Just in Case you Missed it

I'm loving wordpress, it's such a better fit for my blogging stuff. I miss my old template though, because I really love the header on this one. Anyway you can visit my new home here.

I'm out of here!

I have officially moved and will no longer be updating or using this blog. Come check out my new digs! They're pretty dang sweet. Oh, yeah, if you want to visit, please leave me a comment, with an e-mail address, or some way to contact you. I'm not just giving out the link, because I'm hoping to loose some people in this move. Catch ya on the flip side!

2,996 a Tribute to Peter A. Siracuse

I've struggled for weeks about what I would write on this day. I've struggled trying to sort through my feelings and thoughts. It is difficult to express how I feel when reflecting on the events of this tragic day 5 years ago. I know that my struggle with a simple post is nothing compared to what Peters family went through when he was killed on September 11, 2001. Peter A. Siracuse 29, was in/at the world trade center on September 11, 2001. He had a wife Alana and a son Ryan Joseph. My greatest wish is that his family will find peace and hope in this world without their loved one. I pray for the continued remembrance of this day. May we all take a moment to reflect and never forget. God bless Peters family, friends and all that were touched by his life and vivacious way of living. I was particularly touched by this note I found from Peters brother. Not knowing Peter myself I wanted to share words from someone that did. Dear Pete, It has been two year since that tragic day in which you left us here to go to a better place. There is never a day that goes by that I do not think of you. It could be a song on the radio or a little kid on a bike that brings me so many happy thoughts of our childhood together. I brought Mom and Alana to your resting place at the foot of Tower One on 9/11 and we prayed for the day when we all could be together again. I know that you are watching over Ryan as we are. He will come to know you through the many stories and photos that we hold close to our hearts. I Love you and miss you and look forward to a time when we can play a round on the ultimate course with THE GUY. You will live forever within each of us. Love Your Brother, George Expert from 9/11 site Information gathered from Legacy.com and the Peter A. Siracuse foundation. For all other participants, please visit 2,996 .

Absent

Okay, I know I've been gone almost all week, but it's been for a good reason. I got my domain all set up. However I'm trying to keep it a tad more private than before. I've been having a few problems and have decided that I don't want family reading it any longer, (except for you sis.) There is a lot that I haven't written about, because I don't want to offend anyone. While I can think and write what I want, it's sure easier to avoid the drama. I'll be making the move official after Monday's tribute post.

Monday

Feels like a Monday, looks like a Monday, smells like a Monday. Must be a Monday! The fair was really fun. We ate so much food. Terriaky chicken, curly fries, hamburgers, tiger ears, indian tacos, corn on the cob, cinnamon rolls, cotton candy. No funnel cake though, there just wasn't any more room in my gut! BTW - I did not eat all of these things all at once, this is the list for everyone! I think we should have split it into two days, so we could have two days to eat. There is just too much good food for one day! I didn't take any photos. I just couldn't find anything worth taking a picture of. Actually I found LOTS of interesting things to take pictures of, but I was too afraid of being attacked if I did. The fair really brings out all the freaks!

BCC #12

Don't forget to check out the Blogging chicks carnival. There are a lot of great entries this week. (click the picture to take you to chick land.)

Fair Time

We are going to the county fair tomorrow with John's family. Should be fun, his parents are paying for EVERYTHING which I can't complain about. Every year his family goes to the fair together. We eat WAY too much food, ride too many rides, stay out ALL day and have tons of fun! I'll take my camera and post some pictures on Monday maybe. Looking forward to the three day weekend. Have plans on Monday for some bike trails and a picnic. My blog move can't come fast enough, now if I could just get enough money together I would be set. Donations anyone?

Two Things

I need all you blogging buddies out there to do two things for me. The first is to check out this post from Much More Than a Mom. She is selling T-shirts to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Not only is she raising money, but she is also matching the donations dollar for dollar. I don't know a single person that hasn't been affected by cancer. We all know someone who's had it, or maybe had it ourselves. They are always working to find new methods and ways of treatment, but that is expensive and it seems there is never enough money. Go check it out and donate a dollar or two if you can. Also spread the word. The more people that know, the more can contribute.

~~

Secondly, go visit Moodswing Creations. If you are in the need of a blog design, Thursday Thirteen headers, linkware, custom buttons or banners, this is the place. Not only does Denise do custom templates and design work, she also has an awesome blog. So go check out her design stuff and blog. You'll be glad you did! Fairly recently she updated her blog template and I just love it. She also has some great stuff in her portfolio, so make sure you browse through it all.

~~ While I'm sending you places, you might as well check out my tenant. She's only here for a few more days. Find out why she's been so busy!

I'm moving

~ update~ I'm moving for sure, I just have to get some money together for the hosting and to have someone design something for me. Hopefully it won't take too long once I get to that point. Who do you guys use for hosting? ~end of update~

I'm so sick of blogger I could scream. It keeps messing my template up and at one point today, I had nothing but gobbly gook that you couldn't even read, with NO template. I've had it. I'm moving somewhere else. I've been thinking about wordpress. Anyone out there using it that likes it? Is it better to use their free one, or do I need to get my own domain. Help please, I've had it with all the blogger crap! Thanks!!

~~ While you're here, don't forget to visit my renter. Let's get those clicks up people! ~~

Going and going and going

Once Kathryn started walking she really took off and she's getting FASTER. I thought I couldn't keep up before, what am I going to do now. On another note: Jerry Rice has signed a one day contract with the San Francisco 49ers so that he can retire with the team that he started with. No one probably cares about this more than my husband, who had to call and make sure I knew. For a moment there I thought he was going to shed tears of joy. His "boy" is coming back to his team, where he belongs. (like I really friggin care!)

Worth sharing?

I had this great post all written about this being my 200th post and how much my writing has changed and all the things I like and dislike about blogging. Then I deleted it all, because it comes down to one thing for me.

An outlet.

My blog is an outlet for my writing and thoughts. It's not about the number of people that visit. It's not about the number of comments I get. It's not about what people think of my template or life. It's about me and what I need my blog to be used for. I've ranted, I've exclaimed, I've shouted for joy, I've cried. Sometimes separately, sometimes all at once. It's great to get traffic, comments and returning visitors. For several months I was stressed and concerned that I wasn't getting any visitors. One morning I woke up and thought "what happened to the fun?" It was gone. I thought about how great it had felt to have a place to come, a place of my own. I decided that if I was going to keep this up, it had to be fun, it had to be relaxing. As soon as I made this my resolution, I got visitors, I got comments, and I got traffic.

Don't stay here.

I'm a terrible landlord. My "new" renter only has 3 days and 11 hours left here and I haven't even done an introduction for her yet. Go check out Land of Two, Under Two. I can not even imagine having children that close together. For her it is working out great. Go see her bad habits and find out how much she misses her daughter who is staying with the in-laws. I want lots of clicks, so I can show her how wonderful I truly am. You guys already know that though!! Don't you? guys.............hello?........okay, I'm just going to get back to work then.

Another first

So Kathryn is walking and I'm very excited and sad all at the same time. It's fun she is doing something new, but it means she is growing up. Don't get me wrong progression is a good thing, but does it have to happen so quickly? Tonight when I picked her up from daycare she started screaming. Not just a little whine either, I mean really screaming. She wanted to stay with Ms. A, not come home with her mommy. In a way it was kind of funny, but not when there are all these other parents there looking at me with these disapproving, glaring looks. I just know they were all wondering what I do to her when we're at home. Geez people, I don't beat her! I had to wrestle her away from Ms. A. who felt awful, but at least I know she is happy there. She must be if she doesn't want to come home with the person that brought her into this world. Oh, and she was sitting in her car seat picking her nose on the way home. Great, just great!

It finally happened

Kathryn has finally walked! I was beginning to think that it would never happen. Last night I came out of the bathroom and could hear John saying "okay, now walk" I turned into the living room and there she was standing in the middle of the floor and just took off! It was so wonderful to be here to see. Being a working mom, I'm always afraid I'm going to miss the things like this. Not only was I here, I got it on video!

I've been tagged, again!

I've been tagged by SOS (spawn of satan) from The Original Human Oddity for this meme. 5 weird things about me. 1. I still have a special blanket that I sleep with occasionally. I use it mostly when my husband is working nights or I feel insecure. No, I don't have to carry it around with me everywhere. My name is not Linus. 2. I hate mushrooms, with a passion. So much that if I get one in my mouth I will start gagging. 3. I can speak obish. A language made up by my uncles Bryan and Doug when they were in high school. 4. I love peanut butter, strawberry jam, cheese and banana sandwiches. yum! 5. I'm so normal that I can't think of another one. mmmm.... let's see...... oh, I know. I love that sun baked feeling when you get into your car after it's been sitting in the sun all day. It feels so relaxing. I'm not going to tag anyone, but if you want to participate leave a comment so I can come visit.

Not as much.

