Karaoke!

Oh my gosh! My cable company has an "On Demand" feature, and one of the options is a Free Spot with different shows that are free. Tonight I was perusing the Free Spot and I saw KARAOKE! Who can resist? So I pulled it up and found a song I thought I knew, "Survive" and loaded it up. I was a little surprised because there are no background singers or anything like that. You are the ONLY one singing. So I jump in and start singing and the first thing I notice is I can't really sing at all. It was in a key that doesn't work well with my voice. I KID YOU NOT, the dogs went nuts. They both started barking and running around like the house was coming down upon them. It was a little embarrassing and I'm glad no other humans were here. I did try another one, and it was a bit better, but both the dogs still wanted to go outside. In the pouring rain. Deep down inside I am confident that I will never do karaoke in public.

Cooking

Today, I'm cooking lasagna & goulash for meals later in the week. It smells like Italian! Lovely! Tonight I'm trying a new recipe using round steak.

It's a a dreary, rainy day which is perfect for cooking. I wonder if the weather is an effect of Ike?

Labor Day

I know Labor Day is supposed to be a day of rest from labor, but that is far from what my day was like.



Laundry

Changing sheets

Grocery store

Helping Sarah clean the house she's shacked up in

Making homemade ice cream and supper

Working on the budget

Working on work stuff



I didn't even get a nap. Oh woe is me!



Sarah called while I was making the ice cream base. She was sneezing and snuffing. She said she was trying to clean, and it was so dusty her allergies were acting up. Before I really had time to think about it, I asked her if she wanted me to come help her clean. Even as I was saying it, I was thinking, "What am I doing???" And, she gratefully accepted. I've never been there. So, I loaded up cleaning supplies and trotted over. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It looked about like her room. Eric is a "saver". The number of glass jars, plastic containers, egg cartons, bits and pieces of this and that was remarkable. So, I'm remarking on it. Reminds me of Jon's Grandma Force. Nothing was EVER EVER thrown away if something could be done with it "someday". But at least you can say, "They lived through the Great Depression" and sort of understand it. Eric is just a pack rat. Period. A couple of hours later, the furniture was vacuumed, the floors were vacuumed and everything was dusted. Hopefully Sarah won't be so miserable. Just in case, I gave her some Alavert.

Hope your day was more relaxing....

Good News

I got a letter in the mail yesterday. My blood is free of Babiosis, so it wasn't me that caused the man with the liver transplant to die. What a relief.

Oh what a day

I spent the ENTIRE working day on one file. One. And even now, I'm not done. Tomorrow will be another long day. Oh the working life. I can hardly wait for tomorrow to get here. HA!

Saturday Eliz and the kids and I are going to the Greenwood mall to see Hello Kitty. Sofi is a big fan. Hopefully I'll remember the camera to take pictures & I'll post one or two.

Olympics

Anyone watching the Olympics? Last night I was up until after midnight watching swimming and the men's gymnastics qualifying rounds. Can you BELIEVE the Chinese on the pumel horse, rings and paralel bars? OMG! They are AMAZING to watch!

On a whole different subject, today, for the first time in months, probably, I put in my hearing aids. EVERYTHING is so loud! If it wasn't for the need to hear people I wouldn't wear them. I can live without hearing the clock tick. =)

I may have killed someone UPDATE

I called the blood bank and asked if the results were in yet. She said they had to send the blood off to the CDC for complete testing. I'm not sure if that's good or bad. On the one hand, they'll probably run it for every disease known to man to see if it may have affected that poor man. On the other hand, what if they find something that didn't hurt the guy, but isn't good for me?

The lady said she should know something in a week or two and she promised she would call me with the results either way. As soon as I know I'll pass the news along.

Hummingbirds and other lovely things

We have a hummingbird feeder that is well loved by both the local hummers and me. It's amazing how fast they can eat (drink?) the feeder empty. I make my own syrup which is MUCH cheaper than the store bought mixes, and better for the birds, too. So far, I can tell there are at least 3 different hummers that eat at the feeder. They are a pretty, shimmery color of green. And one ruby throated hummer. They are so pretty and amazing to watch.

Today I was driving down the street and one of my neighbors had a bunch of stuff at the end of her drive with a Free sign. To my joy, she had a medium size Weber grill... Nothing wrong with it at all. I thanked her and trotted home with the grill. I can't wait to make steaks on it. Yes, we have a gas grill. But does anything really rival the taste of charcoal grill flavor? And it's so much easier to use hickory chips and other such flavorings with charcoal grills. So tomorrow we'll celebrate the new find and grill some steaks. YUM!

