Pool Time

We went to my dad's house to swim because Conor wanted to so badly, but it wasn't really, in my opinion, hot enough to swim. Conor can now touch the bottom of the pool, so swimmies were not needed. I sat in the sun for a while, trying to get hot enough to get in.

During that time, Conor was jumping into the pool, showing off the fact that he now could.

He was quite fearless.

Swimming around, begging us to get in.

I finally got in, and it was COLD. Shivers. GOOSE BUMPS I TELL YA!

I swam around, still, trying to warm up. Conor decided that we should race. There was only one rule - you (meaning ME) can't swim under water. That is cheating. But HE could grab my suit and hang on until we were close to the other side, then push off me to reach the side before me. THAT is not cheating. At all.

And the blue raft? That is for Toby. The dog. So he can get in and out of the pool whenever he wants. He wasn't swimming with us on this day, they felt it was too cold for him. Too cold for the dog, but fine for the people...

It was fun, though. :)

Summer Time!!

Although the date on the picture says 2008, I assure you that these were just taken this year! The date on my camera somehow needed reprogrammed, and I swear I picked 2009! Someone else had to have changed it when I wasn't looking.

We decided to use the water sprayer that the Easter Bunny left for Conor this past Easter. Well... I decided HE could use it while I brushed Teddy to try to minimize the shedding in the house. The dog hair is getting out of control.

Anyway, Conor had to wear a shirt because the neighbors might see him "nekkid" and we couldn't have that now, could we? He can be so strange sometimes. :)

He ran through a bit, then decided to see how far he could shoot the water. In my direction of course.

He did get me a few times, and he giggled every time I screamed as the cold water hit me unexpectedly.

Teddy was having none of that water. He gave it a wide berth when walking around the yard, and most of the time made sure I was between him and the water-shooting kid. Such a gentleman. heh.

Most of the time he studiously ignores me when I have a camera in my hands. If I hold it up to take his picture, he turns his head immediately. I have to be very fast.

I'm not looking at you.
You really can't make me. Could you please ask that boy to quit shooting water in this direction? I could drown, you know.

He's such a snob sometimes. Big chicken - afraid of a few water drops.

School Pictures

I posted Allie's pictures, but never posted Conor and Ceara's! For one reason, Ceara didn't get her disc with her pictures and I had to call for them to mail it to me, so I didn't get it for a while.

So, a lot late as these are from the beginning of the school year, but here they are! Once again, taken by Lifetouch.

Ceara 8th grade (and yes, she chose to wear that shirt for pictures...):





Conor Kindergarten:

For those of you with dry skin

I don't know how well this product works as it is intended, since I don't really use it as lotion in the shower... but my mom gave it to me and told me to put it on my feet before I go to bed each night. And it works magic on dry, calloused skin!

I have tried a lot of products on my dry skinned feet, I've used many stones, sand paper-like products, lotions, etc., and nothing works as well as this stuff does. I usually put it on after I get out of the shower, though. Not just when I go to bed.

I definitely recommend you try it!! :)

At the Circus

Well, I took my camera to the circus, but it didn't work when I tried to use it. So, I took a few shots with my phone, and they were REALLY dark. I tried to lighten them with photoshop, but this was the best I could get.

We got a bag of cotton candy and it came with a foam tiger hat, so I got all the kids with it on.

I have no idea what Allie is doing in this picture, she was TRYING to look weird, or so she says...

And then Allie took her own picture...

Just thought I'd share some pictures. :) We had fun.

Texting frustration

Text messaging is something that I've never really gotten into. On regular cell phones, you have to push 2 three times to get a "c" to display, and to create words like that was just... not my thing. So when we added the girls to our plan and added text messaging for them, I didn't expect to use it too often. When I went to get their phones, they had palm pilots that were free with the plan and they have mini keyboards on them. I got one for Jeff as well because his phone was breaking.

Jeff wasn't thrilled with the phone and didn't want it, so I gave him mine and I took it. Since it is a little bit easier than a number pad, I have used it a bit, but not a whole lot. Mostly just with Allie, sometimes with Ceara (though not nearly as much), and some other friends as well. I usually keep my responses short, I am not about to type a book on a mini keyboard, and if it takes more responses than a few, I usually will just say, "Call me, I don't want to type!" There are a few exceptions to this, like when Allie is texting me in between classes at school. I know she can't call me. (Side note, apparently "texting" is not a word recognized by spell check.)

A few of Allie's friends text me as well - most of them call me mom anyway, so they just send me messages occasionally. Alex is one of them. His dad lives in our neighborhood, and he spends a bit of time at our house when he is visiting his dad.

I like Alex, he is a good kid and I don't mind him hanging around. He started texting me one day, just random stuff... "Hi" "how's your day?" - or telling me about stuff going on with him in school, or whatever.

So yesterday, he sent me a message. The whole thing frustrated me. Here is the conversation:

Alex: Do you care if Alli comes to my soccer game Saturday?

Me: What time and how? (like did she need a ride, or would his dad be taking them... I didn't want to type all that!)

Alex: Saturday and idk (I don't know) time.

Me: U already said the day... I mean are u coming to ur dad's this weekend, would she need a ride? Where is the game? (YES!!! I abbreviate!!! It is not that I don't know how to spell "you," it's that I want to limit the typing on the little keyboard where one finger can press 6 different keys! I don't abbreviate as much as I could, but I do some! DON'T JUDGE ME!)

Alex: Next

At that point I just stopped responding. I figured I would just tell Allie to communicate whatever it was to me when she found out. When I got home from work, I showed Allie the conversation and told her to work it out and let me know.

So, it was particularly frustrating for me to have a similar conversation with Allie today. Here is that one:

Alli: Do you care if I go to Mik's after school? To work on french makeup work?

Alli: And will you pick me up from her house and take me to volleyball after work?

Alli: Mommmyyyyy!

(It's not like I keep my phone right next to me during work - it is usually in my purse on vibrate. I check it periodically.)

Me: Idc (I don't care) but I don't know where she lives

Alli: she lives on blah blah but her house caught on fire so she's in a apt i think... N Mik's dad loves chrissy.

(Twinge of irritation... I start responding and she sends another message before I was done.)

Alli: mik said to make her a eye apt today

Me: What does that have to do with anything? That her dad loves chrissy? And why would I make her an appt?

Me: just give me an address.

Alli: Chrissy's address?

(if she were in front of me at that moment I would have choked her. not really, but... FRUSTRATED!)

Me: OMG! you did NOT say chrissy. Reread ur msgs Alex. (yes that was a dig because I had told her how much it irritated me that Alex didn't answer the questions I was asking...) You said "can I go to mik's after school" ...

Alli: sorry I was textin mik's mom too n I got confused. She lives on blah blah

Me: ... get an address pls. (HOW HARD IS THAT!)

I think I'm going to have to start typing random things in response when they start doing this to me. At least then I can laugh at them and enjoy their frustration! See how they like it.

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!