Why some evenings I feel clausterphobic! Oreo is almost always behind my head, Layla is always in my lap, and Squeekie was feeling left out so he came to get some attention. That's my Dh next to me. (Duh, huh?) And I am in my favorite color, black!!

We had a busy afternoon. We had our Son baptized tonight at Church. He behaved very well and loved , get this, WEARING A TIE! My little man wore a tie!! He looked SOOOO cute.

Afterwards we came home to change and decided on the spur of the moment to take our Daughter and Son to the movies for the first time since my Son was 6 months old! We saw RV. It. Was. Hilarious. I love Robin Willaims. He's just so funny. I have to say that Dh has been trying to talk me into renting one of those RV things for a while for a vacation and I've refused. If half the stuff in the movie is anywhere near true, I've been a smart cookie!! Of course he's also tried to talk me into going camping. Hahahaha! NOT IN THIS LIFETIME! I'm just not an outdoorsy girl. I like walking and hiking, but sleep? On the ground? With bugs? Nah-ah! Not happening. I have told him he can take the kids if he wants to. My Daughter looked at me with fear! She's afraid he'd lose her, or rather lose all patience with her. (Because he hasn't spent maybe an hour alone with them since they've been born.) Anyway, Son did really well during the movie. Halfway through it he switched from the seat to my lap, which I expected. Could someone please tell me when going to the movies got to be so expensive? It cost $29 just to get in! Not to mention snacks!! If we ever go back, it'll be to the matinee. But, the kids enjoyed it. And Dh and I loved it. It was nice doing something like that as a family.

That's my evening. Not much, but I liked it. Hope y'alls evening was as nice as ours! Night, B.

Look at the BELLY! Hehehe! I told you Layla needed to go on a diet. There may be some truth to the rumor of cats resembling their owners. The difference being I excercise!

Son is much better, thanks for all of y'all's nice comments. As a matter of fact when he finally fell asleep and woke up, he felt tons better. You'd never know he was sick! Me on the other hand? TIRED. We were able to lay down for a while, but good grief!

My books will be here soon. Which is great because, wahhhhhhh........I have nothing to read! I'm not in the mood for anything on my bookshelves.

Tomorrow starts my Dh's vacation. Pray for me. Actually, thinking about it, pray for him. Patience, I just need to have LOTS of patience. (Y'all know I'm kidding, right?)

Well, that's about it, except for the errandss I managed to sneak in tonight before everything closed. But, I am sure y'all don't want to hear about it. Nothing fun happened. Night, B.

Look what I picked up at the grocery store! Kidding. For some reason a bag ended up on the floor and Layla managed to get in. Oreo looks a little jealous. Either that or she's wondering why Layla is crazy enough to get into the bag to begin with.

Nothing much going on here except that Son threw up at 11:00 (about the time I try to post) and then his tummy decided to rebel with drastic results. So much so that I had to dig out the liquid Immodium the Doctor said I could give him the last time this happened. In the meantime he had 2 'accidents' in his undies because he couldn't tell the difference between gas and....... I had to dig the diapers out early ( I still put him in one at night) ( a bomb won't wake him up). So he's been up, so he's cranky, tired, doesn't feel well. All the fun stuff you don't want with a 4 year old. Yay! I've seen a night with no sleep (well, duh its 10 till 6) and am hoping to lay down SOMETIME. I don't see us making it to Co-Op today. All this has kept Daughter from sleeping (she's SO nosey, has to know what's going on at all times!) I keep having to force her back to bed. She keeps it up, I'll make her change one of his more exhuberant(sp) diapers. Heh-heh.

Oh, I read Katie MacAlisters most recent "Even Vampires Get the Blues". I loved it. It was funny and the heroine isn't a push over. The hero is the tall, dark, and handsome type. Their relationship travels through a rollercoaster and just when you think......., nah, not gonna tell. Just say there is a HEA (of course) and that I did laugh outloud at a few things. I've had a copy of Lynn Kurlands latest book as well and have tried to get into it, but can't. Either it's me, or this one just isn't like the others. *sigh* Maybe I'll put it aside and try it again later, or maybe I'll get rid of it. I'll have to look at my bookshelves to see if there's anything there I'm in the mood for. Maybe a MJD book. I'm currently being tortured anyway, and need a lift. Son has decided he wanted to watch Star Wars (since he's awake) and I'm having to sit through it. My ears may start to bleed soon. At least he's eating some crackers.

