Fun in the Sun, wishing for shade...

The family will be headed to south bend, then michigan this weekend, so we won't be around.
Tera's final dress fitting is tomorrow, and then we'll be headed to spend the rest of the weekend with Emily and Josh. Exciting stuff.

It was a typical Friday, which is good, easy going...and now we are home, and the kids are full of energy, and as usual daddy and I just want to chill and relax. After all, the week has been a little hectic. :0) Glad for the weekend! Hope everyone also enjoys themselves.

Random Buyers...Horrible Children

So as all things go, we do the usual schedule, with the exception of a phone call from a nearby neighbor. They saw the sign, they do the mail routes, and guess what? They really like the house. The lady called David today and told her they wanted to stop by to look at it.

The strange part is, David and I have mulled it over and thought we might as well stay, and never took the sign down. LOLOLOL...We know we need to move but we love it here. But we know we NEED to move, no doubt about it.

Well as it stands, they came to look, and the woman loved the charm of this old house. :0) I told her about the horrid colors that it was painted, and she LOVED the colors the living room is painted, that yellow green antique color I found, I told her I'd give her the rest of the five gallon bucket if they bought the house. :0) They loved the attic space where Grace's room is, and she digs the hardwood floors. So needless to say, she loved the house. :0) It's great, I guess.

I'm torn, I may have to give up my apple orchard, and plant a new one. :0( But there are so many possibilities it's ridiculous. So we'll see. They said that they have a van to pay off in the next three months, and they want to talk to her "personal banker" (good ol' dad) before they jump off the deep end. But they've lived in rentals and fixer uppers, so they really like this one too, as much as David and I have a deep effection for it. Ho hum...

So house hunting I go again, to see what we can find. Just to be sure we are set if they come back with the banker and say okay. :0) No more debts if that's the case, and that's okay by me.

Oh and her horrible children, yeah two of them climbed the ladder at the apple trees, started picking and hiking my apples across the yard, I was not so happy. She sent one to the van, and the other to pick up the "wasted apples" I told him to load them in his van and take them home. What's a few apples. Then he took the liberty to pick all my ripe cherry tomatos off my volunteer plant and put them in his van too. :0( Garrr...that did not make me happy. But I gave him a gallon bag of appleslices and a jar of applesauce so he'd stop theiving. If I gave him something he was enteretained, and no more stealing. :0)

My children were complete angels to these horrid boys. One couldn't walk or talk yet so he wasn't so bad, the other three, yeah, I would say my children are so well behaved, and that's saying something!!!!!!! LOLOLOL

God Granted me the Serenity to withhold my sanity and my ground, because if she hadn't there, I would have gave them a good whoopin! LOL

I hit the lottery!!!!!!!

At least I feel like I did. So I got the vitamins from the clinic, and I'm happy to report, I'm a million dollars feeling richer!!!! Didn't really hit the lottery, but ya know we can always dream. LOLOL

I had another bout of symptoms yesterday morning though, where the confusion was there, headache, and head was swimming out to the east coast and I couldn't catch up with it. I napped, then got up when David called, to tell me to take some benedryl. By the afternoon I was much better, by the evening! I'm all smiles! Sweet!

So I'm on top of the world and fidgiting like crazy cuz I want to get on the treadmill again so bad.
But at the same time I've dropped a few lbs. since this all started, but it's nothing like getting my excitedness and jumpiness out during exercise. I feel like Kevin locked in a closet. LOL Although I've never done it, I think that Kevin would tear the door down.

Oh speaking of, we have a leak in the basement, from the infamous SHOWER in the house. GAR...so the bathroom remodel may be really soon...since it's rotting out a wall, above a SUPPORTING BEAM....wish us luck on this one! So tonight, I have to get measurements and what not, and we'll be graphing out how we are going to do it. :0) Not happy about spending the extra cash we have because there's not much left, but what do you do? It's not like we didn't know that we were going to have to do something!!!! We were just procrastinating. We can't have the house fall out from underneath us either, so we have to do it. Blah.

Kevin and I have taken a break from preschooling this week. Randomly I will ask life questions...what I mean by this, is everday when I come across a color he can simply pick out, a letter, and such, I ask. His attitude this week has been less than desirable, so he gets stubborn at times. But we are working through it. Just like Grace, it takes time to get them to transition from one home to the next easily. And even then, Grace isn't a pro at it.

So once again, I have to say I am proud of someone. My cousin Mary Jo, she's now on Gmail...if you don't know what it is, you need to figure it out. Cuz when I'm online, I can chat with people without downloading a bunch of stuffs on my hard drive. Tera uses it to talk to me at work, so she doesn't have to download stuff on her work computer. AWESOME! So she's now online with me. And using her blogs on myspace. I have a tear in my eye, she is staying connected to my information age. LOL, I say mine, cuz it seems if it isn't by email, text message, or blogs, I don't seem to get to talk to anyone. LOL

The next thing on the agenda! Lunch with David!!!! I haven't got to see him in two days for lunch and I am missing him BADLY, yeah I see him every night, but dang it...his handsome face is just so welcome during the day, and that smile.....oh.....LOLOL okay enough mush....

Halloween will be sad.....

So I just got an email, with a sneak preview to the halloween candy coming out this year. Yes, being a mom, I have avenues to buy candy in bulk if I like, and it keeps me up to date with the latest fad. So what's so sad about halloween.....Red Dye #40...think about this one.

Kevin is not going to like me.

Fund Raising Time!!!!

Two weeks into school and it's fundraiser time already! Boy do I not miss this stuff, so if you get an email that says Grace M Shaffer, open it.

If ordered online by the link provided not only does she gain prizes, but it also gets shipped directly to you!!!

Thanks so much ahead of time.

Busy Mom's Brain Commits Suicide....

Guilt sticken and lost....mom turns to men in white coats. LOL...this is a twitter I posted yesterday. I thought I was doing really good seriously. But alas, I was not. Where do I start, I got up yesterday got everyone ready. David has been so good about things even though I feel like an absolute failure.

I ended up coming home to tearing the house apart looking for supplies that I had gotten a few weeks ago to finish up Tera's bridal shower stuff, to no avail, I did not find it. That was the first disappointment. During this rampage, I cried, did all the laundry, and cried some more. David called on lunch, and after I got off the phone and my phone was going dead, I plugged it in, only to get a voicemail a few minutes later. It was the school. It was a half day. And I didn't remember it, Gracie didn't remind me, and wham! I'm racing across country to pick up the frantic little eight year old! I felt like an absolute heel. It makes me feel bad to not be functioning like I used to. And it is driving me INSANE!!!!

So needless to say I try to make it up by getting her a banana split, kevin a shake, and David something to drink from Sonic, from 2-4 it's half off or something like that, but for $7 you can't go wrong for what they got. I stopped by Honda to tell him all the crazy stuff that I did. :0(

As it goes, Grace's attitude has been fowl ever since I got her back from her dad, and she's about made me have a coronary two days in a row. Gar, I just don't know how to get her past it. Kevin got into an aggressive streak the past few days, where he likes to hit things with other things, and run and bump into you and hit you. :0( This is disheartening, because before he went to Denise's I had him pretty calm. I hope this is just a phase.

I managed to make a tater tot casserole, that I had no complaints from Kev other than it was too hot to eat, then once it was cool, he did not say a word, he kept shoveling it in!!!! It took him 15 minutes to eat instead of an hour!!! LOL...The kids didn't know that it had zuchinni in it, they just kept shoveling. LOLOLOL So don't worry, they got their green food too, just didn't know it. I love being sneaky like that.

