An entire year?

It's been an entire year that I haven't blogged. I saw it on my Google page and kinda "Meh, I don't feel like it right now" and moved on to Facebook. I could do alot of catching everyone up and boring the shit out of them but I'd bore myself in the process of typing it. Long story short, the oldest step daughter got pissed at us and moved out of our rental and we've not been allowed to see Q since May (I also suspect that it has something to do with the 3 months rent she owes us, an electric bill she owes us and now a month of car insurance but eh who knows), my son moved with her so he could party with her and her worthless ass boy toy, youngest step daughter got married and had a daughter (oh my, what fun this will be...can you say K.A.R.M.A? bwahahahaha), middle daughter pissed everyone has abandoned her and left her at home with the 8 yr old, and the 8 yr old missing her older siblings and just slightly jealous of the grandbabies. Oh I forgot to throw in there that my darling son now has a daughter as well and her and her Mom stay with us when they need something (roughly every 12 days and strangely it's around my payday...go figure huh?). Oh and that my brother tried to ...ok pretty welll...oh hell might as well give credit where it's due...he destroyed my Mom's house while she was gone so now she's living next door to me in our rental. Hmmmm I think that pretty well fills in all the blanks. If you have any questions feel free to ask in comments and I'll answer if I can. I guess I could have really shortened it up and just said that they are still all driving me batshit crazy huh? You'd have missed the scope of it though with that simple statement though.

I'm still doing the night shift at the PD as well. I'm about tired of it to be honest. If it wasn't for the insurance I'd be outta here. The pay used to be good...now not so much. I miss actually seeing people and interacting with people that aren't weirdo's, freaks, idiots, or pains in societies collective ass. Shoot for as slow as it's been for the last few months I almost miss that even...pretty sad huh? Hopefully when things are on a little more of an even keel I'll go back to school. I was going to go to nursing school this year but the timing just wasn't right for that. Hopefully next fall though, we'll see, if it's meant to be, it will be.

It seems crazy to me that while it seems like nothing has changed, it's all totally different. That's what's great about blogging. It serves as a journal of where we came from, where we've been and where we're going. Can't wait to see what I'll be writing next year.

Herbal overkill

This year I'm finding myself with some time to devote to my gardening. I have always loved my vegetable garden but the last few years I've not had time to do much with it. It's been a get the dirt worked, throw some plants and seeds in, and hope and pray that I have time to harvest and use some of it before weeds take over or fall comes kind of venture. I've not been very happy about it either as my family will attest to. To me if I can't open a jar of green beans that I've had to can the previous summer in January, I get upset. I think it's got something to do with the fact that a can of green beans cost upwards of a buck at the grocery store and I have to use at least 2 per meal, and me knowing I can pressure can my own green beans that taste much better. Same goes for tomatoes, carrots, peppers, corn and whatever else has struck my fancy to grow and preserve for use in the off season months.

Anyways with the recent departure of my poor X this year I find that I don't have to work a second job anymore. In all honesty I'm not upset about no more 65 hr work weeks. After almost 3 years that was getting pretty old. Ok so I didn't work that many hours every week, but it's a pretty good average. God bless which ever bureaucrat that came up with the idea of Social Security, and thank God that the X actually worked enough to have the credits so that the kids can draw off what he paid in.

Anyways, back to what I started to blog about, I want to plant an herb garden this year. Out here in BFE finding the fresh herbs I want without having to drive an hour or two round trip is next to impossible. Last year I was needing cilantro for a salsa recipe that I came across and when I asked the two grocery stores here in town about it they looked at me like I was from Mars. I asked at Wal-Mart and they were able to get it but I didn't like their price tag at all. Luckily I was bitching about it one day and one of the friends I was bitching to just happened to have some plants in her handy dandy herb garden. She took pity on me and I ended up with so much cilantro I ended up making salsa for what seemed to be a tri-county area.

So now I've made up my mind to plant an herb garden. Where I'm going to put it is still kind of up in the air. I'm trying the companion planting thing this year with my veggie garden so I'm sure that will factor into my herb placement. That will help simplify matters in the location aspect I'm sure. What would really help would be if I could figure out what herbs to plant. I know cilantro, dill, parsley, chives, basil, oregano off the top of my head. I know there are about a thousand other useful herbs out there that I would use if I had them planted, but can I think of them? Nope, can't think of what they would be to save my life. So me being me I automatically think Google is the answer to my herb questions. BWAHAHAHAHAHA that didn't work out so well. I came up with all kinds of herbal type answers from medicinal herbs (which is a great idea but not where I want to head quite yet) to all kinds of pages devoted to "the top 5 herbs to start your herb garden with". There seems to be no happy medium in my herb idea quest. It's either a list 2 miles long, or a list of what I already know I want. I found all kinds of spiffy pages devoted to how to grow them for beginners, but I'm a wee bit past that part as I've grown those top 5 herbs in the past.

I guess the logical next idea would be to go through all my recipes and see what herbs are featured and draw a list from there....this should be an interesting journey in horticulture to say the least. If I'm not seen for a few weeks just Google "herb list" and I'm sure you'll find me.

Been a long time

Wow, I didn't realize it'd been over a year since my last post! I got temporarily sidetracked with several things over a long period of time. In a nutshell it's been called life in general and my children.

Just over a month ago my oldest two kid's Dad passed away very suddenly. Literally a case of he went to sleep and never woke up. It was quite a surprise to all of us and the kids didn't take it well at all. They are doing better now and in all honesty I think things will be better all the way around now. There were things going on there that weren't good and I didn't know anything about it until after he passed away. I won't go into all the sordid details about it right now but lets just say I'm glad I don't have to share the parenting responsibilities with someone who didn't want to be responsible at all.

There's been lots going on as usual for us but nothing monumentally earth shattering other than my X's untimely demise. Just the day to day drama that comes from raising teenagers and a 7 yr old all at once.

I'm hoping to be around blogging a bit more as I found part of my mind and it's screaming to be heard or at least get out and socialize a bit. Maybe later tonight I'll find my muse and write some awesome blog entry that makes all of you laugh, cry, or just think that my kids have brain damaged me in some way, shape, or form. ;)

Blueberries and Wii Fit

Dear heavens has it sprung...and it's kicking my ass. I picked a piss poor time to buy a Wii Fit, lemmie tell ya. I wanted one for my birthday, funds were tight so I used my birthday money for things we really needed (like propane and electricity). Things have loosened up financially and Wednesday while I was out on my weekly errand/shopping trip I bought myself one finally. I wish my dear friend Miss Shannon had gotten back to me on her take on the Wii Fit. Seriously, not joking. I'm so sore from my abs to my ankles, that I'd like to amputate my legs. Abs aren't so bad, my legs though...ok I'll quit now, you get the point.

Thursday was way too busy for me to think about messing around with my new toy as I was in the middle of pruning my way-too-long-neglected blueberry bushes and cleaning up in that area. Small trees, poison ivy or oak (not sure which since there were no leaves), blueberry suckers, blackberry canes had all tried make a home in my blueberry patch and it was up to me to retake my berry patch. Ok I can't take all the credit...Daniel did get in there and hack off a good sized walnut tree with the chainsaw for me. A paintbrush, syringe, and a pint of 2 4 D lv (herbicide) mix, there is only a couple of smallish sized trees I need to take the handsaw to (broke my blade this afternoon, gonna have to wait till Wednesday when I can get a new one) and my blueberries will be MINE again. I'm quite proud of my accomplishment out there as the bushes hadn't been pruned in at least 3 years as best I could tell and were an overgrown, tangled mess. On top of that, the blueberries (as well as the rest of the undesirables) had grown up through the bird netting making it impossible to just take it loose from what remains of the wooden frame to which it was secured. Needless to say, it was a long road of trimming, dodging brambles with vicious thorns, and yanking to get the netting free. The netting fought the good fight but it was no match for me. My blueberry bushes are mere skeletons of what they once were (which is the way it should be)and now ready for their new enclosure to be built and renetted to keep the pesky birds out of my blueberries!

Friday I broke the Wii Fit out of it's box. I got the balance board all syched up with my Wii, and was psyched about trying out the yoga section. Folks, seriously...don't let the commercials fool you, it's not nearly as easy as they make it look. I've always thought I had a pretty good sense of balance. I can traverse over just about any kind of rough terrain out in the wild places I like to frequent and manage to keep dry and uninjured (well unless I happen across an underground nest of those dastardly little yellow jackets but I regress). I stepped on the balance board pretty confident of my abilities when they said they wanted to do a basic balance test. I stepped off the balance board ready to throw the damn thing out the living room window. After I completed the test (which while I was doing it, I about busted my ass more than once) it asked me if I tripped alot when I walk. Really ticked me off as Daniel loves to tease me about not being to walk and chew gum at the same time for the mere fact I'm a blond. Anyways it went on to tell me that I rely too much on visual cues during movement. Ok ya whatever...I moved on to the yoga. The names of the yoga moves make it sound easy...trust me, it's not. I made it through the yoga portion without injuring myself (small wonder after that damn tree pose), and moved on to the strengthening, aerobic and balance portions of the "game". Lets just say, my strong point was the yoga ok? I thought I was in pretty good shape...I thought wrong...WAY wrong. I knew my clothing was getting a bit snug, but I had no clue it was getting this bad. That's another reason I wanted this Fit thing, I don't like the way my clothes are fitting and I absolutely detest the fact that my thighs rub when I walk and do NOT get me started on my muffin top. Daniel is tickled pink that my cleavage is more pronounced (aka I actually HAVE cleavage now). Poor guy, if the Wii Fit doesn't leave me laying in bed unable to move from the muscle spasms and soreness, he doesn't have too long to enjoy it. Time will tell how this love/hate relationship between Wii Fit and me lasts. I'm hoping it's long enough that my thighs no longer rub, muffin top disappears and Daniel is crying in his Pepsi over the loss of his beloved cleavage.

ps Shannon, stay far away from your Wii Fit of you want to have all of your wedding stuff done on time m'dear...The Fit will kick your ass, guaranteed

An uneasy, queasy feeling

All we've been hearing the last few weeks is about this economic stimulus package President Obama has been encouraging the legislature to get on his desk to help our struggling economy. Finally they have all agreed on something and to be honest, I don't know all of the details of it. The news has been pretty vague about the particulars, I'm not sure if it's because of the scope of what is in there or they really don't want the general working man to know (probably a lil of both in all honesty).

