It's Been A Day!

It's been a long day. I've been dealing with cranky kids coming off cold meds. Crying, fussing, fits. Little Boy threw a doozy fit tonight and lost many toys.

In the midst of our chaotic evening - I overcooked the manicotti pasta and had to cook large shells - I got called into the dining room to find this:

My son's vocab

Little Boy was joking around with Daddy and me the other night at the dinner table. DH said something to him like "You are, too, going to bed soon!" Little Boy's response? "No, I amn't."

Amn't. That's a new one to me.

Going to bed. Ate too much taco dip too late in the evening. May get sick. Serves me right.

PS I lost another 5 lbs. Yea!

Time flies ...

When you spend all week wiping boogers and sitting up all night on the couch holding a coughing baby with a high fever.

I had called the nurse last Tuesday to see if I should bring the kids in. She said they recommend waiting a week to be sure it's not just a cold. ?

Thursday night I had to run to the drug store to get a couple things for the sick babies. Since DH was working a double shift and G&G were gone, I had to drag the sick kiddos along. We stopped at McD's on the way home. I was hoping I could get Baby to eat something. I got home and surprise surprise. They messed up our order -- AGAIN! I had my sandwich and one box of 6 pc. nuggets. Well, after about 9 weeks of wrong orders I was ticked. I called and talked to the manager and she apologized and put my name on the "List" for 2 free meals.

Well, I had only waited 5 1/2 days and took Baby in anyway. Turns out she had a double ear infection. So now she's on antibiotics and the fever has subsided. She still is not eating and I have to chase her around with her cup to get her to drink anything. Her breakfast today consisted of a couple sips of water, about 1/4 of a banana and one tiny bite of a doughnut. Definitely not the breakfast of champions.

Saturday DH started feeling sick. And I think he may have been feeling a little passive agressive. He spent the morning lying on the couch while I tried to get things picked up/cleaned. I think like my MIL, he may have thought I should cancel the stop at our house. Her words were, "They can live without the appetizer part of their meal." I finally sent him to bed so I could get stuff done. He did get up an hour before they came and helped out with the last stuff I had to get done. We had the teens over for the appetizer part of their progressive dinner. I fixed taco dip and bacon wrapped little smokies. And they were a little smokey after I left them under the broiler on high for 5 minutes. Talk about dumb. But there were only 2 left, so they must have liked them inspite of the charcoal appearance.

The group was here for only about 45 minutes, so we had our clean house and the rest of the evening left. I was exhausted! And starting to feel a little yucky. I took a dose of benadryl and felt much better.

Sunday am & pm Little Boy and I went to church and DH stayed home with Baby. On the way home I stopped at McDs and ordered and told them I had my name on the list for 2 free meals. I got to the window and they gave me our food. I pulled ahead and looked in the bag. No nuggets. So I went back through the drive through and they gave me the nuggets and 2 apple pies. I think they are all blind, mute, handicapped people working there. Or maybe they are all under the influence of the noxious fumes from the water treatment plant 2 businesses away. In any event, I plan to call every time they mess up our order. It is just ridiculuous.

After church last night I talked to the pianist and she is going to try to play the accompaniment to a song I want to sing. The original arrangement would give the pastor and most of the people a stroke. I talked to her about giving Little Boy piano lessons later this year. She said she's never given lessons but she'd be willing to start him out. She's his SS teacher and he really likes her, so I'm hoping he would be more willing to do well. And we talked about getting together at Denny's when her DH is working second shift.

Well, I think that's about it. Such a boring life. But I don't think I could handle any excitement right now.

Our Hair is Cut!

Grandma went with Baby, Little Boy and me & we went today and got our hair cut! It was about time! Our hair guy looked on the computer and we hadn't been there since the end of November! No wonder we all looked moppy! Baby's bob is chin length, Little Boy's hair is all short and my hair is shorter than it has been in years. And I am thrilled! DH goes Thursday night by himself.



Sunday I stayed home with Little Boy and at night with LB and Baby.

2 Little Kiddos

Thursday morning started pretty early - 3:30 am. Little Boy came in our room coughing a phlegmy cough kind of crying. DH gave him a drink and put him back to bed. I had a passing thought that DH should take him to the bathroom, but then I was back to sleep. I should have woken up enough to say something b/c when he woke up about 8:30 he was WET, along with his bedding. I had to put him in the tub.

The Toybox exploded!

I've never seen it happen, but I fix lunch, get the kids cleaned up and down for a nap and upon re-entering the living room, I am suddenly aware of the MESS! I try to get them to put stuff away before taking out new toys, but that is about impossible to enforce from another room. So now as I look around the room at doll babies, play food, Mr. Potato Head appendages, an empty play cleaning cart, nerf guns, a microphone, and various other insanity inducers, I can only dream of one thing. A huge dumpster playroom. And how did my cookbooks, catalogs and sweater get caught up in the blast?!

I have plenty to do in every room of my house, and yet, I feel like doing NOTHING. I baked cookies this morning. Isn't that enough? Oh yeah! And I finished a load of laundry.

I think I may run and pick up my dress form when DH gets home. I hate to leave it there too long. I know what the stock rooms look like in fabric stores, and hopefully it has survived up to now.

