My Musings (World Famous in Dayton)

Yes I'm still here.....

2009-07-03T22:58:00.002-05:00

I know you all (or as they say down here, Y'all) have been wondering what has happened to me.

(The sounds of crickets chirping in the background.)

Really? Not one person has been wondering? Oh well, I'll tell you anyways.

1. Well, we are currently in Round 3 of the "Department of Labor won't pay back pay until you can show us you are injured" battle. You would think that after working on this problem with them for 5 years I would have gotten use to the red tape. Nope, not a bit. Oh well, hopefully after they see the Husband MRI results they will realize that he is injured. Not that the constant pain isn't a big screaming clue.

2. Bear finished Kindergarten with flying colors. Well he could have done better with the discipline, but he's a boy in the country. What I worry about is when Bug goes to school and I get the first call that he has bitten someone. That call will come. Bear made some wonderful friends and I hope that in 9 years when they are all in high school I can embarrass them with pictures from Kindergarten. Moms are allow to do things like that.

3. We're going to Walt Disney World at the end of July. The boys, my mom, my sister and I. At the "Most Magical Place on Earth." I think the boys will like it. I also think that after driving down to Orlando & back (didn't I mention that?) I will need a vacation.

Well I think that is all for now. Have a Happy Fourth of July. Don't eat too much. Don't drink too much. And don't forget which end of the sparkler to hold!

Oh, the Strangeness

2009-05-06T06:20:00.003-05:00

I woke up this morning and had a wonderful surprise. After getting the coffee going and the dog outside, I turned on the morning news. As my wandering mind often does, I started to look through the channels. When I found one of the movies I could easily say is one of my guilty pleasures. Can't Stop the Music. Where else do you have a movie that not only has current reality stars Bruce Jenner & Steve Gutenburg, but also has the Village People. Throw in a little Valerie Perrine and Baby June Havoc (Gypsy Rose Lee's baby sister), a lot of catch songs that get stuck in your head, and New York City of late 70's and then you've got a movie. This is one of the movies that I remember vividly from my childhood. Others are Xanadu, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts' Club Band, and Popeye. I had strange tastes when I was young. Now I need to go. It's time for the "Milkshake" song.

Oink, Oink, Cough, Cough

2009-05-04T20:36:00.002-05:00

This is getting ridiculous. This morning I found out that the school district to the east of ours was shut down due to the chance there was a student who might have the Swine Flu (sorry, pig farmers out there, H1N1). So if this child has the dreaded virus, the whole district (which probably has 3,000 students total K-12) will be shut down for the remainder of the week. Which means that the parents of the students who work must find a friend or relative to watch the children that are not sick but must stay home or take unnecessary days off from work. That's going to do wonders for the local economy. So now we wait. Maybe this will cause our district to take a few days off before the actual end of year. At least I stay home, so I won't have to take a day off. On the contrary, I will have to work harder.

That's Some Heavy Music!

2009-04-10T13:02:00.002-05:00

I have finally been allowed to listen to my music while I drive the Bear & Bug around. For months I have been stuck in an endless cycle of The Nightmare Before Christmas and George of the Jungle soundtracks. Last night when driving to the Bear's T-ball game (his team the A's lost the Yankees 21-6, or as the Husband say, "Just like the big leagues!") I took control of the music. We listened to the Romeo + Juliet soundtrack. I actually got thee kiddos to groove to the music. We also listened to Weird Al's Running With Scissors, so the boys got a kick out the "The Saga Begins" and the Polka Song.
While I did get to listen many of my CDs last night (yes I still use CDs), I think I pulled a muscle while lifting my CD case today. I have yet to convert to the digital medium of MP3s. Although I do think it would be funny if the iTunes store saves your preferences based on the music you have loaded on your iPod. I don't think those algorithims were designed to deal with a person who like Gershwin & Meat Loaf. The thought of confounding Apple is enough incentive to get an iPod.

Now that you're here, Now that you're near....

2009-03-21T23:33:00.002-05:00

It's Xanadu! One of my most favorite movies since I 5. Tonight as I was flipping through the channels of basic cable while the whole house slept, I saw that there was a strange confluence of Olivia Newton-John, Electric Light Orchestra, roller skating, Greek mythology and Gene Kelly. Xanadu. Ah the strange fashions of the early 80s (leg warmers, zoot suits, electric orange jumpsuits) along with a crazy soundtrack featuring OLJ & ELO. A match made in heaven, or Olympus to be more exact. Throw in a dash of Gene Kelly and we're set. I am so sure that I tortured my parents by listening to the album, trying to roller skate on the living room carpet. I remember on a trip to Seattle begging my parents to take me to Mount St. Helens because I thought that was where the muses were (I misheard the movie, but to my defense it was a BetaMax tape) and utterly disappointed when I didn't see them dancing around. I am completely certain that this movie was 100% responsible for my love of Greek Mythology. The only thing that makes tonight even better. The last 30 minutes of Hackers. Why can't we have such cool computers now?

The Muse Has Returned

2009-03-18T12:40:00.002-05:00

I know it's been a month since my last post. I just couldn't write anymore. I don't know why, but I'm back now. I'm busy as all get out with the Bear's T-ball practice. Tonight the team is having a scrimmage, which will be the first time many of these kids have been on a baseball field. It will be fun to watch. I'm exhausted. I have to be at the school to pick Bear up. He gets out of school at 3:30, but I have to be there early to "line up". The earlier, the better, so I'm there at 2:45. And I wait. With a 2 year old in the back. Then it's back home for him to change, usually home by 4:00. Then we leave at 5:00 (around the same time the school bus is dropping the kids off!) to back up to town for practice at 5:30. I spend the next hour and a half chasing the Bug around a field that is about 2 football fields in size. This week has been even more fun since we had so much rain last week that the field is more mud & water than grass. At least tonight, the scrimmage is at 6:00. But it's further away from my house. So I'll probably leave earlier. Oh how I can't wait for a vacation.

