Easter Pictures

Yes, I know they are about a month late! I just uploaded them from my camera and thought I would share. I'm not going to write a lot about it... they are self explanatory, I think.

Easter Morning, Conor got a basket and the Easter bunny left one big basket for the girls and Jeff to share. Too bad Ceara wasn't here and Jeff pretty much ate all the chocolate out of the basket before she came over the following weekend...

The race out the door to find the eggs! This was at Grandma's house, after breakfast. It's an Easter tradition to eat breakfast (the best breakfast ever, imo!) at Grandma's house.

Someone brought eggs that were filled with confetti and the kids had a blast breaking them over each other's heads.

There was one egg that we could not find and everyone got in on the search. It was a green egg that was hidden in these flowers...

And then we went next door to my mom's house and hunted more eggs! But at Mom's it's more of a scavenger hunt - each kid has to find a certain amount of each color.

And for some reason unknown to me, I only took the ONE picture at my mom's house. I think it's because I was busy hunting eggs. :)

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labours and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann

Blog Block

Well, I know I've been a slacker. But I haven't been feeling much like writing lately. Maybe soon. But... don't hold your breath.

Have a Happy Easter! :)

Happy Birthday, Jeff

Today is Jeff's birthday, but he is in Seattle this week, so we will be celebrating it sometime after he returns. Being on the west coast yesterday, he was able to delay his turning another year older by three hours. Right now, though, on any time zone in the US he is a year older. :)

Happy Birthday, Jeffrey!!!

House Guest

Well, it was two weekends ago, but I finally am going to take the time to write about it! We had a guest, a friend we met on the internet, and he stayed for 4 days and we all survived! He had just gotten home from a 7 month cruise deployment in the navy and had a couple of weeks vacation. I kept in contact with him while he was away, and when he said he didn't know what to do I told him he could come and visit us if he wanted. He accepted for whatever reason. Temporary insanity or something.

I picked him up at the airport on Thursday. I was supposed to get him and Jeff at the same time, but Jeff was delayed on his job and didn't get to come home until Friday.

The very first thing we had to do was go to the baggage claim people because it seems they lost his bag. He wasn't overly thrilled with them losing his bag, but they would deliver it to my house later that evening, so there wasn't really anything we could do.

His name is Kenny, and he fit right into our crazy house. Conor took to him immediately and started asking him to play video games with him. He bugged him just like he would any other person who walked in the door.

He and Allie have a lot of the same music tastes, and she also got to play with his new phone he just got. I think she and Chrissy used it more in one night than he did all weekend.

We had a lot of fun while he was here. We didn't really go out a lot, other than Saturday night, but somehow managed to entertain him anyway.

On our way home from the airport on Thursday, we went grocery shopping. Because Kenny wanted to make us some tacos, and he wanted to go with us to get the ingredients. Apparently I can't be trusted to get the correct ingredients.

After the shopping we went home where I prepared a meal of ... breakfast. It was kinda late to start anything time consuming, and after all the running around and shopping... it's just what everyone wanted. Can't really go wrong with bacon and eggs, and I attempted to make a gravy with the bacon grease, but it didn't turn out too well.

That was when I found out what a liar Kenny is. Because he said it was good. I have taste buds, you know? I found it very ... frustrating that he was so agreeable. If I gave him options? His response was, "I don't care, whatever you want." Sheesh. I worked the weekend to break him of this agreeability (is that even a word? I'm sure spell check will reject it...). We made a small amount of progress by the time he left.

Friday morning, I got the kids off to school and let him sleep in. When I heard him in the shower, I fixed him breakfast... French Toast and sausage. I think. It's been a couple of weeks, ya know? I'm old and don't remember insignificant stuff like that. Or the significant stuff for that matter. ;)
I said, "Would you like OJ, Milk, Chocolate Milk, or something else to drink?"

He said, "It doesn't matter, whatever." !!!!!!! I forced him to make a decision on that one. But then... later he said he doesn't really eat breakfast. So ate it, even though he didn't want it.

We went and picked Jeff up from the airport, who wasn't in the best mood after an uncomfortably long flight from Pheonix, but after ranting and raving and scaring Kenny for life talking about it for the entire ride home a little bit, he relaxed.

We dropped Jeff off at home so he could relax a bit, and went to pick up the rest of the kids. By the time we got home from getting Conor and Ceara, Jeff had fallen asleep, so we let him rest while we decided on dinner.

So, Kenny made us tacos for dinner. He made the chips and taco shells himself - and they were great. I made a chocolate sheet cake for dessert - so we were all in the kitchen listening to music and cooking. It was a lot of fun. Allie's friend Chrissy spent the night with us as well, and they forced him to watch a chick flick, because...well, that's what teenage girls do. I would have made them put something else in, but I figured it was his punishment for being so agreeable. Heh. So, we watched Georgia Rule. Not exactly a romantic comedy... and not exactly something that a guy wants to watch.

Saturday, for lunch, we had Marion's Piazza - because it is definitely a Dayton thing, and it is SO GOOD. It was a beautiful day. The whole weekend he was here was pretty nice.

I had decided to make a new recipe for dinner on Saturday night, and I got a late start to it, so by the time it was actually done, it was time for us to leave. Kenny and the kids had time to eat it, though. He said it was good, but I didn't trust his opinion by that time and made Ceara eat some and tell me. I tried a small bite, and it was OK, but not spectacular. I had told Ceara earlier that day that it was probably dumb to try new recipes out on guests... but hey. It looked good. Oh, well, he survived. ;) But I sure did have a lot of leftovers.

Jeff and I took him to a local comedy club Saturday night and afterwards we went out and shot some pool. The comedian was great - we were laughing all night! It has been a while since I've played pool, but I didn't do too badly. I even won one of the 4 games we played. Although, Kenny was a little blind because the one pair of contacts he brought were torn. Yet he still managed to beat me 3 times. I guess that doesn't say much for my ability! lol I just need practice, dang it. I want a pool table at my house...

On Sunday, he got exposed to my family at Sunday dinner. Dinner was at my aunt's house on that Sunday because... well, because she does that every once in a while to give Grandma a break from cooking. Also, it was her grandson's birthday.

He did better than some others who have gone, we can be an overwhelming bunch. He was quiet, but he did participate in the conversation a little bit. I tried to get him to go through the food line with me (we all just line up and go through the kitchen filling our plates) but he said, "I'll wait til everyone else is done." He soon figured out that it wasn't really going to die down for a while, so he did finally go through and get some food. We sat around and talked for a bit, then I took him on a drive through my hometown. That took all of 5 seconds and we went home.

We got home and some of the neighborhood kids came over and played the Wii a bit. I believe it was very entertaining for him - laughing at the kids who were doing the hula hoop and ski jumps. It is funny to watch. I tried to tease him into getting on the board and doing the hula hoop, but he refused to embarass himself in front of everyone. I know he went home and ordered one for himself so he could do the hula hoop, too. ;)

I made Chicken and Noodles for dinner, and was planning an apple cake as well, for dessert. I had to run Jeff to get his rental car, so I started on it when I got back. I asked Allie to peel some apples for me, and Kenny said he would help too... and OMGosh, neither one of them know how to peel apples. It was comical watching them chip away at the apple's skin. Ceara joined in too, and I think she paid attention when I showed them how to peel apples before, so she was doing slightly better. I just left them to do it however they could.

They ended up peeling too many, so after I got the apple cake in the oven, I put together a pie with the remaining apples.

It was an uneventful night, Allie and Kenny listened to music while I cooked and cleaned up, Ceara had gone to her mom's for school the next day, and Conor was playing the Nintendo. We all just kinda hung out - the kids had school the next day, and Kenny was flying home the following morning as well. He started opening up a bit about what he really thought about some things... which was good! lol

So, Monday morning everyone went off to school and I took Kenny to the airport. That would be AFTER I froze him to death the night before because someone (and I don't know who!) opened the windows on Sunday because it was nice, and someone forgot to close the window in the bedroom NEXT to the one he was staying in, and it got really cold that night. He didn't want to wake me up to get him another blanket... and I forgot to show him where the extras were - right inside the closet of the bedroom he was in.

