we are home...

Michaela and I are home from our Ladies Getaway in Lafayette, Indiana.

It was a great time.

Michaela had some great lessons in her sessions.

I had an 'iron skillet to the head' moment in my holy marriage session.

And the fellowship and edification from 259 other Christian women was priceless.

The ladies from the Lafayette church of Christ did a fantastic job!! Thank you to all!

An added bonus to the weekend was reconnecting with Laurie, Deborah, and Sarah from Muncie. I have not seen them in YEARS. It was a great blessing to be able to catch up with them again!

Michaela, Hannah and I stopped by my friends Shelly and Emory's (since we were up that way!). I was so happy to see Emory up and about after his surgery. It was a good thing!!!!

Emma had a great time with Abbi. She was exhausted and barely made it to her bed before collapsing.

Steve and I saw each other for 15 seconds as he kissed me hello and goodbye and went off to work his security job.

I am going to go take a shower and wash the AWFUL sulfur-smelling, hard Indiana water off of me and crash in my comfy, pillow top king size bed~~~because I am too old to sleep on a bunk bed mattress~~or at least sleep well!!! Next year, Holiday Inn!!!!!

friday frivolity...

I just finished my Stafford Act paper and my Pulmonology test~~because you know I PROCRASTINATE very well.

I am off to get ready for my big Camp Tecumseh extravaganza!!

I am running behind ~~I know, GASP from the shock!!

I still have to:

get dressed
throw undies and such in overnight bag
grab pillows
get toothbrush, soap, etc,
grab Michaela bags~~~and hope she has what she needs because I AM NOT CHECKING!
pick Michaela up early from school ]~~in 30 minutes
pick up Simona and Hannah
pick up Stephanie--in Ohio
head to Indiana!!!!
OH, maybe somewhere in there feed Michaela.

I guess I should GET OFF OF THE COMPUTER!!

See you tomorrow.

prayers...

Please remember and say a prayer for Emory, Shelly, and the girls (and the doctor).

Emory has his thyroidectomy at 2:30!!!!

You are in our thoughts and prayers.

wordless wednesday...

happy pancake day!

Yes, I know to some this is Fat Tuesday, but to us it is Pancake Day.

To all of our British friends, I hope you enjoyed your PANCAKES!!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today, Steve called around 4 and asked if the girls and I wanted to come up to Atri@ for a Mardi Gras celebration~~~because, you know, no one parties like the 70 and 80 year olds!!!!

******Last year Venice, Italy, this year Northgate, Ohio!!!!!!

So I closed my books, packed up my school bag, and we headed out.

And.... it was what you would expect a Mardi Gras party to be in an assisted living facility!!!!

The girls had a great time helping out with the activities~and of course everyone LOVES Emma!!!

I enjoyed sitting away from the action and doing some people~watching.

I was intrigued as I sat and observed the interaction between the residents of this small community.

I saw the loners~~~the individuals content to sit off to the side and observe.(ah hem)
And there were the social butterflies~~~the ones that talk to everyone that pass by.
I saw the 'negative, never content with anythings', and the 'life of the party'-ers. There were leaders and there were followers. Those that could care less about the opinions of those around them and those that agreed with whatever the person they were with wanted. I saw the ones everyone wanted to be around and the one that caused everyone to cringe whenever he was heading in their direction.

I saw individuals just trying to fit in in the community they live in.

As I sat there observing, I realized that the scene would be the same no matter what the age-group. Junior high, high school, the work place. No matter the age or the setting, the dynamics of the people interacting are the same.

I realized that the cycle of human interaction does not change~~~it just slows down some as we get older:)

if you have seen this person...

MISSING

****UPDATE: Call off the search, she has been found!!! All is well~~~ball season has started again~~~nuf' said !!!!!

****UPDATE: Still no word. Just called cell phone. 5 year old daughter answered. My friend Emory sent your picture out to a friend~~an APB has been issued. WHERE ARE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LAST HEARD FROM IN THE EARLY HOURS ON FEBRUARY 7, 2009

PHONE CALLS TO HER HOME ARE GOING UNANSWERED

THERE HAS BEEN NO CONTACT IN ALMOST THREE WEEKS

I AM BEGINNING TO WORRY!!

IF YOU HAVE SEEN THIS PERSON PLEASE CONTACT ME.

IF I DO NOT HEAR FROM HER SOON, I AM GOING TO HAVE TO PUT HER PICTURE ON THE SIDE OF A MILK CARTON

not me! monday...

bloopers....

blunders....

hiccups of life......

all NOT brought out into the open in this 'tell all'

started by MCKMama.

Head on over to read other blogger's NOTs of the week!

It was NOT ME! that sat down to write my NMMs at 4:00pm this afternoon {I figure if I can't be first, I will strive to be last:)} only to look down at the clock at 4:11 and suddenly realize that Michaela (who was upstairs getting out of the bath and leisurely putting her contacts in) had to be at ballet class~~~10 miles across town~~~ in 15 minutes!!

It was NOT ME! and my two daughters that ran around and got ready, headed out the door, stopped at Skyline, (because I figured if she was going to be late, I might as well have my caffeine fix) and made it to the dance studio at 4:35! It was NOT ME! that went slightly faster than the posted speed limit to get there! I am ALWAYS law abiding and would NEVER be a bad example to my daughters!

It was NOT ME! that did NOT forget my daughter's dance class due to my schedule being muddled because I allowed her to take a mental health day today. It was NOT ME! that allowed Emma to stay home for a MH day also. We certainly did NOT lounge around all day doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. School is important. I would never encourage skipping!