Day 18

2009-02-18T10:59:00.002-06:00

#18. I do not understand the fascination with Sweet Tea. I like Iced Tea. It's refreshing, especially in the south in the summer. What I don't understand is why when I go to a restaurant and ask for tea, I will inevitable be served sweet tea. I try to tell by smelling it, but it always takes a taste test. Blech! How hard is it ask the customer? Or better yet, only serve unsweetened tea, and provide sweetener on the side. Much easier.

Day 17

2009-02-18T10:53:00.003-06:00

#17. I went through the "black clothing" phase. In high school. I would claim it was because I was on the theater crew, so we needed to wear black to keep from being seen. Yeah....OK. I even dyed my hair black. The week before my senior picture was taken. Ask my mom what she thought about that. So, I've finally gotten out of that phase. I wear colors now. Dark colors, but colors. Mom would be proud.

Day 16

2009-02-17T11:29:00.002-06:00

(A day late, but here none the less!)

#16. I love History. When we moved to our new home, I want to know everything about the area we were moving to. Not just about the schools and where the nearest grocery store is, but the people that have lived here over the years. At the church we go to, I love hearing stories from everyone about what they did before moving to the area as well as the stories of the people who have always lived here. I find it fascinating that there is a lady at church who had a monkey as a pet! I want to know about the floods that have impacted the area. I want know what is it that brought all these people to this spot at this time.

Day 15

2009-02-15T07:19:00.002-06:00

Half way through. Thank goodness it's just February!

#15. I love to read. Pretty much anything. There are times I will cereal boxes just so I am reading something. This love of reading will get me to wander through Wikipedia, clicking on links, reading about stranger and stranger things. But it all ends up in my vault of useless knowledge.

Day 14

2009-02-14T07:17:00.003-06:00

#14. I love holidays. I like to celebrate. It makes me feel happy because I can make others feel happy. My husband doesn't. I still haven't figured out why he is like that. So what would you think I'm doing on this Valentine's Day? Well probably the same thing I do on any given Saturday which is to clean up after all 3 of my boys. But tonight I do get to do something different. The church we go to is having a Valentine's Dinner. It should be very nice. I get watch the kids in the nursery. Well that is the job I was hired to do.

Day 13

2009-02-13T15:56:00.002-06:00

#13. I think 13 is a cool number. Friday the 13th is even better. My husband however is so scared of "Friday the 13th" that he will stay inside to avoid bad luck. So I am having a long day of my husband staying home. Only 2 more times this year!

Day 12

2009-02-12T09:22:00.002-06:00

#12. I love British television. I'm not an expert on it, I just love the shows that they produce. As I write this, I have a DVD of Brideshead Revisited playing. I watch Are You Being Served?, Monty Python, and Doctor Who regularly. Ten years before House, I had watched Hugh Laurie play Bertie Wooster in Jeeves and Wooster. Now if you want to see what a superb actor Hugh Laurie is, watch both shows back to back. Then you can tell me what a great actor you think he is. I already know.

Day 11

2009-02-10T12:44:00.002-06:00

#11. I could never be a vegetarian. It's not that I won't eat vegetarian dishes. I actually eat tofu by choice. Most people I meet around here have either never heard of tofu or they think it's some strange hippie food. Anyways, back to the topic. I love meat. If they could find a way to make bacon vegetarian, and still be just as tasty, I'll be there. What is so funny about this is that my oldest son will eat vegetables before meat. I'm sure it's a phase, but if he wants to go veggie, I'll be there for him. So long as he doesn't mind the aroma of bacon, we'll do just fine.

Day 10

2009-02-10T10:53:00.002-06:00

#10. I love Sci-Fi. Most people see a spaceship on a TV show or movie screen and run the other way. I don't know if it's because they can't grasp the "sciency" part of it, or they would just rather muddle their head in a Ashton Kutcher flick. If the Sci-Fi show has something about time travel in it, I am there. Somehow I can separate timelines easily. And it bothers me when screenwriters write stupid time travel. Timecop is the best example of that kind of writing. Wouldn't a super secret agency that patrols the "time stream" have officers that understood that they could change time, and therefore they may not come back to the same "future"? Anytime Jean-Claude "Do you realize I'm Belgian?" Van Damme returns form the past, he's surprised at the changes that have occured. Even though he is at, or sometimes the cause of, the time changing event. Ah, but then that was only an action movie, and thankfully we've past all those movie-event times. But who knows?

Day 9

2009-02-09T14:02:00.002-06:00

#9. I hate being sick. To the point I won't even throw up. And why am I writing on this lovely topic? I think I'm sick. With the flu. After having a flu shot. The wonders of modern medicine.

Day 8

2009-02-07T22:24:00.002-06:00

#8. I worry a lot. Not in a paralyzing, can't get out of bed worry, just the every day worries. I worry that my son's school hasn't gotten rid of tainted peanut butter. I don't sit by the phone waiting for the call, but I do trust that the school district has already taken care of it. My biggest worries come from my husband's direction. Every day my husband goes to work, I worry that I'll the call from the government saying there was an accident as his airport. Although with the amount of time I spend online, I'd probably be calling them after reading a local report. And they will tell me a training exercise or some other junk.

