Pine Tree Crosses, Garden planting and TGIF

This is an awesome story about Pine Tree Crosses.  I'll be on the lookout for sure!  http://wandascountryhome.com/pinetrees/index.html

My Papa told me many things about trees and their leaves but I had never heard this story.  I am amazed at how nature "knows" the seasons...like the dogwoods will be in bloom by Easter, no matter when Easter is, March or April.  Pine tree crosses shooting towards the heavens.....the animals knealing at Old Christmas.....sunflowers "following" the path of the sun.....leaves curling up when there is impending rain.  God is awesome in His creation.

Speaking of nature, my Yankee husband just called me from the seed store to ask "which bean did you want most of?" and I said the "speckled kind - not the green ones".  He and my step-Dad are in the middle of planting the garden.  I said don't forget the fertilizer.  I do love speckled butterbeans and now my daughter is actually hoarding them from me when my Nanny cooks them.  They planted Dixie Lee peas on Wednesday (this is funny cause my hubby is such a city boy) and I said "how many seeds to a hole and did you toss in some fertilizer too?".  Hubby says no fertilizer.  HUH???  Oh my you've gotta be kidding me!  No wonder they had to replant the peas last year LOL.  I need to get a picture of Tom planting a garden...to send to NY and FLA to his family - kind of a city / gothic america portrait!!!!  What I need to do is let TOM come to work for ME and let ME go help plant the garden.  Of course I say it's doomed anyway cause my Papa always said you had to wait till after the new moon or plant on Good Friday.  Neither is here jes yet.

Well it is TGIF....and payday Friday (and I'm alone today) for all my subcontractors and as usual the boss is still mulling over the legistics of their invoices (grrrrrr).  Especially masons....why is it always a taffy pull when it comes to brick counts?!  ~*#^%  And could we wait a liiiiiiiiiiiitle later to get these guys paid today huh???  Ruin my morning already, cause the phone will be ringing "when can I come pick up my check?" and I have to say "dunno"....I have begged and begged for these things to be done by Thursday no later, but da boss always, ALWAYS, drags his feet.  One Friday it was so bad that my co-worker and I went to lunch (checks were not ready yet) and we put a note on the door that said "Call Boss at cell # for your check".  Now that went over real good!  There was a line of subs waiting outside when we got back and the boss was GONE.  That'll teach him..........so we thought.

I need to clean house this weekend....and you're all expected to KICK BUTT if I don't....I've talked hubby into taking Tara to the birthday party in the morning.  That way I have quiet time to do the things I need to without being disturbed.  Plus I bought some material and I just might get around to cutting out a dress for Tara and making a matching pocketbook.  If I do well on the pocketbook, I'll make one for her friend, Cassie, who just happened to spend the night last night.  They are at the farm today, too, chasing the goats not planting LOL.

Oh well, TGIF to everybody and have a fun April Fool's Day!

 

Friendship is like...........

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Pop-In-Law, Spring, Chin Ups & the Preacher

Yay....we received the call that Tom's Dad is out of surgery and on the way to ICU.  Thanks for all the prayers and well wishes!!  He had the abdominal aneursym repaired today along with some bowel & kidney flushing and even flushed out a blockage he had in one of his legs.  They really gave him a Spring cleaning LOL!!!! and everything is looking good! WOOOO HOOOO!  So Tom's trip to FLA didn't have to be bumped up and he'll be taking his shift with Dad April 17-24.  Now we gotta remember those poor nurses who'll have to deal with him for the next 10-14 days!!  Geesh!

Spring has sprung today for a good showing....the sun is out, the weather is 68 today and climbing to about 80 by Friday.  My burgandy car is laced with the yellow etching of pollen and my Yankee hubby is learning how to plant a garden (hang on while I stop laughing).  Tara has just come home from shopping with the Grands...Nanny and my Mom.  Remember???  She's on a mission for that new chair.  (Wonder if she found one??)  So Miss T now has a new Bratz Genie doll, Meygan.  Like we don't have enough dolls of that sort in this house!!  I am home today =) so there is ribs in the oven and I'm making a quick little appetizer.  We'll have fresh green beans and mashed taters with the ribs tonight.

Yes, I said "home today".  Sometime during my sleep last night I was laying on my tummy, dreaming.  I reached upward to the top of my mattress and gave myself a PULL, more like a slide, up to the headboard.  I immediately woke up with a YIKES! because what I felt was the inside stitched areas from my recent hysterectomy PULL.  Oh boy...it was about the equivalent of my trying to do a chin up so you can imagine all my weight pulling against fresh wounds trying their darndest to heal properly.  Will I ever learn??????  Plus I had been to the Chiropracter yesterday AND swimming at the Y...yes I actually tried to swim to see how my middle reacted to the reach and pull.  Must have been why I was reaching in my sleep......gotta watch that stuff.

Tom has been helping my step-Dad on some projects he's picked up and today when they finished up, they went up to my parents church to help errect the crosses for the Easter season.  (Mind you...Tom is a Yankee Catholic; parents are suthern SBapt)  So Tom is thinking "this is a set up" especially after his recent sleep over at the jail.  He kept expecting one of those "by the way..." conversations to start up, but they never did.  Would have served him right.  Yankee sandwich rat thar on the church lawn between those good ol redneck boys.  And under the crosses to boot!  (another moment of ROFLMAO)

And April Fool's day is just around the corner.......gotta come up with a doozie for the boss.  One year we rigged his whole desktop to fall into the floor when he opened a drawer or picked up a phone.  The best one was removing the cream filling from the Oreo and replacing it with toothpaste!!  He refuses to eat Oreo's anymore unless HE is the one to open the bag.  Go figure!!

