Reflection.
I know I'm not alone when it comes to this time of year, many people spend time reflecting on the year that has passed, and supposing what sort of things they can accomplish with a brand spankin' new year at their feet. This is a time when I think of all the possibilities, all of the things we can do. Sure, we could do this on any day of the year, but the coming new year is a good reminder for people like me who tend to procrastinate about everything.
I suppose I could start with not procrastinating so much, but we all know that is not practical, or ever going to happen. So let's just mark that right off the list. I think the biggest thing to accomplish this year would be to get our finances under control. We have become very lax on our spending, and we have bought things on credit which is a big no no in my opinion. Definitely going to tighten up the budget this year, and pay some things off.
Among other things, I would like to do some projects around the house. I really want to get a privacy fence installed in the back yard. When the weather is warmer, I can leave the dogs out more often during the day when I am at work.
I have a vision in my mind of our upstairs bathroom, I want to take out the funky 80's cabinet that the sink sits on and replace the sink with something more classic, and ageless, and less bulky. In doing so, I suspect that I will also want to replace the linoleum, and perhaps even the stupid toilet that has to be flushed 3 times to get rid of one little turd.
The tile in the tub/shower is some funky 70's stuff, but overall it is in good condition, I just don't care too much for the robin's egg blue color, but I see no need to replace it. It really just needs fresh grout and caulking. The point of tile is that it lasts darn near forever, styles and fads shouldn't necessarily be a good reason to replace it if it is not damaged. All that and a coat of paint would make it a much nicer place to umm, use. Oh, and I would like to put glass shower doors in, instead of having a nasty shower curtain.
Sounds pretty reasonable huh? Well, it will probably cost a lot, and did I mention we've let our finances go to the birds? But I will deal with that issue soon.
The other thing I would like to do, and I know it won't happen this year, or probably in the next few years, is get rid of this awful berber carpet, and put in either wood floors, which I don't care so much for, or nice new carpet. I just don't like wood floors, but I guess people do, and what I really want to do is sell this house in a few years and I think wood floors are more popular now than carpet. I would also like to tile the kitchen floor, well, really my husband and I would both love to tear the whole thing up and start over, but that's not practical.
One thing at a time here. I'm getting carried away.
We're still working on homeschooling, and making slow progress. I know we are doing the right thing, it just isn't always easy. We will continue with that and eventually I am hoping she will be able to work more independently with some of it, but we're not at that point yet. I would like to work more, and go back to full-time, but I just can't right now.
I truly cannot wait for warmer weather. When it is cold all of the time, I don't like to be outside at all. I really love something about each season, but lately I've been more drawn to the warmer seasons because I have really started to love working outside in the yard. When it comes to shovelling snow, or pulling weeds, I'll take weed pulling any day. Of course when it is 100 degrees on my back porch, I will be longing for snow flurries.
Honestly, I can't wait to see if my roses come back in all of their glory this spring, and I'm really wondering how my mums will do. I am hoping the trees we planted start to look a little less like twigs, and a lot more like trees. I planted them last year, now I just have to wait and see if it was a success.
Oh sure, I need to lose weight and quit smoking and cussing. I'm thinking of these things too, but I don't really want to talk about them. We'll just see.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Did You Have a Merry Christmas?
Ours Was Good.
This time of year when many people are taking more time off, are trying to get out of the office a little earlier, and are taking trips away from home to visit with loved ones, I am usually doing just the opposite, I am working more, I am spending less time at home, and there is no way I could get time off to go anywhere. Luckily most everyone is right here close by so that really helps. It is this time of year when try as I might, I have to fight really hard not to get too moody and blue. The truth is, getting Christmas off where I work is not an easy task, and so for the last 3 years in a row, I have worked that day.
I would be lying if I did not say this bothered me quite a lot. It does. In fact, it has completely affected the way my family, and I celebrate the holidays. I usually don't get any of the major 3 holidays off, that means no Thanksgiving, no Christmas Eve, or day, and no New Year's Eve, or day. This year I got Thanksgiving off, it was nice, but it went too fast, and we were all a bit more reserved as we are still feeling grief over losing my uncle such a short time ago.
As Christmas approached, I found myself feeling more and more resentful about working the day. I rationalized with myself, went over all of the arguments as to why I must not let it get to me. I reasoned that it is just a date, the spirit of things is what really matters. I told myself, I must do this, it is part of my job, and I like my job the rest of the year, so overall it is worth it. I convinced myself that we could do things a little before, or a little after, and that it will be just fine. All of those reasoned arguments meant nothing because I honestly resented the fact that I have to work the holidays.
I resented other's getting the holidays off to spend with their friends and families drinking eggnog and eating homemade breads and cookies while listening to Christmas carols, and laughing together while reliving old memories, and seeing the lights and the magic of Christmas reflected in the children's eyes. I missed that our little family did not all get up together on Christmas morning and sit in the living room in our pajamas while our daughter opened up her bounty of gifts, and then head over to my parent's house to spend the rest of the day.
I truly felt bad that I did not get a lot of Christmas shopping done, and was not able to get all of the gifts on my list because I just ran out of time, and/or money before the day rolled around. It was quite upsetting to me that I didn't get around to doing any baking, or making special things to eat without guilt this time of year.
The sad reality is, I spent most of this holiday season feeling shafted, annoyed, and disappointed. I know that is not how it is supposed to be. After feeling like that when the day actually rolled around, I was no longer upset about it, I just didn't care anymore. I had already given our daughter all of her gifts. Everything was done, all that was left was for me to go to work, and by that time, I went and it was like any other day, in fact, I even quite enjoyed working that day because everyone I worked with was extra special nice, and we all brought in little goodies to share so it was good.
The really ironic thing was, I got into it with my manager the day before Christmas Eve because they extended my schedule, and I went into her office and said, "Hey, I'm working Christmas Eve, and day, I don't think it is fair to extend my time here even more than that, isn't there any other way to do this?" We actually had plans to meet people for dinner right after I got off work, so I was a bit put out. Well, she snapped back at me, and we didn't have a pleasant exchange. I am usually not so outspoken with management, but I was really feeling emotional about it all. Later that night I felt bad for approaching her that way, and decided I would apologize.
The next day I went to her office and said, "I am really sorry for snapping at you, it is just this time of year, and working the holidays, and honestly, if you had just asked and said, "We really need you to do this for us," and shown some empathy about it, I would not have been so upset. She apologized for coming across as cold, and admitted to me that she has developed a tough skin because she has to hear it all the time about people working on the holidays, and that she wanted to be home with her family too. We had a good talk about it all, and I realized I was being a big baby about it all. I admitted that I had not really put myself in her shoes, and was only thinking of myself, and suddenly after that, I felt so much better about working that day.
It turns out business was going to be slower than projected on Christmas day, so on Christmas eve she said she was going to take volunteers of people to work on Christmas day first, and then she would decide who would get to be off out of who didn't volunteer to work. Believe it or not, after all of my fussing, and complaining, I went ahead and volunteered to work afterall. I realized that I didn't have any plans on Christmas day anyway because we had already given our daughter her gifts, and we would most likely just go over to my parent's house and eat when I got off work as originally planned.