Day 7

2009-02-06T09:48:00.003-06:00

#7. Seven (or number equally divided by 7) show up all over my life. My birthday is the 28th (in 1977!). My husband's is the 7th. Our oldest son was was born on December 7th (another great day in history, but that's another post!). Of my stepchildren, one was born on the 14th and the other was born on the 7th. I would include our anniversary (7/1) but we chose that date, so it doesn't really count. Other numbers show up, but since I look for 7 that's all I see. My sister sees 3s everywhere. Even in my freckles.

Day 6

2009-02-04T16:07:00.002-06:00

#6. I have a great range of music tastes. Currently I have in my truck I have Johnny Cash, Nightmare Before Christmas, Sweeney Todd, Bride & Prejudice, George Gershwin, Mozart, Aerosmith, and the Wiggles. Granted the Wiggles CD is not mine, but there are times I like to listen to it. I also like Zydeco, Swing, and Metal. The only "style" of music I can not get my head around is Rap. It has never appealed to me. Hopefully I'm extending my love of music to my boys. I just hope that by the time they are teenagers 80's music is back in style. Tears for Fears rocks.

Day 5

2009-02-04T13:34:00.002-06:00

#5. I love living in the country, even though I miss parts of city life. I love that I can go outside at night and see stars. Lots of stars. It is a humbling sight, when you realize that the universe is that huge. I love that I can not hear my neighbors through the walls and, conversely, they can not hear me. I can breathe the air here and I can not see it! But then I miss the noise. Not the car alarms, ambulance & police sirens, or gun shots, but the different sounds that come from people talking and enjoying each others' company. Also, I miss the ability to go to the grocery store at 2am, just because I want to.

Day 4

2009-02-04T06:24:00.003-06:00

#4. I'm queen of Useless Knowledge. I don't know why, but I collect useless bit of trivia. It's like belly button lint in my brain, you know it's there, but you have no idea how it got there. It does make me fun when watching Jeopardy. And solving crossword puzzles. I think part of it comes from reading so much. Maybe from the osmosis of growing up with my dad and all of his books. I don't dislike having all of this in my brain. I just wish that I had a Pensive so I could store things that I don't always need, and have plenty of space for more important things. Example: I could take my Harry Potter knowledge out and have plenty of room for the dry weight of an octopus.

Day 3

2009-02-03T09:08:00.002-06:00

#3. I have 3 loves-My family, food, and movies. I will do anything to protect my family. Which includes my husband, kids, parents, sister, in-laws (yes I do like them!), friends and various cousins. As long as it's legal, I'll be there to help.
As far as food goes, I have found a love for cooking. I'll find a recipe and fiddle with it until I get it where I want it. Then I change it around again. Just to see if I can make it better. My sister says I should have my own Food Network show. Well if I did, it would probably be like Iron Chef, but in a home environment. For the mom who realizes that she doesn't have everything and she doesn't have time to go to the store to get something else. I sweep in and look round her fridge and pantry and make a meal her family will love. It's a dream.
Now movies. My husband will call me from work to ask me about "That movie where the guy from that Scotland/Africa movie breaks into a house and it's got Jodie Foster. What's it's name?" I can answer those questions. Not because I've seen all of these movies, but I read about them. And yes I've seen a great deal of movies. I'm just like that.

Day 2

2009-02-01T22:09:00.002-06:00

#2. My Grandma Judy (Dad's Mom) was born in Punxsutawney, PA. The place where the groundhog is. I always thought it was cool. I also thought of February as her month. She was born on Leap Day. Last year she would have had her 22nd birthday. It reminds me of Pirates of Penzance. Except my grandma wasn't a pirate apprentice. She was a postal employee. She ended her career in Mendocino, CA. I loved to visit her up there. I think that's where I got into my head that I would like the east coast for college. One of these days, I hope to take my husband and kids up there so they can see a different part of California.

Day 1

2009-02-01T06:56:00.002-06:00

On Facebook, I've been seeing my friends write notes about 25 random things about them. I was thinking about how I could adjust it a bit. Here's my contribution. Each day this month I'm going to tell a random thing about myself. And I will explain it a bit as well. There will probably be pictures. Don't say I didn't warn you. On to the list.

#1. I really love being a mom. Growing up I thought I would have a career. I knew I'd get married and have kids eventually, but I thought I could do both. Well, I've found that I couldn't do both. I didn't want to do both. I sort of worry about what will happen when my youngest goes to school. I probably will get a job at one of the small stores around here, but my kids come first.
When I talk about my kids, most people think I'm talking about my 6 & 2 years olds. I also consider my stepson one of my boys. He's barely 10 years younger than me (by 2 weeks) but I treat him the same as the little ones. If he needs me, I'm there as much as if my biological kids need me. That is the part of being a mom that has amazed me.

My boys in their natural habitat.

It's My Birthday

2009-01-28T11:18:00.003-06:00

Well today is my birthday. I'm 32 and not afraid to tell everyone I see. My mom just called me for birthday wishes and I told her happy birthday, at least to her liver. She had a transplant 12 years ago, so I suppose it's like having a little brother whose birthday is also yours. You can't help but remember the date.
Anyhow, I've been up since 6am, got the Bear ready for school, roasted, ground & brewed coffee for the Husband, picked up the dry-cleaning, went to the gym and came home. I didn't expect my husband to have miraculously decorated the house while I was gone, but a "Happy Birthday" would have been nice. Three hours later, and I'm still waiting for him to put it together.

