first miracle of this Christmas season

We got our tree up over the weekend. As the kids have gotten older we have morphed this into a family event...and this year was the most peaceful ordeal ever. I told them to keep Sat from 1-3 free AND they did! that is this seasons first miracle of Christmas! Ara and I stopped at the grocery that morning and stocked up on party food--chocolates, cookies, salami & cheeses, chips and dip, popcorn chicken and soda--we spared no expense. So as soon as Jake got back from his SAT testing we dug in. He orchestrated by telling us we were incorporating a 5 minute break every 25 minutes. This turned in to Ara and Andi and Jake watching Elf (Ara napping-creating the peaceful part of the day). The kids ended up hanging out until 6 which totally surprised us. A few years ago we could hardly keep them in long enough to hang a bulb.

wrestling

Oh and I forgot to mention that Cole is now wrestling on the high school team. I'll try to take some pics over the season. I have no pics of his football season, so I won't make any promises.

so much fun

I have to admit that Christmas shopping this year is a lot less stressful with Ara on board and my new paycheck. I'm having so much fun Internet shopping with him that I don't want to get the tree and stuff out...I want to keep on shopping. One of the gifts I got him ~a hollow violin body electric bass guitar ~ came today AND he was home. I think he suspects, but he tried to google the return address and came up with nothing. But the size of the box is kind of a giveaway. He also picked out a leather jacket at JCP on our short black Friday trip. So he knows two of his gifts. He wasn't quite recovered enough to hit the stores and wore out within one hour. We got a lot done in the one hour. I am so excited about the gift I got for my Mom. Quite a bargain and so elegant. Wish I could be there to give it to her in person.

My de Quervains flared up over the last two weeks so I haven't been able to crochet like I wanted. I faithfully wore my brace for 6 days straight except to shower and now I'm hooking again! I finished a sock and started its mate (fingers are crossed that I can make them match).
And I spent the weekend cutting plastic shopping bags into strips and have a hefty ball of plarn (plastic yarn). But I can't tell what I created with it, I am so proud of it though. It's for someone special that I think will appreciate the labor of love that went into crafting and designing it. I can't wait to make more so save your plastic bags and drop them my way.

Ara recovered from his flu and I safely avoided it. I knew breathing in all those Lysol fumes would pay off. I have disinfected the doorknobs, keyboards, and handrails so many times that I can't believe the finish hasn't worn off. I even Lysoled the toothbrushes (don't worry, I rinsed them 10 minuets later). I didn't want any germs jumping from his toothbrush to mine, since they live in the same polka dot flower pot on the sink counter.

Since Ara was down, we kept Thanksgiving super simple. I did a turkey, mashed potatoes (instant) gravy (jar) and green beans (frozen) and chocolate chip cookies (nestle frigde pack). I felt like I was cheating! The leftover green bean and turkey got mixed in with tortellini (premade) and alfredo sauce (jar). The only thing I missed was homemade rolls and homemade gravy (jar just isn't the same) and the pumpkin pie. Cole already announced he wants roast beef for Christmas.

Shopping Starts...

Yesterday I hit JCPenny and Dicks Sporting Goods and got some clothes for Cole's Christmas. And today I hit JCP.com and got Jake and Andi some more good online deals. The stuff I was going to buy Jake in the store for 30 was online for 19 and I got a 15% off online coupon while shopping yesterday. I got Andi ring that was originally 100 something for 20 something...sapphires and real diamonds. So far I have only spent $198 all together. I love JCPenny. I need to write my ideas down for the rest so I don't go overboard and start getting things for other people besides the kids. I have no idea what to get the husband. I thought about a massage gift certificate but I don't' know if he would ever use it.

Cranberry

I think I had a mild kidney infection coming on over the weekend. Kept having back pain and waves of nausea...so I've been drinking gallons of water and Ara got me cranberry juice. Only when I looked at the ingredients on the label it was prune juice and cranberry juice. Best of both worlds---now I can pee and poop. I'm all better now.

I am ready to start the Christmas shopping, but I can't find the time to squeeze it in with running and picking kids up. I tried some online looking today, but no luck.

Vegas post

To no suprise to anyone that really knows me...My Vegas trip wasn't a gambling venture. I went to a zombie wedding/birthday party for a friend of a friend. I only walked 1/3 of the strip(because we got lost in the MGM Grand twice), and spent a day hiking at Red Rock Canyon.

Cold Feet

Ara is actually asking about what were planning on getting the kids for Christmas this year? pick me up because I just fainted...my little ole bahumbug of a guy is thinking of gifts. I knew it was a smart move to spend the extra on the holiday themed tissue box for his chairside table ;)
I'm also loving Ara because it's never hard to talk him into Arby's for lunch. I may have to sit in his stinky truck and ride to the dump, but the roast beef sandwich after is totally worth it.

A few days ago I finished my socks (crochet project) and already started another pair. Andi saw me working on this new pair (a Christmas gift for her) and asked if they were for her. I am still beaming that a kid actually wants homemade socks from me!

Rocky is officially an outdoor cat. It took me a few days to get over the guilt of kicking him out. We have the same personality---love to eat, hate to be touched, and bitchy. jk. It is kind of nice not to have to pick up everything (he tries to eat plastic wrappers and pukes), no more knocked over trash cans, no more vomited up hairballs, no more litter box (that he only pees in) or poopy messes on the carpet (the main reason he got booted outdoors). But I do miss him keeping my feet warm at night and laying on my chair with me.

November Nor'easter

November Nor'easter has hit. The news is saying that the rain and flooding will be worse than Hurricane Isabel. Ara had a hard time finding a way home from work today because a couple of trees were down. I didn't even go in and they've already called school off and my work called and told me not to come in. woo-hoo. I wanted to do a family dinner tonight, but the weather threw me off. It was getting dark so I started cooking and dinner was done at 3:30. The boys ate with me and then Ara finally rolled in and I sat with him, but we totally missed Andi. She's rearranging the posters in her room or something. I wanted to start a fire, but it's 71 in the house so Ara says no. boo-hoo. And he went behind me and blew out the oil lamps...I'm holding my ground with the candles.

Cole's got moved from third string to first string, but his game was called with the weather. And wrestling is starting for him next week...unless football wants him to wait. But all the coaches told him to start eating peanut butter and steaks and potatoes. I found a milkshake recipe online and its loaded. The mighty milkshake~ 1/2 cup premium ice cream, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup whole milk, 1 packet of carnation instant breakfast mix. A little thinner than Chick-fil-A but just as yummy. He's had two a day and I finally ran out of cream.

Survival

I survived the Vegas trip, but just barely. I feel like I am fighting some kind of cold and am super tired. That 3 hour time change kicked my butt. So I came home super tired (grouchy) and was expecting people to have missed me and be ready to celebrate. No can do. Ara just doesn't get that I like birthdays and holidays. After many tears on Tuesday night...he came home with a cake and balloons when he went to pick Jake up from work. I am loving that Jake works at a grocery. Next year I am throwing my own party!

This weekend I spent the whole time napping, crocheting, and watching movies. Not super fun, but super needed to just take a minute and slow down.

Trying to get psyched up to get some outdoor work wrapped up (power washing fence and more weed pulling).

He Turned Sideways

Long ago a very wise woman gave me some advice on the dynamics of men. Something along the lines of--that if you want something to subtly hint around and two weeks later they adopt the idea as their own and it happens. So along those lines, in conversation with Ara I was talking and I absent mindedly said something about not even caring about his love handles and kept on talking. Well two weeks later he's in the bathroom and yells, "When did this happen, Why didn't you tell me?" He finally saw his back fat when he turned sideways and looked at himself in the mirror. LOL. And now he's on an exercise kick. LOL. Now I just have to get my fat butt in gear...because there is no way that old goat is gonna look better than me.