What I have been hearing about is the mortgage bailout portion of this stimulus package, and that's where most of my attention has been focused. This morning on the very early morning news on NBC, they had a clip from the President speaking in Phoenix about this mortgage bailout. The part that really caught my attention was when President Obama said, "The plan I’m announcing focuses on rescuing families who have played by the rules and acted responsibly. It will not rescue the unscrupulous or irresponsible by throwing good taxpayer money after bad loans.” Hmmmm sounds good, looks good...but maybe it's just me, but other than possibly helping families who have fallen behind on their mortgages due to job losses, WTH is this going to help other than the banks? Speaking of helping the banks...who were the ones that OK'd these bad mortgages to begin with? From what I've been hearing/reading/understanding the banks are the irresponsible ones, loaning out money on homes with inflated values. Now those homes values have fallen, and the banks are loosing money and have less cash to loan out on other inflated valued homes. So what we have is the banks and their shareholders suffering for taking a chance of making money by loaning it out, and now that their close to loosing their collective asses, looking to the government to make it all better.

For months I've been hearing that to get the economy going, money needs to be spent. Well DUH, took a genius to figure that one out. So what answer did the geniuses come up with? Give the money to big business to create and keep jobs for us drones. *Eyeroll* Now I have no issue with it being expected of people to work for what they have, I like the idea immensely. What royally pisses me off is that it seems us lower middle class working folk (hell at this point me and Daniel maybe in the working poor category, haven't looked in awhile) seem to keep sinking further in the hole financially. While we're lucky our workplace provides insurance, we're paying through the nose for our health and dental insurance. Add into that our car insurance and life insurance and we're what I call "insurance poor". Seriously, when our car and life insurance comes out of the bank, it takes upwards of half of my monthly take home pay. Our mortgage payment takes all of one of Daniel's paychecks and a few dollars more. Add into that propane to heat our home running $2.50/gallon, our electric bill, it leaves very little for discretionary income to spend to help "stimulate" the economy. We can make our bills, but damn is it ever frustrating to see so little left over every month.


I don't know what the answer to this financial mess is for all of us, but for months we've been hearing how people need to start spending money to help correct this economy. HELLO we ARE spending money people! Where it's ending up in this economy is beyond me, I don't have time nor the energy to track it down once we pay it out. I've cut so much fat out of our spending habits that they are starting to look like survivors of the Holocaust.

Daniel had a wonderful idea for a economic stimulus package considering our fine government wants to hand out billions of dollars. Go the the IRS and figure out how many taxpayers there are out there that make less than 6 figures a year, and then divide up that $790 billion dollars they are so eager to give away evenly between them. Not sure how much that would come up to, but stop and think about it. What would people do with it? Spend it of course. In our case, we'd pay off our mortgage, our vehicle loans and do some major spending in other areas like home improvement and such. Heck if it was enough, we might even just build a new house. Sure some people would go on vacations (we probably would too), pay off bills, and in general spend it. Ya knowing me I'd put some away in the bank someplace as an emergency fund and maybe invest a bit of it, but overall it would be pumped straight back into the economy. I know it'll never happen in my lifetime, kind of like winning the lottery but it's a fun idea to kick around at least.

Eleven months....

I had originally intended to post this at the 1 year anniversary as a memorial to my beloved Gramma, but after reading this post by another blogger, I just felt the need to get it out of my system.

Dear Gramma,

I miss you. It's as plain and simple as that. I see your picture everyday as I look on my dresser. Most days looking at it brings twinges of guilt that I didn't visit you more often, bring your great grandchildren to visit you, and in general didn't spend more time with you. I sometimes wonder why you didn't visit me more often as well. Often I wonder if you realize the impact you had on me both as a child growing up and as the adult I turned into. I often catch myself correcting my behaviors as I wouldn't want you to see me acting like that and be disappointed in me.

You taught me so much just by who you were, how you reacted to situations, events and obstacles that were thrown your way in your lifetime. Other people that knew you say they see the same tenacity, stubbornness, and strength in me. I don't agree with them for the most part. I manage to make it through everything that's thrown in my path, sure, but I don't think I do it nearly as gracefully as you did. Thank you for showing me that anything and everything can be overcame, learned from, and even prospered from.

Even though your gone away from us Gramma, you continue to lend me your guidance and strength. When faced with what seems like an impossible situation, or my heart and soul are aching from disappointment, I hear your voice in the back of my mind telling me that in time it will all work out, to pray, to keep my emotions from overcoming me in front of the kids and Daniel because they need me to be there to show them that there IS a light at the end of the tunnel, things WILL get better, learn the lesson that there is to glean from it, and most of all to let it strengthen them. I find myself wondering what you would do in a specific situation, how you would handle it, and go from there when dealing with it.

Gramma, most of all, thank you so much for being there for me. Even if it is just in my memory. I miss you so much that it hurts, but I'm glad that your gone away from all the pain that had been plaguing you in recent years, and that your burdens are gone.

I love you Gramma,

Chris

It's been a difficult journey for me, learning to let go of Gramma. I haven't even went down to visit Grampa once this year for fear of having a total meltdown being in her home because of the realization that she's really gone and not coming back... her not being there. It's much easier to distance myself from it than deal with it I suppose. Perhaps I'm not ready mentally to deal with it in a huge in-my-face kind of chunk like that. I'm not totally sure in all honesty. I was kicking myself pretty hard about the fact that I hadn't went down to see Grampa the other day and my Dad called. Of course, Dad knew something was bugging me so he pressed me on it and I finally 'fessed up to what it was. Of course Dad tried to make me feel better about my lack of visiting but in the process ended up opening a Pandora's box of reactions in my mind.

"Quit kicking yourself Sis. Ok maybe you should have at least went down and had lunch with Grandpa, but it's not like you've not had much else going on, Dad understands why you haven't been down. Let it lay"

"Dad it's not that easy, I can't just "let it lay" as you so eloquently put it. He's down there all by himself and Lord knows what kind of mess that house is in *sigh*."

"Ya it's probably a mess that's making Mom turn over in her grave, but he's a grown man, he is more than old enough to know better, it's not your place to take care of him. If anything it would be my place but that's another can of worms. Gramma would understand why you've not been down there coddling him, and to be honest, and I want you to think long and hard about this one Chris... Your home burnt less than a year ago, you kids had to basically start out from where you were 10 years ago after your divorces but now have 4 kids at home to take care of and contend with, where back then you only had 2 at home. Three of those kids are teenagers and Mom knew all too well what nightmares teenagers are."

"Ya but Dad....."

"No 'Ya but Dad'-ing me on this Chris...Your doing what your supposed to be doing, taking care of your family, providing for them, and rebuilding a home for them. Just like Mom did after Grampa Joe died for me and your Aunt K. Your making her proud doing what your doing, and how your doing it so quit kicking your own ass so hard and take some time to enjoy it. THAT'S what Gramma would have wanted, you know it just as well as I do."

"Hmphf"

"You want to tell me that I'm full of shit don't you but your not because you know I'm right"

"Dad..."

"What?"

"Shut up would you *sigh*"

"Heh heh, ok Delores, oh I meant Chris..."

About that time his cell lost connection and our conversation dropped but he was right. I could almost hear Gramma telling me that Grampa needed to learn to take care of himself for once in his life and I needed to learn that I can't take care of everyone all the time. MY family, the one I have at home, were the ones that needed me the most, even if they refused to say it in so many words.

(Why I felt the need to throw that in this post I don't know, I'm just going with the flow of my mind atm...sometimes it's just best that way.)

Now my Gramma wasn't one to lavish gifts on her grandchildren, or spoil us rotten as most Grandparents do. When her and Grampa came to visit, there weren't lavish gifts handed to us as they came in the front door, but there were always hugs and kisses with a lap to sit on later on. When we went to visit or stay with them, we weren't met with sweets and cookies, but rather with meals at regular times with snacks between times. When we were told stories, they weren't out of books, but rather of hijinks our parents or aunts and uncles had pulled as children, of how Gramma and Grampa had grown up, what it was like back way-back-when. An outing with Gramma and Grampa was a simple drive to church, the coffee shop, grocery store, Gramma's weekly Thursday shopping trip and the highlight of that trip was picking out your cereal for breakfast and your favorite flavor of Kool-Aid (soda was nonexistent at Gramma's house unless you were sick, and then it was 7-Up to settle your stomach), over to the neighbors to pick sweet corn out of their field for supper, and if you were REALLY lucky, go golfing with either Gramma or Grampa and get to keep score and drive the golf cart. Amazingly simple and rich at the same time kind of things. While some of my cousins were never happy going to visit Gramma and Grampa, there was a handful of us that would BEG to go to Gramma's house. It was like stepping into a different world for us in so many ways. Out of those 5 particular grandchildren (one of them being me), 3 of them were city kids, born and raised while me and my cousin who is a year younger than me were bona fide country kids. All of us had one thing in common though. The only time we all got together was at Gramma's house. It was a precedent that started in childhood to last throughout our lifetime. How ironic it is to me that the last time all of us got together was Gramma's funeral. I hope we didn't bury our too infrequent get togethers with Gramma.