The score today is that I am sluggish and very tired. My brain is somewhat foggy...and I think I overdid it yesterday with the rampage of the house and the work in the kitchen, and the fast and furious drive to the school. :0( So I have to take it easy today.

I did get my stuff from the clinic in Maine today along with the book on the things I need to be doing, glad I've already got part of them covered. No coffee for me today either, I have to cut it out. Caffeine is what has been saving me, but it's only to keep me awake, you can be awake and not AWARE. David and I are hoping that the stuff from the clinic may improve all the other stuff. Like memory loss and what not. For the most part my long term has been fine, it's the short term that's really shot. :0( But what do you do, it started fading when I became a mother. There seems there is no hope for sanity at that point. LOLOLOL

Off I go to do a list of things ( I mean rest), you know me, I can't sit still. Even though I try to put forth a major effort to try (sometimes) *wink*wink*.

I can't wait for the weekend to get here. I will be able to relax with the kids and such, it'll be exciting. David and I and Josh and Emily and the kids, the beach, the hot tub, the relaxation will be well needed. It seems it has been way too long since the honeymoon already. LOL

Hope life is finding everyone else well!

Haunted Hobby Lobby....

Can you hear the screams from the aisles in Hobby Lobby when you go to visit? Is it being haunted or is it unruly children....well today it was my Kevin. He was haunting the aisles and being a complete poo about attitude.

Low and behold it is Monday, and he did really well this morning, but then he decided that after schooling and some television time, he would try his luck. Starting with lunch with Daddy. We got halfway to Taco Bell and he started demanding (after we were going upon his request) that we turn around and go to Culver's. Then he wouldn't get out of his car seat. So we carried him in kicking and screaming to the Taco Bell restaraunt to have a little chat. He apologized, after a minute of trying to argue as to why he was there and that he wanted out of the restroom.

Lunch from that point up until it was time to go to Hobby Lobby to pick up final supplies for everything I need to do in the next few months was fine. But we got to the store and he wanted to push but would not let me guide, he started pulling the cart backward and after the third warning he got put in the cart, and he threw a tantrum OUT OF THIS WORLD! Where is a hole in the ground when you need one? Never where they should be, or at least never where I'm at. The greatful thing is there was no one in the aisle to witness the exorcism of the child, thank goodness, and then I discussed in every aisle after that, how he had misbehaved and what a bad example he was being to other children. ;0)

So yet another peaceful monday morning/afternoon I guess. He is napping now. I should know better that he needs his recovery from Big D's house this weekend, he went straight to sleep with no argument last night and slept throughout the whole night, he didn't even move. So being tired today also would be expected, after all she does not make him Nap! And I guarantee he didn't have one yesterday. It seems we'll never win that battle. But he'll grow out of that soon enough.

There's a big sign posted outside Grace's school that says do not drop children off until 8:25 a.m. Wouldn't you know it, I'm there at 13 minutes before, the first one, so I pull up, shut the car off and wait. Little do you think the parents read the reminder notes sent home, one child walked to school WAYYYYYYYYY tooo early, and was standing outside, then a mother pulls up right behind me and throws her three children out. The doors didn't get unlocked until 8:20 by the children. How safe is it for your kids to stand outside? Instead of inside, just because they don't have teachers there to watch them for 10 minutes. I say inside the building is still better. But geez oh pete parents!!! Read your notes and get a clue!!!!

** Grace's attitude has been far from angelic from the time she came home and including this morning, her television time was gained last night, only to be lost this a.m. with the runny mouth. Too bad they didn't make maylox for that. LOL Soap just doesn't seem to work sometimes. She also came home to start crying and telling us how horrible it was when she didn't move the clothes to the right place at her dad's house, so far as she ticked him off and he threw her down on the floor and supposedly started threatening her or something. I don't know. But even if her dad did to that stuff because when he gets upset he does some pretty outrageous stuff, she also over dramatizes it. With two drama queens tellin the story you just never know. Another I can't win situation. LOL

Wish us luck on the evenings progress!

Kevin's Preschooling...

Letters to date that we are working on A-G
Colors: Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange..... He is still confused about Blue, and I'm not sure why. Coloring inside the lines is a little hard, but he is getting better with his fine motor skills of his hands. :0) This is good.
Shapes: Squares, Circles, and Triangles...he drew his first Triangle by himself today...

Now it's TV time for him, he has been awarded 15 minutes. :0)

Working on nothing....

That's exactly what we are doing, chillin' relaxin' and watching a movie.
Kevin is in bed watching his toons. And Grace is begging for applesauce, although it is her bedtime. :0) Yeah it's a Sunday.

Big D as usual was calling at 2:47 to ask if we were going to get Kevin. After all, I guess she got back with her on and off again married man boyfriend thing. So they went to the ballfield for his kids. And yes, she was there, and so was Tasha and the boyfriend. Kevin was overwired but not too bad attitude wise, he tried to push my buttons, but I was cool and collected, and he settled right down to clean his room when he got home so he could receive tv time before bed. :0)

As all goes, Grace did get positive marks on all her homework this past week. So that's exciting news. None of the third graders in her class, were advanced to a higher math level, so they will study 3rd grade math.

All is well in the Romack/Shaffer household this evening...let's hope that tomorrow morning goes just as well!

Lazy Weekend.....

Well, it has to be noted, so everyone pay attention!!! On Friday, Densie never called until 6:57 p.m. by David's phone, after Tasha called to ask if she could pick up Kevin. NEVER not once has she ever NOT made a phone call before 5 to make arrangements to pick him up. So this is highly noteable, and will count against her in the court of law. Garrr!!!

We went ahead and went to dinner with the family. Emily and Josh, Mom and Dad, David and I, Kevin and Tera (Myles had to take a nap so he wasn't in attendance). As all found out, I was just way too abnoxious after the medium sized margarita I had.... Something with this sickness had made all my tolerance to my favorite drink to consume with my mexican food hard to handle. Mind you I pretty much cut them all out of my diet for the past two months that I wasn't exercising to keep my butt from getting to wide. LOL...Geez did me no good, did it? LOL

But anywho, it was too hot to do anything today so David and I slept the afternoon away, it feels good to get to relax after all the hassles the past few weeks. We are currently processing apples now. We started pretty close to 8 and still working on them. It's been fun. I dance around to the radio while David peels and cores...then I soak the slices, weed out the bad ones, and make my applesauce and can. :0) It's very good to feel like I'm getting something done.

Tomorrow's agenda, get more jars!!!! And p.s. for the ones who have my jars, we want them back when you use the stuffs all up, next year is gonna be KILLER...because we are gonna prune the trees at the end of the season, so beware!!!!

**On another high note, tomorrow I will be studying all the books and such that I've been working with Kevin on. I'm going to write down a "plan" and track his progress at the end of the week. This Friday as far as "test day" was bust for him. David has a feeling he just KNOWS even though no one says it, that he's going to see Big D, and this attitude switch flicks on...and until we get him back on Sunday, there's no point in fighting. :0)

***On yet another note, we have to start the chore chart tomorrow before the kids get home so they can start earning TV time, it just seems way too addictive to our children. It's amazing. I growing up wasn't addicted that much, because we didn't have many channels. So I hung out in the woods. I guess I want my kids to have a better quality of life than rotting their brains with television and video games. :0)

Off for more jars of applesauce and bags of apples.
Lots of Love!

No fines this week!