And you know, I felt strangely good about doing that. One of my co-workers is a single mom with two children under 4, and she really wanted to be home with them, she was so excited that she was going to be off afterall, she said she wasn't going to tell anyone, but just surprise them when she didn't go to work. There were others who I am sure were extremely grateful that they got that call on Christmas Eve telling them they were off the next day.
So, all in all, it worked out fine. We ate with my parents when I got off, and it was a good day, and I think I have finally overcome that hurdle of resentment about working the holidays, which is a good thing because it is part of my job, and I have to accept it. Christmas is a happy and joyous time, that's what it should be about. I think it is hard for some people to put on a happy face and act festive when they don't truly feel that, and there are many reasons they might not. I've been a grinch the past few years because I couldn't do things my way, but I am hoping I have truly let all of that go. I know how to do it now I think.
Anyway, hope you had a good one, and had many reasons to be Merry. Let's all have a Happy New Year, huh?
This time of year when many people are taking more time off, are trying to get out of the office a little earlier, and are taking trips away from home to visit with loved ones, I am usually doing just the opposite, I am working more, I am spending less time at home, and there is no way I could get time off to go anywhere. Luckily most everyone is right here close by so that really helps. It is this time of year when try as I might, I have to fight really hard not to get too moody and blue. The truth is, getting Christmas off where I work is not an easy task, and so for the last 3 years in a row, I have worked that day.
I would be lying if I did not say this bothered me quite a lot. It does. In fact, it has completely affected the way my family, and I celebrate the holidays. I usually don't get any of the major 3 holidays off, that means no Thanksgiving, no Christmas Eve, or day, and no New Year's Eve, or day. This year I got Thanksgiving off, it was nice, but it went too fast, and we were all a bit more reserved as we are still feeling grief over losing my uncle such a short time ago.
As Christmas approached, I found myself feeling more and more resentful about working the day. I rationalized with myself, went over all of the arguments as to why I must not let it get to me. I reasoned that it is just a date, the spirit of things is what really matters. I told myself, I must do this, it is part of my job, and I like my job the rest of the year, so overall it is worth it. I convinced myself that we could do things a little before, or a little after, and that it will be just fine. All of those reasoned arguments meant nothing because I honestly resented the fact that I have to work the holidays.
I resented other's getting the holidays off to spend with their friends and families drinking eggnog and eating homemade breads and cookies while listening to Christmas carols, and laughing together while reliving old memories, and seeing the lights and the magic of Christmas reflected in the children's eyes. I missed that our little family did not all get up together on Christmas morning and sit in the living room in our pajamas while our daughter opened up her bounty of gifts, and then head over to my parent's house to spend the rest of the day.
I truly felt bad that I did not get a lot of Christmas shopping done, and was not able to get all of the gifts on my list because I just ran out of time, and/or money before the day rolled around. It was quite upsetting to me that I didn't get around to doing any baking, or making special things to eat without guilt this time of year.
The sad reality is, I spent most of this holiday season feeling shafted, annoyed, and disappointed. I know that is not how it is supposed to be. After feeling like that when the day actually rolled around, I was no longer upset about it, I just didn't care anymore. I had already given our daughter all of her gifts. Everything was done, all that was left was for me to go to work, and by that time, I went and it was like any other day, in fact, I even quite enjoyed working that day because everyone I worked with was extra special nice, and we all brought in little goodies to share so it was good.
The really ironic thing was, I got into it with my manager the day before Christmas Eve because they extended my schedule, and I went into her office and said, "Hey, I'm working Christmas Eve, and day, I don't think it is fair to extend my time here even more than that, isn't there any other way to do this?" We actually had plans to meet people for dinner right after I got off work, so I was a bit put out. Well, she snapped back at me, and we didn't have a pleasant exchange. I am usually not so outspoken with management, but I was really feeling emotional about it all. Later that night I felt bad for approaching her that way, and decided I would apologize.
The next day I went to her office and said, "I am really sorry for snapping at you, it is just this time of year, and working the holidays, and honestly, if you had just asked and said, "We really need you to do this for us," and shown some empathy about it, I would not have been so upset. She apologized for coming across as cold, and admitted to me that she has developed a tough skin because she has to hear it all the time about people working on the holidays, and that she wanted to be home with her family too. We had a good talk about it all, and I realized I was being a big baby about it all. I admitted that I had not really put myself in her shoes, and was only thinking of myself, and suddenly after that, I felt so much better about working that day.
It turns out business was going to be slower than projected on Christmas day, so on Christmas eve she said she was going to take volunteers of people to work on Christmas day first, and then she would decide who would get to be off out of who didn't volunteer to work. Believe it or not, after all of my fussing, and complaining, I went ahead and volunteered to work afterall. I realized that I didn't have any plans on Christmas day anyway because we had already given our daughter her gifts, and we would most likely just go over to my parent's house and eat when I got off work as originally planned.
And you know, I felt strangely good about doing that. One of my co-workers is a single mom with two children under 4, and she really wanted to be home with them, she was so excited that she was going to be off afterall, she said she wasn't going to tell anyone, but just surprise them when she didn't go to work. There were others who I am sure were extremely grateful that they got that call on Christmas Eve telling them they were off the next day.
So, all in all, it worked out fine. We ate with my parents when I got off, and it was a good day, and I think I have finally overcome that hurdle of resentment about working the holidays, which is a good thing because it is part of my job, and I have to accept it. Christmas is a happy and joyous time, that's what it should be about. I think it is hard for some people to put on a happy face and act festive when they don't truly feel that, and there are many reasons they might not. I've been a grinch the past few years because I couldn't do things my way, but I am hoping I have truly let all of that go. I know how to do it now I think.
Anyway, hope you had a good one, and had many reasons to be Merry. Let's all have a Happy New Year, huh?
I'm Still Here
Just Getting By.
I know, I am always apologizing for not blogging regularly. With Christmas and all, I have just not been in the mood to blog. I checked my email today and found that I had a drive-by comment from some major weirdo, so I had to go an delete it, it was quite nasty, and gross. Damn you Google. Please stop sending these strange people here. I wish there was a way to keep from getting referrals from random internet searches, without having to make my blog completely private, although the thought has crossed my mind.
I really don't care about traffic, and I don't get much anyway, but the fact that the very few I do get are still peppered with oddballs is quite disturbing really. The only way I can avoid that is to close up shop and move on which I have considered doing, but for some reason whenever I suggest this my friends and family members say, "Oh don't do that, we love your blog" which is quite funny really because they NEVER read it. I know this because I will ask them, did you see that picture I posted, or something, and they always say "no'' which makes me think, why the heck are they encouraging me when they don't visit it anyway?
In turn, I have to ask the question of myself, why do this at all? I don't know why either, and I am certainly not in the mood to get all profound about such nonsense anyway. There is one thing though I find peculiar and that is, I don't talk about anything that really matters most of the time because it is too personal, or would be a betrayal of someone else's privacy, so most of what is put down here is nothing more than fluff. It does seem sort of like a silly way to spend my free time when I get right down to it, but I guess I still enjoy this medium, so I will continue with it for the time being.