I may have killed someone

I'm not having the best week. Last week I got a call from the blood center. Apparently TWO YEARS ago I gave blood that was subsequently was given to a guy who had a liver transplant. The guy died because blood he was given was tainted with Babiosis which is mainly passed on by ticks and is similar to Lyme disease. So I live in the Midwest, and who that lives in the Midwest has not at some time in their life been bitten by a tick? Anyway, most healthy people don't get sick from Babiosis, but if you are immuno-compromised it isn't a good thing. They told me this last week and asked me to go to Columbus Indiana to give a blood sample so they can test it to see if I'm the one that did the guy in. I said, "That's 40 miles away! Can't I just have my doctor's office take a sample and send it to you?" She said no, but that she would check with the hospital here and see if they can do it. She called me back Friday and said I could go to the hospital this am and they will take the sample and a courier will pick it up. So, I did that this morning.

**OK. I KNOW. I may have killed someone with my blood and I'm worried about driving 40 miles. How selfish and self-centered am I? Well, truthfully it was a knee-jerk reaction, and I wasn't thinking about it. The price of gas is that bad.**

Back to why it's still a bad week. When I was giving the blood, the gal needed FOUR tubes. She got the first one just fine. Her hand was shaking slightly. Hangover? Nervous about Babiosis? Inexperienced? I will never know. The second tube didn't go well. She pushed just a little too hard and went right through my vein. ouch. She tried to adjust the needle. Ouch again. She slid the needle back a little and blood spurted out of my arm, but not into the tube. Oh joy. So, we had to try the other arm. Do you think it's Karma for being a butt about not going to Columbus?

Here's the REAL kicker. I'm on call. Someone died in an accident in southern Indiana. Guess where I had to drive right through? That's right. Columbus. Two times today.

I'll update you when I find out if it was me or not. I don't think it was my blood, but you never know. I hope it wasn't.

How Old Do You Think I Am?

Yesterday, Sarah and I took a road trip to Goodwill. Normally when we go to Goodwill, it's to take stuff, and I just pull up to the drive-thru and drop stuff off. But yesterday, we went inside in search of pants for Sarah. She had three pairs of pants to her name, all of which are pants that aren't pants that should be worn in public. Two have holes big enough to make them obscene to wear, and the other is a weird orange-y color. One of her bosses made her promise not to wear one of the pairs of pants to work anymore. I decided action was in order.





So the good news is that Sarah found 3 pairs of pants and two pairs of socks for $14.95. What a deal! And no holes, stains, or weird colors!



The not-so-good news is that as we were checking out, the kid ringing us up (he looked like he was maybe 25 tops) gave me the total. He then looked at me and said, "People 55 years and older get a 50% discount today." I looked stunned, felt stunned, WAS stunned. Then I started laughing. I looked at Sarah, and she looked appalled. I said, "Well, maybe I SHOULD start dying my hair again." Poor kid, belatedly realizing what he had done tried and tried to make it right, but there was just no going back. Stuttering claims of "I ask everybody." are unbelieved.



Maybe I should sign up for that show "10 Years Younger", and go back to see that boy after the makeover. We'll see then if he "asks everybody". HA

Back In The Day

The night before last it was really cool outside, so we turned off the air and opened the windows. Yesterday it was still fairly comfortable so we left the air off and the windows open. Today, the same. But I'm lying on my couch taking a nice Siesta this afternoon, and if it wasn't for the ceiling fan, I'd be miserable.

Which made me think about those movies I'd seen as a kid where women would be lounging on their couches wearing flowing white floor length dresses, not a drop of sweat to be seen. Two or three boys or men wearing only some sort of white wrap around their waist, but not floor length, would be standing around the (Egyptian, I'm assuming) woman fanning her with some sort of large tropical leaf. If it was me and I was the "fanner", I'd find some way to get some air going for me, too.

Further reflection brings to mind my child hood and how there were no ceiling fans, box fans, stand fans or air conditioners in my home. My room was upstairs (heat rises, remember....) and I can remember nights that it so hot and the air so still, that falling to sleep was just about impossible. We had a HUGE industrial strength fan that Mom would put in the window at the top of the stairs. She would set it to blow air out the window, and hopefully to draw the cooler outside air into the house. I don't recall it making much difference, other than sounding like an airplane engine was in the hallway outside my room. Or, maybe it did make a difference, and goodness knows how horrid it would have been without it.