The little bit of pretty snow we got yesterday is about gone. Stinkin' sun. Baby was quite upset, but I comforted her with the news that we should be getting more tomorrow pm.

Well, I need to make a tiny effort to clear a path in the living room and I should empty the dishwasher so that I don't feel like a total sluff. I also need to check on the crash I just heard from Baby's room. She's SUPPOSED to be napping. Bye.

Snowy Day

Today we're getting a little snow - almost enough to cover the tops of the grass, but certainly enough to cover the brown ground. Yea! I just hate looking at dead grass.

I called today to make hair appointments. Next week. Oh well. That's what happens when I procrastinate. So we all get to look "moppy" for another week, and DH gets to wait even longer since he can't go during the day.

I've been looking for choir music for Easter. I think I've found a couple songs with a CD accompaniment. I figure if we sing fewer songs, we can work on them and sing them better without extra practices. That is the main goal, actually.

This month seems like it is going to be a busy month. DH & I are going bowling Friday night with the pastor & his wife. Little Boy and Baby are going to their house and their 14 yr old daughter will watch them along with the PK BRAT. DH isn't thrilled, but MIL & FIL still go up the mountain on Fridays, so babysitting options are limited. I am sure they will be ok. Then Sunday after the evening service, we are having a fellowship. I signed up to bring sandwiches and DH said he was surprised. I guess since it'll be after the PM service. It makes it difficult b/c of bedtime, but I feel like we can play it by ear. Sat. the 26th, the teens are coming here for appetizers for their progressive dinner. I took the first course in the hopes that our Sat. PM routine won't be too interrupted. The last week of the month I have 2 dr. appts. And then the 3rd is the church Super Bowl of Chili Cook Off. DH is going to make chili and I'll take sandwiches, again. I'm thinking I might make some type of cornbread dish, too. Anyone have a good one?

Well, I need to get some wash in the washer. Baby has had some super soaker didies lately and I have a load of bedding & jammies to wash.

Monday, Monday

Today was a great day to recuperate from yesterday.

Sunday's just suck the life out of me.

We rush and rush and still walk in just as the music is starting - not the best thing when DH is the music leader. He drops Baby at the nursery before coming to the service. That seems to be the only way we can be sure that I don't get stuck in the nursery for the first half of the service while I wait for a nursery worker to show up. When I tell the pastor the DH took Baby to the nursery, someone inevitably jumps up claiming they didn't realize THEY were the one listed in the bulletin to be in the nursery. Somehow I just have a problem believing that's always true.

I spent much of today working on curriculum for VBS. I feel like I have a decent start. Right now I am working on a list of games to play with preschoolers indoors. I clicked on an "intersting" link and had to do a ctrl alt delete to get out of the loop. I HATE that. I absolutely hate it when I go into a site and cannot get back to Google.

The "weird" family didn't show up to church yesterday. I was a little surprised since they had been to church Wednesday night. Evidently, Mr. Weird had requested that he be allowed to answer questions of the congregation for himself. I guess he doesn't realize that that would NOT help his case - at least with all the thinking women in our church who would like to clobber him.

I need to get out the chicken for supper. cluck cluck

I assumed

Well, I feel down/dumb/disappointed/dumb. Here I had this manic obsession with the lemon theme for the Mother/Daughter banquet, and it's all for nothing. Last night at the ladies' meeting, the pastor's wife told us that the banquet plans are just about all planned out. She didn't say by whom, but that the week preceding the banquet will be revival week (who on earth would plan that?) The speaker's wife will be our speaker for the afternoon tea, and the Marshall family will provide special music. The M. family sings gospel/bluegrass type music without the twangy accents. Hard to describe. Anyway. Not my cup of tea. Ha ha. Pun intended!

I think our vacation week just got changed to the last week/first week of April/May. How's that for sour grapes. The other issue is the afternoon part. Baby is still taking naps and will be even more difficult than normal. So now I have to figure out if it's a legitimate enough excuse or if I'm just pouting a little.

Then one of the ladies was telling about her friend who is having health issues. She started describing this horrible condition and it sounded to me like a severe case of a type of psoriasis. I won't post a pic b/c it looks so horrible, but you can look if you really want to. Well, she informed me with a wave of her hand, "No, this isn't anything like what YOU have." Good thing my arm isn't 10 feet long. The more she described the more it sounded like psoriasis, but she informed us that her friend has been to the dermatologist and rheumatologist and that isn't it. She said it's more like Lupus, that it's a sort of auto-immune disorder and they want to send her to Johns Hopkins. I didn't even say anything but Lupus, arthritis and psoriasis are all auto-immune disorders that often occur together. DH agreed that she was RUDE.

And to top it all off, the weird family was at church last night. I guess he recovered from his screaming fit full of horrible accusations against the pastor and our church when the pastor told him the church had voted to not let them join. I had told DH that they were weird enough that they might come back. If someone voted against me joining, I would not be able to go back. I told DH, I didn't want them to go away mad, just go away.

Last night DH set up our new computer. Didn't know we needed a new one? Neither did I, but a couple days ago the boxes started arriving. DH opened the boxes and I commented that all we needed now was a new, flat screen. (I was being sarcastic!!!!) He looked at me and said, "That will be here Thursday." It is very nice and takes up no space since it is on an arm, but ...