Well, I took down one of the posts that seems to get the most hits from weirdos, so hopefully that will help. Hey, I've still got a lot of holiday baking to do, I never got a chance to make Cherry Nut Bread, Pizzelles, or some of the other things I had planned, and I really wanted to do that. I bought all of the stuff, so now I have no choice, I have got to use the stuff or it will sit in my cabinets until next Christmas.
The bananas are finally ripe enough to make Banana Nut Bread, I made some yesterday, the recipe said it would make one loaf, well I followed that and made one huge loaf that rose a good inch out of the pan, and I was very disappointed to find that the middle of the thing did not cook at all, but the outside was very well done, so I don't know. I am going to try again today, but use two loaf pans instead of one. I think that will bring better results. We shall see.
In any event, I am still here, and I hope you are too. Hugs.
I know, I am always apologizing for not blogging regularly. With Christmas and all, I have just not been in the mood to blog. I checked my email today and found that I had a drive-by comment from some major weirdo, so I had to go an delete it, it was quite nasty, and gross. Damn you Google. Please stop sending these strange people here. I wish there was a way to keep from getting referrals from random internet searches, without having to make my blog completely private, although the thought has crossed my mind.
I really don't care about traffic, and I don't get much anyway, but the fact that the very few I do get are still peppered with oddballs is quite disturbing really. The only way I can avoid that is to close up shop and move on which I have considered doing, but for some reason whenever I suggest this my friends and family members say, "Oh don't do that, we love your blog" which is quite funny really because they NEVER read it. I know this because I will ask them, did you see that picture I posted, or something, and they always say "no'' which makes me think, why the heck are they encouraging me when they don't visit it anyway?
In turn, I have to ask the question of myself, why do this at all? I don't know why either, and I am certainly not in the mood to get all profound about such nonsense anyway. There is one thing though I find peculiar and that is, I don't talk about anything that really matters most of the time because it is too personal, or would be a betrayal of someone else's privacy, so most of what is put down here is nothing more than fluff. It does seem sort of like a silly way to spend my free time when I get right down to it, but I guess I still enjoy this medium, so I will continue with it for the time being.
Well, I took down one of the posts that seems to get the most hits from weirdos, so hopefully that will help. Hey, I've still got a lot of holiday baking to do, I never got a chance to make Cherry Nut Bread, Pizzelles, or some of the other things I had planned, and I really wanted to do that. I bought all of the stuff, so now I have no choice, I have got to use the stuff or it will sit in my cabinets until next Christmas.
The bananas are finally ripe enough to make Banana Nut Bread, I made some yesterday, the recipe said it would make one loaf, well I followed that and made one huge loaf that rose a good inch out of the pan, and I was very disappointed to find that the middle of the thing did not cook at all, but the outside was very well done, so I don't know. I am going to try again today, but use two loaf pans instead of one. I think that will bring better results. We shall see.
In any event, I am still here, and I hope you are too. Hugs.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Miss Priss and The High Horse She Rode In On
You can bet your butt it wasn't a mini-van.
I don't think I have ever mentioned this before, but the reason I chose "that broad" as my handle, was because when I was growing up my sister always used to say, "Oh gosh, you're such a broad!" Well, I guess with all of my burping, farting, cussing and giggling she might think that. There was that time I went on an all fruit diet and discovered the joys of flatulence. Actually, it was my best friend and I, we both went on some fad diet where all you eat is fruit, and were overcome with superhuman amounts of gas. It was just too much. I remember walking up the stairs and stopping every other stair when one of us passed gas, and the laughing that ensued. Cut us some slack, we were 13 and therefore unable to resist laughing like hyenas at such noises.
Now, my sister on the other hand, she was and still is in many ways my complete opposite. When she was a little girl, our great aunt dubbed her "Prissy" because, well, she was, and always has been to some extent. She did not laugh at farts, and probably still doesn't. She never found the idea of someone accidentally letting one go with the shift of a leg hilarious, and frankly we firmly believed for quite some time that she didn't actually fart, EVER. Of course this myth was dispelled one night a few years ago at my mom's house when lo and behold Miss Priss let one rip at the kitchen table no less while we were playing cards one night, of course she didn't mean too, it was just all those years of holding it in, I'm sure.
My mom said what we were all thinking, "She hasn't done that since 8th grade!" and of course we all got to laughing, including Miss Priss, and that caused her to finally let loose a torrent of toots whistles and blows which made us all howl with laughter. You just have to know her. Now none of this means that Miss Priss doesn't have a sense of humor, she does, and she can get me to giggling like no one else can, and that is mostly because we share a mother, and therefore have many memories of the antics of our deviant mother.
I'm sure it is not nice to say ones mother is a deviant, and that might not be the exact word, but it is close. My mom might have the rest of the world fooled with all of her innocent pie baking, but we know better. Oh she's honest, upstanding, a good citizen, and absolutely one of the most generous people I've ever known, but there is a side to her that only we her family know, it is actually her strength, and an attitude she carries that has got her through some of the most dire circumstances. You just don't mess with her that's all I'm saying. She will jack a person up if they hurt one of hers. Anyway, it is hard to explain, and all I'm doing is making her sound like a psycho which is not the case at all, as I was saying, she's an absolutely kind person, a kind person who does whatever the hell she pleases.
The reason I brought all of this up is because I wanted to mention that my sister, Miss Priss has a blog. She finally got a blog. I waited a while to see if she put more than two posts up, and she has, so I will direct your attention there. She's a lot like me without all of the gaseous noises, and trucker talk. Check it out.
I don't think I have ever mentioned this before, but the reason I chose "that broad" as my handle, was because when I was growing up my sister always used to say, "Oh gosh, you're such a broad!" Well, I guess with all of my burping, farting, cussing and giggling she might think that. There was that time I went on an all fruit diet and discovered the joys of flatulence. Actually, it was my best friend and I, we both went on some fad diet where all you eat is fruit, and were overcome with superhuman amounts of gas. It was just too much. I remember walking up the stairs and stopping every other stair when one of us passed gas, and the laughing that ensued. Cut us some slack, we were 13 and therefore unable to resist laughing like hyenas at such noises.
Now, my sister on the other hand, she was and still is in many ways my complete opposite. When she was a little girl, our great aunt dubbed her "Prissy" because, well, she was, and always has been to some extent. She did not laugh at farts, and probably still doesn't. She never found the idea of someone accidentally letting one go with the shift of a leg hilarious, and frankly we firmly believed for quite some time that she didn't actually fart, EVER. Of course this myth was dispelled one night a few years ago at my mom's house when lo and behold Miss Priss let one rip at the kitchen table no less while we were playing cards one night, of course she didn't mean too, it was just all those years of holding it in, I'm sure.
My mom said what we were all thinking, "She hasn't done that since 8th grade!" and of course we all got to laughing, including Miss Priss, and that caused her to finally let loose a torrent of toots whistles and blows which made us all howl with laughter. You just have to know her. Now none of this means that Miss Priss doesn't have a sense of humor, she does, and she can get me to giggling like no one else can, and that is mostly because we share a mother, and therefore have many memories of the antics of our deviant mother.
