level than most fourth graders that he doesn't have time for little things like social skills.
We've been working on that too.
It was his turn and when I saw the word, I had to smile.
Polite
I smiled at Bob and told him,
"This word is perfect for you in that it's you. It's something that we've worked on all year. The word is polite."
Bob is quite for the first time that morning. I could see the wheels in his brain churning.
"Disrespectful?"
This is not a word that I would ever use to describe Bob even though he is missing a 'filter' he's never disrespectful.
"Well that word could work but it's not the one I'm looking for. The one I'm wanting starts with the 'er' sound."
All three are deep in thought, not a sound coming from any of them.
"The word I was looking for was rude. The opposite of polite is rude."
Bob looks at me, smiles and says,
"You're right that word does fit me!"
Ah Bob admitting it is half the battle!

I Could Pass As 100 Years Old

2011-02-04T21:20:00.000-05:00

Or at least that's what a third grader told me.
Today was the 100th day of school for us. Many of the primary classes celebrate it with 100 theme activities including dressing up what you would look like if you were 100. It's cute to see them come in dressed like little old men and women including one of my favorite students. We'll call him Tom.
Tom comes in with his hair having patches of white in it.
"Like my hair Mrs. Cronin? I put flour in it this morning."
It was interesting to say the least and I fought the urge to pat him on the head.
Later in the morning Tom comes into my classroom. I couldn't help but notice the flour was no where to be found in his hair.
"Tom, what happen to your floured hair?" I asked.
"Oh it came out soon after you saw me." was his reply. He lend towards me, checking out the side of my head.
"Hey Mrs. Cronin, you could pass for 100! You have plenty of grey in your hair!"
I love Tom, he really is a neat kid and I knew what he was saying. I do have several grey hairs through out my hair. I still have way more brown then grey, but if you get close you can see them. Just like Tom did. I'm also a bit of a kidder with my students and this was the perfect time.
"So Tom are you saying I'm old?"
Tom lowers his eye gaze and replies, "Well you do have a lot of grey hair especially here on the side."
"But are you saying I look like I'm 100?"
"Yeah?" his voice has a little rise in intonation to it.
"100! You think I could pass for 100 years old? You've hurt my feelings Tom."
I gave him a little wink to let him know I was kidding.
"Well.....I've never notice your grey hair before today, I don't think anyone else will either after today."
Ah Tom, only 8 years old and oh so the sweet talker when he needs to be.

I'm Too Old For Bear Crawling

2011-02-01T18:43:00.000-05:00

First off, to those blogging friends who are being hit by the 'storm of the century' my thoughts are with you and hope you are safe!
This morning was one of those mornings that you wish you had stayed in bed.
It started out at 4 in the morning. Daisy the dog was scratching at the door wanting someone to get up and let her outside to do her business. I refused to answer her scratching because it was 4 in the morning. I'm way too tired to get out of my warm bed. I'd rather deal with the consequences later in the morning.
But hubby heard her too and having to go to the bathroom himself, let her out.
He came back to bed and told me,
"You won't have school today, it's so slick out there that Daisy couldn't make back inside. I had to go and rescue her from the icy porch."
I snuggled down further in my bed, then waited for the phone call that would tell me that school was closed. I couldn't fall into a deep sleep knowing that the phone could ring any minute.
The call came at 5:30.
It was only an hour delay.
Funny thing about hour delays: Every time we get one, I lay in bed and figure out what time I need to get up even though it's the same time every time and I still get up at regular time.
I use the extra hour doing things around the house. I even went out front and started David's car so that it could de-ice. I notice that the driveway isn't that bad but each car is covered in ice. I had Steven start my car when the time came to de-ice mine, waited 10 minutes and went outside to go to work.
When I leave for work, I can look like some kind of bag lady. I have my purse, my school tote bag and my lunch bag. For some reason, I thought going around to the passenger side of my car would be a good thing because that way I wouldn't have to throw my bags across the seat.
I was so wrong.
What I didn't notice was that on that side of the car, the driveway was a sheet of ice.
I went down, landing on my left knee, then my butt.
And I couldn't get up.
My driveway is a hill and between being a hill and the ice, there just wasn't any way to get traction to get up. I yelled for Mike, but realized that was a stupid thing to do since he was inside with the tv on.
I had to save myself.
I looked behind me and saw that it wasn't icy by the garage door, but how do I get there?
I bear crawled.
Yes, I bear crawled, not a true bear crawl but I would move my hands back, then lift my butt back to meet my hands, move my hands, lift my butt to meet my hands, on and on for about the six feet that put me to the garage door (for those of you not familiar with feet that would be 72 inches) all the time looking to see if anyone had seen what I was doing. Part of me wanting someone to help me, the other part thankful that no one saw me. I was able to get up and went inside crying. Crying like a little baby due to the pain but mostly for the fear of what could have been. I screamed for hubby who came running. I tell him what happen and asked him to go get my collection of bags from the driveway. When he comes in, he's wanting to take me to the emergency room. I'm not that hurt. He wants me to stay home. I can't. I have way too much work that needs to get finish, especially evaluating a student that has to be done by this week.
I go to work, hurting but surprise that I don't hurt more. I told a friend what happen to me, word spreads fast that I fell. Many stop by my room to check on me, many told me to go home but I stayed, telling my friends,
"I can hurt here just as easily as I can hurt at home. At least here the work can take my mind off the pain."
I finished my work day, went home, put on my warm flannel pajamas, and sat on the couch.
And that's where I am now, on the couch, heating pad on my back, ice pack on my knee and pain pills coursing through my body. My knee hurts, my back hurts, my shoulders hurt, my arms hurt, my hands hurt.
I would say I can't wait for hubby to come home and take care of me but when I changed my clothes I could help but notice in the laundry basket was a pair of his jeans. And on those jeans was mud. And the mud was on his butt.

Blame It On The Dogs

2011-01-29T11:15:00.001-05:00

This is a post scrip but can't get blogger to put it at the end. Video is of the dog snoring. You'll hear the tv in the background ~~I was too lazy to get up and turn it off it~~ would wake Duke up but he snores like a grown man!

I know I've been neglecting my blog this past week. I'll think of something to blog at work and by the time I get home I forget what it was. Sigh, and to add to my problems my dogs have decided that they want to catch cats. Yes cats. I have a neighbor who is an animal lover especially cats. She feeds and takes care of the many wild, feral cats that have decided to take residency in our neighborhood. It's a kind hearted thing for her to do except one of the cats (and a raccoon) have decided that under my porch is a great place to live. My dogs love to sit in the bay window and watch the world go by but they don't like watching the cats coming and going as freely as can be. Many times during the day, I'll hear them barking madly. When I go to check it out, there is nothing there except for a new set of paw prints in the snow.

This week both Duke and Daisy escape the fenced in back yard and went right to the front porch, determination running in their veins that they would catch that cat. Daisy came right on in when called, but not Duke. He spent an hour chasing the many cats around the neighborhood, only coming home when he was tired and hungry.

Hubby went out and fixed the fence, the escapades of the cat chasing only a dream. But being Labs and too smart for their own good, they found another escape route from the back yard (they found a weak spot in the wire fencing and used their noses to push the opening wider). Both wanting a breakfast of cat tartar, went to find it. I was at work this time but the stories that Eric and Mike tell are funny only because I'm not the one trying to get them inside. Lets just say, for be so smart they can escape, they are too stupid to catch their prey.

Now the dogs have to be chained up when we put them outside to do their business, or I have to get get all bundle up and take them out on a lead. No wild chasing of each other around the yard until Monday when Mike is off work and he can fix the fence again. But for now, they are still too tired to want to run:

Duke sleeps with pillows and he still snores! I think he's dreaming of finally catching one of those cats. I can tell this because you see his paws moving as if he is running. I tried to take a video of this but when I got the camera out, he woke up long enough to look at me like 'Whatever you're doing, stop!' and went back to sleep.

