I sure hope everyone's Valentines day went better than mine did.
I got up & sent the oldest off to school, just like every other day. The exception is that she got mad when I told her for the sixth time to get dressed,put on her shoes & eat her breakfast. She can't got to school in her jammies now can she.
Her response, screaming, yelling & in the end saying that she didn't love me. GASP! This is the first time I've heard this come from her mouth...& on Valentine's Day to boot only added to the injury. She got over it, told me sorry, gave me a hug & said she did in fact love me afterall before she left on the bus. WHEW!
I was driving about 60 miles away from my house to pick up my sick brother. He is in a midevil society & was at "war". While at war he came down with the nastiest of colds & asked me to come get him. I did so & on the way received a $75 Valentine for speeding. I was going 13 MP H over the speed limit...damm V6 engine on the open country road. It just got away from me for a minute or two. I realized I was speeding & began to slow down...only it was too late. There were a string of 5 cars heading toward me & in the middle of them was a cop. Since I acknowledged him pulling me over, didn't lie about speeding AND was slowing down when he clocked me...he gave me a ticket that is $75 instead of $200. It also goes in as a waste of finite resources instead of a moving violation, therefore I won't get any points on my liscense & our insurance rates won't increase.
I told my husband & he got 10 kinds of pissed off at me. This is the first ticket I've gotten in almost 20 years. I've only been with him for 7 years. My driving reconrd is clean & way. I wasn't hit by anyone & I didn't hit anyone or anything. WHAT is the big problem? The problem is that money is tight right now. I spent Valentine's Day in the dog house, upset beyond belief & my husband & I not speaking to each other.
He did give me a box of chocolates & a ped egg in the morning before he left for work yesterday.
Hopefully, today will be a much better day.
February 15, 2008
January 13, 2008
2007- The year in review
January 2007
My husband travelled by plane to Illinois to help his mother pack & move out here to the desert southwest. That morning the four of us drove him to the airport so he could be there in PLENTY of time to make his flight. Since we were pretty close to the zoo, I took the kids there. Right before his flight boarded he text messaged me & sent a video of himself telling the girls "I love you", "be good for Mommy", "Look up! I see you waving at me! Tell the giraffes hello!", and of course he blew them kisses & said he would be home in a few days. They ate it up & began waving to all of the airplanes that pass over the exhibit with the giraffes. Ahhh, the innocence of small children. He returned with his mother & an SUV loded to the top about 1 week later. They drove in the harsh January snowstorms that blanketed parts of Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma & Texas. The girls were sleeping & playing in blissful ignorance while I was worried sick about his & my MILs safety. I headed to my moms house becuase it began to rain hard. I was afraid we would get stuck in the mud on our property if we didn't leave hours before they were to return home. I arrived at my MILs house at 9pm. I got the girls down for the night & I sat up, worrying, writing in my diary & TRYING to get a little nap in. About 2 am they rolled into the driveway. They were home & safe. DH & I loaded up our girls & I drove home. he had done nearly all of the driving over about 4 days. They dove straight through & were caught behind a serious accident outside of El Paso. They were stuck on the highway for nearly 7 hours at a dead stop. I was just thankful they were home & okay.
We arrived back at our home to find it & the ground sparkeling with heavy frost, the ground frozen solid. It snowed sometime between 3 am & sunrise. When we awoke I saw photos of a rare desert snowstorm & thawed muddy ground.
March 2007
Our oldest had her first REAL birthday party. We invited the entire family over & few close friends to celebrate the big #5 at my MILs house. We purchased Sam's Club pizza & a personalized bithday cake with our daughters photo on the front. We had gift bags for the kids, all 6 of them, & nothing but food & thanks for the adults. One little girl, neither of mine, nearly ruined the party for my daughter. She was insisting on opening my daughters gifts before she got the chance. She ran her finger through my daughters cake before she even got to blow out the candles. She nearly destoryed my daughter Barbie house before my daughter even got to see it! She also permenatly stained the fabric on my MILs new diningroom chairs. THANKFULLY, I got most of the stains out, my mom was able to fix most of the damage before my daughter opened the house & with the help of my mom & my daughters god mother, we kept this child from opening most of my daughters gifts. I ended a friendship of nearly 20 years over this "friends" child behavior & comments my "friend" made at the party. In the end, my daughter didn't remember much of this little girls actions. her 1st real party is still special to her.
April 2007
We, the four of us, dyed hard boiled eggs for the Easter Bunny to hide. The Easter Bunny also hid plastic eggs filled with spare change, dollar bills, jelly beans & small toys....like play rings & madi gras beads. He also visited, hid eggs & left gifts for the kids at BOTH Grandma's houses.
May 2007
We had a family gathering at my MILs house for our duaghters 2nd birthday. Instead of cake we made star shaped cupcakes. We decorated each one differently & used regular canned frosted, tinted with food coloring & some decorating tips from the dollar store. The pastry bag that came with it worked fine, but the zip lock bags with the tip inserted through the snipped hole on the corner worked just as well. One cupcake had the number 2 & another had the number 29 (for my SIL birthday).
Also in May we headed up north to camp in the woods. When we camp it is in undeveloped camp sites. That means there is nothing there but nature. Sometimes you may see the remnants of a fire ring. We had not been camping since May 2002 due to fire restrictions. I REFUSE to camp without a fire...period! This year we made our own fire pit. We stayed one night because even with heavy sweats on the girls got cold. The little one slept for MAYBE an hour & this Momma was grumpy & cold. I got some great pictures though! It also didn't help that our then Malibu was packed to the roof... literally! We even had to strap the cooler to the top of our trunk! Oh how we were wishing for a mini van that weekend. When we leave our site, the only thing we leave behind are saturated ashes from our camp fire...we stir & add water until we have ash soup. We alos leave the fire ring of course.
July 2007
We skipped fireworks for an evening at home. We cooked pizza, watched movies & just hung out. We watched some of the celebrations on TV & played with sparklers. The little one didn't get a sparkler, but was happy just watching them this year. I, regretfully, forgot to take pictures!
August 2007
My oldest started kindergarten! I thought I would surely cry my eyes out leaving her at school for the first time. I didn't though. My little one was crying enough for the both of us. She didn't understand that we would be back later to pick up her big sister. She cried, screamed & fought me for nearly 15 minutes , as I recall, before I could get her into her car seat the first day. She finally seemed to understand by the end of the first week we would come back for her big sister. Each day she had to watch her sister over the fence until she went inside. Now when it is time to go get her sister, she gets very excited & rushes to put on her shoes. Kiwi arrived from Canada.
September 2007
My Grandmother & sister come out for a visit. Grandma is 85 years old & in poor health. She spent the night with us & went to my oldest daughters classroom. Grandma was exhausted but she was glowing as each child either waved good-bye, said "Bye Grandma" or gave her a high five as they exited the classroom. Since we were hosting a stuffed Kiwi toy from New Zealand during their stay, we took him to class along with a fabric map that marked each place he has visited since his travels began. The kids wanted to hear him sing, which he did, & see where his home was on the map & where there home was on the map. My sister took Grandma up to the Grand Canyon to ride the mules down to the bottom. Grandma did not realize that mules are the size of horses, not donkeys. She was unable to get a top of them, even with the help of 3 men. My sis & Gran got to spend the night at the Grand Canyon, see the sunrise & set over the canyon & really seemed to enjoy themselves. Unfortunately, Grandma fell down face first while boarding the bus back to the hotel. They rushed by ambulance to a Flagstaff hospital where a CT reveiled no bleeding in the brain, but evidence that sometime recently she had a minor stroke. We are thinking that is why she is having balance issues. Thankfully, she is okay.
October 2007
We head to Disneyland for the first time since they began "Halloween Time". The entire magic Kingdom is decorated in a Halloween theme. Many villians are roaming around to pose for pictures & sign autographs. The villans are not normally out & about much in the Magic Kingdom. We made HUGE sugar cookies frosted & in the shape of Mickeys head. We hunted for Hidden Mickeys & saw some attractions we never hadtime to visit before.
November 2007
kiwi moved on to a visit in New York. We had a garage sale alnog with our MIL at her house. We took nearly 2 van loads of stuff to her house to sell. We sold over half of it & made more than we had expected to. YAY US! Then my MILs longtime companion came out for Thanksgiving. During his visit we all went to Santa's Theme Park on the indian reservation. I, being the person I am, had my camera plastered to my face most of the time. :-) My MIL cooked an entire Thanksgiving dinner & was kind enough to invite my parents & my brother over for dinner. My MIL, her bo & the kids had their pictures taken at Sears. We finished most of our Christmas shopping.
December 2007
We spent the majoritiy of December being sick. My husband even missed some work & he RARELY misses work. We went to our Daughters first ever Christmas Choir concert at school. We went to our first family night at school as well. My husband & I went to his company Christmas party where we got to bowl 6 1/2 games. I would have spanked him to if we would have not run out of time. We were in a mad rush to finish our Christmas gifts & on New Year's Eve we had trouble staying up until Midnight.
My husband travelled by plane to Illinois to help his mother pack & move out here to the desert southwest. That morning the four of us drove him to the airport so he could be there in PLENTY of time to make his flight. Since we were pretty close to the zoo, I took the kids there. Right before his flight boarded he text messaged me & sent a video of himself telling the girls "I love you", "be good for Mommy", "Look up! I see you waving at me! Tell the giraffes hello!", and of course he blew them kisses & said he would be home in a few days. They ate it up & began waving to all of the airplanes that pass over the exhibit with the giraffes. Ahhh, the innocence of small children. He returned with his mother & an SUV loded to the top about 1 week later. They drove in the harsh January snowstorms that blanketed parts of Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma & Texas. The girls were sleeping & playing in blissful ignorance while I was worried sick about his & my MILs safety. I headed to my moms house becuase it began to rain hard. I was afraid we would get stuck in the mud on our property if we didn't leave hours before they were to return home. I arrived at my MILs house at 9pm. I got the girls down for the night & I sat up, worrying, writing in my diary & TRYING to get a little nap in. About 2 am they rolled into the driveway. They were home & safe. DH & I loaded up our girls & I drove home. he had done nearly all of the driving over about 4 days. They dove straight through & were caught behind a serious accident outside of El Paso. They were stuck on the highway for nearly 7 hours at a dead stop. I was just thankful they were home & okay.
We arrived back at our home to find it & the ground sparkeling with heavy frost, the ground frozen solid. It snowed sometime between 3 am & sunrise. When we awoke I saw photos of a rare desert snowstorm & thawed muddy ground.