I'm sure it is not nice to say ones mother is a deviant, and that might not be the exact word, but it is close. My mom might have the rest of the world fooled with all of her innocent pie baking, but we know better. Oh she's honest, upstanding, a good citizen, and absolutely one of the most generous people I've ever known, but there is a side to her that only we her family know, it is actually her strength, and an attitude she carries that has got her through some of the most dire circumstances. You just don't mess with her that's all I'm saying. She will jack a person up if they hurt one of hers. Anyway, it is hard to explain, and all I'm doing is making her sound like a psycho which is not the case at all, as I was saying, she's an absolutely kind person, a kind person who does whatever the hell she pleases.
The reason I brought all of this up is because I wanted to mention that my sister, Miss Priss has a blog. She finally got a blog. I waited a while to see if she put more than two posts up, and she has, so I will direct your attention there. She's a lot like me without all of the gaseous noises, and trucker talk. Check it out.
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Beautiful Building
A few people might recognize this unmistakable monument that sits on ole Route 66. I'm thinking of you CG. From what I understand, this courthouse is made out of marble, obviously rough unfinished marble. The town used to revolve around this marble quarry, my grandfather and dad both hauled this marble all over the country. It is Carthage Marble, and they no longer quarry it I'm told, although there is still plenty there. My grandfather was a great lover of marble, and collected as many pieces as he could of all sorts of different marble from all over the world.
Good Stuff
Last Bits of Fall.
I love Fall in Missouri, although it is much better in person, I hoped to capture some of it's beauty with a $4 disposable camera. Not too shabby all things considered.
Good Things
Front Porch Sitting.
This is the front porch of what once was my great grandparent's house. Pretend garbage can is not in picture. :)
More Cheer
Spreading Joy.
I think I will try to spend the rest of December posting nothing but good things, and pictures that make me feel happy. Like this.
Monday, December 03, 2007
Who Needs A Little Cheer?
Me, That's Who.
I can't resist the desire to check the ole site meter thingy every so often and see who has been dropping by. This is how I know that what I am doing here has exactly zero impact on 99.9% of the population, but I love the 3 of you who do stop by regularly, and it is because of you I continue to hurl obnoxious thoughts with random regularity. I'm pretty sure I just made an English teacher somewhere out there cry with that last sentence, but it did seem clever when I wrote it.
Anyway, so lately I've been getting more hits which is to say in the overall scheme of things, two more than the usual drive by visitors I get thanks to google. Google, please stop pointing out my pointless points to total strangers on the internet. Why do you send them here? If I wanted everyone to know my business I would get a website and put it all on the internet, oh wait, I've done that. Well, I didn't really want icky strangers to read my stuff all right, at least not ones who do searches on seeing their mother's thong when she bent over to clean up a spill on the kitchen floor. Ok? Stop sending the freaks and weirdos here. I mean it.
With that said, I think this is the perfect opportunity to talk about referrals. I've been getting some good ones lately:
1. "Black yard boy statue"--I don't have one.
2. "Extremely bushy women"--ok, I'm somewhat insulted by this, and I promise as soon as they perfect that laser I'm going to take care of the leg hair problem, sheesh.
3. "A Christmas gift for people who love to nap"--personally, I like this one, I'm all about napping, and I think a great gift would be silence, without judgement. Nappers are NOT lazy, we just LIKE to sleep, that's all.
4. "Clock is ticking, want a baby"--this is not really something to make fun of, I understand this. Luckily I had one child, but if that is not possible, I highly suggest a puppy.
5. "Pot of chili, left out over night"--Oh my gosh, I can't believe someone else did that. I don't recommend eating it.
6. "Two fat ladies cooking"--Ok, you can call me fat, but my friend does not appreciate it.
7. "My husband got pepper in his eyes"--Hey, so did mine!
8. "Things to do in a snowstorm"--multiple searches on this one, my favorite thing to do is bake and clean house, and take a nice long nap.
9. "Pee on a Christmas tree"--it makes me wonder, is someone contemplating this, or have they already done it.
10. And there is, "Dog pee on the Christmas tree"--dogs do like to pee on trees, it is only natural.
11. "Cats taking underwear"--I think we could make a whole 'nother blog on this subject.
12. "Bikini tattoos for women"--I don't know.
There's more, but I don't want to bore you. This time there was no real weird stuff, which I'm always glad about.
I can't resist the desire to check the ole site meter thingy every so often and see who has been dropping by. This is how I know that what I am doing here has exactly zero impact on 99.9% of the population, but I love the 3 of you who do stop by regularly, and it is because of you I continue to hurl obnoxious thoughts with random regularity. I'm pretty sure I just made an English teacher somewhere out there cry with that last sentence, but it did seem clever when I wrote it.
Anyway, so lately I've been getting more hits which is to say in the overall scheme of things, two more than the usual drive by visitors I get thanks to google. Google, please stop pointing out my pointless points to total strangers on the internet. Why do you send them here? If I wanted everyone to know my business I would get a website and put it all on the internet, oh wait, I've done that. Well, I didn't really want icky strangers to read my stuff all right, at least not ones who do searches on seeing their mother's thong when she bent over to clean up a spill on the kitchen floor. Ok? Stop sending the freaks and weirdos here. I mean it.
With that said, I think this is the perfect opportunity to talk about referrals. I've been getting some good ones lately:
1. "Black yard boy statue"--I don't have one.
2. "Extremely bushy women"--ok, I'm somewhat insulted by this, and I promise as soon as they perfect that laser I'm going to take care of the leg hair problem, sheesh.
3. "A Christmas gift for people who love to nap"--personally, I like this one, I'm all about napping, and I think a great gift would be silence, without judgement. Nappers are NOT lazy, we just LIKE to sleep, that's all.
4. "Clock is ticking, want a baby"--this is not really something to make fun of, I understand this. Luckily I had one child, but if that is not possible, I highly suggest a puppy.
5. "Pot of chili, left out over night"--Oh my gosh, I can't believe someone else did that. I don't recommend eating it.
6. "Two fat ladies cooking"--Ok, you can call me fat, but my friend does not appreciate it.
7. "My husband got pepper in his eyes"--Hey, so did mine!
8. "Things to do in a snowstorm"--multiple searches on this one, my favorite thing to do is bake and clean house, and take a nice long nap.
9. "Pee on a Christmas tree"--it makes me wonder, is someone contemplating this, or have they already done it.
10. And there is, "Dog pee on the Christmas tree"--dogs do like to pee on trees, it is only natural.
11. "Cats taking underwear"--I think we could make a whole 'nother blog on this subject.
12. "Bikini tattoos for women"--I don't know.
There's more, but I don't want to bore you. This time there was no real weird stuff, which I'm always glad about.
Friday, November 30, 2007
I Don't Know
This has been hard lately.
