Ooof! I need to waddle myself over to some taiko-robics. I've been pigging out for days, and can't afford all new jeans. :P
Oink.
My house is staggering under the weight of extra desserts, and the sad truth is that most of them can't be miser-ed away to use at Abbie's party. Darn the luck.
Today is out first day at home and supposedly on our normal schedule. And then our buddies from K.C. and Baltimore will be in the area starting tomorrow, so it very well may be the last for a while, as well. Although, I don't see us joining them Tuesday.
This morning we had a funny thing happen. I got a call from my grandmother, asking where my mother was. That's not the funny part. She asks me all the time. Everyone figures that if someone knows my mother's schedule, it's me, and then maybe my dad. I told her that as far as I knew, Mom was staying in Rolla today. Well, then it came out that she had shown up on my mother's doorstep as a surprise (she has a key, so she was calling from the warm house) and nobody was home. I'm pretty sure Mom was at Sears picking up the last present for my dad that didn't come in on time, but I still don't know. We called her cell phone, but never got a hold of her. I even called my dad, who had no clue what her schedule was this week, and then we laughed that we hoped she hadn't driven off to Versailles to surprise my grandmother!! Probably they missed each other, but I was able to direct Gran to the cookie jar, next to which I had left some things for her. So, not a complete waste, right?
Other than that, the day has been extremely sleepy. And cold. But I'm going to have snack time with the kids and maybe that will perk us up.
I found my other black Christmas sock, now that it's too late.
Well, I have to say, looking back, that the award for best Christmastime employees go to the Bath and Body store at Mid-Rivers Mall and the receptionists at the doctor's office here in Warrenton. At Bath and Body they appeared (even if they weren't) to be having a fun time helping people and sneaking my Santa gifts into bags before the kids turned the corner. Very conspiratorial and cute. And the cheerful efficiency of the doc's staff was fantastic. Not so at the dentist, who all insisted on continuing their private conversations in front of me and Grant, and even forgot to smile. At a dentist's office. Yeah. Also, all the other stores I visited at the mall were full of harassed, cranky and uncaring workers, except when I went into RealiTea to see our friend, Katie. And I have to say that Wal-mart is like that, too, in Warrenton and Rolla, for sure.
Another thing about Bath and Body: if you are near one, go right away and grab up any leftover foaming soaps called Winter Candy Apple or Noel Vanilla Bean (or something close). The kids had them in their stockings (thank you, sneaky, cute B&B girls!) and they smell so good I've been sneaking in their bathroom to wash my hands! It's great stuff, and I'm sure it's on sale!!!
Christmas was good for the kids. They got lots of good stuff, and are happy. Josh got a knife from his parents that he likes, and a leatherman from my parents, and the kids gave him a few goofy things. Josh got me the little sister to my old camera. It's pink. My mommy gave me some new towels and....a snuggie. No, kidding. I own a snuggie. HA! I haven't taken it for a test drive yet. It's very static-y. She also gave me a Robert Louis Stevenson book that used to belong to her father. I think I have 3 girl friends who got Wiis from their husbands.
My kids are on the floor looking at Grant's dinosaur book: "Look! Dinosaur poops! That's a black dinosaur poop. Yuck." "I'm that species. I'm a herbivore." "Bracciosaurus!!!" "Yep. That's a bracciosaurus. I looooove bracciosaurusses." "You love leaves!" "Let me go over here and poop a lot." "It's dinosaur poop. You're poopy!" WHY are my kids obsessed with dinosaur poop????
On that extremely charming note, I am off to get some snacks for snack time. Nothing that resembles poop, with any luck. Yeesh.
Have a wonderful December Monday!
Monday, December 28, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Almost Creeeeeestmas!
Ho, ho, ho!!
Well, I felt like the world's worst mommy when I found out that Grant's crankiness was probably due to the fact that he was getting an ear infection. My plans for yesterday were altered to include a trip to the doctor. That actually went well. The nurse at the doc here in Warrenton is excellent. She's super quick (especially for a pregnant girl) and cheerful and friendly. Love her. And the doctor we saw was not the one we originally saw when Josh and the kids switched over, but I loved her, too. She has a 5-year old boy and a 3-year old girl, too. (But she has 2 dogs, not one.) Grant had one very infected ear, and one that was red. Abbie insisted on doing everything that Grant did. You'll be glad to know that she weighs 10 pounds less than Grant, is 10 inches shorter, and has no infected ears. Then, we went to Wal-mart to get the prescription and get a few last minute things, such as milk for Santa's cookies. I hear he likes to dunk. When all that was done, it was after 1:00.
As originally planned, I made some gingerbread cookies next. I was all excited, and have been for months, because the part about making real gingerbread stuff from scratch that I really don't like is working with molasses. Yuck. The smell bothers me, deeply. Plus it gets sticky if you don't keep it chilled, and it always seems to lose the chill when you are right in the middle of making the cutest shape ever. Grr. So, I found this mix that could be made into a cake or cookies, depending on which set of directions you follow. That's what I made. The kids had heaps of fun rolling dough into balls and then rolling the balls in sugar. But when the cookies came out and we tried them, I was disappointed. They just didn't taste great. Not too bad, but not good. Forgettable, at best, and at worst, not worth finishing. But never fear! I have more tricks up my sleeve!
Today I am making a yellow cake (changed my mind from white cake) and am going to add festive sprinkles in red and green to the icing. Well, actually, it came that way. I'm also going to cook up some of those already sliced sugar cookies with Christmas trees on them, to make up for the icky ginger ones. All these delicious (with one exception) goodies shall be carted over to Josh's mom's house, where we will be spending the night. Probably we will do lots of helping to get ready for their Christmas Eve party tomorrow. After the party tomorrow, we will come home and wait for Santa. I have a secret stash of the best cookies ever, just for Santa. You know...Le Petit Ecolier, and also some fancy Peperidge Farm ones I found with strawberry. They are my reward for getting through the next 30-ish hours.
I was so so SO sore last night from taiko. We played Hanabi for about an hour and a half straight, and it was not great for my back. Last night included two rounds of Motrin. I think I got really good sleep, though, until 3. Technically, I've been awake since then, but I feel a lot better than I have lately. Although Abbie did trick me a while ago by saying, "Mommy, I'm very tired. I want to have a nap." We snuggled on my bed, and I was all cozy and warm and well on my way into a doze when she informed me, "Mommy, I'm not tired anymore. I'm just all better now."
*sigh*
The oven beeped! I'm losing valuable time, here!! Excuse me, please, I have a pressing engagement with a yummy cake, some laundry and packing, cookies, and two little children who are currently pretending to be a puppy and a blue whale that has a really big tail.
Merry Christmas!!!!