DH decided last night that he was going to try to rewire the TV. We haven't had direct sound since the beginning of summer. We thought the sound had gotten zapped by a power surge - DH had the stereo hooked up through the satellite box. He cleaned the mirror and screens inside our tv and now it's almost too bright to look at for long. And he was looking at the control panel on the front and flipped a tiny little switch and voile - we had sound again. Apparently it wasn't a power surge, after all. Just little fingers.

Sigh.

SPACING

Ok, I realize the spacing in my post is messed up, but I don't have the time or patience to mess with it. Sorry. TTYS

We ran around all day yesterday

Yesterday morning, Little Boy and I were watching tv and saw the garbage truck go by. A little while later, I heard this gale wind blow by and heard our garbage can fall over. So I grabbed my jacket, put on shoes and ran outside. First, I ran and caught our garbage can while it rolled around in the road. Then I caught our next-door-neighbor's can. Then the 2 cans across the street. Then the 2 cans up the road. Then I grabbed the neighbor's can again.


We then all got dressed to go to the store. We drove to Oakland and picked up cat food. Then we headed to Walmart to look for a gift for Tiny Tim, aka Little Boy. He picked out the biggest nerf gun in the world. This thing is about 3 feet long!We stopped to eat lunch and then we came home and hopped into bed for naps. Ok, well, they took naps. DH had to work a double shift, so Little Boy, Baby and I had dinner and played for about an hour before jammie time. Little Boy was busy showing Baby his new gun. Suddenly, I heard her screaming. I ran into the LR ready to spank a little boy's butt, and then realized she was screaming because she was stuck under the work bench. He took off screaming b/c I had the spankin spoon, and I had to hold both of them while they cried after I got her unwedged. I was very glad for jammie time.


They went to bed pretty well. Then I got some mommy time! Yea! I watched Criminal Minds - what an ending! And then Project Runway. NOOOOOO! I am so ticked that Kevin got auf'd! It should have been Christian! But the show wouldn't be the same without the prissy little gay boy with the over-the-top EGO! Even Ricky should have gone before Kevin! I am soooo ticked. This is like last year when they kept Vincent around - I think that was b/c they showed him favors since he used to be in the industry. Too much politics - should be straight-forward judging on the current garment. GRRR.


Stayed up late talking to DH when he finally got home. Am so tired this morning. Tonight is ladies' fellowship - we're meeting and then cleaning some closets. Yippee. (sarcasm)

Is it really January?

We played outside today - it was well into the 60s and the kids and I enjoyed being in the fresh air. There weren't too many fights and they came in pretty well when it was time for lunch.

I got a nap today - such a luxury. I fixed a pork roast tonight and it was really good. Not dried out like the neighbor lady makes. A little EVOO, garlic pwd and thyme rubbed on it with some salt and pepper and it was yummy. Seeing that I don't make gravy, we had mashed potatoes with cheese, green beans for the kids, salads for DH and me. Nothing extravagant by most standards, but it was good. Baby doesn't like potatoes. I did get her to take a couple bites because she was lured by the cheese, but she spit out the last bite. She'd much rather eat pickles!

Tomorrow is supposed to be nice, too, so I am sure we'll be out running around, again. Hard to beat 60s in January!

More "drugs," please!

It's been a fairly good day, but I'm feeling some anxiety. I took an extra pill tonight b/c tomorrow is sure to be even more stressful - with taking a four-year old to a bowling birthday party with a bunch of other little brats kids.

We had Pizza Hut pizza tonight. Definitely a luxury seeing that they now have DHs leg. Ha. Next visit will require an arm. Any volunteers?

Little Boy's latest annoying habit? He sings everything, even made up German words, to the tune of Deck the Halls. I have no idea where he picked it up. He said he heard it on a video, but doesn't know which one. DH and I sang it together for him with the right words. Baby yelled, "Stop!" She doesn't know talent when she hears it! Ha ha.

Talked to a friend today - Hi - whose MIL must be long lost sisters of my MIL. Will go way out of the way for one grandchild but not another. Come to think of it, my other close friend's mother is much like my MIL, too. Yikes. Are they all nuts? Ask my brother's wife - she got the winner of all winners for a MIL. Be very thankful she doesn't live next door, I guess.

My New Year's "resolution" is to get my household mess under control. It's not so much a day to day thing as much as it is a long-term goal. That and lose about 100 lbs.

Maybe I need a drug for that, too. Why not? Just add it to the pile.

What day IS it?

It's one of those days, again. I have had to stop and think all day to remember what day of the week it is.


I had my follow-up appt. with the rheumatologist today. He said all my blood work came back very good, and gave me a prescription for a one-a-day ibuprofen. My next appt. is in March. I got in the car and realized I hadn't talked to him about exercising. Maybe it was a subconscious thing. I felt like banging my head on the steering wheel - "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" I have an appt. with my regular doctor the end of the month. I may call back at the rheumatologist's next week to find out. He's only in the Cumberland office T-W-Th.


I stopped at Joann Fabric and ordered a dress form. I had a 40% off coupon. Now, hopefully, when I sew myself some clothes, I can be sure they will fit! I am really tired of sewing a dress or skirt only to find out that it's too small.