Daisy too is out cold, only waking to scratch her dry skin.

Just like kids, they look so innocent when they are sleeping!

Snowy Moon and Bush

2011-01-22T09:23:00.003-05:00

Yesterday morning I woke up to daylight but the moon was still out. I was an awesome moon and I just had to take some pictures of it. With the beauty of the snow and the clear blue sky as it's backdrop I just want to stand on my front porch forever and look at it. Except I was still in my pj's and flimsy robe, legs exposed, thank goodness for slippers with hard soles. Plus I heard my coffee pot calling me, wanting to get brewing first thing in the morning. I know full of excuses but when you wake up to single digit weather outside, you just don't want to spend too much time in it.

It's hard to tell, but the snow was glistening under the light of the moon. Made the world look like a Christmas card with too much glitter on it.

I also felt sorry for this poor little bush in my front yard:

Oh so covered in the 5 inches of snow we got in one day. But I won't feel too sorry for it since it's dead. A casualty from our drought we had this fall. See the tree behind it? I watered it and thought that I was getting this holly bush at the same time. Guess I was wrong because now all the leaves on it are brown. My neighbor thinks it's just been 'over used' in that it is a male holly bush. The only male holly bush on a street full of female holly bushes. She thinks it was over sexed. If she's right, what a way to go!

Branches For David

2011-01-21T08:37:00.003-05:00

My husband before Christmas told the family that he wanted a professional camera. We all looked puzzled at him and in unison said,

"Really?!?!?"

Yes, he really wanted a professional camera. We were all curious why.

He told us that he wanted one so that on his days off, he could go out and take pictures of things around here.

"Like what?" we all asked.

"Oh I don't know, just stuff." was all he could come up with.

My youngest David works as a photo specialist at Walgreens. He's seen lots and lots of pictures of everything (this could be a post all in itself). His 'favorite' are the ones that 'older people' take because they have a tendency to take thousands of pictures of the same thing. Seriously he says they take thousand of pictures of the same thing and will ask him which one is his favorite. He'll just smile at them and pick a random one.

With this in mind, David, ~~always the smart ass that he is,~~ made a comment about his dad going out and taking thousand and thousand of pictures of branches.

I think branches can be beautiful especially when they have snow on them. To prove my point, I went out, in the snow and took a few pictures:

David, I'll send these to be developed on your next work day.

Job Envy

2011-01-20T10:52:00.000-05:00

I have another snow day today. Yes the white death has hit. It is suppose to leave 4-6 inches when it is done. I know some of you out there are laughing at what you call a low amount of snow, but here it's enough to cause the whole area to come to a halt including not only schools but colleges, churches, day cares, doctor offices, businesses, snow emergencies all over the place.
But not Mike's work. He still has to go in because I'm sure some ~~idiot~~ customers are out driving and need car parts. Usually windshield wiper blades, windshield fluid, and/or batteries that they don't know how to put on/in and will ask Mike to do it for them.
He thinks no one should be able to drive unless they can do these simple maintances by themselves.
As he came down for the morning, he noticed me and said the usual thing,
"Off again today? It's fine out there, you should have had school."
I know he says this because he is envious of my unexpected day off. He has told me many times that if he had to do it all over again he would have been a teacher because he loves my work schedule.
As I thought about this, I realize that I too have had job envy in the past. For example those who work 12 hour shifts four days a week and have 3 days off. In theory it sounds great but in reality I know I couldn't do any job for 12 hours. Or a job where I don't have to come into contact with any human being. You know one where you log in information onto the computer. How about working from home? Wouldn't that be great to do your job and never have to get out of your pajamas? My neighbor worked for a major airline and only had to fly 8 days a month. Wow to go to far away places, and see the world and get paid for it! Never mind that it would be mainly the airports, but I wouldn't mind layovers if it gave me enough time to go sight-seeing.
How about a stress free job? Is there such a thing?
So what about you, what is your job envy? If you had it all over to do it again, would you pick a different career? What career would you pick?

Naughty Underwear

2011-01-16T11:19:00.001-05:00

Picture me sitting at a small group table with two, third grade students, a boy and a girl. Before I start therapy, I always give my students the first five minutes to 'update' me in what they think I need to know. This is a great way for me to see if what we've been working on is carrying over into their conversational speech and the students love being social.
Let's call the girl Susie and the boy Joey.
Susie is excited to tell me her news of the day.
"We have a sub today!"
"I know I ate lunch with her."
Sad that she didn't tell me something I didn't know she quickly blurts out,
" Did you know she wears naughty underwear?"
Not being able to help myself I just had to ask,
"Naughty underwear? What's that?"
Susie full of excitement to tell me shouts,
"Thongs!"
Joey has a puzzled looked on his face as he says,
"What are thongs?"
Susie is loving it that she knows something that we don't know explains to Joey,
"Those are the ones that has the string going up the butt."
Joey giggles with the thought.
I knew better than to ask, but the sub happen to be a facebook friend of mine and had just finished her student teaching last semester. She is now subbing hoping to get her foot in the door somewhere for the next school year. This is one of those things that can hurt a first year teacher because they'll become known as the naughty underwear teacher. It's been 8 years since my one son has been in high school but he still talks about the day his math teacher wore a red thong under her white pants.
"How can you be so sure she is wearing a thong?"
" Because she had to bend over to pick something off the floor and I saw the strap. So did Johnny and we both knew she was wearing a thong."
Joey, wanting to join in the conversation but wanting to confirm the story replied,
"I didn't see it but Johnny told me about it."
Susie was afraid that I didn't believe her, not sure why, continued,
"But it was there Mrs. Cronin and I know it was a thong. She's wearing naughty underwear! My mom has them but she doesn't wear them all the time only when she goes out with dad."
And with that we started our lesson for the day because from past experience, I know that this conversation could get worse.
God I love my job and the conversations I have with my students!

Those Paper Sheets Aren't Made For This Full Figure Gal

2011-01-14T06:40:00.001-05:00

I love my gynecologist. I know that's not what many women say, but I do. I love her and I love her office. Being a woman, she knows what it is like to go through the exam and tries to make it easier, more comfortable for you. No sterile examining room. Instead a room that is homey, with heated stirrups and tools that are used for the exam.
Yesterday I had my yearly visit with mine. I have a tendency to find humor in everything and yesterday's appointment was no different.
Every year they have me refill out all the forms as a way to update them even though nothing on them has changed.
And every year they have on the form the question about my sex. You know the M/F question.
Makes me giggle every time.
I look around the waiting room, not a male in sight or for that matter in the office but there is the item wanting to know my sex. Makes me wonder what would happen if a man ever made an appointment there.
But this year things have changed. I am having problems that comes with being post menopausal. Not to get too personal, but I had some symptoms of having a bladder infection and/or yeast infection. I don't have the 'plumbing' any more for a yeast infection and wonder if you can still get one without a uterus? But being of a mature age and having had a few in the past, I started eating yogurt and drinking cranberry juice. It took care of the burning and itching but not the leakage.
I was worried about the leakage.
I know too much information but I promise this is headed somewhere.
They take me back to an examining room, told me to strip down on the lower half but keep my shirt on, just undo the bra in the back, and handed me a paper sheet.
A paper sheet.
One of the things that I had loved about my gynecologist was having the nice fabric robe to put on instead of the paper sheets. Makes the time spent waiting for the doctor to come in seem not so exposed. But now they have those damn paper sheets.
A paper sheet that doesn't fit all the way around me.
Again I love my gynecologist. She talks to you as if she has all the time in the world and that you are her top priority at that moment. No feeling of 'lets hurry this up so I can get to the next patient' at all in that examining room. I explain to her what was going on down there and she listened. She truly listen to me and my personal problem.
She tells me she needs a urine sample. Turns out that the yogurt and cranberry juice can help but not kill all the infection. That's why they have a tendency to come back.
Not a problem. Thanks to the birthing of four sons, I can pee on command.
The problem is the too small paper sheet that doesn't fit around me and the bathroom is around the corner from the examining room. She gives me another sheet to wrap around the back side and sends me on my way.
She forgot to tell her assistant that she needed a urine sample from me.
So here I am standing in the doorway of a bathroom, having to pee because just the mention of peeing makes me want to pee, and no cup to pee in.
And missing those luxurious cloth robes that they use to have....
I don't know how long I stood there before I saw her assistant come by. I call out to her and ask about the need of a cup. She looks at me like I was crazy and boy do I feel crazy, standing there in the doorway of the bathroom, with my bra undone under my shirt, nothing on my bottom but two thin paper sheets; one on the front, one on the back. Not to take my word for it, she goes and talks to the doctor to confirm that she needed a urine sample.
I'm still standing there, in the doorway, waiting, holding tightly to the paper sheets, she comes back and gets me a cup, tells me to wipe from front to back, no back to front and leave the cup on the counter.
I do what I needed to do, and head back to my room to wait for the doctor.
And laugh about how funny it was to walk around a doctor's office with two paper sheets covering my bottom.
Oh and thanked God that no one saw it.