{{to all}} ...Sharon

Binky Lemondrop

Binky Lemondrop.....yep, that is my Easter Bunny Name!!!

http://www.quizopolis.com/newest_fun_stuff.php

My Nanny

Sharon’s Horrible scope "….. when a very strong feeling hits you now, admirably, you won't think twice before expressing it. You won't even want to." This is funny because I usually DO say whatever comes to mind.

Especially where my Nanny is concerned. She is one of the neatest people ever. She doesn’t mind one bit telling me what to do or how to do it or when or to get off my butt. That’s why I don’t mind telling her "what for". Like lately she’s having issues being light headed. The doc said she was bordering diabetes and to keep an eye on her sugar levels. Well Saturday and Sunday her levels were up to 200. I made her a list of things to NOT eat/drink…like cutting the sugar in her tea by half, buying the brown rice instead of the good ol white one we love so much…easy on the pie and soda. We’ve been telling her to lay off the white stuff for a while now but does she listen?? Nooooooooooooooo. And she wonders why she gets so sleepy. She has made a Dr appt for Tuesday and I said to her "are you gonna tell him everything? you know, the truth? cause the truth shall set you free!" and she said YES she was gonna tell all…..Yeah right, I’ll bet. She’ll leave out the part about dipping snuff. No wonder she’s light in the head. And she’ll tell him she eats normal meals too…….WRONG!!! Her lunch yesterday was beef, rice, gravy, potato salad, 2 biscuits (one w/jelly) and tea. Hello!! Where are the veggies??? She loves veggies. Too much starch!!! Starch = sugar. This lady drives me crazy. I told her I was gonna fax a letter to the Doc saying "this is what really goes on" just so he’d have a better idea of reality. Maybe my Mom will go with her and spill the beans.

Nanny also wants what she wants when she wants it, which is usually right now. She has a funny way of encouraging you to hang a picture for her or take her shopping. At 83 she is fiesty and has a lot of energy. Plus she is always changing things in her home like pictures and paint on the walls. She even had Tara on the ladder painting the highest parts. She will paint anything in sight…she has gourds growing and when they are ready THEY get painted! Now Nanny wants, more like NEEDS, a new chair in her sitting room. Of course someone needs to go with her to pick it out and bring it home (we all have trucks) but she wants to go Yesterday!! Whew it never ends.

Refecting

All in all it was a pretty good weekend.  Tara went to work with me on Friday since I'm only there 1/2 day it is a good idea.  After work we set out on a mission to get her a real live manicure .... the French Tip kind.  She was nervous but soon realized it was a great treat.  I think I've created a monster!!  What have I done?!?!?!?!

I had promised a friend that we'd go bowling Friday night, so we met up at a bowling alley.  I totally cut up and let loose...I needed to.  I've been so caught up lately in Hubby drama and Kid drama and Nanny drama and bestest friend moved away to be with a loser boyfriend drama (I finally convinced her to move back home this weekend!!), father-in-law surgery upcoming drama...you get the picture.  We had a blast.  We ventured over to the pool tables, shot a few games and then headed out to a dueling piano bar.  I love this bar (hey, isn't that a country song??).

Saturday was sleeping late....oh boy did I need that after coming home at 1am.  Lots and lots of Cap'n Morgan & pineapple the night before.  Actually too much pineapple...that acid eats at my tummy.  Must switch to Sprite or a citrus drink.  So Saturday was recoup day and just lay around till time to go to the bosses wife's Pampered Chef party.  Not much of a party let me tell you, nor did I expect it to be.  Not compared to the night before.  Nevertheless, I indulged her, played nice, bought a couple of gadgets and drank her punch - I offered to go out to my car and get my rum.  Oh the frown I got for having booze in my car.  Mini bottles or as I like to call em "pocket booze".   What??? What did I say???

And Sunday is usually the catch up day...the OMG look at the laundry day.  A few loads here and there, some TV or radio- I actually watched that nut Larry the Cable Guy - I don't normally like him, but it was tollerable.  I think my reasons for not liking him stemmed from the resemblance to hubby's drunk plumber friends.  Gotta stop that stereo-typing.  And I did make myself watch "My Best Friend's Wedding".   As far as Julia Roberts goes, I liked "Erin Brockovich" and "Runaway Bride" much better.  I like the drama of "Erin"....the mystery.  I like action stuff...like "The Rock" and "Entrapment" and "Murder at 1600".  But sometimes a chick flick is in order.

Hey did you notice.....?  No romance.  No walks in the park.  No candlelight or fireplace's with champagne?  What's up with this picture???  Gotta do something to change this scene.  The night is still young yet...........hmmmmm.  Crap, I just remembered I need to change the sheets..........

 

Sunday is.......

Sleeping In
Usually Lazy
Nap time at 4
Dinner creations by Hubby
Alot of TV or Radio
Yikes! Tomorrow is Monday!

Weekend's End

Sunday........I had every intention of doing more than I did today.  Well, Martha Stewart I ain't, so get over it.  I need a picture to hang over my piano and I love the works of Howard Behrens, but Rockefeller is NOT my Daddy.  I found one in Pawley's Island one day on a trip back from Charleston...framed and all marked down and down again till it was $70.  I am still kicking myself because when I went back....well, ya'll know the story.

Hubby is depressed.....rightfully so.  But I am concerned about him.  He seems to be slipping in the ol brain area.  Real "duh" like.....not really competent or here in the real world.  Now he is realizing there may be something to that and it is making him very nervous.  He could hardly get to sleep last night - anxiety attack.  He's too young (54) for the old folks home!  Gotta get him some help.  He took Lexapro a couple years ago and that was good, but he felt like "so what" alot of the time.  He needs some projects...a hobby.  Maybe with Spring springing he'll get out and do more, maybe go fishing.  I know it is because of the indecision of Social Securitiy, I mean he's been fighting that for almost 2 years.  We need the break.....momma needs new shoes!!  But I don't know that even SS would be a good change for him.  I mean, he wants validation that he is injured and unable to perform, but will it actually be enough for him?  Or will he still be so depressed??  Will the extra cash be just another feeding post for drinking????? 