Anyhow, the dogs and I are still laying around, and all of us are grateful for the ceiling fan, waiting for the cool night air to come back. Where's that darn Egyptian boy? He could at least bring me a cool drink...

Yawn

Two of my siblings are making me tired. Teresa is moving Wednesday. Ray is moving later in July. Just the thought of moving exhausts me, since a mere 5 months ago I moved.

The crazy neighbor is now putting up her own fence. She only has to put in one long side, since my fence provides a long line in her back yard and the neighbor on her right has a fence already up. I noticed she put the posts "close to" but not "tied to" my fence and the other neighbor's fence. At first I was really distressed by this. But then, I realized - yet again - that she's crazy. There's just nothing you can do about crazy except shake your head at it and try not to get sucked into crazy yourself.

I'm supposed to be getting a prescription for a c-pap machine sometime soon. I'm anxious to see how that's going to pan out. I really hope it works because I'm tired of being tired. :::yawn::: Maybe if I wasn't so tired, my siblings' impending moves wouldn't be so draining. ha!

Another Crazy Neighbor Story

We found out that our Crazy Neighbor thought we put our fence on her property. She said "someone" moved the boundary markers. The boundary markers are buried deep in the ground for that very purpose...so no one can move them. Even if the top is taken off, the surveyors use a metal detector to find the pen.

So, she had her land surveyed, and she has decided to put up a fence of her own. She is going to put it so there is one foot between our fence and hers because she wants to be able to "walk the land" and go behind her fence. She's nuts.

The neighbor to our left talked to Crazy Neighbor and told her she thought it was very nice that we put up a fence to avoid conflict with her. She said we are all supposed to be looking out for each other, not feud. Maybe that will help her calm down.

Ah, the joy of home ownership.

Maizy at 2 months and 6 months

I have a crazy neighbor.

OK. My neighbor behind me is apparently dog-phobic. We moved here in January. She has spoken to us a total of three times, despite our efforts to say hello and try to be friendly. She literally turns her back on us and walks away, except for the three times she has "talked" to us. All conversations having to do with our dog, Butch.

Butch went into her yard shortly after we moved here. The back door was open and I didn't realize it and Butch went out. She yelled at me, "PLEASE keep your dog out of my yard. I don't like dogs and dogs are supposed to be tied up." I apologized and tried to talk to her, but she turned around and walked away. The second time Eliz & the kids were here, and everyone was outside. Butch started over toward her yard, and I called to him to come back to me. He hadn't even made it to her yard yet. She came out on her deck and literally screamed at me, right in front of Eliz & the kids. On and on and on.

THEN, she called the sheriff and told the sheriff that Butch was pooping in the neighbor's yards. He hadn't pooped in anyone's yard but ours. We told the sheriff that that wasn't the case, and the neighbor apparently just doesn't like dogs.

SOOOOOOOO. We decided to put up a fence and put an end to the whole entire matter. The fence went up today. And it's right on the property line. Joe came home from work, and we went out to look at the fence. As we were walking around behind the fence, the crazy neighbor came barrelling out of her house and started pointing at me and telling me to stay off her grass. I was taken aback and said, "Excuse me?" She started going on about my dog and how I didn't listen and keep the dog tied up and I am to stay off of her grass. I just didn't even know what to say. Joe tried to talk to her, and she just ignored him. She told us we have three weeks to stain the fence or do whatever we have to do to it, and then we are to stay off of her grass!! She turned around and started to walk away. I said, "Ma'am. we put up the fence so that our dogs won't bother you!" She just repeated herself and I said, "I am really sorry you feel this way. I don't know what else to do." And I turned around and left.

Joe decided to stand on her yard since he has three weeks to do so. Apparently, our effort to end the war didn't work, and has just heated up the battle.

Butch, hair, sleep

Butch is getting so old. We went for a walk today - maybe 2 miles. I thought I was going to have to carry him the last block. Poor guy. Long walks are a thing of the past for Butch I think.

I got my hair cut today. The old color is almost gone. We are getting very close to no artificial color hang-over. Which means we are mostly gray now. It's a lot of work going gray. I keep wanting to DO something about it. But if I do, I'll just have to start all over again some day.