John's eye is looking better, but still really gross. He went back to work today and all the guys in the shop have been teasing him about spreading his fectious-ness. The doctor did say that he had to be really careful, because it spreads so easily. If he touches his eye, then touches the computer someone could pick it up within an hour or less. Poor guy, all night last night he would come to sit by me and I would mockingly jump back and say "ewww, I don't want all your pudding puss on me, get away!" I thought it was really funny, but he didn't. He turned pouting and said, "you make me feel like a leper." He was probably glad to be back at work today, because yesterday I kept calling and making sure he was washing his hands and not touching anything. I can't do that today.

~~ Don't forget to visit my renter. Kel is only here for 7 more hours and I want her last day to be a big smash! ~~

That is really sick!

John has pinkeye and it's really gross. Yesterday at lunch he was fine, I get home from work and it looked like someone had dumped blood into his eye with a bunch of vanilla pudding. Ewwww, it was so gross! It was oozing and spitting out this gunky stuff. His eyelashes kept getting stuck together. Ewww, ewwww, it was nasty. He went to the doctor this morning and got a RX for some prescription eye drops. I had to go and pick him up for the appointment, because he didn't know if he would be able to drive or not. He is also staying home today, which is good because he drives a truck around town for a living. Dr. B is so very nice. He knows that John is a bit of a worrier, so he was really good about explaining everything, how it should clear up in a few days and how to be careful and not spread it. He also showed him an easy way to put the drops in and gave him some tips on keeping it cleaned out. Thankfully the drops weren't too expensive and he said it feels like they are already working. I wanted to take a picture of his eye, but he wouldn't let me. "all you're going to do is put it on your blog to try and get more traffic" he told me. I wouldn't put it up for traffic, but I would put it up to gross everyone out!

~~ Don't forget to visit my renter Kel. She is only here for one more day and I need everyone to show her lots and lots of love, she really needs it, find out what a jerk the new doctor was to her and Cheif. ~~

Junk and Stuff

My MIL came to pick up Kathryn this morning and I never truly noticed how un-observant she is. Our living/dining room looks WAY different. The smaller couch is gone, the dining table has been moved, the corner is all set up for katy, the computer table is on the other side of the room. BIG difference. She kind of looked around like "hmmm, is something different here, or is it just me?" She didn't say anything though. Just stood there with a goofy look on her face. I was enjoying her confusion and discomfort so much that I didn't say anything either. I kept waiting, but she never did say anything about it, even though I could tell she wanted to. I love the woman to death, but man does it drive me crazy when she things like this. I think she was waiting for me to say something about it, so she wouldn't have to. Later today, she'll call John and ask him about it. Rather than just ask me when I'm standing right there in the house. I don't know if she thinks she's going to offend me, or if she thinks it's rude to ask. Maybe she thinks the house has been that way for a while and she'll look dumb if she says anything now.

~~

John is going to keep his second job at Hollywood Video. He went in this morning to pick up his last paycheck and the manager begged him to stay. He will ONLY be working Friday nights though. If they don't stick to this agreement, then he will quit. This is in some ways a relief for both of us. He was worried about not bringing in any extra money and I was worried about my sanity. I've gotten used to having ME time every week. Even though 1 day a week, will only be about $100 a month, it's still a hundred bucks. It is also good because he was having mixed feelings about leaving. He really liked the job and the people, just not all the shifts and hours. He was getting so burned out and it wasn't worth it. One day a week is more than manageable and we will get to keep all the discounts and free rentals, which is also an added bonus since we are such movie buffs.

~~

We got a new computer over the weekend. We have been saving for one forever and finally had enough to get it. We thought we would have to wait until next year, but I just couldn't wait any longer. Our other one was so slow and annoying. It wouldn't play some of our games, or it would freeze up in the middle of them and you would loose everything you had done. It was also a big pain to try and download music and watch videos. It would do it, but it took like 7 hours to get them all, because it was so slow. It wasn't our internet connection either, because that was fast, fast, fast. Anyway, I was trying to do some work stuff on it last week and I just couldn't handle it anymore! I needed my information and I needed it right now! When John came home I flat out told him, "We are getting a new computer this week, and they are having a sale. Want to come with me?" We ended up getting a killer deal through Circuit City, $300.00 in rebates! That's a lot of moola. The new one is so nice, I couldn't believe how fast stuff was loading. The only problem I've had is that there is so much stuff I don't know how to run it all or where to find it. I taught John how to run Quicken yesterday and he loves it. I've been wanting to buy the program for a while, but couldn't convince him of why we needed it. The computer came with it, and he is in love. When I showed him how to balance it, I thought he was going to cry tears of joy, because he HATES balancing the checkbook. Almost as much as I hate laundry, but not quite. I'm rambling on and not really going anywhere with this, so I will go do something productive now. Can't wait to get home on my lickety split computer and get it going. Also I haven't forgotten about the rest of my pictures, just a bit sidetracked with my new toy!

~~ Don't forget to visit my renter. Show her a good time and send her some Monday well wishes. ~~

so very nice

Today was a great day. We did nothing! Nothing if you don't count rearranging furniture, making a play corner for kathryn, organizing and cleaning out the bookshelf, cleaning the kitchen and setting up the living room. So it was a really busy day, but very nice. It was a great weekend and we got some good family time in. John's happy, I'm happy, Kathryn's happy, and Fido's pissed as usual. We had to put up some baby gates today and Fido can't figure out how to get over them. She is either trapped in the kitchen, or trapped in the living room. Kitchen is okay, because Katy can't get to her, but she can't lay in the sun. Living room is good because of the sun, but bad because Katy can get to her. I had to lift her between the rooms several times, she was freaking out so bad. Don't understand how she can jump onto the counter or windowsill, but not over the gate. We went out and visited my grandma and aunt today. It was nice, they love seeing Katy and I took them some new photos. I also took them a DVD with video clips of us over the last year. Grandmas eat that kind of stuff up! Good Christmas and birthday presents. I think I'm going to get some shut eye. The boss is going to be gone Tuesday through Thursday so we have a lot to go over tomorrow in preparation for that.

~~ Don't forget to visit my renter Kel, from Mama? Mama come here! She's feeling pretty up! today and you will to if you visit her! ~~

The finished product

Here are the burp clothes and blanket as promised. My stitching wasn't the most perfect so my edges are not as round as I would have liked them to be. Nonetheless they turned out really cute.

Here is the blanket that my mom finished. Here edges were a lot more finished and smooth looking. We did the blanket with each side being different as you can probably see.

Don't know if you can tell or not, but my mom did a zigzag stitch and then a straight stitch to finish it off. It looks so cute and really nice. I love that fabric, and it's perfect for a boy or a girl.

Here is everything all wrapped up and ready to go. We also got her a couple of pairs of socks, becuase I just can't resist how cute and small they are!

Now what?

John hasn't called me once today. Something must be wrong, oh wait the phone just rang and it's him. Now I know how to get him to call, ha, ha. There are days when he will call me 10-15 times a DAY. I'm lucky I have a nice boss who isn't around very much. Sometimes I just don't answer, I let it go to voice mail. This drives him crazy, but him calling all day drives me crazy! My husband is a worrier (sp?) he worries about EVERYTHING. Money, family, friends, the weather, traffic, me, himself, kathryn, money, politics, what glen beck says, money, schedules, what to have for dinner, what to have for breakfast, if I'm going to make it to lunch or not, money. It drives me batty. The longer we are married the more I'm getting used to it and how to help him deal with it. Sometimes he just needs reminded that everything is okay and it's not really a problem. Sometimes he just needs a swift hard boot to the ass. Depends on the day I guess. Today he is worried about the weekend. He wants everything to be perfect and for it to just be us. He's worried that something is going to interfer and our weekend will be ruined. What if someone drops by and we're not excpecting them? What if we're late for the movie? What if Kathryn is still teething? What if she has a rough night again? What if we spend too much money and it cuts us short for the rest of the month? what if, what if, what if? My thought is "okay, what if?" We deal with it. Get over it, move on. I'm not a worrier, never have been. If it happens, it happens. Life goes on, things are fine. What baffles me this most is why he even thinks about this stuff. If we're late for the movie, we might not get that great of seats, or we might miss a few minutes of previews. If someone drops by, you tell them it's not a good time. If Kathryn's still teething, we deal with it and help her through it. None of these things are an issue to me. As far as the weekend being ruined well, you choose what kind of attitude and day you are going to have. You choose to let someone else or something "ruin" your day. If he would just take a few steps back sometimes it would help so much. His sister has been doing a stress/therapy program and when she's done we are going to borrow it from her. I hope it helps, because she seems to be doing better. If it can help her there is no doubt in my mind that it can help John and it certainly can't hurt.

~~ Go visit my renter Kel. She is having some struggles of her own with family. Send her husband some get well wishes. He's been having some bad pain problems. ~~

Finally, some family photos!

I have been such a slacker about getting photos up. I'm going to do a week of pictures among my other posts so that I can be all caught up. I love sharing photos, if only blogger would cooperate all the time then I would be okay!

These are from the day I took Clarice, Kayleen and Bryden golfing. The little mini course we have here is so cool. It's surrounded by lots of trees so it's nice and shady and they are pretty inventive with the holes and stuff. This one is on the top of a bridge and you have to get it into the tube at the end. Once you get it through the tube, it goes flying down this slide to the green. I am standing on the bridge watching the kids and snapping a pic of Kayleen sinking her putt!