So many things have changed in the last year. Sometimes they seem overwhelming for me. Somehow, someway, I find the fortitude to get through them, one step at a time...just like Gramma did.

Disengagement...can be very educational and entertaining

Yes my Daniel has been hit with the retard stick again. That's being generous in the very least. Couple of weeks ago it was his daughter giving him the proverbial finger when told to start packing to move into her new room, and now she's done it again...not once but TWICE! This week it's because she wanted to go spend the weekend with some boy or his family in a major city 5 hrs away from home, in a rather shitty suburb. Now the girl just turned 17 less than a month ago and to say she's immature and lacks common sense is a gross understatement. I had been told she had *asked* to go and then was told that he wasn't going to let her. Four days later he told me he had went ahead and let her go...and yes he was met with a WTF where YOU smoking and/or drinking at the time, and asked if he'd sustained a head injury I needed to be aware of...and the obligatory head shake in disappointment at his piss poor judgement as well as me voicing my opinion on the matter. Then I shrugged my shoulders and reminded him I had disengaged, I'd keep my mouth shut, it was between him and the Sponge. I was met with a blank stare then a weak explanation of how he'd initially told her she couldn't go, and then something about her being 17 and there was no way he could really stop her, and her and her friend were going to go anyways, he'd rather have her in her car where he knew they wouldn't break down, followed with mutter, mutter, mutter. Where he comes up with his line of thinking, I have no clue. I told him the only reason I cared is because while it reflected poorly on him, it also reflected poorly on me and we have a court hearing over custody coming up sometime. I also reminded him of the shitty decisions that the Sponge had made with their oldest daughter and how she had turned out and he was acting just like the Sponge now in an attempt to keep Katie at our house. Oh and that this WOULD be brought up in a court of law and he'd have some SERIOUS explaining to do. He got kind of a funny look on his face, but didn't say a word. I was tempted to tell him I wasn't going to go to the court hearings with him, but I didn't. The reason for that is that I know me, and I'm way to nosey not to go.

Oh he also said something about her wanting the perks of being an adult, she can have the responsibility for it as well. That was too much for me to resist...and he was stuck in the pickup with me so I informed him I'm handing her the electric bill for next door AND her car insurance bill in January... *Wicked grin* and I'm NOT paying them. Ya I'm a bitch that way. I really don't care either way what they say about it either. What they gonna do? Give me dirty looks? Throw me out? GROUND ME? BWAHAHAHAHAHA

Well nothing further was said until today when he asked me to look up the weather and street/road conditions for that particular suburb today. I IM'd a good friend of mine that lives in that area and was informed that the roads were clear and while cold, weather was fine. While I was pulling up the info and texting my friend, he told me Katie was telling him that the streets were bad and she couldn't come home today blah blah blah. Well he dickered with her back and forth via texts for a good 2 hrs and I was getting pissed so I just called the local PD for that suburb. What do you know? Streets and weather were fine...so he texted her back telling her to have their happy asses home by 5 tonight or she's loosing her car for a month. Of course, she wasn't home by 5 (I'm not surprised considering his lack of spine and her ignorance). I don't know whether she's home now at 19:30 either since I had to come in to work because 2 of our dispatchers have the flu and maybe another one. That leaves me and one part time guy and he's scheduled to work tomorrow for the guy that's going to relieve me at midnight provided he's not sick as a dog by then (he was sick today I guess, heaving everything he'd eaten). Oh well, more OT for me :D. Tis the season.

Anyways, at this point, I'm kicking back enjoying my Daniel squirm like he's in a sniper's sight and he knows it. I have absolutely NO sympathy for him at this point, as he's let her spiral out of control and brought this on himself. The Sponge tried calling him today and wanted to talk to him and he turned his cell off. He had 3 unread text messages and he said he wasn't going to read them. Maybe he's taking clue from me about how I deal with his daughter...I ignore her. Oh I'll speak to her, and if there is something she needs to do, I'll tell her to do it, and if she doesn't, I deal with that. Other than that, nada. I reserve that right being a lowly disengaged stepparent though...he doesn't have that option since he's the "parent". She doesn't give me the shit she gives her Dad for the mere fact that she doesn't ask me anything. If she did, the answer would be no, and she knows that from experience.

I can't help but wonder if he doesn't WANT to loose this custody case. He's told me numerous times that he's too old for this bullshit and he doesn't want to deal with it. Of course this was a couple of years ago and he repeats it intermittently to the present time. I know I'm to the point where I want him to loose this case. I'm tired of watching him let her use him as a doormat. On the other hand, hopefully he's learning from it although it will be 10 years before he needs this knowledge again...well maybe it will. In a mere 10 years OUR Evie will be 15 and I'll rot in hell before I let him raise OUR daughter this way. I do believe he knows that and is relieved. I have no problem being Billy Bad Ass with the teenagers, where he just wants to throw money (and car keys apparently) and for them to get out of his hair. Screw that noise, I was raised like that and I know how it feels. I guess he's imagining that she likes it, and truth be known...she doesn't. She wants attention from her Dad and probably from me, but I can't give her mine with her acting this way. I would be the wicked stepmother from Cinderella at this point as disgusted with her as I am right now. Personally I think she needs that at this point in time, but I'm not taking the fall for being the "bad guy" with one of his kids yet again. I've tried telling him this, but he's not comprehending it as when he tries to reign her in and spend time with her, she retreats into a whining bitching "your so mean to me" fit. Oh well, least this is his last child he spawned with the Sponge and like I said, she's 17. Eleven short months and she'll be 18, and the following May she will graduate high school. YAY. I'm not going to say she'll be out of my life, but she will be no longer deemed in any way partially my responsibility. That just tickles the shit out of me.

Like I said, this is very educational for me. A first rate education/example of what NOT to do with my kids (even though I might be tempted at times). Now all I need is an example of what to do with/to him if he should get bold enough to attempt to allow my children to act this way.

Mad? Sad? ...but definately NOT glad

Am I mad? Am I sad? Right now I don't know and this just reminds me WHY I don't pay attention to the news half the time.

One of the first things on the NBC nightly news tonight was about the "Big 3" and their financial woes and the government's reactions. Ok while I agree that letting them go belly up would cause MAJOR repercussions throughout our fine country, I'm not a big fan of the government bailing their irresponsible asses out of dutch either. If you or I were to be THAT financially irresponsible at our jobs, we'd be out the door so fast that we wouldn't know which way was up or down. Asking the government to bail us out .....BWAHAHAHAHAHA. We might get a handful of food stamps, some medical help to cover our children (which I think we all deserve BTW), and MAYBE some cash assistance (I think it's called TANF, but don't qoute me on that. As for cold hard cash? Nope. A "loan" to tide us over? A snowball would have a better chance in hell. I don't know WHAT the answer to this particular problem is, but personally...I think a whole lot of downsizing, some major pay cuts for the executives (and the ones that were making the lousy decisions...hit the door buddy!), and restructuring of their orgainizations. That's just my humble opinion though, what do I know? I may not have a Ph.D, but I have a solid understanding of business and a whole lot of common sense. Oh and not to mention, first hand experience in operating a "business" (aka a home and small farm)on a frayed shoestring budget and not bellyflopping financially. Something those jokers (aka executives apparently don't possess en masse).

OH WTH?!?! On our local news, I just heard that they are "loaning" them 17 BILLION dollars...on the condition that they show that they can show that they can turn their financial condition around by March 31. If they can't? They have to pay their "loan" back. Ok WHERE IS THE LOGIC in that?!? If they prove that they can start making money and stay in the black they don't have to pay that "loan" back? Great....nice to see where my HARD EARNED tax dollars are going. Oh and for anyone that's thinking "Well go back to school to get a cushy job with great pay and quit yer bitchin."...shut up. I like being a blue collar middle class worker. While I DO have a menial office job, it's interesting sometimes and it makes a difference in our lil corner of the world. (Yes, you know who you are just as well as I do...as for the rest of my readers that are in the same boat as I am, hats off to you for all that you do.)

Back on track, later in the NBC newscast they were talking about the Operation Santa program that the US Postal service has ran for the last 90 some odd years. I guess today it was brought to a screeching halt by some scrotebag sex offender that volunteered to answer a Santa letter. Luckily they got to him before he got his response mailed and are making changes to the program to try to prevent this from happening again. Gah some people just don't deserve the oxygen they breathe and the space they occupy in the universe. I know that's not very nice but ummm sorry, that's why I work in law enforcement. Be thankful I'm not a judge, and if you EVER commit a crime in my county...pray I'm not on your jury because I sincerly believe in public hangings, the death sentence, and in certain cases, I'm not above believing in torture. After telling of that, they switched gears with the story. They interviewed a postal worker that volunteers to read and answer Santa letters. While every year they get some kids (and parents) asking for help with warm clothing, jobs, food for Christmas dinner, basic kind of stuff SO many of us take for granted, this year it has been especially bad. Heartbreaking from some of the excerpts they read on the air. I'm not a cryer, but I was sitting here, signing into Blogger, drinking my coffee, eating my triple decker peanut butter sandwich, crying and thinking about the bailout story that had ruffled my feathers minutes earlier. They go from $17 BILLION dollars in loans to THREE companies, to heartbreaking stories of children asking for jobs for their parents, warm clothing, heat for their homes, food for Christmas dinner, a little bit of security/peace for their troubled parents...is it just me or is there something SERIOUSLY WRONG here?!?