He said he had a good time and would like to come back sometime, but that he will drive the next time so he's not trapped there with the crazy people, and just come for a short weekend. He may have been just being polite... but I do think he had fun while he was here. We loved having him, and everyone had a good time while he was here.

One of the reasons he came in the first place was to have some home cooked food. I'm not sure I did so well in that area, because even though he said he liked stuff... I don't think he really did. He did like the crash hot potatoes, though. He might have liked the chocolate sheet cake, but... I'm not really sure on the desserts. He didn't eat whole pieces of any of the desserts. He claimed to be full or something, but said it was delicious. Same thing for the apple pie. And the apple cake. He took a small apple cake home with him, but... he could have done that out of politeness and dumped it in the airport trash before his plane took off. Hmmmmm. I mean really? How could you not like Chocolate Sheet Cake? I could understand the apple stuff, he might not be an apple person. But... *sigh* Jeff would say he's an alien if he doesn't like chocolate.

Guess we'll see if he really comes back for another visit. Once he gets more comfortable with us he will feel OK saying, "I don't like this."

He did give me a bit of honesty and said he didn't love the corn casserole... which, you know... is every one's favorite thing ever when I make it for other people. He said it was "OK" but not his favorite. So with that comment, I question his taste in general!

I'm sure I will get a comment on this post from him when he reads it - although not in the comment section! He will just email me. :)

No, I didn't get swallowed by my closet

I've just been busy and haven't really taken the time to sit down and write stuff. We also survived our visit with our internet visitor. We had a great time, it was a busy weekend. Jeff and I were fairly certain that he would be bored out of his mind while here, but he says he had fun. Of course, he could be just being polite.

I'll write more later about all that, just wanted to let you know that I was still here! :)

Quick Update

Conor does not have strep again, he has a sinus infection. His doctor did recommend us to an ENT, though. So, I will be making that appointment soon.

And I finished his room finally since I was home yesterday. My living room is back to normal, and his room looks pretty good, if I do say so myself.

Now I have about... 8 or 10 boxes full of stuff sitting near my front door to be gotten rid of. Amvets will be here later this month, and my aunt is also going to take some of it to a local women's shelter.

So, things are looking up! :)

Tonight? I'm going to tackle my closet. If you don't hear from me for a while, you might want to stop by my house and check to see if I'm still stuck in there.

Ha! I'm only kidding. It's not that bad. Shouldn't take but an hour or so. I just have to get in the mind frame of... I'm really never going to wear that again. It will never be back in style and it will never look good on me no matter what I think of it on a hanger. :)

My Baby

Conor has been sick for the majority of the year this year. And quite a bit of the last months of last year. He has had strep throat 2 times so far this year, and quite possibly has it for the third time now.

He finished his medication from the last bout with it about 3 days ago. And then he started with this cough. Other than the cough and the stuffy nose, he seemed fine. I gave him cough medicine and cough drops to try to lessen it, but it didn't work that great.

So, today I went to pick him up from the daycare after work and they told me that he wasn't feeling well. That he hadn't eaten lunch, just laid his head down and said he didn't feel good. I'm not sure why they didn't call me to pick him up, other than they thought he wasn't as bad as he became. We got home and he went straight to Allie's room and fell asleep. I stayed in the living room still working on the pile. I am making progress, but that halted when he came out of Allie's room a little bit later crying.

His head hurt, and his stomach hurt. So, I went to get him some Pepto Bismol to settle his stomach. I handed it to him with some water and went to get some cough medicine for him as well. As soon as I walked out of the room he spit the Pepto Bismol on the floor, and into the sink. He said when it hit his throat, he couldn't swallow it.

So, I looked at his throat, and the left side is swollen, again, pretty badly. Like all the way to the middle of his throat.

He was hungry and asked for some strawberries. I tried to talk him out of it because I didn't think he could swallow them. He begged, and I felt bad for him, so I cut one up to see if he could swallow it. He did. So I gave him like... three cut up. He ate them all and then asked for some oranges. Fruit is supposed to be good for you, right?!?! He ate some oranges too.

He was laying in my bed and said his eyebrow hurt (which is code for a headache) so I went to get him something for that (I hadn't given him any medicine up to that point). I walked back in with the medicine to find that he had thrown up three times. Twice on the floor, once on my bed. RED and ORANGE.

Lovely.

Sorry for being so descriptive, but... just sharing my pain.

He went to the bathroom, then we got him in the shower and brushed his teeth. I cleaned up what I could of the mess in my room, and got him out of the shower and into bed. Where he fell asleep. I never did give him any medicine, seems I always got distracted from it.

Anyway, so off to the doctor tomorrow again.

I don't know why he is getting so sick so often this year, but I am getting worried. I've been giving him vitamins (Flinstone) and making him eat better, and I'm not sure what else to do. =\

On top of that, I've just about used all my sick days this year so far, and I'm sure my boss is getting a little peeved with me at this point. I've never called in so much! I hope that is in my favor that he knows me and that this isn't normal.

Hope you are all staying healthy out there!

Coffee

I love coffee. I love cappuccino, mocha, espressos. French Vanilla, Caramel, White Mocha. Mmmmmm.

I also love coffee mugs. Not your normal, every day ones, but colorful and unusual ones. It's kinda the only collection I have. I don't do nick knacks. Or other things that people collect. But I do love coffee cups/mugs/whatever you call them.

Here are some examples:

I have this painting hanging in my kitchen. I bought it at the Cafe-a-go-go before they closed their doors and broke my heart. I still miss that daily coffee! I've never been able to replicate it!

Here are some of my mugs. The one in the middle was given to me by Naomi for Christmas. There is a set of them, as well as plates to match.

The one on the left we got as a reminder of our trip to New Orleans many years ago. I want to go back there someday!

Here are my more unusual ones. The one on the left in the front there is another one from New Orleans. I love it! The two with the crazy colors and the balls for the base? Those were a gift to me from a coworker. They were an out of the blue, gift sitting on my desk when I arrived one day. It was not a holiday or my birthday so I didn't know what it was for. She bought them because she knew I wanted them. We had gone shopping during lunch one day and she saw me admiring them. I don't buy many things for myself (and they were a little pricey for a cup anyway) so she bought them for me. Totally made my day. There are dots on the inside of them too, you can see that in a second.

This is another one that I admired for many months before breaking down and buying it for myself. I couldn't not have it... it is beautiful. And those bricks on it? You can feel the texture of them in the cup.

As for the handles you see, those are the handles of measuring spoons...

Coffee measuring spoons. And they have little hooks to hang them up, but I haven't done that yet. Maybe some day...

And finally, the mug on the right is my coffee cup each day. Hee hee. Not really. It is a planter I found over the weekend that I fell in love with! Beside it is one of the mugs from my cabinet - so that you can see the size difference. And you can see the dots on the inside of that cup.

I bought the planter to transfer a plant that was given to me when my brother died. It has been on my table for 2 1/2 years in the same little plastic planter that it came in. I saw this one and I had to get it.

I transferred the peace lily plant yesterday, but I didn't get any pictures of it. I was too busy working on that mess you see in the picture below.

I would have after pictures of my living room without the mess in it... but, ummm. I'm not quite done yet. Hey! It was a bit harder than I thought. I have made progress, and it will be done no later than Thursday. I have other things I'm working on as well. Laundry. And I have to feed the kids and dog. Which makes dishes to do.

Plus, I need someone who does not remember when he got certain toys, and who gave them to him... heck he was having an easier time saying "get rid of" than I was.

Ugh. Where are those Clean Sweep people when you need them?

Weekend Project

We are doing a Clean Sweep on Conor's room today. And by we, I mean me. ;) It is amazing (and embarrassing) how much stuff was in his room. Conor has helped me to move it all into the living room. We did not sort, we did not neatly stack things, we simply went in his room and got an armful of stuff and took it and placed it in a pile on the living room floor. All of it. In drawers, in the closet, on the floor, on the shelves. Everything. Except for his actual clothes which I will go through after we are done with the toys.

Here is what my living room looks like right now.