It was NOT ME! that made homemade bread dough for dinner. It was NOT ME! that left said bread dough in a bowl on the counter while I went downstairs to put a load of laundry in. It was NOT ME! that came up 5 minutes later to find our sweet ornery, well-behaved monster puppy with her feet on the counter eating the RAW DOUGH!

It was NOT ME! that found the same sweet puppy with her paws on the counter today. It was NOT ME! that quickly put the lid on the peanut butter and closed up the bread (that Emma had left on the counter when she made her lunch) and put them in the cupboard. It was NOT ME! that then saw our sweet puppy licking her 'lips'. It was NOT ME! that wondered if she had gotten her tongue into the peanut butter and if I should throw away the remainder. It was NOT ME! that could see no evidence of her tongue and decided to put the jar back into the pantry- thinking that peanut butter is expensive, this was a brand new jar, and Emma was the only one that eats it~~and she's 5 and will never know. YUCK! That would be gross. What kind of person would do that.

WARNING: Do not eat the peanut butter if you come to my house this week~~~ I really do not know!!

It was NOT ME! that considered deleting the last NM because that was too much sharing. But.... since I DID NOT do it, I will leave it.

It was NOT ME! that threatened Emma with a 'pixie' haircut if she did not stop the drama every time we brushed her hair. It was NOT ME! that actually went online and showed her a picture of a little girl with this haircut to put the fear in her. It is NOT ME! that is considering hanging a picture of me when I had that awful haircut in her bathroom as a daily reminder! It is NOT ME! that is happy that this threat is working so far, because I could never really go through with it!

It is NOT ME! that continuously gets a wrong number phone call on my cell phone from an 866 number. It is NOT ME! that received a call at 8:30 on Saturday morning on my home phone. {For those of you that do not know me, I am NOT a morning person. I like to sleep in {until 10:00 at least} on the one day a week we do to have to be somewhere.} It was NOT ME! that got aggravated when I saw the 866 number. It was NOT ME! that answered the phone and without giving them a chance to speak told them "HE DOESN'T LIVE HERE. STOP CALLING THIS NUMBER. I AM TIRED OF TELLING YOU THIS." It was NOT ME! that hung up the phone, laid my head down and suddenly remember that the wrong numbers were on my cell phone NOT me home phone. It was NOT ME! that then laid there~~WIDE AWAKE~~ wondering who I had just been abrupt rude to.

It is NOT ME! that is going to a Ladies' Getaway with Michaela this weekend. It is NOT ME! that is cringing at the thought of sleeping in a cabin, on a bunk bed, with many other women in the room. It is NOT ME! that is DREADING the whole camp shower/communal living. It is NOT ME! that is tempted to reserve a room at one of the nearby hotels.

It is NOT ME! that is going to end this confession session and begin studying about PULMONOLOGY~~~since I have done no school work today.

What did you NOT do this week?

Head on over to My Charming Kids for more laughs!

it was going to be a happy post...

Have you ever had one of those days when you wished you listened to that little voice that screamed at you 'JUST STAY IN BED!!!!!"

I heard that voice today. And I chose to ignore it.

In hindsight, not one of my smartest decisions!

The morning began with Steve and Michaela heading out to Atri@ for Steve's MOD duties.

Emma, who had gone to bed late heard them getting ready and decided to begin her day at 8:00am.
... and I know for some of you, if your child slept until 8:00am you would jump for joy. In this house, 8:00 is early. Especially if you stay up WAY PAST YOUR SCHOOL DAY BEDTIME.

Of course, I was not ready to get up so I did what every MOM OF THE YEAR would do, I told Emma to crawl up into my bed. I then found a cartoon on Netflix and handed her the laptop. A few extra moments of sleep were achieved.

Knowing that Cali had to go have her incision checked at the vets, I ignored the screaming voice telling me to just roll back over and go to sleep, and got up and began my day. I fought the urge to reschedule the appointment. I had to go get dog food anyways and it would take 5 minutes for them to look and make sure everything looked okay.

Should of gone with the urge!

After being dragged through the parking lot by our well trained dog {just picture any show/commercial that has an individual walking a large breed hyper dog that does not walk well on a lease. The person being taken for a walk~~ yep, that would be me} we arrived for our 5 minute appointment--10 minutes early. We were then told that as soon as a room opened up, we could be seen. Umm, yeah. I have an appointment!!!

While we sat outside waiting for our turn, I noticed that the nylon part of our $40.00 retractable leash was about to break~~literally only about 1/16 of the fibers were holding it together. I sat there in the waiting area (the vet is in Petsmart) and pictured Cali seeing a dog or child she wanted to meet and the leash breaking completely~~and Cali being FREE. In Petsmart. With all the food and treats she could possibly want!!

So, instead of being the crazy woman that had to chase her 65 lb puppy through the store, I went and grabbed a leash off of the shelf and went back to waiting~~noticing the stares as I put the price tag in my pocket and the leash on Cali.

ONE HOUR LATER! we finish our 5 minute appointment!

I grab the 50 lb bag of food, throw it into the shopping cart that Emma insists she can push--even though she can not see over it--and head to the registers. After apologizing a gazillion times for the over exuberant Cali and the poor cart steering Emma, we arrive and walk up to pay! After almost having my arm ripped from its shoulder socket because Cali wanted to go visit someone, was asked by the sales clerk if we had participated in any of the training classes they offered~~~My response, as I made sure my arm still was connected, was "Yes, can't you tell?????"

We head out to the van. We make it with little mishaps~~~mud puddles ARE irresistible!

I drive home~~hitting only a few of the MANY winter potholes~~ because you can only weave while you are driving so often before you get pulled over for drunk driving.

I arrive at home, with me tires still inflated and my front end still intact.

I swing by the mailbox.

And then I REALLY wish I had listened to THAT VOICE!!