I will admit the welfare program raises mixed emotions in me, but if our government can grant $17 BILLION in loans to 3 companies, why do we have CHILDREN asking for basics? Now I know there are parents that are irresponsible, and will go and blow whatever money they have on crap when their kids need things like coats, heat, school supplies, whatever, but still... It's just crazy. It pisses me off. It makes me extremely sad. I almost want to emmigrate to another country.

We all need to contact our government officials and let them know how we feel about this. My poor state representative...he's always getting a piece of my mind and good heavens, the man must have a portfolio of letters from me. I've written a few to my other "elected" officials, but Don gets the bulk of it as I see him at least 3-4 times a week. On the other hand, that's why I voted for him & part what I'm paying him for...to listen to my gripes and try to change things. I have to admit, he and I don't always see eye to eye, but he listens to what I have to say and gives it a fair shake. I do the same with him. We have a mutual respect for one another, and my family is friends with his family. I really wish he'd run for Congress, but he doesn't want to at this point. He prefers to be closer to his family, friends and constituents, where he can see the changes happen locally. Can't blame him a bit, and I respect him all the more for it.

Somethings don't come soon enough II

Persnickety & Feisty...

At 17 I had a baby, husband, job, school and a home to take care of myself so ya I think it's safe to say all 3 of us can say it's "doable". Of course she tells her Daddy some bullshit about since she is a cheerleader she can't get a job, they won't work around her school activities...WTFH ever that is a HUGE load of shit. How do I know that? Hmpfh I wasn't a cheerleader by any means but I worked at least one job all the time, since the time I was 10. Sometimes it was mowing lawns, walking dogs (and I still HATE certain yippy fluffy breeds to this day because of that), working with guys cutting firewood, fixing fence, milking cows, working cows, general other farm work, and a plethora of other odd jobs...all on top of being an active member in FBLA, Art Club, swim team, Drama Club (betcha that's a surprise to ya'll huh), and various church activities...oh and going to the nursing home a few times a month to just go hang out with someone that didn't have any family to visit them. Anyways, that's not my point here, my point is that she's full of shit and Daniel refuses to call her bluff.

I so agree with both of you, they both need a major ass beating at the very least. It's not my place to administer it unless she does something to cross me though, then her happy lil bouncy smartass punk cheerleading ass is MINE. Funny thing is though...I tell her no, she doesn't give me the shit she gives her Dad LOL. Probably because she has tried it and it netted her a month of no going anywhere but to work (ya she worked a grand total of 6 weeks this summer), no phone, no computer, nada nothing. It started out at 2 weeks and then she went bitching and crying to Daniel....BAD mistake. Her punishment got doubled and as for him....well have you heard the term "blue balls" or "cold shoulder"? He got a very HEALTHY dose of both. I'm just talented that way ...thanks for teaching me the very handy skill of making people miserable Mom.

Anyways back on track here....

Last night was her flat denial of moving into her new room...and him letting her punk ass get by with it. Today...more of it but with a very interesting twist...get this ya'll...The reason he's having SOOOO many troubles with her over this is all MY FAULT. Oh yes, you read that right, MY FAULT. WTFH is probably what your thinking and I did too naturally. The response Daniel gave me was since when it came to figuring out who was going to stay over there while HE finished that room. Ohh yes, he was supposed to have had that done ohhhhh middle of Septemberish, and just like my Dad, blew it off till I pitched a bitch fit and started doing it myself ... opps side rant there, back on track now. Daniel wanted me to let Ty, my 14 yr old boy stay over there ALONE. Now Ty is a good kid, but he is a sneaky lil shit. I wouldn't put it past him to sneak out and meet some of his friends that can drive at the end of our driveway and we'd never know he was gone kinda sneaky. Or him sneak girls in or whatever. So ummmm NO I said to that. Yes it was my idea to put her over there, but she had this HUGE issue about being alone and for Christ's sake, she was almost 17 at the time. In less than 2 years she'll be out of my house...um errr on her own is what I meant. She needs to learn how to handle being alone at night. Well at first she pissed and moaned....oh wait, you read this before, I'll spare you the repeat. Now where was I? Oh ya, MY FAULT, and his logic behind that. In a nutshell if I'd listened to him and had Ty stay over there, then he wouldn't be having this issue with her. WTF? Oh so I'm supposed to have my 14 yr old son stay alone in a house and God only knows what he'd come up with and do that he's not supposed to so his fucking whiny assed almost 17 yr old daughter could stay in the main house (and that's what she wanted at that point in time) and it would make the transition easier on Daniel putting Ty in the spare room? I can see his logic as he's LAZY when it comes to being a parent in oh so many ways, but I'll be go to hell if I'm letting either one of my kids stay in a house 100 yds from me for that long. Nope, not this Momma. I know how sneaky kids can be (ok and part of it is I was a BAD kid in oh so many ways so I know what I'd been doing had my parents let me have a pad of my own).

We've been through this before with her older sister and guess what? His problems with her were MY FAULT as well. Yes there is a pattern of this and yes I'm sick and G'damned tired of it. So I am going to what's called "disengaging" in the world of step parenting. The girl HAS parents...unfortunately for her she was dealt a couple of not the best, but not my fault. I'm in no way, shape, or form saying I'll EVER win mother of the year, but I'm not a totally looser parent either. So since she has parents, I'm leaving the parenting to them. Unless of course she does something that directly impacts me or my children and God help her if she does, because then she's under MY jurisdiction. I will be in charge of that, then if it happens. Until then, she's her Mom and Dad's problem. I won't be doing anything for her unless she asks and I agree or she earns it. If they don't like that oh well...what are they going to do? Sue me? Leave me? Pfft...not too concerned about it. I'll deal with the repercussions if/when it gets to that point. In the meantime, I'm going to raise MY children to the best of my ability and say screw the rest of it. I don't need the grief, anxiety, or headaches associated with it.

Oh and as for that cold shoulder...ya Daniel's on the receiving end of it yet again, and until I either see changes or get left out of his Katie drama bullshit I don't see it changing anytime soon.

Oh and Daddy...Thank you SOOOO much for raising me right, but I wouldn't be expecting any kudos on my raising from Daniel anytime soon ;)

Man I LOVE this song!

So very true...except that my Dad wouldn't buy me a damn horse cos they were a "waste of feed and good for nothing but tearing the shit out of a perfectly good pasture"... That's really hilarious considering Daniel says the same thing about them. Maybe they are onto something when those shrinks say some women seek out men somewhat like their fathers. ;)

Somethings just don't come soon enough

I'm PMSing which contributes to part of this post, but don't expect me to apologize for anything I say here. Only reason I bequeathed you with that information is that the first couple of paragraphs, that's the only reason that stuff is bugging me. The last part of it though...well it's been festering for awhile and my dipshit other half will NOT grow a f'kn spine and stand up to his punk ass 17 yr old daughter.

Ok first of all, I've been working WAY to many hours lately in order to halfway keep this family afloat financially. Now I don't mind that, I know that in a month or so things will straighten out, they always do. I'm just getting worn out, and when I AM home, the three youngest kids (all mine) want to be attached to my hip. While flattering, it's annoying...on top of that, Daniel wants to be attached to the other hip. Now I'm 5'3" and my weight bounces between 130-140 at any given time. His 189lbs on one hip and the other kids combined weight of probably 275 lbs gets overwhelming to say the least. All of them wanting my attention at any given time gets mentally exhausting. I am more mentally fatiqued than anything else. I need some downtime which I CAN NOT get around these parts these days. That's most of why they are grating on my nerves so bad. Me having down time equates to a more mentally refreshed Mom and wife so I actually want to hang out with all of them some (and all that extra weight doesn't wear me out so badly).

Second of all, the 13 yr old has PMS as well. Man oh man, you talk about B.I.T.C.H.Y. she makes me look like a saint in that reqard. I have spent the majority of today trying to keep her in check as she was snapping at everyone like a rabid alligator. Personally I wanted to chunk her into her closet and give her a lamp, a coffee can, box of kleenex, her Diet Coke, bottle of Midol, pillow, blanket, and her DS but thought better of it.

Today we finished 17 yr old brat stepdaughter's room in the mobile adjoining ours. It's nothing fancy, but it's more than livable and she is LIVID. We let her stay next door in the smaller mobile and at first she bawled and squalled about it. Now she's grown used to it and likes having her own place...on our f'kn dime. Money is tight right now but apparently this kid thinks we have a money tree that we can go raid as we need to. Doesn't matter whether we did or not, she has NO right to expect us to furnish her with a house of her own even if we do have one handy. She wants her own place, she get get a f'n job like the rest of us, and pay her own bills just like the rest of us. Daniel thinks I'm being too hardcore and just plain "mean" about it. All I hear out of him is "Well what would you have liked at 17?" I very ungently reminded him at 17 I DID have my own house, and I paid my own bills THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I didn't expect or want help from my parents. Anyways, that's another blog post all together. I don't give a flying rat's ass what either of them think anymore. He needs thumped upside the the head and that girl needs a serious good old fashioned ass whipping. Can I get her dear Daddy to administer one to her? F'k NO. If she doesn't get what she thinks she "needs" when she thinks she "needs" it, she sends him all kinds of hateful and disrepectful text messages, shovels out all kinds of attitude, and keeps it up until she either gets tired of it or there's something else that makes her happy or she thinks she HAS to have RIGHT now. Case in point....Last Monday they were to have their sports pictures taken, and he was flat assed broke. She wanted $20 for her pictures and when he said he didn't have it, he got smart assed whiney texts for the next 4 days like "Oh well I guess I'm not supposed to have memories so I just won't get them *sigh*" and assorted other bullshit (that's the first one I read and I can't remember the rest cos they all pissed me off so bad). His response "Well you can't blame her for being disappointed" WTFH kind of answer is that?!? He might have a point but to let her get by with texting him that way.....well all I'll say is she's lucky she's not MY kid because she'd be black, blue, purple, and yellow across her backside, she'd not have a car nor a phone either.