I also picked up some more Christmas stuff that was 70% off and a couple baskets for the kids' stuff on the fireplace. Maybe we can contain SOME of it.

On the list of things Little Boy has learned from the pastor's son - "bull shoot". Now we are SURE he didn't learn that from Granddad. Granddad wouldn't bother with a euphemism. When we asked where Little Boy heard that he said it was the pastor's son. And Little Boy is supposed to go to PK's birthday party Saturday at the bowling alley. I will be going along and staying. I'm going to take along the video camera - to capture Little Boy's first time bowling, of course.


I have a small pile of Christmas cards to find addresses for and get into the mail. Just in time to take down our tree.


DH and Little Boy have army guys set up all over the floor and they are having a war. Baby walked by and the book she was carrying poked Little Boy's arm. "OW! Her poked my arm with that book!" Her reply? "Ha ha ha ha haaaa," in a sweet little voice. Oh boy.


It's 3 minutes till jammie time and Little Boy is getting more wild with his warfare tactics. He's "detacking" Daddy's army with flying tanks and his "gazoopas" (bazookas).


He's yelling "Yeah!" b/c he "won". Now my turn to win. Ha ha!


"Jammie time!"

Crabby New Year!

That's the atmosphere in our home today. DH woke up a major CRAB. I know he's tired, but good grief. He was looking for the 5th kitty in Baby's set and couldn't locate it. I told him to not worry about it; it will turn up. "Yes, Ma'am."

Wow. I haven't been called ma'am since I taught school, and it was probably said with the same tone of voice.

Oh well. I'm not going to let it wreck my day. Maybe he'll take a nap.

The End of the Year

We had our traditional New Year's Eve dinner of spicy steamed shrimp, salad and fries. We then had a "toast" which Little Boy called a wish. Sweet. He wished for a good year and a happy family. I wished for my children to love Jesus and to continue learning to be good. Baby wished we would hurry up so she could taste the sparkling grape juice which she promptly poured down the front of her shirt. Little Boy made it through supper and drinking his juice without spilling a single drop on his new white "Chill Out" shirt. I was too happy too soon. He said his big "Ahhh" and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. OH WELL.

I don't know if we'll be awake at midnight tonight or not. My head hurts and DH and I are both tired. I think this has been a good year. The biggest change for me has been paying attention to my health and trying to figure out how to be a better wife and mother. Without the baggage of my upbringing. I look forward to 2008 and all the great things we have to look forward to.

Just want you all to know how much I love you and miss you and how much each of you means to me. You are all part of my healing processes and I'm so blessed to have you in my family.

Happy New Year!

Manic Sunday

Okay, I know the song is Manic Monday, but that's tomorrow. We finished our program performances this morning. Everything went great until the very last song. The choir took off too fast on the song and then as I slowed them down, they slowed down too much and we were behind. I got a little flustered and I think my mind went blank. OH WELL.

I went to the grocery store today and on the way home it started to rain and now it's sleet. So we aren't going to church tonight.

When I checked on Baby to see if she was still sleeping, she had unzipped her tent, tore down the roller shade and ripped a large chunk of plastic off the window. What a stinker. Oh, and she had a stinky didie. I'm going to have to figure out a way to lock her in the tent, or she'll be falling out on her head.

DH has to work tomorrow and is off Tuesday. Then he's back to work Wednesday. It will take us awhile to get back to a normal schedule.

Last week when I was hitting the after-Christmas sales, I found some pretty ribbon at Joann Fabrics. It's yellow on one edge and blue on the other and as it fades into the other color there's a stripe of green in the middle. Anyway. I was thinking it was wired ribbon and it's not, but I think I'll still keep it. I bought all the rolls that were left (on clearance) and I plan to use it for the Mother/Daughter banquet next spring. Yesterday, this is the manic part, I came up with a theme (Living a Lemonade Life)and found a site that gave me more ideas for a ladies' program centered on lemons. I think it will look so pretty. I bought a fake lemon today and some styrofoam balls and I'm going to attempt to make some paper mache lemons. If they turn out, I'll go nuts and make a pile of them. I priced fake lemons and it would actually be cheaper to buy real lemons. I'll probably get some real ones, too, and mix them together in the decorating. I am not sure what color table cloths to use, but I think white plates and emerald green napkins would be pretty. Church has some pretty, large cobalt blue vases and I'm picturing one on each table with a yellow and white floral arrangement with a large ribbon bow and a garland of ivy, ribbon and lemons running down the middle of each long table. We'll probably use white candles, unless I can find emerald or cobalt colored tapers at a dollar store. The site I found suggests making up a recipe book with lemon recipes and having a menu that incorporates lemon. The problem I see is limiting the lemons, because at this point, I think I could go NUTS!

Well, enought about that. I need to fix something for dinner - the natives are STAAAARVING.

The Aftermath

I missed one of my favorite pictures of Baby - this was Sunday night before the program. Baby is so thrilled with her fancy shoes. I think she's so beautiful.

Well, the kids have migrated toward their favorite toys. Just thought I'd share just a few more pictures. You will be pictured out very soon.

She's the Singing Chef! playing with her new kitchen.