The next hole goes under the bridge and curves around. We had to play the hole with the slide twice, because it's everyone's favorite. They think it's the best to watch the ball go shooting down that slide. Their other favorite hole is the outhouse! We played this one three times. You hit your ball into the crapper and then it get spits out on the side above the green. I hate this hole, becuase it's hard to get your ball into one of the crapper holes. My ball kept getting stuck up in the corner, which the kids all thought was hilarious.

At the end, you hit your ball, up the ramp into the mini silo and it gets swallowed (returned.) Bryden wanted his ball back and he was trying to see where it went!

All of the cousins together. We had pictures done the last time the kids were here, but Clayton didn't come. Now we have one with ALL of them! Top row: Kyle holding Kaitlyn, Cameron, Clayton holding Kathryn. Bottom row: Clarice, Kayleen and Bryden.

Bryden and Clarice playing in the slip n' slide. They were more like lounging in the pool at the end. I think they were in there for about 5 hours one afternoon.

All the guys playing football out behind the house. They played all afternoon. It was hilarious to watch John, Rich and Rex play against Kyle, Cameron and Clayton. The boys are all in football again this year and they spanked their uncles and dad!

Kathryn sitting on her uncle Rex bouncing up and down. He always playes that game with her. What a good uncle.

Kathryn chillin' in Kaitlyn's car seat. Kyle put her in here and then she didn't want to get out. She thought it was a pretty sweet recliner.

It's a good one!

Today is a really good day. Not sure why, seeing as it has barely started. Just a hunch or premonition or something. I worked on my burp cloths and blanket last night with my mom. I'm such an awful seamstress, even with the pattern being SO easy, I was messing it up. My mom used to make all her own clothes and ours, she is very talented. I'm glad she was there to help me. I got 4 clothes done and 2 sides of the blanket, all in about 1 hour and 45 minutes. If I had an afternoon I could probably crank out a couple dozen cloths and maybe even a few blankets. I'll take a picture of everything tomorrow, after my mom has finished the blanket and we get them all ready to go. This week has gone by so quickly, it feels like it should be Tuesday, not Thursday. I'm glad it's going fast, but it's also one of those weeks when I feel I haven't gotten much done. John and I are spending this WHOLE weekend together. It's the first in about 6 weeks that we haven't had family, or friend, or work stuff going on. We probably will just sit at home and not do anything. At least we will be doing nothing together. ha ha.

~~ Don't forget to go visit my renter Kel, from Mama? Mama, come here! You'll love her as much as I do, and if you don't, well.........you're just crazy cause she's awesome! ~~

Dum, da, dum, da, dum

(Insert booming drums and cheering here)

I know that most of you are already familiar and probably fans of Kel from Mama, Mama come here!, but you need to go and check her out anyway. Besides if you don't click on her, I won't get very good stats and if I don't get very good stats, I know where to come! ha ha Go check her out today. There has been a lot going on around her house, maybe you can help her decide what tatoo to get, or just give her a word of support and comfort. Kel, thanks for always being such an awesome blogging bud. You're one of my very most favorite bloggers. Thanks for staying with me, I'll try hard to make dinner every night and clean up a bit so you have a place to sleep.

It's alive!

I'm up and running. I have a NICE computer, new headset, all new office supplies, the works. My new boss is so freakin funny, but in a really dry way. Sometimes I don't catch the joke until later. I'm so blonde. My first project is to enter all his past clients into a new database system. No big deal, I've done it before. At least I will have something to do. I hate being bored! I can probably have it done by the end of the week, but I might make it stretch into next week. Got to work on my sewing project again tonight. I cut out the pieces last night, they are waiting to be sewn together. Once the burp cloths and blanket are done I'll post a picture of them. If any one is interested in the pattern, just leave me a comment and I'll e-mail it to you in a few days. It's super, super easy.

Numero Dos

Here I am day two at the new job. I have a desk now, but still no computer, that will be here this morning. Yesterday was kind of boring, just because there is not much I can do without a computer. Thankfully it went really fast though. The day was over before I knew it. Went home, mowed the lawn, had dinner, put Kathryn in the tub then bed, watched a movie. Then I got a very exciting message from one of my BFF who now lives in Cali, she just found out she's pregnant! I'm so excited for her. They have been trying for a while, so I'm glad they are going to have a little bean on the way. I didn't get her message until late, but I had to call her back right away, because I was so excited! It is just so awesome. I also have a baby shower to go to on Friday for another friend from high school. I've got to get cracking and make her a blanket and some flannel burp clothes. I have this really easy pattern and the clothes are the best. Better than anything you can buy. My grandma made me a bunch of them and they are just the best, I already said that though, didn't I? I'm starting to ramble, so it's probably a good time to get back to work. I hope things are all up and running today, I can hardly wait to really dig in and get started.

~~

Don't forget to go and visit my renter Tracie. She's only here for another day and we need to show her lots of love!

~~

Here I am and It's for sure a Monday

My new job is underway, so far so good. I don't have my own desk yet, or my own computer, but I'm here and I'm getting paid. That's the important part right? I'm glad that I'll get to keep my old office space, old phone number and old extension. Now I won't have to worry too much about new business cards. yippee. It's kind of odd being here, having my old boss just down the hallway, but not having to talk to him or anything. I mean I said hi and asked how things were going, but it feels really weird to not have to check in with him and see what needs to be done. It's also odd to see my office totally empty. After having all that stuff in there for a year it feels like I'm starting all over again, almost as if I've never been here before. I guess I better get back to work, since hopefully the new boss will be back soon with a desk and a computer and all that other good stuff. Hope everyone out there is having a fabulous Monday and that things are going smoothly in your neck of the woods.

A few weeks ago, I was outside on the patio, getting the BBQ going and Katy was playing around her little pool. She wouldn't get in it, she just wanted to sit on the side and play with her ducks and get all dirty. I brought the camera out, so I could show John how dirty she was.

Next thing I know there is a big splash and I see this! She had decided to get into her pool after all. With all her clothes on. Too priceless to not take a picture of.

Then she decides it might be better to be outside of the pool. It is a bit chilly in there, seeing as I had just filled it back up for her.

Now we are going to get back in the pool. Now we are going to be half in and half out! She did this until John came home, and put her in the bathtub. She was filthy, but at least she was having a good time.

First Things First

Okay, I really am back this time I just can't guarantee for how long. Katy started acting sick today and John came home from his last shift EVER at the second job saying he didn't feel so well. I'm finally feeling better, but now everyone else is getting sick. YUCK! I don't want to overload Blogger too bad, so I'm going to break these up a bit. First a few stories that don't have pictures.

~~

Today in WalMart a tall skinny guy walked past us in a yellow ball cap. Katy started yelling "dadda, dadda" Her dad always wears a ball cap and has one she likes to play with that's yellow. Oh and he's tall and skinny. Glad she know's who her daddy is.

~~

Fido threw up all over the floor today and Katy got to it before I did. She started pointing and jabbering at it then got a really serious look on her face and said something that sounded a lot like, "ewwwww"

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A few weeks ago, I was sitting in my car, had just opened the garage door and started my car. Out of no where this white something comes flying up onto the hood of the car, over the windshield, the top of he car and over the back window. It scared me SO bad, I screamed which scared Katy who started crying. It was the neighbor's stupid cat, but it took me several minutes to realize that! Stupid animals.

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Katy was supposed to be going to sleep a few days ago and I could kind of see her through the crack in the door. We live in a really old house and it's kind of creeky and squeaky at night. I have a very overactive imagination and have creaped myself out on numerous occasions. John was at work and I had paused to listen and see if she had gone to sleep. Just then, she reached through the bars of her crib and rattled the doorknob. I about flew through the roof. I thought someone else was in the house. It scared me so bad I ran into the kitchen and grabbed my air gun and was going to sneak up on them from the other side of the house. Sneaking through the bathroom on the other side, I saw my beautiful daughter sitting there wiggling the doorknob in earnest, trying to free herself.

~~

I think that's enough embarrassing stories for now. No wonder my family calls me the queen of gullible. I will believe any thing I see or hear! Pictures to come shortly over the next day. I'm taking my last day off to get caught up on everything I wanted to do this week, but didn't get finished. I'll post pictures and some more stories in between.

~~ Don't forget to go and visit my renter Tracie. She is only here for a few more days and I'm still trying to make up for my crappy landlordship. ~~

Just Kidding

So I only thought I was back. I'm sicker than sick. In fact I can't remember the last time I was this sick. I have no voice and trying to answer the phone is a complete joke. I think John keeps calling me just so he can laugh at me. :( I'm trying to get caught up on a few things around the house as best I can and also get caught up on some blogging things. I have a ton of photos that I've been saving up for a while now, but just haven't posted them. I also have some stories to write, some of them several weeks old, but just haven't found the time. John has been so great this week. Taking Katy to daycare, picking her up. Making dinner, picking up a bit, even changing all the diapers. I'm grateful for such a great guy, don't know what I'd do without him.