Jake is finally working, still doing training. He was so freaking funny when he got his first check of $10. He woke me up when he came home from work, jumping on my bed and screaming. The bum doesn't even want to cash it. He already owes his gf around $90.

Andi had minor plastic surgery today to remove a mole from her chin. She was a real trooper. I would have totally passed out seeing all that. I got all queasy from across the room with what little I saw...ewwww.

New Job

The new job and I are getting along. My only frustration is that the people I need stuff from to do my part aren't moving as fast as I am. That's the government for ya. I'm just not used to sitting around with nothing to do, so I've had to perfect the art of looking busy. And that's getting old. Hopefully things will pick up soon--the big cheese did tell me I came in at a slow time. I moved in to my cubicle this week...and you know me-I already moved some file cabinets around. I only have two of them, but they are empty so I took advantage and set it up how I work. Snacks on the left and work on the right (ha Ha). My top drawer is filled with protein bars and hot tamales.

Snuggles

Apparently I need to lift weights or something. I can't even wash my hands without pulling a muscle. This morning I pulled a muscle in my upper back while washing my hands. So lame. Today I am snuggling up with the heating pad....again. Who loves aging...holla back.

Two new Favorite cookbooks

So far, I've made several things out of the Cheap Fast Good! book. The moo-shu pork from Andi's b-day was from here.

And the Healthy Meals for Less is on order. I used to have Miserly Moms also by Jonni McCoy but lost track of it. Loved the recipes in that one, so I am hoping this one is just as yummy.

Power Shopping

Veronica has been hired! I got the call on Andrea's b-day and Cole's team won that day too. I have no idea exactly what I will be doing...something with tracking projects, but I am up to any challenge. I spent the weekend shopping. New blouses and slacks-even splurged on jeans just in case there is casual friday. I totally think Ara should take me out, I still have tags on a dress I bought on my last shopping spree. Shoe shopping is next on the agenda. I really want some dressy boots and ballet flats.

Scored these two a Target. The yellow isn't as bright as this pic and has white polka dots.

Snagged this is dark teal

Got this in purples

Cords in charcoal

Trouser jeans in dark rinse and above color

Gray slack with a light gray pinstripe

Also got some spanx power panties so I can button my existing pants while I continue this fight with the scale. And yesterday I broke down and ordered bareminerals makeup. shush...I didn't tell Ara about that last one. And Cole came along too and made out like a bandit...4 pairs of jeans and 3 new tees, socks (neverending need with him) and boxers. He's the most fun to shop with! When I told him that he asked to go car shopping.

Andrea's excitment

This is us when Ara told us his batteries were dead.

An all orange birthday....

I think she stopped breathing...

She made her birthday shirt...It says "I'm the birthday girl. Finally 14!"

The Dresser

Before

See where Andi etched 'Boys are dumb"
and After. Now all that's left is for Ara to start his wire hiding project.

Happy 14 Andi

Andrea is fourteen today. Wow. And the evening is packed with Cole's game, Andi's open house, and Jake has something with his senior project. She's having a couple girlfriends over on Friday so today is our small family celebration. I am going to try to make cupcakes with a cream cheese chocolate chip filling and moo shoo pork. I may splurge and buy some fried crab rangoons somewhere.

My dresser is finally finished! and in the middle of this ants raided my kitchen. Its absolutely amazing how much I can stuff into a cabinet. So now that that's done, I set up my sewing and stacks of projects back into the dining room, which should be called the hobby lobby or something cool like that. I also started a new crochet project over the weekend. I am halfway done....

the pattern is free at redheart.com I am making it with perfectly plum simply soft eco yarn. Yarn made out of recycled plastic bottles!

Motivated Cheater

Today I am cheating. On Sunday I didn't feel well, and on Monday I woke up with a mild fever. Okay it was only 99. I worked my butt off sanding and staining and sealing Ara's old dresser. It looks great, not as dark as I wanted it, but still a huge improvement. All the nicks and little scratches of character are still preserved. Next I have to tackle the darn knobs. Ugg. In my whirlwind of motivation, I decided that I needed to clean the upstairs carpet. Today I used my fever and may be contagious excuse to call out sick at my volunteer job. yikes. I feel so guilty, but the carpets upstairs are looking almost new. I stopped at Target on my way to rent the Rug Doctor intending to buy one of those handheld steam machine made by Shark...saw it on an infomercial, but I ended up buying a towel bar, toilet paper holder, and Halloween hand towels and rug for the downstairs. Story of my life-impulse purchase. I'm gonna attempt to use a power tool to get the towel bar and toilet paper holder up so I don't have to bug Ara with it. That is if I don't melt into a heap after this wrestling tournament with the carpet machine. I am also in the middle of cleaning out my kitchen. Never hurts to have lots of projects going at once (sarcasm). The thing with deep cleaning the kitchen is that I never want to cook in it later after it's all sparkly and fresh, but everyone still wants to eat.

My Pyramid

Yesterday God must have sensed I was planning on a pajama day and inspired a dear neighbor to call me and invite me walking. Thanks Jackie. In the course of all our jabbering she mentioned a really neat website - http://www.mypyramid.gov/ - I discovered tools (free ~already paid with our tax $$~ from the government! that can help me get healthy. As Jackie said, it's like weight watchers for free.

Bumpy Life

Life is still bumpy in spite of the school routine just starting back up. Next year I will have two high schoolers left, sniffle. It's going by too fast. While in the library last Saturday a book called 20 Teachable Virtues jumped out at me. It's older (1995) but still a good read. Even though my kids are at the age where the compilation of parenting mistakes is obvious - or their rebelling immature selves are just plain annoying, I'm determined not to give up the battle to teach them some thing about life. If I could impart only one virtue on them it would be empathy. The ability try to see and feel what someone else feels is the bedrock of compassionate caring humans.

Dresser Refinish Project is underway. Ara tried to take over. I made the mistake of asking for help and he "helped" while I was out shopping. So sometime when this humidity decides to lift I get to undo his help and salvage the whole thing. My goal was to have it back in the house by the 17 of September, but now I'd rather postpone the deadline because of my nasty perfection habit.

Three boxers and one flannel PJ bottom later, I finally after all these years got my serger out of the box. I LOVE IT. Of course none of the recipients have been as excited as I was about it. I have no idea why I waited so long to try it out. My dining room is now transformed into a sewing room and I have a list of Christmas goodies swimming around in my head. I've got at least 7 different projects lined up BUT I also signed up to volunteer 3 days a week.

grueling interview

the interview was grueling. and I'm glad it is over with. I didn't do horribly but don't feel I made a stunning impression. It was a panel interview and they had a list of questions that were very elaborate. I have to admit it was hard for me to think fast enough to describe my experience in the way the questions were worded. I was prepared for the standard line up of questions like Why should I hire you, Tell me about yourself, What are your weaknesses...but the questions about medicaid billing, third party insurance, and accounts payable threw me for a loop. The original application didn't list the exact job description so I had no idea what I was walking into. I have a feeling this panel was part of the screening process, and that if I made it there will be more interviews ahead. Anyway I am zonked.

too irritable or stinky

totally excited! got a random call this morning for a job interview at Eastern State Hosp. in the reimbursement department. I have no idea if this means insurance reimbursement or accounting reimbursement. And I am kind of freaking out because I haven't interviewed in three years and have put so many applications out there with no responses that I feel like this is the only interview I will ever get...which increases the nervous factor.

Summer, my least favorite season, is dragging on and on. I hate sweating and feeling all sticky all the time. Andi and I tried the Jamestown Beach last week...it smelled like dead fish, looked like a giant ashtray, and was filled with the obese and little debbie snacks. Andi sat on my favorite sunglasses and broke them. I still have that dollar tree pair from her childhood dress up box that I can't seem to lose of break, but every time I get a pair I love they last 2 months tops...less if I spend more on them.