Little Boy loves his new work bench!

Ok. So I went shopping and hit some after Christmas sales and found these cute cupcake jammies. She loves her "cakes" and fussed this morning when we had to take them off to throw in the wash (super wet didie). I caught this look on her face last night and it just cracks me up!

Little Boy and Baby "working" on Baby's baby bed. Little Boy is the foreman.

She handles the drill like a pro. A pro wearing a tiara. She cracks me up.

I think that's all for now. I think I'm caught up.

You don't have to look at them all

Don't feel like you have to sit and look at every picture. I posted them more for myself than to torture anyone.

I think I'll be ready to take down the tree soon. That's really unusual for me - I usually want to keep the tree up through January. We'll see.

I need to figure out what's for supper. Later.

Christmas 2007

Christmas at home part 2

Christmas at G

Christmas at G

Christmas Day

Here is a picture of the Christmas arrangement that I got from DH. It is very beautiful in person.

Christmas Day began at our house at about 7:45 am when Little Boy woke us up. We got Baby up and both started out by opening our traditional first gift - our ornaments for the year.

Then we let 'er rip - litter-ally.

Christmas Eve

Much to the chagrin of G & G, we allowed the kids to open a gift each on Christmas Eve. Granddad's exact words, "You're not supposed to do that!" Well, they each opened new Christmas jammies and a new bedtime storybook.

After the kids went to bed I made homemade cinnamon rolls and cranberry jello salad. DH and I got to bed about 2 am. Hopefully the kids would stay in bed longer than usual!

Christmas program

Where has the week gone?

It's almost a week since the last post. Friday night we finally got the kids in bed and I finished my grocery list and headed out to Walmart. I got there at 11:30 pm and got back at 2:30 am. Not to fear, I didn't jump into bed. I was feeling a little wired so I started writing Christmas cards. When I quit and climbed into bed, it was 5 am. I slept a couple hours and got up, put a turkey in the oven and went back. DH took the kids to practice for their Christmas program/party and then brought them back, and put them in bed for naps. I was feeling pretty sick and got up a couple times to baste the turkey and crawl back into bed. We had a nice dinner, but I wasn't very hungry.

Saturday night was baths and bed. Sunday am we got off to church a little late, I taught SS and the choir sang. I was a little flustered. A man from church bought all the kids gifts; Little Boy picked a remote controlled motorcycle and a rc truck. Baby picked a stuffed bear and a Little Mermaid costume.

Sunday afternoon, I ran to Walmart again. I had to get some tinsel garland for Baby's angel costume. She didn't want to take it off.

Sunday night was the kids' program and they were very cute. Little Boy was the best little shepherd and Baby stole the show. Check out the slide show from the program.

I don't need to say much!

I tried taking a picture of my kids today. Ha! I posted the comic strips below. Start with "The Anatomy of a Christmas picture" and then watch the next one "More picture craziness". I need to go take my Wellbutrin. Think one bottle is enough?

Anatomy of a Christmas picture

More Christmas picture craziness!

Yea!

MIL watched the kids til DH got home and I went in for labs and they took 7 vials of blood. I asked the lady if there was going to be any blood left! These are labs the rheumatologist wants; I am looking forward to seeing the results. So now that's done.

I also got my glasses fixed today. I braved the mall to go to the Pearl Vision store. One post (of 4) on the bridge had broken and I was keeping one lens straight with a little piece of scotch tape. I took them in and the store replaced the whole bridge piece. Only one little thing - my frames are burgundy and the new bridge piece is gold colored. BUT it was FREE! I have a check up scheduled for next week and then I'll know if I need new lenses and then I'll decide what to do about the frame. I bought some dark burgundy nail polish and may try to fix it.

I stopped to pick up pizza and there was an older man at the check out. I recognized him and he said, "Hi! I bet you didn't think you'd see me here, did you?" I thought it was a strange question, but I was thinking he was referring to the fact that he lives next door and I came all the way to Keyser to see him. I told him no, and asked how he was. He said good and that he was picking up pizza for the kids. I was thinking that I didn't realize he had company so soon before Christmas. I needed to run to the Hallmark store a couple stores away while they fixed my pizza, and said, "See you later, Lewis." He didn't respond, but I thought maybe he didn't hear me. I went to the Hallmark store and stopped at the Fashion Bug store, too. When I came back, he was still there. I tried to make some small talk and told him that my kids like his decorations in the front yard. He was confused; what decorations? I said the reindeer in the chimney and Santa. He told me he does not have a Santa in his yard. I started thinking I was wrong; that the inflatable thing was from last year. I explained what I was talking about. He said he doesn't live here and where did I think he lives. I said his address and he said he lives in Cumberland. I was thinking, "What the heck!" He kept talking and I realized . . . he's not my neighbor! He's our pastor's wife's dad! I think they took too much blood! It went straight from my brain to my arm, I guess. I laughed and asked if he was Diann's dad. He said he is, and I asked if he knows who I am. He knows I go to church there, but doesn't know my name. I explained that he looks like my neighbor and that I was confused.

I told DH what happened and he looked at me like I had completely lost it. I still think there's a strong resemblance. I guess I am just a kook.

