My mid-week weekend

I have to work all weekend (in Detroit...in the snow/rain 30's) while my family kicks back in the 70's sunshine.  That stinks.  Since my employer won't pay OT right now, I had to take a day off this week, and today was the day.  Fortunately, Mom was off work today, too, so I asked if she wanted to ride the horses.  The sun popped out and the wind died down, and it was quite nice, so shortly after 1:00, we headed to the pasture.

Brat/Buddy was at the far end of the pasture, grazing.  When I started walking out there calling him, he started walking toward me.  "Cool," thought I, "he's gonna come to me!"  Fat chance.  When I stopped walking, he stopped walking.  I called out to him, he grazed.  I started walking again, he started walking again.  I stopped.  He stopped.  Sheesh.  I guess there's nothing wrong with him wanting to meet in the middle, right? LOL

We got them groomed and ready, and took off.  We rode on the neighbor's place a bit, then down the road toward home.  When we got there, we went out into the pasture, toward "the point."  Anyone who has read mom's journal for any length of time has heard of "the point."  At the back of the 43 acres, the land drops sharply toward the river bottoms, and that point is the most gorgeous place I've ever seen.  You can see the valley forever back there.  It drops off like a cliff to the railroad tracks, which lie just a few feet North of the fence/property line.  Beyond that are fields, then levee, then the Mighty Muddy Missouri River.

Buddy was being pretty darn good.  The only times that he really acted up, it was due to trying to play.  If the dogs ran past, he wanted to chase them (that's what they do in the field!)  If the cows ran, he wanted to run.  If we were going up hill, he wanted to run FAST!  I let him lope up the hills, but not full-out run.  I'm a chicken in my old age.  When we reached the point, mom said, "wanna go down to the bottom?"  What I thought was, "Holy crap!  NO!"  But what I really said was, "hmmm, I'm not sure..."

Dad made a "road", (wide path) with the blade on the tractor, which allows access to the "bottoms."  It's very steep, and very long, but safe if you're on a safe horse.  Although Buddy is a trail horse at heart, he can be ornery if you're not prepared.  Mom said, "watch me and Blue go down, then decide."  Oh, sure...we'll watch.  Heck no!  Once Buddy saw them heading down, he would NOT be denied this opportunity.  I decided to give in and let him go down.  It was nerve wracking to go down a slope that steep, and I had my hand firmly on the brake.  Sure, it's just a saddle horn, and wouldn't stop anything, but somehow it makes you feel safer.

Buddy is such a good trail horse, he never slipped or stumbled...just walked right down that hill!  When we reached the bottom, I breathed a sigh of relief, and we explored the bottoms a bit.  He was full of energy, and insisted on being in front.  He pranced, trotted, and loped everywhere we went down there.  It was new and exciting to him.  When we headed back toward the steep hill (the only logical way out,) I forced him to walk behind Blue.  This was unacceptable in his mind, and he tried to bite Blue on the butt more than once.  Blue is a doll-baby, and never flinched.

At the wide valley that leads to the hill, I let him get in front again.  Blue reached over and nipped at Buddy, as if to say, "take THAT you little punk!" but it was all in good spirits.  He didn't bite him, just let him know that HE was the boss.  As we approached the hill, Mom said, "he won't be able to run ALL the way up this hill.  I usually let Blue stop and rest half-way up.  If he DOES run all the way up, it'll calm him down."  Guess what?

Yup, he ran ALL the way up that hill.  OK, it wasn't a fast run, but it was a lope that didn't let up.  As soon as he reached the top, he stopped and was blowing hard for air.  We waited for angel-boy (Blue) to calmly bring mom to the top, and I was laughing about how tired Buddy was.  At that point, he decided we'd run the rest of the way to the point (a gradual slope, not steep, but a hill nonetheless.)  He ran two full strides before stopping and panting again.  An easy walk was all he did, until the barn was in sight, then he pranced a bit again, but no more running.  He was tired, but his energy was not gone.  Just enough to make a perfect ride.

He was sweaty enough that I locked him in the stall to cool off.  When I let him out, he rolled in the dirt, then checked the stall one last time (for any feed that might be lingering there) then they both headed out to graze.  He is so cool!  I had a great day off, and I love my horse.  He is better behaved each time I ride, and we're learning each other.  I'm no longer wondering how he'll dump me, I'm enjoying life through his eyes...new and amazing.  Memories of this great day will get me through a weekend of crappy weather in Detroit! 

The mump

I have the mump.  Not the mumps, just the mump.  I have a tooth that broke a while back, and have had a few problems with it, but not too bad.  Kevin's dental insurance kicked in recently, so I can get things fixed in there, but over the weekend, I developed a problem.

Right under that tooth, my jaw swelled.  It happened this weekend, and gave me the appearance of having mumps, but only on one side.  It didn't hurt, particularly, just a bit when I pressed on it...so I didn't press on it!  Problem solved.  By Monday, though, it was bigger.  Great.