I really HATE being a stepmother. I REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY hate it. I have to stand my and watch this kind of shit go on, and him let his kid get by with it. On top of that, MY kids see it and listen to it, so guess what? They think THEY can get by with it. Well they try, they don't get very far. Guess my threats of beating their asses get their attention, especially when a mouthy then 14 yr old got his beat in front of his younger sisters. It made an impression. They still push, but they don't push too hard. Now if I could just let Daniel let me have a crack at that brat of his... That's never going to happen though so I'd just better stick with hoping that the next year and a half goes by very swiftly. I'll never be so glad to have a kid out of my house in all my life (well except for her sister, and this situation is quickly morphing into what that one careened into).

Ok rant over, back to your regularly scheduled programming and thank you so much for allowing me to get this off my shoulders...kinda...sorta...in a roundabout way that is. :)

Kids are going to oh so pissed at me this year ....

Due to Daniel having to be off work from his surgery, much needed home repairs, Katie smacking a deer with her car, and all the other crap that's happened, I've decided that I'm scaling back Christmas this year. I've meant to in years past but somehow ALWAYS managed to over do it much to our bank account, and me & Daniel's chagrin. This year I'm going to have to for one reason. I just can't do it. While workman's comp is a great thing, one area that really sucks about is that they only pay a portion of what you'd make working. Really pisses me off cos the bills keep coming in and they don't get reduced, WTH should the paychecks, but I'll relent on that for now. Anyways, bottom line is we can't afford the Christmas that I usually do. Nothing wrong with that, as our kids are pretty spoiled (even though they will vehemently deny it), and actually I'm kind of glad for it.

A couple of weeks (months? maybe, I can't remember) I was snooping around on PW's blog, and saw a thingy on "Wrangling Christmas". It was in the sidebar and had to click on it to get the full scoop. PW was talking about how with everything they have going on, she has to be organized in some areas, and Christmas is one of them. By the way, PW lives approximately the same distance from a major metropolitan area as I do, so I really LOVE reading her stuff like this. Anyways, she had a great idea on Christmas and gift giving! She writes down each child with three numbers underneath the child's name. Then beside one number she will write down something that particular child WANTS. The next number she writes down something they NEED. The third number a BOOK (remember folks, she homeschools her brood). PW does that for each of their 4 children. What a spiffy idea...a WANT, a NEED, and a BOOK! Her system makes complete and utter sense. What parent hasn't wanted to give their children things they need just to feel somewhat guilty for the fact that they know someone else's kids are just getting stuff they want? Or for just getting their kids stuff they want, when there are things they actually need? Ok maybe I'm in the minority on that, but you get my drift. Now there's no limit on how many gifts they receive, just that before she goes back to one category, she has to have something in the other categories.

After reading that, I was like WOW, whatta concept! I am SOOOOO doing that this year. Daniel and I have always been at odds about what Christmas is all about gift wise. I was raised that Christmas is about getting stuff that you WANT, he is way more practical and thinks that it should be more about getting what you NEED, with a couple of wants thrown in for surprise. When I told Daniel about it, he was like "Ya it's a great idea if you'll actually stick with it". He has a point, follow through isn't my strong point.

So due to financial necessity, wanting to teach my kids more of what Christmas is supposed to be about (tradition, family, ect), and just wanting a simpler less stressful Christmas season for me, that's what I'm going to do. Well it'll be less stressful before Christmas at least, not so sure about Christmas morning when the 4 kiddos look under the tree and it looks bare in comparison to years past, but I'll deal with that when it comes to that time.

I would love to hear any other ideas for simplifying the holiday season ya'll have. C'mon, quit lurking and let me hear them, I can handle it, I promise!

Sorry...

It must seem to lots of random readers that make it here, that I bitch and whine alot. If it does to you, well in all honesty, it seems that way to me too. I don't like it either. Ok now I hear you asking yourselves "Then if you don't like it, WHY do you do it?" Well that isn't such an easy question to answer. I guess I could simplify it, but what good would that do? I'm a subscriber to the theory of to quit doing something, you must find the root cause of WHY it's being done. Only when you can find the root, dig it out, and deal with it, can you effectively battle the beast. Many of the things I piss and moan about there are simple answers for in theory, but to make those work, other's must cooperate, which in some cases is about as easy as herding chickens (ok in reality, I've herded chickens, and it's much easier).

I'm not going to apoligize for the amount of crabbing I do on here, but I will say this about it...I have to purge it from my system in a healthier form than what initally comes to mind in most cases. You don't EVEN want to begin to know my inital solutions to some problems. (Hint: Refer to my previous post and find the paragraph about my truck and vehicular manslaughter)

I have been dually bless/cursed with a strong sense of wrong and right. With that comes a vivid imagination and even stronger belief in karma, punishment and justice. Maybe that's why I work in law enforcement. I dunno.

Anyways, back on track, I get frustrated to no end when I see injustice and unfairness. Like I mentioned with Spongebob, her and her new hubs get to do all kinds of things. It's not that I care so much WHAT they do, it just aggravates me that we can't afford to do anything with our family because we're having to take up the slack financially because she won't help. My kid's Dad is just as bad as they can afford to buy movies and such, but he can't pay his child support. Shoot, it's been since August that I saw any kind of money out of him. I don't mean to lay all the blame on Spongebob, it's just that I've gotten used to my X being worthless in the money department. It irrates me that me and Daniel have to work so hard, just to give them the little bit that we can. For example, my X will buy movies hand over fist, and around my house, I rarely buy a movie unless I snag it used someplace, cheap. If I buy a new movie for any of us, it's either because it's a holiday of some sort, something we will all enjoy time and time again, or a major reward for a deed well done. I guess it's the difference in how me and him were raised. His parents were far poorer than my parents, and yet they could afford to buy those kinds of things. Maybe it's a difference in values, I don't know, I don't care. What I do know is that my older kids are less than impressed when I buy a movie and am excited to watch it. Usually they've already seen it at their Dad's, or just the fact that "Mom, it's a movie...Why are you so excited over a movie". *Sigh*

Just like for a long time, I was pretty strict on what I let my kids watch. Well I still am to some extent as I do have a 5 yr old in the house. Anyways, when the step daughters were 10 & 12, they wanted to watch the Madonna movie that was a tour biography (I can't think of the name of it atm). I told them no, there's some pretty racy stuff in there. I didn't think they needed to see that. When Daniel questioned me about not letting them watch it (he hadn't ever watched it), I started to explain and Tangie (the oldest one at a ripe old age of 12) informed him, "It's ok Dad, we've already seen it, Mom lets us watch it, we have it at home. We'll just find something else." I about went into a fit, and Daniel was standign there clueless. Well he understood later that week when I had him sit down and watch it with me while we were folding laundry. My kid's Dad is just as bad letting my kids watch that kind of thing as well. I blocked Comedy Central, MTV, MTV 2, and those kinds of things when I had satellite, and you'd have thought I was amputating limbs or something. Then guess what? Yup, I heard "Eh don't worry about it, we'll watch it at Mom/Dad's when we're there".

So ya, I get frustrated...alot. The X's aren't the only frustrations I have, they are just the most aggravating and the hardest to get things changed with. Sometimes it seems they do things just to piss us off (ok we know they do, but that's ok, Karma will deal with them eventually and the kids will see through it eventually).

Like I said, I need someplace relatively healthy to get this out of my system, and so far my blog is the safest place I've found.

Also this year has been filled with heartbreak, and challenges for my family. Maybe (hopefully) 2009 will be better, and I will blog about more interesting things than just my aggravations. I'll work on that, promise.

Everything is ok....relatively that is....kinda

With my Dad that is...he ended up in the hospital on Wednesday to Thursday afternoon for some heart racing, coldness in his feet and legs and pressure on his chest. They did a dye stress test on him and didn't find anything wrong with the ole ticker so we're thankful for that right now. He's still got other issues which they are working on figuring out what they are. Might be an infection, might be cancer, and then there's that pesky borderline diabetic thing they found during his blood testing. Scary...of course, but manageable. Now we're in the hurry up and wait mode, for his specialist's appt's to figure out the rest of the problem (or if there is one).

As for the custody/child support hearing on Thursday all I can say is...I wanna hit that...with my car that is...on the other hand, no I don't, I like my truck as-is, without the hood, grill, and bumper all buggered up. Plus I don't think vehicular manslaughter charges would go over very well with my boss at all. In a nutshell this is what happened:

(excerpt from Missouri Case.net file on our proceedings...I deleted the names in the interest of privacy)

11/20/2008 Docket Entry: Hearing Continued/Rescheduled
Text: Parties appear with attys. A conference is held in chambers. The Plaintiff requests that a GAL be appointed for the minor child. Attorney J.H. is so appointed. The court requests that the Presiding Judge assign another Judge to hear this case as Judge E will be retiring as of January 1,2009.