Van is in the shop again...getting the AC fixed. I guess Ara decided I was to too irritable or stinky make me wait much longer without AC.

don't go out of your way to be a bad ass

Thankfully one of the most difficult weeks of this summer with the teens is coming to a close. Notice I said THIS summer. I am sure we have many more difficult times ahead of us. I literally said to one...you're done! sex, drugs, rock&roll...get the 'been there done that' t-shirt and straighten up. I really don't expect my kids to get through their teens without making mistakes. But damn! it's hard to watch. Got through the tears and lectures (no questions please). Shared some of my (gulp) teen mistake stories with them...along with the be safe be responsible speech. I know no one wants to be a goody goody, but geez! don't go out of your way to be a bad ass. Why? Why? were my kids not born to be huge geeky nerds...I'd much much rather be arguing with them to put down the book or scientific calculator and hang out with friends then fighting the curfew battle.

Well I was wrong

Well I was wrong. It wasn't surround sound. He got a 20 inch monitor and a memory stick for the computer. When we were at Best Cuts with Cole, we went into Game Stop next door and he actually considered buying a Wii. I literally asked him what was wrong and why he was buying all this stuff. He slumped over and said you're right we don't need a Wii right now.

I started sewing the orange dress for Andi today. According to the package directions I should make a 13-14 and I know that can't be right...She wears a size 1 or 2. So I made a size 5-6. Too small! I have enough leftover to cut out a new bodice and somehow will have to adjust the gathers and seams to make the bottom fit. This will be a test of my sewing skills to see if I still have it. That is if my patience doesn't give out first.

Ara got the first coats of primer on Andi's room. No more ocean blue. She wants it orange. Big surprise!

And the beginnings of a shade garden with future hammock were started this weekend. Ara and I melted in the humidity and got the spot all dug out. We want to turn it over a couple more times and then put a heavy covering of mulch on top so it will be ready for planting in the spring. I sprayed with roundup too just so the stuff we uprooted doesn't try to take root again. Jake may be even more excited about the hammock than I am.

Oh and by the way, so far I am NOT impressed with the powdered laundry detergent I made. I like the goo.

Mr. "we don't have any money"

Answers to some of the random comments to my frugal crusade...
I consider my "frugal projects" my hobby. Most of the frugal things I attempt don't take more than 20 minutes. I look at it like crafts....only I end up using the end product instead of it just sitting around looking pretty. Yesterday I whipped up another batch of window cleaner out of rubbing alcohol and dish soap and water. And I'm testing a new fabric softener I found on the Internet...it was a foamy mess to make though. Today I finally got around to making a Master Grocery List. I used the bones of one I found at www.heart4home.net in the printable section. I have shopped both ways...Fill the Pantry or By the Meal...and can attest that it is much easier on the wallet to Fill the Pantry and keep a stock of general things you always use. It's also easier to figure out what to cook if you have a stocked pantry.

Ara and I toured the Academy for Life and have decided to send Andi there for her 8th grade year. It looks like a perfect fit and is tailored for kids on the academic line that have gaps in learning, which Andi does because of all the moving we did her K-5 years. I'm kind of nervous for her , but excited at the same time. From what I saw today I wish all middle schools were designed this way. Strict strict dress code.

Mr. "we don't have any money" bought a blue ray player today. I don't think I'll take him grocery shopping any more...he keeps throwing things like this in the cart that totally cancel out my penny pinching and then he has the gall to complain when I want to buy something....like a new mower, outdoor furniture or even a new CAR. Hello! if you stop using tobacco and tossing random unneeded electronics in the shopping cart we could get a new car! And last weekend he bought a new weedeater because he doesn't think the one we have stays charged long enough. And last month within days of hearing about my job disappearing he buys a 40 inch flat screen! I'm guessing next is surround sound...

Found this at www.thriftyfun.com
I haven't tried it yet---but it looks easier to do than my laundry goo.

Powdered Laundry Detergent
2 bars Fels Naptha soap, grated (or enough bars to make 28 ounces)
8 cups washing soda
4 cups borax
4 cups powdered all-color bleach (optional)
20 drops (or more) essential oil (optional)
Mix all ingredients together and store in a lidded container. This will last a LONG time!
For light loads, use 1 tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled loads, use 2 tablespoons.

Frugal Obsessing

Ok, it's time to make more laundry goo so while Jake was interviewing at Jamestown Settlement I made a quick run to Farm Fresh. The only store in Williamsburg that carried washing soda now has replaced it on the shelf with Tide Stain Release, which is sodium carbonate (washing soda) and oxy clean. And it's 11.99. I compared the ingredients to some dishwasher detergent in the same isle, and guess what! they are essentially the same product. A giant box of cheap dishwasher detergent for 2.99 or a box of Tide Stain release for 11.99....umm duh. One more reason to hate manufacturing giants. I'm sure millions of stupid American households will fall for Tide's new scam even in the economic downfall. So I am doing some research if dishwasher detergent (washing soda and enzymes and silica) can be used to make laundry goo. By the way, I stretch my dishwasher detergent (the cheap walmart powder) with borax and baking soda. The added benefit is no spots.
I also want to make my own bar soap....with lye and lard or recycled cooking oil. But since Red Devil lye was pulled from the shelves this is going to be a challenge. This is more because I want to see if I can do it more than an actual need for a pizza box size of bar soap. ;)
Now on Ara's to do list is a Lowe's run for frugal things such as a programmable thermostat and furnace filters and fridge filter and anything else we might need in the next year and may not have the extra cash for with my job loss.
Speaking of which Ara is driving me nuts with his constant talk about me finding a new job. Yesterday he filled out and online application for me with the college of William and Mary and left the education part blank. I personally think a college would kind of be interested in an applicant's education, but maybe I'm wrong. I just wish he'd back off and quit obsessing. Everyday he asks me if I checked online on the status of all the applications out there. This is only the second day of the first week without a job....I can't imagine how he'll be in three weeks.

Fizzle, Scorch and Bounce

After weeks of high stress, I am looking forward to the peaceful month of August. I'm not going to lie, there is a part of me that is extremely anxious about the no job part. Tomorrow is the last day. And it's going to be a lonely one as I wait for the last few vendors to come pick up their stuff. Already my head is rolling with crunching back into frugal overdrive. Somehow I gotta shave at least $800 from the budget. Our pantry is stock with at least 6 months of meals, just like my mom, I buy everything like Noah loading the arc. So I know we won't starve.

On a sad note I think my AC in the van is dying :(

I worked 4 hours today and came home full of energy. I convinced Ara to help me defrost the garage freezer since the entire top shelf was a block of ice. And as soon as the sun dips we are gonna edge out the flower beds again. The grass got a little crazy with all the rain we had last week. Everything is lush and green...but needs tamed a little. We would have been out there earlier but it was 102 degrees out there. Not even kidding. I brought my poor little houseplants back inside before they scorched.

The quick jaunt to IN/OH was absolutely great. It was good to see family & friends we hadn't seen in awhile. Mom and I had loads of fun with 'just us' time (my favorite). Ara had fun hanging out with Dad while the kids entertained themselves. It was a relaxing trip for us both. Although in spite of sleeping the entire way home on Tuesday, I managed to take not one, but two naps on Wednesday. Go figure.

summer pokes on by

So I got up bright and early...not too early, and got myself to aerobics. Apparently the instructor is recovering nicely from her bout with pneumonia. She put me through the ringer. I've been in my cushy chair for hours now. I hope I can walk tomorrow. My inner ears are still loaded with fluid...so my balance in non existent.
I did get motivated and called WRL (library) and checked on the status of my volunteer application. I signed up with the adopt a shelf and haven't heard back. I think I am soo wonderful that the phone should be ringing off the hook. Isn't that life...moves super fast when you aren't paying attention and then when you are waiting on something it just pokes by.
Also checked on some job applications...fingers are crossed for an interview next week.
Got Jake's application ready to mail for his volunteer work at the Settlement. He choice is to work with people in modern clothes (surprised he didn't want to be in costume). Senior pictures were today...deep sigh...he could have cared less if he had pics or not. The school requires a formal shot in tuxedo (that they provide) for the yearbook, and that is all he wanted to do. I talked him into one in casual clothes with 6 poses and 2-3 backgrounds. I didn't go with...because I was at aerobics...so I am anxious to see how they turned out.