Emma's early morning is beginning to show and she is sent to bed. She goes calmly, graciously, and without backtalk.
NOT SO MUCH!!!!!
Parenting completed. Child asleep within 3 minutes of lying down. Onto the mail.

I look through the mail and see Steve's paycheck from his 2nd job, three letters forwarded from England, and a large envelope from Citibank.

So I begin opening the letters forwarded from England....

Letter number one:
Dear Mrs. M___
This letter is to inform you that you owe Central Texas College $$$ for a course taken in the Fall, 2006. Yadda Yadda. We sent you a letter on 9/23/08 and 10/25/08 with no reply from you. Your account has been turned over to C*nverse for collection.........

WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!

• I do not owe this. I paid my part.
• Three of the four people from the CDC {on the base in England} who were involved with this class and the payment of it are no longer there.
• AND....it has taken THREE YEARS to contact me. T.H.R.E.E. years.

Letter #2

Dear Mrs. M____,

Your account with Central Texas College has been referred to us for collection. yadda yadda yadda.

So, I receive notice of a debt and the collection notice all in the same day. Nice. But I do have 10 days to dispute the charges. Wow, how nice of them. They take 1095+ days to contact me, and I have a generous 10.

Croughton continues to bite me in the bum!!!!!

Letter #3

A past due notice from August, 2008 from the lawn care service I hired when I came back in September, 2007. Services from 6 months ago. I have spoken to them since I have been back~to cancel service. Nothing was said. No bills have been sent since the final bill in September. I do not get it!!!!

This account was paid with direct debit from our account in England. An account that is now closed. An account we had for only 6 months and for which I do not have any records {Yes I know, not smart. But we were flying back here and I do not like clutter} because we only used it to pay our British rent, the lawn service, and to transfer my childminding monies to our 'real' account.

Oh, my head hurts!!!

But lets keep opening more mail!!!

Citibank

Credit report service

Mr. M_____,

Thank you for your participation ........... You will find a detailed summary of your credit history and your credit score. ...........................

I scan through. Everything is as I would expect.

Until I take a closer look!!

Line One:

HONDA FINANCE: Lease completed/balance due.

Derog. last reported 2006.

Let's see, that lease ended in 2004. We had all the final inspections completed. Arrangements were made for the car to be returned in Charleston because Steve was on orders down there at the time. Car was returned at agreed upon dealership. Papers signed. End of lease.

So, if the lease ended satisfactorily in 2004, WHY is there derog. reporting in 2006?????

I am so confused!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We pay off everything while we are overseas. We feel good that we only have our house payment and incidentals to worry about each month and now I get to spend time researching 4 and 5 year old debts, writing letters, and hoping for the best.

I just wanna go back to bed!!!!

But on a good note, Steve's check was correct!!!

Some days should be spent under the covers; in the dark!!

AND I REALLY HAD PLANNED ON POSTING SOMETHING HAPPY AND UPLIFTING!!!

friday frivolity...

I just finished my last test and paper for the week!!! YEAH!!!!

The girls are downstairs Emma vegging in front of Netflix. Michaela, reading~~~~maybe I will go ahead and read about Pulmonology????

or cook dinner!!!

or ........

go to abc.go and watch Grey's:):):):)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The weather has been crazy again.

Wednesday it was 60*

We had wind, rain, and hail.

And then the temperatures dropped.

We woke up to snow flurries yesterday~~~just in time for the morning commute.

Michaela made it to school, but the elementary schools were put on a 2 hour delay.

Which, of course, meant no school for Emma Shea.

By 12:00 the snow was completely melted.

And we had a high of 27*!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The snow is on its way again.

The predictions vary from meteorologist to meteorologist, but 2-3 inches seems to be the most consistent prediction.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have decided that Cali is NOT a Newfoundland.

I am used to dogs chewing on furniture and shoes.

Thankfully, we have not had to deal with that.

Instead, we contend with her eating EVERYTHING.

Papers
My plants
The coins in the coin jug
Pens and pencils
A bush outside
The logs for the fireplace
The bark off of a tree
Bread dough left in a bowl on the counter to rise

E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G.

I think she is a goat!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Steve is MOD tomorrow.

No, not Ministry of Defense~~~~Manager on Duty.

The managers rotate Saturdays~~~his is tomorrow.

Michaela is going to go in and help him organize his NASTY office. (and keep him awake since he is working his security job tonight)

I am thrilled because that means he gets a day off next week~~~I have a room that needs painted and a supply of firewood needing replenished.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The girls were off school for President's Day on Monday.

So we went to the facility on Monday and ate lunch with Steve.

Booker, the cook, came out and introduced himself to us.

He kept going on and on about how much Emma looks like me.

I don't see it.

To me, she is a miniature Steve!

BUT......

He also said Steve was a great guy and they love him~~~so how much stock am I going take in his opinion:)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While we were eating at the facility, one of the residents came up and talked to us.

She asked Steve if we were all his daughters.

I got a good laugh out of that!!!

Of course, she HAD just been introduced to us 10 minutes before.

BUT.....

It is much more fun to harass Steve about looking old enough to be my father~~~and ignore the fact that the lady was in her upper 80s with mild dementia!!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

can you hear me now?

I will be the first to admit that I love the convenience of my cell phone.

When I remember to turn it on or take it with me!

When I do have it, I try to limit my phone conversations when I am out in public.

I will sit in my van and finish the conversation. Or, I will cut my husband off~~lovingly, of course~~ and tell him I am in the middle of a store/restaurant/... to make it quick. I just do not feel that everyone in the vicinity should hear about the frustrations/joys/hiccups of my life. All of Florence does not need to know what is happening in the M household!

I just wish others were as considerate.