Well, I felt like the world's worst mommy when I found out that Grant's crankiness was probably due to the fact that he was getting an ear infection. My plans for yesterday were altered to include a trip to the doctor. That actually went well. The nurse at the doc here in Warrenton is excellent. She's super quick (especially for a pregnant girl) and cheerful and friendly. Love her. And the doctor we saw was not the one we originally saw when Josh and the kids switched over, but I loved her, too. She has a 5-year old boy and a 3-year old girl, too. (But she has 2 dogs, not one.) Grant had one very infected ear, and one that was red. Abbie insisted on doing everything that Grant did. You'll be glad to know that she weighs 10 pounds less than Grant, is 10 inches shorter, and has no infected ears. Then, we went to Wal-mart to get the prescription and get a few last minute things, such as milk for Santa's cookies. I hear he likes to dunk. When all that was done, it was after 1:00.
As originally planned, I made some gingerbread cookies next. I was all excited, and have been for months, because the part about making real gingerbread stuff from scratch that I really don't like is working with molasses. Yuck. The smell bothers me, deeply. Plus it gets sticky if you don't keep it chilled, and it always seems to lose the chill when you are right in the middle of making the cutest shape ever. Grr. So, I found this mix that could be made into a cake or cookies, depending on which set of directions you follow. That's what I made. The kids had heaps of fun rolling dough into balls and then rolling the balls in sugar. But when the cookies came out and we tried them, I was disappointed. They just didn't taste great. Not too bad, but not good. Forgettable, at best, and at worst, not worth finishing. But never fear! I have more tricks up my sleeve!
Today I am making a yellow cake (changed my mind from white cake) and am going to add festive sprinkles in red and green to the icing. Well, actually, it came that way. I'm also going to cook up some of those already sliced sugar cookies with Christmas trees on them, to make up for the icky ginger ones. All these delicious (with one exception) goodies shall be carted over to Josh's mom's house, where we will be spending the night. Probably we will do lots of helping to get ready for their Christmas Eve party tomorrow. After the party tomorrow, we will come home and wait for Santa. I have a secret stash of the best cookies ever, just for Santa. You know...Le Petit Ecolier, and also some fancy Peperidge Farm ones I found with strawberry. They are my reward for getting through the next 30-ish hours.
I was so so SO sore last night from taiko. We played Hanabi for about an hour and a half straight, and it was not great for my back. Last night included two rounds of Motrin. I think I got really good sleep, though, until 3. Technically, I've been awake since then, but I feel a lot better than I have lately. Although Abbie did trick me a while ago by saying, "Mommy, I'm very tired. I want to have a nap." We snuggled on my bed, and I was all cozy and warm and well on my way into a doze when she informed me, "Mommy, I'm not tired anymore. I'm just all better now."
*sigh*
The oven beeped! I'm losing valuable time, here!! Excuse me, please, I have a pressing engagement with a yummy cake, some laundry and packing, cookies, and two little children who are currently pretending to be a puppy and a blue whale that has a really big tail.
Merry Christmas!!!!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Ow, My Head!
Hi. I'm still hovering between sick and whatever is slightly better than sick but still sub-healthy. There are chunks of the day when I am not feeling too bad at all. But with this headache, I can't really remember the specifics. I suspect that I have an infected sinus, ear, or throat. Maybe all. They go away by themselves, right? Don't they? I think I'm going to have to ask my dad.
The weekend was actually pretty good. Saturday was a scramble to get ready for the party that night. It was given by Josh's aunt for his mother's side of the family. I helped Grandma Kersting get out her cheeses, fruit, crackers and nuts. And then I ate a bunch of them, so that when dinner was done, I wasn't very hungry. Woops! The kids were pretty good. Grant walked Dana (who is 2, I think) around by the hand and introduced her to everyone and tried to secure her cupcakes, etc. Abbie played very quietly, and watched Pixar movies. It was very crowded, but no major drama that I noticed. Santa came very briefly, and have presents to the kids. (This year it was Missy's boyfriend, Todd. So funny!) We forgot to take a plate of food home.
Sunday, I went to taiko and helped Eddie teach Hanabi to the new guys. It was pretty fun, and they're pretty darn good. I had to leave early, though, because I had a date. I met my family at Mid Rivers Mall and took Abbie to see her first ever movie in the movie theater: The Princess and the Frog. It was cute. Set in New Orleans, you know. The music was very fun. We had a great time, and Abbie even almost sat in her seat the whole time. She was especially impressed by the lights on the stairs.
Grant, however, was a complete beast all day long. Lots of angry fits and rudeness. Josh made some separate and bake cookies, and Grant didn't get any. That's pretty serious. If you know Josh, he usually will give in with just a promise to try to be good. And this morning he has been just as bad, if not worse. But Mommy doesn't hold with such nonsense. He pitched a fit about the movie, so off went the movie. He pitched a fit playing downstairs, so no more downstairs. He pitched a fit at lunch so he had to eat his after Abbie was done and I let him out of his room. He was in the corner, and in his room 2 more times, and finally, FINALLY it sank in that I wasn't gonna let him spend the day crying crankily and screaming. He's playing nicely with Abbie now.
Oh, wait. Now Abbie is checking to see if she gets to be bad, now that Grant has stopped. She's in the corner, and not enjoying it.
So....one of those days. But if I can get the kids straightened out sufficiently, I'm going to clean the kitchen, start laundry (okay, I might not really do the laundry), and bake some cookies and cakes and stuff.
In other news, my poor brother had a terrible week last week. He had to pull double shifts for some guy who had a death in the family (poor Airman!) and then he got food poisoning. Because of the weather forecast, my mother has changed plans and left today to visit him for Christmas.
On Wednesday we will spend the night at Josh's parents' house, then spend Thursday there, and come home in the evening. Christmas Day we spend at home. Then, on Boxing Day we go to my Mom's to meet her as she comes back from Colorado.
My worst night for the insomnia was when I got about 1 hour of sleep. Now I'm averaging around 3 1/2. I don't mind it so much, meaning it doesn't make me frantic like the first few nights, but I can tell I'm still edgy. I'm hoping it works itself out soon. The dark circles are starting to come back, too.
So, did I tell you about my doctor? I still drive all the way to Rolla because I love my doctor. Not that I can afford to be seen by her. Well, it's a moot point now. She has quit, and is going to move away. I'm happy for her. I think she's been unhappy there for a year, at least. However, for myself I am sad. Firstly, I will miss her. She's hilarious. Secondly, I have no doctor, and that means getting used to someone all over again. I guess I'll find someone in the area, since I have to find someone, anyway. All well and good, except that I have no health insurance, and this can't happen immediately anyway. Well, now you know why I'm upset that I might have an ENT infection. What will I do if I need medicine?
Kids are playing nicely now.
I still need to do some Christmas shopping for Josh. No idea when I can do that....
Well, I'm going to try to see if Motrin will help with this headache, and then get some lunch. I fed the kids, but forgot about me! Hope you are all having a reasonably good Monday! Christmas is this week! Hard to believe, isn't it? Stay warm.
Gonna make goodies today! Heh, heh, heh....