Snow Day Blues

2011-01-11T11:45:00.000-05:00

I have a snow day today. Third one this school year.
In years past, the thought of an unexpected day off from school was heaven. It would start the night before with the threat of snow during the night, giddy with the thoughts of snow. Waking up in the early morning, waiting for the phone to ring with the news that school was closed. Snuggling under the covers knowing that the need to get up was no longer apparent.
Snow days were spent as if it was a gift, a gift from God. The sons would go out and shovel the driveway and walkway with only the promise of home made hot chocolate and a fire in the fireplace as their reward. Lunch would be hot dogs roasted over the flames and finish with marshmallows fixed the same way. We would spend the afternoon playing board games and watching old movies. Sometimes they would go out and play in the snow, sledding down the street before the snow plows came through. Me watching from the warmth of being inside, praying that they were watching for cars and that the drivers were doing the same. Hoping that either one would have some common sense and get out of the other's way. The nights would be spent eating a 'Sunday type meal' that has taken all day to prepare.
The sons have grown, the promise of hot chocolate and a fire no longer appealing. In it's place are threats of how mad Mike will be if he comes home and the snow has not been removed. But this is ineffective. The sons hide in their rooms, not to come out and face the wrath of dad. Dad complaining to me that there is still snow on the driveway and sidewalk.
But I will have my revenge on the sons. Tonight's dinner is one of my favorite that they don't like: bean soup. I'll enjoy it tonight along with some corn bread and slices of sweet onion. Oh yes I'll have my revenge in more ways than one.
And they better eat their dinner tonight if for any other reason, self defense.

Date Night with the Hubby

2011-01-09T10:03:00.000-05:00

I had a date last night with the hubby.
A date as in just him and me, no one else. No sons, no friends, no family, just Mike and I, out to dinner.
It all started back before Christmas. I had made the comment that we never have any time together by ourselves any more or for all that matters, any time together. Mike's new job has him working evenings and week-ends. I work week-days. I'm beginning to feel like the old saying,
"Two ships that pass in the dark."
But this past Friday and Saturday he was off work at a decent time: 6 on Friday and 5 on Saturday. We made a pack to have a date night on Friday.
However it snowed + no roads were treated = no one showed up to take over the store making Mike having to work until closing.
Same thing almost happen Saturday.
He was almost an hour late coming home. But home he was, hungry, ready to go out for a night of dinner and whatever we could find to do.
I had received a gift certificate for Olive Garden from a student as a Christmas present. Olive Garden is not one of my favorite restaurants but considering that it would be a free meal, I was ready to go. The drive is only 10 minutes, we found a parking spot right in front. How lucky are we?
Not much because it was packed with at least an hour wait to get a table.
No place is worth an hour wait, so off to another place we went. And it had a line out the door too.
Off to place number 3. 20 minute wait, not so bad. In fact we were seated before the that. To our table we went, and sat.
That's it, sat.
Oh we did order dinner and ate, but we sat.
No conversation.
We did make some small talk about each other's work, friends, family.
But for the most part we sat.
Just silence as we listen to others around us.
A quite, no conversation dinner we enjoyed.
He even commented on this.
We haven't really had any time to talk by ourselves and when the times comes, we say nothing.
Nothing.
And both of us were ok with this because we had time together.
Alone
And it was wonderful......

Height of Laziness or Creative Problem Solving You Pick

2011-01-07T18:18:00.000-05:00

I came home from work today, tired. Stress from the week slowly wore off as I sat on the couch, surfing the internet, watching tv with a sick son. That's when I heard it,
'Thump!'
Like a car door closing. I thought nothing about it and continue to watch tv. Few minutes later I heard it again:
'Thump!'
Hum, it's not time for Mike to come home, wonder who is in my driveway? But being too lazy to get up, I continue to sit on the couch.
'Thump! Thump! Thump!'
That got my attention.
I walk to the front of the house and look out the window. Not a car or people in sight.
Am I hearing things?
'Thump!'
Sounds like it is coming from upstairs. I go up and check first on Steven because I thought that's which room it was coming from. He's sitting on the floor of his bedroom, playing a computer game on his HUGE tv, but can't seem to see any reason for him to be making that noise. I walk on to my David's room. He's laying in bed, curled up under the covers, watching a tv show on his computer. Laughing but nothing seems to the cause of the mysterious thumping noise.
That's when I noticed he has his decorative Japanese sword propped up close to the front of his bed.
"David, what's your sword doing there?"
"I'm too lazy to get out of bed so I use it to move the mouse when it needs it."
Comes to find out, thanks to his new desk and chair that he got for Christmas he can no longer lay in bed and watch tv on his computer because he can't reach the mouse. Hence the need for the sword and the mysterious 'thumping' noise.
So tell height of laziness or creative?
You pick.

Is There Such A Thing As The Best Christmas Ever?

2010-12-30T17:12:00.000-05:00

The holidays are coming to a close here, only the New Year is needed to be brought in. But we don't really celebrate the New Year, I can't seem to be able to stay up that late.
As I've spent the day visiting the world of blogs today, so many have wrote about how wonderful their Christmas was this year.
My son David says this was his best Christmas ever. The other sons agree that it's one of the best.
What makes a Christmas great?
Was it the fact that they all got just what they wanted?
Was it the fact that Scott was able to spend much needed time with us?
Was it the fact that I gave them all the choice as to wither they go to their grandparents' house or not and two picked not? And because I didn't make them go, they were oh the more happier to be around the next few days?
Was it the fact that we didn't have to do twenty million things in the month of December?
I think it's personal to each one including me.
It was a great Christmas. Why?
For all the reasons stated above and more.
All four sons were home, under one roof for almost two weeks. And in that two weeks there was no fighting, arguing, retaliations, or any of the usual things that happen when you have this much testerone running rapid through the house.
Instead it has been full of fun and laughter along with memory making activities that will not be forgotten any time soon.
For example, the sons and hubby had to go and get fitted for tuxes needed for Scott's wedding this July.
Eric noticed that they come with something called,
"Stain Insurance"
He starts a conversation with the brothers about what all they can do now that they have "Stain Insurance"
They are going to rent paint ball guns and have one awesome game wearing the tuxes.
They all said that the sales clerk's face turned white with every detailed they added.
Trivial I know but knowing that the five went to have this done without whining, bickering, and/or fussing warms my heart. Knowing that the shop can handle their unique sizes is all the better.
Then there was the Nerf gun war Christmas day. David bought himself and each brother a Nerf rifle that came with 35 bullets. Being men who behave like boys, they had fun shooting each other in places that no one would like to be shot at. Again, no arguing, no fighting, just high fives at each great shot.
I'm still picking up the foam bullets around the house.
We went out to dinner at one of those Japanese hibachi grills. This is where the chef fixes your food in front of you. The chef wasn't entertaining but our conversation was. So much so that the couple that happen to be sitting with us (but not part of our group) couldn't quit laughing. It all started when Scott told his brothers that they all need to be on their best behavior at his wedding.
Not a statement that should have been made.
Things like midget strippers and grannie hookers were brought up.
I guess I have to agree this was an awesome Christmas season this year. So much so, maybe that's why I'm in no hurry to take down the decorations and pack them away for another year.
And maybe I'm just feeling too lazy to get around to doing it......