Since we'll be new patients at the dentist, it's gonna take forever to get in, plus they can't do anything if there is infection present, so I made an appointment with Dr. Amazing.  OK, that's not his real name, but for the first time that I can remember, we have an AWESOME family doctor.  This guy even has a personality!  Kevin has been seeing him for over a year, and I've taken Natalie there, and he's a great guy.  Doesn't move folks through like cattle, just collecting money and mumbling to himself.

He told them to double-book me, since he had no appointments left on his late night (last night), which impressed me right away.  It's so hard to get off work for a Dr. appointment, then go back to work...a 45 minute round trip.  Although I was double-booked at 6, he was in the room with me by 6:05.  He asked if he could take a look, so I opened my mouth and he shined a flashlight in there and said, "Yikes!  That's gotta hurt!"  LOL  I said, "Well, not as bad as  you'd think, but I'm flying to Michicgan in a couple of days, and didn't want to be that far from home with a toothache."  I wanted to get some antibiotic.

He wrote two prescriptions, one for Penicillin, and the other for Darvocet!  Heck, Tylenol and Advil have been working, but I filled it anyway, in case disaster strikes on my trip.  Meanwhile, from all of the prodding and poking on it, by the time I got home, it hurt like heck.  I stalled for about an hour, then finally took one of them at 7:45.  Pain medication often does NOTHING for me, and even when it works, it doesn't make me loopy.

Well, by 9:00, I couldn't feel my face, other than my nose, which felt tingly.  I went to bed stoned.  I told Kevin that I wasn't taking any more of those!  He suggested I try taking a half, next time I feel I need it.  I think I'll stick to Tylenol, thank you very much.  I will still take the Darvocet along on my trip, in case of disaster, but I don't plan on taking them!

Tuesday stuff

Kevin's mom left this morning.  She was here for four days.  There was a time in our marriage that the THOUGHT of her staying more than one day would have had me in tears, and Kevin frustrated.  I did NOT enjoy our time as much as I could have.  I took everything she said as a personal attack.  I was insecure and newly married.  How DARE she come in and say, "________" (fill in the blank with ANYTHING the poor woman said!)

The more I grew to know here, and let my defences down, the more I realized how much she had to offer me.  She is a totally unique woman with a very compassionate soul.  She loves her kids, and would kill or die for them.  In turn, she loves me and my kids.  She embraced Brett as if he were her own grandchild.  She offers advice without judgement.  She is fun, witty, and wise.  I love her.

She spent the kids' 4-day weekend here with us.  She had hot meals cooked when we got home from work.  She whipped our butts at Rummy more than once.  She took care of the girls, went to church and my mom's Easter dinner with us, and we talked and cried about Kevin's brother Steve.  We just sat and enjoyed life, and I was sorry to see her go home this morning.  I was almost depressed on the way to work, knowing that she'd be home by the time I took my lunch break.

I wish I hadn't wasted those 4-5 years being bitter.  You see, Linda didn't change.  No, she's the same woman she was when I married Kevin.  The change came from within me.  Mom taught me that.  She tried to tell me several times, when I'd talk to her.  Linda wasn't trying to hurt me...she was wishing the best for her son.  Once I embraced her for what she was, she pulled me into the family, and I'm a better person for it. 

I hope Linda enjoyed her stay.  She was sick the whole time she was here, but didn't let it slow her down.  Poor thing coughed until she pulled a muscle in her side.  Still, she cooked a big pot of ham and beans, cornbread, and fried potatoes to be done the MINUTE I walked through the door from work last night.  Bless her heart.  She wants to see the people she loves happy.  I'm happy.  I miss you, Linda. See you soon!

Wonderful, sunny Easter

It was a great day!  It almost ALWAYS rains on Easter around here, but today was sunny and beautiful!  The girls colored the eggs last night, and this morning, we all headed to mom and dad's and went to church with them.  The girls got to read a little part of a lesson up front, and my neice and nephew, and his girlfriend joined us, as did Kevin's mom.

After church, mom put the finishing touches on a WONDERFUL meal, and we all ate too much.  Then Arick, Michelle, and Brett hid the eggs for the girls to hunt.  They had a great time, despite the arguments about who had more.  Once the eggs were all found, it was time for ME to have some fun.

I cleaned up my little buddy (his mane was in knots again) and went for a ride.  Arick, his girlfriend Michelle, and Natalie all took turns riding Blue, while I rode Buddy.  He did great today!  No nonsense at all.  He's such a sweetie.  Well, ok, he acted goofy when I was cleaning his hooves, but Blue had just walked away, and he was worried about where his friend had gone.  Once I saddled up, he was an angel.

