So happy it's Friday

Well my day started way too early. I was being good going to bed last night at 10:00. Sadly the night was shortened by Nic coming in at 1:30 complaining of not feeling well. I sent him back to bed but he returned at 1:44 and I returned him to his room in person. He was VERY upset so I did my best to calm him down so that he could rest. No doing! He was hysterical and when I asked how I could make him feel better he said the following. "I want you to go look up on the Internet what to do when you have a tummy ache, diarrhea, you feel like you might puke and you are probably going to die very soon!"

I suggested he calm down and read for awhile if he wasn't going to sleep. I confirmed that at least one of the afore mentioned symptoms was quite real and that he and I would be home from school tomorrow. UGH! I then asked him if he needed me to sleep in his room or if I could return to my own bed. He was handling his symptom as good as anyone can. My assistance was not needed. He asked if I could sleep on the couch. That would put me about 20 feet closer than sleeping in my own bed. I obliged. I heard him up a few more times and the last time I saw the clock was 4:00 ish. I then woke again with my alarm chirping from the bedroom. OOPS! I called the principal and then tried to get a few more minutes of sleep.

Thankfully Fred is in town so he was able to get Will to school and Nic and I were pretty mellow most of the day. I was able to get a couple of hours of sleep back and do another round of sanding in the basement. I also tackled some laundry. Ought to try to make the best of being at home right?

Nic spent the morning watching cartoons and reading. He played on-line and we had bland food like bananas and fish sticks. I payed bills and cleaned myself dusty self up enough to go get Will at 3:15. I was really feeling bad about not being at work today. My cohort has been out all week and there was a sub available M-R but not on Friday so we were already one woman down. I asked the principal to get a sub but none were available. Sorry girls. I am really sorry.

Fred is working hard in the basement trying to get a coat of primer on the walls before he calls it a night. It's gonna be a fun weekend around here I can just tell. Hopefully I can post a picture or two tomorrow. The room is not very photogenic right now. Kinda bland really. This is someone else's drywall from Flikr but it look just like mine I assure you.

Gratitude:

1. Payday for Fred

2. We got our tax return direct deposited yesterday

3. Talked to my sista yesterday and caught up on the fun in her life these days. Can you say Princess Party for the Princess Natalie? FUN!

4. Nic is not feeling any worse but is definitely not better either.

5. My hubby is a hard worker and I am sure that the weekend project will be completed by the time we go to bed on Sunday. I love that guy!

Just stuff

We had school today! Are you getting tired of my excitement over the smallest things? I am. Yes, we went in on time and got out early. That was on the scheduled due to Parent/Teacher conferences. I had Will's conference last week since she was leaving to have her baby. I was able to rearrange Nic's for immediately after school today. The reports on both boys were good, well, actually, great. I got good kids.

The snow is flying around here. Some flurries and lots of shifting of the already present piles but nothing we can't handle.

Once we made it home I got busy trying to right a wrong in the basement. It seems that the guy who was fixing up the room thought we wanted an orange peel finish to our walls. This was NEVER part of the plan. Well, what do you do when you don't want an orange peel texture? You sand it off. I sand it off. I got about one wall done before my shoulder started burning. I took a breather and will get back to it later with Fred. We really need to sand tonight, paint one primer coat tomorrow, put up one coat of color then finish the rest on Sat. and Sun. We will paint a second coat, trim the windows and lay a laminate floor. Easy enough right? Once we get the room done then we have to clean up and rearrange a bunch of stuff around the house.

I feel like an overzealous house flipper from that show on TLC or the one on HGTV. All too much to do in a weekend but it has to be done!

OK, off to check on my gourmet dinner. Fred is coming home tonight before 9. Quite a treat!

Snow Day but we escaped... *Edited*

Snow falling last night after about 6 hours of freezing rain. Doesn't my tree line look picturesque all covered in white?
Above: Nic and Will thought it would be great to have a light saber battle atop the snow pile. Nic is teetering on a small bridge of snow in the pile. The piles to the right and left were pushed back 5 or 6 feet but that little bit couldn't get moved because of the basketball goal.

Below: Will tackles to mountain of snow at the head of our driveway. A man came today with front loader and moved all of the snow and made room for more. Thanks so much mister snow plow guy!

Well, she did it again. It started as a late arrival and turned into a snow day. That means we are in school until May 30th! YIKES! That is if I am even around until then.

Check out this hot glasses model. Actually these are his to keep! We picked them up from Sears Optical today! My nine year old is now the proud owner of bifocals and two pairs of reading glasses. Yikes!