March 2007
Our oldest had her first REAL birthday party. We invited the entire family over & few close friends to celebrate the big #5 at my MILs house. We purchased Sam's Club pizza & a personalized bithday cake with our daughters photo on the front. We had gift bags for the kids, all 6 of them, & nothing but food & thanks for the adults. One little girl, neither of mine, nearly ruined the party for my daughter. She was insisting on opening my daughters gifts before she got the chance. She ran her finger through my daughters cake before she even got to blow out the candles. She nearly destoryed my daughter Barbie house before my daughter even got to see it! She also permenatly stained the fabric on my MILs new diningroom chairs. THANKFULLY, I got most of the stains out, my mom was able to fix most of the damage before my daughter opened the house & with the help of my mom & my daughters god mother, we kept this child from opening most of my daughters gifts. I ended a friendship of nearly 20 years over this "friends" child behavior & comments my "friend" made at the party. In the end, my daughter didn't remember much of this little girls actions. her 1st real party is still special to her.
April 2007
We, the four of us, dyed hard boiled eggs for the Easter Bunny to hide. The Easter Bunny also hid plastic eggs filled with spare change, dollar bills, jelly beans & small toys....like play rings & madi gras beads. He also visited, hid eggs & left gifts for the kids at BOTH Grandma's houses.
May 2007
We had a family gathering at my MILs house for our duaghters 2nd birthday. Instead of cake we made star shaped cupcakes. We decorated each one differently & used regular canned frosted, tinted with food coloring & some decorating tips from the dollar store. The pastry bag that came with it worked fine, but the zip lock bags with the tip inserted through the snipped hole on the corner worked just as well. One cupcake had the number 2 & another had the number 29 (for my SIL birthday).
Also in May we headed up north to camp in the woods. When we camp it is in undeveloped camp sites. That means there is nothing there but nature. Sometimes you may see the remnants of a fire ring. We had not been camping since May 2002 due to fire restrictions. I REFUSE to camp without a fire...period! This year we made our own fire pit. We stayed one night because even with heavy sweats on the girls got cold. The little one slept for MAYBE an hour & this Momma was grumpy & cold. I got some great pictures though! It also didn't help that our then Malibu was packed to the roof... literally! We even had to strap the cooler to the top of our trunk! Oh how we were wishing for a mini van that weekend. When we leave our site, the only thing we leave behind are saturated ashes from our camp fire...we stir & add water until we have ash soup. We alos leave the fire ring of course.
July 2007
We skipped fireworks for an evening at home. We cooked pizza, watched movies & just hung out. We watched some of the celebrations on TV & played with sparklers. The little one didn't get a sparkler, but was happy just watching them this year. I, regretfully, forgot to take pictures!
August 2007
My oldest started kindergarten! I thought I would surely cry my eyes out leaving her at school for the first time. I didn't though. My little one was crying enough for the both of us. She didn't understand that we would be back later to pick up her big sister. She cried, screamed & fought me for nearly 15 minutes , as I recall, before I could get her into her car seat the first day. She finally seemed to understand by the end of the first week we would come back for her big sister. Each day she had to watch her sister over the fence until she went inside. Now when it is time to go get her sister, she gets very excited & rushes to put on her shoes. Kiwi arrived from Canada.
September 2007
My Grandmother & sister come out for a visit. Grandma is 85 years old & in poor health. She spent the night with us & went to my oldest daughters classroom. Grandma was exhausted but she was glowing as each child either waved good-bye, said "Bye Grandma" or gave her a high five as they exited the classroom. Since we were hosting a stuffed Kiwi toy from New Zealand during their stay, we took him to class along with a fabric map that marked each place he has visited since his travels began. The kids wanted to hear him sing, which he did, & see where his home was on the map & where there home was on the map. My sister took Grandma up to the Grand Canyon to ride the mules down to the bottom. Grandma did not realize that mules are the size of horses, not donkeys. She was unable to get a top of them, even with the help of 3 men. My sis & Gran got to spend the night at the Grand Canyon, see the sunrise & set over the canyon & really seemed to enjoy themselves. Unfortunately, Grandma fell down face first while boarding the bus back to the hotel. They rushed by ambulance to a Flagstaff hospital where a CT reveiled no bleeding in the brain, but evidence that sometime recently she had a minor stroke. We are thinking that is why she is having balance issues. Thankfully, she is okay.
October 2007
We head to Disneyland for the first time since they began "Halloween Time". The entire magic Kingdom is decorated in a Halloween theme. Many villians are roaming around to pose for pictures & sign autographs. The villans are not normally out & about much in the Magic Kingdom. We made HUGE sugar cookies frosted & in the shape of Mickeys head. We hunted for Hidden Mickeys & saw some attractions we never hadtime to visit before.
November 2007
kiwi moved on to a visit in New York. We had a garage sale alnog with our MIL at her house. We took nearly 2 van loads of stuff to her house to sell. We sold over half of it & made more than we had expected to. YAY US! Then my MILs longtime companion came out for Thanksgiving. During his visit we all went to Santa's Theme Park on the indian reservation. I, being the person I am, had my camera plastered to my face most of the time. :-) My MIL cooked an entire Thanksgiving dinner & was kind enough to invite my parents & my brother over for dinner. My MIL, her bo & the kids had their pictures taken at Sears. We finished most of our Christmas shopping.
December 2007
We spent the majoritiy of December being sick. My husband even missed some work & he RARELY misses work. We went to our Daughters first ever Christmas Choir concert at school. We went to our first family night at school as well. My husband & I went to his company Christmas party where we got to bowl 6 1/2 games. I would have spanked him to if we would have not run out of time. We were in a mad rush to finish our Christmas gifts & on New Year's Eve we had trouble staying up until Midnight.
December 28, 2007
Holiday Pictures 2007
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The Princesses bake with love.
They had such a blast with this. Our kitchen island is perfect for this sort of thing.
Just a few of our Sugar cookies.
We take our time decorating our cookies. That is why it takes so long to complete.
Our fancy frosting tools.
3 ounces plastic cups & dollar store brushes paired with a lots of powdered sugar & a little water. Presto chango! We have cookie frosting!
My husband & my oldest
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My oldest & I
December 27, 2007
Glad it's over!
WHEW! I am glad Christmas is OVER! Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't like Christmas because I do. It was just a long, hectic holiday for us.
Both of my children were sick for most of December. They caused both my husband & I to get sick as well. I know, it is part of having little ones. The littlest one has been crabby, whiney & beyond clingy. I can't forget her not sleeping through the night & getting into bed with us at 2 a.m. Once she wakes us, we are awake for the rest of the night. That also aided us in getting sick.
On December 22nd, we spent ALL day baking & decorating sugar cookies. On Sunday I helped my daughter ake her gifts. We made a pincushion for my mom, using a frosting conatiner, polyfiber fill, tulle, felt & cotton. Another gift was a bank for my brother. Again we used a frosting container, scrapbook paper & metallic star stickers. Finally we made a pen/pencil holder for my dad. For that we used a round, plastic drink mix container, scrapbook paper, a Christmas tree colored by Liz from school & snowflake & gingerbread men stickers. My husband took the little one to the store so we wouldn't be trying to keep her out of the supplies to make gifts.
December 23rd, I got to go to the store to buy a few last minute gifts for my husband & our girls. I picked up some DVD's & a metal camping table for him. For the littlest one I choose a pair of Dora the Explorer play shoes. The oldest received an UNO card game featuring "Cars" by Pixar & a set of 4 plastic card holders by Leap Frog. I also threw together a big fancy bow from wired edged ribbon for the wine we were taking to the Christmas Eve/housewarming party.
My husband is half Itallian & he said it is custom to present friends with a bottle of wine & a loaf of bread at a housewarming. The ribbon made it look much nicer, you know...like an actualy GIFT! We also brought sugar cookies for their party, per their request. The gift was a pair of digital thermostats for their new home. They were pleased.
They gave us 4 tickets to see the Disney Princesses on ice...row 12. They brought back a pretty bracelet for me from Greece & postcards from Greece & Italy to use in my Postcrossing activites. It is 224 miles round trip to their house & back. We got home about 11:30 pm Christmas Eve. We were wrapping gifts for the kids until about 3 am.
Christmas day we got up earlier than we would have liked. One was becuase children are impatient to see what Santa has left for them. The other was that we had too much to do! From 7am until 12:30 pm I did the following:
Opened gifts from Santa & each other.
Made & ate breakfast while fighting to keep the kids out of the candy canes that Santa leaves on the tree each year.
Wrapped the gifts to my Mother in law, brother & parents. My sister in laws gift was already wrapped.
Did three loads of laundry.
Gave the kids a bath.
Took a shower.
Ran the dushwasher.
Baked 3 dozen cookies for my dad becuase he LOVES my chocolate chip cookies.
Made my siser in laws 2nd gift.
Wrote out a few receipes for my brothers gift.
got the kids & myself dressed & loaded into the car.
Husband & I loaded gifts into the car.
Husband & I forgot the gift I made SIL & one gift for my MIL, but didn't know it until we drove the 75 miles to MILs house.
Drove to MILs house.
Most of this would have been done BEFORE Christmas Day if the girls had not been sick & had not gotten us sick as well.
See why I said I was glad Christmas is over?
On Chrismas Day after I was finished eating, I was the 2st one done btw, I got up & just started doing the dirty dishes. I did this because my MIL would not let me help her with setting the table or anything before hand. I didn't say a word I just got up & started cleaning. My husband broguht me his dishes & next some other guests dishes. Gradualoly all the dishes were brought to me. I was washing them & putting them in the dishwasher to dry. My MIL looked exhausted & over heated. I lost count of how many times she thanked me. It's not like her own daughter would do such a thing. I think my MIL was trying to give me time to visit with my family. That is why she wouldn't let me help her before dinner. She is sweet that way.
As it turns out the Receipe book was the perfect gift for my brother. I made sure to include the ones he had written out for me back in 1998. He had told me today that those were all receipes he had before the fire burned them up. My husband picked up some bakeware for him becuase the one he was cooking with needed to be replaced. he was very pleased.
After I up load some pics I am headed to bed.
Both of my children were sick for most of December. They caused both my husband & I to get sick as well. I know, it is part of having little ones. The littlest one has been crabby, whiney & beyond clingy. I can't forget her not sleeping through the night & getting into bed with us at 2 a.m. Once she wakes us, we are awake for the rest of the night. That also aided us in getting sick.
On December 22nd, we spent ALL day baking & decorating sugar cookies. On Sunday I helped my daughter ake her gifts. We made a pincushion for my mom, using a frosting conatiner, polyfiber fill, tulle, felt & cotton. Another gift was a bank for my brother. Again we used a frosting container, scrapbook paper & metallic star stickers. Finally we made a pen/pencil holder for my dad. For that we used a round, plastic drink mix container, scrapbook paper, a Christmas tree colored by Liz from school & snowflake & gingerbread men stickers. My husband took the little one to the store so we wouldn't be trying to keep her out of the supplies to make gifts.