I love having a weekend that leaves me feeling like I did EVERYTHING that I wanted to do with it.  I relaxed, played cards, ate too much, rode my horse, and spent time with family.  Heck, I was happy to see Arick and Amber again!  It had been a while.  Now, if the weather would just hold out, I will sneak in a ride on Thursday, since I have the day off.

Saturday Six

1. Do you believe that Terri Schiavo should be allowed to die or that she should be kept alive? I think she should be allowed to die in one way, but in another, her parents are willing to care for her, and they want her alive.  I am honestly torn.
 
2. Has the Schiavo case made you take any action towards creating a living will of your own? I haven't made a living will, but everyone who knows me, knows my wishes.
 
3. Let's forget what we know -- or more likely, what we think we know -- about Schiavo's condition.  If you suffered a brain injury that would leave you in a non-responsive vegetative state (whether Schiavo is in this state or not) and your doctors said that there was so much brain damage that there would be no hope of recovery, would you want to be kept alive no matter what? No way.  If there is no quality of life, no ability to be a productive member of society, let me go.

4. Has anyone outside of your immediate family ever asked you to be their "personal representative" to make such a decision on their behalf if they ever suffer a severe injury?  Do you think you could really make the decision? Outside of immediate family? No. But I know the wishes of several who are close to me, and I would respect their wishes, regardless of the emotional pain.

5. Do you have a special outfit ready for Easter Sunday?  Does your family have any special Easter traditions? I'll decide what to wear tomorrow morning.  We have no Easter traditions...we just do the same thing...every year. ROFL, I cracked me up.  Anyway, we will hide eggs for the girls and eat too much.  Is that a tradition?
 
6. What room of your house is the absolute messiest?  Would you ever let a house guest see it? My room is the worst.  My best friend has been in there when it's not clean, but if I know someone is coming over, I clean it.  If I don't know ahead of time, I close the door.

Kevin's gun

Yeah yeah, I know.  I just posted an hour ago, but Kevin said, "since Jim posted a picture of his gun, don't you think you should post a picture of mine?"  Yes dear.

This is the Ruger Blackhawk single action .357 magnum that used to be his mothers.  Yeah, his mothers.  She's a dang good shot, too.  Let's just say that I wouldn't want her after ME with that thing!

Saturday happenings

The girls are in the middle of spring break...yeah right.  They only get Friday and Monday...a 4day weekend.  Big whoop.  Kevin's mom came up to spend these 4 days with the girls, and go to church with us at Mom's church, to see the girls do their speaking thing during service.  Then we'll go to mom's for Easter dinner.  Yum!

Linda made me a huge pot of potato soup yesterday.  I had some for dinner, some for Breakfast this morning, and just had more for lunch.  It's about gone now, and we've all had some, but I must say, I've had most of it.  Dang, I love that stuff.  Today, Kevin and his mom (Linda) went to WalMart for some necessities and some goodies for the baskets.  Then we played rummy for a while (Kevin won) and now Linda is napping, and Kevin's getting ready to.  I'll play around on the computer and watch the race.

Tonight we'll color Easter eggs and play some more cards.  I love the weekend!  Next weekend I'll be in Detroit, so no laziness for me.  I better enjoy this one!

Kevin's a grouch?

You know, I often tell Kevin that he wasn't born...he just appeared from behind a brick wall screaming, "who the HELL put this wall here?!"  He's a grouch.  Yeah, I said it.  He's mad at the idiot public shopping at Wal-Mart.  He's mad at the neighbor kids shrieking in the back yard.  He's mad that the burrito isn't hot enough.  He's mad that the Wheel of Excitement (neopets) shocked him with lightning instead of giving him 10,000 neopoints.  He's mad that he slept through COPS.  He's...well, he's mad!

I tease him about this, and sometimes I'm even bothered by it.  He has high blood pressure, and he's angry.  Not a good mix.  I wish he could take the laid-back view of life that I have.  I wish he could enjoy a quiet evening, regardless of what's going on outside of his control.  I wish I could smack him upside the head and make him happy.

You know what, though?  Dad is a grouch.  He's mad that the horses ate the barn lot down to dirt.  He's mad that the neighbor kid is standing on the gate while it's open.  He's mad that he's out of tractor gas.  He's mad that mom wants to go to the Old Threshers Reunion.

The fact is, though, they are only mad on the outside.  They are two of the most loving men I've ever spent time with.  They will put up with SO much crap from someone they love.  Dad will take mom to Iowa, Kevin will park in the North 40 in order to take me shopping.  Dad will extend a fence for the horses.  Kevin will watch the girls play outside, in the midst of screaming neighbor kids.

Yeah, they gripe a lot.  They come across as grouchy and mean.  Just ask me or Mom, though.  They are big ol' softies, hell bent on making their family happy.  I wouldn't have it any other way.  I couldn't think of a better father.  I wouldn't trade my husband for anything.  I have it good.  I am loved and spoiled. 