These babies were the reason for our trip to the big city today. I got the call a little before lunch so we struck out to try to get the glasses. The trip down was easy going. The trip back was slightly treacherous but I was chatting it up with Kirste so that made it not seem so bad.

Above: Nic showing off one pair of reading glasses.

Below: Will's closet after the great clean out!

Today of all days I totally spaced my gratitudes. I think I forgot them yesterday too. Need to work on that!

1. A warm house

2. Safe driving to and from the Big City today

3. Nic being excited about his glasses and not put off by his brother calling him a "nerd" as soon as he tried on the first pair.

4. Cell Phones to keep me in touch with people too far away.

5. Vacuum cleaners to help clean up all the dust left behind by the basement project.

She didn't get the message

She would be MOTHER NATURE! It's snowing again! We were released from school at 10:30 this morning. I brought home a couple of neighbor kids until their mom could get them and we had a really mellow day. I was struggling with a migraine so a nap and an episode of Las Vegas were on my menu. The boys spent the day getting on each others and my nerves. Not that it took that much.

Anyway, Fred should be coming home sooner than later and we'll just wait to hear what tomorrow brings. I am fine with a two hour delay but I sure hope it doesn't turn into a snow day.

Just have to brag on myself for a minute. Yesterday the boys and I went through every item of clothing in their closet and drawers and sorted for size. Nic sent a ton of stuff along to Will and Will sent a bunch of stuff to Goodwill and a few things into a bag to sell to a consignment store. I then went to the basement to bag some stuff that Fred and I had purged from our closet shortly after we moved. I bagged it all up and itemized it. (A new tax refund strategy for 2008) In the six bags I have almost $300 in tax deductions. There is still plenty to purge before we move along down the road but this is a great start. I am pretty excited to get that stuff out of the basement and I'll likely pass the kid size clothes hangers on to Samuel. I know the kid's got clothes and it always seems like you need more hangers.

Sunday morning with SUN!

Fridays I am just too tired to think, let alone blog. Sorry 'bout that. Nothing really exciting to post about anyway.

Saturday we had plans, well I should clarify, I had plans. I had a long list of items I needed to get at Target. I wanted to get new cordless phones. Our batteries keep dying on the old phones and although I can replace the batteries with re-chargeable they were not holding charges very long. I wanted to go to Hobby Lobby to get some inspiration for the swap pages I am creating for my scrapbook club. We needed money from the bank. We needed food from Hickory Park. Fred needed a bunch of stuff from Lowe's and as always we needed milk from Sam's.

I am thrilled to report that it all got done. Hickory Park was packed at 2:30. What is up with that. Best I could surmise there was a hockey tournament, a basketball game and a dance competition going on in Ames. Probably more but those groups were represented at the Park. It was YUMMY food as usual. The boys really like this place and we will all miss it when we move. Fred assures us that there is another meat lover restaurant in Dallas that we will find solace with. I just doubt that they can replace a good Saucy Southerner. So YUMMY!

After linner we headed out in an organized fashion and got it all done. We were tired when we got home but it was with a great sense of accomplishment. We bought flooring for the new room. I bought a Giga-Punch for 40% off. I spent my requisite $100 at Target and that included a very cute little baby gift for Will's teacher. (I LOVE shopping of baby gifts!) We left Sam's with 3 gallons of milk and nothing more. It's all good.

Gratitude:

1. The weather yesterday was PHENOMENAL! I walked around with just my fleece pull-over. No coat, gloves, hat, scarf or boots. THIS IS HUGE PEOPLE!

2. My hubby is working through the honey do list to put this place on the market. We hope to have the For Sale sign up my early March.

3. I watched a very funny episode of Oprah last night at midnight. She was hosting Carol Burnett (FUNNY redhead icon), Jim Carey and Steve Carell from Horton Hears a Who. It was a nice thing that made me smile and laugh out loud before I crashed.

4. Scholastic Book Fair at the boys' school this week. Fun stuff for everyone. I am such a sucker for books.

5. I am going to spend some time in my scrap space today. By next weekend we hope to be moving all of my "scrap crap" into the new room so I need to do some organizing and purging. I actually enjoy doing this.

It's time...

It is time to put the snow decor away and welcome SPRING. I have placed all of the following snow worshipping items in the dungeon and am now ready for sunshine, green grass and flowers. If only it were that easy.