Yikes! Everything except for his clothes and bed. We are just going to go through it, one piece at a time and decide "keep" or "get rid of" and will be donating the get rid of pile to someone. A local woman's shelter will probably get the majority of it. And Amvets - they happened to call yesterday and are doing a pick up in our area later this month. And possibly a couple of others.

At least 75% of this stuff will not be going back into his room.

Wish me luck. I need it, I'm running out of steam as I type this.

More Random Rambling

Do you ever look at something and think, "I would like one of those!" Then your birthday or Christmas rolls around and someone asks you what you want and your mind just goes blank. "Uhhh, I don't know. I don't really need or want anything, so ... just pick out whatever if you want to get me something." (This is usually to my mom or my sister.)

Or you find yourself with a little extra mad money that someone gave you because you couldn't think of anything, and you spend it on your kids or on underwear or socks. Something that isn't really a treat.

I do this ALL. THE. TIME. And I can remember wanting something, and thinking "I'll tell my mom this if she asks" but I can't remember what it is!

I have, however, gotten gift cards from someone with SPECIFIC instructions to get something I REALLY want, and that I have to report to her what I bought for MYSELF. It took me about 2 months to find something that fit that bill. But I did finally get a rug for my living room that is colorful and serves a great purpose - covering up all the stains that won't come out of the carpet. Hey. I have kids you know? And a dog. Stains are just a part of my life.

Anyway... I finally remembered something that I have wanted for a while. So, since my birthday is so far away and I will forget by then... I think I'll get it for Jeff for his birthday. His is just 25 days away. I could go get it now and just hide it in the dishwasher or something. Some place he won't ever look.

Ok, Ok, I'm just KIDDING! He looks in there sometimes when the clean dishes don't get put away and that is the only place to find a spoon. Because all the other ones are dirty. Or lost somewhere. I swear, my small spoons are disappearing. I can wash them all one day, and the very next day the silverware slot for little spoons will be empty and there are only like... 3 in the sink. Where did the other 10 go that were there yesterday? *shrug*

This year is flying by - in just a few days it will be March. It seems like Christmas was just last week for Pete's sake. (Anyone know who Pete is?)

Exactly one week from today, we are going to have a visitor. A friend that Jeff and I met on... the internet. *gasp* I really don't think he's an axe murderer, otherwise I wouldn't have invited him to come visit us and meet us in person. I've talked to him for a little over 2 years on a game we all play together online. He will be getting home this Saturday - he is in the Navy and has been on a cruise ship for the last 7 months.

His deployment was originally supposed to be 6 months, but it was extended a month. I have been in contact with him via email for all of his trip, and I know how excited he is to be coming home.

I'm still not sure what we are going to do with him while he's here, other than feed him. He got food poisoning on the ship and was sick for a few days, and the food there is probably a lot like school food. Not all that appetizing. So he didn't eat well while he's been gone. So, of course I feel bad for him and want to feed him some real food. I really think that's the only reason he's coming to visit - he wants some good home cooked food. Why else would he want to come and see two old people... or wait. ONE old person (Jeff) and one not quite so old person?

I do think it will be fun to have him here for a weekend. I have a few things in mind, but we will probably just wing it. See what we feel like doing when he is here.

Yet another rambling, subject to subject post with no pictures. I don't know what is wrong with me! At least I did post a couple of pictures before doing it again.

The Kids

I haven't been taking many pictures, and I need to correct that because I need to post more pictures! My posts have been long, rambling, boring posts. So, to break it up a bit, I found a couple of pictures that I don't think I have shared with you.

The first one is of Ceara and Conor. Can't tell they are related, can you? This was in the summer when they were both sporting nice tans.

And here is Allie and her best friend, Chrissy. They look like they are related too, but they are not. Allie has a knack for finding friends who look like her.

I will try to take more pictures to post!

Tequila Sunrise

WHAT DOES YOUR MUSIC LIBRARY SAY ABOUT YOU?

This is a meme that The Daily Rant did and I figured it fit into my previous post about music, so why not do it? :) I have 400 songs on my iPod, so it will be interesting to see which ones pop up randomly. And I'm SURE that the answers will be crazy, but... that makes it fun too.

* Put your iPod or mp3 player on SHUFFLE.
* For each question, press the next button to get your answer (no cheating!!).
* You must write down song/artist even if it doesn't make sense.
* Include any comments in parenthesis.
* Post the list on your blog with #25 as your blog post title.
* Tag people in other blogs. (I'm not tagging anyone, but please feel free to do your list here in comment or on your own blog. Just let me know about it so I can come read!)

1. What do your friends say about you? Higher - Creed

2. How would your coworkers describe you? Fallen - Sarah McLachlan

3. How would you describe yourself? Tuesday's Gone - Lynyrd Skynyrd

4. What do you like in a romantic partner? I Don't Have to Try - Avril Lavigne

5. How do you feel today? The Storm - Garth Brooks (I'm actually having a pretty good day so far!)

6. What is your life’s purpose? Too Far This Time - Toby Keith

7. What is your motto? Hysteria - Def Leppard

8. What do you think about the most? With Arms Wide Open - Creed

9. What are you going to do on your next vacation? Thicker Than Blood - Garth Brooks (I don't know this song...)

10. What do you think of your first love/date? Paper Bag - Ana Nalick (Over his head? Heehee)

11. What is your life story? Cowgirl's Saddle - Garth Brooks (I don't know this one either! And OK, I just listened to it for a couple of seconds and I just have to say that Garth Brooks singing parts of this in Spanish? Weird.)

12. What did you do yesterday? Let Me Be Myself - 3 Doors Down

13. What do you think of when you see the person you like/love? Black Water - The Doobie Brothers (I do love this song, but... it doesn't make me think of Jeff!)

14. What describes your wedding? (I’m not married, but I’ll do it anyway) Round & Around - Alana Davis

15. What will they play at your funeral? These Boots Were Made for Walkin' - Jessica Simpson. (Although I would like to say it was Nancy Sinatra's version, it wasn't available when I downloaded the song! And I do like this version because it has a good beat. Although, I don't like the way she sings some parts of it. I almost cheated and skipped past this song. But I couldn't do it!)

16. What is your obsession? Take the Keys to My Heart - Garth Brooks (OMG! How many times will he come up? I do love Garth, but... this isn't a fair shuffling. Humph. Also, this is another song I don't know!)

17. What is your biggest fear? Don't Stop Dancing - Creed

18. What is your biggest secret? Are You Ready - Creed (Seriously, how is this a shuffle? I have like... 20 Creed songs out of 400 and it comes up this many times in a shuffle?)

19. What is your biggest turn-on? Girl Like That - Matchbox 20 (LOL!)

20. How do you describe your friends? One Last Breath - Creed

21. What would you do with a million dollars? Something to Believe In - Poison

22. What is your opinion of sex? How You Ever Gonna Know - Garth Brooks

23. What is your biggest regret? Armageddon It - Def Leppard

24. What would you rather be doing right now? Turtle - Alana Davis

25. What will you post this list as? Tequila Sunrise - Eagles

As I did this, I didn't even read the questions... I am amazed that so many Garth Brooks and Creed songs came up though. I think the most of any one group I have on here is the Eagles. I have... 5 or 6 of their CDs on my iPod. Some of the songs I don't even know, they are just on CDs that I bought and I just added the whole CD. Some of the answers are funny, though. I was tempted to cheat, but I didn't. Just random fun stuff.

If you wanna do it, do it. I don't do tags! I don't have that many readers! And many of them don't have blogs anyway.

This, that, and a bowl of horse shoes (WHAT?!?!)

LOL Silly title, but since I think this post will be about several different subjects, all with a point(!), I just made a random title.

I was thinking a lot about how it is that we start liking certain music and hating certain music. There are all sorts of different music tastes in this world and I don't quite know why one person loves rap music, while their next door neighbor hates it. Some people love country, some hate it. I like a large variety of music, but a lot of people don't like the stuff I listen to, either.

So, I was trying to figure out why I like what I like. I like songs where I can actually hear what the person is signing - understanding what they are saying. If it is about a topic that I don't like... well then, I don't like the song. I like certain beats, different sounds. And my mood is what determines what I listen to most of the time.