The Accidental Tradition

2010-12-24T11:57:00.001-05:00

We moved into our home some 18 years ago. The house we had before had become too small with the birth of the fourth son. Our new home had plenty of room inside and out for the four little ones to play and move about. However anyone who has had small children in the house knows, keeping them entertain so close to

Christmas isn't an easy thing to do. What is a mother to do?

Make them help bake cookies.

And what do you do with a copious amount of cookies?

Give them to the neighbors as gifts.

Little boys grow, the need for holiday activities are gone. But what had been a way to keep small hands busy turned into a tradition among my neighbors. It starts around Thanksgiving, two neighbors in particular, will start talking about their favorite homemade cookies. Small hints that they love my cookies.

One year I made the statement that I was thinking about not making any cookies. I heard how my cookies had become part of their Christmas. See both are single women with family far away. They love to open their presents from home while enjoying my cookies.

They tell me mine are the best they have ever had.

I think they just love homemade cookies.

Yesterday I made the cookies. As the years have gone by, I have narrowed my baking down to the standard four; no need for the dozen different types of cookies. I miss the days where little hands were kept busy mixing, rolling, cutting, and baking the dough. I miss telling them that it's not appropriate to put anatomical parts on the snowmen to make them women and that even though reindeer would have penises, you don't need to add them on the cookies.

Scott is home. He did help me decorate some of the cookies last night. But instead of having fun with the sprinkles and toppings, he covered them with icing.

I can't help but wonder if I have passed on the accidental tradition......

Tis The Season For Re-Gifting?

2010-12-23T10:41:00.000-05:00

I have to say my last post caused a stir here at Mamma's house! When the sons were told about my plans for next year, I heard a variety of boos and hisses.
"Mommmmmm, just give me the money, gift cards are a waste!"
"I'll take money, money is the best gift ever!"
"No mom I don't want either. Money and gift cards mean I really don't know you. Or here, I couldn't take the time to get to know you better and what you need or want or the time to actually go out and shop for you."
All the responses fit where each son is in their lives.
Scott is financially sound, the need for money as a gift is unneeded.
The others, on the other hand, are still in college or just out of college and have a need for cold hard cash.
The conversation turned into the topic of re-gifting. For those who don't know what re-gifting is, it's where you take a previous received gift and give it to someone else, hopefully not to the person who gave it to you. Yesterday on Good Morning America they had a whole segment on the do's and don't of re-gifting. I found it interesting to say the least.
I have never re-gifted. I find it rude. If someone took the time to get me a gift, I am going to keep it. Heck, I've been known to wear a certain shirt because it was a gift from a friend even though it's not something I would have ever picked out for myself. Of course I wear it when I know I'm going to be with her. But the point is she took the time to get it for me, I'm going to keep it.
On the other hand, my dad's companion is the queen of re-gifting. She has a closet that is nothing but gifts that she has received with the name of the person who gave it to her. Whenever she needs to give a gift, she goes to the closet and pulls something out, making sure that the person who gave it to her isn't the one getting it.
It does make me think twice when I give her something; will it be something she uses or will it end up in the infamous closet? Needless to say, I give her gift cards. Usually to one of her favorite restaurants or to a book store.
Though on the other hand there are the presents that my MIL buys for the sons. They ALWAYS end up being returned to the store. Last year the store she bought them at only gave out store credit. We still have the store credit. I've thought about re-gifting it back to her but then it's to Men's Warehouse.......
What about you? What are your feelings on re-gifting? Any good stories about re-gifting?

The Price for Procrastinating

2010-12-21T09:15:00.000-05:00

I've been a procrastinator this holiday season.

It hasn't always been this way. When the sons were young, I would go out Christmas shopping in October, find all the treasures for that season, put them on lay-away, make my weekly payments until the day they were due out, and sit back and make fun of those who were still Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve.

Not any more. Here it is, the last shopping week before Christmas and I'm not finished.

In my defense, it's not all my fault. I started asking before Thanksgiving what did the sons want for Christmas. None of them could give me any ideas except for Scott. He's now easy to buy for. Just go to a home improvement store and pick out power tools. He loves power tools. I think his motto is more power is better. But none of the others knew what they wanted.

Eric and Steven both said money. Just give them the money.

David didn't even say that.

Later he said he wanted a cape and top hat. Want to have 'fun'? Try finding a dress, not costume cape and top hat meant for a man.

Yesterday, Mike was off work. I'm on Christmas Break. I had money. We went shopping.

Normally, I love to shop.

Not yesterday.

Mike and I never see eye to eye on what to spend on Christmas. He's in the stone age of what we spent when when they were toddlers still works now that they are 18-27.

Guess he hasn't priced out power tools recently.

The only thing we do agree upon is that whatever we spend on one, we need to spend that amount on all four. It's that amount that we can't agree upon.

Now we're not the 'spend what you don't have' family. I paid cash for most of our purchases yesterday. None of my sons ever got those high ticket items as a present from us. But we do try to make their gifts special.

Money is not special.

First gift was easy. It was for Scott.

It went downhill from there.

We were looking for an inexpensive lap top for Eric and an inexpensive tower computer for Steven. There were many stores that had them displayed.

None had them in stock.

David wanted a new desk and chair. We found both. I have the chair. Desk won't come until after Christmas. Chair has to be assembled. Maybe I'll let David do that part.

Did find something for Eric.

Nothing for Steven nor have I shopped for Mike yet.

I'm beginning to think that money may not be special but gift cards are.

Besides I think I like my tree without all the clutter of gifts:

I have to go out shopping again. I'm thinking Wednesday after I pick Scott up from the airport.

But take this as a warning family. Next year I'm thinking about shopping here:

Guess I miss those days of buying little boy toys........

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like A Snowy Christmas

2010-12-16T15:26:00.000-05:00

Today we had a snow day as in no school snow day.

Those of you who are teachers are jealous, I know but a snow day this close to Christmas Break isn't needed. Besides, I woke up at 4:00 am this morning, saw the snow and then laid awake in bed until I got the phone call that school was cancelled. It didn't come until 6:00. Not sure how much snow is out there, maybe 4-6 inches. Enough that thanks to the hills of Kentucky, driving and or riding in a big yellow cheese wagon isn't the safest thing to do. Some of my teaching friends on facebook seem to think we'll have tomorrow off too. Sigh, oh well, enjoy the few photos of my white Christmasy world:

A Snowman in the snow. Love how the snow makes a perfect circle around him without burying him.

Next up, the front of the house aka someone threw-up Christmas:

My new game is where's baby Jesus? Can you also find the two sheep and one donkey?

Another view, have you found them yet?

How about now?

Poor teddy, he's covered in snow thanks to cleaning off the driveway. There are five gifts surrounding him, can you find them?

This snowman doesn't have that perfect circle around him. Instead he has snow all the way up his butt:

Still can't find Jesus........