I took some time tonight to finish this canvas I have had "in progress" for far too long. It is not my best work ever but it is only my second canvas piece. I need to learn lots. I need better coverage from my acrylic paints. Perhaps it is the brush, perhaps the quality of paint? I need to plan better. I started this one to highlight my word for the year. I did not have a supporting quote picked out when I threw OPTIMISM on the canvas. I should have. When I ended up with visual weight at the bottom I attempted to balance it with the rudimentary sun. Rough but I do think it helped. Well I was contemplating where to hang this piece of art but I have a better idea. My immediate supervisor, although she would NEVER call herself that, is a big Helen Keller fan. I am going to pass this along to her. She loves quotes and pictures in her classroom and I think she will really enjoy this as a remembrance of our two years together. I respect Andrea so much and she is very capable and confident in her job. She looks at students with optimism, not pessimism. She sees the possibility of their future not the dereliction of their past. This fits her and what she tries to share with her students and their parents. I don't think I could possibly wait until the end of the year to pass this along. I do love giving gifts! I think I'll take it in tomorrow.

Gratitude's:

1. Culvers made a great meal and I didn't have to do any dishes!

2. Will's teacher Mrs. J. She is taking time off to have a baby but her year thus far with Will has been good. We had P/T conference today and she gushed about him. YEAH!

3. The workers upgrading the basement. They got all of the drywall up today! They need to mud and tape and sand and re mud but I am optimistic that it will be done by Tuesday!

4. The employees at the place S works. They were genuinely thrilled to see us today after being gone for 4 workdays. They were concerned that we had been sick and made us feel very loved and missed.

5. Diana! She sent the things I need to put Uncle Tim's b-day album together so I can do that tonight and decide if I should send it directly to Tim or pass it along through my parents.

6. Blogger's spellcheck function works again! AMEN

We had school today!

WHAHOOO! Can you tell I am excited?!?! Today was a pretty great day all things considered.

#1 We went in two hours late to school so I got to be a bum for a few extra minutes.
#2 My students were glad to see me and we made waffles in cooking class this morning.
#3 I have needed a "part" for a Creative Memories Album and a total stranger, yet Iowa scrapper pal, is going to help me out with it. She has spare parts and is willing to share. THANKS so much Diana!
#4 The boys' Religious Ed. classes for tonight were cancelled so once we got home we were home for the night! Now that also meant that the lenten dinner was cancelled so I had to make dinner but the boys were up for tacos so that's not too bad.
#5 The guys came to work on the basement today. All of the studs are in place and the insulation is hung so they will start the drywall tomorrow. It won't be done by this weekend since they lost two days of work this week but it is moving along! YEAH!

The worst part of today was lunch. They served pancake on a stick today and it was my first and last time to try that. Basically it is a pancake wrapped around a piece of sausage. Like a breakfast corndog. The kids at school love them. I will remember to bring my lunch next time they are on the menu.

I am adding a new feature to my blog starting today. Remember a few years back when Gratitude journaling was so popular? Well I am going to write down my own gratitudes for each day. My Fiskateer friend Amy does this on her blog and it is a great way to remind myself and others what and who I am thankful for. Here is installment #1

Gratitudes
1. My husband, who although is on the road, is not far from my heart
2. My boys who did a great job surviving three very long days in the house together. Was it perfect? NO. But it was good enough for me
3. My friends at work. It was great talking to adults and sharing stories of our last five days being snowbound. We all survived!
4. Strangers who give so selflessly. Diana's offer to send me the parts I need to finish Uncle Tim's birthday album from 5 years ago is so generous. I am grateful!
5. Pumpkin Muffins! These are just so easy and tasty and will be a forever memory of cooking class and Iowa.

Need I say more?

My pal Vicki sent this cartoon to me. I think it represents me well. According to the news last night we have measured 48 inches of snow in the metro. I believe the tally to be higher up here. Add in the blowing and I can not tell you how high the piles are. Below is a picture of Nic on the pile of snow that the pusher had made clearing our driveway for the last couple of months. Please realize this is just from my driveway, not the whole neighborhood. That man is RICH!

Hello, my name is Susan and I am an addict

Well, won't Fred love me airing my dirty laundry on the blog that he detests already.

Anyway, I have fallen off the wagon, three times. I gave up Coca Cola for lent. On Saturday while at the mall I took a couple sips of Will's coke. Bad mommy. On Sunday I drank a whole can. This morning I drank half of a can. I need help. There is not any more Coke in the kitchen fridge. That is a start right? I should take my partial 12 pack from the garage to school tomorrow and give it away. This is hard.