December 23rd, I got to go to the store to buy a few last minute gifts for my husband & our girls. I picked up some DVD's & a metal camping table for him. For the littlest one I choose a pair of Dora the Explorer play shoes. The oldest received an UNO card game featuring "Cars" by Pixar & a set of 4 plastic card holders by Leap Frog. I also threw together a big fancy bow from wired edged ribbon for the wine we were taking to the Christmas Eve/housewarming party.
My husband is half Itallian & he said it is custom to present friends with a bottle of wine & a loaf of bread at a housewarming. The ribbon made it look much nicer, you know...like an actualy GIFT! We also brought sugar cookies for their party, per their request. The gift was a pair of digital thermostats for their new home. They were pleased.
They gave us 4 tickets to see the Disney Princesses on ice...row 12. They brought back a pretty bracelet for me from Greece & postcards from Greece & Italy to use in my Postcrossing activites. It is 224 miles round trip to their house & back. We got home about 11:30 pm Christmas Eve. We were wrapping gifts for the kids until about 3 am.
Christmas day we got up earlier than we would have liked. One was becuase children are impatient to see what Santa has left for them. The other was that we had too much to do! From 7am until 12:30 pm I did the following:
Opened gifts from Santa & each other.
Made & ate breakfast while fighting to keep the kids out of the candy canes that Santa leaves on the tree each year.
Wrapped the gifts to my Mother in law, brother & parents. My sister in laws gift was already wrapped.
Did three loads of laundry.
Gave the kids a bath.
Took a shower.
Ran the dushwasher.
Baked 3 dozen cookies for my dad becuase he LOVES my chocolate chip cookies.
Made my siser in laws 2nd gift.
Wrote out a few receipes for my brothers gift.
got the kids & myself dressed & loaded into the car.
Husband & I loaded gifts into the car.
Husband & I forgot the gift I made SIL & one gift for my MIL, but didn't know it until we drove the 75 miles to MILs house.
Drove to MILs house.
Most of this would have been done BEFORE Christmas Day if the girls had not been sick & had not gotten us sick as well.
See why I said I was glad Christmas is over?
On Chrismas Day after I was finished eating, I was the 2st one done btw, I got up & just started doing the dirty dishes. I did this because my MIL would not let me help her with setting the table or anything before hand. I didn't say a word I just got up & started cleaning. My husband broguht me his dishes & next some other guests dishes. Gradualoly all the dishes were brought to me. I was washing them & putting them in the dishwasher to dry. My MIL looked exhausted & over heated. I lost count of how many times she thanked me. It's not like her own daughter would do such a thing. I think my MIL was trying to give me time to visit with my family. That is why she wouldn't let me help her before dinner. She is sweet that way.
As it turns out the Receipe book was the perfect gift for my brother. I made sure to include the ones he had written out for me back in 1998. He had told me today that those were all receipes he had before the fire burned them up. My husband picked up some bakeware for him becuase the one he was cooking with needed to be replaced. he was very pleased.
After I up load some pics I am headed to bed.
The Kitchen Bitch
The Kitchen Bitch
A mother was working in the kitchen listening to her 5-year-old son playing with his new electric train in the living room. She heard the train stop and her son saying, "All of you sons of bitches who want off, get the hell off now...cause this is the last stop! And all of you sons of bitches who are getting on, get your asses in the train...cause we're going down the tracks."
The horrified mother went in and told her son, "We don't use that kind of language in this house. Now I want you to go to your room and you are to stay there for TWO HOURS. When you come out, you may play with your train...but I want you to use nice language."
Two hours later, the son came out of the bedroom and resumed playing with his train. Soon the train stopped and the mother heard her son say..."All passengers, please remember your things, thank you and hope your trip was a pleasant one. We hope you will ride with us again soon."
She heard her little darling continue..."For those of you just boarding, remember, there is no smoking in the train. We hope you will have a pleasant and relaxing journey with us today."
As the mother began to smile, the child added, "For those of you who are pissed off about the TWO HOUR delay, please see the bitch in the kitchen...."
A mother was working in the kitchen listening to her 5-year-old son playing with his new electric train in the living room. She heard the train stop and her son saying, "All of you sons of bitches who want off, get the hell off now...cause this is the last stop! And all of you sons of bitches who are getting on, get your asses in the train...cause we're going down the tracks."
The horrified mother went in and told her son, "We don't use that kind of language in this house. Now I want you to go to your room and you are to stay there for TWO HOURS. When you come out, you may play with your train...but I want you to use nice language."
Two hours later, the son came out of the bedroom and resumed playing with his train. Soon the train stopped and the mother heard her son say..."All passengers, please remember your things, thank you and hope your trip was a pleasant one. We hope you will ride with us again soon."
She heard her little darling continue..."For those of you just boarding, remember, there is no smoking in the train. We hope you will have a pleasant and relaxing journey with us today."
As the mother began to smile, the child added, "For those of you who are pissed off about the TWO HOUR delay, please see the bitch in the kitchen...."
December 23, 2007
December 2007 Happenings
Let's see. December 2007 began with temps that were above average into the 80's! Who wants to put up a Christmas tree in THAT weather! Not me! We forced ourselves to do just that. Before December 7th rolled around my husband put the lights up outside as well. It was a good thing he did because the night after the lights went up, the rain came down. We had rain, or some trace of it, on & off for the next 2 weeks.
On the parcel of land we call hom that means a few things. It means we can only exit from the front door of our home, we must wear plastic bags on our feet to & from the van, we hope the van can make it off the parially finished gravel drive way without getting stuck & that our home is surrounded by many mini "lakes". That is what happens on our unlandscaped parcel if it rain much at all.
We went to our first "family night" at school. We had to have our "passport" filled with stcikers before we could take part in the free activity. We were herded into a classroom to listen to a story. Next we were herded into a 2nd classroom to hear a 2nd story. Next we were escorted into & stood in line waiting entrance into the gymnasium. The line went directy to a Santa wearing sunglasses. Most likely it was to disguise his true identity to the students...the school took the students name & a photo of them ^ their siblings with "Santa". Finally we got to make a "gingerbread" house. The "gingerbread" was actually graham crackers. They gave us a large plastic bag flled with graham crackers, misc candies, pretzel sticks & am emply milk carton along with a cup of frosting & a popscicle stick. Here is the result of my 5 year olds creative efforts.
I didn't help her much at all. About the only thing did was add more frosting to hold things like the licorice in place. She also had a problematic gumdrop of the roof that required my attention. Other than that, it was all her!
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A bit later in the month she had her first choir concert. They sang 5 songs & one was introduced by my little girl. The little one was bored & tempermental. Therefore I missed most of her concert & got no photos of her on stage. Instead I got to listen from the hallway! Her Daddy was taping it for the Grandparents. We will watch it together on Christmas Day. When the entire school sang together I got right down in front & snapped a few great shots of her singing & dancing. At the end of the concert the teachers selected my daughter to present the music teacher with some Christmas roses.
After the final day of school before the Christmas break we headed to the library & the adjacent park for some playtime. The gilrs were being silly & having a great time. This was the first time the little one really, REALLY had a blast here. Towrd the end of it both my kids were sliding doown the spiral slide on their bellies & even backwards!
.jpg)
Tomorrow is going to be crazy busy. We have gifts to finish making, more to wrap, cookies to ice & even more to bake. This is all before we make the 2 hour drive to go to the Christmas party of very good friends. Only with sleep deprevation & tehe magic of Christmas will everything get done.
On the parcel of land we call hom that means a few things. It means we can only exit from the front door of our home, we must wear plastic bags on our feet to & from the van, we hope the van can make it off the parially finished gravel drive way without getting stuck & that our home is surrounded by many mini "lakes". That is what happens on our unlandscaped parcel if it rain much at all.
We went to our first "family night" at school. We had to have our "passport" filled with stcikers before we could take part in the free activity. We were herded into a classroom to listen to a story. Next we were herded into a 2nd classroom to hear a 2nd story. Next we were escorted into & stood in line waiting entrance into the gymnasium. The line went directy to a Santa wearing sunglasses. Most likely it was to disguise his true identity to the students...the school took the students name & a photo of them ^ their siblings with "Santa". Finally we got to make a "gingerbread" house. The "gingerbread" was actually graham crackers. They gave us a large plastic bag flled with graham crackers, misc candies, pretzel sticks & am emply milk carton along with a cup of frosting & a popscicle stick. Here is the result of my 5 year olds creative efforts.
I didn't help her much at all. About the only thing did was add more frosting to hold things like the licorice in place. She also had a problematic gumdrop of the roof that required my attention. Other than that, it was all her!
.jpg)
A bit later in the month she had her first choir concert. They sang 5 songs & one was introduced by my little girl. The little one was bored & tempermental. Therefore I missed most of her concert & got no photos of her on stage. Instead I got to listen from the hallway! Her Daddy was taping it for the Grandparents. We will watch it together on Christmas Day. When the entire school sang together I got right down in front & snapped a few great shots of her singing & dancing. At the end of the concert the teachers selected my daughter to present the music teacher with some Christmas roses.
After the final day of school before the Christmas break we headed to the library & the adjacent park for some playtime. The gilrs were being silly & having a great time. This was the first time the little one really, REALLY had a blast here. Towrd the end of it both my kids were sliding doown the spiral slide on their bellies & even backwards!
.jpg)
Tomorrow is going to be crazy busy. We have gifts to finish making, more to wrap, cookies to ice & even more to bake. This is all before we make the 2 hour drive to go to the Christmas party of very good friends. Only with sleep deprevation & tehe magic of Christmas will everything get done.
Diary of a Demented Snow Shoveler
> >> >
> >> > Diary of a Demented Snow Shoveler
> >> >
> >> > December 8 6:00 PM
> >> >
> >> > It started to snow. The first snow of the season and
> >> > the wife and I took our cocktails and sat for hours by
> >> > the window watching the huge soft flakes drift down
> >> > from heaven. It looked like a Grandma Moses print. So
> >> > romantic we felt like newlyweds again. I love snow!
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > December 9
> >> >
> >> > We woke to a beautiful blanket of crystal white snow
> >> > covering every inch of the landscape. What a fantastic
> >> > sight! Can there be a more lovely place in
> >> > the whole world? Moving here was the best idea I've
> >> > ever had!
> >> > Shoveled for the first time in years and felt like a
> >> > boy again. I did both our driveway and the sidewalks.