I find myself listening to classic rock music the majority of the time now. I feel like a lot of my music likes from my parents. My dad was in a band in High School and continued his music career until just a few years ago or so. His band played classic/southern rock. CCR, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers, just to name a few. I grew up going to watch his band play, or sitting in his living room during band practice. I thought then, and I still think, that he and his band were the best ever. I was always proud to go and see them and be able to say "that's my dad on the keyboard / harmonica." The drummer in his band bore a great resemblance to and shared the same first name with Alabama's lead singer - Randy Owen.

He and his band played every year at a town festival called River Days. They were the main attraction and we always got to go with him. We got to stand on the stage with them when they were setting up - our friends were very jealous. And all of our girl friends thought my dad was hot. Or a fox as it was termed back then. I was always... ewwww. Hello? That's my dad.

I was in the car with Allie earlier this week flipping around stations and I came across a harmonica playing. My very first thought was of my dad. It was always amazing to me to listen to him play the harmonica.

I also like country music as well. That I attribute to my step-dad, Jack. He listens to country music all the time. And I grew to like it as well. He always whistles along to the music when you are riding with him. Or even when he's listening out in the garage while he does something. Jack has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. While he does have quite a reputation of being ... ummm, someone you didn't want to mess with when he was younger(story in a second), I think he out grew that. But he is certainly someone I would want on my side in a fight. Good thing he was always on my side. :) He would help someone in a heartbeat. He is a very good man, and I love him very much. I know I can always count on him if I need something.

We used to wrestle on the living room floor when I was a kid. And I mean wrestle. I was such a tom-boy when I was little. Not that I'm any different now... but anyway. That's beside the point. What was my point again? Oh... memory lane so to speak. I do have a point to this post!

Jack always had a change jar where he threw all of his pocket change when he was going to bed at night. I loved to count it for him. He would always let me keep any money that didn't equal a dollar when it was all said and done. Like... If I got $50.93? I got to keep the 93 cents. And somehow it was always close to a dollar that I got. :) NO I DID NOT CHEAT! I honestly got 90something cents extra almost every time.

OK, now for the story about Jack. My daughter, Allie, is as close to Jack as I was growing up. He is Poppy to my kids. I do believe Allie has him wrapped around her little finger. Anyway! She was out with her church talking to people and apparently she started talking to someone who was asking her about her relatives that he might know. (Small town, a lot of people know your parents or grandparents from school.) She mentioned Jack and he said, "Oh, yeah... I remember him. He wasn't really anyone you wanted to mess with when we were growing up. Him or his family." Yeah, he was a trouble maker. Big time. He has told me stories... but I won't go there today.

And the main stream pop music, of course, is what I listened to with my friends. The big haired 80s bands we used to swoon over. My best friend had a car without a stereo in it, so we used to ride around singing whatever we felt like. A lot of time it was Randy Travis - "Well, there's my easy chair, just sittin' there. I've spent a lot of time..."

I also like "Oldies" music.

But what is it about music that makes some people like some stuff, and other people not like that same stuff. I always expect people to like what I listen to, although I might not like what they listen to. Why do I hate head banging rock where the lead singer screams the lyrics? Yet obviously someone likes them or they wouldn't be played on the radio.

I find classic rock is what I prefer most now because it seems mellow to me and it sooths me. Most of it brings back memories. I can remember certain things because of music. They say smell is what triggers most memories, but for me, I think music triggers more memories.

OK, all this and I'm not really going to finish this post the way I thought I would. I have a couple of more posts that will follow this one that will tie back to this, but I don't want to bore you all at once.

What kind of music do you listen to? Does music conjure up memories for you as well? I also find that I like music that other people like. There have been songs that I don't like, then if a friend likes it, I will give it a chance and more often than not I will start to like it too. So tell me what songs are your favorites. I'll give them a listen. :)

One sided conversation

At least once a week when I pick Conor up he asks to go to my mom's house. I usually make him call and ask her. Not because I mind asking, but because if she says no then I'm not the bad guy. For some reason, if I tell the kids someone said no they think I'm the one saying no and they don't take it so well. They pout. But if it is someone else, they are fine with it. Maybe a little disappointed, but not too badly.

So, Tuesday night Conor asked to go to my moms. I handed him the phone and said, "I'll take you there, but you have to ask her if she will bring you home."

So, here was his side:

"Can I come over?

Will you pick me up? (When I heard this, I turned around and said, no, I'll take you, you need to ask if she will bring you home.)

I mean, will you bring me home if my mom drops me off?

Can we go to McDonalds?

Well, I don't like vegetable soup.

Do you have some macaroni and cheese?

Cheese pizza?

Spaghetti and Meatballs?

I can see if Grandma will make me something. (Mom lives right next door to Grandma)

Why did I just hear the door? Are you going somewhere?

I'm in Mom's car and she's driving to your house.

I'll be there soon. See you then. Bye."

I was laughing the whole time.

The Associate by John Grisham

I love John Grisham. He is one of my all time favorite authors. I buy his books on the day they are released, as I believe I have said in previous posts. So, this book was no exception. I counted the days until its release. I went and got it on my lunch hour from work. I started it and I put. it. down.

Although I loathe to say anything negative about him, I had a really hard time reading this book. I actually just finished it over the weekend - unheard of for me to take so long to read a Grisham book. For me, personally, this book was a disappointment. I could see what he was trying to do, BUT. To me, he made the lead character look like an idiot.

*Spoilers!* (nothing major, just a little bit of detail)

The lead character is graduating at the top of his class from YALE LAW SCHOOL. He is the Editor of the Yale Law Journal (or whatever it's called), and is supposed to be an intelligent person. So, how in the world does someone who is that smart allow himself to be blackmailed with a video that shows two of his friends / roommates engaging in questionable activity? He is not even in the video when the questionable activity happens, but according to one of their sources is passed out in a chair during this video.

Hello? Seriously? We are supposed to believe that a relatively intelligent person would let himself be blackmailed with that? The whole premise of the blackmailer is "ruining his reputation" even if he wasn't one of the participants.

So, that just totally ruined the book for me. I can't believe in a stupid lead character. And there wasn't much of a resolution at the end, either.

Let me state again, I love Grisham. So, this book will not in any way deter me from going out on the next book release date and getting the latest book. This is really the first book of his that I didn't like, but I still read it.

Did anyone else read it? U2Bwb? What are your thoughts?

Jeff's New Job

A lot of you already know, but for those who don't... Jeff got a new job recently, this is his second week. Back in January, he did a 2 day assignment as a contractor for a local service provider. The assignment was to go to a customer site with three other techs (in Cincinnati) and do a data transfer using some new method developed specifically for this customer. I don't know all the detail, but the data transfer went well.

Then Jeff got another offer of employment for two projects for my employer. One was Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm and the second one was Friday night 4PM to disconnect a bunch of computers and inventory them for a move, then returning on Saturday morning to the new site at 9AM to reconnect them.

And then the other service provider called him to offer him a 2 1/2 month assignment because the initial data transfer went well, and the customer was happy with it, they wanted them to do all their sites across the US. They wanted 3 teams of people to travel to these sites, with one team lead, to do the transfers at the sites. Jeff was their #1 choice (I think out of about 20ish techs? I forget). Of the customer's, of the developer, whoever - they wanted him to be one of the team leads and travel to a bunch of places to supervise the data transfers. They would pay him an hourly rate, with a minimum of 32 hours / week, plus all expenses. Provide him with plane tickets, hotel, and rental car and give him an American Express to pay for his other expenses as well.

He struggled with the decision. First because he would have to quit the projects he was on, and he didn't really want to do that to the company I work for. And also because he is still attending courses at a local school on Monday and Wednesday evenings. The traveling would be done on Sunday, returning on Wednesday, so he would not make his classes. In addition to that, he is still taking online college courses. So, he is a very busy man at the moment. He spoke to his teacher and arranged to make up the classes on Thursdays and Fridays. And he took the job. He is still doing the Friday night / Saturday morning job for my company, though.

So, right now? He is in Florida. Enjoying 80 degree weather while staying in a very nice hotel. Last week was just Cleveland, OH, and he drove there. Next week it's Nashville, TN. He will also be going to Phoenix, AZ; and ... heck I forget all the places. I'll try to list them as he goes, though.