Now for those who don't know what a GAL is it is a guardian ad litum for the child. Here is a link to explain what they are and what they do:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_guardian#Guardian_ad_litem

We don't have any problem with her and her attorney requesting one except for one small detail. WHY THE HELL DID THEY WAIT UNTIL NOW! Oh that's right, Katie's gonna be 17 in less than a week, that's right. She doesn't want to help financially support her daughter. Oh hell who am I kidding, she doesn't want to help with anything in regards to her daughter unless it makes her look like a martyr or hero to everyone. The GAL is actually a good idea in all honesty, but it majorly pisses me off and frustrates me the only reason they asked for one is to draw this crap out and stall off Spongebob paying child support. I know it probably seems like all we care about is the money. To be honest, we do. Seventeen year old's are expensive. Especially if the child is as involved in school activities like clubs and sports like Katie is. There's the inevitable fees for the activities, and then the other expenses like food and such for when they have games out of town and the like. Ten dollars every Friday doesn't sound like much, but when you add that up over the course of weeks, it tally's up. It's not that we care about the money per se, it's just there are the rest of the household bills that HAVE to be paid NOW, not in another 6 months when this finally goes back to court. It's frustrating to have to juggle the way we do. Especially when Spongebob and her new hubby can spend $170 on a horseback search and rescue class, eat out, rent a house out in the country because they don't want to live in the house that Spongebob owns in town, they can go on trail rides and all kinds of things while we're scraping by to make the bills and while we'd LOVE to be able to take off for a weekend to do something with the kids, can't afford to. So ya, it's about the money, but moreso it's about what the Sponge is depriving ALL of us of. I know Karma will take a nice big bite out of her ample posterior for this, but patience isn't one of my virtues so I'm getting pretty pissy that it's not happening yet that I can see.

On the other hand, Katie is withdrawing from her Mom. She's upset that her Mom won't help. Katie's upset that her Mom doesn't give a rat's ass about what she wants, it's all about what her Mom wants. She sees the things we would like to do, but can't due to her Mom being less than helpful or supportive. We don't tell her these things of course but she's 17, she's smart, she can figure it out on her own. Then again when we tell her that we won't just give her the money for stuff right out, she has to call her Mom and ask for some help with it, that does kind of give it away I guess. Katie gets tired of being told no, that her Mom doesn't have the money, that she's living with us, it's our responsibility, or whatever else it is her Mom tells her. Then her Mom wonders why Katie doesn't want to go over to see her or even talk to her on the phone. Gee, go figure. Of course we're to blame for that, the way we spoil her and are brainwashing her against her Mom. Hogwash, we tell Katie she really needs to go see her Mom, Katie just doesn't want to. We won't force her to either. We encourage her to call her Mom (other than to ask for money), but there again, Katie doesn't want to. It's a sad situation, but I can see both sides. I have to say that I side more with Katie though (some of that's personal though, you have to stop and consider her Mom had an affair with my former husband while buddying up to me, but that's another post for another time). I've been in Katie's position with my own Mom albeit slightly differently situation (there again, another post for another time). There are no easy answers to this one, other than Katie needs to spend a lil more time with her Mom, her Mom needs to help financially and emotionally support Katie, and I can't hit the Sponge with my truck cos I can't afford to loose my job. Oh well, like I mentioned, Karma will come around eventually and get her, I just have to have faith in that and our legal system that they will do the right thing by everyone mixed up in this mess.

Other than all that, things are pretty ok. Daniel goes back to work Monday, Thanksgiving is Thursday, and I actually get it off this year. Well aside from the fact that presents me with a difficult situation of my own concerning my parents. I cook Thanksgiving dinner. It's a no brainer for me. It's easier on me than getting everyone ready and herded around to go to either my Mom's or Dad's house. It's easier on the kids as they have all their stuff at home, and that helps keep them out from under my feet and them amused while all the adults visit, clean up, and prepare the meal. Plus add in that my Dad's house is a mess, and well his woman is about the worst housekeeper I've ever seen. Don't ask me what color their kitchen floor is because I honestly couldn't tell you. It's not because I haven't looked either, it's that dirty when I've been there. At Mom's, she refuses to pay the $$ for the natural gas for her furnace so for heat she uses kerosene heaters. The fumes from those things give me a massive headache and the fumes just plain stink. The fumes also seem to permeate EVERYTHING they come in contact with so showers and laundry are a must after being over there. Not what I want to have to deal with after a huge meal. So all in all, it's easier just to do it at my house. I have more room, a cleaner house, and no fumes that are going to make me cranky and miserable. Where my problem comes in is the fact that I can't have my Mom, Dad, and Jane in the same place together. Mom gets to showboating, Jane gets wound up because of her inferiority complex, then that leads to me, Dad and Daniel getting wound up because of their behaviors. Right now I'm actually hoping that Dad goes back to work so I can just invite Mom, and sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas have a holiday dinner with Dad and Jane. I know it sounds like I am favoring my Mom over my Dad on this and I suppose I am. Mom doesn't have any of our other family close...well except for my lil brother, but I don't see him and his g/f having dinner at their house. That would leave my Mom all alone on Thanksgiving and well...that idea just bothers me. Jane has family around to spend the holiday with if Dad's gone so I don't feel bad about her. Mom on the other hand...well ya, it bugs the hell outta me, the idea of her being alone on Thanksgiving. There's not an easy answer here on this one, but I'll figure out something like I always do.

That in short is my weekend. Sorry about the rant in there but I'm just madder than hell about the custody/child support thing.

Ahhh now I feel much better...thanks for letting me make your eyeballs bleed with my ranting over a crappy week.

Opps...my bad

Ok so ya'll have read funnies about my kids I've posted. I think it's only fair I post one about myself to even things out.

A few weeks ago when we moved over into the bigger house, the outside temps had started dropping into the chilly territory at night. Not cold, just chilly and enough chill to start thinking about needing the furnace. The first couple of nights we made do with a couple of space heaters. The next night though, it was quite apparent that we might need more than that as the temperature was dripping lower and lower. We realized we hadn't lit the furnace pilot but it wasn't a big deal as it has an electronic ignition system on it. Pretty easy task unless you have a blond (me) and a former blond who is all doped up due to his surgery the middle of the week before (Daniel) doing it.

We flipped the thermostat over to heat, lowered the thermostat all the way, and flipped all the switches on the furnace. I hit the ignitor button and a glow emerged in the window, I heard the click of the fan trying to turn over but then....nothing. The blower wouldn't kick on. Well convinced I'd done something wrong, Daniel tried it...same result. HAHA Mr I-am-man-therefore-smarter-handier-than-you-woman. We repeated this to the tune of a dozen times...all for naught. No heat, nada. I flipped it back over to the AC side and kicked it on and AC was working fine. The fan would kick on when I flipped the switch over to manual run, and to reverse the air flow. When I kicked it back over to the heat side, nothing. Shit, shit, shit...

Well having a rudimentary knowledge of furnaces due to my Dad having taken classes on furnace/AC repair when I was a kid, I knew that it probably was a sensor buggered up in there. Well SHIT! It was 10:30 Sunday night...I really didn't want to call out a repairman and pay the boatload he was sure to charge me. So I did the next best thing...I called my Dad. After telling him what it was and wasn't doing, he affirmed that I was probably right, there was probably a sensor out. Particularly the sensor that tells the blower to kick on when the furnace had adequately heated the air in the furnace. Unfortunately, Dad was on the other side of the dadburn state, but was going to be in town the next day. WOOT, we could make it one more night without the furnace. I dragged out some extra blankets and we slept in sweats. No biggie.

Well Dad showed up finally at 4pm the next day. He sat down in the hallway to read that obscenely small print on the schematic diagram on the front of the furnace to ascertain that the wiring was where it needed to be and hadn't gotten accidentally pulled loose. Then we proceeded to go through the steps to light the furnace. Daniel and Dad's sidekick watched from the living room as Dad hit the ignitor button, and watched the glow start, then die, as well as the click of the fan control, then the glow die, and no blower start. Then Dad's gaze turned to the gas line...he flipped the gas valve the other direction and hit the ignitor button again. In about two minutes the fan roared to life, just barely to be heard over my Dad's raucous laughter.

"Hey Sis...Ummm any particular reason you didn't turn the gas on?" he howled in laughter

"Ummm I thought Crip over there did it since HE was the one down there initially" I told him while groaning mentally.

"Hey, you shoulda known to double check E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. woman, I'm medicated ya know." Daniel smirked at me

Dad's sidekick...well he was laughing like a hyena and I wanted to ...well kick the sidekick.

Gah...I can't believe that I forgot which way means open and closed on the gas valve! Oh well, I will NOT forget again, I can promise you that one folks.

ps My kids are still giving me shit about this one, and I still want to kick the sidekick.

Scared again...

Dear God...not again.

I thought I had finally started to get over the pain of loosing my beloved Gramma this last St Patricks Day. Those weeks of hurry up and waiting, the false sense of security...it's all rushing back now.

I had just settled into work tonight and my Dad stopped by. Well let me back up for a minute...

A week or two ago, Dad called me while he was on the road. He told me about his loads, his layovers, all the usual things we usually chat about. Then he asked me about our family Dr's office hours. I told him what they were and then I asked him why. Well I guess during this trip out, Dad had been having some odd things happening. Like ya know how when you go out in the bitter cold, then come back in how your face will tingle afterwards? Well apparently he's been having that sensation all over for no apparent reason. Also when he moves suddenly, like bending down and then raising quickly, or any quick movements, he's getting a woosy light headed feeling. I didn't think too much about it at the time, especially since his symptoms are so vague. He also mentioned there were a few more things but he didn't go into detail. I don't push my Dad, he's alot like me, if he wants you to know, he'll tell you. If he doesn't tell you, there's usually a reason for it. Dad and I know this about each other, and we respect that about one another.

Flash forward back to earlier tonight...