> >> > This afternoon the snowplow came along and covered
> >> > up the sidewalks and closed in the driveway, so I got
> >> > to shovel again. What a perfect life!
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > December 12
> >> >
> >> > The sun has melted all our lovely snow. Such a
> >> > disappointment! My neighbor tells me not to worry-
> >> > we'll definitely have a white Christmas. No snow on
> >> > Christmas would be awful! Bob says we'll have so much
> >> > snow by the end of winter, that I'll never want to see
> >> > snow again. I don't think that's possible. Bob is such
> >> > a nice man, I'm glad he's our neighbor.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > December 14
> >> >
> >> > Snow, lovely snow! 8 inches last night. The
> >> > temperature dropped to -20. The cold makes everything
> >> > sparkle so. The wind took my breath away, but I warmed
> >> > up by shoveling the driveway and sidewalks. This is
> >> > the life! The snowplow came back this afternoon and
> >> > buried everything again. I didn't
> >> > realize I would have to do quite this much shoveling,
> >> > but I'll certainly get back in shape this way. I wish
> >> > I wouldn't huff and puff so.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > December 15
> >> >
> >> > 20 inches forecast. Sold my van and bought a 4x4
> >> > Blazer. Bought snow tires for the wife's car and 2
> >> > extra shovels. Stocked the freezer. The wife wants
> >> > a wood stove in case the electricity goes out. I think
> >> > that's silly. We aren't in Alaska, after all.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > December 16
> >> >
> >> > Ice storm this morning. Fell on my ass on the ice in
> >> > the driveway putting down salt. Hurt like hell. The
> >> > wife laughed for an hour, which I think was very
> >> > cruel.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > December 17
> >> >
> >> > Still way below freezing. Roads are too icy to go
> >> > anywhere. Electricity was off for 5 hours. I had to
> >> > pile the blankets on to stay warm. Nothing to do but
> >> > stare at the wife and try not to irritate her. Guess I
> >> > should've bought a wood stove, but won't admit it to
> >> > her. God I hate it when she's right. I can't believe
> >> > I'm freezing to death in my own livingroom.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > December 20
> >> >
> >> > Electricity is back on, but had another 14 inches of
> >> > the damn stuff last night. More shoveling! Took all
> >> > day. The damn snowplow came by twice.
> >> > Tried to find a neighbor kid to shovel, but they said
> >> > they're too busy playing hockey. I think they're
> >> > lying.
> >> > Called the only hardware store around to see about
> >> > buying a snow blower and they're out. Might have
> >> > another shipment in March. I think they're lying. Bob
> >> > says I have to shovel or the city will have it done
> >> > and bill me. I think he's lying.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > December 22
> >> >
> >> > Bob was right about a white Christmas because 13 more
> >> > inches of the white shit fell today, and it's so cold,
> >> > it probably won't melt till August. Took me 45 minutes
> >> > to get all dressed up to go out to shovel and then I
> >> > had to piss. By the time I got undressed, pissed and
> >> > dressed again. I was too tired to shovel. Tried to
> >> > hire Bob who has a plow on his truck for the rest of
> >> > the winter, but he says he's too busy. I think the
> >> > asshole is lying.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > December 23
> >> >
> >> > Only 2 inches of snow today. And it warmed up to 0.
> >> > The wife wanted me to decorate the front of the house
> >> > this morning. What is she, nuts?!!
> >> > Why didn't she tell me to do that a month ago? She
> >> > says she did but I think she's lying.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > December 24
> >> >
> >> > 6 inches - Snow packed so hard by snowplow, I broke
> >> > the shovel. Thought I was having a heart attack. If I
> >> > ever catch the son of a bitch who drives that snow
> >> > plow, I'll drag him through the snow by his balls and
> >> > beat him to death with my broken shovel. I know he
> >> > hides around the corner and waits for me to finish
> >> > shoveling and then he comes down the street at a 100
> >> > miles an hour and throws snow all over where I've just
> >> > been! Tonight the wife wanted me to sing Christmas
> >> > carols with her and open our presents, but I was too
> >> > busy watching for the damn snowplow.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > December 25
> >> >
> >> > Merry f---ing Christmas! 20 more inches of the damn
> >> > slop tonight - Snowed in
> >> > The idea of shoveling makes my blood boil. God, I hate
> >> > the snow!
> >> > Then the snowplow driver came by asking for a donation
> >> > and I hit him over the head with my shovel. The wife
> >> > says I have a bad attitude. I think she's a fricking
> >> > idiot. If I have to watch "It's A Wonderful Life" one
> >> > more time, I'm going to stuff her into the microwave.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > December 26
> >> >
> >> > Still snowed in. Why the hell did I ever move here? It
> >> > was all HER idea.
> >> > She's really getting on my nerves.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > December 27
> >> >
> >> > Temperature dropped to -30 and the pipes froze;
> >> > plumber came after 14 hours of waiting for him, he
> >> > only charged me $1,400 to replace all my pipes.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > December 28
> >> >
> >> > Warmed up to above -20. Still snowed in. The BITCH is
> >> > driving me crazy!!!
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > December 29
> >> >
> >> > 10 more inches. Bob says I have to shovel the roof or
> >> > it could cave in. That's the silliest thing I ever
> >> > heard. How dumb does he think I am?
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > December 30
> >> >
> >> > Roof caved in. I beat up the snow plow driver, and now
> >> > he is suing me for a million dollars, not only for the
> >> > beating I gave him, but also for trying to shove the
> >> > broken snow shovel up his ass. The wife went home to
> >> > her mother.
> >> > Nine more inches predicted.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > December 31
> >> >
> >> > I set fire to what's left of the house. No more
> >> > shoveling.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > January 8
> >> >
> >> > Feel so good. I just love those little white pills
> >> > they keep giving me. Why am I tied to the bed?
> >> >
> >> > Diary of a Demented Snow Shoveler
> >> >
> >> > December 8 6:00 PM
> >> >
> >> > It started to snow. The first snow of the season and
> >> > the wife and I took our cocktails and sat for hours by
> >> > the window watching the huge soft flakes drift down
> >> > from heaven. It looked like a Grandma Moses print. So
> >> > romantic we felt like newlyweds again. I love snow!
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > December 9
> >> >
> >> > We woke to a beautiful blanket of crystal white snow
> >> > covering every inch of the landscape. What a fantastic
> >> > sight! Can there be a more lovely place in
> >> > the whole world? Moving here was the best idea I've
> >> > ever had!
> >> > Shoveled for the first time in years and felt like a
> >> > boy again. I did both our driveway and the sidewalks.
> >> > This afternoon the snowplow came along and covered
> >> > up the sidewalks and closed in the driveway, so I got
> >> > to shovel again. What a perfect life!
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > December 12
> >> >
> >> > The sun has melted all our lovely snow. Such a
> >> > disappointment! My neighbor tells me not to worry-
> >> > we'll definitely have a white Christmas. No snow on
> >> > Christmas would be awful! Bob says we'll have so much
> >> > snow by the end of winter, that I'll never want to see
> >> > snow again. I don't think that's possible. Bob is such
> >> > a nice man, I'm glad he's our neighbor.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > December 14
> >> >
> >> > Snow, lovely snow! 8 inches last night. The
> >> > temperature dropped to -20. The cold makes everything
> >> > sparkle so. The wind took my breath away, but I warmed
> >> > up by shoveling the driveway and sidewalks. This is
> >> > the life! The snowplow came back this afternoon and
> >> > buried everything again. I didn't
> >> > realize I would have to do quite this much shoveling,
> >> > but I'll certainly get back in shape this way. I wish
> >> > I wouldn't huff and puff so.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > December 15
> >> >
> >> > 20 inches forecast. Sold my van and bought a 4x4
> >> > Blazer. Bought snow tires for the wife's car and 2
> >> > extra shovels. Stocked the freezer. The wife wants
> >> > a wood stove in case the electricity goes out. I think
> >> > that's silly. We aren't in Alaska, after all.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > December 16
> >> >
> >> > Ice storm this morning. Fell on my ass on the ice in
> >> > the driveway putting down salt. Hurt like hell. The
> >> > wife laughed for an hour, which I think was very
> >> > cruel.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > December 17
> >> >
> >> > Still way below freezing. Roads are too icy to go
> >> > anywhere. Electricity was off for 5 hours. I had to
> >> > pile the blankets on to stay warm. Nothing to do but
> >> > stare at the wife and try not to irritate her. Guess I
> >> > should've bought a wood stove, but won't admit it to
> >> > her. God I hate it when she's right. I can't believe
> >> > I'm freezing to death in my own livingroom.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > December 20
> >> >
> >> > Electricity is back on, but had another 14 inches of
> >> > the damn stuff last night. More shoveling! Took all
> >> > day. The damn snowplow came by twice.
> >> > Tried to find a neighbor kid to shovel, but they said
> >> > they're too busy playing hockey. I think they're
> >> > lying.
> >> > Called the only hardware store around to see about
> >> > buying a snow blower and they're out. Might have
> >> > another shipment in March. I think they're lying. Bob
> >> > says I have to shovel or the city will have it done
> >> > and bill me. I think he's lying.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > December 22
> >> >
> >> > Bob was right about a white Christmas because 13 more
> >> > inches of the white shit fell today, and it's so cold,
> >> > it probably won't melt till August. Took me 45 minutes
> >> > to get all dressed up to go out to shovel and then I
> >> > had to piss. By the time I got undressed, pissed and
> >> > dressed again. I was too tired to shovel. Tried to
> >> > hire Bob who has a plow on his truck for the rest of
> >> > the winter, but he says he's too busy. I think the
> >> > asshole is lying.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > December 23
> >> >
> >> > Only 2 inches of snow today. And it warmed up to 0.
> >> > The wife wanted me to decorate the front of the house
> >> > this morning. What is she, nuts?!!
> >> > Why didn't she tell me to do that a month ago? She
> >> > says she did but I think she's lying.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > December 24
> >> >
> >> > 6 inches - Snow packed so hard by snowplow, I broke
> >> > the shovel. Thought I was having a heart attack. If I
> >> > ever catch the son of a bitch who drives that snow
> >> > plow, I'll drag him through the snow by his balls and
> >> > beat him to death with my broken shovel. I know he
> >> > hides around the corner and waits for me to finish
> >> > shoveling and then he comes down the street at a 100
> >> > miles an hour and throws snow all over where I've just
> >> > been! Tonight the wife wanted me to sing Christmas
> >> > carols with her and open our presents, but I was too
> >> > busy watching for the damn snowplow.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > December 25
> >> >
> >> > Merry f---ing Christmas! 20 more inches of the damn
> >> > slop tonight - Snowed in
> >> > The idea of shoveling makes my blood boil. God, I hate
> >> > the snow!