I gotta go now, Kevin is mad about something!  ROFL, just kidding.

KFC!

I had a horrible afternoon at work.  Every time I hung up the phone, I said something similar to "Sweet Merciful CRAP!  What the heck is WRONG with people today?!"  If they didn't want to yell at me, they wanted to whine at me.  If they weren't whining or yelling, they were trying to download software while saying "what do you mean by 'right click'?"  ARRRGGG It was ugly.

By the time I headed home, I was nearly in tears.  Stress on top of stress.  Kevin called me to say that he'd meet me at the gas station to fill up the van.  There was one place in town that hadn't raised prices yet, so they were 10 cents lower than everyone else, and I HATE pumping gas in cold weather.  With the rain and snow and wind, it was icky out there.  My day was looking up.

After he pumped the gas, he said, "I'm going to get dinner."  Huh?  Oh well, who am I to ask questions?  He brought home KFC with all the fixin's!  Since I can't fry chicken worth a hooey, it was a grand feast for us.  When I got done, I went into the kitchen to clean up.  Beside Natalie's spot at the table was what was left of her chicken.

Now, I know that most 7-year-old kids take a few bites of the easy-to-get chicken, and leave tons on the bone.  Not Natalie!  She gets all the good out of her food.

When she realized that I had taken this picture, and planned to post it to my journal, she said, "HEY!", but it looked like this:

Then, Monica realized that Natalie was the subject of a journal entry, and she felt left out, so here is Monica, in the shawl that she bought in Mexico:

Yeah, that's a Tshirt that she's wearing under the shawl.  Nobody ever gave us credit for fashion sense around here.  Once a hick, always a hick!

And just so Kevin doesn't feel left out...heh heh heh, here we go again...tonight it was Fudge who took advantage to his sleepy state:

Yeah, I made the bed this morning!

Heh Heh Heh

Well, I'm gonna catch heck for this, but I can't resist.

I've told you about a certain cat.  A certain cat that Kevin can't stand spending much time with.  Heck, nobody but Natalie can spend more than 5 minutes with this cat without griping.

Kevin had a long day today.  He woke early and put in a long, hard day on the job.  He ate dinner, piddled around on the computer, then stretched out on the bed to watch TV. 

Heh Heh Heh

Then, I looked over when I heard him snoring.  Guess what I saw?

His revenge will be all of you seeing my unmade bed with laundry waiting to be put away.  Yeah, I better go do that right now....before he sees this entry!  ROFLMBO

Organizing my house

My kids' computer area was a mess.  The computer monitor, keyboard, mouse, and speakers were crammed onto a little desk that was NOT made for a computer.  The mouse had about a 2" range of motion in any direction.  We've been talking about getting an actual computer desk for them for quite a while.  Tonight, Kevin brought one home.  I forgot to take a "before" picture, but here is the tiny desk:

After a lot of "attach top 'H' to base 'J' with bolts 'R', etc.", we completed the task.  Here is the new desk, which has shelves.  They did wonders for cleaning up the game/book mess down there:

Kevin twist-tied the cable nightmare, then tried it out:

One last purchase that Kevin made at Wal-Mart (he went for groceries!) was an accessory for the aquarium.  It's a pirate skeleton with a jug of rum.  Air bubbles come out from under the jug:

Now, were relaxing upstairs, watching the Roast of Jeff Foxworthy on Comedy Central.  It's pretty funny stuff.

My new aquarium!

My best friend knew that I wanted a bigger aquarium, and she wanted rid of hers.  I couldn't justify the expense of buying one, but boy was I dreaming.  I have 2 10 gallon tanks, on a double stand, but they're so small, and the smaller the tank, the harder they are to maintain.  When I found out that she wanted to give hers to me, I was so happy!  We finally picked it up today, and got it all set up.  She let us have her giant catfish (that they've had for years) as well as a real big plecostomus (scum sucker fish).  I added all my fish, and they look so tiny now!  I can now pass on my 10 gallon tanks to another friend. 

I need a life

Yeah, I know.  Before you read this, you must know that you've been warned!  It is 10:20 on a Saturday morning, and the most ambitious thing I've done is to shower.  The computer has logged several hours, and my kids fed themselves (they like that, though.)  I sit here, listening to the local classic rock station, playing neopets, and catching up on journals.  I love lazy Saturday's, but I'm starting to feel guilty.  Nah, not guilty enough.  Anyway, here's my loopy, slap-happy nonsense for the day:

Look!  Sasquatch caught a mouse!

Then he passed out, exhausted from the kill.

Hey, I tried to warn ya!