I have to blog because I am so proud. As of this week Grace received NO FINES for discrepencies in work or behaviors! Hooray for her!! Can you believe it? Neither can I.
It's been amazing what the first few weeks of school have done for her. And the fines, if you wonder? Where do they go? They get put in a lottery, for all the GOOD kids, and they get to participate in WINNING the bad kids Fines to add to their income!!!! Sweet!!! Man if only we did that in America for our people.

As far as I know, no word from Big D as of yet and how pickup is going to go.

I should have known today would be a rough day for Kevin and I. Little did I think about it, when I opened the door to find him sleeping on the rug outside our door, and the bathroom light on, that he was going to be tired today. But as soon as we dropped David off from lunch he passed out in the car...so I sat in Phillis's driveway on my laptop and waited to go pick up Grace while I downloaded some files. Boy is my wireless internet signal so much better when I'm outside her house, it's useless inside. LOL

As for me, another day has come and almost ended and I'm still awake, still going and a little tired, but not too much! I think we'll be headed out for a margarita with my BFF, sis and hubby, and my mom and dad (possibly). ROCK ON! Something to look forward to after a week of recovery. :0)

I talk to my aunt Pam today to discuss the many events and information we discovered about his co-worker Jeff, and she of all people said that it is most likely what it was. An allergic reaction. Not only would termite infested woods be the cause but also all the insect killer and chemicals they spray on our fields that wound up on those stumps that could have set it off. Miraculously I will prolly be fine. But, to no avail, this happened to his co-worker last year, he recovered and a few weeks later happened again, and one year later yet again. So once it has gotten into your lungs, I guess it never goes away or you have to have a high concentration of the allergen before it really puts you down. :0( So fingers crossed, we are out of the woods for now, but I still have to be careful until the health insurance kicks in. LOL Lots of benedryl in my future it looks like.

Kevin and I have had a good day today to say the least as far as his behaviors. I am slowing down on being lest frustrated and more patient, and ANY time he wants to argue or be out of line, I stop and repeat Excuse me, Excuse me, until I get his attention and he stops, and then I can speak with him properly and communicate on a much lower level with him. LOL It's working to say the least!!!!

I love being a mom, it's great.

And yet again, is it bad that I fed my daughter iced coffee before I dropped her off, and Kevin a chocolate brownie? Prolly so...but they deserved a treat for a great week! LOL

As the world turns...on a Friday

I've been working on Kevin's studies but today is one of those days, that just isn't going to fly. He wanted to push every button in the book and not do anytihng, so he's currently in the corner until lunch. I gave him three chances and all three times it was like he didn't care and was jerkin' my chain....too much chain is what I gave him. So yup, he's in the corner.

Yesterday I was up all day and felt like a million bucks, didn't go to bed until 11:00 but we took a break from apples last night to relax. David needed it. :0) I'm so excited that I'm feeling like a normal human being again, the last few weeks have been rough.

Grace is ill, and the worst part this weekend she goes to her dad. She has a sore swollen throat and her head is all congested. I gave her some medicine this morning and let her eat a few cough drops on the way to school. Fingers crossed that she is better by the time she gets home. Oh and she had a multivitamin too! I think we may be over the hump of her swallowing pills...she's done a fantastic job last night swallowing the ones she needed, cuz she felt so bad, and she skipped visiting her father last night because she did feel bad. Ho hum....I hope this weekend goes okay.

Kevin is supposed to go to Big D's (his other mother) today. I wonder how he will work with her.
With the whole new approach that David and I learned last night from Nanny 911, we are going to work on a plan for the kids this weekend, on a reward system at home for good behaviors. :0)

Wish us luck! I need it!

Teachings of the little man....

Well Kevin started his at home preschooling this week Tuesday. We are studying basic colors...red, blue, green, and yellow. Also he has been practicing circles! He's doing very well.

He uses both hands, so I can not tell if he is ambidextrious or not, he may be. He has more control with his right, but he tends to want to hold it in his left hand sometimes, then he gets wild and crazy with the pens and crayons. LOL

We are also studying the letters A-E at this time. He's doing really well with it, he has also learned to draw his A's. :0) He made his first stick man today ever! And it was out of a circle he drew, which is awesome! I was so proud!

School has been great for Grace so far. The words she is studying in spelling are about fifth grade level for her...she was studying superferous (sp?) this week...LOL I can't even remember how to spell it right now. She is also reading Eragon, which the movie comes out on Dec 15th, and it's a 497 page book! I'm so proud.

She had to fill out a job application and do an interview for her class economy. She received the position of equipment matey...and she earns money at the end of each week, which they pay fines for discrepencies in behavior and work. Then at the end of the semester they do job applications and interviews again for another position. She wrote an acceptance letter for her position last night for the job for "extra credit". LOL

It's exciting stuff. Her first study trip was yesterday and they went to the Lafayette Art Museum and studied architechtural designs such as Queen Anne and things. They had a bus conflict and ended up at the last minute going yesterday afternoon anyway, after the teacher called everyone the night before to inform us they wouldn't be going for a few weeks. Very exciting stuff for her.

And she is so much more organized now. :0) This is so positive for her, it's going to be a great year! She's excited about school, and she's came home asking to look stuff up on the internet for the Olympics and do extra activites for school that she's not asked to, so she can take them into her teacher. LOL It's great!

As far as I go, after Kevin's preschooling yesterday morning, I ended up napping while he watched Tarzan II and then going to lunch with David, coming back to Phillis's for Kevy's nap and I laying down again until we had to pick up Grace. It's been good though, because although the fatigue is there, my brain functions are coming back, and that's awesome!!!! I have managed not to have severe fatigue this morning, so maybe I'm coming out of it. :0) Fingers crossed.

We have been processing apples like crazy, peeling, coring, bagging and freezing, making applesauce in the evenings, so I got to rest up to stay up and function normally for five hours last night, made me feel good and productive, that makes me happy!

We had drama at David's work yesterday, a little snafu...that his service manager got fired over. He's been doing some shadey stuff and harrassing David about various things in the past 6 months, so it's all for the best. The man started one month before me, and he got the manager position cuz one, I didn't want it. LOL And now he has NO job. Bye bye Dan the stupid service manager man! Hopefully they can bring Honda's service department out of the poo hole with customers. They've had an awesome reputation up until about a year and a half ago, when Dan's mishaps got in the way. :0( But this is positive and less stress for David. That's always a GREAT thing!!! For anyone!

Recent Discoveries....

***Chocolate Syrup has red dye #40....so if you want to give Chocolate Milk to the kevinator, it has to be the powdered kind, that you MIX!!!!! Make it yourself if need be approx 1 1/2 tsp of cocoa to 4 oz of milk, 45 seconds in microwave and a tsp of splenda or sugar, and presto! He's got his chocolate milk, without the crazies!

***Did you know...Anaphylaxis can happen to anyone. And some reasons cannot be identified? Well David has a co-worker who has NEVER called in sick, he had IDENTICAL symptoms of mine, and he literally thought he was having a heart attack, he called off on Monday and drove himself to the ER to find out he was perfectly healthy except for the termite infested wood that he had been burning.

Symptoms:If you're extremely sensitive, you might break out in hives and your eyes or lips might swell severely. The inside of your throat might swell as well, even to the point of causing difficulty breathing and shock. Your blood pressure drops, and your internal organs can be affected. Dizziness, mental confusion, abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea also may accompany anaphylaxis.