> >> > Then the snowplow driver came by asking for a donation
> >> > and I hit him over the head with my shovel. The wife
> >> > says I have a bad attitude. I think she's a fricking
> >> > idiot. If I have to watch "It's A Wonderful Life" one
> >> > more time, I'm going to stuff her into the microwave.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > December 26
> >> >
> >> > Still snowed in. Why the hell did I ever move here? It
> >> > was all HER idea.
> >> > She's really getting on my nerves.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > December 27
> >> >
> >> > Temperature dropped to -30 and the pipes froze;
> >> > plumber came after 14 hours of waiting for him, he
> >> > only charged me $1,400 to replace all my pipes.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > December 28
> >> >
> >> > Warmed up to above -20. Still snowed in. The BITCH is
> >> > driving me crazy!!!
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > December 29
> >> >
> >> > 10 more inches. Bob says I have to shovel the roof or
> >> > it could cave in. That's the silliest thing I ever
> >> > heard. How dumb does he think I am?
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > December 30
> >> >
> >> > Roof caved in. I beat up the snow plow driver, and now
> >> > he is suing me for a million dollars, not only for the
> >> > beating I gave him, but also for trying to shove the
> >> > broken snow shovel up his ass. The wife went home to
> >> > her mother.
> >> > Nine more inches predicted.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > December 31
> >> >
> >> > I set fire to what's left of the house. No more
> >> > shoveling.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > January 8
> >> >
> >> > Feel so good. I just love those little white pills
> >> > they keep giving me. Why am I tied to the bed?
> >> >
December 12, 2007
Christmas is nearly here!
Where has 2007 gone! I long list of gifts to make...next year. It is too late to make most of them this year.
What AM I making you ask? Well, I watch a program called Creative Juice on the DIY channel. I am making flowered glass votive candle holders from that show. I am hand writing receipes for a cookbook for my brother. Some are from family members both living & dead. Some are from cookbooks & are things I enjoy making & some are from postcards I've received from other countries!If you want to have yours included just post them here by December 23rd! I am not publishing this, it is just a heartfelt gift for a sibling that enjoys to cook.
As for my daughter? She is making gifts a well. A bank for her Uncle & one for her Grandmother. A pincusion for her other Grandma. We are turning a can into a pen/pencil holder with a drawing & sone glue for her Grandpa. Her Daddy will probably get one as well. Her Godparents are getting a reindeer head made from a construction paper triangle, traced hands for antlers & a red glitter nose.
I also must include the sugar cookies with powdered sugar icing that we made for gift last year. We have had requests for them this year. The kids Godparents are having a Christmas party on Christmas Eve & they have requested extra cookies for the party. That means we will probably be making 300-400 cookies agin this year.
Last year while the little one slept, my husband, our oldest child & myself decorated 300+ cookies & used ALL of the 14 colors of frosting I made for the cookies. We had fun but it took FOREVER! I was actually getting tired of frosting sugar cookies! I think we will start this task this weekend instead of waiting until December 22nd this year.
The holiday choir concert at school is December 17th & the company Christmas party is december 15th. I have yet to wrap one single Christmas present & the tree isn't fully dressed in all of it's decorations. She is presentable so she will remain dressed as she is currently. Besides, my 2 year old keeps taking the decorations off of the tree. The fewer decorations there are, the fewer decorations I have to hut down & rehang.
What AM I making you ask? Well, I watch a program called Creative Juice on the DIY channel. I am making flowered glass votive candle holders from that show. I am hand writing receipes for a cookbook for my brother. Some are from family members both living & dead. Some are from cookbooks & are things I enjoy making & some are from postcards I've received from other countries!If you want to have yours included just post them here by December 23rd! I am not publishing this, it is just a heartfelt gift for a sibling that enjoys to cook.
As for my daughter? She is making gifts a well. A bank for her Uncle & one for her Grandmother. A pincusion for her other Grandma. We are turning a can into a pen/pencil holder with a drawing & sone glue for her Grandpa. Her Daddy will probably get one as well. Her Godparents are getting a reindeer head made from a construction paper triangle, traced hands for antlers & a red glitter nose.
I also must include the sugar cookies with powdered sugar icing that we made for gift last year. We have had requests for them this year. The kids Godparents are having a Christmas party on Christmas Eve & they have requested extra cookies for the party. That means we will probably be making 300-400 cookies agin this year.
Last year while the little one slept, my husband, our oldest child & myself decorated 300+ cookies & used ALL of the 14 colors of frosting I made for the cookies. We had fun but it took FOREVER! I was actually getting tired of frosting sugar cookies! I think we will start this task this weekend instead of waiting until December 22nd this year.
The holiday choir concert at school is December 17th & the company Christmas party is december 15th. I have yet to wrap one single Christmas present & the tree isn't fully dressed in all of it's decorations. She is presentable so she will remain dressed as she is currently. Besides, my 2 year old keeps taking the decorations off of the tree. The fewer decorations there are, the fewer decorations I have to hut down & rehang.
November 21, 2007
What are YOU thankful for this year?
My list for things to be thankful for 2007 edition
1. I have a wonderful husband & 2 wonderful children I would die for.
2. My MIL is freakin AWESOME!
3. Both of my parents are still alive, in fair health & are married to each other after 43 years. # 44 is January 10th.
4. My brother has had some hard times but he seems to be improving & seems to be happier than in recnet years.
5. My sister came for a visit from Maryland & got to see the family.
6. My Grandmother is still alive & living on her own, even with her rapidly declining health.
7. My Uncle has moved & now lives about 30 minutes away from her.
8. My Aunt has divorced my Uncle & even seems to be happier via e-mail. I can count the times I've seen her in one hand & still I feel a connection with her.
9. My Grandmother came for her final visit to the Sonoran desert & got to spend time with my family & our home. She got to meet my daughters teacher & see her classroom. She lit up when all the kids gave her a hi-five, waved & said good-bye as class was over. She will never forget it.
10. "Granpa Ron" will be landing today for a Thanksgiving visit.
11. My tastebuds are beginning to revolt against junk food.
12. Kiwi reached New York safely.
13. My digital camera.
14. America is still the best place to live on Earth & I am an Amercian citizen.
15. My friends from high school that still e-mail me, yes I mean you Burke & Dick.
16. All of my life experiences that have made me the person I am today. My only regret is that I didn't finish college.
17. I have roof over my head & food in my belly.
1. I have a wonderful husband & 2 wonderful children I would die for.
2. My MIL is freakin AWESOME!
3. Both of my parents are still alive, in fair health & are married to each other after 43 years. # 44 is January 10th.
4. My brother has had some hard times but he seems to be improving & seems to be happier than in recnet years.
5. My sister came for a visit from Maryland & got to see the family.
6. My Grandmother is still alive & living on her own, even with her rapidly declining health.
7. My Uncle has moved & now lives about 30 minutes away from her.
8. My Aunt has divorced my Uncle & even seems to be happier via e-mail. I can count the times I've seen her in one hand & still I feel a connection with her.
9. My Grandmother came for her final visit to the Sonoran desert & got to spend time with my family & our home. She got to meet my daughters teacher & see her classroom. She lit up when all the kids gave her a hi-five, waved & said good-bye as class was over. She will never forget it.
10. "Granpa Ron" will be landing today for a Thanksgiving visit.
11. My tastebuds are beginning to revolt against junk food.
12. Kiwi reached New York safely.
13. My digital camera.
14. America is still the best place to live on Earth & I am an Amercian citizen.
15. My friends from high school that still e-mail me, yes I mean you Burke & Dick.
16. All of my life experiences that have made me the person I am today. My only regret is that I didn't finish college.
17. I have roof over my head & food in my belly.
Thankful for the Thorns
A Wonderful Thanksgiving Story
Thankful For The Thorns
Sandra felt as low as the heels of her Birkenstocks as she pushed against a November gust and the florist shop door. Her life had been easy, like a spring breeze. Then in the fourth month of her second pregnancy, a minor automobile accident stole her ease. During this Thanksgiving week she would have delivered a son. She grieved over her loss.
As if that weren't enough her husband's company threatened a transfer. Then her sister, whose holiday visit she coveted, called saying she could not come. What's worse, Sandra's friend infuriated her by suggesting her grief was a God-given path to maturity that would allow her to empathize with others who suffer. "Had she lost a child? No, she has no idea what I'm feeling," Sandra shuddered. Thanksgiving? "Thankful for what?" she wondered. For a careless driver whose truck was hardly scratched when he rear-ended her? For an airbag that saved her life but took that of her child?
"Good afternoon, can I help you?" The flower shop clerk's approach startled Sandra. "Sorry," said Jenny the shop clerk, "I just didn't want you to think I was ignoring you."
"I....I need an arrangement." "For Thanksgiving?" Sandra nodded. "Do you want beautiful but ordinary, or would you like to challenge the day with a customer favorite I call the Thanksgiving Special?" Jenny saw Sandra's curiosity and continued. "I'm convinced that flowers tell stories, that each arrangement insinuates a particular feeling. Are you looking for something that conveys gratitude this Thanksgiving?"
"Not exactly!" Sandra blurted. "Sorry, but in the last five months, everything that could go wrong has." Sandra regretted her outburst but was surprised when Jenny said, "I have the perfect arrangement for you." The door to the shop once again opened.
"Barbara! Hi," Jenny said. She politely excused herself from Sandra and walked toward a small workroom. She quickly reappeared carrying a massive arrangement of greenery, bows, and long-stemmed thorny roses. Only, the ends of the rose stems were neatly snipped, no flowers.
"Want this in a box?" Jenny asked. Sandra watched for Barbara's response. Was this a joke? Who would want rose stems and no flowers! She waited for laughter, for someone to notice the absence of flowers atop the thorny stems, but neither woman did.
"Yes, please. It's exquisite," said Barbara. "You'd think after three years of getting the special, I'd not be so moved by its significance, but it's happening again. My family will love this one. Thanks."
Why so normal a conversation about such a strange arrangement? She wondered. "Ah, said Sandra, pointing. "That lady just left with, ah...." "Yes?" "Well, she had no flowers!" "Right, I cut off the flowers." "Off?" "Off. Yep. That's the Special. I call it the Thanksgiving Thorns Bouquet." "But, why do people pay for that?" In spite of herself, Sandra chuckled. "Do you really want to know?" "I couldn't leave your shop without knowing... I would wonder about nothing else!"
"That might be good," said Jenny. "Well," she continued, "Barbara came into the shop three years ago feeling very much like you feel today. She thought she had very little to be thankful for. She had lost her father to cancer, the family business was failing, her son was into drugs, and she faced major surgery. That same year, I lost my husband. I assumed complete responsibility for the shop and for the first time, spent the holidays alone. I had no children, no husband, no family nearby, and too great a debt to allow any travel," Jenny said.