Vegas here I come

In conversation with friends last night, I realized, thanks to Ara and his Math skills, that I will be 40 this year. I have gone the whole year thinking I am 38 not 39. Wow. I can't even get over the shock of this when the friend asked me to go to Vegas with her in place of her husband. He's buying the ticket--he just didn't want his wife to go alone. She's going with a group of friends to celebrate someones 50th b-day. I've never met these people. Ara is all in favor of it.

Family Dispatch Pop Up

Dorshan...your blog is making some pop up screen appear that wants me to sign in with a username and password. It keeps randomly happening while I am on my blog. ???

A Tuesday in Summer

I think the only thing anyone really wants out of life is to be understood. Not loved, not respected, not cherished. Just understood. So many of us are so busy trying to be heard and understood that in the end no one is actually listening to any one.

After work yesterday, I picked up Andrea and we signed up for the summer reading programs at the library and then headed over to the rec center and got a schedule of the aerobic classes. Tomorrow she has cheer camp for one day and hopefully Thursday we can do our first class at the rec. Still deciding on boot camp, yogilates, or something called 20/20/20. She's not super excited about any of it, but I don't really care at this point because I am not super excited with her choice of activities---phone, internet, phone. Shes grounded from both the phone and computer until the end of summer. Becoming a little obsessed and not using her best judgement. Ara shut down her facebook, myspace and email accounts.

Last night I had a crazy burst of energy and got my van cleaned out...finally. It was such a mess. Then this morning at 7 am (didn't quite beat the blazing sun, but almost) I got the outside washed up nice and sparkly. After that I drove down and picked some wild blackberries that grow in our neighborhood, then came home and jumped into my swimsuit and took Andi to the beach along the river to catch some sun. We only lasted an hour because we forgot the sunscreen and didn't want to burn crispy. I came back and over half the blackberries I picked are missing. Jake and his friends discovered them. I wanted to make a cobbler---now I'll have to add some other fruit to make up the difference. The used book store didn't want any of my books this time. She said to try back later, because they are in great shape, but they are overstocked in young reader books right now. grrr.

Phone Fix

I feel like such an idiot. Once again our phone has been out since Weds, so I called the repair man. The stupid modem was unplugged from the wall! Good thing he could walk me through the fix over the phone...would have hated to pay 56 dollars for him to come inside and plug it in.

I'm not dying

So it seems I am not dying, or going crazy. I have been dizzy, seeing stars, and hearing a humming/buzzing sound since Tuesday. I am exhausted and can't catch my breath. It seems my teens are causing some anxiety. Along with dear old RAI and upcoming jury duty. Who needs sleep? Apparently not me---so my unconscious self says. And I have a viral infection in my middle ear which would explain why I walking around with my head tilted, tugging on my earlobes and screaming like a three year old. I'm not a bitch. I have an ear infection. So this is our secret to 19 successful years of marriage. Argue like 4 year olds, and then snuggle up like nothing happened. He still took me to urgent care, filled up my car gulp mug with diet Pepsi, and was at my beck and call all day. I do love him. and maybe, just maybe we'll have sex again someday. but not today. although these dizzy spell and flashy silver stars floating around my head may add to the excitement and be a big boost to his ego...'wow you are so good I'm seeing stars'. I'll never tell. Thursday Ara went on a rant because: when I didn't see him making an attempt to make dinner I ordered pizza. He was pissed that half the neighborhood was over...so that turned into me screaming about how selfish he is and how our kids eat at every one's house and he can share his pizza. and then I launched into something about how he could even question why I don't want to have sex. Something to the effect of "I don't like the character of the man attached to the penis". He said, "its just a penis who cares". I said, "This girls has standards". What an oxymoron. Me. Standards. Yeah, that argument had real high standards. Along with me telling him he pouts like a 12 yo girl and the lack of parenting help. That went like this. with me in my mock Ara voice...'lets have kids, my job is done, I shot the sperm in your vagina'. And that is only the tip of the ice burg of Thursday. That just the stuff with Ara and I. There was also Cole drama and Andi drama, and Jake drama. Veronica had every one in her sites. So yes after Thursday I did decided I shouldn't be going off my antidepressants so I am weening myself back on. I don't need an intervention. My meltdown is fizzling out. And Ara by far is the most patient man ever. Next to my dad. Those are some big shoes to fill.

More than one Way

There is more than one way. Obviously. Why else would there be 485,924 recipes for chocolate chip cookies? Why are there no two snowflakes alike? If there is one thing I know for sure, there is more than one way. How many man made religions do we have here on earth? Life itself proves it. More than one way. In my role as a parent I am analysing why I am having all these frustrations/struggles...what's the point, what am I supposed to be taking away and learning from all this? Well I do know that what works for one kids doesn't work for all. I do know that. Certain rules that are necessary for one don't even apply to the others. I do know that.

the world would be a happier place if they all wised up and just LISTENED

okay. It's only thursday. Day two of summer break and I am already wondering why the hell did I even have kids. I obviously don't have the skill set to teach them any sort of manners, or boundaries, or respect. Oh, now I remember because Ara wanted kids. Guess he needed company since he's refused to grow up or act with any type of maturity while raising them. Yes. I am bitter. I took our 17 yo to get his third, yes third, replacement permit. He drove me all over for four hours of complete heart stopping hell. Ara refuses to ride with him. So once again, it's all on me. Me to get Cole straight in school, me to keep Andi straight, and me to launch Jake into life with somewhat adult skills. I've got 8 out of 45 hours completed of the road time with Jake....god help me. He can have his license sometime in July if we could just pull it together with the drive time. three things! braking before you're on the bumper, turning and keeping all four wheels on the road, and staying in your lane. pretty important driving skills. who cares if he uses his turn signals, has his hands at 4 and 8 o'clock --- just stay in the f*cking lane, brake-brake-BRAKE, and slow down to turn! Obviously hitting a mailbox didn't teach him a damn thing!

I can't even go into my frustration with Cole today! can't even go there. Let's just say, I have lost my voice----and he has called his dad at least twice begging him to come home because I am 'ballistic' or some crap. ADHD or not I am sick and tired of the stupid impulsiveness.

And I am sick of Andi and the damn phone attached to her head. It's stupid and a waste. What the hell is there to say after 4 hours? I worked a 9 hour day yesterday and I am sure she was on the phone 82% of that time. And of course I AM THE IDIOT for even suggesting that Ara spend more time with her so she's not running off trying to get attention from other guys.

I'm telling ya the world would be a happier place if they all wised up and just LISTENED to what I am saying.

last day of school muzings

today is the last day of school. and as you can tell i'm not super excited. summer break is a farewell to quiet afternoons to myself knowing my kids are being looked after by someone paid zilch with a bad attitude towards teens. i'm sure i'll still have quiet afternoons because honestly who wants to hang with a frumpy late thirty something mom. not me and i'm it. but now i'll have to actually keep track of who is where and drive them places and pick their ungrateful asses up...at least until Ara is home and then i turn the reigns over to him. summer breaks have morphed into something totally different; i no longer organize them. library and pool and park days are gone. they organize themselves and feed themselves now. i liked the old day. selfishly. because i was number one and got to do what i wanted and they had to follow.