I understand the,"Hey honey, can you grab some toilet paper while you are out." Or,
"Can you pick up Henry? I am running late."

I do not understand airing out your lives as you walk through a store.

Today, as Emma and I were walking through Target, we were bombarded with conversation after conversation.

We learned one man's opinion about the contestants voted off American Idol~~from 4 aisles away.

We heard a woman's frustration, and not so nice thoughts, about her ex~husband.

We even learned about the weekend plans of a college student and his friends.

Everywhere we went, people were discussing their LIVES. No holds barred. No topic off limits.

The most disturbing conversation we 'walked in to' was as we went up to the clearance racks in the girl's section.

Lady in Store (LIS) : okay, do your work.
CHILD SPEAKS
LIS: I am sorry about this morning.
CHILD SPEAKS
LIS: You know I heard from Ms. ______. She is pressing charges.
CHILD SPEAKS
LIS: For threatening her today. You are going to juvie. The authorities have been notified.
Child SPEAKS
LIS: I am devastated. {said in a un~devastated tone as she continued to look through the clearance rack}
CHILD SPEAKS
LIS: Its too late for sorry......

Conversation continues. Emma and I leave.

SERIOUSLY!

You are going to discuss your child threatening a teacher, being picked up by the authorities, and taken to Juvenile Hall IN TARGET!!!!!

Isn't that a topic of conversation you would want to discuss in the privacy of your home?

Can we apply some phone usage etiquette?

Or maybe some plain common sense?

**And completely NOT ABOUT CELL PHONE usage in stores: If your child had threatened a teacher, the authorities been called, and your child was being sent to juvie~~~~wouldn't you WANT to be home when your child got off of the bus? Wouldn't you WANT to talk to the child about threatening a teacher? A face to face conversation about what was going to happen to your child MIGHT be in order, instead of walking around Target?!!!?

gastr/o- = stomach....... intestin/o- = intestine......... -al = pertaining to....

Post to come....

I have been sitting at the kitchen table since 9:30am~~studying the anatomy and physiology, diseases, and medical procedures of the gastrointestinal system. After almost 6 hours of colons, jejunum, rectum, enzymes, cecum, .... My head is about to explode!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am off to get Emma up from her nap and get her ready for ballet class.

I had planned to study while she was in class, but I do not think I can take anymore:)

I am going to get a LARGE Pepsi and go 'window' shopping at my favorite store instead!!!!

40 years...

With my self~declared birthday week coming to an end, I cannot help but think about all that has happened in the last 40 years. 11 States, one country, and countless houses that I have called home. Friendships made and friendships lost. Moments of happiness and laughter. Times of heartache and pain. The struggles of infertility. The ecstatic joy of my pregnancies. Job losses and career changes. Financial uncertainty. Abundance of necessities. Simply said, LIFE has happened.

And I wouldn't change a thing!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My 40 tidbits about life:

1. I remember as a child seeing the adults at church and thinking how 'together' they seemed to be. The 30 and 40 year olds seemed to be financially secure, happy in their careers; exactly where they thought they should be. I was in awe of their lives. I longed for the day I would fall into the category of 'having it together'. I am 40 and I am still waiting for the day where I ' have it all together'. I am inclined to believe that those adults were not as together as my young mind thought they were.

2. The best things ARE worth the wait .

3. You should not leave a rubber~back carpet down for 3 years while you live in another country. The backing breaks down and sticks to the flooring and turns the vinyl yellow.

4. Family is not determined by bloodline, but rather by who you choose to surround yourself with~FRamily

5. Procrastination is a personality trait that stays with you!!

6. God is constant, consistent, caring

7. Rice a Roni and Spanish rice are still NASTY.

8. We cannot change the past. we can only strive to not repeat the hurts, unfairness...TODAY.

9. Close proximity is not needed for friendship~~~my closest friends are scattered!

10. No matter how hard you try you will say all the phrases your parents said to you to your kids~even though you swore you wouldn't!

11. My children hate spit baths as much as I did.

12. As we grow older, we forget so many things that have happened, but the memories of the embarrassing things linger on!

13. Pimples are not just for the young!

14. A sad movie still makes me cry~~and Steve still looks over at me to see if I am crying.

15. When your grandmother says to you 'One of these days eating like that will catch up with you."~~Yeah, she's right.

16. When you lose weight and you say, " I am NOT going to gain that back!" Um, sadly you do!!

17. Keeping up with the laundry STILL doesn't happen in my house~~maybe I will accomplish this in the next 40 years!

18. Being true to yourself is crucial no matter your age.

19. All things are possible when you keep God as your focus.

20. Fresh, garden tomatoes are still the BEST food ever.

21. Mice do not get any less creepy the older you get.

22. As much as I thought I wanted to settle in one place, the thought of moving every few years is much more alluring.

23. I am very cynical of the intentions of other people~~even though I would like to believe in the goodness of others.

24. I LOVE going to college!

25. There are MANY, MANY decisions I would love to 're-do'

26. The pain of losing a loved one eases over time, but the sadness lingers.

27. It is harder than I thought to come up with 40 things.

28. If you do not continue playing your flute, you forget how!!

29. The algebra that you said you 'would never use' in high school you actually NEVER use it after high school.

30. Parenting is the hardest, most rewarding thing I have ever done.

31. I am as directionally challenge as an adult as my teacher said I was in the first grade.

32. Prayer is a blessing that God has granted us.

33. I see alot of myself in my oldest daughter~~~~and it scares me!

34. If I had to do it over again, I would NOT have a wedding. I would elope!

35. Patience and tolerance of others are character traits that you have to work on~they do not just come naturally.

36. I hate grocery shopping and cooking. Too bad I don't dislike eating.

37. You never outgrow the need for the approval of others~~~even though you want to.

38. There are some days I wish I could be pregnant again. And then I regain my senses!

39. Even though my life is not as 'together' as I thought it would be when I was 40, I am happy!!!

40. I cannot wait to see what the next 40 years brings!!!!

friday frivolity...