I'm signed up to do a sleep study on June 9. Joe tells me I need to get checked for sleep apnea. When I was in Louisiana with Suzanne, who says she can sleep through anything, she told me I need to get tested for sleep apnea. Apparently, I snore like a freight train and wake myself up trying to breath. I'm not really sure what to DO about it if I have it. Can I sleep hooked up to some machine? Will I need surgery? My dad says that surgery is horribly painful. A guy I work with got it and was pretty much knocked on his butt for a month.

Brown Headed Cow Bird

We have Brown Headed Cow Birds in our neighborhood and they frequent my bird feeder. Cow birds are really sneaky. And lazy. They lay their eggs in other bird's nests and let the other birds raise the young. Most of the time the babies quickly outgrow their nest mates and the "real" babies starve to death because they are pushed out of the way by the Cow Birds.

Anyway, I just heard a bunch of racket outside, and saw 4 birds land on the bird feeder shepherd's hook, and a smaller bird land on the suet feeder. The smaller bird was getting food from the suet feeder and flying up to feed the "babies", that were already bigger than it was! Geez. poor thing!

Yuki spends the night with Grandma

Eliz and the kids came down to Bloomington today. We went for a really long walk (well, it SEEMED long) about 2 miles. The good news is it really tired Maizy out. It tired Elizabeth and I out too. The kids, not so much.

Some how, Yuki decided he should say all night with me. So here he is. No nap for Grandma. We tried. "Yuki, watch this movie. Grandma is going to sleep." (Never fear, I was in the same room.) Eventually it was clear I wasn't going to get a nap.

Plan B. I'm dog sitting for a co-worker so we went to visit the dogs. When we left there we decided to go see Joe at work, and since it was about 5, we all went to McDonalds for supper. Then we went to Target and Bloomingfoods and home. 7:30. Bedtime is 8:00.

Currently it's 9:10. Guess who is still up and who doesn't want to be? It's hard being a Grandma.

Yawn.

Maizy

I took Maizy to the vet today to get her stitches out (spayed last week). The vet office we go to has 3 vets, and it's just a walk in kinda deal...you get which ever vet is on duty that day. So we've seen 2 of the vets before today.

Vet #1 (when she was 8 weeks old) - She's gonna be a big dog! Maybe even 120-140 pounds! She sure is pretty.

Vet #2 (when she was 12 weeks old for booster) - She's going to be big...maybe 80-85 pounds. She's a beautiful dog. (We were a little disappointed. But this vet has more experience than Vet #1, so we thought Vet #1 was maybe being a little enthusiastic.)


Vet #3 (today - 19 weeks old weighing in at 45.5 pounds) -I said, "So what do you think, Dr. Bob? How big is she going to be?" Dr. Bob laughed RIGHT OUT LOUD. "She's gonna be HUGE. Somewhere between HUGE and LARGER. She's got paws like a polar bear!" More laughter. She's a really pretty dog. This is the vet with the most experience.

At least they all agree she's pretty.

Of course only time will tell. I'm hoping for HUGE and a raise at work so I can afford to feed her.

HAHAHA.

Grrrr Grrrr Spring Fever Grrrr

Oh my gosh. I am in such a bad mood right now. I don't want to be at work. I have a beautiful view of a beautiful day and I'm stuck inside trying to return phone calls and work files.

Yuck.

Maizy and her frog.

One day when Maizy was a baby (ie, when she only weighed about 20 pounds) we got her a stuffed frog that makes a ribbet-ribbet sound. I'm frankly amazed that it has lived this long. Normally Butch tears up ANYTHING with stuffing in it. Somehow, Butch knows this is Maizy's toy and doesn't bother it. She LOVES it. Here is a picture of Frog and a video of Maizy playing with it.

The Joy of Bird Feeders

I have a shepherd's hook outside my living room window. I have a tube feeder, a thistle feeder and a suet feeder all hanging from this lovely contraption.

Today has been the best yet. Several goldfinches on the thistle feeder, a beautiful red wing blackbird on the tube feeder (singing to me. I'm sure it really was me he was singing to...) and a small woodpecker on the suet feeder. It was awesome. And, a testament to good bird food. I'm convinced the birds in the neighborhood can scope out the best food. So, I guess if you don't want to go through a tube of food every couple of days, get the grocery store stuff. It will last until it rots in the bottom of the feeder. If you want pretty birds get the good stuff. I recommend Wild Birds Unlimited Deluxe blend. I know you didn't ask, but I just like to share good stuff.