There is a light though....my kid is so getting big.  9 going on 19 almost.  Coming into her own, you know with clothes and friends and what she wants.  Making choices and it is good to see her thinking about these things and not just what Mommy wants her to do.  I still have the last say so, but she has a good head on her shoulders.  She said this year she wants to participate in the dance team's parade float.  That's good.  For the last 5 years she has said NO and that has been fine with me, cause 6am comes a little too early on parade Saturday if you know what I mean.  Hard to believe this is year 8 of dancing.  It started in the beginning just a something cute to do, but then she really got into it. So this is our 4th year of competitions.  And we perform in the Nutcracker every year (yes I said WE....she talked me into it too!).  It's long and gruesome practice, but it is fun!

Speaking of Miss Thang....I should retrieve her from Nanny's....it's dinnertime!

Ciao!

 

From a friend

As forwarded to me from a dear friend....from me to you guys in J-land!  It had cute graphics but I didn't figure out how to get them in here....one day I'll sit down and get some graphics 101.

God Saw you hungry & created McDonalds, Wendys, and Dairy Queen.
God saw you thirsty & created Coke,

Juice, Coffee and Water.
GOD saw you in the dark & created Light.
GOD saw you without a Good looking,
adorable, FRIEND.........
so God created ME!  
Smile!    
Send this on to your good friends

who are so lucky to have YOU
for a friend also!

Walk this day in peace and in the warmth of the sun.

 

TGIF and Family and Friends

Welcome to Friday my friends!  And speaking of my friends, I have a great network of them.  From those of you way out there in J-land to my closest here at home I can feel the love. 

A hubby update.  I intended to leave him in the jail.  He phoned my Nanny saying he just wanted someone to know where he was.  She proceeded to call my Mother with a "I don't know what to do" plea.  So of course my mom calls me.  I tell her that I don't intend to get him out - he got in this mess let him figure it out.  Mom offered to go bail him out, which upon thinking of this sounded like a good idea, I mean , what better embarassment than to come face to face with your MOTHER IN LAW as she bails you out of jail.  I told her it was entirely up to her.  Low and behold he was totally embarassed, but my Mother is not acting angry at him, just acting in love, telling him how this must be embarassing and imagine what this is doing to the family (he's 54 for crying out loud and an ex-cop).  She said please let this make you realize that you need help....and that she loved him.

My coworker even talked to him when he phoned me at work to say he was at home.  Tara told him she was upset with him.  I said "why did you leave home knowing you were drunk??" and his only reason was "stupidity".  Well, DUH!  I am exercising the Tough Love stuff on him this time BIG TIME.  I have told him that I cannot and will not help him with this one not one ounce.  He's got to figure out a way to rectify this mess on his own.  I'm tired of being the one to make sure the atty and fines are paid.  He'd better come up with a plan.  I mean, seriously, it's the old if you can do the crime, you'd better be able to pull the time problem here.   Hello - I am not yer mother here!

Hubby has been waiting almost 2 years for a decision from Social Security Disability...I know that this is weighing heavy on him and contributes to his brain farts.  But you know, that's just life so deal with it.  It is a strain on us that he's been out of work, but he does have his pension from when he was a cop (disability due to an accident) and I do work.  Still it is just enough to pay bills and my funds pay for the goods like gas, food & what little fun there is. LOL

Someone in j-land (who will remain nameless) mentioned RAIN.  Well it has now been in NC since Tuesday and I'M TIRED OF IT.  Take your rain BACK!!  I need sun and warmth dammit!!  For cripes sake it's spring!

Today is the official start of Spring Break for us.  My baby is at work with me today (guess because of all the hoopla of yesterday) and it's a 1/2 day for me.  She has fun, brings stuff to occupy her time with and will occassionally fax, copy and open mail.  She even likes to answer the phone and does it quite professionally.  Her Dad promised her a day trip down to Myrtle Beach, but I wonder if he will be able to keep his promise.......there is already a sleep over planned for her at a friends house next week.  Ahhhhh the joys of childhood!

Happy Friday to all.................Sharon

Hubby's at it again!

Very blue mood....I should have known better than to say hubby was "doing great".  He has an alcohol problem and always seems to end up back with his old friends who are also indulgers.  So today he called one of them and I made a comment about "can't seem to stay away" from the ex-job and we exchange some words and he says "I don't want to continue this conversation".

So I head to the pool for my jog...afterwards, I noticed he'd called my cell so I called back (6:45pm).  He was home and I could tell by the slough in his voice that he'd been into the bottle.  So me being me had to go and say something smart to the tune of "so have another drink before I get home"....he said "how about 2" and I of course said "10 or 12 whatever".  I picked up Tara from Nanny's (next door 1000' feet away, but my closest neighbor) and upon getting home low and behold guess who has left the building!  (7:15pm)  About 45 mins later I get a call from the friend Tom had called.   Asking "did you hear?"....I thought for a minute he was gonna give me really bad news.  I said "what?" and he proceeded to tell me how he'd just come home from work and passed Tom surrounded by 5 city cops, 1 state trooper and a county cop.....they arrested him for DUI.  My mother offered to take me to pick up our truck...so we did that and I got back home around 9:45pm.  It is now 10:15pm and he just called saying "locked up...come and get me, hurry up" to which I replied "not gonna do it" and hung up.