I was chatting with my Dad about what him and his sidekick E had been up to. They had been moving stuff from one farm to the other, and piddling about. I asked my Dad if he'd taken that leave of absence he'd been talking about. He started kind of shifting his weight from one leg to the other and told me he hadn't but didn't know when he was going back to work. I guess I must have had a quizzical look on my face, because he proceeded to tell me that he'd went to the Dr last week and they didn't know what was causing his symptoms. They took blood for tests, but until they got the results back, wouldn't know much. Dad told me he should have the results by about 10am tomorrow.

I'm worried. I'm anxious. I'm kicking myself. I'm angry. I'm...so...UGH, the list goes on and on and on, ad nauseum.

The last 10 years Dad and I seem to have drifted apart. I'm unhappy about it plain and simple. I know, I know, children are supposed to go out into the world on their own and live their own lives. Parents are supposed to stand in the wings, silently supporting their children as they make their way down their paths, offering snippets of advise here and there, lending their support as we raise our own children as they watch us struggle with the same things they struggled with just a few short years (or decades ago, whatever the case may be.)

Thirteen years ago, my Dad met his current woman J. I have to admit, I wasn't impressed with her then, and now after 11 years, I'm less impressed with her. Part of that due to the fact her husband (yes she was still married at that time), part because she was horning in on my turf, part because well ummm, errrr, she's...rough. REALLY rough. I don't mean that in terms of a diamond in the rough either. The nicest way I can think to describe it is gold digging white trash ok? I tried with this woman, I really did. She dug her own hole with me based on two things. First one was when Dad pleaded with me to just talk to her about her husband, thinking I'd see her justification for what she (they) were doing. Ok fine, I did. Well I asked and she informed me that her husband had suffered a stroke a few years back. She had stayed in their home for awhile but her stepchildren had made her life hell, questioning everything she did, her and their father's decisions as to his care, ect ad nauseum. Well knowing how snotty some kids can be to stepparents, I let that slide. Well considering all of her family was back her, and how miserable his kids were making her, she bought a new mobile home, and moved it onto her Mom's property while her husband was in the nursing home undergoing his rehabilitation. Once he was as well as he was going to get, she moved him here with him, and realized how much work it was taking care of him. She took him back to the soldier's nursing home he'd been rehabilitated in, and readmitted him. I could somewhat understand her reasons of how hard it was to maneuver him around for baths and such, no problem. I was starting to understand where she was coming from, even feel empathy for her over the situation until she said..."...and ya know, I just didn't want him dying in my new trailer. How would I be able to live there if he died in there?!?" I couldn't help it, I was appalled to say the least. He had taken care of her and her spawn (which are a worthless bunch, lemmie tell ya) for YEARS, and this is how she repaid him? Throwing him back into a nursing home because his possible death in her new TRAILER HOUSE? That did it, I threatened her life. I told her IF her and my Dad lasted, if she EVER attempted a stunt like that with MY DADDY, I was going to make her step children look like saints. Well of course she had to go crying to Dad about how mean I am. When I told Dad my side of the story, he tried to admonish me, but I could see the pride in his face for setting her straight about my expectations about how my Dad should and will be treated. A mere 3 months later, she was demanding she be put on my Dad's checking account, and I first went to my Dad with my concerns. He heard me out and asked me not to go ballistic on his new girlfriend. I tried not to, but well...it didn't work. I again set her straight on her position with me, in MY family. Giving up my Dad to another woman...hard adjustment for me. Things were going to hell with my husband, and I needed a constant in my life. My Dad had always been my constant, the one who picked me up when I fell, the one who told me to get back on that horse and learn from my mistakes. Dad and me, Me and Dad, through all those years of hell with my Mom, we'd stuck together, made it through to go on with our lives. Him restarting his in his 50's, and me just starting mine in my late teens with a baby and an unreliable husband.

He moved in with her, and hour away from me. From living 100 yards from my front door, to an hour's drive away. It happened gradually, he'd come in off the truck and go to her house instead of his or mine. Then after time, he couldn't' see the sense of keeping two households. So he just started just going to her house. I'd catch myself watching my Dad's house out the window, just staring, wishing, hoping they'd have a massive fight and Daddy would come home. It never happened. His trips home became less and less, as the property we all lived on at the time is/was jointly owned by my Mom and Dad. Mom had been snooping around about this woman, and found out everything that she'd told me, and then some. When Dad was around with J, my Mom would go berserk. J felt threatened as my Mom was/is more attractive than she is, and Mom felt threatened and was kicking herself for loosing my Dad. My Mom doesn't loose gracefully, even if she makes an ass out of herself while trying in vain to win the loosing battle.

Over the course of time I accepted that Dad loves J, and I'm going to have to share him with her. Do I like it? No, not at all, but I accept it. If for no other reason, my Dad deserves to be happy. If J makes him happy, well then, by damn I'm not going to stand in the way of that. J has her good points as we all do, but let me put it like this. I will be nice to her for my Dad's sake, I will get along with her, but if it wasn't for my Dad...well she's not at all the kind of person I would be associated with due to different outlooks, interests, and educational levels.

Anyways, over time, Dad went his way with J, and I went mine. Dad and J were both there for me when I threw my former husband out. They have been there for me during the good and the bad since then. When they've had their troubles or needed help, I've been there for them to the best of my ability. That's just what family does. My Gramma raised us that way. We don't have to particularly like each other all the time, but when it comes to the wire, we'd better be there for one another. That's what family does, no matter how much time or how many miles try to stand in the way.

I'm still close to my Dad, I always will be. Nothing will ever change that. Soon he will be living within 15 minutes of me again and that can't come soon enough. There is one striking difference this time though. While to a certain degree I want it for myself, I want it more for my children. Over the years, my children haven't had the opportunity to get to know their Grandpa. J has some great nieces that stay with them off and on and while those little girls certainly deserve the undivided love and affection my Dad gives to them, so do my children. At 3 & 4 those girls have spent more time with my Dad then my kids ages 15, 13, and soon to be 6. That makes me angry, sad, ashamed. I won't take all the blame for it, as it's just as much my Dad's. I also blame J for being such a spender. If she'd cut back on spending so damn much money on just "stuff" for having stuff's sake, my Dad wouldn't have to drive that truck so stinkin much. It's my fault as well for not taking them to see my Dad when he's home, but if you saw their home, you'd fully understand why. Let's just say it this way...you have to make your way through paths through the "stuff" and you can't tell what color the flooring is supposed to be. 'Nuff said.

I guess I'm still kicking myself for not spending as much time with my Gramma as I think I should have before we lost her. I'm also kicking myself for not insisting that my kids spend time with their Grandpa, for not making it happen. In short, I'm kicking myself for a whole lot of things now that it's in my face there may be something wrong with my Dad.

I'm also scared I might loose him. I know it's probably unfounded and premature, but nonetheless, I'm scared...terrified even. I just lost my Gramma not even a year ago, and now... this. They say fear of the unknown is the greatest fear of all. I never believed in that until now.

The season is upon us

No I'm not referring to the holidays either. Right now the holidays are the furthest thing from my guy's minds around the homestead. In precisely 7 days, 2 hrs and 43 minutes, I will be submerged headfirst into firearms deer hunting season. YAY!!!!!! NOT!!!!

Don't get me wrong, I'm really looking forward to having venison in the freezer and some deer hides to practice my tanning skills on. Yes, I have some eclectic hobbies...we all have our quirks, just me more than others. What I don't look forward too? Oh where on that list shall I begin?

1. Getting awoken at the before the ass crack of dawn to make sure they get out of the house (and my hair) without waking the girls up.

2. Getting awoken to get informed that I have to go with because Ty sounds like an elephant going to the stand and can't hit the broad side of a bulls ass and that's why they didn't see/get a deer yesterday...therefore I get recruited to go since Daniel can't fire a weapon yet w/o possibly messing up his bone graft in his neck.

3. Sitting in a cold ass windy stand freezing my blessed assurance off before sunrise with no coffee pot to come to my rescue.

4. Listening to Ty BEG me to stay home from school to hunt.

5. Listening to his sisters gripe cos he got to stay home and hunt.

6. Listening to Daniel that I let Ty stay home and hunt (or not letting him stay home and hunt...can't win on this one).

7. All the stories of how they got their deer, or why they didn't...It's amusing at best the first time around, but by the end of January...ya the stories stale, move on fellas. Really.

8. My family calling everyday "Anyone get a deer yet?"

9. "Friends" constantly asking if they can come over and hunt our place because they've heard we're in deer heaven

10. Having to process and pack all of my beloved venison all by myself because..."We just shoot it, and field dress it. You expect us to know what to do with it afterward other than EAT it? We're tired, going for a nap before the evening hunt...have fun Mom/Dear."

Oh ya and the good ole smell of deer scent and cover scents. Deer urine and dirt anyone? Ya buddy, that's what my kitchen and my bedroom yippee skippy, how romantic and appetizing is that?

I normally get myself in the dog house someplace about November 17thish (FYI deer season starts on November 15th) for getting all cranky over the whole deer season thing. Luckily we have an extra home the hunters can go hibernate in (or I can hide) this year, maybe keeping some peace around the main house. It's a nice thought anyways, but I don't see it happening. Actually I've already managed to get in the door of the doghouse by not having bought camo for Ty yet. So instead of my usual blog surfing, online games, and time killers I normally utilize while working, I'm surfing the net looking for camo pants for the boy. He's also put out with me that I won't spend $30 for camo pants. Yes the boy will wear them until they are so threadbare that his boxers are showing, but that's beside the point. It's CAMO! I H.A.T.E. camo. It's ugly, it's gooberish, and well to be quite frank, not necessary IMHO during deer season. Deer are color blind for crying out loud! The deer do not care one iota what your wearing. If they did, they'd fall over laughing at most deer hunters. On top of that, they will be sitting 15 feet in the air...deer aren't going to be looking up there unless you make some really odd noise. Like dropping your Dr Pepper bottle to the ground (opps my bad), sneezing, spilling the box of shells causing a metallic clattering noise (in which case they don't look up, they bolt like someone lit a fire under their ass...and no, that wasn't my bad for once). Anyways back on track, the boy expects camo. Which isn't THAT big of a deal, I'll buy it, just at MY price, which happens to be much less than what Mossy Oak, Remington, and most of the other major manufacturers seem to think it should be.