I am taking three classes {8 credits} this term~~~my developmental math, disaster preparedness (I am pretty sure my life has prepared me enough for disaster:):)}, and medical terminology (and NO, I am not becoming a nurse). I had a cultural diversity{Heeeelloooo, taught in Cincinnati and lived in England. I am pretty culturally diverse!} class on Saturdays, but I dropped it last week. When I decided to go back to school I knew I did not want my coursework to interrupt our lives~~classes online and at night and studying done while Emma is in school.

That was my plan.

Last Saturday was supposed to be my first class and Emma had a dance recital at the mall. I made arrangements for Kathy take her (Steve's guard weekend.) and bring her home. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I did not want to have SOMEONE else take her to her 2 minute dance at the mall. So I dropped the class and got to take her myself!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have been sooooooo busy this week with schoolwork {above mentioned plan~~~not so much this week!} I have been playing catch up in my terminology class due to various reasons {poor online class set-up, ...!}, so I feel like all I have told Emma is, "I will do that later. I have to finish...." "Please just let me finish ......."

She has been very patient. But, it is wearing thin. Today she said, "So, after today you will study while I am in school and we can start doing our activities after school again?" Um, yes hon, sorry!

I finished a terminology test and disaster quiz this morning and wrote my one page paper on the National Response Framework this afternoon. I am now caught up and finished for the week. Except for calling in pronunciations, but that will take less than 2 minutes and I can do that at 3am if I need to.

So, with head pounding and schoolwork COMPLETED~~~the girls and I headed to the money saver theatre and watched Bedtime Stories. Cute movie. Emma wants to watch it AGAIN!!

Of course, Twilight is playing now so Michaela wants to go see that again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Steve is sleeping. He is working his pretend job tonight!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Our visitors are coming tomorrow! {insert appropriate expression here} LOTS of studying will be accomplished as I h--e out!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We did not get as damaging of a storm as they predicted on Wednesday. Thankfully!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am off ~~~i.e. not move an inch from where I am sitting and open another tab on the computer and go to abc.go~~~ to watch last night's episode of Grey's.

Bye!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

should i be worried...

that I only heard the tornado/severe weather sirens when I went outside with the dog?

Shouldn't the alarm be heard INSIDE our homes~~~where we live!!!!

We are off to ballet class.

Here's hoping we don't blow away...

or get swept away by the rushing streams of water.

toto, i don't think we're in Kentucky anymore...

I am sitting at the kitchen table, taking notes on body planes, listening to the wind trying to blow down everything in its path.

Kentucky is in for more crazy weather!

We had a 'hurricane' in September~~~ a new roof had to put on the house.

Snow and ice that caused 100,000s of Kentuckians to lose power~~two weeks ago.

Temperatures in the mid- to upper 60s last week.

and now.....

damaging winds, hail, and up to an inch of rain are on the way.

Winds in the tropical storm category~~~if, you know, we lived near water!

Please pray that the damage will be minimal. With the recent ice storm and saturated ground, they {you know, THEY} are saying the potential of trees and limbs falling is great. The risk of homes losing power is also increased. And some in the state JUST got their power turned back on from the ice storm.

Guess I should get back to anterior. posterior, anteroposterior....

a quickie....

I have decided that my birthday will last all week

So this post is really not late. I just chose to write it a few days INTO my birthday week!

I have to make this quick because I have homework to do~~and I am running out of days~~~ and I have to throw dinner in the crockpot and make my bread dough so it can rise.