The weekend was actually pretty good. Saturday was a scramble to get ready for the party that night. It was given by Josh's aunt for his mother's side of the family. I helped Grandma Kersting get out her cheeses, fruit, crackers and nuts. And then I ate a bunch of them, so that when dinner was done, I wasn't very hungry. Woops! The kids were pretty good. Grant walked Dana (who is 2, I think) around by the hand and introduced her to everyone and tried to secure her cupcakes, etc. Abbie played very quietly, and watched Pixar movies. It was very crowded, but no major drama that I noticed. Santa came very briefly, and have presents to the kids. (This year it was Missy's boyfriend, Todd. So funny!) We forgot to take a plate of food home.
Sunday, I went to taiko and helped Eddie teach Hanabi to the new guys. It was pretty fun, and they're pretty darn good. I had to leave early, though, because I had a date. I met my family at Mid Rivers Mall and took Abbie to see her first ever movie in the movie theater: The Princess and the Frog. It was cute. Set in New Orleans, you know. The music was very fun. We had a great time, and Abbie even almost sat in her seat the whole time. She was especially impressed by the lights on the stairs.
Grant, however, was a complete beast all day long. Lots of angry fits and rudeness. Josh made some separate and bake cookies, and Grant didn't get any. That's pretty serious. If you know Josh, he usually will give in with just a promise to try to be good. And this morning he has been just as bad, if not worse. But Mommy doesn't hold with such nonsense. He pitched a fit about the movie, so off went the movie. He pitched a fit playing downstairs, so no more downstairs. He pitched a fit at lunch so he had to eat his after Abbie was done and I let him out of his room. He was in the corner, and in his room 2 more times, and finally, FINALLY it sank in that I wasn't gonna let him spend the day crying crankily and screaming. He's playing nicely with Abbie now.
Oh, wait. Now Abbie is checking to see if she gets to be bad, now that Grant has stopped. She's in the corner, and not enjoying it.
So....one of those days. But if I can get the kids straightened out sufficiently, I'm going to clean the kitchen, start laundry (okay, I might not really do the laundry), and bake some cookies and cakes and stuff.
In other news, my poor brother had a terrible week last week. He had to pull double shifts for some guy who had a death in the family (poor Airman!) and then he got food poisoning. Because of the weather forecast, my mother has changed plans and left today to visit him for Christmas.
On Wednesday we will spend the night at Josh's parents' house, then spend Thursday there, and come home in the evening. Christmas Day we spend at home. Then, on Boxing Day we go to my Mom's to meet her as she comes back from Colorado.
My worst night for the insomnia was when I got about 1 hour of sleep. Now I'm averaging around 3 1/2. I don't mind it so much, meaning it doesn't make me frantic like the first few nights, but I can tell I'm still edgy. I'm hoping it works itself out soon. The dark circles are starting to come back, too.
So, did I tell you about my doctor? I still drive all the way to Rolla because I love my doctor. Not that I can afford to be seen by her. Well, it's a moot point now. She has quit, and is going to move away. I'm happy for her. I think she's been unhappy there for a year, at least. However, for myself I am sad. Firstly, I will miss her. She's hilarious. Secondly, I have no doctor, and that means getting used to someone all over again. I guess I'll find someone in the area, since I have to find someone, anyway. All well and good, except that I have no health insurance, and this can't happen immediately anyway. Well, now you know why I'm upset that I might have an ENT infection. What will I do if I need medicine?
Kids are playing nicely now.
I still need to do some Christmas shopping for Josh. No idea when I can do that....
Well, I'm going to try to see if Motrin will help with this headache, and then get some lunch. I fed the kids, but forgot about me! Hope you are all having a reasonably good Monday! Christmas is this week! Hard to believe, isn't it? Stay warm.
Gonna make goodies today! Heh, heh, heh....
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Decembering
Hello! Are you thinking positive? Good! Just say no to suicide! I know it's December and all, but life goes on!
All cheerful yet? Then I'll tell you how I've been. Oh, wait. That would just ruin the mood. except it is a little funny, if you look at it the right way.
Tuesday I shot myself in the foot, figuratively. I found a rare work from home opportunity, and blew it on the test. Well, I haven't actually finished the test. I had to log out and cry hysterically because I still have no idea how to fix whatever is wrong. I am avoiding jumping back in there to complete my failed examination until I'm pretty sure I can take it. At the time, I had absolutely no sense of humor about it, but I'm starting to see the anecdotal possibilities, at the very least.
Yesterday was a blur. I needed to get lots done, and didn't. That was my day. I went grocery shopping, and it took 2 hours! I didn't even go to the pharmacy. What's up with that? And I did lots of cleaning, just not as much as I had intended. We had Asian helper for dinner. Ever try it? The noodle one is Abbie's favorite.
Today, I woke up and the kids were sick with colds. WHAT? Naturally, on the day when my mother is driving 2 hours to watch Abbie while Grant goes to the dentist to sit with his mouth open, breathing through his nose, they have colds. Ah, well. What can you do?
Mom brought an entire car load of goodies. Wrapped Christmas presents for all of us, toys for Grant and Abbie, a new dress for Abbie and a very orange winter coat for Grant, gingerbread men from St. Louis Bread Co. (6 of them), cordial cherries, tea and pirouettes (the cookie "sticks") for me, hot chocolate for Josh, tons of snacks for the kids, canned ravioli, a turkey breast and a roast, and some Uncle Ben's microwavable jasmine rice, which I am unexpectedly excited about.
I had cordial cherries for lunch.
Grant's appointment was at 12:15, and we had a longer wait than usual at the dentist office. Grant did wonderfully with keeping still. I was more than impressed. But the dentist could tell it hurt Grant, especially toward the end, so he only did the pulpotomy. I was glad I didn't back out and reschedule. Dentist said we couldn't have waited much longer. (Did I mention Grant has another abscess by that tooth? That's why.) There are still a few herds of cavities, but they now must wait until the end of January.
After Mom left the kids were both horribly mean and cranky. Abbie easily was put down for a nap, but not Grant. He's playing by himself in the basement now. I had to email and ask Josh's parents if they would still take the kids tonight, even with colds. Fortunately, his mom read it first and agreed, so I quickly thanked her and said they'd be there tonight.
I don't have any brilliant ideas for dinner tonight, so we might end up with a frozen pizza.
I still need to get stocking stuffers for Josh. What I am looking for is an opportunity. Driving home from taiko seems my only choice, and I will be pretty tired, and don't want to take even longer getting home. One hour seems enough, don't you think? We'll have to see what comes up this weekend. We have another Christmas on Saturday, and Sunday I plan to go to taiko and then spend the rest of the day making cookies and stuff.
Actually, besides the hysterical part, my week wasn't all that bad. But there is one thing I haven't mentioned. I am not sleeping, again. I don't know what it is. It's not a full moon or anything, not that I ever could definitively call that a contributor to my insomnia. I am so, so SO tired! I think I was unnecessarily short with Josh last night at least once. I'm trying to keep it together, so let's see how I do.