I am bummed. I wanted to see "my shows" tonight - Criminal Minds and Project Runway - and neither was a new episode. I was just reading the episode info on CM and I could swear the listing said it was a new episode, but when the show came on, it was a repeat. Am I really just losing it? I guess it's time for bed, eh?

Cancelled

Well, now I know. DH seems to always get stuck working overtime on Tuesdays. I don't know why the mill has shutdowns Monday nights and start ups on Tuesdays, but they do. And DH is low on the totem pole so he's usually stuck staying until they know the startup has no issues. So last night I was telling DH that I had an appointment today, and that I wanted to stop at the mall to see if I could get my glasses fixed. He said they were having a startup today. So I was a little ticked. Not at him, so much, but ticked nonetheless. I had asked MIL to babysit from 2 til 3:30 when DH usually gets home, but I didn't think it was fair to ask her to sit from 2 until 6+. So, feeling a little passive aggressive, I said I'd just cancel my appointment. About 10 minutes later MIL called to ask a question about her computer. DH helped her and then mentioned that since he had to work over I was going to just cancel my appointment so she didn't have to watch the kids for so long. Her response? "Oh."

You know, I thought there was a possibility that she'd say that she'd be ok to watch the kids until I got home. Guess not.

So today I was fixing lunch for the kids and I kept hearing Baby cry and Little Boy shushing her. I went back and he had the baby in her crib and wouldn't let her out. AND they had dragged a pile of toys into her room that they had dumped in his room. So now both rooms are a MESS! Grrr.

On a positive note, I finished decorating the Christmas tree this morning. I feel like this week is so relaxed compared to the last couple weeks. I'm hoping to have a little time this week to do some of the holiday stuff I've been wanting to do. And we need to figure out something to give DH's parents. They are the hardest people to buy for.

The other day DH and I were watching TV and someone was talking about spoiled people who get everything they want. I was thinking "Cathy" and "FIL", when DH said, "Like Cathy?" I laughed. I told him I didn't say anything! He said he could read the words coming out of my head.

I now have an even longer list of things to talk to my counselor about since this is the second appt. I've had to cancel. And it's sure to grow after Christmas and New Year's, dontcha know.

Christmas 2007

December 2007

Over but not finished

Friday night we took my finished scenery and a couple other things to church. I am very satisfied with how they turned out.

After we dropped it off at church, DH went home to put kids in bed and I went on to the grocery store. It was pretty busy and the store was bringing out huge pallets of food so there was little space to walk. I have some shopping left to do in the next couple days, so I'll be one of those crazy people.

We made it through the weekend! Yea! The weather was supposed to get bad Saturday, we just didn't know when it would get here. Saturday I kept checking the radar online in the middle of everything else I had to do. That afternoon, "Mary" called to say she couldn't make it that night b/c of the weather & b/c her family lives pretty far away from church. What could I say? So I called another family and asked if the daughter Anna could be Mary. We left Baby with G&G and took Tiny Tim to church for practice. Practice was bad. Not completely horrible, but I was a little worried. We had a fairly decent group of people who came to watch. MIL, SIL and her husband and his daughter came and they brought Baby with them. FIL decided to not come. Well, the program went really well. I wanted DH to set up the video camera on the tripod, so he set it up in the back so that he could get the whole stage. He asked SIL to go back and just hit play since he turned it on. Well, she did what he asked. Apparently, however, the camera turned itself off before she got there. But she hit play and we have no video. I really wanted to scream at someone, but I didn't. I think SIL took a couple pictures, but I haven't seen them.

When we left church it had started raining. We got home and DH went next door to get the kids. By the time he came back with them, the driveway was all ice and Little Boy fell. We woke up to about 2 inches of slushy ice on the driveway and decided to stay home. We started getting snow in the afternoon and within 15 minutes, our grass was covered, and it started getting very windy. I called the pastor's house to be sure we were going to still go ahead with the concert. The pastor's wife acted like I was being paranoid, but I told her we were getting snow here.

Last night we went to practice and had the program again with about 20 people there. We decided to do the program one more time the Sunday morning after Christmas so that more people could watch. I looked at last night's performance as another practice. By the time we left church, the roads were very slippery. We did ok until we got to our hill. We slid a couple times and my stomach lurched each time.

I am so tired today. I woke up with a terrible sinus headache. I have a counseling appt. tomorrow and that't it. I think I'll stop at the mall on the way home and finish our shopping.

I'm posting some new pictures today. Hope you enjoy!

Naptime?

Wow. It's only 11 am and I need a nap. Last night I painted over the cow I started painting yesterday. There were definite issues with proportion that couldn't be fixed. I figured out the problem and reprinted my original to work off of. After painting the first coat of the new cow this morning, I decided to paint over the donkey I finished yesterday. You might think I'm crazy, but the donkey's head looked too long and I was having problems painting it's body. So now I am not as done as I was, but I am definitely happier with how the cow is looking.

Poor Little Boy. I am tired this morning and have absolutely no patience. He was in the garage with me this morning and everything he was doing was driving me NUTS.