Being Tammy Homemaker is ALOT of work!
~~~~~~~~
My birthday started off with a phone call from my dear friend, Renea. She called me at 12:20 am to be the first to sing to me. Sadly, I was in such a deep sleep I couldn't figure out what the ringing was. I kept telling Steve his work phone was ringing, could he answer it!!!

But, once I finally woke up enough to be coherent, I was pleasantly pleased to hear her sweet voice on the other end~~even from 6 hours away. {I have a lot of GREAT memories involving Renea singing!!!!}

Steve then wished me a happy birthday. And we went back to sleep.

AS I mentioned before, I told Steve I really did not want any to`do and he WAS NOT to buy anything!!! He had Guard duty so he left at 6:30. The girls AND the dog slept until 10:00am~~~which was all the gift I needed!

We got up and got Emma ready to dance at the mall at 11:45.

Kathy surprised us and met us at the mall to watch Emma Shea. Emma danced. Kathy left to go meet Joe. (AND DIDN'T MENTION MY BIRTHDAY OR EVEN ASK US TO EAT LUNCH LUNCH WITH HER.~~HOW RUDE!!!}

The girls and I went home. They went downstairs to read and watch a movie. I did some studying.

Michaela was cooking dinner for me later, so I made a grocery list {because there is nothing better than doing something you hate on your birthday!} and had one foot in the garage when I heard the phone ring.

I debated about not answering it, but I rang back in and grabbed it.

It was Simona on the other end. She had been with 10 9~13 year old boys for two days and wanted some adult time. Abby and Hannah were wanting the girls to come over also.

The girls and I got ready and headed over.

After getting everyone settled, Simona and I headed to Rookwood because she said she needed to go to C*ldwater Creek. {even thought there is one in Crestview}. We walked around the stores. Sat and drank coffee and Coke. And then she said, 'Okay, lets go. The real reason we are here is to eat dinner!' We head over to Buca (YUM YUM). I am taken back to a room where my husband, Joe and Kathy, Tim, and the Spargos are all sitting. I was COMPLETELY surprised!

I cannot believe Steve pulled it off. He NEVER keeps a secret. And Kathy and Simona were VERY sneaky! Creeps!!!!!!!

It was a great night. Lots of fun, LOTS of food, and friends!

Thanks guys!

That is my birthday in a nutshell. I hope it makes sense~~I rushed so I can go and do my cooking and studying! I will post pictures soon!

Go ahead, admit it! You really did NOT do that! I cannot believe it!!! It's a good thing it's that time of the week again. Free therapy from MckMama

It is NOT ME! that is supposed to be submitting her work for one of her online classes, NOT looking at blogs! Surely if I had work to submit and a test to take, I would be focusing on that NOT on Not Me Monday!

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It is NOT ME! that when I was just setting up the laptop to submit my work (you know after the important blog checking) knocked over my BRAND NEW large Dr. Pepper from Micky D's. It was NOT ME! that grabbed my $100.00 school book to save from a DP bath, only to leave the laptop in the edge of the growing puddle. I would certainly save the computer first!!

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It is NOT ME! that had to mop my entire floor because I did not catch the 60 lb puppy before she cam in from outside~~where the 8+ inches of snow and ice we had have melted causing a lovely mud bog. It was NOT ME! whose kitchen floor looked like chocolate had been smeared ALL OVER IT. It is NOT ME! that is considering buying our 60lb soon to be 120lb puppy a set of rubber boots for her paws so that I can survive the next few months with some sanity!

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It is NOT ME! that said I was going to post about my 40th birthday and still haven't because I actually went to bed at 11:00pm last night. It is NOT ME! that has not fallen asleep that early since we moved back to the States. I guess you are more tired in your old age:):)

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It is NOT ME that is actually going to go work on my schoolwork to get as much done before the bus drops Emma off in 2.5 hours!

Can't wait to read your NOT MEs!~~~AFTER I have finished ALL of my work, of course

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it's official...

my best days are behind me!

I am officially in my 40s!!

You may notice in the Friday post I mentioned how proud I was that my husband listened to me and had not planned anything (because he cannot keep a secret and I figured if he had planned something, I would know).

Well, umm, I take it back.

He actually is a sneaky guy!

He even had others in on the 'plot'.

I am in total shock that he planned something and that he kept his mouth shut was able to keep the secret.

But, as it is almost 10 pm and I am officially OLD, I am going to take a warm shower to ease away the aches and pains that age brings and go to sleep.

I will post my birthday post tomorrow!

Have a great evening!

i am saying goodbye...

The time is drawing near to say goodbye.

It was inevitable.

It is hard to believe that I am having to let go and move on. But there are bigger and better things to discover in this next juncture of my life.

I am glad you have been with me.

Nonetheless I must I bid adieu and turn over a new leaf!!

So, here goes!

Good bye. It has been a great 10 years. You have been good to me. You have been with me through the building of our first house, the birth of our second child. We have lost jobs and moved overseas~~you were there. So much has happened in the last 10 years~~and you shared in it all. Still, I must leave you behind.

So, goodbye my dear sweet 30s. You will be missed.

But do not worry, I am sure my 40s will bring new adventures, happy family time, new gray hairs, aches and pains in places I didn't know you could have aches and pains in, many memory making times!

Adios 30s.

Heeeellllllo, 40!!!! I cannot wait to see what is in store for us over the next 10 years we are together.

friday frivolity...

Well, I survived my first college lecture after many years. The instructor is hyper and likes to let you know that she is an engineer. It will be a very INTERESTING term.

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I took my first quiz. I stressed about it~~as is typical for me. And then I took it and it was 5 questions. FIVE! I was finished in a couple minutes. All 5 right!! Yeah me!

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Cali went in for surgery yesterday. No babies in her future. No dealing with her being 'in heat'. She also had a gastropexy. Large dog breeds are prone to having their stomachs twist causing a life threatening situation. So they tacked her stomach so that it doesn't twist. Her incision is about 15 inches long. It looks like the gutted her!
Of course it hasn't slowed her down!

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Steve did not work his 'pretend' job tonight {it is his Guard weekend and working around the clock for three days is a bit too much} so we loaded up and went to the cheap seats and saw Marley and Me. {Which ironically, Marley dies from the condition we just had the gastropexy performed on Cali to prevent.} It was a good movie, despite Owen Wilson being in it. All of us, and I mean ALL of us had to wipe tears away!