I am going to drink a couple of glasses of water to satiate myself. Being holed up here at home is hard. It makes me weak and when I am weak and bored I eat and drink soda.

I am not giving in. I will get back on the wagon starting NOW!

Snow Day 2,345,222

Went to bed last night knowing about a 2 hour delay, got the call this morning about being closed. We could make it, I am sure we could make it in to school. I guess many people out in the country are not so lucky. We will spend another day at home without spelling word to study or anything. I guess we could do math flahcards.

The boys are tracking their reading time so that helps. Nic and Will each finished another book yesterday. I should buy stock in Scholastic. I am hopefully that when we move we will be close to a really good library. Ours is a bit lacking, not a lot of appeal to spend a bunch of time there. They do the best they can with the house they were given. It is something and for that we are grateful.

Well, my accomplishments from yesterday have left me resting on my laurels. There is still plenty to accomplish so I should be off. Nic is making his own Ramen Noodles for lunch, I need to go supervise. More later...

And the snowpile grows or Snow Day 2,345,221

Yes, we are home AGAIN! I actually got the call last night that we would have a two hour delay. Then around 7:45 they called out for the day. The boys are thrilled once again and I am less than enthused. So, I decided to channel my anger and frustration and got busy cleaning. Thus far I have cleaned 2 showers, 2 toilets, four sinks and one bathroom floor. I still need to clean the boys' bathroom floor. I also have one load of towels and area rugs in the laundry process and I am showered and dresses. Oh yeah, I also went out and tried to shovel off the front walk. Unfortunately it is caked with ice. Not so easy to scoop. I did my best then put down a bunch of salt. I guess I can go try to chip at it again later.

Fred is off to sunny Mexico, a day late but he should get out today and be there by dark. Let's just hope he makes his connection in Dallas.

Ok, off to check the laundry and finish in the boys' bathroom.

We got a deal and now we are stuck!

OK we got a great deal yesterday on three pairs of glasses for Nic. Fred agreed that the price at WM was a bit steep. We headed down to Des Moines with a list of glasses places and the perscription. First stop was Lens Crafters and Fred was not inclined to spend money with them. They wanted amost $400, nearly the same price as WM. Next and last stop was Sears. They had a nice set of flex frames that they could do a bifocal in for $220 ish. Then they had a special on reading glasses for kids; 2 pairs for $99. So three pairs of glasses for $350 ish. That means he can take the bifocals to school and we'll have two pairs at home. Sadly we have to wait about 2 weeks to get them but that means I have to go back to the mall in DM to get them. Oh darn...

SO we got the glasses ordered, had lunch, bought some Easter/First Communion clothes for Will and some clothes for me. We ran up to Sam's in Ames and also got the boys haircuts. It was a full day but it did not include making it to 5:00 mass. We pieced our way through dinner and stayed up doing laundry until the wee hours since Fred was supposed to go to Mexico. Note the "supposed to."

We woke up this morning to snow... lots of blowing snow. The phone rang at 10:25 and it was a pleasant voice from American telling us that Fred's 4:00 PM flight was cancelled. All that laundry for not. Oh well. Church was also cancelled for today. So far this lent I have not been to mass. UGH!

The snow continues to blow but Fred will have to go out before too long to return the 6 vidoes we rented last night. All of the roads around us are showing Red on the road conditions map so Fred would not have been able to go to DM for his flight anyway. Such is life. I guess I need to work a bit on dinner for tingith and straightening the house. No idea what the weather might do for our school day tomorrow. I am hoping for a delay at most.

Our basketball goal surrouned by the snow pile. This is a combination of drift and all of the snow pushed from the driveway. There is hardly any room for more snow.

Welcome to the world!

Welcome to the world Samuel Andrew Traub! My second nephew was born this evening at 6:10 PM and weighed in at 7lb ??oz. No pictures yet but maybe tomorrow. I'll let you know. In the meantime prayers for Samuel and his proud new parents!

Yeah for Fridays

Look what I got in the mail today! I won this from a blog late last year and it finally arrived. I already have and read the book so I will pass this along to someone who might enjoy it. Thanks so much to Tasra from Real Women Scrap!


Took this mutt to the vet today. Cost me a pretty penny but he's worth it! We bought pills and flea meds to get us through 6 months or so. We'll need to get some more before we move but I spent enough for today. This is Pete up on his snow pile in the back yard. You can see some grass peaking through the snow but that is ALL covered now. We are supposed even get MORE snow this weekend. Stay tuned...