Big news. At least in the little world of Tammy. I called the kid who was supposed to be Joseph to be sure he knew when we were meeting Saturday before the concert. He's the foster kid and his foster mom basically told me that he didn't want to do it. That he probably had to work those nights, and since he just started, he didn't want to ask for the time off. I suggested he call before the schedule came out and ask for different hours. The worst the place could say was no. Well, I called the pastor's wife and asked what I should do since I was pretty sure he wasn't going to come. We brainstormed a little and I suggested a kid whose mom comes regularly, but he only comes occassionally since weekends are divided between mom and dad. She called and he said he'll do it! YEA! Now, I just need to make sure I have a costume that will fit. He's taller and much more muscular than the original Joseph.

Foggy Mornings

We've had fog the last couple days, and the fog lasts most of the day, if not all day long. We can see the houses across the street through the fog, but that's about it. We turn our outside Christmas lights on and the tree - they sure make things look more cheery. Now if the lights would only eliminate the mill smell, we'd be in business!

Last night I crawled into bed at 1:30 am. I was in the garage painting and lost track of time. I have a couple little things to do to finish Cratchit's house and I started on the stable scene last night. I have the ewe and lamb basically done and a rooster. I have the donkey drawn and the rails of the fence painted. The other panel will have a cow and a couple chickens. I am pretty happy with how things look so far. I showed them to Little Boy this morning and he was full of instructions and suggestions. So I guess I still have work to do; he may be a tougher critic than me!

Last night we had some unexpected visitors - two salesmen stopped by to talk to DH about supplementary insurance. They were here for a long time and we hadn't eaten yet. So I just started cooking. They wanted me to sit and listen to their schpiel so I would know what to do in case of an emergency, but I get irritated when it comes to insurance stuff. There are too many variables, and so DH takes care of all that stuff. The plan DH chose would pay DHs full salary in the event DH is unable to work for 30 days or more. It also has a life insurance policy built in, and if DH does not use the policy for so many years, they pay the whole amount+ back. Dinner was ready before the guys finally left. Our dinner wasn't piping hot, but it was fine. Baby definitely does not like fish. She ate a bite and then drank half her cup of water. I did get her to take 2 more bites, but it was not easy. I guess she gets it from me; I like pan fried fish occasionally, but fish is not my fave.

Our children decided to entertain the salesmen. Little Boy had to tell the guys all about tanks, and Baby kept showing stuffed animals to them. The one guy - the true salesman-type - was admiring DHs paint job in the corner of our living room. He went on and on about it. I was just thankful that the kids were dressed and that the house is basically clean from last week's deep cleaning.

This morning our little tree took a dive. Little Boy jumped into the big living room chair (something I've told him many times to not do) and it slid into the tree. I am just glad that it fell the way it did; it could have fallen into the china cabinet. I will never buy a piece of furniture that has a curved glass front! I am so scared that one day it will get broken and the glass will fall on my kids.

Maybe tonight we can decorate our tree. Right now it's in front of the picture window with just lights. OH! Last night MIL called. She was wondering where we put our couch that was in front of the window. I told her we put it in the dining room. She was surprised it fit there. Then she said, "I guess I'm just nosey. Do you mind telling me who your visitors were?" I told her it was just some insurance salesmen, and she said, "Oh. Well, I guess now I can sleep peacefully." Oh my word. I guess the fog wasn't thick enough, huh?

Surviving Sunday

Saturday I was busy sewing 2 costumes for the Christmas drama and gathering props. While I sewed, DH got out the Christmas tree. We moved the sofa from in front of the picture window to the far side of the dining room behind the table and put the tree in the center of the window. Our living room looks huge!

DH put the background sets together for me - 2 sheets of luan with 3 hinges and 2x2s for stability where the hinges attach to form a corner. I painted them both with the dark gray primer I got and started painting the Cratchit's home. I found clipart that I put into Publisher and inserted a grid to help when I started painting free hand. I almost finished the house Saturday night. I need to finish it and then paint the stable scene. That is going to be more difficult since it's not just straight lines and b/c I'm so picky. I'll have to post pictures when I'm done.

Sunday was a rush-around. Seems like every Sunday morning, just as we are about to rush out the door, DH needs to use the bathroom. I really try to be understanding, especially since Sunday mornings affect me the same way, but it gets a tiny bit irritating. So we fly out the door and drive 15 minutes to church. It is hard to resist looking down the street as we pass our old church 3 minutes down the road. Some people are usually just arriving as we pass, and all I can think is how glad I am we are not going there!

We did all the things we normally do at church and left. On the way home we made our usual stop at McD's to pick up lunch. We got home and changed into "comfy clothes", and sat down to eat. Now Little Boy decided he wanted a cheeseburger yesterday. DH ordered: "Cheeseburger with extra pickles and no onions." How does that translate into: "Hamburger with ketchup, mustard, pickles and onions." It never fails! We get home and one of our orders is wrong. If we buy from this McD's one day a week, and our order is usually wrong, imagine how many orders get messed up all week long! DH said, "(Our last name) luck (bad) can't account for all the messed up orders!" DH suggested we try something new. I started thinking, "I don't want to cook on Sunday afternoons!" when he asked if I thought DQ would make it home warm. What a dear. I don't know if it would, but we can try! I know what someone is thinking. "Why not just eat at a restaurant?" A couple reasons - we are attempting to get home, eat and get kids down for naps on time. We also don't want to eat out with the kids in their/our Sunday clothes. And finally, DH gets irritated too easily by other people and by our kids acting up. My intention in getting McD's is to alleviate the stresses on ALL of us. I include this into our meal planning. So next week we may be trying DQ.