Earthquake 5.2

So, we had an earthquake this morning around 5:30 am. It was a 5.2, rivaled only by a 5.4 earthquake years ago in this area.

I am sad to say I missed it. Slept right through it. So, I've slept through tornados, hail storms and now an earthquake.

A girl needs her sleep. Never let anything come between you and your zzzz's.

Christy goes Green, but sees Red

In an effort to help the environment and be more "green" I decided to buy an electric mower. When I got home with it, Joe just laughed at me and said it would be a pain not running over the cord. I thought, "Seriously, how bad can it be?"

I found out yesterday just how horrible it is. I got a 100 ft cord. I plugged it in, started up the mower (so quiet! so easy to start!). I hadn't even been mowing 30 seconds before I realized what a horrible mistake I had made. I bet it took me 2 times longer to mow with that mower than it would have with a gas mower. I kept having to stop and throw the cord out of the way. I finished mowing, wiped the mower off, and put it back in the box. Before I bought the thing, I asked if I could bring it back if I didn't like it and they said I could. I saw an electric cordless mower while I was shopping for mowers but they are twice as much as the regular electric mower. So, today, Joe and I will return the electric mower and get a regular gas powered, smog inducing, noise making mower.

To quote Kermit the Frog, "It's not easy being green."

Simple question

I forgot my grocery list when I left the house this morning. I called Joe to see if he wanted to go with me to the grocery store, or just give me the list over the phone so I can stop on my way home.

J: I don't care. It's up to you.
C: Well, do you want to go or not?
J: It really doesn't matter.
C: OK. Just read me the list.
J: (Read the list, talked about a couple of other things.)
C: OK...I'll stop on the way home then and get the groceries.
J: OooooKaaay.
C: Do you want to go?
J: Do you need me? I can meet you there if you want.
C: Joe, I don't care if you go or not. Do you want to go? Yes or no.
J: I don't know...if you need me I can be there...
C: That wasn't an option. Yes or no.
J: Well, if you want...
C: (cutting Joe off) Yes or No!
J: O.K. Yes I want to go.
C: O.K.
J: But no I don't want to go.
C: Argh!!!!!!! OK. I'm hanging up now.
J: Don't be mad at me!
C: I'm not mad at you. I'm going to go. I love you. Have a good afternoon.

This could have been such a simple conversation.

Hey. Wanna go to the store?
Sure! or, No thanks.

It doesn't have to be this hard, does it? HA!

You should have heard the conversation about where to meet for lunch...

Meet Maizy

This is Maizy, our "little" puppy. She'll be 11 weeks old tomorrow and already weighs 22 pounds. her mom was a boxer (65 pounds), and her dad was a mastiff (150 pounds, but only 1 year old so not full grown). That's not exactly what they were aiming for at Maizy's first home. They were looking for a boxer mom and a boxer dad. But this just goes to prove that unless you can watch a dog in heat 24/7, you may not get what you expected. A DNA test proved Daddy was the Mastiff. HAHAHA~

Day Three on the Job Hunt

Joe's company unexpectedly closed his store. I say unexpectedly, although there were some signs. Other stores in the chains have been closed, but only when their contract at the mall they were in expired. Corporate was telling Joe's store that they had nothing to worry about because Joe's store is consistently #1 or #2 top sales in the company. Joe's store's lease doesn't expire for more than a year.

But last Tuesday one of the mall managers came in asking for the general manager to discuss the lease renegotiation. Joe knew then he had to start looking for another job, even though everyone was telling him not to worry, everything is good. Wednesday, Joe learned the owners were scheduling a meeting for Thursday or Friday to discuss the fate of the remaining 5 stores in the chain. We updated Joe's resume that night. Thursday, his boss called and said the store was closed as of that day, come get anything you might have left at the store.

No severance pay, no warning, no compassion. They even told Joe they weren't going to pay him for his vacation time, or the commission he had earned since the last pay period. It would cost a lot more in attorney fees to go after them than it would be worth.

So, after a brief mourning period (like a couple of hours), Joe started to work on looking for a job. Yesterday he applied for other pet store jobs. He's going to take the tests you need to take to get into some of the factories around here. His resume is ready to go and he's applied for some jobs on-line.