Oh, goodness, I haven't told you about next week! Dh has taken vacation! Aaaahhhgggg! He'll be home with us for an entire week (with 5 cats its hard to take off). I know we're going to Georgia to see the Aquarium, that's one day. To keep from killing him, I am enlisting him to help me paint the molding and help repaint the living room. I have eggshell type paint in there and the kids have destroyed my walls. I've had it, so I'm putting semi-gloss in there. It'll be ALOT easier to wipe down the walls then. Ok, I've decided I've made your eyes cross with boredom enough, so.............Bye! B.

I'm guessing Oreo want to be a Dalmation! I hate to tell her she's the wrong species. She is the strangest cat. She was on my couch last night stalking Patches getting ready to pounce (butt wiggle and all) when she went completely still and then just ( for no reason) sprang straight up in the air!! At least a foot!! Like I always say.......Why do I get the weird ones?

Our Daughter had a good birthday. She made out like a bandit. From us (and her brother) she received: Cinderella T-shirt, a ring, NICE sheets, a Cat Fancy magazine subscription, and the Harry Potter PC game (the new one). From my In-laws she received: $40 and a jewelry chest. From my Dh's Aunt and Uncle (Doris and Buck, I always mess up and call them Boris and Duck!) $5. From Dh's sister and husband: $20. And most sweet of all, the Nursery lady at church made her a cake, brought her a rose and gave her $5. The kid has more money than I do!! Oh, and I know what my Dad has gotten her, and so do y'all. An Opal neclace and earrings. Like I said, she is so blessed that so many love her.

In other news, hahaha, (just wanted to say that! ) I ordered a few books online tonight. Bad Brandy, very bad Brandy!! I told my husband that since they weren't going to be here for at least a week, they could be my Mother' Day gift. So, maybe not so bad Brandy, huh?

We went by the new Grocery Store that opened here tonight, after class; Whole Foods Market. They carry mostly organic things, but do carry what they consider 'conventional' foods as well. Yeahhhh! Finally somewhere where I can find my carob!!! I usually have to order it (about once a year I want some) and it somehow melts into a big blob by the time it arrives. Let me tell you why it's hard to get here. I live in fried food heaven. There are fried chicken places everywhere here (I don't like it, it upsets my tummy), not to mention some of the people here (a lot of the people here) FRY their TURKEYS for Thanksgiving. Um, no thanks. So it's kind of hard to find some things. Oh, and they carry the Maple Butter I am addicted to. Another item I usually have to order.

All in all, a pretty good day! Y'all have a good night, B.

NOT Layla's most flattering side! Hahaha! Think maybe she's a little overweight? She was trying to balance on the arm of my chair while stalking Tiger who had just come in. (Tiger being the stray who has adopted us.) Layla hates Tiger, with PASSION. When my Daughter puts him in her room (with the door closed) Layla charges the door......with her head. And you wonder when I tell you, THESE CATS ARE NOT NORMAL.

Trying to get the house together for tomorrow. Daughter's birthday and the arrival of the In-Laws. (I've mentioned before I get a little anxious about how clean the house is before the MIL comes over. ) I'm also anxious that Daughter likes her gifts from us. Stuff like this matters to a kid, especially a kid her age.

Out of anything to read again. "Hey, Good Looking" was good, but not as enjoyable to me as "The Nosy Neighbor". HGL is about an woman who grew up alongside her male best friend, on their graduation day from college her friend has her agree to be executer to his will. She does it thinking they'll be old and gray before having to assume the duties. 10 years later her friend dies and his Step-Mother has his organs donated, BUT according to his will he did NOT want them donated and therefore his friend tries to right the wrong. I can't tell you anymore without going into so much detail it'll spoil the book, but she visits the people who received his organs in the end, trying to find some sense of her friend and that he's at peace. There actually is a HEA, but it is mirred in the sadness of her friends death. I tried to like it, I really did. I LOVED "The Nosy Neighbor", however. It was more to my stlye I guess.

Well, I can't think of anything more interesting to tell y'all......unless you want to know that I received a verbal warning from a Police Officer for speeding about 2 miles from my house on the way home from Wally-World tonight at 11:30 because I forgot wrapping paper. (I was only 9 miles over the limit, I get nervous out late at night by myself.)
Anyway, that's all. B.

Sorry, you kow Layla is my sweetie. She sleeps next to me, which isn't easy because she's a bed hog! She does this a lot when Dh gets ready for work in the morning and I relish the too short of time that leaves the bed to ME, me, me.