Lastly, I love the snow on the ornaments!

That's it, a wonderful look at my snowy house. I would have taken more but I don't do snow. I've been trying to make one of these pictures my new heading but paint doesn't like me today. If I have another snow day tomorrow, guess I'll try it some more.

Funny Things That I've Heard Or Saw This Week

2010-12-08T07:26:00.000-05:00

1. I was working with a third grade girl on Monday. We were working on seeing the pattern to the 9 multiplication facts. I said to her,
"Look it's a pattern 9,8,7,6,5,4,3 what would be next?"
"8?" was her reply.
I had her look at it again, 9,8,7,6,5,4,3 ____. I kept saying it over and over again.
She finally got it and yelled out 2 and said something that made my day,
"Wow I was having a blond moment there!"
Yes, I laugh with here.

2. I was coming home from the grocery store last night and it's frigid cold outside. We're talking in the single digits temps with snow on the ground. This didn't stop a neighbor from wearing shorts, chasing his poodle dog with a jar of treats, trying to catch the animal. If it was one of my dogs, I would have said,
'Stay out there!' and gone on inside.

3. David, my youngest, told me he was going to start his own blog. It's going to be about a young man whose mom has a blog. I found this funny because I'm afraid he might call it, "Dumb things my mom says and does." Yes David I know you would call it this...

4. Today is my fiftieth birthday. The BIG 50. I woke up to this message on my computer:

Happy Birthday Mom!!

-Eric
What is that the big 5-0? Hmmm no one has to push you down the hill anymore… all they have to do is take off the parking break of your rascal and watch you roll down! WEEEEEEEE!!!!!
Gotta love that son of mine.....

5. My son David got me some new slippers for my birthday:

I love Rudolph! He made fun of me for it. I was there when he bought them. I love the slippers and wear them all the time around the house. Yesterday I went to pick David up from work. Usually I will text him that where I am at in the parking lot, but my phone was home, charging. Know what I did? I walked into Walgreens wearing these huge slippers on my feet. Yes, I got many stares and made some people smile and even laugh. guess I was the funny thing they saw this week.

What It Is Like To Dine At A Millionare's Home

2010-12-06T16:49:00.000-05:00

This past week-end I went to Dresden, Ohio. Home of Longaberger Baskets. I went on a bus trip with 399 other fans of the product to see the Homestead and, more importantly, get some great deals at their factory outlet store. Yes I bought some wonderful things that I didn't know I needed and I had a wonderful time with some good friends. I've done this trip many times before and it's always the same: breakfast served on the bus in a Lonaberger basket, prizes awarded on the bus, get to the Homestead where we shop and eat lunch, into the town of Dresden where they serve us dinner on the bus ride back home.

Not this year. The Homestead couldn't handle all 400 of us at one time (found this interesting since they've done it before). Our consultant who puts together the tour is friends with one of the CEO's. The CEO has part of her house made to handle large groups for meals. We got to go and visit her home:

The house was so big I couldn't make it fit into one picture! But take the end part on the right and duplicate it on the left and you have her house. What else you can't see, thanks to being dark, is the roof makes this a three stories high house. Meaning, there are rooms in use on the top level. The building on the right is just for her security. That's a lot of security!

Half of the dinning room that sat all 400 of us easily.

The ceiling in the dinning room was stain glass.

What else would you decorate with when you made your fortune selling them.

An outside fireplace. Too bad it was way too cold to stay out and enjoy it.

These logs are really peppermint sticks! Those are some BIG sticks!

The basket on the right is the same one that I got for going on this trip!

The dinner was great, the service was excellent. I would love to go back during the daylight hours to see what couldn't be seen in the dark.

Some Christmas Cheer, Beer Style

2010-11-26T08:40:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving is over,it's the beginning of the holiday season here in the States. In honor of the beginning of the Christmas season, I present to you some, shall we say, interesting beers. I found these wonderful brews at the adult candy store this past week. I found the names so entertaining I had to whip out my camera and take some photos to share. Even if you're not a beer drinker you have to find the humor in their names:

I love the Santa's butt one ;o)

I know I've never grown up, I still have a child's sense of humor...

I love this liquor store! It's one of the largest liquor stores in the area and offers a WIDE variety of adult beverages. They have beer from all over the world. This picture is only 1/8 of the selection:

I love how they all look lined up on the shelves. So many beers to try, not enough time...

Yea, it's my type of holiday shopping.

What A Hell Of A Way To Start The Thanksgiving Break

2010-11-25T14:14:00.000-05:00

Last night the family and I went to what we call the adult candy store (aka the liquor store) to buy some much needed booze for the festivities of today. Afterwards we all went out to eat and headed home. Mike, Steven and I in one car, Eric and David in another. It was raining, Eric went to turn right, and a different car decided not to turn left but instead cut across two lanes of traffic and hit them in the back, spun them, and while spinning, hit another car damaging the passenger side door. Police were called, information exchanged. Stupid me forgot to hand out the new proof of insurance cards and Eric, who was driving was sited for driving without proof of insurance.

Good news no one was hurt AND we do have insurance. Bad news, the car is damage and Eric has a court date to go and prove that he does have insurance. The police officer told him that all charges will be dropped once he shows the needed documentation. Unknown: whose fault the police and insurance companies will decide. On another note, at least my brother owns his own auto body shop and will be able to fix the damages for us once the insurance company gives us the ok.

Eric is feeling down, it was his brother's car he was driving. Poor David, this car is his baby and look at it now:

And just for Sandra and Scott:

How moist stuffing should be and how much celery and onion should be in it before you bake it:

But Sandra, just wait, I'll take more pictures of the big feast just to bore you because I'm just like that because in America, Thanksgiving is a BIG deal if for no other reason, it ushers in the beginning of the Christmas season ;o)

The Day Before Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T07:57:00.000-05:00

It's the day before Thanksgiving and I wonder what was I thinking! I didn't take the day off work, not sure why. But it's too late now, I'll just have to get busy when I get home at 4:00.
I am a list maker and I started to make a list of what all I needed to get done before dinner tomorrow.
I stopped when I started to feel overwhelmed by it all.
I do this every year: I have all of my side of the family over for an evening dinner of Turkey, dressing, mash potatoes, gravy, broccoli casserole, corn pudding, carrots, green beans, sweet potatoes, cranberries, rolls, and of course pumpkin pie and the family standby of flat chocolate chip cookies.
I have none of it ready for tomorrow.
On top of that, I need to go to the liquor store to get a new keg of beer, I need to go to the grocery store for more eggs and Pepsi (my family will only drink Pepsi, not Coke), and I need to do another cleaning of the main floor and game room.
It will all work out, it always does. Except for the year my oven broke on Thanksgiving day. I had to take all my oven dishes to my neighbor's house and have her cook it for me. Made me realize that the best part of making dinner is smelling it cooking all day.
Scott called me earlier this week, he's making his first Thanksgiving dinner this year! He wanted me to send him all the family recipes including how to cook a turkey, make dressing, gravy and corn pudding. I had to giggle at him and remind him that there wasn't any written recipes for these things. Instead it's all in my mind thanks to all those times I watched and helped my mom with the food preparation for the holidays. I tried to remember them and wrote them down for him but it's hard to do when so many of them are based on looks and how they feel and taste. I have a feeling he'll be calling me tomorrow with questions.
Guess tomorrow's post will be how to tell by looking at raw stuffing if it is moist enough to cook and how to tell if you have enough flour in the gravy....