Putting anything on this blog lately has been very difficult for me. It is not necessarily that I don't have anything to say, but that I just don't know what to say. A lot of things feel out of balance right now. Work has been slow, and I was off for two weeks when we went back to be with my uncle as he passed from this world to the next. I've had too much time off I think, and yet, I still feel like I've got so much to do at home I welcome the time off.
I just don't feel like I have a firm grip on anything right now. I am surrounded by piles of things to do, and I move at snail pace at accomplishing anything. It is just plain ridiculous. I made a wonderful pot of chili last night, I left it on the stove and was going to put it away, but I knew my daughter would want some, and sure enough I woke up this morning and realized I left it out overnight and had to throw the whole pot away.
I was mad at myself for wasting the food. It felt like I had wasted a blessing from God. We have been provided so many gifts, and to throw one away seems like an insult to the giver. The puritan in me said, "waste not, want not!" as I scooped the chili into the trash, and I was disappointed with myself. Anyway, I may be over thinking it a bit, but I did feel bad.
The vacuum cleaner finally broke. It just can't handle the amount of dirt that needs cleaned up in this house I guess. Actually, it was clogging up a lot, and my husband threw his hands up in the air the last time he tried to unclog it. The daughter and I went and bought a new one at the Wal-Mart last night. Hopefully it will last more than a year, although I am starting to suspect that these vacuums are designed not to go any longer than that. I've had to buy a new vacuum every year for the last few years now, it is a trend I cannot ignore. My floors aren't that bad.
My parent's had their vacuum that they bought at Sears for at least 25 years, they may still use it for all I know. My parents get things fixed, they don't replace them, but in this case it is just cheaper to go get a new vacuum. I hate to say that, but it is true. If anyone knows of a model that lasts longer and is worth repairing I will happily invest in it. I've tried all brands, Eureka, Dirt Devil, Hoover, each seems to have about the same life in it. I can't tell any real difference in any of them.
Anyway, I'm going on and on, and my mom called this morning and wanted me to take her someplace, this is code for me getting to her house and her deciding that she doesn't want to go, and I will go for her which I don't mind really. We've all run so many errands for her, she just hands over her debit card and we go.
Oh and she really stunned me the other day, she called me up and said, "Will you go to the store and buy me a cake?" She went on to say, "I have pie, but it is DAD who really likes the pie, I prefer cake and I really just want a piece of cake!" I was crushed. I said, "Mom, do you realize that I have devoted entire sections of my blog to your love of pie, and here I find out that it is DAD who really likes pie?" All of those shopping trips to 3 different grocery stores buying 12 different kinds of pie because I thought SHE loved pie, and it turns out my dad is the real culprit in the pie department. It doesn't really change anything, but still I was surprised.
Today she wants me to go have something framed for my dad, I better get a move on.
Putting anything on this blog lately has been very difficult for me. It is not necessarily that I don't have anything to say, but that I just don't know what to say. A lot of things feel out of balance right now. Work has been slow, and I was off for two weeks when we went back to be with my uncle as he passed from this world to the next. I've had too much time off I think, and yet, I still feel like I've got so much to do at home I welcome the time off.
I just don't feel like I have a firm grip on anything right now. I am surrounded by piles of things to do, and I move at snail pace at accomplishing anything. It is just plain ridiculous. I made a wonderful pot of chili last night, I left it on the stove and was going to put it away, but I knew my daughter would want some, and sure enough I woke up this morning and realized I left it out overnight and had to throw the whole pot away.
I was mad at myself for wasting the food. It felt like I had wasted a blessing from God. We have been provided so many gifts, and to throw one away seems like an insult to the giver. The puritan in me said, "waste not, want not!" as I scooped the chili into the trash, and I was disappointed with myself. Anyway, I may be over thinking it a bit, but I did feel bad.
The vacuum cleaner finally broke. It just can't handle the amount of dirt that needs cleaned up in this house I guess. Actually, it was clogging up a lot, and my husband threw his hands up in the air the last time he tried to unclog it. The daughter and I went and bought a new one at the Wal-Mart last night. Hopefully it will last more than a year, although I am starting to suspect that these vacuums are designed not to go any longer than that. I've had to buy a new vacuum every year for the last few years now, it is a trend I cannot ignore. My floors aren't that bad.
My parent's had their vacuum that they bought at Sears for at least 25 years, they may still use it for all I know. My parents get things fixed, they don't replace them, but in this case it is just cheaper to go get a new vacuum. I hate to say that, but it is true. If anyone knows of a model that lasts longer and is worth repairing I will happily invest in it. I've tried all brands, Eureka, Dirt Devil, Hoover, each seems to have about the same life in it. I can't tell any real difference in any of them.
Anyway, I'm going on and on, and my mom called this morning and wanted me to take her someplace, this is code for me getting to her house and her deciding that she doesn't want to go, and I will go for her which I don't mind really. We've all run so many errands for her, she just hands over her debit card and we go.
Oh and she really stunned me the other day, she called me up and said, "Will you go to the store and buy me a cake?" She went on to say, "I have pie, but it is DAD who really likes the pie, I prefer cake and I really just want a piece of cake!" I was crushed. I said, "Mom, do you realize that I have devoted entire sections of my blog to your love of pie, and here I find out that it is DAD who really likes pie?" All of those shopping trips to 3 different grocery stores buying 12 different kinds of pie because I thought SHE loved pie, and it turns out my dad is the real culprit in the pie department. It doesn't really change anything, but still I was surprised.
Today she wants me to go have something framed for my dad, I better get a move on.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Things
Just Stuff.
1. We already put our Christmas tree up.
2. My husband and I never buy each other Christmas gifts. This was a tradition we started when we first got married, and everyone did tell us that we would make our own traditions as a family. Back then we were too broke to buy each other anything, now I guess we are just too cheap. My husband says, "Just buy what you want throughout the year", I think he just doesn't like shopping all that much.
3. Our daughter gets a lion share of gifts for Christmas because she is an only child, and because we don't buy for each other.
4. The kiddo wants an X-box, or some other such trendy gadget for Christmas, she is not getting one. I just won't spend nearly $400 on one of these things. That is ridiculous. She will still have a nice Christmas.
5. Some years the majority of gifts our family received were from my parents. Our first year stationed overseas, we were so broke from the move that we could not afford anything much at all, even for our daughter, and my mother knowing this, sent so many boxes that we actually had gifts under the tree.
6. I've never made a whole Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner in all of these years. The 3 of us would never eat all of that food even if I tried to make smaller portions.
7. Our first Thanksgiving overseas we ate at Taco Bell on base.
8. The holidays are not as fun when you have no family around.
9. My husband and I are both going to be working on Christmas.
10. We both had Thanksgiving off. We had dinner at my parent's house.
11. Thanksgiving was the first major holiday I have had off in 3 years.
12. My husband will be working on Christmas for the next 7 years.
13. The holidays are only really fun for people when they are off and get to spend that time with family.
14. The best part about Christmas for me is the tree and the decorations because I actually get to enjoy those parts at my leisure.
15. Christmas has been marketed to death, but I still think it is an important time for families, and an important day of celebration for our culture. Nothing will make someone appreciate that time more, than not being able to participate in the celebrations.