Meanwhile, at home... Conor misses his Dad. Every day he asks me when he will be home. I'm just not good enough. lol Well, he did spend a lot of time with Jeff over the last year while Jeff was unemployed. So I guess he's kinda used to him.

And, not being a morning person AT ALL, I'm still trying to get used to having to get Conor up and to SafeCare each morning so I can get to work. Since it is not on the way to work, it is taking me a bit longer each morning in drive time. Then pick him up after work - I don't really like him having such a long day away from home (SafeCare to school, back to SafeCare til 5:30ish). It's only temporary though.

Jeff is finally getting some experience! :) Although these jobs are temporary, we are hoping they will lead to something else. For now, though, he is very busy. Working two jobs (one with travel) AND trying to keep up with two schools as well. And homework. And working in time for his family. But it's only for a couple of months, so we can survive it! Besides, he had a year to rest up for this!

Hope all of you are happy and well!

Inconsiderate People

I stop at McDonalds every morning to get my coffee. Because to me, paying that $1 is so worth it because I don't have to take the time to make it, and it tastes a lot better. Let's face it, I am NOT a morning person and every second is needed for other things in the morning. If I were to say, get up earlier than necessary instead of hitting snooze a couple of times, I might possibly enjoy a nice cup of coffee while I'm waking up. But instead, I enjoy those extra two 9 minutes of sleep. And I stop and get my coffee at McDonalds because the coffee at work? I'd have to be EXTREMELY desperate to drink that sorry excuse for coffee.

Anyway, back to the irritating person of the day. The guy who, right after he placed his order, drove forward one car length and got out of his car and started scraping his windows. And took his sweet time about it. When I pulled up, there was not one car in front of him and he was still scraping away. Like he couldn't have done that in a parking space before placing his order? There was no hurry to his scraping. There was no "I'm sorry" guilty look to the people behind him who had already ordered but couldn't move forward because he was sitting there.

What. A. JERK.

I wonder if there are enough irritating, inconsiderate people to have a weekly post about them. lol Sadly, I think it could be a daily post. =\ But I'm not turning my blog into that. So maybe I will go for weekly.

Hula Hoop

Our Wii has a Hula Hoop game. It's really fun! And funny to watch. Here is Conor trying to do it.

Please ignore the various toys laying on the ground. And the annoying sound of my voice - it sounds so loud! I should not talk on these things.

Snow Day!!!

We all got a snow day today - Conor got one Monday since there was a 2 hour delay and he's in morning kindergarten. Allie and Conor were both off yesterday, and Jeff, Allie, Conor and I are ALL off today. We are currently under a Level 3 snow advisory and cannot go anywhere. Not that we want to, we are all snug and warm in the house. It's not just snow though. We got... ummmm I think 3 or 4 inches of snow yesterday. When I came home from work yesterday, it was an ice storm. The ice continued to fall until I went to sleep, and was still falling this morning when I got up. Now it has changed back to snow and they are predicting another 4 inches or so.

Here is the view out my front door. There is a street there, but you can barely see where people have traveled on it.

Here is the bush right outside my door - you can see the ice on some of the branches:

Here is the view from my back door:

And a picture of my shed:

It doesn't really look so bad in the pictures, but it's the ice that is causing the most problems I think.

We are all just laying around in our PJ's today. I made a big breakfast - sausage, scrambled eggs, biscuits, gravy, hash browns - and we are all enjoying our day off.

And I have a book to read. :) The one I have been waiting for finally came out yesterday! John Grisham's new one - The Associate. I also have some cleaning out of toys I could do... but that just doesn't sound appealing right now. ;)

Hope you are all safe and warm!!

A Saturday Afternoon with the Kids

So, Barb had this crazy wonderful idea to give us a family gift this year for Christmas to force us to spend some quality time together as a family. She must have been out of her mind known that with two teenage girls and a 6 year old, there isn’t a whole lot that they all LIKE to do together, so she came up with something for us all!

For Christmas, she gave us all gift certificates to a book store – as well as some money to use to go out to eat before or after the shopping. Perfect because 4 of the 5 of us love to read, and the one who doesn’t can still get a CD or game – they have a lot more than books at book stores now!

So, we decided to go last Saturday because Jeff was starting a new job that would have him working on Saturdays for at least the next 9 weeks. So, two Saturdays ago, we all piled in the truck and headed south to the book store. We decided on Applebee’s for lunch, and then onto the bookstore that was just down the road.

Once at Applebee’s, we became THAT family. The one that goes in and doesn’t like the place that the hostess seats us at. (Not me, I was fine with where she took us!) So, Jeff asked, “Can we sit in a booth?” Well, you know… booths aren’t really made for 5 people, but since the 5th person is little, we can kinda make it work. Unless that 5th person insists on sitting with Mom and Dad and not with his sisters. So, it was a little snug, but we managed.

Conor and Jeff spent a lot of time looking around the restaurant at the paraphernalia hanging on the walls and pointing out different things of interest. Then I heard a song and it was one I liked, but it was from a few years back and I couldn’t remember who sang it. So I asked Jeff.

“I don’t know, ask the waitress.”

So, I did. She didn’t remember either, so she went to ask someone else and returned with an answer.

After she left Jeff said, “We should tell her that her tip depends on her knowledge of the music being played – for every one we ask that she gets right, it is a dollar. If she misses, it goes down a dollar.” “Uhhhh, no.”

So, she comes back and he tells her that! She was fun though, and she tried to play along. Conor assured her that his dad was, “Just joking.”

At one point she didn’t know one and I mouthed the answer to her so she would get it right – Jeff totally didn’t see me do it, but now he will know.

Then Jeff would quiz Allie and Ceara about them as well. There were a lot of old songs played, nothing really recent, but when one song came on, I was sure that Allie would know it.

“Allie, you know who sings this song, right?”

“Ummm, let me listen.” *pause* “No.”

“WHAT?! Seriously? I am SO telling Poppy on you. I can’t believe you haven’t been exposed to them. Starts with the letter at the end of the alphabet…”

I forget what she guessed, but it started with an X.

“Ummm, hello? You don’t know what letter is at the end of the alphabet?”

Then she guessed something else that started with a Z, but it wasn’t correct.

“Poppy looks like them a bit with his beard…”

Nothing. Blank stare.

“ZZ Top, duh!”
“I don’t know who they are…”

“OMG! I really am telling Poppy on you. I can’t believe you don’t know who ZZ Top is.”

I know she is young, and they are old… but I have gone to great lengths to torture expose her older music and make sure she has a little bit of taste in music. Like Lynyrd Skynyrd. And the Eagles. And Bob Seger. Stuff I make her listen to all the time in my car. And I KNOW that Jack (Poppy) also subjects her to older music. And she has done fairly well in picking up on it, and actually liking it.

And then it started. “What time are we going to be home?”

"Ummm, I don’t know, we are just relaxing and enjoying ourselves. We aren’t really on a time schedule.”

“Well, I’m supposed to go to the movies tonight.” (This was Ceara.)

“Yeah, we should be home in plenty of time for the 7 o’clock movie.”

“But I wanted to go to the 5 o’clock.”

“And I want to go to Chrissy’s” (Allie)

Sheesh! Guess it is too much to ask that two teenagers spend a whole afternoon with their parents!

“Well, we can’t help you. You didn’t tell us your plans, and we made plans, and we’re not rushing. This is supposed to be fun.”

Conor wanted dessert and so he got some chocolate thing (surprise) and the girls were squirming in their seats with impatience.

We finally left the restaurant, much to our server’s delight, and went onto the book store. As soon as we went in, everyone went a different way. Jeff went to look at DVDs initially, Allie went straight for the books, Ceara went to the games, and I chased after Conor, who went off on his own and gave his mom an anxiety attack while she was searching for him.

I found him within a couple of min and he announced, “I’ve already been to the kids section and there isn’t anything in there I want.”

Then he saw a display of stuffed animals and immediately wanted one of those. As if he doesn’t already have 100 stuffed animals taking up space in his room. However, it was his gift card to spend as he wanted, so I told him he could carry it around with him while we looked at other things. Hoping that I would be able to convince him to get something else.