The Week of Thanksgiving=They've Lost All Their Common Sense

2010-11-22T19:16:00.000-05:00

This is a big week around here. The beginning of the holiday season. Thursday is Thanksgiving, Friday will be getting the Christmas decorations out on the inside, Saturday will be getting the decorations out on the outside. I should be excited, I should be full of all the wonderment that the holidays bring.
I'm not.
I'll blame it on work.
I have to work three days this week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.
This should be easy.
But it's not.
Here is a sampling of my day today.
I had a student tell me she was too excited to be at school today. Tomorrow she is leaving for Florida where she will be spending turkey day on a beach, swimming. Another student told me that he was leaving tonight for Chicago to visit relatives. I lost track of how many students were absent today.
Then there was the one who was so excited about having their Christmas tree up, he didn't know how he was going to make it through the day.
And there are still 17 teaching days left before Christmas Break, he better figure it out soon.
As I went through my day, seeing student after student, I could tell this isn't going to be a normal week. Things that should be common, we've been doing it all year, were like something new to many.
A third grade teacher showed me what her students were suppose to being doing but many couldn't do it. I looked at it and scratched my head, it was simple problem solving activity using reasoning skills.
My fifth graders couldn't decided if the colony of Roanoke was successful or not even after I explained that all the colonist disappeared, vanished. The settlement left uninhabited, no one ever tried to re-establish it.
One student thought they all just went back to England. I had to explain why this wouldn't have worked.
I told them about the many theories that are out there as to what happen to them, one being that they went to live with a native American tribe. One student looked at me weird.
"But Mrs. Cronin they would, you know, look different and stand out."
"So?"
"So when they came to rescue them they could have found them because they would be the ones that looked, you know, different."
I had to go back and explain how the area was wild, with nothing, no one around. The whole time wondering what in the world was his mind thinking.
This afternoon I saw what I thought was a snowflake and cried. Not because of the thought of snow, but because I am so ready for a snow day.
I think it needs to be a law that there is no school in session the week of Thanksgiving until after the New Year.
It's a dream, a wish, never to come true.
And for now I'm just counting down the days till the long week-end.....

Excuses

2010-11-18T21:11:00.000-05:00

I've been a bad blogger this past few weeks. I could give you several excuses but they would be that, excuses. I'm not one for excuses, they're a waste of time.

However I have nothing else to blog about so I am going to give you my top 10 reasons why I haven't been blogging.

1. Steven had surgery. He got hurt at work back in September and it has taken workman's comp this long to approve his claim. He had a torn something in his shoulder that had to be sewn back into place. His surgery was a week ago Friday, spent all day with him at the surgical center. Best thing that came out of it besides getting his shoulder fixed: I got all my Christmas cards filled out. All I need to do is write the news letter to go in it and I am ready to mail them!

Funny of the day: He wanted me take his picture after they gave him his 'happy' shot and post it. Never one to pass up the chance I did.

Yea he doesn't remember any of it but I do.

2. Work is hectic. It's a 'cop-out' but true. I've had several changes happening at work which has me spending later hours getting caught up on paperwork. I hate paperwork. Most of it is known as 'CYA' as in cover your ass. Sad when your job performance is base on how well you can do paperwork more than how you work with students.

3. The time change has my internal clock out of whack. Seriously, I am in bed by 8 and up by 5 every morning. I've tried staying up late, taking a nap, sleeping pills but it doesn't matter. I'm wide awake at 5. By the time I'll get back to what it needs to be, it will be spring and it will all be for not. Needless to say, I hate time changes!

4. I have to share the lap top with Eric. His crashed, so every evening after dinner, he comes and gets it from me. Not a big deal since most nights I am in bed right after dinner. Come the morning, the lap top is back in the family room, waiting for me, calling my name....

5. Hubby's new job has me out of sorts. He works weird hours, most of them at night. Instead of spending time on the computer, I spend it missing him. ~~Not really but it sounds good~~.

6. Nothing exciting has been happening around here. Seriously, nothing worth blogging about is happening here. I have had some funny things happen to me at work, but by the time I get home to blog about it, I've forgotten it. Sad I know but oh so true.

7. Back to hubby working, because of his job he's not the house hubby any more. This means I'm back to doing the laundry, cooking, cleaning, odd chores. I miss having a house husband.....

8. I'm finally getting around to watching all the shows that I've DVR. I'm finding that I prefer to tape all of the episodes of my favorite shows THEN watch them. Makes it so much better to watch them at one time vs waiting week after week just because the writers are good at making you want to see what happens next.

9. I've been busy planning Thanksgiving dinner for around 50 people. Sad part is, I really haven't done anything for this yet. I haven't even bought the turkey yet. Usually by now, I have it in the frig, defrosting, but not this year. I do plan on buying it tomorrow....

10. I've just been too lazy. Sad I know but hopefully I'll be doing a better job of it in the future. Besides the holidays start next week which means I'll have lots to talk about in the upcoming weeks!

Oh Snap!

2010-11-11T20:40:00.000-05:00

Oh snap!
It can mean so many things.
Today is Veteran's Day in the United States. A day to thank those who have served/currently serving in our country's military. We had a wonderful program at work for the Veterans full of music, dance, and praise for our service men and women. I always get teary eye at this functions. I don't know why. However sitting in the bleachers were three young boys, fourth grade age, playing around being normal 9 year old boys who have sat too long. I walked over to them and snapped my fingers, once. That's all it took, one snap of the fingers, snap, and they stopped what they were doing. What powerful fingers I have!
Tonight we went out to dinner. Any dinner with the sons is full of laughter and fun. All of us can be on the receiving end of a joke. Jokes that involve watermelons, watermelon ballers, the microwave and the lack of action in the bedroom. No topic is off limits. After each punch line, one of the sons would say,
"OH SNAP!"
meaning whoever made up a joke about you, did a great job of it.
I was on the receiving end of one of their jokes tonight.
And it was of my own doing.
We were talking about people who smell badly. So badly it makes you sick to your stomach. I told them how I made Steven smell a backpack of what I suspect is from a house that makes crystal meth. Not a pleasant smell at all. Think of a cat that has pee numerous times on this backpack for a long period of time, drag it through some foul mud, and you've got it. (side note: Steven is studying to be a teacher. Now days one needs to know these things so that authorities can be called. And yes they have been called SEVERAL times on this.)
Steven smiles and tells his brothers,
"Yea, then I told her how to make meth along with moonshine."
Of course our conversation moves on to the topic of if Steven doesn't find a job as a Chemistry teacher he can make meth and moonshine at home.
I would be too afraid of him getting caught and sent to prison.
His ~~not so~~ loving brothers informed him he could still 'cook some' while in jail.
Steven explains that somehow his brothers would have to bring Sudafed to him. Eric and David thought it should be my job.
That's when I made my mistake:
"I'm not smuggling drugs in my butt cheek."
Oh how I knew they would catch that I didn't add an s to the end of cheek.
And they did.
I am now known as the one butt cheek mom who has a pouch in said cheek. They also came up with a multitude of items that I could carry in this butt cheek pouch.
FYI, they all are now convince that I have a zipper in my butt cheek.
Yea, I was 'Oh snap!' and to make matters worse, I'm the one who picked up the bill for dinner.

Spring Forward, Fall Back, Doesn't Matter, It's Heck!