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After the movie we went to Cr*cker Barrel for dinner. The girls had looked around at the toys in the store. When we got into the van, Emma gasps and becomes panicked. She has walked out with a Rubik's Cube. She starts crying and apologizing. Steve took it back in. Emma was sooooo upset. I held her and explained to her that she did not steal it. It was an accident. She did not decide to take the toy without paying. No worries!

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It was 50 degrees today!
I just heard a huge chunk of ice slide off of the roof.
It is supposed to be in the 60s tomorrow.
Yoo hoo!
Maybe all of the snow will melt!

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In a few hours, I leave my 30s behind!
I think my husband actually listened to my desires~~~since my family cannot keep a secret, I do not think there are any big plans made to welcome in my 40s.
A quiet family celebration is all I want.

friday fill in

1.Please don't tell the girls that there is a chocolate celebration cake from Olive Garden in the refrigerator.

2. Can you please sleep in until 10:00 in the morning?

3. The color white makes me want to add some colors!

4. I have a craving for chicken fajitas from Don Pablos.

5. If my life had a pause button, I'd pause it now because I have a paper due in one of my classes and I am typing FRIDAY FILL INS instead!!!.

6. Eyes are the window to the soul.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to Steve NOT working his second job, tomorrow my plans include TURNING 40!!!! and watching Emma dance at the mall, and Sunday, I want to get all my math homework and laundry done after church!

stepping up on my soap box...

***Stan, I guess I need to clarify~~~~ My point about M was not that he is single and has extra time to help his neighbors. Yes, I realize we take on responsibilities when we own homes. My point was that he had a POWER snow blower that he was using while 3 of his female neighbors were using shovels and he never offered to help. He put it away and watched us. I guess I can not put my mind around that selfishness!! It is being self~absorbed whether he is single or has a family. {But at least if he had a wife and kids waiting to see him after a long day at work, I could understand not offering. But to stand and watch. If I had a power blower, or the energy to do more with my shovel than the many hours I had already done, I would have just gone up and down the sidewalk clearing every one's sidewalks. So would my husband. Without a second thought. It is just the neighborly thing to do.

Ten years ago, when Steve and I were planning on building our first home, we desperately wanted to have land. We wanted to be out, away from the cookie cutter houses of the sub~division. Unfortunately in the area we live unless you have an endless supply of cash, this is not possible. The land is devoured by the developers and house after house is thrown up as quick as possible. So we settled. We picked out a lot in a new sub~division and then picked out one of the cookie cutter house plans. We told ourselves it would be good fro Michaela to be able to just walk out and have friends to play with. She would have classmates nearby. There would be neighborhood comraderie. We would look out for one another. Be neighborly.

Sadly, the ice and snowstorm we had last week certainly proved to me that being in close proximity to one another does not necessarily make us neighborly.

On Wednesday, after inches of ice fell on top of inches of snow, I was outside shoveling the front walk and driveway. For hours. There were two other women out doing the same thing~~trying to get as much done before our husbands came home so that they did not have to shovel after working all day. Around 5:30 I saw our 'neighbor' M pull into his garage. Just to give some background, M is a single man who works a desk job. No family. No responsibilities once he pulls into his garage. He leaves his work at his desk. I continue lifting the heavy snow and ice and in a minute or two I hear a snow blower start up. Out comes M blowing off his driveway. 15 or 20 minutes later, the blower stops and M is done. He puts the blower away and then stands in his driveway WATCHING. W.A.T.C.H.I.N.G!!! I was IN SHOCK. I could not imagine putting my snow blower away without offering to help my neighbors. Especially when I have NO FAMILY RESPONSIBILITIES. No one is waiting to see him or for him to fix dinner. Unbelievable. I finished up my walkway and offered my help to the others.

And if wasn't bad enough, our next door neighbor shoveled his sidewalk and I think he measured to make sure he did not inadvertently shovel a millimeter of our sidewalk.

I am not saying that I am entitled to have others do my work for me. Not at all. What I am saying is that it dumbfounds my how self~absorbed we are as a society. This is so evident in the workings of this sub~division; this tiny community. If a neighbor's trash can rolls into the road, we don't stop and move it. We get annoyed and drive around it. If our grass gets too high, we do not just ride our lawn mower over and mow it. We hold onto the anger for two years and verbally attack the home owner when they return from overseas. (that's an entirely different post!). When snow needs shoveled, we clean our part making sure we do not do an inch too much.

The neighborhoods of Wally and Beaver are definitely a thing of the past.

Stepping down off of my soap box now. Being careful not to fall~~~cuz' ya' know, none of my neighbors would stop and help me up.

because i wrote enough yesterday for two days worth of post....

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

hey, guess what!

I found out why Emma was crying this morning!!!

I felt so guilty about the morning, I went to pick her up and take her to lunch.

When I gathered her from PARENT PICK UP I noticed a red welt on her forehead.

The conversation went as followed....

Me: What happened to your forehead?
Em: with a look of astonishment, I fell this morning.
Me: Is that why you were crying?
Em: Um, yes!!!
Me: Why didn't you answer me when I was calling for you/
Em: I didn't hear you.
Me: I am sooooo sorry. I didn't know you fell. Do you wanna' go out for lunch?
Em: YES!!!!!

Drama over!!!

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It is now over 12 hours of CONTINUOUS snow.

CONTINUOUS!!

The white blobs are the snowflakes~~about 5 minutes ago.

My Math class was cancelled tonight~~great start to the semester.

It took Steve 2 hours to get home from Northgate ~typically a 45 minute drive.

He did not make it to the visitation. Or the funeral.

The call just came in!!! NO SCHOOL for the girls tomorrow.
{They are now going until the first week of June. GRRRRR}.

And it's only February!!!!!!

weather forecast has been changed...you think

I just received a recording from GMS to let parents know that ALL AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACTIVITIES HAVE BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO CURRENT WEATHER CONDITIONS. and IF there is school tomorrow....."

IF??? IF????

NO MORE SNOW DAYS. PLEASE!!!

Channel 9 has updated the weather forecast...

A full dose of winter returns for the next couple of days with plenty of frigid air and some snow showers too.