A couple of entries ago I said we'd been through some doosies....well, it starts with his drinking.....then his brain forgets all sense of right and wrong.  Like tonight.  How many times have I said you don't leave home under the influence or you don't hit the barz and drive.  But you see.....this is all my fault of course. (sarcasm)  I pushed all the right buttons that sent him over the edge blah blah blah blah yeah yeah yeah.  I will NOT get him out tonight. 

For one reason I don't have the money available for bail since I just today purchased his plane ticket to FLA (for his visit to see his Dad after he has the aneursym surgery). Luckily I paid for the travel insurance so maybe, Just MayBe I can cancel and get my money back.  Stupid me.....something told me as I was about to "confirm purchase" DON'T DO IT and did I listen to my self???   Noooooo.  Now I get to try and pursuade them to cancel and gimme my money.  He can be on his own and walk to FLA for all I care.  I am so tired of cleaning up his messes.  This isn't my first rodeo.  Did I mention he's an ex-cop, retired?  Can someone say "stooooooopid"?  That's reason number 2.

He just called back from jail that time - collect - I picked it up and hung it up promptly.  Guess I'd better go and toss my phone off the hook and shut off my cell phone.  That should really ice his cake!  Let him call those "friends" he has.  But hey...I can't drag my kid out at this time of night to trapse downtown to a jail and she has school in the AM and I gotta go to work hence reason number 3.  (No he's not vindictive or mean so I don't worry for my safety.)  Thank God they didn't impound the truck like they did they caddy 2 years ago.  I am shocked that a man his age cannot handle life in general.  I could better understand it if he'd won the lottery and wanted to celebrate or if his best friend got married, but just because he got a little pissed off????? 

I always say "better pissed off than pissed on"!!!!   ROFLMAO  I"m going to bed......nite nite and thanks for letting me ramble.

Sharon

A trip down memory lane

ahhhhh nice memories, and YES I do remember most of these.

http://www.frontiernet.net/%7Ejlbeam/specials/remember/remember.html

Dinner's over, kid's in bed...now what??

A spring color for today.  My Tara came home saying "Happy Spring since 1:30pm"....gee I didn't know they got so technical in 3rd grade.  There are only  3 1/2 days of school this week then it's hello spring break for us.  She wanted to go up to Raleigh to a Hockey game....maybe, but it's on Monday night and I still would need to be home and get up for work on Tuesday.  Yeah, I could go in late since I'll be out late, my boss is good that way (It's a 2 hour drive one way).  Since my surgery I've had the fundzalow disease, so I'll have to consult with my wallet before I say YES.

I must say I'll be glad for Spring to be here.  The temperature flux around here has been nutz.....50's then 70's to 80 in the day off and on.  It's enough to keep us sniff'ln....and of course the pollen is showing up.  Still, I am a warm weather girl and I'm sure I'd get along just fine if I moved to Florida.  When I'm there at Christmas time I think to myself "I could get used to this".  Of course it's the Gulf Coast north of Tampa that I visit, and not the heat of Miami, that's why I can say that.  We were in the West Palm area in June 2004 and the temps were still nice.  Yet I remember a July in 1981 when Disney was a sweltering 106!!!  Ahhhh yes, I could deal with Florida's weather.  But as long as my Nanny is still around (she's 83) I'll be here in coastal NC.

My Nanny.....wow, what a wonderful lady.  She is auburn haired and it is all natural - people think she colors it.  Only a smidgen of grey at the front.  Smart! and funny.  Loves to play practical jokes.  Still plants and harvests a fairly large garden....we LOVE the fresh veggies.  And collards....boy can she cook the best collards and speckled butter beans around.  I still can't get my Yankee husband to love these as much as me and Miss T.  My Nanny & Papa practially raised me till I was about 5 years old.  My Dad was a drunk and my Mom ended up working long days...so long that my Papa, her dad, said Let the baby stay with us.  Mom seemed to only have "visitation" rights.  I often teased people that my Nanny & Mom had been switched at birth.   I became Papa's shadow...I was the first grand so of course I was special....right up till the day my lil girl was born (she's the first grand and great-grand).  Papa taught me everything I know....cars, tractors, trees, handtools...we got dirty and greasy.  And as far back as I can remember I always mowed his lawn.  I learned to drive in his old Ford truck and farm tractor.  He was my best friend and father as well as Papa.  My dad wasn't around much...he worked outta town and preferred to hang out and drink w/his buddies when he was home.  So I depended on my grands a lot. 

When my Papa fell ill 6 years ago, it was almost more than I could imagine (I still get tears even writing this).  He had an aneursym that was leaking and one day it was more than normal.  This sent him to the hospital.  While there he had a stroke which no one knew about (except me--I figured it out) and he was sent to a nursing home for "re-hab".  Just so happened a friend was the asst director of nursing and I told her "re-hab my butt", he's had a stroke.  We tried bringing him home but it was more than my Nanny was able to handle.  My Papa was a tall strong man even at 80.  It broke her heart to think she couldn't take care of him.  Back in the hospital, his cardio Dr told me and Nanny that Hospice would be the best choice.  My Nanny wouldn't believe that he was dying.  My Mom was out of town and I was in charge of keeping Nanny stable and secure while going through all of this.  I had to call Mom to tell her that her father's best bet was Hospice.  Oh this broke my heart.