David and I weren't buying the theory that all the sudden out of nowhere, after working out and taking care of myself for five years, and being so in tune with everything that just all the sudden there is a heart condition...didn't make sensee. I have NEVER had a glitch on the heart radar...but ANYTHING IS possible.
The common things between Jeff and I...we've been burning the stumps out front and a tree that had fallen down, and to Phillis's keen sense of telling me..I am doing WAY TOO MUCH pointed out that at Salem they ripped out a wall, I refinished the wood in her window sill...and was exposed to all those breathing elements also, then to burn this wood and such at home, set something off. I came home and took a benedryl...and I'll be derned if I don't feel 1000% better this a.m. than I have.

After all I'm blogging before I even take Grace to school! Imagine that. Okay, so here's the kicker...my insurance starts September 1st but I'm going to stay away from the gym until then, and anytime I feel the symptoms flare up, I'll have my benedryl with me, and take a nap. :0) If it worked last night, I can only hope that this is what it has been all along. We've been burning these stumps for a week and a half, and for the most part I have been exposed to the smoldering smoke and it's infiltrated the house on a few occassions.... I have allergies I'm not even aware of half the time, so I live with a bottle of zyrtec and a supply of claritin and benedryl everywhere I go. Since I turned 28, I've never known what I'd run into. LOLOL

Off too school...more later! TOODLES!!!!!!!!

PS...Grace's class study trip was canceled due to a bus reservation not getting to their office, so it will be scheduled in the next few weeks. :0( So today for her will be boring.....at least she says so. ;0)

Monday Blues....

As the story goes...Monday morning I started out great, then took Grace to school, and once again went to the gym to experience another GLITCH that lasted thirty seconds. My left arm hurt and I had another head ache. I finished one mile and 1/2 and that was it, at a slow pace.

So the story goes, Tera did INTERVENTION and called my husband. She took off the afternoon and drug my butt to the doctor, so I couldn't come up with an excuse. Arnett Urgent Care wouldn't take a look, they wanted to call me an ambulance and send me to the ER....then we tried the FREE clinic downtown...and unfortunately...if you don't have medicaid or some kind of government issued money, they don't take new patients, so they turned me away. (They had plenty of mexican-americans in the waiting room, but they can't take me because I don't have guaranteed government funds. It's so sad.

So I wound up finally after a phone call to my very upset father, dragging my butt down to the ER...I did not mention the heart, I mentioned everything else, they cked for mono, pregnancy (although THERE's NO WAY that would be a possibility) I have a daughter and a son, that's enough, they even checked cholesterol, and checked my thyroid. I'm healthy as a horse. So the Dr. at the ER, gave me a pamphlet for Unexplained weakness, and if I have any more stroke/heart attack symptoms come back. At least that's what the paper said. Phillis , Tera and Myles, and my sister Emily, and mom and dad were all heros in rearing my children while I was away. I had to do alot less yelling on Sunday and Monday than I have in awhile.

Grace has not grasped the concept that the more stress I have on the heart it's not good. She's been freaking out once in a while crying and saying I'm going to die. And I keep telling her that if she does what she's told and doesn't make me yell, that my heart may be just fine. LOLOLOL...I just want to see if this will work. :0) Is that so bad? Okay yeah, but guilt sometimes is the best thing for people you can't get through to. Worst part is now I feel bad for ever calling my mom lazy all those years I didn't understand her Grave's disease, and being such a pain in the butt for my dad, making his heart try to fail him, because I was so stubborn. Oh the joys of still growing up. Realizing just how much of a donkey's behind I was has been a sobering experience. I realize now my own children will not get the same luxury until THEY ARE MUCH OLDER...as all kids/adults do. LOL Man...I have to wait THAT LONG! LOL

Grace's father actually texted me while I was in the ER, to ask me if I was dead yet? You wonder if that man will ever grow up. I still don't think so.

David and I went to Tera's to pick up Kevin. Kevin was having a stick fight/grill tong fight with "Uncle Myles" and it was very enjoyable to watch. Although the nap in the ER for me did nothing for the headache or the three ibuprofren. We went to go get Grace, and after yet another stern talking to by my father, I called my aunt Pam. She shuts down nursing homes all over the US for malpractice...so she had to study to pretty much be an MD, and was an RN for years....so I feel okay talking with her. He's already discussed the issues with her, but questions she needed answered had to be done by me.

The verdict, until I get insurance and get into a general practioner who can order an EKG then send me to a cardiologist...I'm RESTRICTED from stepping foot in the gym, so today I schedule medical leave and put my membership on hold. It's sad enough that I didn't put it on leave for the past two months. But I'm not going to pay for it and not be able to use it, no way. And I'll eventually be in rehab and be fatter than I have in 6 yrs, by the time this is all done, I just have a feeling. This makes me sad.

David had officer drama and got pulled over on the way home. While I was driving on the Interstate going 60 behind a semi, he decided that maybe I'd be more comfortable following him, so he pulled around me, then tried to call to ask how fast he was going. But of course I was on the cell with Aunt Pam. So he sped up to 75mph...which the limit is 70, saw a cop in the meridian pulled over behind the semi, then we got a little ways up, the semi had slowed so he started to go around, I stayed behind the semi and guess what, the officer pulled him over, I went about 1/2 mile up put my flashers on and pulled over. The officer tried to convince him he was going like 85 or 86...and he said I know for a fact officer I was going about a mile under or over 75, but not 85 or 86. He said I was trying to call my wife to verify who is up there waiting on me. David got a warning ticket to get his speedo fixed, because the cop didn't have a leg to stand on, DAVID HAD A WITNESS...he couldn't meet his quota with my husband, there was no way! Well the officer did make mention that he could give him a ticket for going 75 mph...but he just needed to get his speedo fixed...*rolling my eyes*... I started to get the chills and feel nauseated to the point that it was not going to be good, so I got back on the interstate and drove away david was 5 minutes behind me.

So needless to say by 1030 it was lights out for everyone...and that was the end of the day. Thank goodness. Hopefully the rest of today will be better! :0)

Easy Sunday Morning....

When does it not suprise you that, you sleep and sleep and sleep and David gets up, and I'm still sleeping? NEVER!!! But today it happened. So the kids were playing school and tearing Kevin's room up something fierce. Ya know how I blogged that he was rearranging the furniture? Well the dresser was practically in the middle of the room. Ho hum....I can never win.

So the room was all torn up, Blind was open (For no good reason since it's covered on the inside) The other curtain was all twisted up, and you couldn't walk in the room. Grace had to clean her room yesterday, I can't imagine she wouldn't figure out that I'd be a teeeny bit upset about the tornado that rampaged Kevy's room!

Kevin did really well today, we started using the dry erase top on the desk that Grace handed down to him, and he wrote his first A's today. LEFT handed!!!! This makes me nervous, but he's most comfortable being Lefty...for now...so we'll see.
He did an awesome job. If he starts with a dot, then he has a starting point and he did a GREAT JOB!!!! Then I drew him an Apple and told him it starts with A. His first lesson. He really digs the dry erase top on his desk. Unfortunate I can't take it everywhere with me though. :0( I guess I may have to get a travel size something for this.

We picked a ton of apples this evening after I napped again, I managed to make 60 little chocolate high heels for Tera's bridal shower. They still have to be decorated but I'll get that done tomorrow hopefully.

I am attempting the gym tomorrow, although I've been told that I need to SLOW down by just about everyone, and if I have an episode I will PROMISE to drive to the doctor to be checked out.