Tagged

My first response to a tag EVER. Thanks Robyn
The Rules:
A) List 6 unimportant things that make you happy
B) Mention and link to the person that tagged you
C) Tag 6 of your favorite bloggers to play along and comment on their blogs to let them know they have been tagged.
So here are mine:
1. Book in hand--with a tall glass of iced tea or hot cocoa.
2. I love that warm toasting feeling of getting in the car after being in the AC all day.
3. Dead heading my flowers. There is some evil satisfaction of cutting off the blooms.
4. Cracking jokes and making people smile.
5. Pedicures. If I can't be skinny then I will have pretty polished toes for life. (stole this from Robyn, but I totally agree).
6. Icy cold Corona with a twist of lime at the end of a long day.

I tag: I need more blogger friends!
1. Dorshan
2. Megan
3. Crystal

Corn Hole, Test, Drama

Ace ended up being sold out of the corn hole boards BUT I got lucky because my friends husband ROCKS. He had made some the weekend before and gave them up to me for a sweet price. Now no matter what she says...Dave is up on a pedestal. I'm hiding them at a neighbors house and sweet talked their son into painting them for me. Today's agenda involves getting paint and making to corn bags.

Passed the clerical testing for the school division job with flying colors! While I was there others were filtering in to take the same test and didn't make it past the first 15 questions. You're only allowed to miss 4 before the computerized test shuts down. NO typing speed test---thankfully. I qualified for a Secretary III position which makes me a better candidate for the one I applied for. And if a Secretary III or II position opens up I wouldn't have to retake any test. I really hope this pans out. Its my first choice. Although part of me wants to stay with RAI until the end of the year with travel offer...just so I can stay with my work buddies that much longer.

There was too much drama at work yesterday with the closing and transferring of patients. I don't think management is all on the same page. One is telling us to move forward and the other is telling us to slow down. And all the employees are freaking out about their jobs even though they've been told they can work at the other clinic.

Job updates

I got an email response from the York County School system to call and set up pre-employment testing. Hopefully I pass! She said it was literacy and competency testing. I think I measure up. HaHa. Weds is the big test---at three. I'm not nervous, Yet. The scheduling dilemma is that Cole has football camp at 4:30. Yesterday he skipped because I worked late. I forgot I had inventory to do---well I remembered but kept procrastinating--I didn't think it would take so long. Kind of ticked at him because he can walk 5 miles to a fishing hole, but not 2 miles to the school for football. So like I said, hopefully I pass and will be considered a candidate. Who knows how many applicants they have to sort through. My current boss's husband works at the school that has the opening. She was going to ask him if he would write a letter of recommendation. We'll see. My only hang up is typing. I am addicted to that backspace button like crack. I don't think I have ever typed a perfect page. So my errors cancel out my speed. I HATE typing test. And typing is only 5% of what any secretary does. Redirecting phone calls is probably number one, followed by answering emails and then shuffling paperwork into some organized system into a file cabinet. data entry and software use is NOT the same kind of typing.

I am wrestling with driving my sweet self to ACE in Newport News to pick up some already made corn hole boards. This would be Ara's fathers day gift. And I would need the extra time to get them painted. Wish I was artistic enough to do a KISS motif or some other 80's rock band. He'll be lucky if I can do stripes. His favorite color is hunter green, but I don't think that is bright enough. The problem is hiding them and the expense out of the checking account until fathers day. He's got that checkbook in a choke hold. I think I'll pull 80 out at the atm and tell him I owe some people some money---like a loan shark or something. heeheehee

Shopping For Me- a rare occurance

Today was ME day. Started off with a routine dental cleaning. Then I went straight to the hair place where some moron that still needs to practice on her plastic barbie head managed to cut any bit of style out of my hair. After that horrid experience, I went for the deluxe pedicure--yuck--I feel so sorry for that lady, she scraped years of callous off my heels--it was so gross. But now I have baby soft feet. After a quick stop at chick-fil-A I headed to TJMaxx. Since the hair is a no go and I'm 30 pounds heavier than I should be I went for the sandals. I loaded up on four pair. Got these babies in white---couldn't find a white picture on the Internet.

This is my new date night dress....ooolaalaa.

Hopefully my ass will look as stunning in my new white jeans. Never ever in my life have I had white jeans. I'm wearing these bad boys to work tomorrow with my multi-colored bejeweled nine west sandals and a hot fuchsia top.

And the practical side of me got the brown sandals below.
Several hundred dollars worth of stuff made it into the bag as well. 1 JAG tankini, 1 pair of white shorts, 2 tops, 1 hobo international wallet, and a sunglass case.

Texas Texter Massacre

Some stupid idiot in TX keeps sending me forwarded text on the cell and I am pissed! At least 5 two part text come a day and they are all 'send this to X number of people or someone will die' text. I have called and left an *evil* voicemail asking them to stop and remove me from their list of contacts. I don't know this person and suspect is some teen without a life. Ara looked the number up and it's a sprint number with a TX area code. He wanted to block all numbers not in my contact list from calling....Not smart as I am looking for a job and potential employers could call. I know you can block a number from the cell, but does that stop texting? Can I call Sprint and complain? This is to the point of spam/harassment. I seriously have better things to do then check bogus text messages all day. Help me.

Burning Bridges Off Limits

I put in another application today. This one is with Sentara as an admin assistant at a physicians office. Its very close to exactly what I do now and the pay looks very attractive. My resume almost matches the job posting and they contacted me with an email asking me to apply so hopefully that is a good sign. I also heard through the grapevine that RAI wants to offer me something on Friday---but it involves travel. I am not up for that! Maybe if the kids were grown and out on there own, but at this point I don't want to be away and miss anything. Don't ask me why because teens usually are no fun--but thanks to Lexapro mine are. I'd love to stay with RAI but only if it involved working with the same people I currently work with---I'm not all that impressed with upper management at this point. Seen too much butt kissing, lip service and back stabbing to want to be mixed up with them any more than what I already am. Part of me wonders if they are just trying to come up with a bogus offer to wiggle out of any severance. At this point I am trying to maintain my professionalism (loose as it is) and not burn any bridges.

Sidetracks

The search is on. So far I (through Ara's Internet savvy) have applications in at Bruton High, Toano Middle, and Eastern State Hospital. My resume is so sparkly I don't know how anyone could turn me down...Ara is good with the resume remix.
We got half the garage organized this weekend. The neighborhood yard sale slowed us down a bit...we didn't want to throw open the garage open and have strangers bugging us. One wall done, two more to go. I wanted to put insulation and real walls up all painted white BUT since I may be unemployed we didn't spend the money and just used what we had and bought a few specialty hooks for the rakes and shovels.
Jake was driving me around and finally the words 'slow down' and 'get out of the shoulder' hit home. Too bad he had to hit a mailbox to figure it out. BY THE WAY, Ara does NOT know and WILL NOT know about this mailbox incident. What he doesn't know won't hurt him. If he bothered reading the blog he could easily find out, but that's up to him.

So Much..

so much for job security in the medical field. My dialysis center is closing....August 1 is the last day. Our Center Director hasn't actually made the announcement, but another CD let me know yesterday when I dropped off an infusion pump and insulin. I've got some leads, nothing solid though. We'll see where I end up. Of course Ara is extremely stressed out over it. He wants me filling out applications today. He worries too much about money and gives it way to much power over his life and happiness. I try not to let it spill over on to me...but he's got a choke hold on the finances. I know we'll be fine, we're resourceful and have had much leaner times.

The magic jack didn't work out for us....we mailed it back for a full refund yesterday and the cable guy is supposed to be coming today to fix the house phone.