Here is the Pokemon crew. Aren't they a hoot? I must clarify that Nic was getting ready to leave. He does not always wear that cap.

Check out these beautiful cards that we sent to the home bound members of our parish. I was so pleased with the creativity and the outcome. Lots of fun had by all!


Our day was good today. We ran errands and had lunch and got Nic's eyes checked. He needs glasses but WOW I was really ilprepared for the price of the lenses alone. We walked out without anything ordered because I just wasn't sure. Fred wears glasses so I need his input and his credit card! Of course we need to get them asap but the whole process gave me my third migraine in as many days. Nic has been getting headaches every time he reads and I was getting tired of hearing about it. Seems his eyes rotate in a bit too far so reading glasses are in order. They were talking about bifocals so he doesn't have to take them on and off at school when they are working on the board then back down on their desks. I just can not fathom sending him to school with $400 glasses on his face. I will need to go with him just to protect the goods!

Well, I need to get on the ball with dinner and the house looks a bit haggard. Nothing ten minutes won't help!

Thursday and it feels like Friday

Well, yesterday felt like two days rolled into one. We left the house at 7:50 AM and returned at 8:40 PM. Thank God we don't have days like that too often. I was able to run home for about 10 minutes around 3:00 to let the dog out but other than that we were running. We accomplished plenty though.

First was had school, then Pokemon League at the Library. After Pokemon we went to church to help prep for the Lenten Dinner. The boys are such good volunteers except that they kept having to ask for something to do. Will needed to be needed and kept busy. Nic took a bit longer on his homework so we didn't have to keep him occupied quite so much. Then we were able to enjoy dinner at church. It was REALLY yummy and the company was GREAT! The boys ate their fill and I didn't have to do dishes.

After dinner the boys had Religious Ed. class. Will's was preempted by the class taking part in their first reconciliation. Fr. Rick did a nice job and the kids were practically stumbling over each other trying to be first. It had apparently been settled in the classroom prior to the group moving to church. Will was first and went with no hesitation. All good. Actually by this time I had a killer migraine and just hung on for dear life until it was time to go home. The boys crashed pretty quickly and I followed them closely. But not before a nice chat with Auntie Joan. Great talking to you!

So today started off pretty well. We tend to move a little slower on Thursday than any other day of the week. I have learned to be patient and we made it out the door in pretty good time. Work went well today. S and K both did VERY well at work and were walking on air since it was Valentines Day and they had treats for each other. Sadly by 6th period my migraine returned and I was less than a happy camper. Luckily my pal Andrea takes Imitrex so I was able to bum a pill off her. It helped but I came home from work a little worse for the wear. I took care of some immediate business stuff then I crashed hard. My body ached and I was wiped. Thankfully my kids are self-sufficient enough that I can do that on occaision.

Well I woke up a happier person, had some frozen waffles for dinner and am ready to do a few more things on my to do list for the day. What a Valentines Day.

O yeah, and we are off school tomorrow and we have a few things on our Friday To Do list. Including but not limited to taking Pete to the vet for a check-up and nail trim, hopefully hearing word on my newest niece or nephew's birth, and getting Nic's eyes examined. Will the fun never end?

Let's end this day on a positive note

1. The dog is clean. He did pee on the living room floor immediately after his bath, despite the fact he had been let outside just before his bath. But he has been properly punished and is now forgiven.

2. Home-made pizza was yummy for dinner and we have left-over sausage for biscuits and gravy some time soon. Maybe even dinner tomorrow night!

3. My foot is healing nicely and although it looks "dirty" it is getting much easier to walk except down my stairs. Guess that means I can't do laundry, darn...

4. My house does not smell like poop anymore.

5. My kids are in bed and each of them read for 60 minutes today. I love that my kids are loving a good book. Fred can not relate to the three of us but it just makes me SMILE.

6. I paid all my bills yesterday and still have money left-over.

7. Lenten meals start at church this week which means I do not have to cook on Wednesday.

8. I get to go scrapbooking on Friday. I am not sure that I am going to have time this week to get my stuff together but I'll go to socialize for a bit if not. All good!

9. I am on day 6 without Coca Cola and am going strong!

10. I get to go read then snuggle with my guy/personal space heater and go to sleep.

Thinking out loud

Do you ever wish that you could run away from the dog and the kids and the sick husband and the poop and the laundry and the dust and the "what's for dinner?" But then you look outside and realize that you are stuck. Your driveway is full of snow, the roads are blown shut and it is just too darn cold. Yep, that's me today.