Other than that, the rest of the evening went fine, Kevy didn't have a nap so it took him a few minutes of whimpering (because of the night light not being there) and he was out like the nightlight. LOL

On top of the world....for now...

Kevin was not very happy with us last night, but after several evenings of him getting up and waking up with toys in his bed, mommy had had enough. Last straw..so the night light...got taken out. He was rearranging furniture last night when I caught him. *rolling my eyes* it never stops.

But he was up this morning crawling in bed asking if he can have it back now. We're going to break him of it. It was a bad habit to begin with. Grace is still in bed, but not for long...Kevin just yelled up the stairs at her. *rolling my eyes again* No peace in this house for me. LOL

So this morning has not been too bad, I woke up feeling pretty good, got the typical shower walked out to the car and got David's coffee cup, and back in the house. I feel tired again, but I'm going to take my vitamins that I have that I know I need, then head into town to go grocery shop with the kids.

David told me to take it easy, but the house needs a good cleaning, and I need to get bridal shower things done for Tera. So I'm going to have to work. No matter if I'm tired or not. I need lots of coffee though. I also discovered that some soy derivatives and such do retard thyroid production in some cases...so I'm wondering if I am hypo...if I should even use soy products, not right now at least. If it's going to alter anything, than I don't want to...so I have to find another alternative to Milk. Garr!!! Or just drink it and get over it....but the digestion problems are also part of thyroid issue. Soooo guess what? I may just drink milk again anyway. LOL At this point I'm not willing to give up the coffee...I'm a zombie most of the time, but without it...I'm an android. LOL

Okay so off I go to do my day....thanks for all the concerns last night....I just wanted to let people know, I normally don't speak of these things, because if you know me well...I go a million miles a minute, and this is damaging to my pride that I can't keep going like that TEMPORARILY....it's only a speed bump. If I can find a way to beef up my suspension and my body, I'm going to run over that speed bump as fast as I can and not look back. LOLOLOLOL

Forgetting Ms. Grace....

I didn't forget her but I was late getting there. The confusion thing and fatigue has been getting worse. For the past week I've been going to the gym everyday with the exception of Monday. It has been good so far.

I lost 3 lbs...but I think I have may found a problem we were not expecting. During my trips to the gym I noticed a few times (each time on different machines) that my heart rate dropped from 120 to 60 in seconds...a warm fuzzy feeling would come over me when the heart rate would creep back up then I would feel untimately tired and yawn and whatnot. When doing cardiovascular exercise your heart rate increases and continues until you slow down. This is not good.

Well I started looking up hypotension which is low heart rate, this causes symptoms such as confusion and fatigue...then I remembered My mother, she has diagnosed hyperthyroidism that was diagnosed about the time she turned 30, severe mood swings, slept all the time, severe fatigue, and many other symptoms...of course she let it go, and was not diagnosed until her eyes started bulging and she got a rash and got to the point where it could have killed her.

Due to price shopping on insurance and David and I's negligence we didn't ask about health insurance as soon as we got married, and guess what? Open enrollment had to be completed in June, or deadline 30 days after marriage, so we don't have insurance at this time on me. The kids and David are insured. So yeah I'm not happy about this. Symptoms wise I have more characteristics of hypothyroidism than I do hyperthyroidism. But luckily I came across something. And David said to go ahead with it, because it is our only option until we get insurance to get me tested and diagnosed.

There is a clinic in Maine that deals with over 100,000 patients naturally for thyroid function. They support thyroid function, and have phone consultations and support and you can even visit the clinic to work with the M.D.'s one on one. I took the lengthy survey and my symptoms are severe, obviously this week I have degraded to practically a vegetable...this afternoon being a perfect example. After the incident at the gym where the heart rate fell and stayed there for two minutes, I quit, with only one mile in, I was on the treadmill for 18 minutes at most. I was soo tired my whole body ached, and I had a mini break down in the locker room.

After lunch with David I went back to Phillis's so Kevin could get his nap in. He laid down to sleep, and I immediately laid on the couch in the family room, and passed out, i woke up a few times to a few text messages and when Phillis left to go on an errand, but I don't remember anything until I woke up at 3:15, and had 15 minutes to get to the school, I made it in 30, but that was not good for me.

Grace wouldn't talk to me on the way home until I bribed her with DQ...I fibbed to her and told her I was sick and throwing up...the throwing up part is a no go, but the nausea is real, and the tiredness is real...I feel horrible.

The clinic in Maine has treated women with both hypo and hyper and eliminated all prescription medication , some to the point where the patients are at least on the lowest dosage. Fingers crossed this is what I need and nothing more. Wish us luck.

I knew it was coming, because it's genetic...I just didn't know when. Why it had to be now I don't know. But I had gotten away from all the healhty living I had been doing for years, in the past few months, and it came around to bite me in the butt. Little did I know all the things I was doing to just be healhty in general was keeping my thyroid problems at bay. LOL It's going to take a while to get back to normal, but I'm going to do my best.

So I ask to please be patient....my confusion is just part of it, but I don't like this, and I WON'T BE THIS WAY FOR LONG...my children and David need me!

I lost my marshmallows....

Well at least I feel this way...but it's the same thing Phillis told me today when she sat down her bowl while making her famous granola/trail mix bars. YUMMY!!!

Does being abnormally tired, and confused when you wake up have anything to do with being sick, being a mom, or just plain wearing yourself out? You choose, but it has me worried. I've started writing stuff down, and now that I have a blog it's become much easier to remember things. All the way down to my short blogs done on twitter.com. LOL Just stupid stuff throughout the day. But when I wake up in the morning, I'm confused, and that's not normal for me, then when I get ready, I just feel like I'm forgetting something, ALWAYS. It's driving me nuts to feel like this.

So Day#2...grace didn't want to discuss school, not in the least bit, she was too busy complaining she was hungry all the way home. LOL This was annoying. So it's 9:17 and she's upstairs sleeping, kevin is having his rest time before "lights out" watching a movie in his bed. And I'm in my bed with the laptop...

Where's Daddy David...he's being a wonderful husband and putting a spare on my truck. Apparently a pair of scissors made their escape from the school and broke a tip off in my tire, because it didn't want me driving on them. In either case, I went outside about 45 minutes ago just to hang out and chill and talk like we normally do and looked over, and went...gee my tire is flat. And wouldn't you know it, I thought to myself when I got home that I have been fortunate not to have a FLAT TIRE because of all the work at Salem and such the like, then WHAM...a few hours later....I HAVE ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Much to my dismay, I'm keeping my BIG MOUTH SHUT from now on, talk about JINXING myself. ARRGGGGHHH!!!

I'll sneak into Grace's backpack after "lights out" to check out the things she's doing in her planner and review her homework, if there are discrepencies, she'll be up at 5 a.m. working on it...boy will she be SUPRISED!!!! Not doing that again...is hopefully the point I will make, if I find anything that will note her getting up that early. LOL

I got the gift bags packed or prize bags for Tera's bridal shower done. After I had a 15 minute cat nap...I so needed it. David said that I was falling asleep standing up, and he told me to lay down for a bit. So I did. It was well worth it. I feel much better.

Well the gym thing so far for two days has been great, I've made it there by 9 and done a full cardio on Tuesday, and then today, I did both Cardio and Weights... still fat, but what do you expect...I'm in bed with my laptop and some jellybeans...so not good. LOLOLOL...

Oh yeah I forgot to mention, the officiant at our wedding lost her nursing position. So she is doing some web stuff, and wants me to do ad copy for her. She is asking me how much I will charge, so collectively she said she'd link people to me for cake business, in favor of doing the ad copy and helping her design her pages and stuff, and getting her out there. *Fingers crossed* This may be the placement I am looking for to make some extra $$$$.