Customers, coloring, and cockroaches

Well, my customer came to visit today.  It was a whirlwind day in which I got NOTHING accomplished at my desk.  I mean NOTHING.  That puts me a full day behind when I get there on Monday.  To top that off, one of the other reps on my team (there are three of us) will be gone Monday-Wednesday.  Oh goody.  I'll be doing two days worth of my work, and a day worth of hers, all in 8 hours.  I'm happy to be employed, I'm happy to be employed, I'm happy to be employed.

While I was walking the customer through the lab, we passed one doorway as an employee yelled (real loudly), "HOLY CRAP!"  Now, considering which employee it was, I'm surprised she didn't drop the "F" bomb, but she didn't.  I found out later that she saw a huge cockroach crawl out from under a box.  She didn't think anyone would believe her about it's size, so she killed it and took it to the guy who contracts our pest control.  I love it!  The customer did nothing more than laugh at her outburst, and I changed the subject.

Monica asked me to print off some coloring pages tonight, and she's coloring them for people I work with.  Mostly the ones that she hears me talk about, and one for my boss that has a note saying, "thanks for giving my mom a great job."  Then it happened.  She asked me to google up a picture of a cockroach, so she could write a note to Rebecca.  The note says, "Rebecca, it's OK that you said Holy Crap in front of mom's customer.  Love, Monica."  Only one of my kids.

The socks

Although I sometimes find it hard to post to my journal (or find the keyboard, for that matter, "excuse me, Sasquatch."

I was asked about the socks, so here they are!

Tacky?  Yes, very...I love them!

 

My favorite holiday?

St Patricks day is one of those holidays that I love.  No need to buy gifts, no huge meals to cook, no uncomfortable gatherings, just slap on some green and spend some green celebrating the green!

I have no proven Irish blood flowing through me, but I take advantage anyway.  I bought several little packs of stickers (leprechauns, shamrocks, pots-o-gold, etc) and travelled around the lab handing them out.  With close to 200 employees this time of year, it took a while.  I was able to make some folks smile, though.  Some of the over-50 employees who usually have a grouchy look on their faces really lit up!  Some of the 18-22 year old dark and dreary kids laughed out loud at this 36 year old weirdo handing out stickers.  It was fun.

I even went to McDonalds to get a shamrock shake for myself and my two employees (the receptionists.)  It's been a good day.  It's been a darn good day.  I wore my St Patricks Day socks.  Theme socks are SO dorky, but I own them for this particular day.  The weirder the outfit, the more I enjoy it.

Busy days, sneaky child, and Kevin

I was so busy today.  It's like this all the time now.  Heck, we aren't even in our "season" right now, and I can't catch up. Here comes a boring work story, so you might want to skip this paragraph.  When the receptionists have a caller that asks for customer service, they push a button and hang up.  That button sends the call to the first available rep.  Sometimes, we will hit the "unavailable" button.  No calls can come in, and we can finish what we're doing.  If we *do* take a call, we have 1 minute "wrap time", to wrap up whatever is needed for that call.  If we don't need wrap time, we hit "end wrap" to let the calls roll again.  I decided that, since so many folks were unavailable, I would voluntarily "end wrap" through as many calls as necessary to clear out the que.  SIX calls, ladies and gentlemen, SIX!  4 of those calls demanded immediate attention, or things could get ugly.  Damn, it was a busy day.  But it's over, and I have to kill some OT, so I'm not going in until 12:30 tomorrow.  Late sleepin', here I come!

OK, boring work story is over.  Brett has always pushed us.  Last fall, he downloaded enough ring tones and games to his cell phone, that the total was over $100.  I guess he didn't think we'd have a problem with the bill.  WRONG!  He eventually paid it back, but not without a LOT of trouble.  He's done it again.  Last night, he announced, "I need lunch money."  I said, "OK."

At this school, we pay on account.  When the account is empty, we send more money.  Kevin overheard Brett asking me for lunch money and started scrambling for the checkbook.  He paid for a month (20 lunches) only 11 school days ago.  Kevin cried "foul" and asked where the money went.  Apparently he's been buying soda at $1 a pop (pun intended) for a while.  He just "doesn't like milk any more."  Too friggin' bad, my friend.  He is to pack a lunch for the next 8 days, after which we'll replentish the lunch account again.  He said, "but I don't *like* milk any more!" To which Kevin replied, "then get a freakin' *job*!"  Sheesh, the lazy, unmotivated one has done it again.

Kevin has been pulling 12+ hour days lately.  Today, he actually got off work on time.  I came home to see him cooking spaghetti and garlic bread for dinner.  It's his specialty.  It was wonderful, and with Survivor being on tonight (instead of Thursday,) life was good.  I brought home the customary Pringles (pizzalicious and trivia prints) and beer.  I even bought a bag of raisinettes as a bonus.  And WHAT an episode of Survivor it was!  *BOTH* teams had to vote someone off?  Wow, that was interesting.