Oh! Here's a belated rundown on the Christmases: First was the one at Josh's paternal grandparents' house in the city. Josh spent the whole time setting up phones and other electronics for them. I brought sliced cucumber and Ruffles and put ranch dip between them (I like this plan. It embraces both varieties of holiday diets!) and spent a lot of time slicing more cucumber, as it went fast. Josh's sister, Becky, mentioned babies more than twice. I am not indecorous enough to ask directly in front of a large group, but I would speculate that she and Paul are preparing to start their family in the near future. Grandma (the one who occasionally makes hateful statements about me or my children) stayed in her room until the food was served, and the only thing I heard her say was "That's ENOUGH!" when the girls were taking pictures of her. We were given wine, Josh beer (Schafly's this year, since Budweiser sold out!) and chocolates for me. The kids picked a plastic train and a game of magnetic dinosaur bingo out of the box. And that's all that we had to take home, besides our own stuff. For those of you who may be unaware, these grandparents collect junk (it has been said that they take it from the Goodwill box at church) and give and give and give it to us when we come. LOTS. All third or fourth hand. So, I thought this year was much nicer. A great success.
Second was given by our friend, Lisa. Her brother (our dear friend) lives in Guam, and Josh claims that her family has adopted us as surrogates. This year, she also invited Heather, one of my all time best girl buddies, and her family, too. A good time was had by all, I think. The kids were restless, but charming, on the whole, and Josh took a picture of me and Heather before the wine made my face too red.
That might be a lie. My face turns red somewhere around the third sip. Don't know why. Perhaps it's endearing in some way, and excusable? Hope so, because there's not much I can do about it.
Bringing the ranch, chips and cucumber to the next Christmas party, too, and maybe a cake with holiday sprinkles, but I'm not sure yet. I had this great plan that I could bring holiday nuts because my grandmother sends them every year after Thanksgiving, but this year they haven't shown up.
Taiko! Lots of new people! We had kind of a party atmosphere on Tuesday, but that's not such a great thing. I anticipate a more organized practice tonight. I forgot to ask Josh if I can go out after. I think it will depend on how I feel, really. Unless there is something extra going on Friday that I need to be prepared for. Friday is Josh's work party. Last year it was at Brunzwick Zone XL, and included bowling, two free drinks, and a dinner for each employee and one guest (that'd be me). This year, they're closing early and having it in the break room. No spouses. [Insert foreboding music here.] *sigh* And no new job to look forward to.
Yet.
The roses Josh brought me died, as was expected, and I took the Baby's Breath and put little sprigs of it in the little Christmas tree in the kitchen. It makes for a nice effect. I recommend it as a sweet ornament. I might go so far as to buy some next year.
Are you singing Christmas carols? You should. I'm sending you all great, big, warm hugs. Remember - December can't last forever! (Then we just have to get through January and February!) Just get me to crocus season!!!
All cheerful yet? Then I'll tell you how I've been. Oh, wait. That would just ruin the mood. except it is a little funny, if you look at it the right way.
Tuesday I shot myself in the foot, figuratively. I found a rare work from home opportunity, and blew it on the test. Well, I haven't actually finished the test. I had to log out and cry hysterically because I still have no idea how to fix whatever is wrong. I am avoiding jumping back in there to complete my failed examination until I'm pretty sure I can take it. At the time, I had absolutely no sense of humor about it, but I'm starting to see the anecdotal possibilities, at the very least.
Yesterday was a blur. I needed to get lots done, and didn't. That was my day. I went grocery shopping, and it took 2 hours! I didn't even go to the pharmacy. What's up with that? And I did lots of cleaning, just not as much as I had intended. We had Asian helper for dinner. Ever try it? The noodle one is Abbie's favorite.
Today, I woke up and the kids were sick with colds. WHAT? Naturally, on the day when my mother is driving 2 hours to watch Abbie while Grant goes to the dentist to sit with his mouth open, breathing through his nose, they have colds. Ah, well. What can you do?
Mom brought an entire car load of goodies. Wrapped Christmas presents for all of us, toys for Grant and Abbie, a new dress for Abbie and a very orange winter coat for Grant, gingerbread men from St. Louis Bread Co. (6 of them), cordial cherries, tea and pirouettes (the cookie "sticks") for me, hot chocolate for Josh, tons of snacks for the kids, canned ravioli, a turkey breast and a roast, and some Uncle Ben's microwavable jasmine rice, which I am unexpectedly excited about.
I had cordial cherries for lunch.
Grant's appointment was at 12:15, and we had a longer wait than usual at the dentist office. Grant did wonderfully with keeping still. I was more than impressed. But the dentist could tell it hurt Grant, especially toward the end, so he only did the pulpotomy. I was glad I didn't back out and reschedule. Dentist said we couldn't have waited much longer. (Did I mention Grant has another abscess by that tooth? That's why.) There are still a few herds of cavities, but they now must wait until the end of January.
After Mom left the kids were both horribly mean and cranky. Abbie easily was put down for a nap, but not Grant. He's playing by himself in the basement now. I had to email and ask Josh's parents if they would still take the kids tonight, even with colds. Fortunately, his mom read it first and agreed, so I quickly thanked her and said they'd be there tonight.
I don't have any brilliant ideas for dinner tonight, so we might end up with a frozen pizza.
I still need to get stocking stuffers for Josh. What I am looking for is an opportunity. Driving home from taiko seems my only choice, and I will be pretty tired, and don't want to take even longer getting home. One hour seems enough, don't you think? We'll have to see what comes up this weekend. We have another Christmas on Saturday, and Sunday I plan to go to taiko and then spend the rest of the day making cookies and stuff.
Actually, besides the hysterical part, my week wasn't all that bad. But there is one thing I haven't mentioned. I am not sleeping, again. I don't know what it is. It's not a full moon or anything, not that I ever could definitively call that a contributor to my insomnia. I am so, so SO tired! I think I was unnecessarily short with Josh last night at least once. I'm trying to keep it together, so let's see how I do.
Oh! Here's a belated rundown on the Christmases: First was the one at Josh's paternal grandparents' house in the city. Josh spent the whole time setting up phones and other electronics for them. I brought sliced cucumber and Ruffles and put ranch dip between them (I like this plan. It embraces both varieties of holiday diets!) and spent a lot of time slicing more cucumber, as it went fast. Josh's sister, Becky, mentioned babies more than twice. I am not indecorous enough to ask directly in front of a large group, but I would speculate that she and Paul are preparing to start their family in the near future. Grandma (the one who occasionally makes hateful statements about me or my children) stayed in her room until the food was served, and the only thing I heard her say was "That's ENOUGH!" when the girls were taking pictures of her. We were given wine, Josh beer (Schafly's this year, since Budweiser sold out!) and chocolates for me. The kids picked a plastic train and a game of magnetic dinosaur bingo out of the box. And that's all that we had to take home, besides our own stuff. For those of you who may be unaware, these grandparents collect junk (it has been said that they take it from the Goodwill box at church) and give and give and give it to us when we come. LOTS. All third or fourth hand. So, I thought this year was much nicer. A great success.