Ok I guess I'll quit droning on about deer season and it's peculiarities and head back to the web to find some camo at my price, so I can shut my son up and maybe spare myself a headache this up coming week.

I oh, I oh, it's back to Ebay hunting camo I go...

Boxes

Sometimes people just amaze me. Their line of thinking (and trust me it's a line with some) is so unwavering that when confronted with the idea that throws a kink in it, digesting it is difficult without help. Luckily, I'm not one of them, and can help them out with a visual to make it easier on them.

This morning Daniel wanted to come in town to the coffee shop. He still can't drive and with me sleeping for work and the kids gone to school...well he is going bonkers. He needed some human interaction.

After dropping the kids off to school, we buzzed on down to the cafe'. As normal, the whole usual cast of characters were there at the Liar's Tables, solving the problems of the world. I was happily chatting with a couple of women I know when I got hollered at from across the room....

"HEY Chris! C'mere will ya"

I suspiciously looked over at them and asked "Why?"

"Need to ask you something darlin" (It's ok, known this guy since I was a kid...shoot I went to school with his kids and almost lived at their house for a while LOL)

I looked at Daniel and he smiled and shrugged at me. Oh boy, what could they want? The last few days have been filled with election banter and the like which I had skillfully avoided.

"Chris, are you a farmer or a rancher?"

I looked blankly at the table and went "Huh? Why?"

"Cos we want to know what YOU think you are"

I laughed as I told them, "Well I know what I am, and all of you should too...ya'll have known me just about my entire lifetime"

"Well that's the problem, some of us say your a farmer, some of us say a rancher."

After that they all started telling me WHY they thought I was a farmer or a rancher. Hearing their thoughts on me was quite interesting to say the least. I gotta hand it to the guys though, not a one of them said anything hateful. Ya they love me (or they just waited till I left, but I doubt it with this part of the crew).

I just happened to know that today was delivery day at the cafe, so as the owner swung around with the coffee pot, I asked her if she had the boxes still in the back. She told me they did and I asked her if I could go back and get some and bring them out front for a few minutes. She looked at me quizzically and then told me go for it, I knew where they'd be. I went back to the kitchen and sure enough, there were the boxes. I drug out about 4 boxes of varying sizes and went back out front with them.

"WTH are those for Chris?"

"Shaddup and watch and listen and answer when I ask you a question ok?"

They all looked at Daniel who shrugged and told them he had NO clue what I was doing, I was nuts (thanks hun, I appreciate the support there buddy-o).

I took the smallest box and stepped inside. It was an egg box that just came past my ankles.

"Ok guys, other than being *Chris in a box* any idea what I am?"

I was met with confused and blank stares...

"Ok this is me and my mechanical abilities...I have the basic ideas down, can fix a few things but not my strongest suit. The fact that I DO have basic knowledge of mechanics though, in some ways, doesn't that make me a mechanic?"

One of the guys bit and went "Ya s'pose it does hun."

"Ok but obviously that's not all I am cos that box doesn't even begin to encompass me." With that I wrote mechanic on the side of the box and stepped out of it. I then grabbed a napkin box which is a slight bit bigger and put the egg box inside. Then I stepped inside of both boxes. Now luckily some good friends of mine came in, and they just happen to know I've been around animals enough to have a good base in vetting animals great and small.

"Ok guys, what am I now, other than the obvious?"

My friend said "Self taught animal doctor"

Wasn't quite the answer I was looking for, but since he'd taught me alot about that, I rolled with it.

"Yup that'll work. As all of you know, as long as it doesn't require major surgery, I can handle everything from splinting of a leg to colic, to stitches on an injured animal. While I know quite a little bit about it, I'm still not an expert or I'd put Doc outta business."

With that I put "Wanna be vet" on the outside of the box.

I then grabbed my next box, and repeated the process. That box came up to roughly my hips and when I asked the fellas what that meant, they said "Police dispatcher"

Yup that worked as I explained to them while I don't know everything about it, I'm pretty damn knowledgeable about it and good at it. They agreeed and we moved on...

I took my last box which came up to mid biceps on me and got inside of that after I put the other boxes inside.

The guys spent about two cups of coffee discussing what THIS box was then they piped up:

"Mom"

"Wife"

"Smartass"

"Farmer"

"Rancher"

"computer whiz"

There was a couple others but they started argueing and I didn't catch all of them. I told them all

"Your all right, I'm all of those things to one degree or the other. You guys are all older than me, wiser than me, and have more experience in lots more things than me. I'm learning all the time about these things though, and then some."

"So are you a farmer or rancher Chris?"

"Well right now I'm really neither, but I'm both"

They all looked at me and with some the lightbulb came on and some...well lets just not go there k?

I explained to them I had been both in the past. I loved each and every minute of it as well. Then I told them that we just don't have the room and such for a herd of animals yet so ranching would have to wait a couple of years. Our place isn't well suited for farming either so I don't see that in my near future either. Ya I've farmed, but it's a been awhile back.

that's when it dawned on them. I was both and a whole lot more. As I took the boxes to the back, a discussion ensued about me. I had to run to the bank and Daniel stayed at the cafe. when I picked him up, he put his arm around me and looked at all of them and just said "See ya fellas, she's mine" and out the door we went.

Later on after I got up, I got a phone call from a friend of mine thanking me. I didn't have all my mental facutlites about me yet as I'd only been up about 10 mins so I asked her why.

Her reply was "For teaching those guys at the cafe not to put us in boxes" and told me how her husband had came home talking about that I'd done.

I told her no problem and couldn't help but smile. These guys know people just aren't ONE thing, but then turn around and asked me to put myself in a "box". Maybe one of these day's they'll learn...Don't ask Chris to put herself into a box, she's clausterphobic.

Wasn't far off the mark

Good thing I didn't list an overly ambitious list of things to do on my days off because I would have been sorely disappointed.

For the most part things went just about like I anticipated. Daniel stuck to me like glue, got some stuff organized, and some other errands done...not too bad I don't suppose. I'm a lil miffed that Daniel INSISTED that we go pay our taxes in person rather than me just write out a check, pop it in an envelope with a stamp and mail the dumb things in. If we'd had to just go to ONE county it wouldn't have been so bad, but NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, we had to go to TWO different counties in which the county seats are approximately a hour and a half apart. *Sigh* least it's done and over with is all I can say.

I started intensively working with Windwalker the last couple of days. My gosh, all I can say about that is he isn't appreciating it. He's as stubborn as my other half and I suspect it's for the same reason...Testosterone. Slowly but surely he's getting the idea I'M the boss. I'm sure once I get him cut, he'll come around to my way of doing things.

On another testosterone related note, my son got his driver's permit on Tuesday. ACK! Not that it's a bad thing necessarily, just that he has this *thing* about wanting to hang on the outside white line on the road. Makes me extremely nervous soooooo....*evil grin* I've found a solution that works all the way around. Daniel can't drive right now, Ty is faunching to drive, and I'm sick of chauffeuring Daniel around. Not to mention, Ty's driving drives me insane and while I can see what he's doing wrong/needs to change, how to explain it to him eludes me. Daniel is much better at that kind of thing so I've appointed the boy as his driver. :D Not sure what Daniel thinks of it, but Ty and I like the idea and majority rules doesn't it? ;)

On the home organization front, well I accomplished a few things. I managed to get the bulk of the laundry folded, hung up, and put away...including socks. that's a major accomplishment for me as I dislike that particular job with a passion. Then again, I did most of it Tuesday night while I was watching the election results roll in while I sat in the middle of the living room floor LOL. Might as well kill 2 birds with one stone eh? I managed to clear off two counters Sunday and Monday, just for the famdamily to clutter one up completely by tonight before I left for work. Frustrating yes, but I'm not going to kill them just yet. My cabinets are still organized so I can live with a cluttered counter for a few days. I unpacked a couple of boxes, not sure if I like where I chose to put the stuff so it may end up being moved. I'll cross that bridge later when I see how it's working for everyone. If the guys would get the boxes of tools out of my kitchen and off my deck, that would be a great help as well. My microwave is still in the other house due to tools taking up it's piece of real estate on my counter. It's not that big of a deal to me when it comes to making a meal, but it's making a few more dishes than I would have to deal with otherwise.

I had a few opportunities for some great photo's but someone "borrowed" my rechargeable camera batteries. Upon scouring the house I could only find batteries that I had relinquished to the junk drawer for use in remote controls. Hence, not many photo's were taken this weekend. I guess I'm going to have to slip into old habits and keep a stash of batteries that no one but ME knows about. Oh well, a girl's got to do what a girls got to do.

All in all it wasn't a bad weekend. A little more rest and less running would have been nice, but oh well. Soon enough cold weather will be upon us, and that's my built in excuse to NOT go out. Regardless of my northern European lineage, I didn't develop their resiliency or tolerance for the cold. I blame my parents for that since they moved me to a warmer climate as a young child. That's ok though, I kind of like only having a few weeks of extreme cold a year. Just enough snow to remind me why I don't want to move to a more northern latitude, but enough to be reminded of how nice snow can be in small doses.

In a nutshell that was my weekend off. Not very exciting but that's ok...I've had enough excitement this year to last me for the next five years.