~~ Don't forget to visit my renter Tracie. I've been a terrible landlord, so help me make up for it by checking out her blog. Try and be a better blogging bud than I have. ~~

I'm BACK

Oh my gosh, I feel like I've been gone forever. I need to make the rounds and check up on everyone. I'm so glad that it's Wednesday and all the family has gone back home. Don't get me wrong, I love my family more than anything, but sometimes! Here's a recap of the last couple of days and ALL the things that we did. Now you will know why I'm glad they're back home and why I'm so exhuasted. THURSDAY: Rich and the kids get here, we go up and see all of them. We end up bringing four of the five home with us to spend the night. We stayed up WAY too late, but it was really fun. FRIDAY: I had to volunteer at the daycare, so I took Kayleen with me and left the boys at the house for a few hours. After I was done we met up with everyone (MIL, SIL, John and Rich) for lunch. I went back up to MIL house to spend some time with the kids. It was a fun day. When John got off work he came up and we played some volleyball and other games. SATURDAY: John and I parted ways. I spent the day with my mom, dad and sis. We went to a cousins wedding a couple of hours away. Let me make a small correction. We drove 2 1/2 hours were there for just over an hour and then drove another 2 1/2 hours back! It was a long drive and Kathryn wasn't being her best. She would not fall asleep, she kept fighting it the whole way. John spent the day with his family. They played a lot of games and went to a children's rodeo. The kids actually got to be in it! He said it was pretty fun to watch and he had a good time. John spent the night at his parents house, which kind of made me angry. He had told me he would be coming home to spend the night with us. Whatever, I stayed at my parents house, since he wasn't home. SUNDAY: I woke up not feeling so good. I had felt kind of groggy the night before, but thought it was just because of the late nights. I spent the morning with my mom, it was her birthday. I left Kathryn with my parents and went up to spend the afternoon with John's family. We played volleyball and the guys played a couple of games of football. We had dinner together. Kyle and Kayleen wanted to spend the night again, so we brought them home with us. MONDAY: Melissa dropped Kaitlyn off at my house, so she could spend the day with everyone. MIL has Monday's off, so she usually watches the kids that day. We headed up to the house. Rich took the boys golfing, so I took the little ones (Bryden, Clarice and Kayleen) mini golfing. MIL watched the babies. We also had to go pick some things up at the store for dinner. After golfing and the store, I went back and made lunch for everyone, and played with the little ones some more. John and Melissa both came up after work and we played a couple of board games. Then Cameron and Clarice wanted to spend the night at Melissa's, but she had to work the next day. So I stupidly opened my mouth and said she could drop the kids off to me before she went to work. BTW - I was still not feeling so hot today, but thankfully did get a bit of a nap in. TUESDAY: I woke up feeling like I'd been hit by a mac truck! Melissa drops the kids off and they want breakfast, so I get something for them. Rich is supposed to come get the kids on his way back home. I was expecting him by about 10 a.m. John stops by and I'm so exhausted that I have him take Kathryn to daycare. I also ask him to call Rich and find out how long he's going to be. He says a couple of hours. Cameron is really good and can tell I don't feel so great. He tries to keep Clarice out of my hair, but she's four and it doesn't work so well. Rich finally shows up about 11:30. I sleep for the majority of the day once they are gone. I slept too much though, because I can't fall asleep that night. When I do finally crash, it's only for a few hours. I end up falling back asleep in the recliner watching Forrest Gump in the living room. WEDNESDAY (today): I get up and feel even worse than yesterday. I take Kathryn to daycare and come back home to rest. I don't really want to sleep, because I want to sleep tonight. So here I am blogging and trying to get caught up on some computer stuff! I hope you all had awesome weekends. The weekend itself wasn't too bad, just long and somewhat tiring. There were some things that happened that John and I just were talking about today, but it's all a rant, so I don't think I'll write about it. In fact I think I'm going to go lay down, I'm starting to feel a bit dizzy from the cold medicine.

~~ Don't forget to visit my renter Tracie. Would you read your high school diary in public? Go find out her take on that question! ~~

Party up in here!

John's oldest brother is here for an extended weekend. We have 4 of the 5 kids at our house tonight. It's a bit crazy, it's a bit loud, it's a bit chaotic, it's tons of fun! We're just having a big ol' video game bash/sleepover. We don't have any extra beds, technically, but the kids always want to stay over. We pull some mattresses out of the storage room, get some sleeping bags and blankets and make a go of it. What always surprises me is that the kids don't want to stay at anyone else's house, just ours. I don't know if I should be flattered or not. I'm taking it as a compliment. It will be a nice fun weekend. We are doing family stuff all day tomorrow and I will have the kids since John has to work. Then Saturday I'm going to a wedding reception a couple of towns over with my mom and sister. Sunday is my mom's birthday, so we'll stop in for a few minutes, but that day is going to be with John's family. Then Monday I will also spend with his family. Nothing better to do since I'm not working and his brother and the kids aren't going back until Tuesday.

~~ Since I won't be around for a few days, why not go visit my renter Kailani at The Pink Diary. She always has something going on! ~~

Stuff, Stuff and more Stuff

I'm not going to do a Thursday Thirteen today. In fact I might not do one for a couple of weeks. It's just too much work and I can't think of anything. It's odd how when I'm at work I can think of a bazillion things to write about, but it's hard to find the time. Now that I've been home all day, I can't think of anything to write. It has been a long week. I'm not really the type of person that can stay home all day. I get so bored and no matter how much I do, I just feel like I haven't accomplished anything. I love being home with Kathryn and would like to do it more. I just don't know if I could do it every single day. Yesterday I cleaned, vacuumed, dusted, did laundry, cleaned out the fridge, and ran some more errands. This was all done by about 2 p.m. What do you do after all that? It really doesn't leave much. Oh I also cleaned off the back patio, and did a full fledged BBQ for dinner.

~~ Don't forget to visit Kailiani from The Pink Diary. She's probably a bit more entertaining than I've been. Check out her Wordless Wednesday, it's so adorable! ~~

Still Waiting

My new job doesn't start until the 14th, so I have a few days to fill. Today I ran errands, got a new social security card, and had lunch with my mom. There are a lot of places that are only open 8-5 and since I work 8-5 it's hard to get there. I took Katy to daycare so I could get everything done and not worry about interrupting her nap schedule. Besides she probably would have been pretty bored with errands all day. Tomorrow and Thursday I'm keeping her home with me to have Mommy and Boddler time. It should be fun, we'll probably go to the park and maybe even the zoo. My goal is to get ALL my scrapbooking stuff organized and put away before I start my new job. I'll let you know how that goes!

~~ Don't forget to visit my renter Kailani from The Pink Diary. Why shouldn't you go barefoot? Kailani knows, so go and check it out! ~~

Please Welcome

Kailani from The Pink Diary. Some of you are probably already familiar with this funny lady and her blog. I'm a frequent visitor for Thursday Thirteen and Battle of the Blogs. I love her layout, because I really like pink, I just can't look at it on my own blog! Go check her out and while you're there see if you can help her find an extra "lovey" for her little girl from Target. The hunt is on, maybe you can help!

Fortunes

Kathryn ran a fever all day yesterday, was miserable and very clingy. Gave her a couple of cool baths, some Tylenol and several naps. Had a really hard time getting her to bed last night, but she finally crashed. This morning she got up and the fever is totally gone and she's happy as can be. My child is some sort of a mutant, that is one of the oddest things I've ever seen. Back to the title of this post. My MIL took us out for a Chinese lunch today. I know sometimes she even surprises me. Just kidding, she is great for the most part and it was really nice of her to do. Here are our fortunes. Mine ~ you will soon have the opportunity to improve your finances. Johns ~ you are a practical person with your feet on the ground. Kathryn ~ you are a beautiful child who will cause no trouble during your teenage years. Okay, okay, Kathryn's didn't really say that. I can't find hers now, it said something about creative ideas, but I thought this one was better. So I'm going to become rich and John is practical. First off being rich, I just don't know about that. Second, my husband is NOT a practical person. Never has been, never will be.