"What did you do?" "I learned to be thankful for thorns." Sandra's eyebrows lifted. "Thorns?" I'm a Christian Sandra and I believe God gave us all things in life, but I never thought to ask Him why good things happened to me. But, when bad stuff hit, did I ever ask! It took time to learn that dark times are important. I always enjoyed the 'flowers' of life but it took thorns to show me the beauty of God's comfort. You know, the Bible says that God comforts us when we're afflicted and from His consolation we learn to comfort others."
Sandra gasped. "A friend read that passage to me and I was furious! I guess the truth is I don't want comfort. I've lost a baby and I'm angry with God." She started to ask Jenny to "go on" when the door's bell diverted their attention.
"Hey, Phil!" shouted Jenny as a balding, rotund man entered the shop. She softly touched Sandra's arm and moved to welcome him. He tucked her under his side for a warm hug. "I'm here for twelve thorny long- stemmed stems!" Phil laughed, heartily. "I figured as much," said Jenny. "I've got them ready." She lifted a tissue-wrapped arrangement from the refrigerated cabinet.
"Beautiful," said Phil. "My wife will love them." Sandra couldn't help but ask, "These are for your wife?" Phil saw that Sandra's curiosity matched his when he first heard of a Thorn Bouquet. "Do you mind me asking, Why thorns?" "In fact, I'm glad you asked," he said. "Four years ago my wife and I nearly divorced. After forty years, we were in a real mess, but we slogged through, problem by rotten problem. We rescued our marriage our love, really. Last year at Thanksgiving I stopped in here for flowers. I must have mentioned surviving a tough process because Jenny told me that for a long time she kept a vase of rose stems-just the stems-as a reminder of what she learned from "thorny" times. That was good enough for me. I took home stems. My wife and I decided to label each one for a specific thorny situation and give thanks for what the problem taught us. I'm pretty sure this stem review has become a tradition." Phil paid Jenny, thanked her again and as he left, said to Sandra, "I highly recommend the Special!"
"I don't know if I can be thankful for the thorns in my life." Sandra said to Jenny.
"Well, my experience says that thorns make roses more precious. We treasure God's providential care more during trouble than at any other time. Remember, Sandra, Jesus wore a crown of thorns so that we might know His love. Do not resent thorns, actually be thankful for them."
Tears rolled down Sandra's cheeks. For the first time since the accident she loosened her grip on resentment. "I'll take twelve long-stemmed thorns, please."
"I hoped you would," Jenny said. "I'll have them ready in a minute. Then, every time you see them, remember to appreciate both good and hard times. We grow through both."
"Thank you. What do I owe you?"
"Nothing. Nothing but a pledge to work toward healing your heart. The first year's arrangement is always on me." Jenny handed a card to Sandra. "I'll attach a card like this to your arrangement, but maybe you'd like to read it first. Go ahead, read it."
My God, I have never thanked Thee for my thorn! I have thanked Thee a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorn. Teach me the glory of the cross I bear, teach me the value of my thorns. Show me that I have climbed to Thee by the path of pain. Show me that my tears have made my rainbow. ~George Matheson
Jenny said, "Happy Thanksgiving, Sandra," handing her the Special. "I look forward to our knowing each other better." Sandra smiled. She turned, opened the door and walked toward hope.
HAVE A BEAUTIFUL THANKSGIVING!
REMEMBER: BE THANKFUL FOR THE THORNS.
Thankful For The Thorns
Sandra felt as low as the heels of her Birkenstocks as she pushed against a November gust and the florist shop door. Her life had been easy, like a spring breeze. Then in the fourth month of her second pregnancy, a minor automobile accident stole her ease. During this Thanksgiving week she would have delivered a son. She grieved over her loss.
As if that weren't enough her husband's company threatened a transfer. Then her sister, whose holiday visit she coveted, called saying she could not come. What's worse, Sandra's friend infuriated her by suggesting her grief was a God-given path to maturity that would allow her to empathize with others who suffer. "Had she lost a child? No, she has no idea what I'm feeling," Sandra shuddered. Thanksgiving? "Thankful for what?" she wondered. For a careless driver whose truck was hardly scratched when he rear-ended her? For an airbag that saved her life but took that of her child?
"Good afternoon, can I help you?" The flower shop clerk's approach startled Sandra. "Sorry," said Jenny the shop clerk, "I just didn't want you to think I was ignoring you."
"I....I need an arrangement." "For Thanksgiving?" Sandra nodded. "Do you want beautiful but ordinary, or would you like to challenge the day with a customer favorite I call the Thanksgiving Special?" Jenny saw Sandra's curiosity and continued. "I'm convinced that flowers tell stories, that each arrangement insinuates a particular feeling. Are you looking for something that conveys gratitude this Thanksgiving?"
"Not exactly!" Sandra blurted. "Sorry, but in the last five months, everything that could go wrong has." Sandra regretted her outburst but was surprised when Jenny said, "I have the perfect arrangement for you." The door to the shop once again opened.
"Barbara! Hi," Jenny said. She politely excused herself from Sandra and walked toward a small workroom. She quickly reappeared carrying a massive arrangement of greenery, bows, and long-stemmed thorny roses. Only, the ends of the rose stems were neatly snipped, no flowers.
"Want this in a box?" Jenny asked. Sandra watched for Barbara's response. Was this a joke? Who would want rose stems and no flowers! She waited for laughter, for someone to notice the absence of flowers atop the thorny stems, but neither woman did.
"Yes, please. It's exquisite," said Barbara. "You'd think after three years of getting the special, I'd not be so moved by its significance, but it's happening again. My family will love this one. Thanks."
Why so normal a conversation about such a strange arrangement? She wondered. "Ah, said Sandra, pointing. "That lady just left with, ah...." "Yes?" "Well, she had no flowers!" "Right, I cut off the flowers." "Off?" "Off. Yep. That's the Special. I call it the Thanksgiving Thorns Bouquet." "But, why do people pay for that?" In spite of herself, Sandra chuckled. "Do you really want to know?" "I couldn't leave your shop without knowing... I would wonder about nothing else!"
"That might be good," said Jenny. "Well," she continued, "Barbara came into the shop three years ago feeling very much like you feel today. She thought she had very little to be thankful for. She had lost her father to cancer, the family business was failing, her son was into drugs, and she faced major surgery. That same year, I lost my husband. I assumed complete responsibility for the shop and for the first time, spent the holidays alone. I had no children, no husband, no family nearby, and too great a debt to allow any travel," Jenny said.
"What did you do?" "I learned to be thankful for thorns." Sandra's eyebrows lifted. "Thorns?" I'm a Christian Sandra and I believe God gave us all things in life, but I never thought to ask Him why good things happened to me. But, when bad stuff hit, did I ever ask! It took time to learn that dark times are important. I always enjoyed the 'flowers' of life but it took thorns to show me the beauty of God's comfort. You know, the Bible says that God comforts us when we're afflicted and from His consolation we learn to comfort others."
Sandra gasped. "A friend read that passage to me and I was furious! I guess the truth is I don't want comfort. I've lost a baby and I'm angry with God." She started to ask Jenny to "go on" when the door's bell diverted their attention.
"Hey, Phil!" shouted Jenny as a balding, rotund man entered the shop. She softly touched Sandra's arm and moved to welcome him. He tucked her under his side for a warm hug. "I'm here for twelve thorny long- stemmed stems!" Phil laughed, heartily. "I figured as much," said Jenny. "I've got them ready." She lifted a tissue-wrapped arrangement from the refrigerated cabinet.
"Beautiful," said Phil. "My wife will love them." Sandra couldn't help but ask, "These are for your wife?" Phil saw that Sandra's curiosity matched his when he first heard of a Thorn Bouquet. "Do you mind me asking, Why thorns?" "In fact, I'm glad you asked," he said. "Four years ago my wife and I nearly divorced. After forty years, we were in a real mess, but we slogged through, problem by rotten problem. We rescued our marriage our love, really. Last year at Thanksgiving I stopped in here for flowers. I must have mentioned surviving a tough process because Jenny told me that for a long time she kept a vase of rose stems-just the stems-as a reminder of what she learned from "thorny" times. That was good enough for me. I took home stems. My wife and I decided to label each one for a specific thorny situation and give thanks for what the problem taught us. I'm pretty sure this stem review has become a tradition." Phil paid Jenny, thanked her again and as he left, said to Sandra, "I highly recommend the Special!"
"I don't know if I can be thankful for the thorns in my life." Sandra said to Jenny.
"Well, my experience says that thorns make roses more precious. We treasure God's providential care more during trouble than at any other time. Remember, Sandra, Jesus wore a crown of thorns so that we might know His love. Do not resent thorns, actually be thankful for them."
Tears rolled down Sandra's cheeks. For the first time since the accident she loosened her grip on resentment. "I'll take twelve long-stemmed thorns, please."
"I hoped you would," Jenny said. "I'll have them ready in a minute. Then, every time you see them, remember to appreciate both good and hard times. We grow through both."
"Thank you. What do I owe you?"
"Nothing. Nothing but a pledge to work toward healing your heart. The first year's arrangement is always on me." Jenny handed a card to Sandra. "I'll attach a card like this to your arrangement, but maybe you'd like to read it first. Go ahead, read it."
My God, I have never thanked Thee for my thorn! I have thanked Thee a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorn. Teach me the glory of the cross I bear, teach me the value of my thorns. Show me that I have climbed to Thee by the path of pain. Show me that my tears have made my rainbow. ~George Matheson
Jenny said, "Happy Thanksgiving, Sandra," handing her the Special. "I look forward to our knowing each other better." Sandra smiled. She turned, opened the door and walked toward hope.
HAVE A BEAUTIFUL THANKSGIVING!
REMEMBER: BE THANKFUL FOR THE THORNS.
September 27, 2007
A New Royal Carriage
A couple of weeks ago we needed to replace our "Royal Carriage", our Chevy Malibu, due to problems that were unable tobe diagonsed without spending lots of money. We are not a well off royal family. Therefore, the King & I opted to replace the failing vechile. We chose not only to upgrade the space but also to upgrade the luxuries on the new vechile. Our "carriage" of choice? A 2005 Chrylser Town & Country Mini Van. There are several things I really like about this van. DUal sliding doors, the multi dics DVD player & headphones for the passengers behind the front seats, dual climate control, undeseat stow-n-go as well as the third row of seats that fold down into the bottom of the van. We will have plenty of space to transport everything we need for over night excurions to the forest. Not to mention an additonal Prince or Princess if that is what the future holds. No, I'm not aware of that happening anytime soon.