I told him that he just has to realize that his full-time job now is to look for a job. I think he's pretty motivated. Especially when I made it really clear to him how much money we don't have without his job. =) And how, TV, cell phone, lots of running the kids around in the car (gas) and other "necessities" of daily life are going to come to a screeching halt if he doesn't get a job soon. You gotta get 'em where it means something. TV and cell phone are huge to Joe. For me, it's more like eating out, buying books on tape and Starbucks. HA!

Onward and upward! God has something in mind...

Exciting ride to work

It snowed last night, maybe an inch. I left home for work at about 7:10 am, and the road had been plowed, but was still snow covered. As I pulled out of the addition I live in, my car started to slide into the intersection. Thusly warned of road conditions, I began to slowly drive up the hilly road to get to the main highway. I was about 3/4 of the way to the top of the hill when my car decided it wasn't going to go that way. I began to s-l-i-d-e backwards. A pickup managed to get by me before my car turned broadside in the road, blocking both lanes. I put the car in neutral, stood on my brake, pulled up my parking brake and finally my car stopped sliding just before I went into the ditch which leads to a small pond. Whew! Then I realized I was still blocking both lanes and I started praying that no one would top the hill and hit me. I carefully put the car in reverse, and was able to back enough to turn to go back down the hill. But really, it just slid back down the hill. I had no control whatsoever.

I decided to go a different way, and had a difficult time with sliding on the road there, too. But once I made it to a main street, everything was good.

It was really sort of thrilling (except for when I thought I was going to drive into the pond...). Gosh. I don't know how we ever got anywhere on the farm when it snowed. The hills there are much worse. I think we had snow tires, though. If it wasn't almost March, I'd put snow tires on my car now.

It's snowing again now, and I go home in another 45 minutes. Once I'm home I think I'll stay there until tomorrow.

Yuck

I have a cold. Yuki got it first, and gave it to Sarah. Sarah happily passed it along to me. My nose is stopped up, I have a cough that's driving me crazy, my head hurts, and I'm a little grumpy. Thankfully I'm the only one home, so no one has to listen to me. The really sad thing is that every time I sneeze real hard or cough more than once, I pee. I blame it on my children. They did it to me while in the womb. Little brats. Even 20 years later they are still wreaking havoc on my body.

I'm trying to decide if I should stay home from work tomorrow or go buy some Depends... I'm thinking I'll work from home. Much safer that way.

Yay!

Our townhouse has been subletted out so we don't have to pay rent! Woo-hoo!

Now that we have a little extra money, we are going to buy an LCD tv. Looks like we can get a 42", but Joe really wants a 52" screen. Geez. Can we say, "The TV totally dominates the room?"

Anyone have any suggestions on brand?

The day draws nearer...

Only 6 days to closing! We needed to get Sarah's room painted and she was dragging her feet. So last night, after a dinner of bacon wrapped filets, onion rings and corn dip/fritos (gotta get the veggies in...), I casually say to Sarah,

"I'm going upstairs. And I'm going to do one of two things. Either I'm going to paint or I'm going to pack your closet. If you come help, I'll paint. If you don't, I'll pack your closet. If I see anything I don't like, I'm throwing it away."

The room got painted. It looks nice.

Amy's Famous Fritos Dip

At least, it's famous in our family. She made it this summer when Teresa and I were back to see Mom and we had "The Tornado That Shook The Beds And Tore Off The Garage". But I digress. On to more important matters of food.

Amy made this dip and here is my slightly modified recipe:

1 can original Rotel tomato (drained)
1 can Nibblets corn (drained)
1/2 cup (or a big handful) of shredded cheese-I usually use Monterrey Jack
1/2 cup (or a couple of big spoonfuls) of full-on Mayo (low fat? yuck!)
3 or 4 sliced green onions
salt and pepper

Mix it all together, put it in Grandma Crouse's speckled bowl covered with plastic wrap and let it chill for a while in the fridge. Serve with Frito's Scoops.

I'm telling you. At first, you kind of say to yourself, "What? Corn and tomatoes as a dip? With MAYO?" and you aren't sure you like it. But it's addictive. It grows on you real fast. Sometimes I eat it without the chips. It's probably the only way Joe and Sarah and I get any real veggies at all.