I love Netflix

2009-01-06T11:29:00.002-06:00

I love all kinds of movies. Musicals, foreign films, dramas, chick flicks, really bad B-movies. I don't love every movie, but I can tolerate a wide variety. A perfect example is the few times of the year my husband decides he wants to watch a few movies in one day. He will look through the movies we have and pick 3. And without a doubt they will be Gladiator, Braveheart, and We Were Soldiers. To be watched in that order. I have nothing against those movies. I just can't watch them in one day. One after the other. Just to be fair, he watches other movies too, but those 3 are joined together. The only time he watches them separately is when they happen to be on TNT or something like that.
Back to the original track. I was thinking of the movies I've watched this year because of Netflix. I watched My Favorite Year with Peter O'Toole. I love watching that movie, especially with my dad. Thankfully, BBC America just happened to be showing it Christmas night, when my parents and sister had come down from San Francisco for a visit. So while I felt a little sorry for my mom and sister having to sit through a movie that my dad and I can quote word for word, it felt really good to be able to quote a movie word for word and have a partner.
The Disney Channel had the cartoon Alice in Wonderland on during the Christmas break. I think it's alright as an introduction, I started to think of my favorite version of Alice. I remember watching a live version of it on PBS when I was little. What I remembered from it was the costumes, props and backdrops seemed to come from the actual books (I was maybe 6 or 7 at the time). So I set upon to find a copy of it, because the last copy I had of it was a 1983 BetaMax tape that my parents graciously taped for me. So I looked online, and found out that Netflix had it. And so this weekend, I watched with my 6 year old Bear. He loved it. He would ask me if the actors were real, because mice aren't really as big as little girls (BTW, Nathan Lane played the Mouse!). After telling him they were actors in costumes, he enjoyed it even more. I found myself remembering it far more than I thought. Maybe as he gets older he will want to watch My Favorite Year with his Mom & PeePaw.

I don't want to be a Nitpicker.......

2009-01-01T23:26:00.003-06:00

I know that 2009 is not even 24 hours old (at least here in Southeast Texas) but I'd already like a refund, please! The Bear decided he wanted to stay at a friend's house last night instead of partying with his parents. I guess I need to learn sooner rather than later that my kids are going to want to spend New Year's Eve with friends, but I didn't expect him to start at 6 years old. Oh well. He had fun. However......
When he got back this morning I noticed he was scratching his head. After looking at his hair and scalp for bug bites, I saw the dreaded nits. My little boy had lice! After several moments of scratching my own head, I looked at the Bug's head, and thankfully there was nothing there. But I still had to deal with the Bear.
So off to the neighborhood Walgreen's. After searching for the Rid and nit combs, I finally find the boxes on a bottom shelf, wedged between the blue-hair rinse and the hair straightener. Then I noticed the strange thing. The shelf was surprisingly bare. Was there a lice outbreak I wasn't notified of? What crazy Christmas Vacation stories are the kids going to come back with on Monday? Whatever. I picked up enough poisoned shampoo for the boys, my husband and I, just in case. I also picked up 4 plastic shower caps that my mom suggested I get. Thanks Mom!
Back home we went. I decided it would be better to wait until my husband got home so I could have help. I didn't think it would be as bad as washing the dog or cat (yes I've bathed my cat, but that's a story for another day). Boy was I wrong. Bear was easy. Well as easy as keeping a 6 year old boy with itchy scalp from scratching his scalp. Then on with the shower cap. Bug saw the "hat" and wanted one too. Great! This should be really easy, a willing victim, I mean customer. After having Bug run from the bathroom twice, I realized I should probably lock the door. At least he'd be confined. Saturate the hair, throw a cap on, and back to living room to wait. After 30 minutes, Bug decided he had worn the hat long enough and took it off then jumped on the new couch. Oh well, at least it'll keep the bad bugs off the furniture. Off to the shower!
Try to explain to a 2 year old anything. Especially that if he doesn't close his eyes the water will hurt them. It never works. The screams echoed loudly, but the Kiddos were clean. Then they passed out after getting PJs on. The night is almost over, then my husband wants me to look at his hair. Thank goodness, he's fine. Then he looks at my hair. And right now I'm waiting my 30 minutes with a shower cap on my head. 2009 is going to be a great year!

Have You Ever Wondered....

2008-12-19T07:08:00.003-06:00

What 9 dozen cookies look like?

There you are. That 108 cookies. From left to right, gingerbread, lemon-berry jamwiches and peanut butter. All made from scratch yesterday. And if I know the Bear's Kindergarten classmates, I won't bring a single one home. Thank goodness!

Snow! In Southeast Texas?!

2008-12-11T06:20:00.005-06:00

Well the weather got colder here. Drastically colder. Tuesday we almost hit 80 degrees. I sent the Bear to Kindergarten in shorts and a T-shirt. Tuesday night it started to get colder. And colder. Yesterday, Wednesday, the weather was cold and wet. I wrapped myself in 2 quilts, sweats, woolly socks, a hoodie & a jacket. The Bug was contend to run around the house in a long sleeve shirt and sweat pants. I still haven't figured out that Law of Thermodynamics. As the day progressed it got colder and then the rain turned to sleet. But the time Husband got home, it was full fledged snow. The boys played in the snow and threw mini-snowballs.
Consider that 3 months ago we were on the road, fleeing from Hurricane Ike. But last night, the damage that is still around was forgotten. What economy? Snow bring a bit of joy to this family. We all slept soundly, under 3 blankets, but soundly. Wonderful snowy dreams. Then I woke up and saw this.And this.
I forgot how quiet and beautiful it is after a snowfall. I know it's not going to last, but the memories will always be there. As well as the knowledge that because it will be in the 50s later today, I will not have to shovel it.