Hospice is a great place!  Once Papa was settled, we met with the Dr and my Nanny kept saying "when he comes home".  This confused the doc and he told her in the best way that "he's not going home"....that he would remain there through his last days.  The realization hit her then.  For the next 12 days he lay there..and 2 days before he died I was in the room and a couple of his nieces had come too, one all the way from Atlanta.  My cousin said "maybe he's hanging on because he's afraid to leave" and she suggested that we all tell him that it was OK to go on.  That was absolutely the worst thing I'd ever had to do or say in my life.  I couldn't imagine my life without him.  My Papa worried the most about me and my little girl, so I had to tell him that we would be OK without him and that I loved him and was so glad to have him in my life and I thanked him for everything.  Two days later I lost my Papa, father figure and best friend....the one and only stable man in my life of 35 years.

The next year Tara was 4 and as we were sitting in the swing she asked me if I could see Papa (because he was with God in heaven which was beyond the clouds).  I had to say YES and explained to her that he had planted the tree we were swinging under, and the grass below us and the pear tree behind us was from the tree in his yard.  My Papa had given me the land which I live on, so YES - I see him everyday.  And it is so very often that I am thankful and grateful to have had him in my life.  I still miss him so very much. 

WOW...how did I get on that tangent??  Maybe it is in seeing the season change...the pear tree blooming....even the smells of late.   Maybe I'm realizing that life and its cycle keeps going no matter what.  Once I was a child and I thought like a child....now I'm a mother, wife, friend.

Weekend's End

Red....for the red eyes that most people probably have right now from the St Patty's parties.  I did not indulge as much as was expected.  As a matter of fact, Friday afternoon had me feeling, well, kind of blahhhhh.   My hubby and I went into a pottery and purused through some pictures....wow the prices were awesome.  But he is not much for helping pick out one and I guess I got a little ho hum feeling.  Esp when the prices for a framed piece of art was as low as $14 for an 18x24....and one I almost brought home to go over my piano was only $50.  My favorite restaurant moved and has not yet reopened and it was really the only thing I was in the mood to eat.   So that added to my blah evening.  I even went to bed early.

Saturday I was in a rare mood.....barking orders at my daughter to put away her stuff from my living room!!!!  Geeesh can't I have just ONE room for myself.  And her room....don't get me started.  She had to pick up toys before leaving this house (2pm) to go to sleep over at a friend's.  Grrrrrrrr.....boy was she glad to get outta here.  I spent the afternoon doing laundry and straightening up.  We had a 40th birthday party to get to at 6:30pm so I had to scurry.

The party was for the fiance of a girlfriend who works just across the way from me.  He's a hoot and her parents threw the party complete with finger foods, beer and wine.  They live on a canal and I was given the private tour by the Homeowner himself.   My hubby told me to be gentle as me and Mr R went for our adventure (It was Mr R's birthday too) He told stories about the ancient indians and such as we winded through his property to the water.  One of his stories was how to "restore virginity" by crossing a small bridge (another ancient story).  A fun evening I must say.  Tom and I actually left about 9pm.....his knee was killing him.  How unusual for my hubby to want to go home this early on a Sat night.  Normally (w/kid at a sleepover) we would have headed for the dueling piano bar downtown....I have a grand time there.  Another early to bed evening (and I'm not even getting lucky here!).  Something is amiss.  But I know when his knee is hurting this much , fuggetabowdit. 

Sunday morning after breakfast, coffee and paper I dove headfirst into my daughter's room.  Picking up and throwing away; weeding through clothes that are too small; pulling out stuff to try on just in case.  Man she has a lot of clothes!!  Luckily my co-worker's grand daughter is a year younger than Tara and she gets first pick before these go to the consignment shop or to Goodwill.

I did take a couple of hours to spend with my Grandma (she's 83)...I took her to that pottery hoping she'd help me pick out a picture.  We chose one, but I was a little leary of buying it (cripes it was only $28 and would have fit perfectly over my piano).  Nevertheless I came out with 6 sets of curtains for my den (I have 6 windows there) and it was about time too!  I'd been hating the ones up there for 4 years and these were $10 each so I got a great deal.

While we were gone Tom was busy making meatballs and raviolli for dinner.   I was starved by the time I got home.  And my miss T was back home too!!  YAY!   I didn't get to finish in her room, and I never got around to ironing, but I did hang the new curtains.  They look pretty good.....it's just a den anyway, the place my husband camps out in to listen to music or watch TV mostly.

I am quite worried about my bestest friend.....she left her home here to move in w/a boyfriend about 2 hours away and he is so NOT for her.  She knows this yet keeps going back and now she has this job up there and no where to live cause she doesn't wanna go back to his place.  My idea is QUIT the job and come back home and find a job here.  My Mom and I can help get her through till she finds something.....she can clean our house and cut our hair ANYTHING just COME HOME!!!!!  Guess I'd better go call her back and see what she came up with.

Nite nite all........

When will the Ides End?!

On top of a full moon, the Ides have done their best to frustrate us all this week in our office.  We have inspectors being total ****'s, homeowners wanting to know "why, where and when" and no one wants to be at work especially as sunny and beautiful as it is.  To top it off, I gave the boss the payroll to approve - something he promised me he would always have done by the end of Thursday business - WRONG!!  Not today.  And it's a heavy payday tomorrow so this is all we need is to wait till the last minute.  Our sub-contractors bill us every 2 weeks for pay and their work must be verified by our Super.  We're all done...just waiting on the big boss.  Most people love payday...hmp..just try getting it processed around here you'll change your mind.

Next week my hubby's cousin will have surgery.  A radical double mastectomy.  She and her doc weighed all options and this was the best route for her.  She is only 53....keep her in your prayers.  Then if that wasn't to be enough, another prayer request, hubby's Dad has his aneurysm surgery the next week on the 29th.  Said he'll be in the hospital for 2 weeks (poor staff!) then home recouping.  Tom will fly down to FLA to help out, he just is trying to coordinate dates with the other bros and sis's.