Off to put on my jammers and wash that dog that smells like poop becasue he HAD to scratch his back in the snow filled with frozen poop. UGH!

We aren't snowed in but we haven't left

So yesterday the wind was blowing but I didn't think too much about it until I left the house. I was hosting "Share the Love" at church. We made Valentines for the shut-ins of the parish and some for ourselves. I totally stupidly forgot my camera so I have no proof of the event or the workmanship but it did happen and these ladies were awesome. We created for about 2 hours and totally put off eating until the end. The priority was on the cards and it was fun.

By the time I headed home a little after 3 the roads were much worse. I settled in to watch "Reign On Me" but when it was over I had to get it back to the grocery. They have a great deal on new releases for $1.99 for the first night but the second night is a killer. I took Fred's truck in to town and got the movies returned with 10 minutes to spare.

I returned home to make a yummy dinner of Nacho Chicken/Dorito Chicken and noodles and crescents. The most exciting part of the meal was that it was well timed. I have a hard time with the timing and last night I did pretty well. I was so up after my success that I started laundry and ironed for the week. What a difference there is between Friday and Saturday in terms of energy.

Today I have done laundry, payed bills and bummed. I am thinking about going in to town but don't have a really good reason to go other than not wanting to cook dinner. Panera or Applebees would make me pretty happy but we'll probably have something here. We'll see what happens in the next couple of hours.

We have a light week except for Wednesday. We have Pokemon League then need to get to church to help prepare for the first Lenten Dinner. Immediately following the meal the boys have Religious Ed. and Will is taking part in his First Reconciliation. At some point they need to do their homework. We'll figure it out. We always do.

Let it never be said that my life is boring...

I have two sons... So they wanted to play outside after school. Great! Burn off some energy. Avoid the Playstation. Let me put my aching foot up for a few...

I went to the kitchen to get a drink and look out the window to check on them. What do I see? Nic buried under hunks of snow that Will is gently placing on his brother. I open the window and ask... "Could you tell me what you are doing?" Nic replies, "We are reinacting a scene from a movie Will saw." "What movie?" I asked. "Dinosaur" Will replies.

I am stumped. When did he see this movie? And when do dinosaurs get crushed under the snow? I decided that the moment was blog worthy so gimped my battered self outside with my camera. Well it was so sunny that I could not really see what I was taking a picture of on my camera screen. When I stepped in the garage to get a better view the camera screen said, no memory card. Ugh! Gimp back inside, get the card, tell the boys to stay still until I made it back out. I got the shot and we even let Pete be in it to look like the rescue dog.

So as I am taking the picture Nic starts twitching his hand. I say, "What is that about?" He replies "People's hands always twitch when they are dying in the movies." Oh yeah, I should have known.

PS My foot still hurts.

See I wasn't joking!

Can you see the purple tones just spreading across my foot. Yep, I hit that puppy good. It is actually a little numb but also uncomfortable. But there is nothing I can do about it right? Jen? I guess I'll hobble around today in my most roomy shoes that are easy to slip off. Happy Friday everyone! For me it is payday so that helps... a little.

OUCH!

I think I broke my toe!!! Why is it that something so small is so important and can be so painful? I ran full force into the wall/corner that juts out near the boys' shower. IT HURTS! It is the baby toe so I know ther is nothing I can do about it but it is hot and throbbing and I am uncomfortable!!!! Bet ya never thought you'd get a chance to study my stubby, unmanicured toesies but it's your lucky night!

I suppose this is a statement about how slow life is around here these days. Sad sad sad.

It's a new day... but still no spell check. Be warned!

We got "the call" last night that we would have a 2 hour delay today. That was really nice of the superintendent to let us know so that we didn't have to be woken up so early. The boys got to stay up late to see daddy once he got home from his business dinner so that was a bonus too.

So I am going on day two without Coke. I did not get a headache yesterday until I went to bed and even then it wasn't too bad. I can do this!

The snow is settled and scraped and this morning the fog rolled in. I am so glad we are going in late today. We are going to pick up S on the way to school so that he and I can go right to work. The late arrivals and snow days will be impacting his paycheck and mine.

Do you want to hear about my BIG accomplishment from yesterday? Oh well, you are going to hear about it anyway... I got all of my Christmas cards from 2006 and 2007 cleaned up and put away. I save the cards every year, not sure why. I really just need to hold on to the photos. So I went through the two piles as well as the pile of cards that I made and never got around to sending because I needed to go through some other piles to find addresses. Well, the cards have been sorted, recycled, and noted on a list. I have written down all of the addresses that were not in my book and I plan to send a few cards out this week to people that got lost in my process. I can hope that this will aide me in future years and maybe on moving announcements too.