Never hit "Reply All"

2008-11-21T17:12:00.002-06:00

Recently I got an e-mail from the Alumnae Association at the high school I graduated from. It was for Career Day which I was not planning on attending or participating in due to the fact that I live 2000 miles from the school. But that was just the beginning. In the past 2 days I have gotten something like 40 e-mails all because 1 person hit the "Reply All" button. Most of the ladies have thought the situation funny and a great way of reconnecting. There are those who are wholly annoyed by the entire thing. As for me. I just sit back, read the e-mails, and laugh to myself. And keep far away from the "Replay All" button.

Cold, Day 30

2008-11-14T16:14:00.002-06:00

I am now approaching the end of my month with this darned cold. Now I'm stuck with this lovely lingering cough. A nice dry hacking cough. That gets worse when I breathe deep. So I'm probably dealing with oxygen deprivation along with the freaking cough. I did go to the doctor today. He said that I have a cold. No really? That's why I'm coughing my lungs out. So he gave me cough pills (non-drowsy!) and anti-biotics. Maybe by this time next week I'll be better. If not, I will sure have fun on the run up to Thanksgiving.

Go Vote

2008-11-04T10:42:00.002-06:00

My family is political. Not as in extremely vocal about our political beliefs, but political as in my dad works in politics. He has told me about the times he took me to polls as he checked on the locations to make sure all was running smoothly. And I've been to many election day lunches where the adults didn't mind hearing the opinions of a 12 year old. And then there were the political parties where I met different candidates. Those were fun because the candidate would come up and introduce themselves and I would say "OK". But that was California politics.
Down here in Texas things are so much different. It's a red state, where Republicans will win the presidential race. So I haven't seen a great many Obama or McCain ads. Also I live in a county where there are around 45,000 registered voters. So I'm not a "need to get" voter. But I vote.
I vote because I am over 18 years old. I vote because I am a United States Citizen. I vote because I am a mother. But most importantly, I vote because if I don't vote I have no right to complain.
So go vote. That way when things go wrong, you can complain.

My Love of Pomegranates

2008-11-03T14:20:00.005-06:00

I must say how much I love Fall. I love Halloween & Thanksgiving. When I lived in Rhode Island, I got to enjoy my first honest to goodness leaf changing Fall, followed closely by first real winter, complete with 100 inches of snow. But my favorite part of fall is the fruit. I know it's fall when I see the pomegranates and fresh cranberries in the produce section. I remember my grandmother giving me my first taste of pomegranate seeds. It was the most amazing feeling of squirt and crunch with a wonderful tart sweet taste. Messy yes, but well worth it. It was always a special treat because they were hard to find. Now pomegranates are everywhere. I've seen everything from pomegranate juice and tea to ice cream to soap to candles to lip balm. And I do admit that I have probably tried every single product with pomegranate in it (I have pomegranate perfume), not a year has gone by that I have not bought fresh pomegranates. And in this house I can't buy 1 and be done with it. Every week I need to buy at least 4. We all eat them, including the picky 5 year old Bear. My 2 year old Bug calls them "candy fruit". Just a small family addiction.

Sad Day

2008-11-02T17:38:00.003-06:00

Well, the puppy belonged to our neighbor two houses down. They didn't realize the puppy wasn't there until this morning when they came back. And now they have left again, with the puppy presumably in the house they aren't staying at. I don't understand their reasoning, but I know that my boys took it fairly well. My Bear understood that the puppy belonged to another little boy and actually was the one to hand the puppy over. Everyday he grows up a little bit more. The Bug was crying for a bit, but his little 2 year old mind has gotten past it. I am in awe over how they react to life's lessons.
My husband says that maybe we'll get another puppy. He only said this to me, well out of range of the boys. I don't know if we will anytime soon. I think it will be a while.

Happy Halloween, Part Deux!

2008-10-31T23:02:00.006-05:00

Well all of my goblins are asleep, including the 3 (yes I said 3) four legged ones. I, however, cannot rest until I share the joys of our Halloween.
First the costumes. Pre Trick or Treating.

There's the Pirate King and the Jolly Roger. And we already had the sword.

And now the Post Trick or Treating pictures.

Well the Jolly Roger became the Great Pumpkin. After 15 minutes in the skeleton costume, Little Bug decided he didn't like it. Thankfully, I still had last year's costume. And double thanks that he still fit in it. We walked around the block and they got plenty of candy. We weren't so lucky with Trick or Treaters. Only 6 came by the house. Now I have around 4 pounds of candy in the house. If anyone needs a pound and a half of candy corn, just come on over.

By the way, I did mention that I got all 3 four legged creatures down for the night. We got a new puppy this week. It found us on the coldest day this week. After a few day, we finally broke down and said we would keep him. And named him. So joining the motley crew of Mac, the miniature schnauzer, and Tabitha, the calico, we have Bojangles, the mutt.

Aren't they adorable?