I ventured out of the house today! Yay! It was nice out. And I didn't feel the least bit of guilt over the fact that only my yard and one other on our street hasn't been mowed recently. Nope, not one. Uh, well, to be honest I'm lying. I feel guilty. Just not enough to do it. I have placed the yardwork squarely back into my Dh's hands. I did it all last year and the hill behind our house is a major reason I abhor it. We could put up a retaining wall there, it would ONLY cost us about $2000. Um, yeah. NOT.

Oh, out of the house......... I went to the library! I only found one book I thought I might like that I haven't read before. "Hey, Good Looking" by Fern Michaels. I hope it's good. I needed a book, but am loathe to buy one. I am saving my energy for the UBS. I'm hoping to get there this week. I did manage to find the prettiest set of sheets at T.J. Maxx. Just not for my bed. For my Daughter, they are white with little purple flowers. She loves them. They are an early birthday gift. Alot like the Cat Fancy subscription I bought her, the first magazine arrived 2 weeks ago. About 2 weeks after I bought it. We also have gotten her a Cinderella shirt (she LOVES Cinderella), the ring I mentioned in another post, and a Harry Potter computer game. My In-laws asked her what she wanted a month ago and she told them she wasn't sure, she changed that about 2 weeks ago and asked them for money instead. (Well, she didn't ask them first, they offered it first.)

The funniest part of my evening was when as I pulled into the grocery store parking lot, my cell phone rang. It was my Dh. (he commutes remember, 2 hours each way) Turns out he was a mile from the grocery store so we met up inside. I didn't tell the kids he was coming and he snuck up on them in the store. Afterwards we came home and he vegged out, so much so that he's snoring right now!!

Oh, oh, oh, I forgot to tell y'all. I had everyone upstairs for bed last night and Dh was snoozing. I thought the kids were in bed and came back downstairs to finish a few things, like feeding the cats and paperwork. All of a sudden I hear the kids at the top of the stairs, they were 'thirsty' and were comong down to get something. I stayed around the corner from the stairs and as the lights were off in the kitchen except for a light under the microwave, it was all dark. Anyway, they hit the landing and then a few steps shy of the bottom I peeked around and yelled "Boo"!! Hahahahahaahahahaha! My Daughter screamed her head off a total of 3 times and my Son only once, but it was so funny to be able to "get" them!!! They had thought I was upstairs in our room. I'm still snickering thinking about it!

Well, that's it tonight. B.

One fan for Son's bedroom.....$30

One cat on bed on the instructions...............................$free

Trying to put up a ceiling fan without instructions?.............................$priceless

So, if you can't tell by my BAD sense of humor, Dh put up a ceiling fan in Son's room tonight. Without the instructions. Because we KNOW men do not need instructions, right? Hahahaha!

He thought he was done, turned the power back on and, wow the fan worked! Flicked the cord for the light and NOTHING! Heh-heh. Layla finally deigned to get off the bed and he reread the instructions, turns out he had crossed a wire with a ground wire. Took ten minutes to fix, but it was PRICELESS that he had to admit he did something the wrong way!!!

We have another fan to put up in Daughter's room tomorrow tonight. We already have had one in our bedroom, we put it in the day we moved in. It should be easier to do since he now knows how.

Tomorrow is my FIL's birthday. Then Wednesday is my Daughter's 11th birthday. We are so excited for her to be getting a year older, however it means she's growing up! Oh, went to Church tonight and Son didn't have an accident!! Yay! However, he did have to potty 5 minutes after we got there, but before the priest goes down the isle. Dh took him for me. He also taught Son how to use the urinal when we went to Sam's earlier this week. Which might be boring to most everybody, but Son was SO EXCITED!!

Still no book for me. I haven't bought one because I was actually too busy to. We had to run and pick up a new battery for my camera this evening, at the Holy Grail for Son and Dh, Best Buy. You have never seen a 4 year old get so excited as my Son when we tell him we have to go there. It's actually a little weird. What's also weird is that DH has been letting the kids play his SIMS game this week and Son keeps setting fires. He thinks it's fun. Please tell me I don't have a future Pyro on my hands?! (I promise I really do watch what kind of things they play with and watch on tv.) Nothing much else to share, y'all have a good evening. B.