Ara just may hooked on corn hole. He was looking up directions on how to make the boards. Much safer than horseshoe... I probably don't have the grip strength to toss a horseshoe without taking out some innocent bystander. I still want my hammock, picnic table, Adirondack chairs and fire pit, but I'll settle for a corn hole game first.

The Old Guy is 38

Yesterday was Ara's birthday. I am tired and burned out so no homemade cake or presents this year. I swung past Trader Joe's on my way home and picked up a cheesecake and some finger foods. I am so spoiled by my own cooking....it was all so yummy looking on the boxes, but tasted like spicy cardboard. Let me backtrack. At two when I clocked out to leave work, I hopped in my van, put in in R.....and nothing. I wouldn't back up. I tried twice, but for fear of dropping the engine in the parking lot I stopped. Dialed Ara, and he came to the rescue. He gunned it and the van finally moved. I had the front bumper stuck on the parking block. giggle. He thought it was some ploy to get him to the car lot to get that truck I'm eyeballing and drooling over. He beat me home and had half the back yard mowed. Mowing the yard on his birthday. And he is so stubborn...with his allergies, he won't take any meds until the symptoms are out of control. And I keep telling him to shower immediately after yard work so he's not sitting around sniffling all night. Will he listen...nope. So he's miserable last night...we're both fighting off a cold, his eyes are swollen shut, his nose is Niagara falls, he takes cold and sinus meds and is out around 7:30. I thought the roof was going to come off. It was cute at first, then after an hour the snoring was just annoying. I did get him some chocolate covered exspresso beans at Trader Joe's--one of his favorites. We also had little meringues and ultimate vanilla wafers. The absolute best birthday ever for him. I would have felt neglected, but he loved the low key celebration.
Cole was being his usual self at the dinner table...all mouth and grins. Andi was slouching and Cole spoke up and said, "let's talk about Andrea's lady like manners, slouching at the dinner table" I asked when he became such an expert at lady like manners and Jake began giggling like a school girl and smirked out "Since he started using them" Cole jumped up so quick and was poking Jake in the ribs, Jake couldn't fight him off because of his fit of giggles. It was all so funny.
My new project has been to get all the photo before the digital years in albums. Scrapbooking will have to wait. So far I have 5 albums done. Wow....pat on the ole' back. It's averaging about one album per year. And I didn't think we had very many photos, there are tons. We're on year 19 of marriage, so that will be at least 10 more albums. Gadzooks! There was a spell in 1999-2001 where I had all the photos developed in 5x7....why? All the albums I find are for 4x6. I may have to break down and crop....yuck.

Prerunner

I have been a little obsessed with the beautiful shiny blue thing. I am so in love. Every time I drive past the car lot my heart skips a beat. We were made for each other. I want it.

Seriously if I could swing a payment I would trade the van in today! I LOVE this truck and dream of being behind the wheel. Someday, somehow it will be mine.

Last Letter

On Sat. I went to a funeral with a friend. I'm not big on funerals but she really needed a friend so I went. I think it helped being a little bit detached from the deceased. I only knew him a short while as a patient at the dialysis center. I don't have a lot of direct contact with the patients, maybe a quick hello or a smile from across the room. It was an absolutely beautiful funeral. The choir was full of energy and there was always music playing. The pastors sermon was very moving. I've never actually been in a black southern baptist church and it's just like you imagine. It would wind up and down and the people were jumping up with Amens and Preach It waving their arms. It was neat. One of the things that was really touching was at a point in the ceremony one of the grandsons read letters and cards that had been written to the family. There was a letter from the police station, other community members, friends, his great granddaughter, the church Sunday school, the church building committee, the elders, and the last letter was one he had written himself the last time he was hospitalized. It brought tears to my eyes because it was so heartfelt and sincere. I'm grateful that my friend needed me and that I had this experience. I came away with a new understanding on family and death and life. His funeral was a celebration of his life. I would encourage everyone to write their letter to their kids.

No Coddling Allowed!

I can finally twist the caps off my drinks. Nothing like going to 7/11 and buying a Pepsi and not being able to open it. Today is my first day with out my thumb stabilizer. Of course I pumped full of aleve in case there is any smidgen of pain.

Mothers Day was good. Jake scrambled some eggs and made toast while everyone (including me) slept on. So I didn't get to sleep in, but that's OK. Ara worked on the bathroom. Stripes are done...looks so classy. I didn't even think to take before pictures....after shots will be coming soon, he still has to put the faucet and light fixture in. In the evening Cole and I were messing around with the soccer ball in...and I was able to give him a pretty good run. But then he stepped it up a notch and we both went for the ball at the same time. I heard a bunch of cracking sounds, gasped and winced out a "holy mother of god, I think you broke my toe", hobbled inside and iced it down. Today the swelling has gone down some and I can bend it, but it is completely purple all the way around.

Lately the kids have been great! knock on wood. It's the hubby driving me nuts. He's so distracted all the time. I thought I would get two weeks off cooking and cleaning. The first night we had leftover soup, the next night around 7:30 I had to fix myself a hot pocket and then Friday night ordered pizza. Sat we picked up some chips and dip at the grocery for lunch and I made my own sandwich. For dinner he grilled 14 hot dogs for the two of us . On mothers day Cole grilled out hamburgers (which he walked away from to kick around a soccer ball) while I slaved over the sides. I wasn't even mad because Ara was working on my bathroom and it was fun to be doing something with Cole. Monday he tried to feed me leftover hot dogs. I wanted a real meal. He made pancakes and scrambled eggs. Started at 5:30, I think we ate close to 7:30. Andrea was a huge help or it may have never got done. Last night I made Taco Soup. Yesterday I hobbled around picking stuff up and putting it away, cleaning bathrooms, and doing laundry. My bruised toe is causing me to walk all lopsided and now my knee and hip are shouting out in pain. So yes! I am really disappointed that Ara finds it so difficult to fix meals and is having a hard time stepping up the the plate for me on this one. That man coddles no one.

It was going so good

and then CRASH. Ara is on his way home from work and I dread telling him. At the last minute, I decided to rush my netflix movie to the post office and on the way back I stopped in at Marvelous Nail for a quick pedi and mani. btw Goodbye Serenity Hello Marvelous. Marvelous has the massaging chairs and a mani/pedi combo was only 30 bones. I was super excited. When I got home I ran into Jake on his way out. All day I thought he had my phone after his doc appt. because we were talking about phone features and he was using my phone at the bk lounge. He didn't have it. Ugg. Another phone bites the dust. I feel just sick. Phones and jewelry, I just can't hang onto. He's gonna be so pissed. And the house phone is out....again, so I can't even call burger king to ask if someone turned in a phone.
All is well...I went to the neighbors and called Burger King and they had my phone. and I think we are switching to Magic Jack for phone service through the computer and ditching cox.

Another Doctor Appointment Day

but this time it wasn't me. Jake has the most severe type of acne known to mankind. Nodule acne. The dermatologist was so excited to see him and said 'Oh yeah, were gonna have a long term relationship here.' He's now on the dreaded accutane and looking forward to blood work every 30 days and a future of laser treatments....great. We were so excited that he didn't need braces, but I guess we get to fork over just as much to fix his skin. He also gets to have about 6, yes, 6 moles removed! I don't think he was expecting that. And the nurse practitioner is Andrea's current bf mom. HA! what a small world.