Today should be a Monday

Kathryn has diarrhea again this morning, she woke up much earlier than usual and it was so bad that I just put her in the shower with me. When we got out she was crying and shivering so I wrapped her up in a blanket and laid her on our bed. She was asleep within 2 minutes. I'm getting kind of frustrated because I don't know what keeps causing this. I talked to Miss L. (our childcare gal) and asked if she ate anything out of the norm yesterday. The only thing she could come up with is Macaroni and Cheese, which has milk in it and Katy is lactose-intolerant. The other thing she had was grapes. I'm thinking it was the Mac and Cheese, but Miss A. (the other lady) seemed convinced that it was the grapes she had for snack. I just love it when someone else knows more about your child than you do! The week before last when she got really bad diarrhea it was after having some yogurt that my FIL gave her, also milk in it. I'm seeing some sort of a connection, I think. Seriously though I'm baffled as to what it could be. She has no fever, no running nose, no coughing, no other symptoms whatsoever. What the heck is causing this? John and I also got into a fight this morning over something stupid. I hate fighting period, but I really hate fighting about dumb stuff. He says that this morning when the Boddler (my new term for Katy) started crying he was trying to coax me out of bed to go get her. (I AM NOT A MORNING PERSON, I CLAIM NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE THINGS I SAY WHEN FIRST WOKEN UP!) That being said let me proceed. Where was I? Oh yes, he was trying to get my butt out of bed. Apparently I rolled over and told him "stop being such a jackass, if you're so worried about it, you go check on her" promptly rolled back over and went back to sleep. WTH - I don't remember ANY of this. He gets up and I'm in the shower with Kathryn trying to get her cleaned up and get my hair washed. He proceeds on this 10 minute rant about how I ruined his morning and how I don't need to be so snappy with him and how he has to work two jobs and how he's more tired than he is and how he has more responsibilities than I do and how it's harder for him being a guy and how he's sex deprived and how on and on and on and on! My response was (remember that I don't know/remember what I did to him) "get over it you big baby, everyone has to do things they don't want to do. Grow up about it! By the way, did you get on the wrong side of the bed this morning or what?" Well apparently that was not the correct thing to say! It all went downhill from there. The fight ended with me screaming "I don't know what I've done to you so get the heck off it!" He then explained to me what had happened. Well, geez buddy. It sure would have been nice to know this before you started yelling at me about every little thing. "Excuse me for not remembering what I said in MY SLEEP!" All this before 8:30 this morning. Yeah my day is starting off just lovely. How about yours?

~~~~~~~~~~ UPDATE ~~~~~~~~~~

John and I are fine, we've had a fairly good talk and made peace. Kathryn had to come home early today from daycare. She was running a temp of 102, so I don't think it's a food allergy thing. She is asleep right now. I've been pushing liquids and naps. She came home about 1 pm today. Poor thing, you can just tell she feels miserable.

~~~Thanks to all who guessed when Kathryn will be walking. I'll be posting the results of that later today ~~~

Sticky ~ Guesses anyone? ~ Sticky

Don't forget to guess when Kathryn will walk on her own. There will be some type of a prize, not sure what yet, but there will be one. In fact leave suggestions for the prize along with your guesses. Guessing will end Thursday July 27 at midnight. Also please leave an actual date, not something like 2 weeks, or 10 days. I need dates, k thanks!

Everyone Have a Great Rest of Your Day!

Oh the humanity of it all.

Remember how my husband was off of work last week and I was supposed to be off with him? Maybe not, I can't remember if I wrote about it. Anywho, my husband had last week off and I was supposed to be with him. In light of the current job situation and my old boss being a putz, I didn't get that week off. I just found out today that I will officially be done on the 31st of July. I'm not supposed to start my new job until the 15th of August. So guess who gets to stay home for almost 2 weeks and do nothing? ME, all by my freakin' self while my husband is at work. This whole summer vacation thing sucks! The worst part is that originally I was supposed to get PAID for that week off. Now I get nothing, just the pleasure of being home! Woopee freakin' doo!

~Don't forget to visit my renter, she is only here until tomorrow morning.~

Thursday Thirteen #11

Thirteen things that have happened, been done or realized in the past week. 1. I have a new job! yippee 2. I start this new job in 14 days 3. I would like to have those 14 days at home by myself 4. This is not feasable as I need to stay at the current job as long as possible 5. If I don't stay, I will not have as much money and that is never a good thing 6. I have slept better the past 5 days then I have the past 5 weeks 7. Except for last night, because my wacko cat Fido felt she needed to sleep on my head, chest or throat all night. I never woke fully enough to push her off, I just kept waking up and adjusting her! 8. My baby took her first steps (don't forget to guess on what day she will walk on her own) 9. John is back to work this week and Kathryn has been a handful at daycare and home. I think she got too much spoiling last week with dad at home. 10. I had to clean out my fridge and found something really gross that was so hairy I'm not sure what it used to be 11. I got a new rubbermaid drawer/storage thing on wheels so I can finally finish organizing my scrappin stuff and it will be out of the way 12. Found out we have conflicting schedules next weekend. John commited us to go to something with his family, while I commited him to do something with my family. We have yet to resolve the issue. I will win however, because a wedding reception is more important than a picnic! 13. I was comparing pictures yesterday of when we first got engaged to a recent photo and have decided that I could not fit into my wedding dress. Not that I want to, but if I did I'm convinced it wouldn't fit. 14. bonus: I need to be more strict with my diet and exercise. Links to other Thirteeners. Please only link if you have a current Thursday Thirteen post. NO COMMENTS NECCESARY, thanks for stopping by!

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!

I have been meaning to do this for a while and for some reason it just keeps getting pushed farther and farther back. I need to extend a very wonderful and generous thank you to Jane loves Tarzan. I stumbled across her blog one day on BE and she was giving away books for FREE. I'm an avid reader and would never pass this up, but wondered what the catch was. There was no catch. She had a bunch of books that she was done with and graciously decided to pass them along. She even paid the shipping. I got my package about 2 weeks ago and have since devoured 2 of them and am about 1/2 way through the third. Thanks again Jane loves Tarzan, what a wonderfully delicious thing to do. Especially because I'd never been to your blog and have only been back once or twice since!

Yandy Candy

Go check out Yandy, they have some yummy, yummy items at really great prices. Bug at An Indian Summer is doing the upcoming Blogathon and this wonderful company has agreed to donate $15.00 for each post that gives a review. What a great and generous thing for them to do. All the money is going to the American Cancer Society. This is something that is very near and dear to my heart. We just lost my great grandmother to cancer this spring. Back to the actual review. Yandy has great prices, styles and selection. I sometimes have a hard time finding lingerie, because of my large bust, but not a problem here folks! They've got something for everybody! Go check them out, for yourself, for your man, for a great cause. I really love their mesh halter wrap dress, it's sexy and really pretty. They have many other great finds and I think for John's birthday we will be hitting this site and getting something for the both of us. Go check em' out you know you wanna!

~ Don't forget to visit my renter. Maybe she would like to buy something from Yandy!~

Perfume

Why do some people women and men alike, feel they need to bathe in their chosen JC Penney perfume counter scent? I have a terrible sensitivity to some perfumes and have to be careful about what I wear myself. More often than not I just go without. I am now sharing office space and the chick across the hall is smelling strong, strong, strong. She is super nice and I really like her. How do I tactfully say "your stank of roses or whatever the hell it is, gives me a headache. Could you tone it down a bit?"

Relief Finally

yiiiiiiiiiipppppppeeeeeee! Woooooooooohhhoooooooooo! I have a job! na, na, na, na, na, gonna have a good time! I start my job on the 15th of August. The best thing is that I'm in the same office, doing the same thing, just for someone else. Getting paid the same thing, but with bonuses starting in January. Woot, woot! I'm so relieved, John is so relieved, our families are so relieved. All it good and right in the world. I was never worried about it anyway, I always knew I would find something. YEAH RIGHT. I was terrified that I wasn't going to be able to find something, after all I only had 7 days left. I was having nightmares that we would have to give Kathryn to my parents because we wouldn't be able to take care of her. I was losing major sleep! Last night I slept like a exhausted new mom who for the first time had her mother take the baby so she could sleep! It was pure joy! Now we won't have to sell our house and live in that nice one bedroom cardboard box that just came available in the back alley last week. Excuse me while I go do the mega dance of joy, I'll be back later.

~~ Don't forget to check out my renter ~~

First Steps Woot! Woot!

Kathryn took her first independant step on Sunday afternoon right into my arms! It was so cute, I just melted all over my moms living room floor. I love being a mom, each new stage brings exciting new things and changes. It seems like daily she does things that I don't remember her doing the day before. We're taking bets on when she will be walking on her own. Mine is August 10th, and John says August 5th. Anyone else want to take a guess? There will be a prize of some kind, but I'm still figuring out that part. BTW - on her own means across the room without holding onto ANYTHING. Right now she will walk across the room holding onto BOTH of my hands, or holding on to her walker/pusher thing, but as soon as you let go she will sit down.

~~ Don't forget to check out my renter. She has a cute post about what her daughter calls her dad that cracked me up! ~~

Swim, Baby, Swim

Saturday we went to this really great place with my mom to swim. It is like a natural hot springs place, but it's indoors. It's warm, but not too warm and I love that we don't have to worry about sunscreen. Kathryn is such a water baby, she loved it. She wasn't very fond of her floating boat, which is good because we accidentally left it there. All she wanted to do was go from me, to dad, to grandma. It was really fun to watch her. We were in the pool for 2 hours, I didn't think she would last that long. These little kids were jumping off the side of the pool and she wanted to do it too. There is about a one foot drop into the water and she's not standing on her own yet. So we improvised and instead I would just sit her up on the wall. She would put her little hands out and just fall in, face first! That child has no fear. I wish I was more like that, I'm such a chicken about things. By the way - since she is one now, she's not really a baby any more right? So what do I call her, because she's not really a toddler either. Boddler, Toddly, or maybe Taby? What do you think?