2010-11-07T19:25:00.000-05:00

I don't know if we are the only country that does this, but in the fall we set our clocks back one hour and in the spring we set it ahead an hour. There is much debate how this all came about. One site will tell you it was to help the farmers get the most out of daylight, another site said it is left over from WWII as a means to save energy. How ever it came about, it doesn't matter because we still do it.
Some of you might be saying,
"But mamma, I love the extra hour of sleep I get every year."
I say, so what. You loose that hour in the spring so it all works out.
Or does it?
This morning my dogs, not being able to read the clock, still wanted out at 6:30 old time which made it 5:30 new time. Once I let them out, there is no going back to sleep thanks to the wonderful cooler weather we are enjoying. Believe me, once you go outside to get their chain (yes I have to chain them in my fence in yard because they are the Houdini of dogs but that's fodder for another post), let one out, wait, bring them in and let the other one out, wait, you are wide awake due to the extremely cold concrete on your bare feet just because I forgot to put on my slippers.
Then there is the pain of setting all the clocks back. Forward is fine, no problem one button pushed, you're done. But setting a clock back means having to go through all the numbers twice only to miss the number you needed, going through the numbers again. We won't talk about the time I set it for am thinking I set it for pm and didn't know it until the alarm failed to go off at the time needed.
I didn't reset my bedside clock this morning. Hubby woke up in a bad mood because he thought he had slept in late only to find out he had another hour to sleep. Unlike me, he had no problem going back to bed. Which doesn't make sense that he was upset about the time, he still had plenty of it before he had to go to work. I think it was just because he broke his CPAC machine and didn't get a good night sleep.
I don't know if this really does 'save light' and energy. At this point and time I'm just hoping that the dogs learn to sleep in the extra hour within the next week because I already know they will be up tomorrow morning at 5:30 wanting to go outside......

I Am Whatever You Want Me To Be

2010-10-29T21:16:00.000-04:00

Today was costume day at school. I love dressing up not as anything in particular just so the students can ask me,
"What are you suppose to be?"
To which I love saying,
"What do you think I am? I am whatever you want me to be."
Some students can't handle this. They just keep on says,
"But what are you suppose to be?!?!?"
This year, I went dressed like this:

To which I heard many fun suggestions including:
the ground
a tree
a fall bride
a dead bride
a fall princess
the queen of bugs
A spider's bride
A bug infested vampire
I was even called a nun!
I had a couple tell me I was a man. They said it was because of the eyebrows:

The only bad part of the costume was seeing the world through this:

When I came home, I shared with the family the comments made to me. I also shared with them the photos from above. The laughed, but they all agreed, I was the bride of Paul Bearer. Who is Paul Bearer you ask:

It's all in the eyebrows.

Now it's your turn, who/what do you think I am? There are not right or wrong answers for I am what ever you want me to be.

The Price of Being Original

2010-10-27T20:43:00.000-04:00

Halloween is my FAVORITE holiday. I think it's because it's a day you can dress up and be whatever or whoever you want to be. Growing up, I was jealous of the kids who had store bought costumes. My parents didn't believe in buying costumes ~~mainly because they were to cheap since there was six of us~~. Instead we had to pilfer each other's closets in order to come up with something to wear trick or treating. In later years, mom did buy each of us one of those black masks that covered your eyes and part of your nose. Think Lone Ranger with elastic around the back of the head. But never did I have the neat ones that covered your whole face that looked like something.

When I had my sons, I indulge them with whatever costumes they wanted within reason. I bought several different ones that had the full face masks and one piece jumpsuit. But the costumes that they remember most (and so do I) were the ones where they pilfered closets to come up with original idea. One year, Scott wanted to be a pumpkin head. We couldn't find a mask to fit the bill so we made his mask out of paper mache and a balloon. Have to say it was one of the best costumes ever.

For the past few years, red ribbon week has coincided with Halloween. Our school celebrates the whole week with different activities including "Scare away Drugs' day on Halloween. I have had fun coming up with an idea and going with it. Way too many times I have heard students say,

"What are you suppose to be?"

to which I reply,

"What do you think I am?"

I then enjoy all their ideas of what they think I might be.

However this year, I couldn't come up with any ideas. I couldn't find any inspiration in the various closets. I decided to buy a costume instead.

Out shopping I went to several different stores including some that specialize in nothing but Halloween. I walked away from all of them with the same thought: The women costumes out there are way too sexy. Way too sexy to wear to work or for that matter, to wear anywhere. Not only that, but this body in short skirts is just something that makes you go 'YUCK!'

I tried looking on-line but nothing seemed original enough for me. I wanted the costume that makes one say,

"OOOO I like that, what are you suppose to be?"

I can't believe that I am going to say this, but I found my inspiration on Martha's website. Martha, as in Martha Stewart. I'm not a fan of her or her show. I've tried to watch her a couple of times, but find her too pompous and out of touch. But inspired she did with this picture:

However I didn't want to be just like her. I had to be different, original in some way. Out to the fabric store I went. I bought the fabric, the spiders, cording and oh so many more things. I've ended up going out 4 different times for different things in order to see my idea come to light. In the end my costume this year cost me about $35 dollars.

I can't believe I spent that much.......

Pictures of it to come on Friday.

A Walk Along the River

2010-10-24T09:10:00.002-04:00

Hubby and I finally went away for the day. Away to the river city of Madison Indiana. Madison is a charming, historical city located on the Ohio River. What makes it so charming is how well the buildings are preserved. It's like walking back in time, to a simpler time, a town that time has forgotten. But a town that is in the here and now in that it is decorated for fall, no Christmas in sight, even in the stores. It was refreshing to see the oranges and brown and not the red and green that is so prevalent in the stores in my area.

Hubby and I had fun walking the streets, shopping for antiques, eating at Hinkle's, and of course, walking along the river front. There is something about walking along a water's edge that takes away the troubles and worries of the world:

Along the walk we found a vine of morning glories growing along the sidewalk:

What a beautiful surprise this time of year!

Though we are experiencing an unseasonable warm fall with still no rain. Rain count is -9 inches. The weathermen are calling for rain all this week. We'll see, we'll see......

Happy Sweetest Day A Day Late Or Not

2010-10-17T08:52:00.000-04:00

Another holiday for this month, sweetest day, was yesterday. Wish I could say that hubby was oh so squishy romantic and bought me something surprisingly wonderful, but he didn't. I'll blame it on the season. No not fall, but football season. Hubby is a true lover of his American football game. He watches it all; from high school, to college to pro, arena and stadium, American or Canadian leagues.
HE.LOVES.FOOTBALL!
In the morning, hubby was up early and dressed before I had my first cup of coffee. His statement to me was,
"Notre Dame is on at 2:30, we need to be finish with the shopping and home before it comes on."
Yes our lives revolve around the football games and what time they come on.
I had several errands to run, hubby usually goes along with me to help as in I can't lift heavy bags of groceries any more. Plus he does keep me in line when it come to the budget. He'll look at me and say,
"Do we really need that?"
If I can't give a good explanation as to why I'm buying it, I'll put it back ~~most of the time.~~
Off to the many different places we went: the bank, the gas station, the post office, J C Penney. On the way to the grocery store, Mike remembered that I need to go to the hardware store for a needed part for a home improvement project. While there we picked up two beautiful potted flowers ~~because they were clearance price.~~

They do look wonderful around my front door, adding to the autumn look:

I guess I could claim them as my sweetest day gift from him but I won't. Mainly because after we came home, I voiced how it was sweetest day. To which I received a chorus of comments from the family about how it's not really a holiday but a ploy from the different industries to get you to buy their ~~crap~~ wares. Thing is the ploy must be working. While I was at another store, ~~by myself because the football games started before I was finish with my shopping,~~ I noticed a long line of men at the floral counter, waiting to buy their selection of bagged roses.

But not my hubby.

Nope he watched his college football the rest of the afternoon leaving me to do the small 'home improvement' that we had to buy the replacement part for.

What was the job you asked?

Repairing the handle on the toilet in the sons' bathroom.

Somehow it seems appropriate........