16. At least we got Thanksgiving off. That was nice.
1. We already put our Christmas tree up.
2. My husband and I never buy each other Christmas gifts. This was a tradition we started when we first got married, and everyone did tell us that we would make our own traditions as a family. Back then we were too broke to buy each other anything, now I guess we are just too cheap. My husband says, "Just buy what you want throughout the year", I think he just doesn't like shopping all that much.
3. Our daughter gets a lion share of gifts for Christmas because she is an only child, and because we don't buy for each other.
4. The kiddo wants an X-box, or some other such trendy gadget for Christmas, she is not getting one. I just won't spend nearly $400 on one of these things. That is ridiculous. She will still have a nice Christmas.
5. Some years the majority of gifts our family received were from my parents. Our first year stationed overseas, we were so broke from the move that we could not afford anything much at all, even for our daughter, and my mother knowing this, sent so many boxes that we actually had gifts under the tree.
6. I've never made a whole Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner in all of these years. The 3 of us would never eat all of that food even if I tried to make smaller portions.
7. Our first Thanksgiving overseas we ate at Taco Bell on base.
8. The holidays are not as fun when you have no family around.
9. My husband and I are both going to be working on Christmas.
10. We both had Thanksgiving off. We had dinner at my parent's house.
11. Thanksgiving was the first major holiday I have had off in 3 years.
12. My husband will be working on Christmas for the next 7 years.
13. The holidays are only really fun for people when they are off and get to spend that time with family.
14. The best part about Christmas for me is the tree and the decorations because I actually get to enjoy those parts at my leisure.
15. Christmas has been marketed to death, but I still think it is an important time for families, and an important day of celebration for our culture. Nothing will make someone appreciate that time more, than not being able to participate in the celebrations.
16. At least we got Thanksgiving off. That was nice.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
I Don't Like Him
Which 2008 candidate do you hate the most?
The candidate you like least is Democrat Barack Obama. He is pro-choice, opposes the death penalty, wants universal healthcare, supports embryonic stem cell research, is in favor of banning assault weapons -- this guy is your worst nightmare!
Take the quiz at Buttafly.comDeath And Taxes
Taxed in the Grave.
There were two homes, my grandparent's home which my father was born and raised in, and the house across the street that was my great parent's home. When the last of the great grandparent's passed away in 1974, my uncle ended up living in that house, it became his. I don't know the circumstances as to how that happened, but it was his, and no one had any beef with that. He may have bought it from my grandparents, I don't know, it is not really important.
My grandfather died in 1983, and my grandmother continued living in their home until her death in 1998, at that time, the house went to 3 of the 4 children. My dad did not want to be included in that as we live in a different state, and other reasons that aren't all that important. So, my uncle took out a mortgage, and bought the other two siblings out of the house. Truth be told they didn't want the house, they wanted the money, it was a win win for the most part.
So, my uncle had his house which was my great grandparent's home, and he also owned the house across the street which was my grandparent's home. He felt they were family homes, and did not want to let them go. In many ways he became a prisoner of those two homes. Both homes were very old, over 100 years old, and with that they needed some repairs although, overall both are in very good condition.
He put a lot of money in his home, and did many major upgrades and repairs. Grandmother's home was empty a lot of the time. He couldn't bear to let anyone other than family live in that home. He did let one of my cousins light there for a while, and my husband, daughter and I even lived in that house when he left the Marine Corps, we paid a very modest rent, which covered the mortgage he had to take out on it to buy the other two out. I got homesick for mom and dad, and we decided to move closer to parents.
Then grandmother's house was empty again. No one was there to enjoy the beautiful woodwork, the mahogany stair case, and all of the other great features old homes like that have to offer. It still sits empty.
When my uncle learned he was dying, he wanted to marry his lovely lady, and leave her his estate. He was going to leave the homes to my dad, but my dad did not want them. He has no intention of moving back there, and agreed that he should leave these things to his wife. Which is what my uncle decided to do.
He had an iron clad will, and had plans to add her to all titles etc. but he ran out of time. The doctors thought he might have 9 months to a year and a half, it turns out he died 2 months after they gave him this timeline. He got very ill towards the end and didn't get all of those things done. When he left us for a better world, we have only his will, and their marriage to support his wishes.
For most decent people that would be enough, but unfortunately, his estate is going to go to probate. I don't know what that is, other than an opportunity for thieves to rape and pillage his estate down to next to nothing. Which is what is going to happen. The attorney has already suggested that his wife will have to sell my grandmother's home to pay the probate and lawyer's fees. It will cost that much. The state takes a percentage of the estate, and the lawyer matches it.
That is the best case scenario, the worst case scenario is his widow may have to sell both properties to pay the costs. It all depends on how much our glorious rulers think is enough. All this so that some newspaper ads can be run to see who else wants a piece of the action. Never mind the fact that his widow could have assumed his debts, if any, and paid them with whatever he left. No, that's too darn simple.
I am astounded, and I had no idea this would happen. It is such a shame, and a sham. My dad said to me, "You know, I'd have more respect for a thief that sticks a gun in my face and robs me than this."
Even if my uncle had been able to get his new wife's name on everything, the state is not satisfied with that, they like to take a look back over the last couple of years to see if people have tried to unload anything that they might have been able to take. Their situation of being newly married complicated things, but the state still would have came barging in.
This is a very serious lesson, one that no one should learn while in the process of grieving the loss of a loved one. The state is hard enough to take on, let alone when in such a fragile state. It is disgusting. There are less and less ways around these death taxes.
It is a shame to work your whole life for something only to have it taken away and sold off for profit by greedy people. Let this be a lesson to you. Don't wait until you are ill to talk about these things, and work on them. Somehow my grandmother avoided probate because she had put her children's names on the title of everything. That is about the only loophole left, but you can't do it a year before you die as the state looks back. These are things an attorney should be able to get through, and prevent happening, but even still they have motive to let you fall into that probate trap as well.
I tell you, we're going to have to go back to hiding things in our mattresses. Something to think about.
There were two homes, my grandparent's home which my father was born and raised in, and the house across the street that was my great parent's home. When the last of the great grandparent's passed away in 1974, my uncle ended up living in that house, it became his. I don't know the circumstances as to how that happened, but it was his, and no one had any beef with that. He may have bought it from my grandparents, I don't know, it is not really important.
My grandfather died in 1983, and my grandmother continued living in their home until her death in 1998, at that time, the house went to 3 of the 4 children. My dad did not want to be included in that as we live in a different state, and other reasons that aren't all that important. So, my uncle took out a mortgage, and bought the other two siblings out of the house. Truth be told they didn't want the house, they wanted the money, it was a win win for the most part.
So, my uncle had his house which was my great grandparent's home, and he also owned the house across the street which was my grandparent's home. He felt they were family homes, and did not want to let them go. In many ways he became a prisoner of those two homes. Both homes were very old, over 100 years old, and with that they needed some repairs although, overall both are in very good condition.