So last night, for supper, we had chicken and dumplings, and the "corn dip". Sarah got a phone call, and was gone for 14 minutes. She came back and the entire bowl was gone. She ate plenty before she got the call, but you snooze you lose when it comes to this dip. She was SO distressed, that Joe volunteered to go out in the freezing cold to get the ingredients to make more!!! That's how good it is!!!! Try it.

Join the dip revolution.

10 days to moving day

On the one hand, 10 days sounds like an eternity. We close on the 29th and we are very excited about the move and getting settled in to our new home. It can't come soon enough. On the other hand, OH MY GOSH WE ONLY HAVE 10 DAYS TILL MOVING DAY!! Yes, we have a lot packed. Yes, we have an idea where everything will go. Yes, we even decided to have a local moving company come move all our stuff. But we have SOOOOOOOOOOO much more to do.

Yesterday, Elizabeth came down with the kids. We had asked a kid to come over and paint Sarah's room here at the apartment so it would be back to it's original eggshell color. (Her room is a bright orange and bright green.) At the last moment, he called and had to cancel. So, Elizabeth and Sarah and I attempted to paint Sarah's room. We KNEW we were going to have to put on a coat of base to help cover the colors. What we didn't know was how many coats. AND, some of the paint "slid" on the wall. What a nightmare. By the time we were done with the first coat, the baby was hysterical, Yuki and Sofi were bored to tears, and I was ready for everyone to leave. So I told everyone I'd have to go buy another gallon of Kilz2 and we'd work on it again later. Which really means, Sarah will work on it again later. She's the one that wanted to paint the walls originally and I told her at that time that she would have to paint it back. I was just being nice yesterday. It's her baby now.

It is REALLY REALLY cold here. We've been so spoiled by temps that don't get below 30 degrees, and suddenly it's 0 degrees with an ungodly windchill factor and a winter advisory telling us it's cold outside, so be careful out there.

Time to get back to watching Bobby Flay make comfort food. I wish I wasn't the only one that loved meatloaf. It just sounds so good. So does Chili. Of course, making either one of those items would mean I'd have to go to the store. I wouldn't want to take the chance since the National Weather Channel tells me it's cold outside and my blood might freeze right in my veins if I venture out. So, I guess I'll just dream about the meatloaf and make chicken instead.

Yuki strikes again

Elizabeth is in the garage putting recylables into the bins.

Yuki walks out and says: "What the hell are you doing?"

Elizabeth, taken aback, says: "What did you say?"

Yuki: "What the hell..."

**********************

Elizabeth calls to tell me this, and I am cracking up. I ask her who says that. She said she doesn't know. I think it's the damn t.v.

Comments from outside...

Most of you know we have snakes. Lots of snakes. And some of them are BIG. They unfortunately reside in our living room right now. When the blinds are open you can see the snakes through the window if you are standing outside. So yesterday some kids were outside the window looking in at the snakes.

Kid 1: Whoa! Look at those snakes! They're HUGE.

Kid 2: Wow! I wonder what kind they are?

Kid 1: I know what kind they are...those are the kind of snakes that can kill a man!

Kid 2: That's creepy! Let's get out of here!

On the face of it, I really wouldn't want anyone to think that my snakes could kill anyone. They aren't poisonous. They probably could strangle a person (the bigger ones) but you'd have to be pretty weak to not be able to get them off your neck, and if you're dumb enough to put them around your neck in the first place perhaps you deserve your fate.

But on the other hand, if all the kids in the neighborhood are afraid of our house because of the snakes, maybe none of the little hoodlums will break in and try to steel anything. HAHA.

Happy New Year!

Well, here it is the New Year of 2008.

I have duly recorded my weight in a top secret place known only to me, lest someone stumble across it and realize that the number on my driver's license is not correct. But, it's not that far off either.

I'm drinking my vitamin-filled morning beverage that is supposed to give me 100% of all the vitamins and minerals I need for the day. Joe and I each got our own gender-correct canister at GNC last week. It's not supposed to be a meal replacement, but I'm thinking it can't be bad with milk and a frozen banana or some blueberries. That's more than I get for breakfast most of the time anyway.

So last night I was lying in bed thinking of New Years Resolutions and how they need to be do-able. Most of my thoughts centered around work. I didn't make any personal goals (other than work) because I know I won't keep them after about one and a half days. But the work one is really more for my sanity than anything else, and I'm going to try hard to keep that one.

"I will work my diaries every day and will not roll them to the next day(s)." There. It's in writing.

Happy New Year! Blessings to you!