WISH ME LUCK!!!!!!

Unexpected visitors....

Do you know when you just have one of those days, and you want to be home getting your stuff done, and don't expect anyone to come calling...but yet...they DO!!!

Danny came to visit...for those of you who have a hard time keeping track, this is David's ex's eldest Daughter. She showed up with her boyfriend, and a man she called Uncle Bob..or Don or something, they both looked like they crawled out from underneath the Wabash bridge, but who am I to judge? She came calling about her fishing pole (she's going camping for her birthday). During the random babble to keep them entertained until David got home she let it slip she is due in February. Yeah David was just as shocked...but not really. What else do we expect...her sixteen year old sister is due next month.

In reality I am glad that these kids are not biological to David, but sad that Kevin is exposed to this. Danny quit her job in Lafayette at Meijer and moved to Rensselear with her unemployed boyfriend. That is a mighty stiff move since she is pregnant...but she did it. Apparently she lives in a two bedroom place with another couple, and the woman of the other couple is to be induced tomorrow, so two couples and two babies in a two bedroom place and one bathroom......do you see the line of thinking here? Little mexico is just not so good.... :0(

So anyway they got what they wanted and scoped the place out, and then got out. I have a grave feeling I need to take pics of our stuff...something is coming up missing if they get desperate.

Okay so back to the first day of school...Grace filled out page 1 of her job application. She is all about the banker position it looks like. She's good at counting money, because like her father, she's really good at spending it when she has it. Got a hole burnt in her pocket before she has left the house. LOL...but this is Grace...ho hum. I'm trying to get her to save. Kevin and her have a new savings account...Grace never had one unless my mom and dad started it finally, but they have banks with lots of change. I have never had the option until now to start one for her. Kevin had one but the ex drained and spent it...so we started a new one, and I'm proud to say it's not substantial but we've got them off to a good start. Our goal is to have $1000 in each by the end of the year.

Okay, so enough babble about that...she wants to be a banker. She got her 5 word spelling list for this week, I assume there will be more. But the words are based on a theme, called "Do the right thing"
here are the words: 1/ respect... 2/integrity...3/cooperation...4/responsibility... 5/perserverance.

Big words...gianormous in retrospect of the futile 4 to 5 letter words she was spelling last year, with HUGE meanings. I hope she grasps them all. I am feeling I need to give her "extra carricular time" with the internet and the webster dictionary to have her look up meanings and stuff. Tomorrow I may just do that.

Her schedule may latch down a bunch, she has to have two books read by October 3rd.
That will be exciting since I got her Eragon before she left on the camping trip. 497 pages. Not too bad a little light reading to start her off. LOL But the movie comes out around her birthday, so this is encouragement for her to read it. I'm excited she's willng to tackle it.

Okay, so I'm blogging once again and I have dishes to wash...but otherwise Grace said the first day of school was boring. They didn't get much work done, all they did was get told and shown where everything was. We'll see how much she paid attention as the next few weeks go on. LOLOL

Oh and stain report on the new outfit she wore to school...only two small spots of mustard (they had hot dogs), on on the skort and one on the shirt, but not full blown hand smears down either. Which is a MAJOR improvement to say the least from what I've seen before....

Okay so now it's time to do dishes and remove the stains now that I reminded myself.
LOL

Driving Ms.Grace

Today was the first day of school. Where does the day start out at, waking the house up at 6:45 to run around like crazy getting everyone ready, so we can head out...David to work...Grace to school...and Kevin and I to no where...or just crazy I haven't decided just yet.

So the schedule for us...GO TO BED WAYYYY EARLIER...Get up WAY EARLIER....and get going. By 8:30 she has to be there, and by 9, Kevin and I have an appointment at the gym for the next several months. Him at the daycare to spend an hour and a half with some other children, and me to get my lazy behind back into some major shape. Maybe lazy isn't a good word...flabby...yeah flabby will work. Blech... :0P

So by 10 we went to Phillis's house. She's so good about letting us invade her space, although she was not even here this a.m. it works out well, to use her house as the go between. My upcoming schedule is going to be insane...I forsee it coming.

August 20th is Grace's first "Study Trip", if they draw my name out of a hat, I will be chaperoning the trip also. It's half day...but the more I stay involved with her classroom experiences and things the more I can stay on top of her. Ms. Grace can be over dramatic at times...so I want to make sure she's doing her best, but they said, expect shortcomings with grades the first nine weeks with the "highly abled" because they are going to push them to their limits. Which I am happy to hear.

We met the teacher and went over basic curriculum last night at 6:30. Grace will start math placement testing tomorrow that lasts one week. Then she will be required to fill out her job application for her job she chooses on Friday for her class economy. Then the following week, she will have to interview for the position. I have to teach Gracie how to dress, and act professionally, and to sell herself for her position. This may be a lot of fun. The best part she gets paid at the end of every week....and she has to pay fines for discrepencies in homework, behaviors, etc... out of that pay. So hopefully this will teach her some valueable skills. They have a big auction in May to purchase big ticket things that are donated for this program.

To add to it all, Class pictures are September 9th...and then they required us to provide snacks for two weeks out of the year for the children. She said that the kids have a 10 minute recess with snack in the afternoons. LOL...10 minutes for recess and eating a snack! Grace will not know what to choose! She'll be lost...eat or play...eat or play....ho hum...I choose play...*I'm crossing my fingers*. So I'm three weeks away from Tera's Bridal Shower.

I keep stressing that I have so much to do, and don't know how to get it all done since I'm in transit, so I've started my lists. Tera would be so proud...I'll have to start marking things off. She likes lists and crossing things off, me on the other hand, I'm used to winging it. I don't think that process is going to be handy with school starting. My brain is frazzled as it is.

I am in the process of menu planning snacks for the shower on Sept 6 th. Along with games which are already planned, another surprise that I'm putting together that Tera "hopefully" still hasn't found out about. Cake design, and Candy created for the event. I finally picked up the last items I need to make the prize bags today, so I can get those made up and stuffed, so in a few weeks, I'll have forgotten what's in them all. LOL

I covered many things that I needed to do, but still need to get done, and covered the guest list with Tera of people who have responded and who have not. I've got my plate very full.

I may get desperate and start fulfilling most of my duties in Momma Phillis's kitchen if I am not time savy. LOLOL

Right now I am letting Kevin nap and I am waiting on 3:10 to roll around so I can head out to retrieve Ms. Grace to report later on what had happened this first miraculous day back. I'll be excited to hear and report that.

Labor Day weekend may look like I'm multi tasking also...Tera's last dress fitting is at 3:30 on the 30th...which we plan to be in south bend anyway, but wanted to take the family to the beach..so somehow I have to work that all out...So em...when you finally read this...let me know what you want to do there. I still have to work things out with David's schedule on whether or not he has to work that day and such. Where's the calendar....when you need it, okay I have it, but I dread looking at it cuz it's running out of room, and that makes me scared...so very scared. LOL

Off I go for now..I'll have to wake up a grumpy boy soon, just to get his sister, so we can go home and start home chores as soon as we walk in the door.... I'll update you all later!

Sunday Rituals....

As always, the Sunday ritual goes....we go to town, go do some light shopping, pick up the children, and go home.