Ok, so this isn't a cat picture. It's my Son. You can't see his face, so I feel a bit secure in keeping his identity safe. Now, y'all might not find this funny and cute, but I do! And just so you know, his feet AREN'T touching the floor! He's trying really hard to learn to use the potty. He's had a few accidents. He had 2 last night, after none the day before. Which caused me to have to mop the floors while feeling like the earth could swallow me and I might feel better if it did.

I haven't been out of the house in a while and am starting to feel a little restless. Tomorrow is Church, so I'll finally get to leave the house (if I'm still feeling OK, like tonight). I also haven't eaten since last night (food is scarey). Dh has stated he'll take care of dinner so at least the kids and he won't starve.

I am out of something to read. Scarey I know, at least to me. I might have to give in and buy an ebook. I haven't bought one in over 6 months. The library doesn't seem to be aware of the fact that they suck and that they need to get in more new books. (Not to mention they aren't open at night on the weekends). I don't like audio books (which I could download from them online). I just can't get into the imagry(sp) that way. I need to be able to build the books world in my head, and hearing someone else's voice wrecks it for me.

Well, cross your fingers. I'm going to try food again. Night, B.

Wanted to share a new picture of Oreo. Isn't she cute? She weighs 5lbs. now. She had a trip to the Vet yesterday for her FIV booster. I love my new vet. he is so nice and he LOVES to talk! We were telling him about how Squeekie carries his baby around howling, and like Eve said (or was it Junebee at Herding Cats), the Vet though it was a symbol of the mighty hunter come to bring his captured prey to his family. He also said that Squeekie could just be weird. (We think that one fits him best!) His assistants had to come and almost drag him out for his next patient!!

Still feeling sick. Have managed NOT to have gotten ill, but I tried food tonight and we are not on good terms. Not long after giving in to the hunger pains (and trust me I almost had a hard time seperating the sensations), my stomache decided to become agitated. My morning sickness with my Son wasn't this bad. (NO, I'M NOT PREGNANT.) If I sit still I'm good. Moving around it comes in waves, kinda like motion sickness. Anywhooo, enough of that.

Oh, I combed the cats tonight( I could do that sitting down, before food.) and I swear I now have enough fur to make a cat from scratch. Learned the wierdest thing from the Vet's office yesterday, potatoe are poisonous to cats. And the full list of plants that are poisonous was sooooo long, I started to wonder about having any houseplants at all. (I have 2 small ones I just bought. But, I keep them in the kitchen sink window.) I have mone out of the way of our cats, because when he was young Squeekie ate some of one of our houseplants and became VERY sick. I'm keeping an eye out.

Well, that's my day (and yesterday). Basically I've been trying to sit still, wich is hard to do with the kids and trying to keep their clutter to a minimum. (To be honest Dh hasn't been much help. He has stepped his foot in it by not helping me out around here.) Night all, I need to pick up the living room without much movement. B.

Not the best picture, my cell phone camera sucks. Sick today. Trying HARD not to hurl. Fever. Ugh. Write tomorrow. B.

Squeekie is as sweet as they come. Of course he is also as.......simple(?) too. A few ways we use to describe him: the lights are on and no one's home, a few fries short of a Happy meal, bats in the belfrey, a few bricks shy of a load, the hamster died but the wheel is still spinning, etc. Don't get me wrong, we love him. Alot. He is very affectionate, but strange.

Didn't get much done today. Just the laundry and the carpets. Oh, and Dh got off work early and we went ou to eat and ran a few errands. I took him to Sam's so he could measure the mattress I want to get Son, to see if it would fit in the back of the van. Then we had to find Son some more undies, I had only bought him one pack as an experiment. (You have never seen a child so resistent to potty training!) They were Spider man (what? he's 4.) He wanted Star Wars (what else is new?) and Wal-Mart didn't have them. On to Target who, thank God, had them!! I went ahead and got him 2 packs. (there are only 3 in a pack) He was so excited when we got home he stripped off Spidey and is now dancing around in Darth Vader! (it's the funniest thing, really!) I did all the driving tonight, so DH wouldn't have to. By the time we got home this evening though, my foot is hurting again. I guess I did too much today. I can hear the ibuprofen calling my name.

I'm waiting for all the new books to come out in May. I have been scoping out BAM to see if they have gotten any of them in early. They usually do, but not this time. Aghhh! Oh, we're gearing up for Daughter's birthday next week. My Dad and Step-Mother got her a pair of Opal studs and an Opal heart necklace. Which is funny, because I am giving her an Opal ring that was mine when I was her age. It has a tear-drop Opal in the center flanked by 2 tiny diamonds with gold loops on it. I'll post a picture of it after we've given it to her. I had Dh take it and have it resized and cleaned. It looks soooooo pretty!!!!! The really funny thing is, my Dad and Step-Mom didn't ask what I was getting her, and I never told them!!!