Why the royal references you ask? Well, it is because King Robert, better known as King Daddy to the Princesses in residence, is taking us to a far away kingdom called Dinseyland. For King Daddys birthday the princesses & I made him a book. It was about our travels to the Royal Kingdom in Febuary of 2006. The gift was the eldest duaghters idea & she dictated the entire story to me. I wrote it down & did a little bit of editing, not all of which she agreed to. Since it was her story, comming from her then 4 year old mind, I only included the changes that were Princess approved.
Next I procedded to glue the pages together, giving them additional strength. Finally binding them with plain "golden" brads. The front & back covers were made of posterboard in the king's favorite color.
I wrote out the story & illustrated it, leaving room for addtional illustrations by the Princess.
She indeed added her own illustrations as well as color to many of these pages & had a ball in doing so. We used photos taken during our visit as references for the illustraions & some of the colors during this two week process.
Upon presentation to the King, he scooped up his Princesses & proceeded to read the story to them. The King is not big on books. He chooses to keep this treasure in the confines of his royal bedside table.
The memories made during the creation of the book "A Royal Disneyland Adventure", will be among those I shall forever cherish. Maybe one of these days, I'll finally get around to scanning & posting of this book & it's images here on Purple Puddles. Until then, enjoy your family & all of the memories you make together.
Why the royal references you ask? Well, it is because King Robert, better known as King Daddy to the Princesses in residence, is taking us to a far away kingdom called Dinseyland. For King Daddys birthday the princesses & I made him a book. It was about our travels to the Royal Kingdom in Febuary of 2006. The gift was the eldest duaghters idea & she dictated the entire story to me. I wrote it down & did a little bit of editing, not all of which she agreed to. Since it was her story, comming from her then 4 year old mind, I only included the changes that were Princess approved.
Next I procedded to glue the pages together, giving them additional strength. Finally binding them with plain "golden" brads. The front & back covers were made of posterboard in the king's favorite color.
I wrote out the story & illustrated it, leaving room for addtional illustrations by the Princess.
She indeed added her own illustrations as well as color to many of these pages & had a ball in doing so. We used photos taken during our visit as references for the illustraions & some of the colors during this two week process.
Upon presentation to the King, he scooped up his Princesses & proceeded to read the story to them. The King is not big on books. He chooses to keep this treasure in the confines of his royal bedside table.
The memories made during the creation of the book "A Royal Disneyland Adventure", will be among those I shall forever cherish. Maybe one of these days, I'll finally get around to scanning & posting of this book & it's images here on Purple Puddles. Until then, enjoy your family & all of the memories you make together.
September 25, 2007
My sister, Grandma & Kiwi
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My Grandma Gaskins is 85. She has had a tough year medically. She travelled to the desert to ride a mule down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon with my "little" sister.
Grandma came & spent the night at my house one night. She also got to go to my daughters classroom & meet the students. As they left all of the kids either waved to grandma, said bye or gave her a thumbs up. She, of course, ate it all up. She enjoyed playing "Chutes and Ladders" with the oldest. As well as reading a short story to the kids & helping my oldest with her "homework".
The next day my husband took Elizabeth to school & Grandma, Char & I picked her up. Then we drove to my moms & spent a little time with Grandma & Bill & headed home.
This Friday past, I got to see my sister. Her & Grandma did NOT get to ride the mules. :-( Grandma had too many medical conditions, not to mention that she didn't realize the mules backs would be over her head. I, like many others, tend to think mules are donkeys. That is not the case. Grandma & Crissy, my sister, did get to see the both sunset & sunrise in the canyon before the unthinkable happened. By unthinkable, I mean the most threatening thing that can happen to an elderly person. Grandma fell as they were boarding the bus. I'm not clear on how it happened but it did. She went down HARD. She had a gooseegg on her forehead, numerous scrapes & she ruined the lenses of her glasses. Grandma, whom I will refer to as GiGi from now on, is on a blood thinner called cumadin. Due to her age & the bump on her forehead, the staff at the Grand Canyon sent her by ground ambulance to Flagstaff for either an MRI or a catscan. I honestly don't remember which. It showed that there was no bleeding in the brain, which is what their concern was. It did reveal that sometime she has had a minor stroke. At age 85 with her medical history, it came as no real surprise.
She looked like she had been beaten to a pulp when I saw her Friday. I took no photos of her other than those which she asked me to take. Those were with Charlotte.
My sister had me take pictures with the kids & my parents. My Dad took the one of us with Kiwi.
I only got to see her a few short hours, but I enjoyed watching her interact with my children.
It MUST be the age of 2
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As Halloween fast approaches, I find myself thinking of what the perfect costume would be for my little girl. Some that would be VERY fitting for her are following.
1. Monkey...because she CLIMBS up & onto EVERYTHING she can.
2. Angel...because God was watching over BOTH of us when I delivered via emergency c-section 2+ years ago.
3. Devil..because she acts like a normal 2 year old. Sweet & innocent one moment & like a little imp the next. When she is quiet she is either sleeping OR, more than likely, thinking about what kind of trouble she can cause.
Two things about her are constant. The first is that she never wants to be still or quiet when it is needed. The second is that she seems to love & be curious about all creatures, both human & animal.
To her, the world is one big adventure, just waiting for her to be part of. She seems to know not what fear is. She knows not what judgement is. She is kind & captivates nearly all that lay eyes on her. She is 2.
Being her mother, I know more than others what a little impish monkey she tends to be. She is so curious that if she were a boy the perfect name for her would have been George. Alas, she is not a boy. We gave her the sweet, classic name of Charlotte Grace.
Our little Char had a rough entry into this world. It was completely different from that of her older sister. In fact, it wasn't until after 48 hours of labor, decelerating heartbeats & an unexpected c-section that she arrived. She was a short cord baby. Her cord was SO short that my Dr. said it wasn't long enough to put the needed pressure on my cervix to dilate it.
This is where I say God was watching over us. Short cord babies not only have a tendency to be born with organs on the outside of their bodies, they also have a tendency to die before birth. The mother has a tendency to pass on as well. What happens is that if the baby reaches a weight of about 7 pounds, the umbilical cord can rupture causing the little one to bleed to death. Often the uterus can rupture as well & the Mother passes on before they can deliver the child. Charlotte weighed 6.8 pounds if I remember correctly.
Mine was a high risk pregnancy due to my age, my weight & my family history of diabetes. I did not develop diabetes...thank goodness.
Now I am torn as Halloween approaches. Do I celebrate the impish 2 year old that she has become, that I LOVE with all of my heart, with a devil costume? Do I celebrate the blessing that she will always be & how God protected us from all of the horrible things that could have happened that fateful day with an angel costume. Do I just celebrate her silliness & her simple view on life with a Monkey costume. It may seem like I am over thinking this...she is only 2 after all. It is likely that this will be the last costume that I have much say in with her.
Personally, I am leaning toward escorting a little devil around the Halloween carnival this year. It just seems to be beyond fitting for the age of 2.
August 23, 2007
Kiwi has Arrived!
Kiwi with his passport & trinkets given to him by hosts before us.
Kiwi & my big 18 pound Maine Coon named Adagio. He paid almost no attention to Kiwi at all.
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Kiwi & Salem. Salem wasn't too sure about him, especially once Kiwi began his "call".
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Kiwi & the girls. They both have been showering him with LOTS of affection. :-)
Kiwi at bedtime with a very excited little girl. She has waited patiently for his arrival. She was overjoyed when he finally came.
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We have a visitor for the next few weeks at our home. His name is "Kiwi" & he is a world traveler from New Zealand. Right now he is currently on the North American leg of his journey. Kiwi just arrived from Canada this past Monday.
I had mentioned his upcomming stay to my Mother recently. She found a large world map made of cloth & is accquiring it. The plan is to place a bead everywhere that Kiwi has or is visiting on his first world tour. Somewhere else there will be a log of where & when he arrived at his various hosts locations. I think it is going to be a great momento of his stay with us. Also a great, fun way to learn about the geography of the world at a later date. I am also considering making a small scrapbook of the photos we take of him as well.
This little stuffed animal has been traveling the world for over 1 year now. People host him, take him places & take photographs of him. They then send e-mails that are written by "Kiwi" & include the pictures to his "Mum". His "Mum" then posts these on his own website. You can check it out at http://kiwis-grand-world-adventure.blogspot.com
Upon Kiwis arrival, my oldest called my Mom on the phone & was SO excited that my Mom could hardley understand a word she said. It wasn't until Mom heard the word Canada that she knew what my daughter was talking about.
Given that the weather is good, we plan on taking Kiwi to the "Dinosaur" museum this Saturday. She wants to take him to the zoo as well, but it is expensive & it's too blasted HOT to do that. I'm thinking that maybe a trip down toward Tuscon may be a little better. I have the San Xavier Mission or maybe Biosphere 2 in mind. They are also places that I have been bugging my husband to take me to see as well. Since the land on which Biosphere sits has recently been sold to a developer, it may be our last chance to see it.
Back to Kiwi. My daughter took him to show her teacher on Tuesday night. She invited Kiwi to spend a day at school with Elizabeth. She thought the whole project was a really cool idea.
The teacher has invited my Grandmother to visit the classroom when she comes out from Illinois next month. Since Grandma is 85, this will be her last trip out here. How much of a thrill will that be for both my daughter & my Grandmother! I am looking forward to that. T
August 14, 2007
Basically unscathed & barley missed a microburst
We had our first BIG storm of Monsoon season 2007 last night. We had some damage to the ground in front of our home, but many of our neighbors had lots of damage.
It hit about 9:45 pm last night & right after we gathered our flashlight & candles we lost power. We turned the switches to off on everything we could & turned the AC unit off via the battery controlled digital thermostat. Then the rain hit & hit HARD! It had to be blowing parallel to the ground because we had water coming in around our doors & many of our windows! I used every towel, clean or dirty, to stop the water from coming into our house. My husband had to stand at the Arcadia door & hold it. It was jiggling around so much he was afraid it was going to break! As he stood there, our screen door was flung through the air like a feather in a windstorm. Once the rain & lightening pretty much stopped, my DH went outside. I was at the door with a flashlight & he was out in the mud with his. We found our big trash can, the kind a truck comes & empties, out by our car. The Little Tikes slide & stairs were at the opposite side of the house they started at. The little Tikes airplane see saw toy travelled down one side of our house & came to a stop in our front yard. The Little Tikes Red Coup travels were only cut short by our neighbors chain link fence. Did I mention that was the neighbor across the street& the car started in our back yard? We don't live on a tiny piece of city property either. We live on 1.25 acres of ruralish land. Thanks to the tunnels built by round tailed squirrels recently, we now have a gaping hole in our front yard as well. We got off easy though. By the way, we never found our screen door.