Time for some Meme fun

I was tagged by Dawn and now I pass the fun along to you! In the spirit of the old chain letter traditions, follow these instructions: INSTRUCTIONS: Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so. 1) Micerridwen 2) In Our House 3) Rose DesRochers 4) So a Blonde Walks Into a Blog 5) Have a Great Rest of Your Day Next select five people to tag: 1) Carmen 2) Lisa 3) Astrocoz 4) Trish 5) Kel (I can't remember all who will do these and who won't, so if you don't wanna, don't worry about it!) What were you doing 10 years ago? I was running around in a bathing suit having the summer fun of an 11 year old. What were you doing 1 year ago? Trying to recover from having a baby and getting ready to go back to work after 5 weeks of maternity leave. Five snacks you enjoy: 1) Cheese - mild cheddar 2) Oreo cookies, but only with skim milk 3) yogurt 4) club crackers - prefferably the whole grain kind 5) Iced coffee from Jill's Java Five songs to which you know all the lyrics: 1) Help - The Beatles 2) Let me Fall - Josh Groban 3) Seasons of love - R.E.N.T soundtrack 4) Broken Road (I think that's what it's called) - Rascal Flatts 5) Elephant love medley - Moulin Rouge soundtrack Five things you would do if you were a millionaire: 1) Payoff my debt 2) Payoff my sisters, moms, and other family debts 3) Have my husband be a stay at home dad 4) Give my Grandma enough money that she wouldn't have to work anymore 5) Donate to the Alzheimers and Cancer society's Five bad habits: 1) Being Snarky 2) Blogging (I don't know if this is bad, but I sure do spend a lot of time doing it!) 3) Biting my fingernails 4) Forgetting to put the clothes in the dryer 5) Wasting time,when I could be doing something productive Five things you like doing: 1) Spending time with my family 2) Scrapbooking 3) Playing Animal Crossing on my DS 4) Taking naps 5) Shopping for a bargain Five things you would never wear again: 1) My hair in a side ponytail 2) headgear (in public) 3) jammer pants 4) Glasses that take up my entire face 5) Glitter gel eye shadow Five favorite toys: 1) My husband 2) Nintendo DS 3) Home Computer 4) Scrappin' supplies 5) Cell Phone

Carnival of the Blogging Chicks - Summer Theme

Don't forget about this week's carnival. The theme is Summer and there are many great entries! (Click the picture to take you to chick land)

Summer

I couldn't decide which thing I liked the most or what specific item of summer to write about. Instead of focusing on just one I'm making a list of all my favorite things or events that happen during the summer. ~ 4th of July - my fave holiday ~ BBQ's - especially chicken ~ swimming in the lake ~ playing in the sprinklers with the kids ~ visiting family ~ having family visit ~ warm summer nights - or more recently really hot nights! ~ the sound of children's laughter as they play in the neighborhood ~ sleepovers with the nieces and nephews ~ kathryn having sleepovers with Grandma and Grandpa ~ bicycle rides at the end of the day ~ walks when the sun is going down ~ buying fireworks and putting on our own little show ~ seeing the parade (even though we didn't go this year) ~ flying kites There are many, many more things and lots that I could go into detail on, but I won't. This post is going to be short and simple, just like summer is here! ~~ While you're here, don't forget about my renter Neurotic Mom. Maybe she has something to say on the subject. ~~

There's nothing to do!

I'm so bored today. Don't tell my mom though, or she'll find me something to do. :) Friday's are usually really busy, but there is just nothing going on. I've been blog surfing, playing on Battle of the Blogs and just in general screwing around. My interview that was supposed to happen at 1 p.m. today got pushed to 4:30 instead. Now I have three more hours of being nervous to endure! Finger and toes are all crossed. If you're bored too, go check out my renter. She's got a cute story up today about her daughter!

I can't find my air matress!

Boy I hope my new tenant doesn't mind sleeping on the floor, because I'm a bit unprepared for a guest. I'd like you all to click on over to Neurotic Mom and give her a shout out, tell her Great Day sent ya'. I swear that I will be the best landlord I can be, that I will direct many clicks her way and that I will go grocery shopping tonight so she has something to eat! Now my faithful minions, go, go and click on my new guest, cause you know you want to!

When the Mommy's away..........

There is a lot that goes on while I'm at work all day, especially when John is home with Kathryn. Here are some of my findings based upon thee scene when I got home today: ~ Kathryn on only 2 hours of sleep ALL day is not a pretty thing ~ John doesn't handle poop very well (I already knew this, but I've been reminded of it) ~ Fido can only handle so much of being chased. That poor cat is used to having the house to herself and will be really glad that Kathryn is back at daycare tomorrow! ~ John can only handle so many baby demands. He is also glad she will be back at daycare tomorrow. ~ John is really inventive and because the laundry still needs to be done he has used every surface in our house to hang things on. Since we are waiting until tomorrow for our dryer part. Some other things that happened today: ~ Kathryn ate a rock ~ John fell asleep when Kathryn did (if you knew him this would be weird to you too, John is not a napper) ~ Kathryn ate fruit loops off the carpet because John didn't want to clean her highchair tray. ~~~~~~~~~~ In other news. ~ I am still needing a job by the first of August. Because my current boss has yet to secure office space I thought that would give me a bit more time to find a new boss. Not true ~ I got to drive my current boss's BMW. It is not all he said it is. In fact I would never, ever buy one. They are too expensive! That's all that has happened in my sorry existence today. Oh yeah, I did screw around a lot on Blog Explosion today and I've finally decided to rent out my own blog. I've also secured a few spots as other people's tenants. I'm totally stoked about it!

Thursday Thirteen #10

Thirteen POSITIVE things that have happened in the past week. Since things haven't been going so well in my neck of the woods, I thought I'd try and send myself some good karma! 1.) I won my first battle of the blogs 2.) and I didn't think I would come even close! 3.) getting to see my sisters new puppies. What could be better than new puppies? 4.) getting to visit my sister 5.) staying up until 5 a.m. with my sister. Even though it took me 3 days to catch up on my sleep, it was still great! 6.) I have another job interview tomorrow 7.) I have a second interview with a company on Monday, (I didn't think I would be getting a call back) 8.) Coming home to a clean house. My wonderful husband had done laundry, vacuumed and cleaned the kitchen 9.) Seeing my hubby and daughter get to have lots of alone time. It's been good for both of them. 10.) Finding out that my dryer only needed a $10.00 part, instead of having to be completely replaced. 11.) getting to watch Final Destination 3 ~ even though the second one was WAY better. (there was a couple of cool death scenes though. Not that death is cool, just that they die in the most inventive and horrific ways) 12.) getting pictures back of all the nieces and nephews that were taken last month. They are so cute! 13.) finally not feeling QUITE as stressed, because something and everything is going to work out! right? Links to other Thursday Thirteeners. Please link only if you have a current TT post. NO COMMENTS NECESSARY, just glad you stopped by!

There's always something

Our dryer broke last night right in the middle of washing sheets. Kathryn has had diarrhea and because of that went through 3 sets of sheet in one day. I used to have about 6 sets of sheets, but their was someone else that had a new baby and only had one set. Seeing as we were beyond that "change the sheets everyday" stage, I gave some of them away. Anywho, there were no dry sheets to be had for her bed because the dryer died. It will still run, but it doesn't put out any heat! The real kicker is that I think my husband broke it. I love that he will help with laundry and I'm not complaining at all, it's just that he doesn't do it very often. Because of that he thought it would save time by drying ALL the sheets and blankets at once. The dryer was SO full that nothing was getting dry, but I think he also overloaded something and that's why there is no heat. I didn't say anything because he already felt bad enough, I just hope that we can get it fixed and that it's not a $200.00 part or more. I hope it's a nice quick fix! I'm also really glad that we have family close that can help us out. John's dad will be coming to take a look at it for us sometime today. John isn't really a handy sort of guy, so it's nice that his dad is close and knows what he is doing. ~UPDATE~ we only need a $12.00 part. The bad thing is they won't have any in until Friday, the good thing is..... well..... I'm only out $12 bucks! Woot! Woot!

Embarrased

1.) I have a headset at work 2.) people frequently start talking to me, not realizing I'm on the phone 3.) people frequently walk past my desk and think I'm talking to them, when really I'm on the phone. (this story would not make sense if you didn't know these three very important facts) Yesterday I was talking on the phone to John, who is at home with Kathryn. Suddenly she put something in her mouth that shouldn't be. John starts freaking out and he's telling her to spit it out, she starts to crawl away from him. Panicked that she is going to choke he asks me "what do I do?" Just as I start to reply the "new guy" walks past my desk and I blurt out "TELL HER TO GIVE IT TO YOU!" He stopped dead in his tracks, turns bright red and says "what did you just say?" I was so embarrased, I quickly explained to him that I'm on the phone. He walks around the corner and I bust up laughing and tell John what I just did. He thought it was pretty funny too and was teasing me about being racy at the office. This morning the "new guy" starts to walk past my desk, turns slightly red and says "before I walk past, are you on the phone?"

What's a girl to do?