Today I feel fat.  Is it the moon ??? (wish)  I feel like any and all rolls are protruding and that the seams of my clothes would burst at any moment.  I'm off to the Y for my walk in the pool.  Maybe today I'll try actually swimming to see if my body has healed enough to tollerate the twisting movement of swimming.  I have only been walking in the lanes and paddling with a kick board, doing some side leg lifts and jumping jack stuff.  Figure that's gotta be worth something.  Regular walking outside bothers my joints, plus you get hot and sweaty and bugs bite.....waaaah!  The pool is nice and cool and the resistance is great.  I need to exercise..it actually helps boost my energy level, but that doesn't matter while I sit on my BUTT all day at work!!

On a lighter note, my daughter wants to go over to a friend's house tomorrow night for a sleep over and my hubby has asked me to go out with him.  Wow...a real date!!  No kid!!  I won't know how to act!

Ides upon us all!

This is prozac under a microscope.  I'd like for all the world to be a recipient right now.  Especially some that I work with and around.  Geeesh, if today is the official "Ides of March" then how do you explain yesterday??? 

I spent yesterday listening with one ear and watching with one eye while I performed my mundane tasks at work.  I was multi-tasking at my desk and listening to a co-worker (we'll call her Ms D) try to explain something to the CPA that I did last year.  Her explaination was soooo totally WRONG and she knew better because it was something she had been involved with....grrrrrr.   So I said "No No No!.....Gimme that phone!" And the boss calls me to discuss property he owns that he thought he had sold to his company to get a construction loan...not the case according to Ms D...so he tells me to take 5 mins and go into her office and straighten her out.  Oh boy......Boss has no clue what it takes down here to keep the irons outta the fire.

Whew......thank God when it was time to leave and head over to meet my hubby and girl.  She needed new dance shoes and I had already had them held behind the counter so that they could just walk in and try them on before I got there.   They fit great (another $40!) and off to dance class we go.  We were able to listen to the judge's comments from this weekend.  They all said the same thing in both dances POINT YOUR FEET!!!  How many times have they heard this??  After class I decided to head over to the Y for a walk in the pool and by the time I got home, my baby was asleep.....awwwwww.  Homework done, multiplications studied, teeth brushed --the whole 9 yards.  WOW!

Bedtime for Mommy.....Tom is feeling blue these days.  His dad has to have aneurysm surgery on March 29th.  His mom died in 1998 and St Paddy's is upon us---one of his Mom's favorite holiday's being a good Irish gal.  So it hits him because he misses her so.  She used to decorate all out.  And when I got home last night my kitchen was "green" with shamrocks.  I know he's thinking a lot about his Mom.

Speaking of hubby....this morning I was thinking how great he can be.  Don't get me wrong, we've been through some doozies and I mean doozies.  But he is so good to get up and get Tara off to school...he makes her lunch, snacks, and drives her then comes home and goes back to bed.  (He is retired)  I was thinking how nice that he will let me get in some extra Zzzz's before I have to get up and go to the grind.  Plus he picks her up from school most days, they grab a bite to eat then it's off to homework land and 2 days a week he drives her to dance class.  It is good that they are bonding this way (he's the step-Dad --her bio/sperm donor is dead), but I'm missing out here.  I do get up and help her with clothes and hair but it is only briefly cause I hit the sheets for one more hour of snooze.  This morning Tom made sure the trash can was by the road before he left....it's small stuff like that which seems to go unnoticed and unappreciated.  I guess I need to call him and tell him a big THANK YOU.

End of a Monday!!

ya gotta love it!!

Here's a thought

A little humor to add to the weekend...........

"I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they
wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're
going to feel all day. "
~Frank Sinatra  

"When we drink, we get drunk. When we get drunk,
we fall asleep. When we fall asleep, we commit no sin.
When we commit no sin, we go to heaven. So, let's all <BR!>get drunk and go to heaven!"
~ Brian O'Rourke      (and What Chapter is this in???????????????)

 

Good to be home

It is so nice to be home.  We left for Durham on Friday for 2 days.  My daughter had a dance competition this weekend and although she didn't have to dance until Sunday morning we kept our Friday reservation and just decided to "hang out".  It was a nice ride up (only 2 hours) and the weather has been great since Thursday (70's and now 81) and we checked in to a beautiful hotel ....Tara (kid) was so thrilled with the room because she felt like she had her own space.  Our room was basically a two room layout (1 king bedroom and a pull out in the sitting/kitchenette area) and we were divided by folding doors.  Boy was it nice to finally have some privacy and NOT sleep with a 9 year old.  Of course the first thing she wanted to do was hit the pool.  I said hold on, cause we need to grab some dinner first.  We found a little pizza/sub joint up the road and watched some of the Carolina game ( I am so NOT a Carolina fan...I say GO DUKE or NC STATE).  Tara's teacher is a UNC-CH fan and so being at that age, my kid has joined on the bandwagon.  She even had me buy her a (ugh) shirt.....told her I was NOT gonna be the one to wash it....I even had her believing that I was actually "allergic" to that color of blue (lol).  Getting back to the hotel, I mosied on down to the bar and ordered a drink and talked to one of the other dance mom's.  Her kid had forgotten her bathing suit and we had 3 so I said "take one of ours".....so I called up to the room and said "grab that one, suit up and come on down".  So here they come....my hubby loves to hang around the pool and talk with the ladies...and I'm just as comfortable hanging out with the "guys" (I grew up with boys and was a tomgirl anyway)...so it was a good trade off.  I still get the mommy duty later on of washing up the kid and getting her ready for bed.