Second was given by our friend, Lisa. Her brother (our dear friend) lives in Guam, and Josh claims that her family has adopted us as surrogates. This year, she also invited Heather, one of my all time best girl buddies, and her family, too. A good time was had by all, I think. The kids were restless, but charming, on the whole, and Josh took a picture of me and Heather before the wine made my face too red.
That might be a lie. My face turns red somewhere around the third sip. Don't know why. Perhaps it's endearing in some way, and excusable? Hope so, because there's not much I can do about it.
Bringing the ranch, chips and cucumber to the next Christmas party, too, and maybe a cake with holiday sprinkles, but I'm not sure yet. I had this great plan that I could bring holiday nuts because my grandmother sends them every year after Thanksgiving, but this year they haven't shown up.
Taiko! Lots of new people! We had kind of a party atmosphere on Tuesday, but that's not such a great thing. I anticipate a more organized practice tonight. I forgot to ask Josh if I can go out after. I think it will depend on how I feel, really. Unless there is something extra going on Friday that I need to be prepared for. Friday is Josh's work party. Last year it was at Brunzwick Zone XL, and included bowling, two free drinks, and a dinner for each employee and one guest (that'd be me). This year, they're closing early and having it in the break room. No spouses. [Insert foreboding music here.] *sigh* And no new job to look forward to.
Yet.
The roses Josh brought me died, as was expected, and I took the Baby's Breath and put little sprigs of it in the little Christmas tree in the kitchen. It makes for a nice effect. I recommend it as a sweet ornament. I might go so far as to buy some next year.
Are you singing Christmas carols? You should. I'm sending you all great, big, warm hugs. Remember - December can't last forever! (Then we just have to get through January and February!) Just get me to crocus season!!!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Two Chirstmases Later...
If I had sent a little update this morning, as I had originally intended, you would have found me a little exasperated that Abbie kept me up all night, the usual non-emergency amount worried because the reason for the wakefulness seems to be Abbie catching a cold, excited that we have lots of new taiko members who will be at practice tomorrow, and on the whole optimistic about the Christmas parties I attended over the weekend. I would have written a happy, gossipy little post and complained of tiredness.
This afternoon I found out that Josh's didn't get the job he was so, so, SO excited about. In fact, I didn't realize how much we were all secretly counting on it. Plus, I had to call him and tell him about it. So, now I am nothing except crushed. It hurts to be back where we started, complete with desperate worry. Back we go to the starting board. I guess I can't wait until after January to look into those work from home jobs I was reading about.
I'm waiting and waiting for something good to happen to our situation. Reality has an awfully bitter taste.
I only have a few hours to force myself into a position where I can cheer up poor Josh. I had better start working on that.
This afternoon I found out that Josh's didn't get the job he was so, so, SO excited about. In fact, I didn't realize how much we were all secretly counting on it. Plus, I had to call him and tell him about it. So, now I am nothing except crushed. It hurts to be back where we started, complete with desperate worry. Back we go to the starting board. I guess I can't wait until after January to look into those work from home jobs I was reading about.
I'm waiting and waiting for something good to happen to our situation. Reality has an awfully bitter taste.
I only have a few hours to force myself into a position where I can cheer up poor Josh. I had better start working on that.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Happy Introspection Day!
Julie is studying enneagrams. And since I had WAY to much to say in a cute little reply to her post, I guess I will continue the discussion here. You know I have a serious weakness for personality tests. It's still part of my childhood ambition to find a little flock of people just like me to bond with for life. The other day, in fact, I was talking on the phone to my mother, and said, "I love my grandmother. She's like me. Well, I guess I'm like her." Mother's reply was, "Well, not as much as you'd like to think. Mostly, you've always just been like you." I laughed, but that was troubling. More so than, I think, one would expect. I'm so lonely all by myself. So when I find a personality test, I take it in the hopes that I'll find out that even though I might not know any, there are little virtual twins of my mind dispersed throughout the globe. Enter the enneagram.
As with many other of these, each personality "type" is represented by one descriptive word. They are also designated a number. I sort of forgot which number was which type as I read on, but found the following paragraph unflatteringly familiar:
"In the Feeling Center, Twos attempt to control their shame by getting other people to like them and to think of them as good people. They also want to convince themselves that they are good, loving people by focusing on their positive feelings for others while repressing their negative feelings (such as anger and resentment at not being appreciated enough). As long as Twos can get positive emotional responses from others, they feel wanted and are able to control feelings of shame."
At least the name is nice. This is The Helper. Something to aspire to, although, sadly, I am not terribly helpful. Which is embarrassing. But I think it is fair to categorize people based on their semi-conscious goals.
As a strange coincidence, I had only noticed this last week how it makes my day when my family members tell me they like the pictures I sent, etc. The way I put it on Facebook was, "I live for positive feedback." A handful of friends thought I needed some encouragement, and sent very funny messages. It was cute, but then I felt bad, like maybe they thought I was trying to manipulate them into saying nice things.
I am very sensitive to the topic of manipulation these days. It actually stems from not having any TV for so long, and then being exposed to commercials and the like. It's ridiculous how the advertisement industry tries to tell us what to think, and how. And it's so obvious! I feel like the studio audience with the big APPLAUSE sign blinking over me. Even in film, I must say I am mildly insulted at the attempts to control my emotions. It's very formulaic. You can tell when something is about to jump out at you, just by the sound.
Speaking of movies and sound, wanna know what I see as the major difference between foreign film and American? They are not afraid of quiet.
Back to my gripe. You might be surprised to hear it, but because of its effectiveness, I am actually in favor of some types of propaganda. If you could get the after school TV shows to cooperate, you probably could convince kids to actually try hard at school. To be the best person possible. To value the hard-worker with the good attitude instead of the lazy, smart-mouthed prankster. Did you ever hear of such a shocking non-conformist as me?
But. I don't believe in attempting to sway the adult mind by sensationalism.
Don't get me wrong, I sometimes take great enjoyment in these same creations. I love watching The 13th Warrior, despite it's obvious trite Hollywood sensory cues, and some particularly cheesy speeches. I would just like to see that become the exception and not the rule.
I wonder what Josh is, personality wise. I always kind of thought his dominant personality trait was complacence, but haven't seen it on the list.
Yesterday Abbie was mean and cranky, so I put her down for a nap. It actually worked, for once, so I was happy. Today it's Grant. Well, right now anyway. He knows I hate it when he makes a scene. Consequently, he screams as loud as he can when he's mad. We never upset our parents on purpose like that. Sure, we cried and stuff, but we never did what we knew they hated. What does it mean? It worries me.
If he ever calms down enough, we are going to write letters to Santa today. It's the only thing on the schedule today, aside from taiko. Josh asked me to stay home on Tuesday. The rain really did turn into ice later in the evening, but I probably would have been okay.