And as usual...Kevin throws a fit because he doesn't want to leave, because he obviously has not spent enough time with Denise because she was not there with him. And he tells us that he hates us when he gets in the car to leave. This makes me sad, that this woman tries so hard to brainwash the boy, but eventually as with Grace, he will figure this all out on his own. It just takes patience.

With Grace once again, she gets dropped to us, and she is talking baby talk and wants to stay with her Dad, because she walks in bleeding from a picked scab into a restaurant with a nasty bloody napkin...and I tell her to get rid of it. So then she is acting like she's three.

Luckily the few stops to the grandparents, to regulate the children back into OUR family helped a TON tonight, and we came home peacefully to them quietly laying down and watching movies in their rooms, then off to sleep.

Tomorrow is David's Birthday, so we have got lots of stuff to do. And tomorrow night at 6:30 we are supposed to be at Grace's school for her drop off of supplies and to meet her classmates. This is exciting stuff!

I can't wait to see what the day holds for us, since there is so much to do!

Sand Angels

As most of you know the kids and I took a trip to visit Aunt Emily (my sister yesterday).... It was very much to the delight of the children, that once we viewed her house and then went to St Joseph Michigan to silver beach, that they ran straight for the sand and dove right in.

Much to our dismay, it was a RED FLAG DAY soo no swimming allowed the rip current was too bad, that it could endanger people's lives. :0( This did not make Grace very happy. But it was fun none the less....I have a photo album set up on Photobucket.... http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w51/bluemist1977/St%20Joseph%20Michigan%20Aug%207th/ Visit all the wonderful pictures that were taken.

Grace had a hay day taking pictures of various things around emily's house. Not only does she have an eye for object photography but I'm so proud that my sister has done such a FANTASTIC job with her house. She has all the creativity and wonder our wonderful parents have bestowed upon us. I love our genes when it comes to this stuff.

The trip was not at all horrible though...the kids got to play in the sand as you'll see in the pictures... we had a lovely picnic that emily packed for at least 6 - 8 people. LOL She's not used to having a family just yet, so I accept that...but she did great! And we waded the kids out into the waves. Let me tell you...that was extremely exciting for Kevin, he screamed like a little girl, scared at first, but continued to scream and laugh all excited, running from beach to wave, and hanging on for dear life to me and emily's hand when they were big. LOL

You were allowed to wave, but not to go out in it. After a few hours, we decided to get COFFEE...Em and I got kinda sleepy, so we stopped in at a Cafe' and got cookies for the kids and drinks. Syrupy...Iced French Vanilla Cappuccino...but none the less we drank it....It wasn't Starbucks, that's for sure. LOL Then we headed to go shopping, tour a little nesting place for shops near the beach. We found a few interesting things, and a TOY STORE that the kids picked up an item for each.

We went back to the beach after we killed some time, only to find the waves had gotten larger and that NO ONE was even wading in it by this time, so we decided to head home. :0( Not without major argument from Grace in particular, but within 15 minutes they were snoring, so it was okay we quit there.

I do believe we'll be making a trip, the WHOLE family...on Labor Day weekend to spend with Josh and Emily. I think that would be a fantastic idea. And we all can enjoy the beautiful Silver Beach together. It was fun. I loved it...and it was peaceful.

Although...a few added pics...was the hairiest man alive...who thought he was some sexy stuff...and the 4 ...13-15 yr old bimbos on the towels close to us. They set up camp while I wasn't looking, but Kevin seemed to find them. LOL...he always does. Oh geez what am I to do when he actually NOTICES NOTICES them. ARRRGGGHHH!!! As Momma Phillis always tell me, "I don't think you knew what you were getting yourself into." LOL Harsh reality is, I know...I just don't want to recognize it just yet. LOL

Teetering on the edge of the bed....

Ever wonder how a four year old can amazingly sleep on the edge of the bed closest to the nightlight, with half his body hanging off and doesn't fall? Kevin does, and I haven't figured it out. LOL

Grace's room is now done, I went on a 3 hr hunt yesterday to find the molds to start the candies I so desperately wanted to start yesterday to discover we had put them above the closet in our bedroom in the cubbies that I can't reach without a 6ft ladder. We found them when David got home.

Sadly enough the storm with straight line winds took out three of our lovely sunflowers, they didn't even have the flower but were taller than the field corn. They almost look like trees, I was so proud of those beauties. :0( But hopefully the one's that were saved will give us enough seeds to do them again next year.

Again the wind took down another 5 gallon bucket of apples yesterday. So we did our first batch of applesauce, soooo coming soon to a home near you, you'll prolly get some. We put no preservatives in it, so it has to be eaten quickly. But it was oh so yummy. Yummy enough Grace came downstairs to say she smelled something OOOOHHHH SOOO DELICIOUS....she could not sleep. LOL (Grace and food *shaking my head*)

My BFF Tera is now a published author and I'm sooo happy about that. She received a request to edit some parts of her story and then a contract. It'll be available online at first, but if things go well it may go to print. So I'll keep you all posted. This is exciting news for all of us, she's be striving to do this for a while, and I am soooo happy for her! Congrats Tera! She edits books on the side, so to publish your own instead of getting others published, is awesome stuff! She is also headed for an MRI today for her knee which has caused her some severe pain for a while. So prayers and lots of luck, that it's only some simple cartilage that needs to be removed. I know my fingers are crossed.

Today is going to be one of those days that I stay in town most of it. It's Wednesday, so the kids and I will go to lunch with Daddy, since the past two days they've been BEGGING...then off to bug Grandma if she's home. Grandma Phillis that is. :0) I can buff her window sill that I've been desperately wanting to finish since I started the project about two and half weeks ago. It's pretty much done except for a few areas that need to be buffed. To fill you in, instead of repainting it in her dining room, David and I decided to refinish it...It is beautiful wood. So I redid it to go with her furniture in her dining room. :0)

Yeah I have lots more apples to prepare, and David and I are setting out to find a ladder that is going to help us in the journey of picking more to prepare. I'd get a 15' ladder although I don't know where I'd strap it to. Especially to get it home. Sad, but true. It would be so blantanly obvious that I drove the truck in town today. Wanted it to be a surprise....oooh I have an idea.

Tomorrow is the big day to go to South Bend and then the beach in Michigan if the weather is fair....SO I hope all is still okay with the plan!

Grace's room is now done, but will be added as the time goes on. David suggested that things be added slowly. He's enjoying it, he's already come up with ideas. I will post pictures as soon as I can.

Flowers, and butterflies...

So Grace and I worked on her bedroom yesterday, she cleaned while I was in attendance painting her room. David was against painting at first, but I asked again and he said okay. After all the paint work I've been doing, he's been less and less apprehensive about the results. LOL

It's really lightened the dungeon of an attic/bedroom that Grace has. Her room is the biggest in the house, fits two twin beds, two desks, a table (which is now not there) two closets, and lots of space to run in, and did I mention she has a tv in her room too? Yeah she's got the biggest space around here.

It's coming along. I have two more spaces to paint, then it's flowers and butterflies to be added on. I'm stoked.

Today I'm also going to start making favor candies for Tera's bridal shower....at least I hope, and I still have a bushel of Granny Smith's to deal with today, so wish me luck on that. I am NOT going to town today, that's for sure, I have too much to do here.

I will have cramps in my hand from the work ahead, I already do...LOL So more ibuprofren and lots of work for me.

One week from now will be David's Birthday!

David will be 49 on Monday of next week! He's just left for work and I already miss him, but I woke up with bells on this morning. There is definitely something about going to bed at 10...and being asleep by 10:45 that is awesome. I read him a few chapters from a book I bought Tera as a gift last year, and she has not had time to read, so guess what, I'm reading it! I'll give it back when I'm done.