Saturday my crew didn't wanna budge as early as I did, so I took off to a local breakfast buffet.  Now, here's a story for ya, short, but, well, you'll see.  I get in to this buffet, and there is another dance mom, her mother and the 1 year old kid.  Her daughter is already on her way to the competition with another mom, and the little one has sooooooooooo made a mess under and on the table as most toddlers do.  The waitress made a fuss over him.  My waiter was prompt andnot so talkative (yay!).  Anywho, this mom has grabbed a couple (3) boxes of cereal and a banana "snacks for later" (buffet right??) and says "see ya there".  As their waitress was cleaning the 2 tables beside me (one is there's) she comments to my waiter "two in a row....I swear I'm gonna quit" and points to these tables.  Now I'm eavesdropping anywhere I go so I pick up on the fact that she is talking about the fact that both tables left with out tipping!!!!  HELLO!  A messy toddler....come on! and the waitress was nice to the kid.  Geeesh, when my kid left a mess I certainly tipped and tipped pretty good because of it.  So the lady was going on about it to my waiter.  I dug around and gathered up a couple of dollars.....found the waitress and handed it to her.  She said "what's this for?" and I said "I know the lady & kid and I noticed they didn't leave a tip".  There's my good deed of today.  Can you believe the gall of some people?!  I know it was a buffet and you get your own, but .....when there's a mess, someone has to clean up and wait staff aren't paid the big bucks. OK that's my soapbox on that one.

My family calls "where are you" and I pick them up and we head to the mall.  Just wandering around, strolling through stores.  Not on any particular time schedule.  My daughter spies some things in Limited Too ( I REFUSE TO PAY THOSE PRICES!!!!)...so I get a couple of long sleeve clearance T's for the fall.  I understand all about wanting to wear name brands (that's why I shop Ross' too!!) but geeesh not when those thin t-shirts are $25 friggin dollars.  The ones I got were $6.99----my style!  Once in a while I will splurge....but I am all for the clearance racks.  (And there is a store in Myrtle Beach where everything is 50% off the ticket price....I got Tara a bathing suit last year for this year for $5....Nautica originally $40.  I mean, come on ---FIVE dollars.)

So now we're tired of the whole mall thing and she wants to hit the pool.  Tara and her Dad suit up, Tom fixes his cooler of drinks (for the ladies) and they head out.  I fix my glass and head down to meet them.  After a while I go into the bar to talk with one of the dance Dad's (he and I went to College together too)....he works for a company that does some of the cabinets for my boss.  We're having a grand old time watching the end of the UNC - Boston College game and I'm making "loser" noises as the clock counts down.  Carolina loses by 3 points and I'm being obnoxious.  We head up to the room to shower and get ready for dinner and once I'm there I start raggin my kid about the loss.  Boy did she take that bad!  Dad is trying to tell her that it's just the way it is.  She will not even talk to me....until it is time for me to make sure she has all of the shampoo outta her hair.  Off to dinner......Chili's - 15 people - laughing our heads off............and I end up with an overnight guest.  Try getting a couple of psyched up 9 year olds to go to sleep cause they've gotta get up at 6:30am to get ready to go to the competition.

And boy did 6:30 roll around quick.  We don't dance until 9:40am but we're required to be there 2 hours before to get ready and make sure everyone has enough time to practice.  Plus you never know what kind of traffic you'll run into on the way.  We grabbed a quickie at Burger King and Tom dropped us off while he went back to the hotel to load up.  I must say...he is a great Dance Dad.  I tried to talk him into getting and wearing one of those rhinestone studded "Dance Dad" pins but he gave me a stern NO!  Tom has previous experience at being a dancer's dad since his 2 girls both were dancers.  (They live in NY--the oldest will be 30 in 2 weeks!! and the other will be 23 in April.)

The girls looked and danced great.  Tara's jazz group won the Gold First Place and highest score and her Lyrical got High Silver (I saw some of the mistakes from behind the stage - hmmmm).  Last month the lyrical was the overall winner, so it just goes to show you that it doesn't matter, sometimes you just don't have a good day.  We were able to get a couple of action pictures printed up before we left....they were nice poses....and since we're not allowed flash photography, it is good to be able to ..ahem...purchase these.  Another dance another dollar and closer to the poor house.  Thank goodness this is a payweek!

Ahhhhhhhhhhh............home, finally. 

After thoughts

Well all that ranting and raving I did yesterday about the church mess from 8 years ago left me tired and worn out....not to mention it didn't help the sore throat I've been having all week.  Talked to my Grandma about it a little bit....she's the best.  83 and goes harder than I do.  Plus she's a great cook and my daughter practically begs for her butterbeans and rice and gravy!  (So do I!)  Anywho, I do need to consider my daughter's salvation and education...it isn't like we've never talked about it.  We used to read Bible stories from her little bible with pictures and we made up a cute little prayer for night time.  Plus, she suffers from panic attacks (poor baby) and I remind her to relax and pray that God will help her.  She does.  Once I went online to look up bible study material for kids her age...printed it but didn't get any further.  I know, she needs Sunday School stuff (bad mommy)......just hope I don't fail. 

I work for a builder....it's a cool job.  There are 2 girls in the office and we do a bit of it all....accounting, inspections, customer service.  We are allowed alot of input on our townhouses which makes the job nice.  The custom homes though are totally custom...owner's territory.  It is amazing to "see" the extent some people go to spending in a new home and I don't mean the retirement 2 bedroom one story stuff.  I'm talking "grand manor" style....4500 square feet plus.  One customer installed a $20,000 chandelier (gasp) and still wanted to complain about the cost of his home....DUH...shoulda kept a close rein on the wifey's spending!!  That's what gets me....the "haves" go to extremes and complain and us peon's can hardly aford a light bulb when it blows out!  $20K for a light fixture - COME ON!  Buy me a car would ya!??!!  Better yet, send me on that much needed island vacation.