OK, I think it is time to head out. Don't want to be late for our brief day at school.

Another Snow Day

I know that I should post a photo but it would just look like this...













Everything is white here. Except my filthy gross van. We had a snow day today, kind of expected it and didn't sleep too well last night. Not sure how I could think I was going to sleep through the phone call. I think I was dreaming when I answered the phone at 3:00AM. My heart was pounding and I was wide awake but not really. It took some time to settle back in then the phone rang for real at 5:53AM. No delay just a full cancellation. Fred still had to be at work by 8:00 though so he checked out the roads with his 4 wheel drive truck and made it just fine. He drives a little aggressively in that thing but it hasn't been an issue so far.

The boys and I stayed busy. Will did a little homework. Both boys played and read and watched cartoons. Just what a snowday is for. It finally stopped snowing around noon and I had to decide about taking ashes to the nursing home today. The service at church wsa called off before noon but I was still considering taking it in for the couple of residents there. The boys and I headed out around 2:15 and by driving well under the speed limit we arrived there safe and sound.

I have to cut this short. My wireless keyboard is runing out of battery power and my typing is coming through really poorly. Add to that the news that Blogger Spell Check is not working and it is a wonder you can read this. I'll try more tomorrow.

Freaky

OK, I think my playlist was hijacked. I just went to the blog to sign in and heard this strange music. Not Wynona. I scanned back up and found my playlist spot filled with a playlist featuring Ozzy Osborne??? What the helk? I went to the playlist site, saw my original playlist then back to my blog and all was fine. Freaky!

We got out of school early today. The snow was upon us around noon and we were released at 1:30. I had to bring some neighbor kids home becasue their mom was out of town but she showed up about 30 minutes after we got here. The kids were bummed they didn't get to play longer. I offered to keep them for a bit but her driveway is very steep and the snow makes it hard to get up. I wasn't sure I could get them home and she didn't want to be out either. It has snowed on and off all afternoon and will continue through the night. I will have the phone handy for "the call" tomorrow morning. I am getting pretty chummy with the Ag teacher who I call next on the tree. Wish that weren't the case though.

With the three snow days we have had so far we are now in school until the Friday before Labor Day. If we are out tomorrow that really messes with the Indiana Memorial Day /Anniversary trip/ Cousin Cindy's Wedding plans. Oh well, what can I do? I live in Iowa... For now at least...

So lots of rumors flying about us being "on the move" again. They are likely true. When we came to IA we knew we would not be here forever. Fred's company has FINALLY gotten around to offering us a package to move us to Dallas. We are in the process of readying the house to get it on the market and talking a lot about our wish list for a new home, school and neighborhood. Considering the winter we are having here we are all excited about warmer weather and the likelihood of a neighborhood or community pool. Can't believe I am typing that but I guess I'll buy the case of 50 SPF and be that mom. The "sit by the pool all summer until the kids are tired and wrinkled" mom.

We are not planning to leave here in the next month or two unless someone really wants the house that badly. Fred thinks is will take 4-5 months to sell, I can hope for less, it's not really up to either of us. Fred has told one neighbor. I have told another. It should be around town by tomorrow. Actually we hope not. I need to talk to S's parents to give them a heads up before the For Sale sign goes up. It is only fair to them and S. He deserves to have time to prepare to miss me. Just kidding, he probably won't even know I'm gone. Actually he tells me daily, and I quote "Mrs. B you are the best teacher in the world." My reply daily... "S you are the best suck-up in the world." We have such chemistry:)

I should be spending my snow days decluttering and cleaning but I am just not there yet. Maybe tomorrow.

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. We will start our lenten fast and abstinence committments. I am giving up Coke. Well, I should say I am trying that. I had a big one this AM while I was stressed about a low tire and driving in the snow. I should have savored it more. I thought about breaking out another one tonight but then I wouldn't sleep well and I'd be grumpy tomorrow and that would not be a good way to start an already uphill day.

Well, Fred should be home soon. I think I'll go straighten up a bit in preparation. If I do all my putzing now I can get to bed by 10 so I am fesh for the 6 AM call. At least I don't have to confer with the transportation lady and the superintendent at 5:30. That's why they get paid the big bucks. To make the important decisions.