He did a great job on his interview, but we are not as close to finished with the process as I thought. My fingers are going to get stuck from being crossed for so long! He stopped and got milk and bread on his way home, Tuesday evening, and brought me roses. He's a sweet boy. (Actually, when he's excited he just likes to get something extra, and he very carefully picked something he figured I wouldn't fuss at him for.)
I made good progress yesterday on the Christmas photo DVD. Yay, me! Josh fusses because I won't add music (see American fear of silence, above) but I insist that there is no one song that suits all of the pictures, plus all of the DVD recipients simultaneously. I have all of the slide shows completed, with the exception of the Winter 2009 one. I want to take pictures of the kids' letters to Santa, and one of all of us in front of the tree. And maybe one of the snow, if I am feeling extremely tough. We will put all the slide shows in order, add some video selections at the end, and then it will be ready to print. Want a copy? Let me know.
It's cold today. Wear a hat.
As with many other of these, each personality "type" is represented by one descriptive word. They are also designated a number. I sort of forgot which number was which type as I read on, but found the following paragraph unflatteringly familiar:
"In the Feeling Center, Twos attempt to control their shame by getting other people to like them and to think of them as good people. They also want to convince themselves that they are good, loving people by focusing on their positive feelings for others while repressing their negative feelings (such as anger and resentment at not being appreciated enough). As long as Twos can get positive emotional responses from others, they feel wanted and are able to control feelings of shame."
At least the name is nice. This is The Helper. Something to aspire to, although, sadly, I am not terribly helpful. Which is embarrassing. But I think it is fair to categorize people based on their semi-conscious goals.
As a strange coincidence, I had only noticed this last week how it makes my day when my family members tell me they like the pictures I sent, etc. The way I put it on Facebook was, "I live for positive feedback." A handful of friends thought I needed some encouragement, and sent very funny messages. It was cute, but then I felt bad, like maybe they thought I was trying to manipulate them into saying nice things.
I am very sensitive to the topic of manipulation these days. It actually stems from not having any TV for so long, and then being exposed to commercials and the like. It's ridiculous how the advertisement industry tries to tell us what to think, and how. And it's so obvious! I feel like the studio audience with the big APPLAUSE sign blinking over me. Even in film, I must say I am mildly insulted at the attempts to control my emotions. It's very formulaic. You can tell when something is about to jump out at you, just by the sound.
Speaking of movies and sound, wanna know what I see as the major difference between foreign film and American? They are not afraid of quiet.
Back to my gripe. You might be surprised to hear it, but because of its effectiveness, I am actually in favor of some types of propaganda. If you could get the after school TV shows to cooperate, you probably could convince kids to actually try hard at school. To be the best person possible. To value the hard-worker with the good attitude instead of the lazy, smart-mouthed prankster. Did you ever hear of such a shocking non-conformist as me?
But. I don't believe in attempting to sway the adult mind by sensationalism.
Don't get me wrong, I sometimes take great enjoyment in these same creations. I love watching The 13th Warrior, despite it's obvious trite Hollywood sensory cues, and some particularly cheesy speeches. I would just like to see that become the exception and not the rule.
I wonder what Josh is, personality wise. I always kind of thought his dominant personality trait was complacence, but haven't seen it on the list.
Yesterday Abbie was mean and cranky, so I put her down for a nap. It actually worked, for once, so I was happy. Today it's Grant. Well, right now anyway. He knows I hate it when he makes a scene. Consequently, he screams as loud as he can when he's mad. We never upset our parents on purpose like that. Sure, we cried and stuff, but we never did what we knew they hated. What does it mean? It worries me.
If he ever calms down enough, we are going to write letters to Santa today. It's the only thing on the schedule today, aside from taiko. Josh asked me to stay home on Tuesday. The rain really did turn into ice later in the evening, but I probably would have been okay.
He did a great job on his interview, but we are not as close to finished with the process as I thought. My fingers are going to get stuck from being crossed for so long! He stopped and got milk and bread on his way home, Tuesday evening, and brought me roses. He's a sweet boy. (Actually, when he's excited he just likes to get something extra, and he very carefully picked something he figured I wouldn't fuss at him for.)
I made good progress yesterday on the Christmas photo DVD. Yay, me! Josh fusses because I won't add music (see American fear of silence, above) but I insist that there is no one song that suits all of the pictures, plus all of the DVD recipients simultaneously. I have all of the slide shows completed, with the exception of the Winter 2009 one. I want to take pictures of the kids' letters to Santa, and one of all of us in front of the tree. And maybe one of the snow, if I am feeling extremely tough. We will put all the slide shows in order, add some video selections at the end, and then it will be ready to print. Want a copy? Let me know.
It's cold today. Wear a hat.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Broke Christmas
HA! Gotcha! You thought I was referencing my lack of Christmas financing, when, in fact, I was about to tell you the story of decoration casualties.
Yes, it's true. The garage attic was a particularly rough place to be this summer, it would appear. I was anxious to get the decorations out on Saturday, because I really wanted to light my cranberry scented candles that I got last year for a dollar each. But I restrained myself and dutifully cleaned the house first. All alone, I might add. Josh and the kids went off to help his dad do something. I was just finishing vacuuming the ceiling when they came home. (Oh, yes. The house was cleaned top to bottom!!!!) Well, it turns out that a dollar was pretty much all the candles were worth. They were in jars, but the lids, even closed, leaked wax all over the box when they melted this summer. It killed a string of Christmas lights. Actually, 2 strands of white (and this was after an hour of bulb substitution) and one of blue were all that made it out of 6. I put the two white on the tree, and started on the decoration part, while Josh got out the train tracks and Grant's Budweiser train. The more I went through the box, though, the more broken items I found. It was a little upsetting, but most of my extra-special ones were packed well and survived. I was a little bit sad about the kitchen snowman. He's tacky, but I like him, anyway. Both of his spoon arms are broken. Then, I broke a glass ball getting it out of the box. It was one of the ones from Yuma, but not my cheesy chile pepper ones. It was the tasteful Santa Clause one. Oh, drat.
We have the big tree up by the window, the little one in the kitchen, a small table with snowmen on it by the back door, and a red vinyl Christmas tablecloth on the kids' table, and we had a couple of decorated felt goody bags that I let Grant and Abbie hang on their doorknobs. Also, I strung the blue lights rather unattractively over the kids' table in the kitchen. Grant's train goes in a figure 8 around the tree and then behind the entertainment center (where it hides from the children until Josh is home to monitor them). We are so festive with our halls decked!
We had the last beginner class on Sunday. They are so good! I am very impressed. They all had questions for me about expectations of the group, but not in the way I expected. If you are more nervous about how much time you will have to spend practicing then what the test will cover, that is a hint that you should not audition. Well, in most cases. At the beginning of class, Andrew was making sure they knew all the names of the different drums and stands. My name was on the equipment test. Hmm. How should I feel about that? And they all got it right! I laughed. Don't think that will be on the audition. :P
Josh got his haircut for his interview tomorrow, and I was a little upset with the result. The girl did a better job on the front than the last girl, but she FORGOT to go around one of his ears. So, one is longer than the other and has a jagged corner behind. He obviously can't see behind his own ear and didn't notice, but I'm shocked that the girl didn't. Tsk, tsk. Shoddy craftsmanship.