It's amazing how the simple things in life can put a smile on your face, but I snuggled with him for 10 minutes or so, just to be sure he was smiling when he left and so was I. I love that man.
So now it's to plan for his birthday. Saturday is taken, Nikki is meeting us for lunch on Saturday at 130 at Nine Irish Brothers. We will not have the kids until the following weekend. :0( Then it comes to pass that David will have to work until 8 p.m. on his actual birthday. :0( Which makes me a displeased woman also. Saturday evening we will be attending a dinner with Tera and Myles then heading to Cox's and anyone who would like to join is welcome. Dinner we are not sure where it will be just yet. But although they mentioned that dinner at The Hour Time sounded like good repayment for all the work at Salem, David keeps mentioning eating prime rib at the hole in the wall Parkside Deli, which you'll hear no complaints from me. That place is fantabulous and more our style! Low Key and you can have a cold beer with your dinner. The air conditioning in the place last time we were there, couldn't even keep up, but yeah that's David and I. LOL

The kids are not up yet, so I'm basking in the glory of having peace for at least an hour or so before they do, so I sit down to the laptop to pay bills, and ck on the world, then babble on my blog so everyone is up to date.

I already know that we are having beef chuck roast for dinner...cuz well I had to go pull it out of the freezer to thaw. LOL Oh and Granny Smith has blessed us, and we have a bushel of beautiful huge Granny Smith's I have to figure out what I'm doing with today also. I'm going to be doing some painting and reorganizing in Grace's room this week, but Thursday we will be making a trip to South Bend to see my sister emily and her new house, and go to Michigan to hang at St Joe Lake's beach. She's stoked about that and so am I.

Wish me luck on the following day, and if there are any suggestions on anyone else on what they want to do to celebrate David's bday, let me know. The kids and I will be planning festivities for the following week, because we have no option there, and Monday just won't be feasible.

Wishing you all well!

Sprinklers Rock....

So I received Grace back today at approx 330 p.m. She was psyched to be home.

I was at Tera and Myles yesterday painting their purple bathroom, yet another purple in my life erradicated! (No I don't know how to spell the word, but purple is gone and you get what I mean) ROCK ON!!!! DRUMROLL PLEASE!!! Although it did not come without consequence of me putting my foot thru the lid of a five gallon bucket, covering my new balance workout shoe in paint, and filling my sock, spraining my ankle, her taking pictures and laughing at me, then half hour later, the words that you don't want to hear spewing from Tera's mouth after a big crash....to find she'd spilled a half gallon of white paint in her carpet in her office that she is trying to finish....yeah I guess she shouldn't had laughed at me. LOL

So I made up a poem last night when the guys got back from Salem. Cuz they ran into every project with an issue with electrical over there yesterday too. But my poem was...foot in a bucket, carpet full of paint, two rooms painted, and wine is our saint. LOL We relaxed after a long day with a beer for the guys, a glass of wine for Tera and I, and Kevin inside watching the fantastic four, Steak and Au Gratin potatoes...Yeah you can guess it was nice to chill for the evening, after all we've all been working until 10-11 p.m. for two weeks.

So Grace was received today with a bunch of clothes, a minnow in a folger's plastic coffee container, and all kinds of stories to tell. She is now the Kayak queen and she was an infomercial yesterday when she called telling me her uncle Eric was willing to sell the child sized kayak to me for $200...that's a negatory ghostwriter. Even her dad said no. 1...it's the end of the season, and 2...we have yet to be the water this year other than David and I's honeymoon. We haven't even gotten the kids to water this year other than the pool in the yard, that we deflated while Grace was gone.

Once again, I went grocery shopping, and shoe shopping for the family, Kevin's toes are hanging over then ends of all his sandals, David has no tread left on the bottom of his lovely work shoes, and I have to have shoes for the dress for Tera's wedding, that is a foot too long...so not only do I have to alter the dress, but wear some comfy 4" underneath it. LOL No complaintes there. And Grace needs gym shoes for school.

So why do sprinkler's rock...cuz the kids are out playing in it.
Kevin thanked Grace on the way home for fixing his wagon while he was gone, then by the time he got back, she'd left for her trip so literally the kids haven't seen each other in two weeks. But he told her, oh thank you grace, you will be my sister forever. That one is priceless.

And now I have to go spank some kids, cuz they are seeing who's going to get in trouble first, by running into the garage dripping yet to tell on each other for touching mom's copper sprinkler GARRR......paint sticks hurt when your bottom is all wet. LOLOLOL

I believe....

This came from my friend Steph from Kenosha, Wisconsin...she has her own Cake Business....but it's well worth the read....

I Believe...A Birth Certificate shows that we were born.
A Death Certificate shows that we died.Pictures show that we lived!Have a seat . . . Relax . . . And read this slowly.

I Believe...That just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do love each other.

I Believe...That we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I Believe...That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I Believe...That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I Believe... That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I Believe...That it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I Believe...That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I Believe... That you can keep going long after you think you can't.

I Believe...That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I Believe...That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I Believe...That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I Believe...That money is a lousy way of keeping score .

I Believe...That my best friend and I, can do anything, or nothing and have the best time.

I Believe...That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.

I Believe...That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I Believe...That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I Believe...That it isn't always enough, to be forgiven by others. Sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I Believe...That no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I Believe...That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but, we are responsible for who we become.

I Believe...That you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life Forever.

I Believe... Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I Believe...That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

I Believe...That even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.

I Believe...That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I Believe...That the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.'The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything.'

Poodle Poop...Cat Vomit...and Laptop Tears

That's what I feel like today, that's what I've dealt with already, and it's only 8:15 a.m.!

So last night we stayed at Salem until 11 p.m. and left the crew there. Kevin and I were there at one thirty, and he took a nap at Salem. And I worked for the rest of the day. David came over when he got off of work.

So I have managed to work myself into a frenzy, once again tired and worn out, bruised, beaten, and sore, and happy I accomplished so much. Thrilled that I was able to help two of the closest most wonderful friends I know! I told David last night as we were getting ready to go to sleep it's been wonderful and rewarding, and he said he knew exactly what I was talking about. Otherwise I would have sat around all week fretting about my daughter whom I haven't seen in almost a week and a half, she'll be home on Sunday, thank goodness!

I get up this morning without stepping in the cat vomit..right in the middle of the bathroom floor, then finding that treasure to clean it up a few minutes later, when my eyes were really open. LOL (Oh and yes Josh, I'm an extremely happy person) SO i reallly do LOL all the time. I managed to do my routine of taking the poodle out to go Potty...but she gets distracted by the other dogs food bowl sometimes, though she did go outside for a few. We managed to get our showers in this morning before she left her pleasant surprise in the dining room floor. David said, "We can't win with these two." LOL So yeah between the cat and the poodle...that's an eventful morning.

Laptop tears...man they don't mix, you should not cry on your lap top. With all the adrenaline I've been producing and hormones....yeah the typical woman thing...I cried, because I was happy, sad, and cuz I love my friends and family so much.

Poor little kevin is still sacked out and I assume he will be until I get him up here shortly, normally he likes to find me for my morning hug, I think I'll go snuggle with him til he's awake. :0) That might just turn the day around. :0)

There's lots to do and I've already accomplished yet another list of things I have to get at the store while I was showering...it never stops. And then it's to lunch with David, and some other stuff at home again.....for now....