Snow Day

So I got the call a little late today, 6:30. Fred was already gone. The guy who was supposed to call me was actually already as school so his wife called to tell me we had a 2 hour delay. OK I can handle that. Putzed around a little and headed back to bed, trying not to wake the boys.

At 9 we were all up and moving. I had showered and Nic had just asked if he needed to start getting his gear on. I told him we'd leave around 9:30. Just then the phone rang, Mrs. S again calling to say that school was called for the day. UGH! I called the next guy on the calling tree, found him at school. So, how bad was it outside??? Not bad enough in my opinion. Who cares what I think.

So the boys whooped and hollared and settled in for a day without school...

I have been trying to complete the last few items off the "To Do" list from yesterday and prepping for the Ash Wednesday service I am hosting at the nursing home. I cleaned one bathroom sinks to toilets. Everything looks great except the floor. It will keep until I get my typing done.

The other bad thing about this snow day is that QVC is having a Paper Crafting Fair today. If I were at work I would have made money but instead I am spending money. I ordered a really neat acrylic stamp set with some of my Christmas money. Can't wait to get those next Friday.

OK off to run Will to his pal's house. Nic is really bummed that he doesn't get to go too. It is tough to be 9.

Yeah me!

I finally finished that book! The Pillars of the Earth is complete and I can now move on and pass it along to my mom. Guess I am really passing it back to mom. She gave it to me for Christmas but wanted me to read it first then tell her if it was going to be worth her time and effort. I say yes!

G-night!

It is just not my day...

(WARNING: I can not get spell check to work on this post. Beware of misspelling and typos.)


I had a good day yesterday, we went to Hickory Park with a gift certificate I got from S for Christmas. After lunch we went to Borders. The boys and I browsed and bought and read while Fred went to Lowes to buy some supplies for the basement project. He aslo ran to Sam's and bought our weekly milk allottment. He picked us up and we headed home so I could get to 5 PM mass. After mass I assisted with blessing of the throats and came home to do some housework and read. While I was doing laundry I worked on the cards we are going to make at the Share the Love event next weekend. I am hosting this at church for ladies of the parish to come, share an appetizer and make Valentines Day cards. Well, I came up with three cards and realized that I needed some chipboard shapes for card #3. I was uncertain if Walmart might carry these so I thought I'd go check it out so I knew if I needed to go to Ames some day this week.





So I went to Walmart and they did not have what I needed but I came up with a good alternative. I also bought some groceries and while I was at Wal-mart Fred called in a bit of a panic. It seems that I have had some fluid leaking from my car and he thought it might be transmission fluid. This has been going on for a few weeks but somehow lastnight I was in imminent danger of ruining the car forever. NOT!





I went home and upon further investigation it is not a transmission fluid leak, it might be an overflow of oil. I thought I'd go back to Jiffy Lube and see what they could find. When I drove by last night their marqui said they were open Sunday from 10-4. Super! I could return today, put Fred's mind at ease and get it all taken care of.





Fast forward to today. I got up early and let the dog out. I switched some laundry, read some in my book and ended up falling back asleep. I woke again around 11 and strted my day again. I worked on the laundry, opened some mail, and headed toward Marshalltown again for the second time in 16 hours. I went by the bank and then on to Jiffy Lube. Guess what, they were closed! UGH!





Well, I called home and asked if since I was in town did anyone want lunch? The answer was yes, three orders for McD's. YUCK! I treated myself to Culvers then went through McD's for the boys and Fred. Well, I pulled up to the speaker at Culvers and waited and waited and waited. No one said anything. I coughed, still nothing. I knew they were open, the parking lot was full. I pulled up to the window and got about 5 employees staring at me. What is this crazy lady at the drive through for? Finally someone opened that window and I asked if they were taking drive through orders. It seems the one chick with the headset had turned it off. DUH! She took my order and money and sent me ahead to wait. Well, I love a good cheeseburger with lots of pickles. I ordered just that. Ketchup, Mustard and EXTRA pickles were my exact words. What do you think I got? A very nice cheeseburger with NO pickles and the most minut amount of ketchup and mustard until I got to the last couple of bites then it was overflowing. UGH!





Well, I moved on to McD's with high hopes. I decided not to chance it and went inside to place my order. I think they actually got the whole thing right and it was me who forgot to ask for the ketchup and BBQ sauce. 2 for 4 successful stops. Not terrible odds. The ATM did have money for me so that made me happy.





I need to get busy folding and sorting all the laundry thus far. I also pledge to vaccum and dust today among many other things. I made a list lastnight. Now, can I get it all checked off?