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T06:36:00.002-05:00

This is hands down my favorite holiday. Actually it's tied with Thanksgiving, but I like that holiday for a completely different reason. Back to Halloween. I love that today is the one day of the year that it's acceptable for adults to be like a kid. Kids get to be goofy. I always loved seeing the costumes at school. I remember at my elementary school there would be a contest for best costume. One year my mom made me a hobo clown costume. She didn't go out and buy it from the store, she made it. I can't remember it, but I've seen the pictures, and I will say I looked cute. As I got older I got to be a surgeon, in full scrubs, that won me the best costume award! Thank you, Claudia! My favorite was the year in high school where I dressed as death. I had the black robe with hood and I covered my face in white makeup. The best reaction I had to it was when my history teacher was returning a test or homework or something like that and she saw my face. She jumped back and almost screamed. I had a small knot of satisfaction from that. In college, I was more practical. I wore my high school uniform as a costume. Halloween was fun.
This year I was so excited because my oldest boy was starting Kindergarten and he would get to wear his costume and start his enjoyment of Halloween at school. Then I got the note from the school yesterday saying that costumes were not allowed. They gave no reason. I went to Catholic schools and they always let us wear costumes. What has happened? Is it just because I'm living in South East Texas as opposed to San Francisco? I just saw Good Morning America where they are broadcasting from an elementary school in Orlando, and no one has a costume. It didn't even look like they had decorations. So maybe it's a Southern thing.
I have another theory. The way the world is today I think the schools are trying to keep kids from getting hurt. Emotionally hurt. Yes, it would be crushing to get to school and be the only kid in class without a costume. But what about the kids who want to wear a costume? Who have been begging for weeks to wear a costume to school. What about their emotions?
Well, later today, I'll have pictures of the boys in their before we go Trick or Treating. Hopefully, we'll be able to do that.

Lose the Flu, Catch a Cold

2008-10-19T22:37:00.003-05:00

Oh, what a fun week I've had. Wednesday I took the boys to get their flu shots, and got one for myself as well. Ten minutes after leaving the doctor's office, I felt like I was going to be sick. I guess I'm just susceptible to the suggestion from my doctor that I might get mild flu-like symptoms. So I feel crummy the rest of Wednesday, which included a trip back to the airport to get my husband after work. Thursday I woke up fine, then came that hit by a truck feeling. But it wasn't the fluey feeling. It was a cold. A nasty cold that took my voice. And is still holding it ransom until I pay it with rest and sleep. Which of course, as a mom of 2 chaos creating boys, I have absolutely no chance of getting. So it's a couple of days of Ricola and Chloraseptic. Maybe I'll be better for Halloween. Or Thanksgiving.

The Lonely Porch

2008-10-13T14:12:00.004-05:00

Last week my neighbor had their house moved out. It was damaged from the storm. A tree crashed into it and split it in two.

You can't see much, because of the aforementioned tree, but you can the front porch.

And here's the front porch this morning. All lonely without it's house. Sitting in the middle of what was the front yard. As of this afternoon, the porch was gone. All that's left to show that there once was a house, is the slab and back stairs.

We, the neighborhood, wonder if they will rebuild. From what was learned in the days after the storm, I doubt it. It seems that Ike wasn't the only storm that blew through that household. What a story that is. Maybe I'll tell you all on another post.

Dinner, courtesy of the U. S. Government

2008-10-10T12:46:00.003-05:00

Well, since I've a dearth of ideas, so I decided to show you the meals the Government passed out to those who lost power and water during Hurricane Ike.

We have Pot Roast with Vegetables, Peanut Butter, Cheese Spread, Crackers, and a Cinnamon Scone. I chose not to eat the PB, Cheez, or Crackers. I ate the Pot Roast w/Veg-alls. Edible. The boys enjoyed eating the PB and Cheez from a tube. The crackers, not so much. Big Kid said they tasted dry. I'll say they looked like cardboard. Then there was the Skone. It looked like a flattened version of the ones I've seen at StarBux. Smelled nice, tasted OK, but dry.
So, as far as food for those who really need it, it was good. However since I have 3 and a half boxes (12 meals in a box) left, either they are going to be saved until the next hurricane (they're good until 2012 and beyond) or they'll be eaten during The Husband's treks to the deer lease.

The Quiet

2008-10-01T15:38:00.002-05:00

Before Ike came whipping through, there were particular sounds at night. The sounds of frogs croaking, the owl in the tree out back, crickets chirping. In the week I've been back I haven't heard the sounds. I have heard other sounds at night. The sounds of generators for our neighbors to the south. I would hear the generators when I went to bed and then when I would get up before dawn to get the oldest ready for school. Now that the neighbors have their power back, I hear nothing. No frogs. No owls. No crickets. I wonder how long it will be before the animals come back. Of if they come back.

The Drive Home

2008-09-27T08:15:00.003-05:00

It started well enough. We (the boys, animals & I) left my parents house before 6am on Monday. That afternoon we were in Arizona, approaching Phoenix. I had planned to stop east of Phoenix for the night, to avoid the Phoenix morning traffic. I was feeling good, making great time, when all of sudden, BLAM!Down goes a tire. I'll tell you nothing will freak you out more when the tire on your full packed Suburban blows out in the middle of the Arizona desert. And of course you have 2 under 6 boys, a dog, and cat in the truck as well. Then you realize you don't have the doohickey to get the spare tire out from under the truck.
Well, I called my car insurance people, who sent a guy to change the tire. He didn't have a spare doohickey to get the spare out or a tow truck, so I had to call the insurance again to get a guy with a truck to tow my truck to a 24 tire place. By the time he got to us we had been waiting 2 hours. Then we had to drive and hour west to the tire place. When we got there, the tire guy said he couldn't get the spare out either, but he did have a nice used tire he could put on my rim. So 45 minutes and $60 later, we were back on the road to Phoenix again. At 8:30pm. Almost 4 hours later, and 75 miles west of where I had been.
During my wait for the dual tow guys, I figured that I would not be getting to the hotel I was planning on. After multiple phone calls and many route plannings on my Tom Tom (thanks Sis) I had a new hotel on the west side of Phoenix. Which meant I'd have to go through the Phoenix morning traffic. Oh well, I needed sleep.
I got up early on Tuesday, 5am to be exact. I got the truck loaded, animals loaded, kids loaded, checked out, and started the journey east. Then I heard on the radio that a big rig loaded with carpet strips (the wooden sticks with nails) had overturned near downtown and in my path. I was not going to lose another tire. I had to find a different way through Phoenix. After getting off the freeway the Tom Tom went to work. I got through Phoenix in about an hour, not good, but not horrible.
After that, it was uneventful. Tuesday night we ended up in Fort Stockton, TX. One tip, don't get Chinese food in Fort Stockton, TX. We got through San Antonio at the perfect time. After rush hour. After San Antonio, I can drive home easily. We got home about 2:30pm. I passed out around 9pm, after kiddo baths. I needed sleep. I had to be up at 6am to get Big Kid up for school Thursday.
At least life is getting back to normal.