And my haircut is on Friday. Plus, me and Heather are going to do some Christmas shopping. I wonder what I will do with that opportunity. Maybe Heather can distract the kids while I do some Santa-ing. And I could get a little something for Josh, perhaps. Grant will be writing Santa for a toy Tyrannosaurus, and Abbie says she wants a "girl baby" doll to "hold hands with". I guess that means she wants one with 5 fingers?
* * *
It is much later now. I just spent a nice long time on the phone with my mommy. I love my mommy. And I love my grand-mommy.
Have I told you that my dad is having prostate surgery in January? I am going to copy some of my movies for him for Christmas, so he can watch them while he's recovering. I have also coached Brother to get some books for him. My dad is basically the recipe for the world's worst patient. He questions the doctor, does his own research, is not very trusting, gets nervous, calls everyone he's ever met to find out if they think the doctor/procedure/facility/whatever are in any way questionable and on top of all that is physically incapable of being still for ANY length of time, no matter how short. My mother is brushing up her martyr hat, as we speak.
On that cheerful note, I am going to abandon you in favor of my cute children, who didn't even make each other bleed while Mommy was on the phone! Aren't they fabulous?
Happy Monday! Go get your blizzard supplies now! It's gonna be an exciting night!
Yes, it's true. The garage attic was a particularly rough place to be this summer, it would appear. I was anxious to get the decorations out on Saturday, because I really wanted to light my cranberry scented candles that I got last year for a dollar each. But I restrained myself and dutifully cleaned the house first. All alone, I might add. Josh and the kids went off to help his dad do something. I was just finishing vacuuming the ceiling when they came home. (Oh, yes. The house was cleaned top to bottom!!!!) Well, it turns out that a dollar was pretty much all the candles were worth. They were in jars, but the lids, even closed, leaked wax all over the box when they melted this summer. It killed a string of Christmas lights. Actually, 2 strands of white (and this was after an hour of bulb substitution) and one of blue were all that made it out of 6. I put the two white on the tree, and started on the decoration part, while Josh got out the train tracks and Grant's Budweiser train. The more I went through the box, though, the more broken items I found. It was a little upsetting, but most of my extra-special ones were packed well and survived. I was a little bit sad about the kitchen snowman. He's tacky, but I like him, anyway. Both of his spoon arms are broken. Then, I broke a glass ball getting it out of the box. It was one of the ones from Yuma, but not my cheesy chile pepper ones. It was the tasteful Santa Clause one. Oh, drat.
We have the big tree up by the window, the little one in the kitchen, a small table with snowmen on it by the back door, and a red vinyl Christmas tablecloth on the kids' table, and we had a couple of decorated felt goody bags that I let Grant and Abbie hang on their doorknobs. Also, I strung the blue lights rather unattractively over the kids' table in the kitchen. Grant's train goes in a figure 8 around the tree and then behind the entertainment center (where it hides from the children until Josh is home to monitor them). We are so festive with our halls decked!
We had the last beginner class on Sunday. They are so good! I am very impressed. They all had questions for me about expectations of the group, but not in the way I expected. If you are more nervous about how much time you will have to spend practicing then what the test will cover, that is a hint that you should not audition. Well, in most cases. At the beginning of class, Andrew was making sure they knew all the names of the different drums and stands. My name was on the equipment test. Hmm. How should I feel about that? And they all got it right! I laughed. Don't think that will be on the audition. :P
Josh got his haircut for his interview tomorrow, and I was a little upset with the result. The girl did a better job on the front than the last girl, but she FORGOT to go around one of his ears. So, one is longer than the other and has a jagged corner behind. He obviously can't see behind his own ear and didn't notice, but I'm shocked that the girl didn't. Tsk, tsk. Shoddy craftsmanship.
And my haircut is on Friday. Plus, me and Heather are going to do some Christmas shopping. I wonder what I will do with that opportunity. Maybe Heather can distract the kids while I do some Santa-ing. And I could get a little something for Josh, perhaps. Grant will be writing Santa for a toy Tyrannosaurus, and Abbie says she wants a "girl baby" doll to "hold hands with". I guess that means she wants one with 5 fingers?
* * *
It is much later now. I just spent a nice long time on the phone with my mommy. I love my mommy. And I love my grand-mommy.
Have I told you that my dad is having prostate surgery in January? I am going to copy some of my movies for him for Christmas, so he can watch them while he's recovering. I have also coached Brother to get some books for him. My dad is basically the recipe for the world's worst patient. He questions the doctor, does his own research, is not very trusting, gets nervous, calls everyone he's ever met to find out if they think the doctor/procedure/facility/whatever are in any way questionable and on top of all that is physically incapable of being still for ANY length of time, no matter how short. My mother is brushing up her martyr hat, as we speak.
On that cheerful note, I am going to abandon you in favor of my cute children, who didn't even make each other bleed while Mommy was on the phone! Aren't they fabulous?
Happy Monday! Go get your blizzard supplies now! It's gonna be an exciting night!
Friday, December 4, 2009
Chilly Friday Undaunted
It was snowing this morning, but it has stopped. I'm happy, because I can sing Christmas carols again. I'm happy, too, because I have decided to make cupcakes and cookies as Christmas presents for Josh's families. Well, at least for Sarah, Eric, Becky, Paul, Missy and Mariah. I might have to do something different for Rick and Peggy and for Austin and Sydney. Or additional. We're also going to make our usual DVD of family pictures for Rick and Peggy, and maybe I won't have to add more than that to the baskets I am supposed to contribute to for Peggy's sisters, brother and mother. We need to get to work on those DVDs, actually.
Yesterday, I read Mrs. Frisbee and the Rats of NIHM, because Amy was talking about it at taiko. It's kind of a sweet book, but with a very unsatisfactory end. Someone dies, but you don't know who, and while the possibility of a continued relationship is presented, Mrs. Frisbee doesn't commit, and you don't know if the other mouse moves away or not.... In my opinion, the author is trying to make it more like reality, when sometimes you don't know the answers to such questions. But why go there in a story about talking mice?
Yesterday, I was the epitome of Bah Humbug. But I was just tired and cranky. It doesn't seem so bad now. I was so wrapped up in angry meditation that I missed seeing the moon when I was walking from the parking lot to practice. But then, it was pointed out to me. Debbie said, "It's as big as a pumpkin!" It was orange, too, which is probably why she thought of pumpkins. See, you miss things when you are wrapped up in your own discontent. On the other hand, it was in the 20's with a not-so-pleasant breeze, so maybe even if I'd been perfectly happy I still would have walked with my head down!