We looked at books, games, movies, and he did not decide on anything else. Then we met up with Jeff, who had gotten a book on CD (Bill Bryson’s Shakespeare: The World as Stage), so I left Conor with Jeff while I went off to search for something for myself.

While looking, I ran into Ceara who had decided to get a Rubix Cube game, and said that she was just going to hang out with me while I looked. Then we ran into Allie who had found 3 books to buy. They both went to pay for their purchases, while I continued to look. Then Jeff and Conor walked up and Conor was done as well. Conor had found a magic kit that he wanted, in addition to getting the dog.

The girls wanted to go wait in the car for us, so Jeff handed them the keys and they took Conor with them to go sit in the truck. Jeff and I walked around together for a little while, and then he went off on his own. I looked all over the store and I was feeling a bit rushed and decided that I didn’t want to get anything that day. Sorry, Barb! I participated, I just figured I would be better off waiting until the book I want comes out, or having the time and no pressure to look around for myself.

So, I started looking for Jeff. I walked the whole store a few times looking for him. I even hovered outside the men’s room to see if he came out. I finally decided to just go outside and see if he was in the truck. Sure enough, he was. They were all sitting there waiting on me, so I just climbed in the truck and we were off.

Jeff opened his new book and put a CD in, while the girls sat in the back listening to their iPods. Conor took a little nap on the ride home, so he was a bit groggy when we got there. Jeff was volunteered to take the girls to their social events, and Conor and I went into the house to practice his magic tricks.

He was seriously disappointed that it wasn’t really “magic” and that he was unable to make things really disappear by buying this little box. However, he did enjoy finding out how to trick people into thinking it was magic. We went through the books and he practiced a few to try out on his dad.

He was never really a good secret keeper. He always tells on himself whenever he does something he isn’t supposed to do (like eat a piece of candy before dinner or whatever), so after each trick and his dad being amazed, he had to show him how it was done.

He said he was just going to tell his mom and dad because he didn’t want to keep secrets from us! I wonder how long that will last? I’m betting not very long.

We had a fun day, though! I would like, just once, to take a tape recorder or something with us when we do these outings. We always laugh a lot. Usually at Jeff because we all gang up on him, but still… it is fun. Although I didn’t get a book, I am getting one next week. When John Grisham’s new book comes out. That will give me something to read for a day. Or maybe two since it is a work day.

Thank you Barb! We did have a lot of fun despite my teasing at the beginning! :) I have just figured out how to do the strikeout through words. After all these years of blogging... lol Everyone enjoyed the food, and the afternoon together.

Phone Call

"Will you do me a favor?"

"Sure."

"Look up Nautica White Sail and see if it is a man or woman's cologne."

"OKaaayyyy, why?"

"Because I took Conor shopping to spend some of his birthday money and he bought this cologne. I've sprayed it on both of us and it smells a little... flowery to me. Kinda like a woman's perfume."

LOL!

"Sooooo, you smell like a woman now?"

"It's NOT funny! You're going to blog about this aren't you?"

"Wellllll... maybe."

I looked it up, and it does say that it is a man's cologne, so they are in the clear - no perfume wearing men around here! But the doubt that was there was funny and I HAD to tell you about it.

I don't think Jeff wears it anymore though. And he's going to probably yell at me when he reads this. But... I need some funny material! Or actually, I just need to remember the stuff to write it down.

Morning Madness

This morning started out fairly well, as in I got up earlier than I needed to, but it turned out that I needed that extra time. And a little bit more than that. I had to take Conor to his daycare this morning because Jeff had to be at work at 7am.

So, I thought I was doing well because I had all our cloths set out and ready, had Conor's lunch packed and ready, and all was looking good. Then Allie called from her bus to tell me that she was rushing to get to the bus stop on time and she fell in a neighbor's back yard and she thinks she lost her iPod. She wanted me to go look for it, so I told her if I had time I would. She said it was across the street, behind the first house to the left.

So, I went out to start my car while Conor finished getting dressed and I walked across the street and tried to see her footprints in the snow to find where she had fallen. It was dark, and I was freezing - tears running down my face from the cold - so I looked for a few minutes and then gave up. I couldn't imagine what the neighbors would have thought had they woken up and looked out the window to find me walking around in their yard. I also thought with the shoes I had on, I was likely to fall in the snow as well and I just didn't want that to happen.

While I was walking home it occurred to me that the "first house on the left" could have been the one at the end of the street. So I figured I would stop there as I left.

I went back inside and finished getting Conor ready and got our things together and walked out the door. I stopped at the last house and got out, with Conor (because he said he has GREAT eyesight and could find it even though it was dark) to look for the place she fell. I finally saw it almost at the top of his yard, where the small hill began. We went up to look and didn't see anything at first - but then I saw it finally. Hard to see a small silver square in the white snow when it was dark outside. Again I felt weird being in someone else's yard.

I brushed the snow off as we walked back to the car and started on the way to the daycare. It's only about 10 minutes away, but it is 10 minutes in the opposite direction of my work, so about 30 min extra is what I needed and I was already running a bit close.

Half way there I realized I forgot the security card that I needed to get in. They frowned upon always knocking on the door to get let in when they gave us all cards. But I figured I would just explain. Then I noticed that I forgot to bring his lunch box. Gah. I had to turn around and go back to the house.

So, it was a busy, rushed morning, but I was only 5 minutes late to work so it wasn't too bad.

And today is THE day - the making of history. The day our new President gets sworn into office. This is a day that most people will remember where they were when this happened. I wish I could say I was somewhere other than at work. Trying to watch the inauguration on the live video stream from MSN on my work computer is proving difficult. It keeps freezing up. Less than an hour away now. :)

Hope everyone is having a great day!

Freezing!!!

I knew we were going to pay for that summer-like weather in fall. This week has been very cold. Like below zero cold. So, this morning, when Jeff got up to get ready for his job (!! *yay*) and found that we had no water, it was certainly a DOH! moment.

Like we didn't learn our lesson 2 years ago when it happened. We were going to get heating tape for the pipe, or some sort of insulation for the part that is in the closet in our garage - the only part that is exposed - but, I guess we got side tracked. So, this morning? Frozen water pipes. Because it is Friday and Fridays just can't. be. easy.

So, he woke me up by saying, "Our pipes are frozen." That was way more effective at getting me out of bed than if my alarm had gone off. I got out of bed and immediately grabbed my space heater and headed to the garage with an extension cord. But not before tripping over 1,000 things on my way. Hey, I said I was out of bed, not awake. Jeff followed behind me, as I went into our UNINSULATED garage with no more than a T-shirt (sleeveless at that) and my underwear. Now THAT woke me up. I don't know the exact temperature, but outside it "felt like" (according to some random weatherman or person, or w/e) -25 F. While in the garage I proceeded to trip over a few more things before finally making it to the closet and putting the heater in there. I could have been muttering some words under my breath as well. As I was coming back in the house, I don't know if Jeff was laughing at me or not, but he said, "You are getting on my nerves already today - I could have done that, you can't even walk straight."

"Well, then quit following me around and don't talk to me!" No, I'm not Miss Sunshine in the mornings.

So, I was disoriented, didn't know what to do. I brushed my teeth with water from the tea kettle (haha we don't even drink tea! at least... I don't.), and set about finding clothes to wear. Then we discussed what we were going to do with the kids - they were all off school today and the girls are watching Conor since we don't have any sitters lined up. So, we couldn't just leave them at the house with no water.

Jeff said, "You want me to call my mom?"

"Well, no, she won't be awake at this time. She works late, and she's not a morning person." (You can thank me later, Barb.)

"I'll call my dad, then."

"Who is going to drive them to Mason? I'll call my mom, she's a morning person (used to be anyway)."

So, I called my mom... who was in bed. Sorry, Mom! Jeff was going to drop them off on his way to work. I went out to start my car and when I came back in, the water was running. About an hour after the space heater was turned on it. So, I called my mom and told her they wouldn't be coming after all.