Back Home

2008-09-26T07:51:00.006-05:00

It's been a while, but I finally have gotten back to sharing my wonderfully kookie thoughts with anyone who will read them.
First, I know most of you want to see what happened here. So I will put up 2 pictures. First, the before:

As you can see, my fire bugs are enjoying a fire made by the Head Fire Bug. This was the Wednesday night before the storm, so September 10th. We were trying to get the loose stuff on our property burned before the storm, so it wouldn't fly around and cause damage. Plus we figured that the rain would thoroughly extinguish the smoldering pile.
Now the after:
At first, It doesn't look so bad. The majority of trees are still there. Lots of limbs down. We lost about 8 trees. Seven were in the backyard. Our backyard had a lot of shade before the storm. We could see the neighbors on the back of our property, but not very well.
That's the extent of our damage, except for our metal chimney which came off. Oh and the mosquitoes. There are millions, in our yard alone. And my husband sprayed the yard and areas around our decks. I can't even imagine what it would be like with out the spraying.

I want to thank....

2008-09-16T11:51:00.002-05:00

As I was driving to Abilene on Thursday, I saw 2 different convoys of emergency personnel heading towards the Houston area. On Sunday as I was heading to Albuquerque by way of Lubbock, I saw power crews headed towards the ravaged areas. These sights made me cry. Not because I was afraid for what had happened to my home, but because these men and women are leaving the security of their homes and families to help people they have never met in situations that are extremely dangerous and uncomfortable. Thank you. I can not say that enough. You are the people who don't want fame or glory, you want to help. You are the people that most of us strive to be. So from this one woman, mother & wife, I say thank you.

Oh What Fun

2008-09-16T10:01:00.003-05:00

As most of you know, my family is OK. My husband stayed with his older son & his girlfriend (his son's girlfriend, not my husband's) in the Northwest part of Houston. They rode out the storm in a sturdy brick building, and when they looked outside Saturday morning, the worst damage they saw was huge tree limbs on the ground. On, in fact, fell where my stepson's girlfriend usually parks her car. The night before the storm hit, it was decided to move her car to a safer locations. Thank God for that. Saturday afternoon they went out to our property to see if our home was still there. It was, but there were lots of trees down, blocking the driveway and a few fell in the backyard as well, one within inches of our storage shed. At least they were trees we were going to take down since they didn't look like they could stand up to a strong storm. Ironic. Our neighbors weren't as lucky. A huge tree came down and, according to my husband, split their mobile home in two. They had left before I did, so I don't know if they know yet.
As for the kiddos, animals and I, we are in Sacramento, staying with my sister. After talking to my husband on Saturday, with early estimates on the power being restored at 2 to 4 weeks, it would be a good idea to find a more permanent place to stay. My sister flew to Albuquerque Sunday morning and I drove there to pick her up and continue on to Flagstaff. Monday we drove from Flagstaff to Sacramento. And now I'm exhausted. I'd say I'll never do that again, but I know I'll have to drive back as soon as power is restored.
So as of right now, Husband, Kids and Animals safe. Wife is frazzled. House is OK. I really am glad that we have survived undamaged.

Time to Go

2008-09-11T07:20:00.002-05:00

I woke up this morning knowing I was going to evacuate to Abilene with boys this morning. It made it more helpful that Carl's school canceled classes for today & tomorrow. I just thought I'd leave a bit later than I know I will. The news greeted me with a storm path that had shifted to the east, again, and parts of Houston under mandatory evacuation. I now know why they make it sound scary. Because it is scary. I'm officially scared. I guess at least I'll see a new part of the state.

A Hurricane is like a Dentist

2008-09-10T07:25:00.003-05:00

Ike's starting to look like a basketball player. Fakes left, goes right. Or something like that. Monday the forecast looked as if it was going to hit Corpus Christi. Phew! Yesterday, the track was changed to include a Northward turn before hitting land. But when? I'm sure today I'll be hunkered down in front of the Weather Channel watching every single move by this storm. Of course, I've got everything together so I can get out fast. I hate the waiting. It's like sitting in the waiting room of a dentist. You're already tense about being there, then you hear the sounds, those awful sounds. Then the imagination sets in. I'm already cringing. I guess it's going to be a long 12-24 hours.

Another storm

2008-09-08T10:53:00.003-05:00

Again another tropical storm is poised to hit the Gulf Coast. Ike, even though it's far away over Cuba right now, has caused my husband to figure out where I will be taking the boys & animals. He's got a very detailed evacuation route that completely avoids the major roads, and hopefully the other 2 million people who might be leaving as well. "It will be fun, you can see all the town squares and small towns along the way." Yeah, just what I want to do while fleeing a Category 3 or 4 Hurricane is visit a museum dedicated to red cream soda or see the world's largest pecan. I just want to get to a motel with cable TV and a pool, far enough away that I won't be hit by 125+ mph storms. My husband won't be with us though. He's not going to be like our neighbors and stay home ("Ain't no storm gonna hit here.") but he's going to be at his Government job, and most likely will flown out if it gets really bad. But I get the boys, dog and cat on a "fun-filled" road trip. I think I need a Hurricane.