My daughter finally passed her 0-3 times tables yesterday WOOOOHOOOO!!!  Great for her.....now on to the 4-6's.  Third grade...what a tough year.  A lot of stuff crammed into their little heads....hell, some of these things I didn't learn until 8th grade.  I guess it's better to learn now while the brain is still a "sponge" so that 8th grade will be better for them than it was for us, well, ME anyway.  8th grade...what a tough year for me.  My mom remarried and we moved to a different town, same state and only about 45 minutes away, but still....starting a new school and all WOW!  Rough time.  All in all it was for the better.  My step-dad is great.  In the beginning I was the typical kid with the "you're not my dad" attitude.  Geeesh, when I think back...he's the best dad I coulda had....my bio dad (who lives here too) is an alcoholic and always about self rather than family.  So I was a real brat and I had no right to be.  He treated me and my brother like one of his own.  Cudo's to him!!

Speaking of "Dad's", my father in law has to have surgery for an abdominal aneurysm sometime early April, we don't have a date just yet.  It's gonna be a touchy surgery since the affected area is so close to the kidneys and they'll have to cut of the blood flow to the kidney's.  This worries him I know, since his youngest son is a kidney transplant recipient x2.  And we just found out that his favorite neice has breast cancer again and will undergo a radical double mastectomy on March 22.  WOW...lots of surgery's this year counting mine January 17th (total ab hysterectomy).  Lots of prayers heading out!

Well, it's back to the grind..............it's such a beautiful, warm, sunny day here (71), the perfect day to call in with "eye trouble", that is can't see myself working today.  Someone's gotta do it though, I'll sacrifice!

New Me!

Remember I said I had joined the YWCA.....well this morning I'm actually wearing the jeans that I couldn't get into on Saturday!!! WOOOOHOOOO!!!!.  I've gotta drop this weight.  But I soooooooooooo love chocolate and pizza and pasta - hey, I'm married to an Italian, so I'm doomed there!!  I have a new hairdo as of yesterday also.   The weather is breaking around here...gonna be in the 70's near 80 this weekend....gettin springy I guess.....I HOPE!!!!

I visited with my mom last night.  My step-dad came in and began to ask me questions.  He is questioning my faith I suppose.  (Mind you I've been raised in a Christian home all my life - with it's usual ups and downs, alcoholic father etc)  It's a long story.  You see, I met my current husband while separated from my now dead ex (YAY!)....the ex was possessed...really possessed (the devil/evil kind of possessed) and totally not who I should have been with or would ever even consider being with then or now.  I was just plain stupid OK.  Anywho, my now husband, moved in with me and my then 16 month old daughter.  I was enamoured with this guy.  But being a good ole southern belle redneck I attended a Southern Baptist church.  Hubby is a retired NYC cop straight outta Brooklyn and Catholic to boot.  Boy was my mom (sunday school teacher) thrown.  So we did the alternating church thing...one week he'd go with me, next week I'd go to his church.  This was OK.  It was interesting to experience another church.  Made me look at the things that were so different in each faith and weigh the things that I knew and had been taught.  The preacher of my mom's church decided (with help from God of course) that he needed to "talk to me" about "my" situation.  This I learned from my Mom.   I nipped this in the bud and wrote him a letter saying "don't go behind my back-if you have a problem with me, come to me.  And by the way remove my name from the active role of the church."  So I didn't go back to this church.  I mean, how dare he "judge" me or anyone else.  As you can imagine, this put a riff in the family....they were uncomfortable, embarassed I guess, but too bad.  That was 1998.

So that brings me to my step-dad's questioning last night.....gee...8 years later.  He wanted to know if I'd like the preacher (same guy) and him to visit my home.  Of course I gave a stern NO....I don't need a preacher sitting on my doorstep.  Dont' get me wrong, I'm not an atheist.....I was baptized and I believe in God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit and the death and resurrection and I pray.  I should probably find a church that I am comfortable in at least for my 9 year old little girl's sake as well.  I know where my step-dad is coming from in his questioning.  They are loving parents and only want the best.  As parents we all do.  I just began to question the organized religion thing a bit...I'd been involved for most of my life....bible school, bible study, choir member, and even clerk and secretary.  But the politics involved.....the inner politics and bickering and OMG it just was wild.  Now I'd rather just sit back and not get involved that deep anymore.  I have a co-worker who is quite religious, not a freak about it or anything, but we have conversations often about our interpretations of the bible....kind of our own little bible school.

I guess I should tell my parents that I appreciate them.  Not just for last night but for everything.  They don't stick their nose in my business like a lot of parents, but I know that they are always around.

March 6, 2006

Hello out there.....this is my first time so be gentle!  It's a typical Monday in the world of work and home.  Kid is struggling with 3rd grade multiplication and retired hubby is little help in this area.  Anywho.......just wanted to say "HI" and see how this blog/journal stuff works.  I've recently had a total hysterectomy - doing fine - and trying to get "in shape" (like round's not a shape!) since I have (ahem) gained a few (ahem) pounds over the last 4 years.  But I do love chocolate....and bread....they are my weakness. 

I did join a community women's group that has a pool and I started yesterday just doing slow laps.  Figure if I can do this 3-4 times a week would help tremendously since surgery (still can't do the twist yet)....water is such a good low impact exercise.  Plus it is nice and cool and relaxing.....you hardly feel like you're working out!  Anyone have any great ideas???  Good recipes?  Jokes?

I'll be glad when our weather (NC) straightens out....50s one day then 70s the next.  I'm keeping a head cold due to my allergies.  Warmer weather always agrees with me.  My family has a home on the beach so it will be nice to be able to spend some time there relaxin and chillin out.

Until next time........................