This is the very first time the girls have kept Conor. I've only called once so far. Conor answered the phone and sounded a bit irritated that I was interrupting him playing a game with Ceara. So, I guess they are fine. ;)

It has been a very strange day today. Customers today so far... have been interesting. I'll write more about that later. Maybe. ;)

TGIF!!!

Read at your own risk. Not a fluffy, cheery post.

Empathy or sympathy - while they are similar, they are not really the same. Empathy is more like actually trying to put yourself in someone's shoes. Sympathy is like acknowledging someone's feelings - but not really trying to know what they are feeling. At least that is how I interpret the definitions.

I empathize with a lot of people. I try to put myself into their situation to experience what they are experiencing. Of course, I could never really know exactly what it is like, but that is why I have so much compassion for other people.

I see someone walking down the street with a back pack when it is very cold outside, and I want to know their story. I want to pick them up, feed them a hot meal, and talk to them. I don't do it of course. And I always feel sad that I didn't. The reasons for not doing it vary, but I still feel they are all "excuses" and I don't like them.

It saddens me that there is such a fear in helping people. I see people sitting at the end of the highway with signs. I give them money. I've heard the arguments that you shouldn't, and that just doesn't sit well with me. I don't care what they spend that money on, that is their decision to make. I did the right thing. No one will ever convince me otherwise. You never know how close we are all to being in their shoes.

This is also a big reason that when I read the newspaper I walk away with tears in my eyes over people I had never heard of until that day.

I don't really know if it is a good trait or a bad trait, I have been told by a lot of people that I am "too nice."

A boy who goes to Allie's school decided at the age of 17 that he didn't want to continue with his life last night. When Allie told me, all I could think about was what could have possibly been going through this boys mind that he would want to do such a thing? And then the thoughts of his parents, and what living hell they are going through. It makes me wish I could have done something - which is irrational of course, I had never met the boy, and it's not like I can possibly meet every person on earth and convince them that life is worth it.

I laid down to go to sleep last night and I couldn't do it. My chest ached for this boy and his family. Tears welled up in my eyes, and I got up to go talk to Jeff. He was on the couch watching a movie and I sat down in front of him. I laid my head on his shoulder and talked to him about it. Why people, especially kids, think that nothing is ever going to be better. Life is all about trial and error, there will always be good times and bad times.

I wondered if there were any missed signs. I wondered if it is possible for me to miss signs. For something this horrific to happen in my family.

I know high school is hard. There are kids picking on each other, making fun of each other, trying to knock people down a notch. And yes, I know that the kids who do that are the ones who are really insecure themselves. They need to make people feel bad to make themselves feel better... whatever. Teenagers can be SO. MEAN. (So can adults I know, so it is not just an age thing!) And every time I hear any of my kids, or any of their friends say anything bad about other kids in their school, I tell them to stop. I've lectured so much over it that it now only takes a look from me. Then they are jumping all over themselves to defend their snarky remarks. But I think they are getting better about it.

So, today, my heart is heavy and my thoughts are with this boys family. I just want to pull my kids close and hope they know how much I love them.

Please Read

In lieu of me trying to come up with something funny to write, you really need to go read this post over at Derfwad Manor because it is EXACTLY how I feel! I love her blog, she is hilarious, and I have spent the past week or so trying to get through the archives. I laugh out loud at almost all of her posts, and I need to add her to my links.

See if you don't crack a smile or two, or 100 while over there reading her posts. Or leave your coworkers/family/dogs/cats/whoever might be around wondering if they need to send for the men in the little white coats because you are laughing at your computer screen.

Competition amongst the kids

We got a Wii for Christmas and the kids love it. Ceara has set out to get every 1st place standing she can - she is obsessed! And then everyone else wants to beat her score. Which we do when she goes to her mom's, and then she has to try harder when she comes back!

Once she got all the 1st places, Jeff said she was grounded from the Wii. He's just mad that he can't beat her at boxing. No one can yet. The above video is of Conor trying. I wish the video wasn't so dark - his movements were cracking me up!

And yes, I know it is bad that he got mad at the end of the video and tried to kick her. I talked to him about that after I turned the video off. I promise!

Oh, and to update my prior post about asking Allie what she remembers about Christmas - she does not remember NOT getting something that she wanted, nor does she remember wanting something all that bad. And I think the Wii distracted Conor from the dinosaur. He still noticed he didn't get it - but he was good natured about it and said, "Maybe Santa will bring it next year." :)

My Poor Boy

Poor Conor. Just 2 days into his Christmas break from school and he gets the stomach flu. Has, uhh... problems coming out of both ends. His bottom end being the worst of it. Eeeek. Sorry, but I'm trying to be honest without the graphics...

While other people around me got it (Allie, Ceara, my nephews), theirs only lasted 24 hours. But Conor held onto the bug for about... 4 or so days.

He finally got better from that, and on Monday, December 29th, he started not feeling so well in the evening. Had a bit of a temperature and his throat was sore. I gave him some medicine and he went to bed. During the night, he woke up several times crying. In the morning his temperature was high again and he was miserable. I went to work and called to get him a Dr. appointment. Strep throat.

So, he got that pink stuff - the Amoxicillin liquid they give to kids. The pharmacy we went to only had enough for a 5 day supply, and we would have to come back to get the other 5 days. He started feeling better within 24 hours, but we kept giving it to him, as we were told to do. So, as of yesterday, he had been taking it for 8 days.

So, last night he took his shirt off and his back was covered in raised bumps - that itched. It was also spreading down his arms a bit. Chicken pox? That was the only thing I could think of at the time, but they didn't look the way I remembered them to look. But, hey... it has been over 10 years since Allie had them, so I couldn't be sure.

So, this morning, his legs were covered and there were red splotches from where he had scratched during the night. I called and got him another appointment to see the doctor, and Jeff just called to let me know that it is NOT chicken pox as we thought. It is an allergic reaction to the Amoxicillin he was given.

Why it didn't show up until after 8 days of use, I have no idea. I just feel bad for Conor because this is the third week in a row he has had problems. Poor little guy. Maybe now the rest of the year will be free of any sickness! That's what I'm hoping for at least. That he got it all over with for a while! :)

In other news... I have some pictures and videos that I will try to post soon. I love the holiday season, but I feel a lot better now that things have gone back normal. At least a little bit normal. :)

Happy New Year!!!!!

I hope everyone has a happy and healthy 2009!!!

Pleasant surprise...

Well, today is my first day back to work after having a week off. Besides having two weeks worth of work to do, my coworker is off this week, so I have to deal with the customers and phones as well. In addition to that, it is end of month and end of year - two huge billing crunches all rolled into one.

Needless to say, I was not looking forward to coming in today. And don't let the title of the post fool you, the pleasant surprise was not that someone did my job for me while I was off. I don't think I would be able to write this post if that happened. I would have gone into shock and had to be rushed to the hospital had that happened. Just wanted to stop you from thinking that right off the bat.

So, let me back up a bit to say that I have a key to the office. And the alarm code and all that. I rarely have to use it in the mornings because I am rarely the first one here. I have to use it at night a lot because I'm the last to leave a lot. So, when I couldn't find my regular keys this morning after about 10 minutes of searching for them, I just used my spare set for my car and came onto work. I was thinking that my boss, or one of the techs, or even one of the sales guys might be there to open the office. Well, when I arrived at 7:50 am, not one single car was in the lot. In the 9 + years I have worked here, I have been the first to arrive maybe... oh, let's say... 5 times. So, I was hoping that today was not one of those days.

I called my boss's phone and got his voicemail that he would be working at a customer site all day and would not be in. I called our tech manager to see if he was on his way (it wasn't quite 8 and he's not known for getting in early either), but he was at a customer site all day as well. I asked about the other techs who had keys, and they were on customer sites as well.

ACK! So, I pulled out of the parking lot, intending to drive home and frantically search for my keys. I could not for the life of me imagine where I put them. I usually put them in my coat pocket or my purse. I had checked both. As well as counter tops, desks, and a few drawers during my search that morning. So, while driving down the road, I dumped my purse out on my passenger seat. And there they were! Yay! I didn't have to drive all the way home.