Neverending Song

2008-09-06T08:16:00.003-05:00

OK, this morning I've done my typical Saturday morning stuff: clean the litter box, take the trash to the curb, roast coffee, see when I'll have to really prepare for the next storm. Well, this morning I've had a song stuck in my head. The song from "The Neverending Story". I haven't seen or thought of that movie in months. Now I can't get the song or pictures of the flying dragon out of my head. I have the DVD (actually a double DVD, with both movies in it) but I figure that it will be on TV soon. That always seems to happen. I start thinking of an obscure movie and it's on TV. Weird. Now I just have start thinking of "Xanadu" and I'll have a great week.

'Tis the Season....

2008-09-05T12:47:00.003-05:00

Well I'm tired from watching the speeches the past few nights. I will say that Sarah Palin rocks. Am I repeating myself? I probably am, but I really don't care. John McCain was OK, but then from what I have seen he does better with a think on your toes environment. I'd rather have a President who can think on his toes than a President who needs to ask 20 people what kind of tie he should wear.
And now the debates will begin. And the television ads. And the phone calls. And direct mail. I don't expect much here, deep in the heart of a Red State, but then I've already made up my mind.

We've Survived

2008-09-02T19:45:00.002-05:00

Granted I won't be driving East on I-10 for a few days, but the family survived the storm. Now my husband is starting to watch Ike. I told him that as soon as that storm get vicious, the media will start the Ike Turner references. So now we uncover the windows, put the chairs back on the deck and crack open a few of the water bottles we got.

Waiting & Watching

2008-08-31T13:58:00.003-05:00

Down here in the Gulf Coast of Texas, the hurricane season is almost as important as the football season. Almost. Now that there is a big ol' cane in the Gulf, the front porch prognosticators are talking about where and when it might hit, as well as the storms of days gone by.
Growing up in California, I remember the earthquake drills we would have in school. (spoken with Sister Margaret's Irish lilt) "Students, when you hear the siren, please duck under your desks and cover your heads. As soon as the second siren sounds, please, quietly, proceed to the inner wall and line up in an orderly fashion and I will lead you outside." It always sounded so orderly and calm. Then when the Loma Prieta Quake hit on October 17, 1989, I realized there was no way to be orderly and calm in an earthquake. At least I had no idea it was going to happen that day.
Now living here on the Gulf Coast I get to watch days of forcast predictions. If I went to store right now, I would not find a single bottle of water. Gas prices are up 20 cents in the past 36 hours. Hotels are overbooked. Our house is on the edge of the "cone of uncertainty" and I'm ready to pack the Suburban and head North. My husband, who has lived here all his life and was here for Alicia in 1983, tells me it will be fine, nothing more than a bit of wind and rain will hit us, he says. I can see him on the front porch talking with all the others. (spoken in a soft Texas twang) "Why I remember in '08, when Gustav hit, my wife had our truck all packed and ready to go. She's a Yankee, ya see. From California. And then we barely got 5 inches."
Yeah, well at least this Yankee can handle an earthquake. Even if she's curled in a ball under her desk, like Sister Margaret told her to.

I Love John McCain!

2008-08-29T11:10:00.004-05:00

It's no surprise that I'm a Republican. I come from a family of Republicans. Despite living in the San Francisco Bay Area, amongst some of the most liberal Democrats that exist in the country, I stuck to my guns and registered Republican when I was 18. Then I moved to Texas. Not North or Central Texas where the Liberals are starting to get footholds, but Southeast Texas, where they are so Conservative that I seem like a Liberal.
Now to the point of this post. I was already going to vote for John McCain this year. Unlike most of my friends that I grew up with, I just couldn't get on the Obama bandwagon. I've spent the past week watching bits and pieces of the Democrat National Convention thinking that they must have trained medical staff on hand for all the dislocated shoulders, for those who pat themselves on the back because they nominated a black man to be president. We won't even mention the fact that he has no foreign policy experience. At least he sells himself well.
Then came this morning. I've been playing the "Who Will McCain Pick" game like most of the country. When my husband I were watching the news this morning, he asked me who Sarah Palin was. I was astounded and elated that she was picked by John McCain to run with him. She is strong and dedicated. She is freakin' awesome!
I just became much more excited for our country.

Oh the ideas my sister has...

2008-08-28T17:24:00.004-05:00

And I know how much she's going to love being the topic of a blog post. Just mere moments after I sent the link out announcing my blog, she said I must be bored and that I need to put my young one in the Mother's Day Out at the local church so I could then see a movie. I told her that I would now be starting the "Steph is Bored" Fund and would she like to contribute. I assured her that we would soon be having a fundraiser with acrobats and white tigers and all the fancy hors d'oeuvres you can eat. As long as no one uses a knife and fork, I think it's tax deductable.

Finishing the first week of Kindergarten

2008-08-28T16:39:00.005-05:00

My oldest son started Kindergarten on Monday. I was at work, so it was up to my husband to get him ready for school. My husband wanted to bring him to the school instead of letting him ride the bus. Our son has wanted to ride on a school bus since he was 2 years old and saw his brother (my stepson) take the bus to school. So it was Daddy sentimentalism vs. a very determined 5 year old. Now who do you think won that battle?