He put a lot of money in his home, and did many major upgrades and repairs. Grandmother's home was empty a lot of the time. He couldn't bear to let anyone other than family live in that home. He did let one of my cousins light there for a while, and my husband, daughter and I even lived in that house when he left the Marine Corps, we paid a very modest rent, which covered the mortgage he had to take out on it to buy the other two out. I got homesick for mom and dad, and we decided to move closer to parents.
Then grandmother's house was empty again. No one was there to enjoy the beautiful woodwork, the mahogany stair case, and all of the other great features old homes like that have to offer. It still sits empty.
When my uncle learned he was dying, he wanted to marry his lovely lady, and leave her his estate. He was going to leave the homes to my dad, but my dad did not want them. He has no intention of moving back there, and agreed that he should leave these things to his wife. Which is what my uncle decided to do.
He had an iron clad will, and had plans to add her to all titles etc. but he ran out of time. The doctors thought he might have 9 months to a year and a half, it turns out he died 2 months after they gave him this timeline. He got very ill towards the end and didn't get all of those things done. When he left us for a better world, we have only his will, and their marriage to support his wishes.
For most decent people that would be enough, but unfortunately, his estate is going to go to probate. I don't know what that is, other than an opportunity for thieves to rape and pillage his estate down to next to nothing. Which is what is going to happen. The attorney has already suggested that his wife will have to sell my grandmother's home to pay the probate and lawyer's fees. It will cost that much. The state takes a percentage of the estate, and the lawyer matches it.
That is the best case scenario, the worst case scenario is his widow may have to sell both properties to pay the costs. It all depends on how much our glorious rulers think is enough. All this so that some newspaper ads can be run to see who else wants a piece of the action. Never mind the fact that his widow could have assumed his debts, if any, and paid them with whatever he left. No, that's too darn simple.
I am astounded, and I had no idea this would happen. It is such a shame, and a sham. My dad said to me, "You know, I'd have more respect for a thief that sticks a gun in my face and robs me than this."
Even if my uncle had been able to get his new wife's name on everything, the state is not satisfied with that, they like to take a look back over the last couple of years to see if people have tried to unload anything that they might have been able to take. Their situation of being newly married complicated things, but the state still would have came barging in.
This is a very serious lesson, one that no one should learn while in the process of grieving the loss of a loved one. The state is hard enough to take on, let alone when in such a fragile state. It is disgusting. There are less and less ways around these death taxes.
It is a shame to work your whole life for something only to have it taken away and sold off for profit by greedy people. Let this be a lesson to you. Don't wait until you are ill to talk about these things, and work on them. Somehow my grandmother avoided probate because she had put her children's names on the title of everything. That is about the only loophole left, but you can't do it a year before you die as the state looks back. These are things an attorney should be able to get through, and prevent happening, but even still they have motive to let you fall into that probate trap as well.
I tell you, we're going to have to go back to hiding things in our mattresses. Something to think about.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Time Crunch
Loose Ends.
We lost my uncle last Saturday, he was my dad's youngest brother, and really the last of any family we have outside of our clan. He was 54 years old, a Captain with his police department, and an all around great guy. He had met a nice woman a few years ago, and was finally able to love again after having gone through a trainwreck of a divorce and marriage. She was his perfect match, and I could tell they had become extremely close, close on that level that we often refer to as "soulmates".
He had a rare form of cancer, which was a particularly vicious cancer of the liver. Chemo and radiation did nothing to spite this cancer, and as his time neared the end he fought hard. He suffered, and was in terrible agony. His new wife, my dad and I were there. Dad and I were the only ones who could get away, but the rest of our family would have been there if at all possible. My mom virtually sat and cried at home at her kitchen table for a week and a half because she wanted to be there for him, but she couldn't. Her own health would not permit such a trip.
My uncle was a dedicated planner. Being a police officer for over 30 years, he had a way of seeing and planning for every possible contingency and always tried to have all of his ducks in a row. Unfortunately in this case, time was not on his side. He left some loose ends behind, but he tried everything he could to get it all right. He had spent the last several years working hard to get right with God, and that relationship gave him a great deal of comfort at the end. He was a very private person and I'm not even sure he would have liked all of the attention his passing was given, but he would have gave a most sheepish grin, and accepted it most likely. He never wanted to offend anyone.
We found many people cared very deeply for him, and they were overwhelmingly supportive and sympathetic. His passing and funeral made the evening news. I had no idea so many people knew him in so many ways. The community came out and offered a great deal of respect towards the man that I knew as a humble person. It was surreal in so many ways, and I don't use that word lightly. He was a special person, a complicated man, a storyteller, and a person with a great sense of humor. I will miss those things about him the most.
Many lessons were learned here. Take care of those loose ends. Just love each other.
We lost my uncle last Saturday, he was my dad's youngest brother, and really the last of any family we have outside of our clan. He was 54 years old, a Captain with his police department, and an all around great guy. He had met a nice woman a few years ago, and was finally able to love again after having gone through a trainwreck of a divorce and marriage. She was his perfect match, and I could tell they had become extremely close, close on that level that we often refer to as "soulmates".
He had a rare form of cancer, which was a particularly vicious cancer of the liver. Chemo and radiation did nothing to spite this cancer, and as his time neared the end he fought hard. He suffered, and was in terrible agony. His new wife, my dad and I were there. Dad and I were the only ones who could get away, but the rest of our family would have been there if at all possible. My mom virtually sat and cried at home at her kitchen table for a week and a half because she wanted to be there for him, but she couldn't. Her own health would not permit such a trip.
My uncle was a dedicated planner. Being a police officer for over 30 years, he had a way of seeing and planning for every possible contingency and always tried to have all of his ducks in a row. Unfortunately in this case, time was not on his side. He left some loose ends behind, but he tried everything he could to get it all right. He had spent the last several years working hard to get right with God, and that relationship gave him a great deal of comfort at the end. He was a very private person and I'm not even sure he would have liked all of the attention his passing was given, but he would have gave a most sheepish grin, and accepted it most likely. He never wanted to offend anyone.
We found many people cared very deeply for him, and they were overwhelmingly supportive and sympathetic. His passing and funeral made the evening news. I had no idea so many people knew him in so many ways. The community came out and offered a great deal of respect towards the man that I knew as a humble person. It was surreal in so many ways, and I don't use that word lightly. He was a special person, a complicated man, a storyteller, and a person with a great sense of humor. I will miss those things about him the most.
Many lessons were learned here. Take care of those loose ends. Just love each other.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Deep Sigh
Update.
I'm back home. My dad and I arrived last night. I have a ton of things to do, but first things first, I need to make some coffee, and then maybe make a list. I've missed my blog, and all of the blogs that I read. I have not looked at a single blog, including my own since I left home almost two weeks ago.
I want to get caught up on all of that really soon. My husband is such a dear man, he thinks I have "fans", hehe, I asked him to post something so people wouldn't think that I had died, and he promptly took care of that for me.
Anyway, I just wanted to drop in really quick, I have to get up and get away from the computer immediately, or I will be tempted to go visit my favorites and that will distract me from the overwhelming pile of things I have to do today--right now. I want to get back as soon as possible because I have a lot of stuff I want to write about.