Kevin has had a few "moments" with Snowbell tonight.  I gotta say, he's wearing down.  He actually loved on her for a few minutes, albeit unwilling.  When he made it clear that he was done, she *almost* gave up.  Anyway, she wasn't QUITE as persistant as yesterday.  Now, she's passed out in the floor, looking quite satisfied.  Heh, heh.  She wins again?!

Poor stupid cat

Well, we have these 3 cats.  Useless animals, cats.  Abso-friggin-lutely useless.  Sasquatch, the only male (if you could still call him that) is Brett's cat, and is cool.  He wants attention, 3-4 strokes a day, then leave him the heck alone.  Fudge (Monica's cat) is pretty and sweet, and fairly easy to live with.  She likes a bit more attention, but she gets the hint if you toss her off the bed.

Then, there's Snowbell.  This pure white bundle of ignorance is a waste of oxygen.  Seriously.  There is no use on earth for this cat.  She is stupid (walking-into-walls and falling-over stupid) and useless.  Have I mentioned that she's useless?  She has almost killed herself a couple of times with her stupidity.  Once, she hung herself in the hammock and had to be cut free, another time she was dragging around a WalMart bag full of shampoo/conditioner/soap with her neck.  Sometimes she swats in the air....at NOTHING!

Tonight, she decided she needed attention from Kevin.  Fudge was up there beside him for a bit, lying quietly and sleeping...just enjoying human companionship.  Sasquatch jumped up for his 3 pats, then gave the look that says, "OK, I'm going to sleep now, so leave me alone, ok?"  Then Snowbell jumped up on the bed.  Kevin was nice enough to pet her a time or two, and she wouldn't get out of his face.   He put her gently on the floor.  She jumped back up.  He patted her gingerly, then said, "Go Away!" and put her on the floor.  She immediately jumped RIGHT back up.

At this point, I thought he might kill her, but he didn't.  He said, calmly, "Why don't you realize that I hate you?  I mean, go away before I get mean!" and he put her on the floor again.  By now, I was watching from the corner of my eye.  Yup.  She jumped right back up there.  He said, "all right, let's see how you like this!" and started rubbing her fur the wrong way.  She didn't mind at all.  In fact, she settled in for a long stay!

He got up and went back to his computer.  The way I see it, it's Snowbell-4, Kevin-0.  She won.  Poor Kevin, can't catch a break.

This is Snowbell. (yeah, she likes playing on, and lying on, paper...for no good reason.)

Another Day in Paradise

Tuesday has arrived.  Another too-short, busy busy day at work.  I have a customer coming for a visit on Friday, and there is a TON to do before she gets here, as well as my regular work.

Kevin's been working 10+ hours a day, but I hope that's coming to an end, now.  We get home, feed the kids, go through backpacks and do the homework thing, clean up the dinner mess, then plop ourselves down in front of the computers.  I feel lazy, but I'm a country girl living in a townhouse without so much as my own yard.  Dang, I need a house.  I see Jim's pictures of his yard and tractors, I spend weekends at mom's, soaking up the country air, and it makes me hurt for a place in the country.  Heck, a place in town would be great, if it had a nice yard.

We flushed our credit down the toilet a few years back, and it's slowly coming back.  I hope to keep edging that credit score upwards, and look into buying a house soon.  I want to mow a yard, I want to plant flowers, I want to build the kids a jungle gym...I want it ALL!

OK, enough whining.  I'm only 36...maybe I'll grow up some day, and until then, let's have a good time!

'cause it's my BIRTHDAY!

We had some friends come into town for the weekend, even though I had to work Saturday.  Last night we went to a local joint for dinner, and their shrimp alfredo was really good!  After that, we came back here to hang out, and I wound up staying awake talking until almost 3am!  ACK, I'm getting to old for that crap. 

After sleeping in, I got up and had 2 pieces of cardboard pizza (that's what we call those cheap-o frozen things) and 2 grapefruit for breakfast.  Yeah, it's weird, but it's what sounded good!  LOL  Then I went out to mom's to get the girls, and ate a burrito there!  Dang, I'm gonna spend my birthday getting fat.

I was happy to see that my brother has a journal, and I got lots of birthday wishes in email, message board posts, and journal comments.  I took a nap while watching the Nascar race, but didn't miss any of the wrecks.  I gained some respect for Dale, Jr. when we admitted fault for the crash that took him and Brian Vickers out of the race.  A lot of those drivers are arrogant hot-heads who wouldn't admit fault for anything.

Brett and the girls are downstairs making a batch of brownies for me.  I'd say I've got it pretty darn good!

a (stupid?) thought

Dang, there are times that I *HATE* the mood choices on AOL journals.  Anyway, I digest.