Yesterday I stopped past Lowe's and got a gallon of paint to paint the downstairs bathroom---the traditional Millhouse choice of antique white. But! I have 3/4 gallon of balsam beige that I lifted from a dear friends garage when she moved. And I am leaning heavy on the old man to do me some stripes in there. I also picked up a new light and faucet. I'm counting this bathroom redo as my Mothers Day gift.

de Quervain Tenosynovitis

Went to the doctor today because of my super painful wrist/thumb. Good news is that it's not carpel tunnel. I was really worried about that because I love my computer and job and don't want to be restricted in any way from them. This is what I've got...de Quervain's tenosynovitis. ooolala. also know as mother's wrist. How very appropriate. It's very painful with shooting pain up my forearm. My thumb and wrist are now immobilized in splints and I'm taking aleve three times a day. Wikipedia says 'de Quervain's syndrome was also referred to as mother's wrist due to the fact that it can be caused by over-extending the wrist into the awkward positions that parents use to hold and handle infants. It was also nicknamed washerwoman's sprain as it can be caused by wringing motions, such as wringing out a washrag or similarly, removing the lid from a jar.' Finally a medical condition that gets me out of housework! Happy Mothers Day to me.

High Horse Mistakes

Well! he's back. I haven't actually seen him with my own eyes, but I got a text while I was at Anderson's spending all his travel money on flowers. Workaholic as he is, he went straight in to work. We argued all weekend because he's too thick and prideful to apologize when he hurts my feelings and thought the entire argument was about his travel policy. I was hurt because I felt like he just wanted to stay away as long as possible. Instead of recognizing/acknowledging my lonely/rejected feelings he took it upon himself to read the travel policy to me just so he could be right. I basically called him a coward (only not so nicely) and told him not to call until he was man enough. All is well that ends well. Looking forward to making up tonight.
I am trying to be supportive of a friend with teenage drama. I usually steer clear of giving out ANY parenting advice. No one in life really wants advice or constructive criticism anyway. We all just want to be understood. I was able to word my thoughts in a way that she could swallow (i think). The only point I wanted to make was that sometimes your kids can have different values and opinions and that doesn't mean they love you any less. And he was probably being a jerk and mean when her emotions came out because he was uncomfortable with her tears. I think one of the hardest part of parenting is when our kids do things that remind us of the parts about ourselves we don't like so much. Watching the boys make the same mistakes their dad makes is hard. Watching them make mistakes and face consequences is hard. Watching them make the same mistakes we tried to forget we made is hard. Next week I'll need someone to remind me of all this because I feel like I'm slipping off my high horse now.

I think...

Ara is on his mandetory trip---that seems stupid to me. But I guess the paycheck generators get to call the shots. As he's packing he's compaining about his jeans...this is the only thing he says, 'I miss beltloops'. I have no idea what he was talking about. Then he packs his suitcase with textbooks, laptop, and metronome. I asked if he was taking his guitar...nope, just the metronome. He says he's gonna play with his mind. Should I be worried? He's packed his suitcase like a hermit and is planning on listening to a metronome with no instrument. While he was in the bathroom (loading up his shower bag) I handed him the tweezers and asked him to put them away. Now I can't find the tweezers. Last night when I talked to him he said he packed them in his bag. ???? Metronome, tweezers, books. What the hell is he planning on doing in his hotel room? So now I have drifting eyebrows with no way to coral them back into place. Gotta love him. And he woke up in the middle of the night in a panic that his socks wouldn't match. Ugg. He absolutely flipped out that I suggested the kids and I come for the weedend. He says he doesn't know what he can and can't do and doesn't want to get fired and he is in training mode. I think he just wants to veg out over the weedend with nothing to do. I think he should come home Sat and Sun and bring my tweezers back. I think he'll be bored after the first two hours holed up in his hotel room. I think he is stupid.

Boring Bees

Oh and we also discovered Carpenter Bees are boring into the wood out back. Great.

Missing, Weeded, and Moved

On Friday Cole reunited with one of his friends that we're not so thrilled about. I'm sure this kid is a good kid, but the combo of the two of them is not good. They did a camp out at the other kid's house on Friday night. Cole called for a pick up around noon which I thought was odd and then seemed bummed out and sick. I thought he was just tired from the camp out. Sat night the other kids mom calls because she had just found three kayaks hidden at her house under a blanket. The boys had taken someones kayaks and were kayaking in the James river in the dark with no life jackets or paddles. Cole wanted to take the kayaks back on Sat but the other boys didn't---that's why he called for a pick up and was acting weird. Guilt was eating him up. Ara loaded up the boys and kayaks in his truck and knocked on the door of the house where Cole thought the kayaks belonged. Luckily they were cool about it and no police were involved. And I was worried they would play with fire at the camp out, but I guess they were too busy hand paddling 'hot' kayaks up the James. Should I look for the silver ling...they didn't burn down a neighborhood with an illegal bonfire.
Sunday we spent the whole day in the yard. We were up in the yard by 7am. Three wheelbarrow loads of weeds to the woods and one trip to the dump with pruning and now the beds are ready for mulch and some more plants. I think next weekend we are power washing the house. Ara is burnt crispy. He refused to let me put sunscreen on him. Usually he's begging for me to rub his back but not when sunscreen is involved. I kept taking fudgesicles and water breaks. Cole grilled up an amazing lunch for us. He even splashed the buns with vinegar and salt and toasted them on the grill--very gourmet. I made Ara stop at 3pm. I think his sunburn distracted him from any muscle aches he may have had.
Tuesday I finished edging out the back-of-the-house bed because I wanted to redo the walkway off the screen porch. Andrea and Ara ended up helping.
And now I am at Thursday with phase two of the attic on the agenda. I want to move some of the stuff stored in the garage to the attic. But we'll see how energetic I am.....

Fizz

For the first time in a long time...I AM 100% CAUGHT UP ON LAUNDRY!...that is until tonight. I accomplished this only because I decided to retrieve a root beer out of hiding (all soda is hidden under the living room chair out of lazy teens eyesight-just in case you visit and want one) and apparently I shook the box trying to get it. Nothing like creating a root beet explosion in the middle of the living room. Most of it got on me. It was hideous...I was trying to wrap a fizzing can in my shirt to save the area rug, wall, and furniture.
I am almost out of the stone ages. My IPOD came today. Now I gotta wait on Ara to reinstall and uninstall a bunch of stuff on the computer. Yes! I am capable, but he has the computer set up so only the 'administrator', which of course is him, can do stuff like that. control freak. But on the bright side we've had this computer 7+ (yikes) years and it's never crashed or picked up a virus.
Ara has Friday and Monday off for no apparent reason except to make me jealous. So tomorrow I think I'm gonna take the day off just to bug him all day. We have a master plan to clean out the attic and get rid of some junk we haven't touched in years. I still have a ton of the kids toys that is super hard to part with. I think were gonna set up the bunk bed in Andi's room and push the futon back into Cole's room...he has a super huge room. And give Jake Andi's bed. He's been sleeping on the futon in the computer room and its killing his back. So that's the agenda I'm pushing tomorrow. I'm afraid if I'm not home and he tackles it himself one of two things will happen. 1) He will play all day and never start or 2) The attic will be completely empty and all the stuff including Christmas deco will be in the truck destined for the dump.

TA DA

Today, on a whim, because that is how I operate, I decided to get a haircut. In 22 short minutes I went from this...
To This...

Teenagers may not necessarily be potty trained

Sunday I discovered something terribly gross. I was in the kids bathroom-mistake number 1, grumbling because once again there was laundry piled up behind the bathroom door. So my snarky self is tossing it out the door into the hall and then I see IT. Poo on the floor. Yes Poo. I have three teenagers, who I thought were all potty trained long ago and I am finding poo on the floor. Of course I am not quiet about my discovery and I won't repeat what I said (yelled) but when I came out of the bathroom the only kid home, the guilty one, was standing in their bedroom doorway grimacing. So I asked guilty one if they crapped their pants and got a big snickering grin. Then I see the guilty ones underwear in the trash can...busted! Too much coincidental evidence to squirm out of this one...guilty one cleaned the bathroom floor.