Most of the property is the same size as ours. The neighbors behind us lost ALL of their wooden fences The neighbor kiddy korner from them lost ALL of their CINDER BLOCK fences! Others sheds ranged from having been turned over like a toy all the way to being in twisted pieces strewn over a 1/2 mile radius. One family lost their backyard trampoline, all of their patio furniture & the metal awning that covers their patio. The front window of their truck was shattered by some large flying object & their 2nd car wasdmaged by something else in the wind. Someone else's awning survived but the wind gifted them with a full size truck bed liner & it had been wedged under the awning. Several homes have lost shingles or even have holes in their roof. Like I said above, we got off easy.
After the storm subsided , we were all without power. We saw many flash lights & heard neighbors shouting to us & others, "Are you okay over there?" & "Do you need any help?". I think most of the clean-up has to wait until insurance adjusters make their way to the homes here. The Direct TV repairmen were busy as bees here yesterday. Power did finally come back on at 6 am. We got Liz ready for school & proceeded as usual. I did allow extra time to get to school though because I didn't know what condition the roads would be in. I tried to approach her school from the south & found the road blocked off. The northern approach was blocked off as well. Several power poles were down or falling down. Even those HUGE, thick metal ones were down. I drove to the district office & found that school was being held for my daughter's school someplace else. We got directions & headed that way. She ended up being 20 minutes late, but due to the extreme weather, she won't be counted as tardy. There were many others that were late as well. It will be a complete zoo going to pick her up from school today. I told her I may be a little late, but I WILL be there to pick her up. Since she is so little, the school doesn't let kids go home without a parent or without being walked out to their bus. They put stickers on each little one's shirt that says the bus they get onto or if they are being picked up by a parent. Then they check off the students names as they are picked up from school. I will be leaving an hour before school gets out, allowing for extra time to get to the school at the opposite end of the city & probable traffic detours. It looks like classes for her school will be held at the new school for at least the next 2 days.
Let's just hope we don't get pummeled again tonight. If we are, I don't think we will be lucky again. We have a lot of earth to move this weekend. Neighbors would probably help, but their homes are in need of attention as well. I know that if the little one would have been even 2 years older, I would have been helping a neigbor collect all of theri scattered wood fenncing. I did help for about 20 minutes with one hand by picking up single pieces of fence post. The little one was holding of my hands or was riding on my hip while I was doing that. I fit is cool enough, I will probably be picking up misc. shingles of all colors that were depositied in my yard. Items also in my yard are a metal realtor sign, a large piece of bubble wrap, large pieces of cardboard & full cans of paint. What fun huh?
August 10, 2007
She likes it! Hey Mommy!
Day One
Day Two
The first day of school was a success! She had some ups & downs but overall it was good. She forgot her lunch box...twice. Both times she was either taken to it or it was returned to her. Good thing I put her name on it.
She made a new little friend named "Madison" & a little boy was nice to her. She made sure I KNEW that he was NOT her "BOYFRIEND". !LOL! She fell down on the sidewalk & skinned her knee. Then she told me that she didn't cry & it wasn't bleeding either. She was excited because they got to go to the library & have 2 books read to them by their teacher. They got to color & sing songs as well.
After school we went to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things. I let her choose a folder to put her papers in & keep them nice. She chose pink & decorated it with stickers.
The second day she made another new friend named "Jasmin". Jasmin helper her tie her shoe & sat next to her at lunch. They read a story called "The Kissing Hand". It was something about a racoon that has it's hand kissed by it's Mommy. They made & colored a book & she was proud because she got to cut out her own pages. She also told me she had "gym" class. She didn't call it that. She told me they were running & playing games. I didn't know it was "gym" until she said that they played in the room where they eat lunch. When I opened her backpack to see what she had done, she said that the kids liked her folder decorated with stickers. Everyone did, except for one boy that said it was stupid. When I asked if she said anything she told me "No! I acted like he wasn't there". Then she said it isn't nice to say the word "stupid". That is something we had been working on this past summer. Nice to know it worked...at least for now.
She told me that she, not Jasmin, was the only one that didn't have money for milk OR chocolate milk. I told her I didn't know how much milk was & would have to ask someone, hoping she would forget about it. She didn't forget & reminded me today as I was packing her lunch that she wanted chocolate milk for lunch. I dug around my bottomless pit of a purse & found $1 in change. I promptly placed into her Hello Kitty coin purse & placed it on top of her sandwich container. I figure that would tell me how much milk costs at school. When I was little it was only 10 cents...if memory serves me correctly. That was only 25+ years ago.
It was comforting to see her not stop & ask me for a hug before I dropped her off at the playground today. Instead I said "Good-bye!" & she turned with a quick wave & said "Bye MOM!". Then she was rapidly met by, who I could only assume was, "Jasmin" due to the description I was given of her yesterday. My little one however had to stop & "see" her sister 3 times over the wall before we could return to our car.
The first day the little one cried & screamed. The second day there were a few tears but they ceased before I could finish fastening her car seat. Today there were no tears at all. Thank GOODNESS for that. We came home & immediately I hear "Pay MOMMY PAY!" She hasn't mastered the sound of the letter "L" yet. For the first time ever today she helped me pick up toys in the playroom without me asking her to. Maybe there is hope for her yet. :-)
August 08, 2007
With the end of "Summer" comes school days!
Breakfast before my 1st day of school
Outside on my 1st Day of Kindergarten
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The "ladies" love Mr. Bear
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The bubble picture I MEANT to post
Yesterday was the "end " of summer for us. How did we spend our final day?
First we went to the park. Next I read the kids a book. After lunch the little one took a nap & my oldest one & I made cookies. I measured every thing & she dumped it into the mixing bowl. We have a Kitchenaid so she knows how to move the bowl up & down. She also knows how to increase the speed of the mixer...always starting with speed 1. The first batch she helped roll into balls & placed them on the pan. Then she went into her room to play with her Barbies. I wanted her to have something special for her lunch so we made butterscotch chip cookies. She REALLY liked them too. :-) Hopefully, lunch will go well for her today.
This morning started REALLY early for this Mom. I got up at 5:45 am. I sat on the edge of the bed for 10 minutes trying to wake up. At 6am I woke the kids up & I had breakfast on the table waiting for them. *note to self* this works well*. While my schoolgirl was eating I removed the foam rollers from her hair & put it in a ponytail. After breakfast she brushed her teeth & then got dressed. It was a no hassle morning! I expected to cry my eyes out as soon as I reached the car. I got misty just thinking about dropping her off at school for the first time. I did well though. I took my pictures. I had the little one on my hip. I didn't shed a tear. I felt much better when I saw some other Kindergarten Moms taking pictures of their kids as well.
My biggest problem was a much unexpected one. My little girl! She cried & screamed & screamed & cried when I put her in her car seat! I think it was because we left her sister in a building & returned to the car without her. In her little 2 year old mind she probably didn't understand the events of this morning. The poor little thing. It had to be hard for her. She has only seen us leave her sister with her Grandparents or her Uncle.
Now as she is down for a nap I find my home to be uncomfortably silent. It is a silence I have not heard for 5 years. In my single days I would have cherished this silence. I may have even taken advantage of it by reading a good book or finishing up a craft project, but not today. Today I turn to my blog. My much neglected blog in recent months.
This silence that I must reaquaint myself with will be over in about an hour. Shortly after that, it will be time to pick my girl up from her first day of school. I hope to see the sparkle in her eye I saw as she entered her classroom today. I hope to her the excitement in her voice that I heard when she met her teacher as she tells me about the days events. I hope she likes it so much that she can hardly wait to return to school tomorrow. I hope I don't cry when I return to my car tomorrow. I probably won't cry becuase I'm shedding a few small tears now.
Why the tears? Well,because as I write this it finally hit me that my firstborn is beginning to start the process of making friends & becomming independant. Don't get me wrong. I KNOW I'll be number one for at least a few more years. I KNOW that she will be dependant on her parents for many years to come. Today is the first step she is taking out into the world. It is how I took my first step into the world. One day, before I know it...she will be out in the world, going to college, getting married, having babies. It's all comming & today was just the first step.
August 07, 2007
!!! Sedona !!! +1
Not the one I meant to post
Lounge Lizard in Sedona
Snake Charmer
My Girls
"Javelina's on Parade" with a guest appearance by our beloved "Mr. Quackers"
August 03, 2007
Say A Prayer
Say A Prayer....
I ask that we all say a prayer for those that need them, if we know them personally or not. Everyone is important to someone out there.
Say a prayer for my blogging buddy & her family...in hopes that their newest family member, a kitty named Dexter, returns home safely. He has been missing a few days now.
Say a prayer for the families of the chopper pilots that lost their lives in a horrible accident that occured in Phoenix last Friday. They were doing their jobs, bringing us breaking news & lost their lives doing it.
Say a prayer for the public servants that risk their lives to keep us all safe. No amount of money could ever begin to repay them for what they do on a daily basis.
Say a prayer for the victims & the families of those affected by the bridge collapse in Minnesota. Also pray that those that are missing may be found soon.
Say a prayer for our men & women serving in Iraq & around the world. You don't have to support the war in order to support our troops.
Say a prayer for a friend or family member, even if they don't think they need it. WHY? Well, because they are important to you & what you put out into the world comes back to you. At least that is what I tend to believe.
Lastly, say a prayer for the people that come into our country, either legally or illegally that simply want a better life for themselves & their familes. I may not want the illegals here, but I don't wish for harm or worse to come to them either.
I ask that we all say a prayer for those that need them, if we know them personally or not. Everyone is important to someone out there.
Say a prayer for my blogging buddy & her family...in hopes that their newest family member, a kitty named Dexter, returns home safely. He has been missing a few days now.
Say a prayer for the families of the chopper pilots that lost their lives in a horrible accident that occured in Phoenix last Friday. They were doing their jobs, bringing us breaking news & lost their lives doing it.
Say a prayer for the public servants that risk their lives to keep us all safe. No amount of money could ever begin to repay them for what they do on a daily basis.
Say a prayer for the victims & the families of those affected by the bridge collapse in Minnesota. Also pray that those that are missing may be found soon.
Say a prayer for our men & women serving in Iraq & around the world. You don't have to support the war in order to support our troops.
Say a prayer for a friend or family member, even if they don't think they need it. WHY? Well, because they are important to you & what you put out into the world comes back to you. At least that is what I tend to believe.
Lastly, say a prayer for the people that come into our country, either legally or illegally that simply want a better life for themselves & their familes. I may not want the illegals here, but I don't wish for harm or worse to come to them either.
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