I have another job interview today with a title company. I'm also supposed to hear back from Ms. W. and if she is ready for a full time person or not. I'm kind of hoping that the title company one works out, because it would be more money. I could always use some more cash, but more money isn't always worth it. I guess the only answer is to wait and see what happens with each company ie: how soon I can start, pay, benefits and so on. John and Kathryn are home this week together and I originally was going to be home with them. However because I'm having the rug pulled out from underneath me, I'm working and trying to find a new job instead. When I got home last night and he was telling me all the cute things that she had done and how much fun they had, I just lost it. There has been so much stress building up and so much frustration that I can't be home with them this week, it just all came flooding out. I was washing dishes one second and the next I was adding tears to the dish water. John felt really bad and he said I should just call in sick on Friday, forget about what they want and have a nice three day weekend. I'm half way tempted to do that, but I feel bad because for the most part these guys have been really good to work for. I don't want to be a complete bitch about it. I need the good reference from them, plus I need that last full paycheck. I've been praying and crossing my fingers trying to send myself good energy and thoughts. So far it's been a good day, I just hope it gets better and I have something to look forward to.

I'M. SO. TIRED!........

I'm exhausted, I mean really, really, really exhausted. If this weekend had taken place 4 years ago, I would not be tired, I would be on a high (and not from drugs.) Here's what went down and why it would be different if it was 4 years ago. ~I went to Logan to see my sister and have a weekend getaway ~John took Kathryn to a family reunion, so I was child and husband free ~Friday night, Cassi and I stayed up until 5 a.m. and got up at 11 a.m. Saturday equaling 6 hours of sleep. Now normally 6 hours would be fine, but I didn't sleep well, I slept like crap. ~Saturday I think it was about 2 a.m. when we went to bed, but I couldn't fall asleep for several more hours . The last time I looked at the clock it was almost 4 a.m. I woke up about 7 didn't fall back asleep till 8 and woke up at 11:30 or so. Let's see, that's ummmm about another 6 hours, but again I didn't sleep well. ~Sunday I left at 1:30 and got home a couple of hours later. John got home right after me and I was so happy to see both of my babies! Kathryn was so cute when she saw me, it just melted my heart. Being tired was worth it, because we had so much fun. We went shopping, I bought my poor college town sis a new outfit, which she looks adorable in, but silly me forgot to take a picture of. We went bowling and I found out how truly terrible of a bowler my sister is! I'm sure she wants all of cyber land to know how bad she is! Her ending score of our second game was 24, I think. Truly terrible and I think she holds the record for most gutter balls in a row. We also went up on the USU campus and had Aggie ice cream, which was wonderful, but I couldn't finish all of mine, so she helped me out a bit. As you all know, I'm not a big ice cream person, but John said we HAD to go have some, so we did. We also went and drove around a bit, so I could get somewhat familiar with the town for the next time I come back. We ended Saturday night with a trip to Olive Garden, which we don't have in my home town. We also ran a few errands, held and took some pictures of their 10 day old puppies and talked, talked, talked! It was a great trip and I'm so glad that I got to go. Now John wants to try and make it back down there in a few weeks, if I get a job. I'm lucky and grateful that I could go this time. Anyway, I'm getting way off subject and here's how the weekend would have been different and why. ~Friday - would have stayed up until 5 a.m. still got up at 11 a.m. and had a fun day, but I would have slept great because I had a great stable job at that time. ~Saturday - would have still stayed up late, but because neither one of us would be married, we would have talked instead of watching a movie with James (my sis's hubby) Again would have slept great, this time because not only do I have a job, but I wouldn't have been freaking out that I couldn't get ahold of my husband. I was really worried about it! ~Sunday - would have slept later, maybe most of the day instead of doing laundry and cleaning out the bags from my trip and from the reunion. In fact I probably would have stayed one more night, stayed up way too late and driven home Monday morning just in time for work. OR - I would have come home that afternoon and and slept the rest of the day in my own bed. It was a wonderful trip though and I didn't realized how fast I can get down their. It's because I'm a crazy driver, but now I will make the trip more often. My mom always made it sound like a 4 hour drive, when really it's more like 2 to 2 1/2. I was sad to have to leave, but it was so great having un-interrupted girl time!

Thursday Thirteen #9

Thirteen questions that have crossed my mind this week, some of them more than once! 1. Why is it that when John and I argue I always feel like such scum, even if he is the one being rude? 2. Why has Kathryn gotten so many viruses, ie. chicken pox, rosiola, now a viral stomach bug 3. Why does my cat act like a dog? I guess that's why we named her Fido. 4. Why are my in-laws such a pain in the butt sometimes? Why can't they take no for an answer? 5. Why is it that as soon as I sit down and open my new book, that I've been dying to read, everyone in my house suddenly needs me? 6. Why is it that I can never go to the bathroom in peace? 7. Why do people think it's okay to tell you, I'll let you know by Tuesday, yet it's now Thursday and you still haven't heard from them. What happened to common courtesy? 8. Why haven't I found a job yet? I've been very qualified for everything I've applied for. 9. Why does my grandmother love to plan stuff and then forget to invite my family? 10. Why can't we just all get along? 11. What is wrong with my garage opener? Why does it only open half the way and then stop? 12. What am I going to do if I don't find a new job soon? 13. What was I thinking when I said "I do"? and a bonus, because it has been such a crazy week! 14. Why am I wasting my time writing a Thursday Thirteen when I should be looking for a new job? Links to other Thursday Thirteeners. Please only link if you have a CURRENT Thursday Thirteen post. NO COMMENTS NECESSARY, thanks for stopping by!

NO!!

Kathryn's new favorite word is NO. Not only is she saying it to herself, she's saying it to everyone else! Last night I was laying on the couch with my head in John's lap when she see us from across the room, makes a rush for us, the whole while saying "no, no." As soon as she gets to us she is pushing on John and trying to get him away from me. I turn my head and say to her "daddy can touch mommy, it's okay, deal with it!" She looks right back at me with a pouty/angry face and says "NO." John was trying so hard not to laugh he sounded like he was going to explode. Meanwhile I'm sitting there dumb-founded not knowing what to think. My baby just told me "no" and it was even in the right context. She's WAY too little to be talking back to me! I told her "you don't say no to mommy, that's not nice," she continues to give me this pouty/angry face and says "yes" Now was that a "yes, I do say that to you." OR "yes, that's not nice, I'm sorry mommy." I'm not sure, all I know is that my baby is growing up way to fast and I'm not sure if I like it!!

Highlights from the weekend

We had a big change of plans on Friday. I ended up going to Orem with Judy, Melissa, Travis and their kids. John stayed home because he had to work and Kathryn went with my parents to Logan to see my sister. Here are some of the highlights of the various trips: ~~~~~~~~~~ We went to Orem for Richard and Trish's wedding and it was beautiful. The church was decorated really nice and everything went really smoothly. The four girls, two his, two hers had the most adorable matching dresses. Their hair was all done up and had flowers in it. Richards two boys Cameron and Kyle looked very handsome in their suits. Trish's son Gary and daughter Monica also looked really nice. There were 8 kids in the wedding party. All together they have 10 kids now. Their new house is huge! It was a really nice trip, even though it was a quick one. We left right after work Friday, spent the night, went to the wedding/reception and then left again for home. It was also squished in the truck and kind of uncomfortable. There were six of us in a 3 door pickup. It was fun though and I'm just glad I was able to work it out and go. John and I really wanted to show our support, even if only one of us could be there. ~~~~~~~~~~ John had a nice weekend and he said it was nice to have some time to himself. It was nice until about noon on Saturday, then he got really bored. I did come home to the lawn being mowed and the house being picked up. I guess boredom isn't the worst thing that could happen, it got him motivated to do some things around the house. ~~~~~~~~~~ Cassi was really happy to see Kathryn and got to do a lot of visiting with my parents. My dad got her car fixed so that it's drivable again. Her dog Kika had puppies about 10 days ago and they all went to see them. My dad somehow ended up in between the kennel where the puppies were and Kika. That was a bad move, my dad has a bite on his hand and teeth marks on his pants! Thankfully they were able to grab the dog pretty quick but it was kind of scary. ~~~~~~~~~~ John, Kathryn and I had a nice day at home Sunday. We ALL slept in until 9, got up and had breakfast. Went to church, cleaned the house a bit more, did some laundry, had dinner, watched a movie and went to bed. Kathryn has started this new jealousy kick with John and I. Whenever John hugs or kisses me she has an absolute fit. She will try and push him away from me and she starts screaming her little head off. It is so funny, I'm going to see if we can get it on video. As soon as John stops touching me, she will hug me as hard as she can and give him the dirtiest look! It's a riot! She has been doing the same thing with my parents. My dad is not allowed to touch HER grandma. She has also started saying "no" to herself when she is touching/doing something she's not supposed to be. Yesterday she kept trying to play with my cell phone. I would tell her no and take it away from her. She would start to reach for it again and just when she was about to touch it she would start shaking her head and say "no, no" then pull her hand back. I was trying really hard not to laugh, because I wanted her to know that it wasn't a toy. It was so hard though! She's is getting cuter and smarter by the day and it is so fun to watch!

Carnival #5

Check out the carnival for the chicks and while your there, don't forget to vote for the topic of next weeks carnival on the side bar. I'm not in this one, but lots of great chicks are, so check it out!!