So I quickly ate my meal and rushed off to Wal-Mart to look for a folding cot. The only one they had was $40. Grrr. Then I bought more paint for my sets, grabbed a couple groceries we really needed and rushed home. I finished gathering props and sat down for a couple minutes. We took Baby next door to G&Gs, got in the vehicles and left. Left something important at home, that is! DH had taken the CD out of my box of the program music to listen to a couple songs that he's going to try singing with the choir. This is the CD I had dubbed for the sound guy that had all the songs numbered and in order - that coordinated with his instruction sheets.

I could have cried. DH thought I picked it up since he left it on top of the kleenex box on the kitchen table. I thought he had put it back in my box. Needless to say, the kid running the sound had a difficult time last night. We went through the program twice. As DH started his narrator part, I had to shush the choir. I was really stressed and the teacher came out in me. I let them know I expected everyone to stay on point and make the most of our practice time so we didn't have to schedule any extra practices. I hope I didn't offend anyone. I am afraid my "teacher look" may have surprised some of the older ladies. We had to stop often, but I think the actors got the gist of it and we'll go through it again Saturday before the performance. Little Boy did a good job being Tiny Tim. He's practicing with his crutch this week and seems to be excited. It will be nice if Joseph turns up. We practiced without him yesterday and he never called. He's a foster kid and I sure hope he hasn't left. I have no idea what I would do.

By the time we packed up, I was finally feeling better. I mentioned that making it through last night was the peak of stress for me. DH laughed. He said he wanted to see how I did Saturday and Sunday nights. I still think the worst is over. The costumes are done. The set fits where I wanted it and I know where I want to put the props. The actors basically know what they are doing and Little Boy didn't have a meltdown. He didn't even freak out when Scrooge joyfully tossed him into the air at the end.

Baby seemed to do well next door, although she asked all night for her brother. She drank 3 sippy cups of water. That is more than she usually drinks at home. I was just so glad they had given her Pepsi! She had a soaker didie this AM. And it was still on her; thanks in part to the tape. I think since we started taping it, she has realized it's futile to try to get naked. I can hope, can't I?

I am really looking forward to the 17th and this play is over. I am just a little afraid that no one will come. Oh well. So glad it's Monday!

Is that a toboggan on your head?

Ok. I know people in the mid-west have some funny names for common things. Like a bubbler. If I asked someone if there was a bubbler nearby, I am sure they would look at me funny. (The bubbler was patented by Kohler Water Works in Kohler, WI - maybe that's why people in WI know its proper name!) And if I was looking for a tamarack tree, people here would not have a clue what I was talking about. But people in the mid-Atlantic region have funny names for things, too!

My husband calls his knit hat a toboggan. We tease about this, because I've told him, where I grew up, you sat on a toboggan and rode it down a hill - if you were brave and had a tough behind. There is no padding and the slats are really rough on a person's posterior!

Another thing - shopping carts - at the "market". Here, people call them "buggies" but this is what I think of when I think of a buggy and a market:

I know there are other funny things, like if it rains hard, "they" say it "poured the rain down." And they call a slide a sliding board. Oh well. At least I am easily entertained! Ha ha.

I'm baaaaack

Wow. It's been a whole week since I posted last. Last weekend was pretty busy. I made some more applesauce & cinnamon ornaments. Thursday we got haircuts, ate out and went to look at fridges. We found one at a builders' supply store. Friday night we got our new fridge. Saturday I did our shopping for the week. Sunday we went to church and I decorated the applesauce & cinnamon ornaments with glittery paint. That evening we had early choir practice AND I sang special music and used a slide show with the song (Mary Did You Know). I put the slide show together a couple years ago when I was teaching, but I had to tweak it a little to fit with the arrangement I used Sunday. And of course, I procrastinated and we were all frazzled as we rushed out the door for choir practice. DH ended up watching the kids and trying to do his narrator parts. I felt badly, but I was too busy to worry about it. Little Boy and Baby were very well-behaved and played with the little books/games I brought. There were other kids there who were quite disruptive.

Monday and Tuesday I cleaned. Tuesday night was the ladies' fellowship Christmas party and it went well. Wednesday we got snow. I took the kids out to play in the snow after I finally located Little Boy's snow pants. Grrrr.

I am easily frustrated, but not being able to locate things drives me CRAZY. And usually I can visualize the last time I saw the item which makes it even more frustrating.

Baby has a new phase. Naked baby. When I get her out of her bed, she is nude. And half the time her bedding is wet - yuck. So, last night, I taped her diaper shut. We'll see if she's still covered in a little bit.

Hope you are all enjoying the last 19 days leading up to Christmas. My house is now clean - a little messy, but clean! I've decided to move the sofa that is in front of the front window to the other side of the dining room table and we'll put the tree in the middle of the picture window. I am looking forward to getting it up.

Well, I need to get something done today. My next week will be filled with fixing costumes, gathering props and painting sets for the program on the 15th and 16th. I'll be relieved when it's over!