Our family suffered a huge and tragic loss. He was all we had left of family outside of my parents and siblings, and we all loved him very much. Back Soon.
I'm back home. My dad and I arrived last night. I have a ton of things to do, but first things first, I need to make some coffee, and then maybe make a list. I've missed my blog, and all of the blogs that I read. I have not looked at a single blog, including my own since I left home almost two weeks ago.
I want to get caught up on all of that really soon. My husband is such a dear man, he thinks I have "fans", hehe, I asked him to post something so people wouldn't think that I had died, and he promptly took care of that for me.
Anyway, I just wanted to drop in really quick, I have to get up and get away from the computer immediately, or I will be tempted to go visit my favorites and that will distract me from the overwhelming pile of things I have to do today--right now. I want to get back as soon as possible because I have a lot of stuff I want to write about.
Our family suffered a huge and tragic loss. He was all we had left of family outside of my parents and siblings, and we all loved him very much. Back Soon.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Away From Keyboard
Dear Family, Friends, and Loyal Fans,
This post was titled Away From Keyboard, also known as AFK. It's early in the morning and AFK was the best I could come up with. Anyway, my wife is unfortunately out of town and has been for about a week. She asked me to post something here explaining her sudden disappearance. In summary, one of her last living relatives, her uncle, was very sick. She felt obligated to be there with him so she left immediately. I will end on that note. If she wants to fill you in with more details, more power to her. Nevertheless, she sends her deepest apologies for not being avail to post in her blog. However, she asks that if you can find it in your heart to forgive her, she would feel so much better. She loves and misses you all.
Sincerely,
Brown Eyes
This post was titled Away From Keyboard, also known as AFK. It's early in the morning and AFK was the best I could come up with. Anyway, my wife is unfortunately out of town and has been for about a week. She asked me to post something here explaining her sudden disappearance. In summary, one of her last living relatives, her uncle, was very sick. She felt obligated to be there with him so she left immediately. I will end on that note. If she wants to fill you in with more details, more power to her. Nevertheless, she sends her deepest apologies for not being avail to post in her blog. However, she asks that if you can find it in your heart to forgive her, she would feel so much better. She loves and misses you all.
Sincerely,
Brown Eyes
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
That's So Passive Aggressive!
My brother found this passive aggressive note. It cracked us up. See also PassiveaggressiveNotes for more humorous notes.
Update: It seems there are tons of these signs out there, who would have thought? Posted just one day after this over at PassiveaggressiveNotes are tons of signs saying the exact same thing.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Things The Baby Has Chewed On This Week
I have no life.
We're still in the honeymoon phase with the new baby. Sure, I get tired of my living room looking like a playground with various chew toys strewn about, but the pleasure exceeds the inconvenience so we deal with it.
He's just so darn fluffy and cute, there was no way I could get mad at him today when he managed to go outside with a pair of my daughter's undies in his ferocious razor sharp baby teeth. He proceeded to carry them to and fro around the back yard, until I went to call him in and noticed he was carrying them around. It was a little embarrassing, but I thought the chances of someone actually noticing the little fur ball with the underpants was pretty slim, but to be on the safe side, I made my daughter run out and get them right away anyway. It's best we not let the little guy parade our unmentionables in such an unruly manner in front of the neighbors.
So far he has managed to kill the hedgehog puppet, a rabbit fur, and a phone cord. He has also taken ownership of a stray flip flop, and anything and everything he can find that will fit in his tiny mouth. I ask how he finds all of this stuff, but it seems a mystery to all at this point. Frankly, I blame my daughter, she's really good at leaving stuff laying about, but then again, she probably gets that trait from me, and I from my mother and so on, and it all boils down to it being the fault of my long lost great grandparents, who were first cousins and therefore not very great genetic candidates for breeding responsible and normal people.
He has been proving himself to be quite a sneaky and foxy little thing after all. He has tried on many occasion to take over the big dog bowl of food, he has his own little dog bowl with puppy food in it, but he prefers to eat from the big bowl which doesn't bode well at times with the big guys and sometimes there is gruffing and complaining, but it mostly comes from the little one trying to take over the bowl when the big dogs are eating. He has figured out that I hide the bag of dog food behind the bench of the nook, and he has also, through sound and logical research, realized that if he jumps on that bag when our big boy dog is at the bowl, the sound of the bag crunching startles him and he leaves the bowl.
I can't help but be entertained by this, and when I told my husband about it he looked at me as if I had just said, "Our dogs know how to read." He took a very skeptical position right away, until we sat at the table and it happened, and I said, "There, did you see that?" Yes, sure he did, but one incident did not prove anything to him, and so the pup as if knowing somehow, went and did it again, and then my husband said, "Oh my gosh, he's smart!" And then we felt very proud.
They grow up so fast!
We're still in the honeymoon phase with the new baby. Sure, I get tired of my living room looking like a playground with various chew toys strewn about, but the pleasure exceeds the inconvenience so we deal with it.
He's just so darn fluffy and cute, there was no way I could get mad at him today when he managed to go outside with a pair of my daughter's undies in his ferocious razor sharp baby teeth. He proceeded to carry them to and fro around the back yard, until I went to call him in and noticed he was carrying them around. It was a little embarrassing, but I thought the chances of someone actually noticing the little fur ball with the underpants was pretty slim, but to be on the safe side, I made my daughter run out and get them right away anyway. It's best we not let the little guy parade our unmentionables in such an unruly manner in front of the neighbors.
So far he has managed to kill the hedgehog puppet, a rabbit fur, and a phone cord. He has also taken ownership of a stray flip flop, and anything and everything he can find that will fit in his tiny mouth. I ask how he finds all of this stuff, but it seems a mystery to all at this point. Frankly, I blame my daughter, she's really good at leaving stuff laying about, but then again, she probably gets that trait from me, and I from my mother and so on, and it all boils down to it being the fault of my long lost great grandparents, who were first cousins and therefore not very great genetic candidates for breeding responsible and normal people.
He has been proving himself to be quite a sneaky and foxy little thing after all. He has tried on many occasion to take over the big dog bowl of food, he has his own little dog bowl with puppy food in it, but he prefers to eat from the big bowl which doesn't bode well at times with the big guys and sometimes there is gruffing and complaining, but it mostly comes from the little one trying to take over the bowl when the big dogs are eating. He has figured out that I hide the bag of dog food behind the bench of the nook, and he has also, through sound and logical research, realized that if he jumps on that bag when our big boy dog is at the bowl, the sound of the bag crunching startles him and he leaves the bowl.
I can't help but be entertained by this, and when I told my husband about it he looked at me as if I had just said, "Our dogs know how to read." He took a very skeptical position right away, until we sat at the table and it happened, and I said, "There, did you see that?" Yes, sure he did, but one incident did not prove anything to him, and so the pup as if knowing somehow, went and did it again, and then my husband said, "Oh my gosh, he's smart!" And then we felt very proud.
They grow up so fast!
What Have They Done?
Strange Vegetables.
My friend bought these at produce stand at the flea market, she gave me two of them. I've never seen cucumbers like this before, I'm quite perplexed, and a bit afraid to eat them.
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