Several shots of snowfall will drop a couple of inches accumulation around the Tri-State with isolated areas getting a little more. Not a major winter storm but it could be enough to cause some roads to get snow-covered and slick, so beware.
Temperatures will only be as high as the 20s through tomorrow and lows at night will drop into the teens and possibly single digits by Thursday morning.
After that, a warm-up begins that will last into and through the weekend.
We're looking at possibly 50 degrees!

So, this is what a dusting looks like....

I just took this picture.

It is of the 'flurries' that were predicted 'that are not going to amount to much'

'Occasional snow'

Occasional = NONSTOP for hours and hours.

My driveway is COVERED ~~again.

it is only 9:00am and it is already ONE OF THOSE DAYS...

I think I will just go back to bed.

It is safer there.

The morning started off less than stellar.

Michaela and Steve got up and got ready with no incidence~~that I know of since I am still feigning sleep while they are both bustling around.

I let Emma sleep a few minutes later than normal, but not too late.

***In hindsight~~~I should have used this time to take my shower and get dressed!!!

She got washed down and dressed. Teeth were brushed. Hair put in pigtails (the new hairdo she wants EVERYDAY).

Cali gets herself wrapped around the wood holder; is barking. (barking=ANNOYING; must stop)

We fixed her snack. Got her packed up and ready to go.

Cali is wrapped around again. Yep, barking. I bring her in.

Emma remembers that I bought her a new folder~~cuz' Cali ate her other one!!!

The bus passes.

Emma does not remember where she put it.

We look in a few places. It is no where I think to look.
(Hmmmm. maybe if she put things where they belong she would know where they were when she wanted them. Maybe I should tell her that~~~~a few thousand more times!!!)

She gets moody. Begins to mope.

The bus is coming back to her stop.

"Run Emma, I will look for it. If you do not stop grumping about it, you will not get it at all."

Emma takes off around the house to the bus stop. She does not come out onto the road. The bus is at the stop.

Emma emerges from around the driveway crying.

***Maybe now is a good time to insert that I am in my pajamas at the front door. No socks. No shoes. No 'unmentionable' and a reindeer sweatshirt with a red pom pom nose (sound familiar Renea?) that I threw on last night because I was cold. Not so ready to meet the world this lovely Tuesday morning.

I am angry because I think she is crying about the folder. Oh wait, maybe it is because she thinks the bus is going to leave her. Whatever the reason, she just needs to walk the 20 feet to the bus so it can go to the next stop..

I am calling her name to tell her to come back~~I will drive her to school. I contemplate how to run and get my shoes without her thinking I have just left. Maybe I should just run out as I am to get her, but there are some things that noone should be subjected to! The bus stop is at the end of our yard. She does this every morning~~ and does not want us to walk with her.
Why won't she JUST.GET.ON.THE.BUS???

She does not respond. I bellow. She does not answer. ( I am going with she could not hear me over her crying~~she certainly was not ignoring me.)

About this time I see a neighbor boy come running out of his house, with no shoes on, and he slips and falls. HARD.

Oh, did I mention it is lightly snowing?

I am bellowing gently calling to Emma. Still no response from her.

The bus driver yells at her to stop walking. He puts the bus in park, gets out to help her on. (probably thinking the whole time, "Why doesn't your mom just get out here and help you?")

UMM!!!! THE DRIVER FALLS DOWN!

The dusting of snow we are getting is making the roads slicker than snot. ( I have never typed that phrase before:)

The bus drives off.

Crying
Bellowing
Slipping and sliding
Holding up the bus
Giving nosy, busybody neighbors fodder for their gossip sessions

All before 8:30am

I am exhausted!!!

Tomorrow~~~shower and dress BEFORE Emma wakes up!!!!!!! You know, in case there is another morning emergency.

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And there is even MORE fun in store for today.

I go to my first Math class tonight. YEAH!! I have even read over the two sections we will go over tonight AND worked some of the problems. I am sooooo going to be the teacher's pet.:):):) jj

Steve and the girls are going to the visitation of a man that we used to worship with. They will be surrounded by people who have ostracized us. Should be a fun evening for Steve. At least there will be some friendly faces in the crowd.

I should go grocery shopping while Emma is in school, but I am afraid to go out and see what ELSE is in store for the day.

not me! monday...

Free therapy

A few laughs

Knowing that I am as crazy as you!!!!

PRICELESS!!!!

Click on over to My Charming Kids to read other blogger's NOTs of the week

It is NOT ME! that after 5 snow days last week, is sooooooo happy to put my daughters on the school bus this morning.
It was NOT ME!!! that thought I had dropped my phone on the snow while taking the dog out.
It was certainly NOT ME!! that searched and searched for the cell phone in my backyard~~hoping it made a hole when it fell that I would be able to see in the snow.
It was NOT ME! that finally had my daughter call the NOT lost cell phone so that I could hear it ringing as I searched in the 3 inches of snow.
It was NOT ME! that heard the ringing of the NOT lost cell phone in the pocket of the hoodie I had put on to go outside.
It was NOT ME! that told my 12 year to stop shaking her head at me; that one day she would be old too.
They say the mind is the first to go!! Boy am I glad I did not do this. I would be worried that my mind was teetering on the edge It was NOT ME! that spent hours cleaning off our driveway only to have the snow plow come through and block the entrance with 6 inches of snow!

Gotta' love the county to NOT leave piles of snow in front of driveways!!
It was NOT ME! that gave my children a choice of leftover chicken spaghetti concoction or popcorn for dinner. It WAS NOT! my children who chose popcorn! It WAS NOT! me who then went out to eat steak with my husband.

This would have been the first time in a loooooooong time we went out childless~~if, you know , we actually did this!
It as NOT ME! that 2 days after serving my children popcorn for dinner, went out for dinner and a movie with my husband~~WITH.NO.CHILDERN. again!

Hey, I at least would have fixed them hamburgers and a vegetable for dinner if I had actually gone on date and left them home again!

It was NOT ME! that did the happy dance when I received the notice in the mail that my jury duty had been postponed until further notice! It is NOT ME! that has gotten out of jury duty twice in the last 6 months. I mean I could give up 6 months of my life, have to hire a babysitter to watch Emma when she got out of school, and make $12.50 a day!!! It certainly is NOT ME! that would not jump at that opportunity!

$12.50 a day is $12.50 more than I make now!!! Hmmm.

It is NOT ME! that is beginning her new college career tomorrow! It is NOT ME! that will be sitting in classrooms with students young enough to be MY children. I mean who would choose a complete career change at the age of 39 and 51 weeks! NOT ME!!!