Holiday Overbooked

2010-10-12T19:36:00.000-04:00

I really had some good intentions to do something, anything this past week-end. I had a four day week-end to fill full of fun, family and food. I made plans to go out and enjoy the beauty that fall brings this time of year. I was going to spend a day baking and cooking a feast full of fall flavors. I was going to clean the house top to bottom and get all the laundry caught up. I was going to go away for two of the days and visit the mountains, just hubby and me. I was going to have so much new stuff to blog about for the months to come. No need for ramblings.
I did none of them.
Well I did clean the house main floor and upstairs but didn't touch the basement. Nor did I get caught up on the laundry. I think that's just something that never gets done. Or if you do get it done, there's more by the evening.
I did make a turkey dinner and an apple crisp. Oh and pumpkin bread! but I didn't make any stuffing to go with the turkey. The sons complained that I wasted a good can of pumpkin on making the bread and should have made a pie instead. Doesn't matter, both the apple crisp and pumpkin bread is gone.
Didn't get away with the hubby. Had him convince to get away with me for a few days and every place we wanted to go was booked. I had to scratch my head on that one. Shaker Village which is in the middle of NO WHERE was booked solid for the next few months. So was the The Inn At Christmas Village. I tried to look up other hotels in these areas but for not. Guess everyone else had a long week-end too.
Doesn't matter, hubby had to stay close to the phone in order to confirm that he was hired (yes he found a new job but they are waiting for his background check to come through) only to find out that the state doesn't do background checks on the week ends and holidays. So much for the age of computers when you can find an answer in a moment.
Which brings me to this: Is there ANY other country out there that celebrates as many holidays as we do in the USA? The last time I had an exchange student from Germany here we talked about this. EVERY month on an USA calendar has a holiday. Some months have two. He told me they only have two a year. Two. Christmas and Easter, that's it. I asked him about Octoberfest since that is a BIG thing to celebrate in this area. He said yes they celebrate it but it's not a holiday.
Maybe I could have found something to do this past week end, if it wasn't a holiday.....

When No Pictures Can Be A Good Thing

2010-10-04T17:44:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, September 25th, Steven turned 21. He didn't spend the day/night with me. Instead he went to Lexington to visit some long time friends who took him out bar hopping at midnight since he is now of legal drinking age. No biggie, this is how all his older brothers have celebrated their 21st birthday: anywhere and everywhere but at home.
This past week-end we had the family celebration. Steven picked one of his favorite restaurants, the Hofbrauhaus House. A ~~lot~~ little cliche German style restaurant that has in house brewed beer. Many a times, poor Steven has been our DD when we've gone there. Many of times he has watched us drink, and drink, and drink some more, only to shake his head and wish for the day it was his turn to drink.
Friday night was his turn. He couldn't wait to order his sampler of the six different brews that they make on site. He smiled with gleam when the waitress asked for his id, proudly he handed it to her, smiling as she tells him happy birthday late.
She brings him the wooden serving tray that has the six mini steins, sits it in front of him. I take out my camera to take a picture of him with his celebration drink and asked me not to. Why? Because he was afraid of me posting the pictures on FB and here. I looked at him with a puzzled look on my face. What was so bad about posting a picture of him celebrating his birthday with his family? He's of drinking age. Both Steven and his brother Eric tell me how in college they tell them not to have pictures of this posted on the internet. That prospective employers will do searches and if they find these pictures, will not hire you due to them.
This made me smile and thankful that I was employed at a time that things like this wasn't a worry. I'm sure I'm not the only one out there that has had a few wild nights or two in their past. But both sons told me how it can work against you if there is photo proof of your wild days.
So dear readers,
No pictures of him drinking his sampler.
No pictures of the two of us doing the chicken dance standing on our seats.
No pictures of the jager bombers or the third mixed drink.
No pictures of us staggering to our car.
No pictures of me trying to figure out how to get my leg into the car.
No pictures of me trying on the turkey hats at the liquid store.
No pictures of us playing apples to apples, laughing so hard every part of my body hurt.
Maybe no pictures is a good thing....

Repairman He's Not

2010-09-29T07:57:00.000-04:00

Came home late from work, tired, hungry, just wanted to relax and go to bed. It's almost 8 in the evening, I don't need anything that takes thought. A vegatative state is all I want. Mike had other plans.

"I need you to come check out the dryer for me."

Not the words I want to hear this late at night but down the stairs I went with him. I'm greeted at the bottom to the shop vac and the longest extention cord we have:

I look into the laundry room and see the dryer pulled out, tools all over it's top.

Behind it, where it should go, was the vent hanging, the floor in need of a good sweeping, though this is after I swept.

He did get the back off along with some of the venting which shouldn't have come off like this.

He tells me that he cleaned the back but that he couldn't figure out how to get to the heating element.

He thinks it's somewhere here.

When in fact it is in here.

He says he thought it would be like what it is on a hot water heater, round about the size of a half dollar.

I told you he wasn't handy. And where in the heck would something the size of a half dollar fit in here?

I asked him why he didn't look it up on the internet. You can find EVERYTHING you need to know there.

He says he was waiting for me to help. Translation: he wanted me to do the looking up and figuring out.

I look up our dryer on the internet. I show him the diagrams of what he needs to do, the two parts that are most likely the problem. We figure out it's going to cost a little over $60 dollars.
I went to bed.
Around 11 o'clock he comes into the bedroom, wakes me up and tells me that he has put the dryer back together. He has decided that if it doesn't work right the rest of the week, we'll go out and buy a new dryer this week-end.
I think the Maytag repairman's job is safe from him for now....

Ramblings

2010-09-28T08:02:00.000-04:00

It's that time again. time to clean out the brain of all the thoughts that are rolling around in it. As one, they don't make a post but put them together......

Thanks for all your input on the dryer. I couldn't get hubby to go out shopping for a new dryer ~~because the Notre Dame football game was on and everyone knows Saturdays and Sundays are meant for football this time of year~~ and it did start working again Saturday morning. But as the day wore on, and more loads were done, it started to act up again. Today hubby is to do the things that were suggested. Namely he's taking the shop vac to it and is going to check on the thermostat and heating coils. I'm ok with this because the last time he tried to fix something around the house, I had to go out and buy a new one. Seriously, he was changing a light bulb in my ceiling fan light and somehow he broke it, neither Eric or I could fix it, we had to buy a new one. He really isn't handy when it comes to repairing...

Speaking of hubby he has a job interview today! Well I should say tonight but it is an interview. He's been unemployed for the past 4 months and this is only the second interview he has had this whole time. It's not due to lack of looking/trying. There just aren't many jobs out there for an older, experience man. Needless to say, I am crossing my fingers, toes and every other body part that something good comes from this. I've also said my many prayers.....

The wedding plans are continuing around here. I have convince all the sons that they need to go to their brother's wedding which will be in New Jersey. I did this by ~~bribing~~ telling them that we will be flying and taking a week to vacation in the area. The sons are excited to go but not so much to see their brother get married. Instead they can't wait to go to New York City and hunt down the cash cab. They even have it planned on how we have to sit in the cab. They tell me I can't be in the seat that gives the final answers. They're afraid I'll go with my gut instinct instead of the majority. What's so funny about this? We're talking about visiting New York City with all the wonderful things to do and see, and all they want to see/do is ride in taxi cabs!

I've gain weight as in 'all the hard work I did to get it off it's came back weight.' I knew this in the back of my mind, but today it came out and slapped me on the face. I was getting dressed for work and wanted to wear pants. Prior to this, I've been wearing dresses but it's turned cold and I wanted something warm to wear. None of my pants fit and stupid me got rid of all my fat pants when I lost the weight. Guess I am back to the diet which is a hard thing to do when your favorite thing to do is eat......

Steven and Eric made me dinner last night! It finally rained here making the day cold and wet ~~duh what else would it do?~~ perfect for a hot bowl of chili. It is great that they are helping more around the house but I have to tell you about an observation I made about their cooking: It almost ALWAYS has beer in it. Yes they put beer in the chili. It gave it a unique taste in a good way and the chili was great. But who would have ever think about adding beer to chili? Well besides the sons........