ROFL, that "digest" thing cracked me up!  It's sad to laugh at your own jokes.  :(

I have a dream, deep down inside.  It's a dream to take pictures.  No, I'm no photographer, by any means.  I don't want to do portraits, or landscapes, or animal pics.  There is a specific subject that interests me, and I think I could make a damn good book out of it.  The problem is:  I see the pictures in my mind, but there is no text, no words.  Maybe some of mom's poems for some...maybe a comment about how I feel for others...but there are some that I see, in my head, that need something.

Yeah, I'm not flat-out saying what my idea is, but the reason is simple:  I think it's such a *DAMN* good idea, that I am afraid someone will take it.  Yeah, it sounds egotistical, but it's where I am.  I plan to start this weekend.  More to come.

Happy Birthday? Or life as usual?

Well, I got my first Birthday card today.  One of my good friends at work handed me a card (in case she forgot before Sunday) and I started to open the envelope.  As I did, I related to her how my kids, as they pull cards from an envelope, open them and give them a slight shake, hoping that $$$ falls out.  It a cute thing, to see them checking for cash, without asking for cash.  As I told the story, I pulled the envelope out and gave a little shake.  5 Missouri Scratcher tickets (lottery tickets) fell out.  I was thrilled, and shocked.  I said, "well, there IS money in there!"  She laughed so hard.

Out of 5 tickets, I won $2.  That equals $2 more than I had when I got to work today.  I haven't cashed it in, yet, but will probably get 2 more tickets.  That's how I work things.  $10 or more gets traded for cash, under $10 gets traded for tickets.  It's my system...it hasn't worked yet, but it will someday! :)

Survivor was awesome tonight.  I really like having a weekly ritual, each Thursday.  It's a stupid show, but it's fun to look forward to it.  That's probably why I watch.  My day at work was SO hectic, couldn't get ahead, could barely tread water, but I knew that Thursday night was coming.  That's all it took to get me motivated to get through the day.  Yes, that's why I watch.

I have to work Saturday, but it's all good.  We have out-of-town guests coming to see me, and Sunday is all mine.  If the weather cooperates (and it's not looking promising,) I'll take a ride on the best Arabian horse in the world (ok, the only one I've had contact with.)  If it doesn't, I stay home and watch Nascar, being waited on hand-and-foot.  3-day birthday's rock.

In our house, if you have a job, and contribute to the household (read:  me or Kevin,) you get a 3-day birthday.  My wish is their command.  Whatever I want, whenever I want...it's mine.  I'm never too demanding, though, since Kevin's birthday is coming up in August!  It's fun though.  Breakfast in bed, late night ice cream, total control of the remote.  wow.  It's great.  The only rule is:  The three days must be consecutive, and one of them must be the actual birthday.  I will take Saturday-Monday.  That gets me Saturday night, a whole weekend day, and Monday, which will make Monday more liveable.

As a side note, since I'm thrilled with life tonight:  I love my husband.  I love my kids.  I love my mother.  I love my father.  I even love my brother!  I have a storybook life, and need to quit griping about the little crap.  I have it better than *SO* many people, and need to learn to appreciate that. 

Good weekend, ya'll!

Nothing much going on

If it seems I haven't been posting here much lately, it's because I haven't been posting here much lately.  Logical, huh? LOL

There isn't much going on, really.  Monica's allergies have kicked in full force, and it was so bad that she didn't want to spend the night at Grandma's house Saturday night.  I got her perscription filled on Monday, and she's already greatly improved.  Poor kid caughed day and night for 3 days.  Miserable little thing.

Work was frustrating today.  That's life.  As Drew Carey once said, "So, you're unhappy with your job?  Well, we have a club for that...it's called EVERYONE and we meet at the BAR!"  Yeah, everyone has job frustrations, but I still like my job and love what I do.  Sigh.

I will fly to Detroit April 1 for a convention.  I like these trips, but it is exhausting and you stand on your feet all day smiling and making nice with customers.  At least at work, I can put them on hold and curse momentarily!  It's ok, I can make nice for a couple of days, standing in a trade show booth.  It's a way to see a different area of the country and eat at nicer places than I would EVER go to, if I were paying.

April 15, Kevin and I are going to a chat meet in Chicago.  That will be fun, too.  There are a few people that I've been dying to meet in real life.  If we get to go alone, it'll be a short little vacation for the two of us.  If we don't have a sitter, we'll take the van and the whole gang, which will be OK, too.  A bit more expensive and a bit more hassel, but the girls will enjoy it, so what the hay?

Well, I have neopets to feed, and I see an early bedtime coming.  As soon as the girls go down, I'm snoozin'!

Back to, ummm, normal?

Well, I guess life is going to stay as normal as it ever was, around here.  Jonathan worked things out.  It seems I had parts of the story wrong (it wasn't Grandpa's temper, it was Grandpa's wife) and the job isn't lost, just doesn't pay very well.  Jonathan (proving nicely that he's growing up) decided to stick it out and look for another job, instead of packing up and leaving.  He may come up with Kevin's mom this weekend for a visit.  I'll be glad to see him.