So, I finally got in the office and went to my desk. There was a neatly wrapped gift and a gift bag sitting there. No name tag, no "To" or "From" anywhere to be found. I wasn't really expecting anything from anyone, I mean... come on. I work with a bunch of men. I have worked with these same guys for 9 + years (except for one, I'll get to that in a min), and they aren't that thoughtful. Not that my boss isn't thoughtful - he is, really. But he usually gets us gift cards or something, and honestly with the economy the way it is, I was not expecting anything. And this was a nicely wrapped present - and in the gift bag (yeah, I did look in it) was socks, lotion, and girly stuff. NO WAY did any guy who works here get that stuff.

So, I was hesitant to open it - I wasn't really sure it was for me. Yeah, I'm weird like that. The sales guys arrive at 9ish and I don't think anything of it. We have inter-office instant messaging, so I messaged my boss and asked about the gift. He said it was from him, Josh, and Gary. They went together to get gifts for the two women in the office. Here is about how the conversation went:

Me: Wow. No way.

Me: I'm in shock.

Boss: Lol why?

Me: No way did any of you three pick out this gift. The gift has a female written all over it - did Lisa put it together?

Boss: I think it was Josh's sister.

Then Josh comes over and asked if I liked the gifts - and to make sure I got them. I told him I didn't know who they were for or from, so I didn't open the wrapped one yet.

It made my day. I didn't care what the present was (even though I liked it), the pleasant surprise is that three men I work with went together and got gifts for us. It really made me feel a bit better about this place. :)

Merry Christmas!!!

Ughhhh. I'm still full 5 hours after eating breakfast. Maybe that's because I keep going back and grabbing a piece of bacon, or a little piece of waffle. As with every year (it's a Family Tradition - love that song!), we had breakfast at my house this morning. I made sausage, bacon, biscuits, gravy, eggs, hash browns, waffles, cinnamon rolls, and my mom brought her hash brown casserole that everyone loves. Bernie (my step mom) brought a cherry pie.

But... that's not really why I'm writing this post. I'm writing to tell you about the conversation between Jeff and me a couple of seconds ago. Before I forget. Jeff took a nap, and as always, when he woke up he was a bit groggy. He was trying to ask me questions, but he wasn't making much sense. Maybe in his own head he did, but he didn't clarify anything. Come to think of it, he doesn't need to have just gotten up to make no sense to me.

Anyway. Allie and Ceara went to my sister's house after breakfast, and Ceara had called while he was asleep. Here is the conversation:

Jeff: "I wonder what Ceara wants?"

"She wants to see if you will take her to see Grand-dad today."

"They are all sick over there."

"I know they were last week, but they might be better today."

"Think they're OK over there?"

I took this to mean Allie and Ceara being OK at my sister's house. So I said, "I'm sure they're OK or Molly or Jeff would have called to tell us to come get them. Or they would have brought them home."

He gave me a puzzled look. "I meant my dad, Benetta, and Warren. Where did you learn to communicate? Tard school?"

"Obviously not, or I might be able to understand you better."

Then I laughed for a full 5 min while he tried to think of something witty to say. Which he did not come up with. Hahahahahahahahahahaha

I'm still laughing.

Hope everyone is enjoying their Christmas today!!

Sitting on Santa's lap

All the kids got the opportunity to sit on Santa's lap at our family dinner and talk to him about what they want for Christmas. What's the first thing that Conor asked for? A puppy. Thanks to Pete - who, just like last year, put the idea into his head.

The entire evening was great. Filled with a lot of laughter. I don't think Ceara asked for anything. Clothes she agreed to. And I think a laptop - but that's not happening. :)

Allie asked for his bunny.

The videos take forever to upload, so I guess I won't be putting all 16 on here. :) I hope I picked the correct three. Otherwise I'll be editing soon! Hope you enjoy them!

It's Christmas Eve!!!!

2008 Family Christmas

I've never uploaded video to my site before, so consider this a test. Of the Emergency Santa System. Or something like that.

We had our family Christmas party at my aunts house this year. Santa came to visit the kids, and he was GREAT! He was funny, he did some magic tricks, and he had everyone laughing. I, of course, didn't take my video camera because the battery had died while I was filming the Christmas play Allie was in earlier, and I forgot to plug it in. So I took several small videos with my camera. I have 12 altogether, but it took so long to upload this one... I don't even know if you will watch them all!

So, if you want to see more... leave a comment and let me know. I also have pictures... Oh, OK, twist my arm... here is one:

And, yes, that is a little white (REAL!) bunny rabbit on his lap. And Ceara is wearing Allie's glasses because ... I think because they look cute (which they do). And no, she's not going to hurt her eyes! While they are prescription glasses, they are not THAT kind of prescription. Oh, I don't know how to explain it. They are prisms that "move" objects so that your eyes don't strain so hard. Or something like that.

Anyway, Ceara has contacts because she REFUSED to wear glasses. Hated em. And imagine that, she likes em now. Wonder if she wants some of her own...

Anyway, that is all the time I have to write right now.

Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season! Don't for get the reason for the season, either! (That was a song in Allie's play that stuck in my head, too - really catchy tune.)

I have baking and cleaning to do now. And Taxi service.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! (Just in case I don't get to tell you that again. I probably will, but you can't say it too much now, can you. Which reminds me, I need to put my Christmas CD on to listen to.)

Christmas

I've been reading some blogs (yeah, I still read them, I just don't post myself! wanna make something of it?) about their wants and desires as children. What they asked Santa for but never got it under the tree on Christmas morning. THE toy of their time that didn't end up under their tree.

I don't remember any such toy for my childhood. I really don't remember asking for anything and being so concerned about it that it scarred me for life and I always remember not getting it. What I remember about Christmas is family. When we got to go to Grandma's house on or near Christmas Eve, and everyone exchanged names. I remember a lot of laughter, games, fun.

I remember sneaking down the steps at our apartment, with my sister, to see if Santa had come yet. That is how we found out that *gasp* our mom was the one who put gifts under the tree from Santa. And you know what? We didn't tell her we knew - not for a couple of years anyway. I don't know what Molly's reasoning was, but I remember thinking that if that was something she didn't want us to know about, then she would tell us when she was ready. I also loved and admired her even more for all the sacrifices she made for us to get us gifts from Santa. Seriously. I DID! No, it wasn't about the fact that we might get less presents if we fessed up to knowing she was Santa. I think that was Molly's motive, but not mine.

And oh, while we are on the subject of Molly... I love my sister. I do. I love her a lot. But, she does have flaws. As we all do, of course, I just feel better discussing her flaws here than I do discussing mine. Anyway, for as long as I can remember she has always COUNTED the presents to make sure we got an equal amount. Yes. I'm serious. I'm sure there are other neurotic kids out there like her, but I wasn't one of them. This is the same person who encouraged my cousin to PEE ON MY HEAD (he was on the steps, and I was innocently playing below him). Molly was just mean like that.

Oh, wait. This isn't supposed to be about all the mean things my sister did to me when we were kids. This is about Christmas. *ahem*

I do remember Christmas mornings as well. I remember getting a Snoopy Sno-cone maker. I remember some of the things I got, I just don't remember if I asked for them or not. I've never really been real big on asking for stuff. I honestly don't care if I get anything or not. I just want to spend time with my family and friends.

I've been reading a new blog lately (yeah, I know! you don't have to say it!) and she posted about what she wanted for Christmas as a child and did not get. Then there are all these comments that I read (because I love to read people's comments, even on other sites!) where her readers didn't get something they wanted as a child. AND THEY REMEMBER IT! So.

Here is where I am going with this... Conor wants a dinosaur for Christmas. The D-Rex. It is all he has asked for and he really wants Santa to bring him one. Jeff and I already decided not to get him one - they are too expensive for what it is and it will just be something he uses to terrorize the dog, and it's just not in the budget this year.

So, am I just asking for a Jerry Springer-ish confrontation at some point in my future when he is an adult? Or will he be more like me and not even remember asking for stuff because spending time with his family will be what stands out most in his memory?

I need to ask Allie if she remembers anything that she asked for but didn't get.

Come to think of it, I think I could have a Jerry Springer-ish confrontation with my sister. Did anyone else's sister encourage boys to pee on their heads?