Cabinets and Flags

Yesterday in an insane moment, right before it was time to cook dinner, I emptied all the bottom kitchen cabinets and one upper cabinet and cleaned them out and moved some stuff around. I was so tired of twisting around into the back corner to get my favorite casserole dish. So now my pasta maker is in the back corner. Of course I buried the crock pots in the way back of a cabinet and then decided to make shredded BBQ chicken for tonight. So this morning I had to twist around and dig out the crock pot. Geez.
On the way home from work I did a quick U turn and went to the pottery. It's such a dump, but now that Ukrops on Mooretown Rd is closed there is nowhere else to get cheap mailbox flags. And I have to fancy up the mailbox with quirky flags so I bought 6. Yes 6! Because I may never get up the nerve to get to the pottery by myself again. Now my mailbox is proudly adorned with a cutesy flag that has three kids hanging out of the windows of a house and says We kid proofed the house, but they keep getting in. Nice. I think it's hilarious if not a bit redneck of me.

Spring Break ~ Part 2

was extremely slow paced....we all slept in and accomplished nothing...except for Ara. He did get the downstairs bathroom floor done...still need to paint and put the toilet back in.

Spring Break ~ the first half

Ara and I picked up a few new flower pots and a few flowers to perk up the back porch. Since I have decided to give up the back flower beds I dug up what I want to keep and mixed it in with the new. A few petunia, snapdragons and, marigolds are mixed in with the parsley, lemon balm and thyme. I still need to find a new home for the rhubarb. Oh! and on Sunday I made a new recipe ~ Amish Rhubarb Pudding with Warm Cream Sauce ~ It's a new favorite. Any visitors headed this way will definitely be sampling this dish.

Monday brought storms with power outages. Work was so stressful with three out of town visitors and only two staff to do the dialysis and running on the generator. I spent the whole day powering up the computers.

But then Tuesday was Spa Pedicure Day for me.

The weather cooled off so my new soft tootsies are safely tucked away in socks and shoes. :( I didn't bother to take pictures of all of Jake's friends that took over the house. They just play video games anyway. Andi and her friends watched Twilight a couple of times. Notice how they are turning pale (they did spa day too).

I love how Spike looks all snarly is this pic. I'd be snarly too if I was made to sit and watch Twilight again! The girls had also found a goose egg by the pond. They swore it was not in the nest when they found it. When they first showed it to me I wanted to boil it, they shrieked like I was an evil goose killer. They had it all nestled safely in a tin box lines with soft socks. It lasted 1 1/2 days and then got cracked. I am so so thankful for air freshener.

Different Directions

I think today is the perfect day to go out for a Margarita or two. It's dreary, windy and the week needs to end right. Next week is officially spring break, but the kids were off school today. All the good moms in the neighborhood have been looking forward to spring break. Not me. I dread every spring break and summer break. I thrive on routine. I hate the haphazard out of control that school breaks bring. My kids are all in different directions and since my brain is in a fog most of the time I don't know/remember where they are. So it's not that I don't love being with my kids, it's just that I can't keep up. I am definitely throwing another back to school beer bash for my favorite local moms when spring break ends.

Last week I took the car to the car wash....It was $9.00. I must have been living under a rock for the last few years! When did the price skyrocket? Anyway since dh doesn't have a problem with dirty cars and I do...I'm just going to spend the $9.00 a month to have is washed. Problem solved. Getting out the hose, bucket, finding sponges and doing it myself is too much of a pain. I always envisioned a happy family fun moment where we all wash the cars together, throwing sponges and laughing. Then I woke up.

Students

I am really doubting myself. Am I strong enough to handle three student drivers back to back? What have I done to myself? The boys had a dental appointment this morning at 8:10 (another what was I thinking moment) and afterwards they pressured me into stopping at the quickie mart...$20 later and in an insane moment I was being scuttled down the road in the bike lane. The sad thing is we weren't on bikes, we were in the van. I know the alignment isn't out on the van...why does he love the shoulder so freakin much???? The back seat driver was screaming "Holy Jesus, get in the lane!". Student driver said it still wasn't as stressful as driving with his dad. There was a tense moment (more than one) when there were bikers in the bike lane and an oncoming bus in the other lane. I closed my eyes. After he (safely) passed the bikers he went right back in the bike lane. I asked, "What? Are you trying to taunt the bikers?" I just couldn't resist. His turns have improved dramatically so I gave him kudos for that. Back seat driver said I was insane because he took the turn so quickly.
When we finally got to the school and kissed the ground, I signed the boys in and the secretary has them memorized. Jake commented how impressed he was that she knew their names. I said it was all thanks to Cole...she almost fell out of chair laughing. Cole was grinning. So I took advantage of his good mood to remind him to enter the classroom quietly, without announcing himself and shaking every ones hand. He took advantage of me and tried to leverage more computer time for tonight. Then some random kid passed by and Cole did his whole, "Hey, what's up?" handshake routine, and then turned around and smirked at me.

Got Lemonade

Please check out my shirt design at http://shirtzilla.spreadshirt.com/us/US/Shop/
I've been in cahoots with the shop owner and will be throwing ideas his way from time to time. For all of us that have lemons in our life (whether it be our spouse or job or life in general) may this shirt inspire us to make the best of it. It's a spin on when life gives you lemons make lemonade. And remember to save the link for more ideas to come. I wanna design your whole casual wardrobe--at least the shirts.

Recenter

An amazing friend has his music collection on amazon.com Danny Hines has put together Recenter and it's available for downloads or purchase on amazon.com. Danny was one of Ara's guitarist (wink) or should I say Ara was one of Danny's bassist. I remember being a groupie at many practices and seeing Danny's excitement when his creativity was flowing. And all that creativity is still flowing.....Check out Danny's talent at amazon.com - danny hines - mp3 downloads

Taking Back Tuesday

Ara called me a zillion times today....he must be homesick after his 4 day weekend. His last call he blabbered on and on about a series of links to get to a "fun" test where you enter your weight, activity level and other stuff so it can tell you your fat. NOT my idea of a "fun" test. I don't think I'll answer the phone anymore today...he might call again with something else "fun".

I don't think the gluten free casein free diet is going to work out. Over half my pantry is tainted with gluten and casein and I keep forgetting about it when I go to cook. Last night we had a Delicious meal of chicken fried steak with gravy, steamed carrots, lima beans, and mashed potatoes and carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting (homemade). I thought I was at Cracker Barrel. The lucky 'girls' I work with are getting a treat of carrot cake cupcakes tomorrow.
-------------------------
Gravy- basic white sauce
Melt 2 T margarine in a small saucepan or skillet add 2 T flour, stir and cook until bubbly for at least a minute, but not longer. (flour can be browned in oven for a brown gravy) Slowly Add 1 cup water + 1 t salt or bouillon, or favorite flavor of broth, stirring to blend. Cook until bubbly and thick, then add 1 cup milk (any type) and continue to lightly boil.
-------------------------

Downstairs Floors

Ara took friday and monday off work and got a big chunk of the downstairs flooring project done. Each day he made a trip to Lowe's for supplies. I know, not very efficient, but it works better for him to buy a little at a time and not be overwhelmed with a garage full of stuff. If it gets a project done I'm not complaining. He decided to replace ALL of the baseboards with 5 1/4 inch trim. It looks fantastic!

So all the downstairs floors are done (bathroom remaining) and the trim is up. On Sunday he kept throwing open the closet or pantry door and saying, "Look at that transition!" He's so stinking happy it's funny. Now I want a new sink, faucet, and garbage disposal, but I'm not pushing it.

This is the mayhem of a prior weekend when we had to get the floors done in time to close on Monday.

This is from way back in fall. We let Jake choose the paint color for the living and dining. This is the 'pumpkin butter' living room.