You know you're friggin' sad when you have to borrow neopoints from a 7 year old to pay for hoochie coochie tablets to cure your neopet.

Survivor was tonight.  Mmmm, Pringles.  I love Thursday.

Aryan Nation is moving their headquarters to Kansas.  Dang, that's all we need.  Missouri is already the Meth headquarters of the country, now we have white supremecists (sp) nearby.  Great.  I hate haters.  I hope they all make meth and blow themselves up.

I get to go to work an hour late tomorrow.  That means that I can drop the girls off at "kiss-and-go" (the lane to drop kids off without parking.)  The girls love it when I get the rare chance to do this.  It's such a simple thing, but they get all tickled about it.  I'm glad that I can make them happy in such an easy way.

Natalie got her hair cut.  I really like it.  She had a bit of bed-head this morning during breakfast, but I took a pic anyway.  I forgot to change settings on my camera (since the last time I took pics outside, so it is very warm...natural light if you will...but if I didn't work at a lab, I wouldn't have been bothered.)

That's all I've got tonight.  Take care, and "here's to the weekend!"

What a weird few days

Yeah, it's been weird.  Very weird.

We had a great few hours at Mom's on Saturday.  I wanted to go for a ride with her, but she was cooking when I was ready, and she was ready when we needed to head home, so it didn't work out.  Yeah, we could've waited a bit, with no problems, but there was so much to do here at the house.  Anyway, Buddy (Brat?  Prince?) got his hooves trimmed yesterday, and will be good to go next chance I get.

Sunday, Monica had a birthday party to attend at the local roller skating rink.  Yeah, they still play Ghostbusters, YMCA, the Limbo, the Chicken Dance, and the Hokey Pokey (that's what it's all about, ya know.)  It hasn't changed in 20 years.  Throw in several giggling 9 year old girls, and you have a wild afternoon.  Natalie went to the grocery store with Kevin after I got home, and came home to say, "Dad spent $123, are we rich?"  No, honey, not anymore.  Walmart has it all, now.

Monday was a normal day, other than my neopet catching "hoochie coochie"...what the heck is THAT?  Sounds like VD!  Anyway, he's healed.

Today is the 1st of the month.  That means hell at work.  I ran the monthly statements this morning, and there was a problem with the updates that I run afterward.  It took over an hour on the phone with IT, and several hoops to jump through, but it got fixed.  Then, I found out that a customer filled out a form to have us charge his credit card, and put the wrong account number in.  That means:  We've been charging the credit card belonging to accoung "X" for the last 6 orders shipping to account "Y".  SHIT!  Lots of crediting and debiting later, that's fixed, too.  That's when Kevin called me.

It seems that Jonathan  (Kevin's 19 year old son) is practically homeless.  His plan to live with his grandpa isn't working out.  Lots of folks suspected that Grandpa's temper would come out, but after only a few days?  All signs point to no provocation, but who knows?  Jonathan would likely live on the streets before leaving his girlfriend behind, but can they come here?  Get on their feet until they find a place?  Can we help them get away from that town?  I have preached to Kevin for years that "you give your kids as many chances as they need," and now he's gonna call me on it.

I still believe that you give your kids all the chances they need...I mean, who else is gonna do it?  I also believe that Jonathan has turned things around in the past year.  He is holding a job, he's dropped his junkie friends, and he's a respectful guy to be around.  The reason for this change is his girlfriend.  She has encouraged him, supported him, and refuses to let him fall back into old ways.  It's a good thing, right?  The problem is, he won't leave her behind, and it's hard for us to say, "let her stay there!"  She has nobody there, and is the reason that Jonathan is growing up.  DAMN! 

No, I don't want to have Jonathan and his girlfriend using this as a crash pad.  Yes, I want Jonathan to continue the path that he's on.  No, I don't want my girls to think it's OK to live with your S.O.  Yes, I think they're together for the long haul, and will probably get married.  No, we don't have room for two more people to move in.  Yes, I will support Kevin with whatever decision he makes.  He has supported me through a lot, and I will do the same for him.

I love Jonathan, and I see the change in him since he started dating Samantha.  They are really pulling it together.  He is a different kid.  Does that make it easier?  Does that make more room in my house?  Does that explain what we'll tell the girls?  Does that help explain where they will work or how long it will last?  No...no it doesn't.  All I can do is support Kevin in the decision that he makes.  We will figure this mess out.

I know what my brain tells me, and I know what my heart tells me.  Right now, those two are arguing something fierce.  The final decision is Kevin's, not mine.  I will support him and make due.  I will continue to work and raise my kids.  I will make the best of whatever situation develops. If I'm going to give Brett unlimited chances, I have to be willing to do the same for Jonathan.  sheesh!  I'm tired.