When I was driving home from practice, I was pretty much out of gas. The dummy light had been on since O'fallon, and I was doing mental calculations (not my strong suit) of how long I could make it, when I just gave up and stopped at the next place. The next place was Wright City, and it was really only about 10 miles from Warrenton, but I didn't want to risk it on my pathetic math skills. It was a good thing though, because just on the other side of Wright City, there was a terrible, TERRIBLE accident. I was at a complete dead stop for nearly 10 minutes, and then we crawled until we were well clear of it. Yep. I would have run out of gas. I don't even know what I could have done. Beg some trucker to help me push my car onto the shoulder and then walk to the nearest gas station in below freezing wind? Then how would I get back to my car to add gas, with all the traffic? Realistically, it would have to have waited all night, and I would have had to walk somewhere to be picked up by Josh, who would have had to wake up the kids and bring them. So, am I glad I got gas? YES! I just wished I'd gone home from there by the outer road. ;)
I'm not so excited about housework today. But the plan is that tomorrow I will get up and magically clean the entire house until it is spotless and beautiful, and then decorate for Christmas! Abbie in particular is very anxious for that to occur.
Yikes. I keep starting sentences with But. But that's okay!!!
I have some other news, but it's not the happy kind. I have a dear and close friend who is having animal trouble. Her dog is being put down today in reaction to his having attacked another dog, who then had to be put down. She is a mess, as can be expected. She went around finding a witness to say that the Yorkie got into her yard, because the story that the Yorkie's owner gave wasn't very realistic. It was that the Yorkie was walking by, minding his own business and was dragged through a hole in the fence by Heather's dog. She also contacted a lawyer to see if something could be done. But the witness doesn't matter, according to the lawyer. The circumstances don't matter much. Dogs who are responsible for the death of another pet get put down. And....Heather's dog is a pit bull. Now, my opinion of pit bulls is totally and completely irrelevant, so I'm not going to give it. But here is what is worth considering: the majority of the world is in agreement that pit bulls, having been bred for fighting relentlessly, are dangerous. They have terrible reputations. They frequently cause unease and suspicion. And whether it is warranted or not, most people are prejudiced against them. So. Here's my question: WHAT IS WRONG WITH GETTING A LABRADOR, FOR PETE'S SAKE? Why put yourself deliberately in the position of constantly defending your pet against the world? You don't have to chose that. The post script of the story is that she found out just today from a different neighbor that her dog had behaved aggressively toward him. Now she doesn't feel like her efforts were for any reason, except (I intend to remind her) as a labor of love.
At this point I would like to recommend the Beagle-Basset as a fantastic dog breed. My vet praised them as being "Healthy and happy dogs," and they love company, food, and napping.
Wanna know what we're making for dinner tonight? Scrambled eggs with cheese. (I kinda need to go grocery shopping.)
My mother goes to Versailles again this weekend. She's going to take her brother to the train station on Tuesday. Tuesday is also Josh's job interview before work. Naturally, the forecast calls for a wintry mix.
Never a dull moment.
Well, wish me luck with the decorating tomorrow.
Yesterday, I read Mrs. Frisbee and the Rats of NIHM, because Amy was talking about it at taiko. It's kind of a sweet book, but with a very unsatisfactory end. Someone dies, but you don't know who, and while the possibility of a continued relationship is presented, Mrs. Frisbee doesn't commit, and you don't know if the other mouse moves away or not.... In my opinion, the author is trying to make it more like reality, when sometimes you don't know the answers to such questions. But why go there in a story about talking mice?
Yesterday, I was the epitome of Bah Humbug. But I was just tired and cranky. It doesn't seem so bad now. I was so wrapped up in angry meditation that I missed seeing the moon when I was walking from the parking lot to practice. But then, it was pointed out to me. Debbie said, "It's as big as a pumpkin!" It was orange, too, which is probably why she thought of pumpkins. See, you miss things when you are wrapped up in your own discontent. On the other hand, it was in the 20's with a not-so-pleasant breeze, so maybe even if I'd been perfectly happy I still would have walked with my head down!
When I was driving home from practice, I was pretty much out of gas. The dummy light had been on since O'fallon, and I was doing mental calculations (not my strong suit) of how long I could make it, when I just gave up and stopped at the next place. The next place was Wright City, and it was really only about 10 miles from Warrenton, but I didn't want to risk it on my pathetic math skills. It was a good thing though, because just on the other side of Wright City, there was a terrible, TERRIBLE accident. I was at a complete dead stop for nearly 10 minutes, and then we crawled until we were well clear of it. Yep. I would have run out of gas. I don't even know what I could have done. Beg some trucker to help me push my car onto the shoulder and then walk to the nearest gas station in below freezing wind? Then how would I get back to my car to add gas, with all the traffic? Realistically, it would have to have waited all night, and I would have had to walk somewhere to be picked up by Josh, who would have had to wake up the kids and bring them. So, am I glad I got gas? YES! I just wished I'd gone home from there by the outer road. ;)
I'm not so excited about housework today. But the plan is that tomorrow I will get up and magically clean the entire house until it is spotless and beautiful, and then decorate for Christmas! Abbie in particular is very anxious for that to occur.
Yikes. I keep starting sentences with But. But that's okay!!!
I have some other news, but it's not the happy kind. I have a dear and close friend who is having animal trouble. Her dog is being put down today in reaction to his having attacked another dog, who then had to be put down. She is a mess, as can be expected. She went around finding a witness to say that the Yorkie got into her yard, because the story that the Yorkie's owner gave wasn't very realistic. It was that the Yorkie was walking by, minding his own business and was dragged through a hole in the fence by Heather's dog. She also contacted a lawyer to see if something could be done. But the witness doesn't matter, according to the lawyer. The circumstances don't matter much. Dogs who are responsible for the death of another pet get put down. And....Heather's dog is a pit bull. Now, my opinion of pit bulls is totally and completely irrelevant, so I'm not going to give it. But here is what is worth considering: the majority of the world is in agreement that pit bulls, having been bred for fighting relentlessly, are dangerous. They have terrible reputations. They frequently cause unease and suspicion. And whether it is warranted or not, most people are prejudiced against them. So. Here's my question: WHAT IS WRONG WITH GETTING A LABRADOR, FOR PETE'S SAKE? Why put yourself deliberately in the position of constantly defending your pet against the world? You don't have to chose that. The post script of the story is that she found out just today from a different neighbor that her dog had behaved aggressively toward him. Now she doesn't feel like her efforts were for any reason, except (I intend to remind her) as a labor of love.
At this point I would like to recommend the Beagle-Basset as a fantastic dog breed. My vet praised them as being "Healthy and happy dogs," and they love company, food, and napping.
Wanna know what we're making for dinner tonight? Scrambled eggs with cheese. (I kinda need to go grocery shopping.)
My mother goes to Versailles again this weekend. She's going to take her brother to the train station on Tuesday. Tuesday is also Josh's job interview before work. Naturally, the forecast calls for a wintry mix.
Never a dull moment.
Well, wish me luck with the decorating tomorrow.
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