I never thought of myself that way

Thursday Thirteen #8

Thirteen things that I've done in the last week (in no particular order) 1. grilled on our BBQ 2. taken a sunday drive with my husband to Alpine, WY 3. bought fireworks that are illegal in the state of Idaho 4. lit off fireworks, in Idaho 5. made chicken enchiladas from a new recipe 6. played in the water with Kathryn 7. hung out with my family 8. hung out with John's family 9. watched 4 movies 10. found out Kathryn has Roseola 11. slept in until 10 a.m. 12. stayed up until 2 a.m. 13. had a GREAT week Links to other Thursday Thirteeners. Please only link if you have a CURRENT thursday thirteen post. NO COMMENTS NECESSARY, just glad you stopped by!

Old Friends

This morning on my daily stop at Great Harvest I ran into an old girlfriend from High School. It was so ironic that it happened, because I had heard just the other day that she had gotten married or was it living with someone? I can't remember. We were able to chat for a few minutes and it really struck me how crappy I've been about keeping in touch with people. The last time I saw her was my wedding. She asked how "____" was going, the job that I had THREE years ago! That's how out of touch we have been. She isn't married, isn't planning on getting married anytime soon and is still going to college. She changed majors however and is now studying massage therapy. She's in town for a week before having to go back. I handed her one of my cards so we could do lunch before she leaves. I hope she calls, it would be really great to do some more catching up. The other funny thing is that I've had this happen 3 times in the last 6 months. So far I've stayed in touch with everyone I've bumped into and I hope that I can do the same with her.

Fourth of July - a review

I hope that everyone had a safe and happy Fourth of July! Ours was very quiet, which was a nice change. Kathryn has got Roseola, we think. She seems to have all the symptoms as far as we can tell. I'm not a big doctor type person, especially because there is nothing they can do. There is no vaccine, and because it's viral there is no medication for it. Seems a waste to pay $80.00 just to have them tell you what you've already done. Give her tylenol for the fever and cool baths. Lots of liquids and rest. Done all that, so pay ME the $80.00! Her fever broke last night, so she isn't contagious anymore, thank goodness. John and I slept in Yesterday morning, because Katy was with Grandma and Grandpa. Got up and went grocery shopping, which was so nice, because no one was there! Went over to mom and dad's, watched a movie "End of the Spear" which was wonderful and I strongly recommend it. Lazed around, had a BBQ, lit off some fireworks and went to bed. Nice quiet, lazy, relaxing, peaceful day. I always hate going back to work after a long weekend. Although, it's really nice that I only have to work three days this week. Should know today when my interview is, hope it's sooner than later. The longer I have to wait the more anxious I get!

~sticky~ 2996 ~sticky~

~This will stay at the top of my blog for at least a week, so don't just ignore it, do it!~ Visit here to get all the info and be assinged a victim to pay tribute to.

What a wonderfully touching idea. What a large project. What a lot of work. What a guy!! If you have not already heard about this go check it out and don't forget to sign up! There is a long way to go to 2996 and we don't want anyone left out. You don't have to be a citizen of the USA to participate. There are many from around the world that will never forget that day. There are many that were outraged, as I was at the lives that were lost. This year we will not dwell on the ones that took the lives of our fellow country men. This year will be different. This year we will focus on those who's lives were so innocently taken. This year we will focus on the families and friends left behind. This year we will pay tribute to the victims of 9/11. We will pay tribute to all 2996 of them! Only with your help will this be done. With our collective tributes those who lost their live will never truly be gone!

Lazy Sunday Drive

Yesterday was so nice, in fact the whole weekend was so nice. Even though both John and I are stressed about the job thing we decided to not let it be our main focus. Saturday was spent at home with Kathryn, who is teething again and was cranky, still a nice day though. Sunday morning we slept in and puttered around the house a bit. In the afternoon we decided to take a drive up to Alpine, WY to see the dam and enjoy the scenery. My MIL came with us and it was actually quite pleasant. We had quite a good chat with her and I've finally got some insight into why she's been so crabby lately, (I'll get into that later.) We got some fireworks, which the FIL paid for, because we always do a little show at their place. The dam is the fullest it's been in years, reaching way, way back into the valley. Everything was so lush and green, it was a great drive. On our way back home we stopped for Square Ice Cream and had to wait in line for 15 minutes just to get some. I'm not a big ice cream person, so when I have it I want it to be delectible and I wasn't dissapointed. Once back to the inlaws, we lit off a few fireworks, chatted and just relaxed. Grandpa has converted his old cow tub to a wading pool for the kids which Kathryn hung out in then crawled through the grass and got atrociously dirty. At least she was happy for a few hours. I hate when she's teething because she has a whole different personality that comes out and it isn't a pretty one!! I'm getting off early today and am going to hang out with my mom who has Kathryn. Tonight we are going to do some more fireworks. Tomorrow morning is the parade, but it sucks and I've seen it so many times! Besides I don't think Katy would sit through it all. Instead of the parade, we are going to go grocery shopping because it won't be crowded and we can get in and out fast! We are going to have a picnic with my family tomorrow afternoon and then my mom is watching Katy so John and I can go see the fireworks show, which is always amazing! Should be a fun day and a good end to our relaxing extended weekend!

Carnival #4

The Chicks are having their fourth carnival and I'm in it!! Go check out my post and all the other wonderful chicks!! (click on the graphic to travel into chick land)

Upcoming interviews and other stuff

Here's the low down on the job situation. I have a interview on Wednesday with the company I would really like to end up at. Not wanting to count my chickens before they hatch I also have an interview on Thursday and one on Friday. I feel good about the one on Wednesday though, am praying real hard that it will work okay. We are going to see the in laws tomorrow afternoon. Shouldn't be too bad, seeing as only the MIL and FIL will be there, no one else to deal with! I get along with my FIL and am kind of looking forward to seeing him, it's been a month since he was last around. We are having a lazy weekend. Kathryn is teething again and has been incredibly clingy. John has been worried about the job situation and has also been clingy. I feel stretched in too many directions. Thankfully John is working tonight, which normally I hate. However tonight I've welcomed the break from him. Got Kathryn to sleep and now I'm just catching up on everyone. It sounds like she is starting to stir, so I better go check on her. Poor baby, I hate it when she isn't feeling good. Hope everyone has a safe and fun 4th of July, we aren't doing anything special. Maybe more relaxing and a BBQ.

An UPDATE ~ The good, the bad and the ugly ~

~please note~ I started this post on Wednesday, but never finished it until now! That's why it sounds a bit out of place. THE GOOD What a day today has been. I got up, went to wake Kathryn and I sang her "happy birthday." Then John managed to swing by on a run and he went it to sing "happy birthday" to her. I frosted the cake that I had made last night and got it wrapped up for daycare. I almost dropped the cake twice on the way out, but we made it into the car and to the daycare center safe and sound. Miss Lori had all the kids lined up inside just waiting for Kathryn and they sang to her again. I almost dropped the cake, again. She got a gift from the daycare, $10.00 from John's parents, $10.00 from my biological father, a package from Great Grandma Jensen, $1.00 and a keepsake doiley from Great Grandma Bills. There are a few more things on the way yet for her. Since John is working tonight, she will get to open the rest of her gifts tomorrow night with both of us. Overall I think she had a pretty good first birthday. All things considered. However I did just put her to bed, which is somewhat early for her. But when you only take one nap and are being onery, even birthday girls have to go to bed at some point. THE BAD I'm in the process of finding a new job. This is really bad timing! We were supposed to be ordering carpet this weekend, but now can't. We were supposed to have a week off in July, but now can't. I should say I can't, John will get to have the week off with Kathryn, but I doubt a new job is going to let me have a week off after just starting! We were supposed to be going to a weekend family reunion in July, but now can't. We were supposed to have a big thing this weekend and drive into Wyoming to get fireworks and have a BBQ with some friend, and now we can't. Being poor sucks!!! I'm glad that I have over a month to find something, the thing is that I don't want to be looking! I want things to stay they way they are! THE UGLY John doesn't want me to try and find another assistant position. He wants me to terminate my Realtor license and work for what he calls a "normal" company. We've been fighting about it for 2 days now. I will find a job where ever I have to. I will take what's available, but I have worked so hard to get where I'm at right now, I'm not too eager to throw it all away. However this is the 3rd time that this has happened. I've been with three agents and once again I'm getting the boot! Not because I can't do the job or because they don't like me, but because they are going somewhere that I can't follow! I wish that I could just uproot and make it happen, but I can't. My husband has a good job here, our family is here. I guess what it all comes down to is sacrifice. I really am willing to do what it takes to make sure my family is taken care of. I'm just not overly happy about having to do it! I feel selfish for even writing that. John and I came to a truce of sorts. I will look for a job that has insurance, paid vacation, paid sick leave and normal business hours. I will work there for 5 years. THEN, I can do the Realtor thing again! It's not what I want, but it will work and we can all be happy about it. The fact that it could always be worse keeps playing through my mind. They could have not given me any notice. I could have just walked in one day and ended up walking right back out! At least this way I'm prepared for it and able to have something lined up. There is always a silver lining, but when it rains it pours!!