Nothing much else gong on, Dh is already leaning back in his chair snoring so loud I can barely hear the t.v. (we're in the LR). So, I'm going to make him go to bed and then take care of everything else (as usual). Night all! B.

This is SO not the best picture of me. I just wanted to show you how much I love my Laylie! Today the foot is a bit better, because I have stayed off the darn thing as much as possible. Turns out I was also trying to not walk on the part that hurts, I shifted the weight and started to make my ankle hurt too. I'm correcting myself now. My FIL mentioned that the part of my foot that hurts is connected through my arch, and as I have HIGH arches maybe that's part of it. I just bought a new pair of tennies a few months ago and knew the arch support wasn' t the best, but they fit good at the time. I think I'll look for some supports at Wallys-World. I LIVE in my tennies, well until summer, then I live in my sandals.

On towards less boring material. (Maybe, you judge.) I was tagged by Eve to do the 4 meme. So here goes (again I think).

Four jobs you've had in your life:

1.Telemarketer for Olan Mills (probably why I hate talking on the phone, I was 16)

2. Cashier at Wal-Mart ( why I feel very sorry for them, now)

3. Daycare worker (why I never even gave thought to doing this as a career!)

4. Cashier at the BX on Base in Mississippi (actually loved this job, they were great)

Four Movies you'd watch over and over:

1. While you were sleeping

2. The Mummy

3. Oscar

4. Hmmmm, have to think. Would the entire season 1 of House count?

Four places you have lived:

1. South Carolina (born and raised)

2. Northern California ( beautiful there)

3. Mississippi (friendliest people I have ever met!)

4. Northern California again, then back to South Carolina( *sigh*)

Four t.v. shows you love to watch

1. CSI: Miami

2. House (he-he, LOVE this show!!!)

3. Law & Order: Criminal Intent

4. Loving the new show Evidence, but also LOVE Grey's Anatomy.

Four websites you visit daily: (not in any order)

1. Eve

2. Michele

3. Jill Shalvis

4. He wrote, She wrote (Crusie/Mayer blog)

Four places you have been on vacation:

1. Gatlinburg, Tenn.

2. Disney World, Florida

3. Myrtle Beach, S.C.

4. Kiawah, S.C (outside Charleston, S.C.) (does a class trip to Washington, DC count?)

Four of your favorite foods:

1. Pizza (yum, I know what I'm having for dinner)

2. cake (like birthday cake, hate chocolate cake)

3. cheese enchiladas from Don Jaun's

4. Chicken Paprika (I make it for myself for my birthday every year)

Four places I would rather be right now:

1. Ireland

2. Scotland

3. Disney World

4. SLEEP. I love the feel of soft clean sheets and the kids are asleep. Ummmmm, (hey a girl can dream can't she?)

That's it. You can wake up now, no snoring on my post please! Going to spend time the Dh, he just got home from work. Night, B.

Seriously? What is it with cats and sinks? Layla spends a lot of nights in mine. Last night, I had to brush my teeth in the kids bathroom, and when I went to put my toothbrush back, she got out and then stared at me!

Today was too busy. I had so many errands to run it took all afternoon and this evening. I had to pick up a prescription at the drugstore, then take movies back to the library. After that I had my Daughters hair trimmed, took a tank top back to Marshalls, then went to the mall and picked up Dh some new slacks, scoured the mall for a tie to match one of his shirts, gave up and bought him one of those tie/shirt combo deals, and while still there picked Son up another pair of shorts. I also returned an eyelet shirt I rally wanted to look good, but didn't. After that I had to go to Target and get a new shower liner (you can only wash them so many times!), ran to Khol's and picked up Son some new sandals and then (finally) to Wally World to get groceries! Aggghhhhhh! Sounds like a full afternoon right? OK, add in the fact that I have somehow managed to hurt my foot (around the pad, down from the big toe) and I'm doing all this while limping. By the time I got home my foot was swollen. Yea me! Actually I just hate being incapacitated. (Wonder if I picked that up from my Dad?) I am being told by Dh that if my foot's not better by Thursday, he's going to make me a Doctor's appointment. *snort* Yeah, right! Hahaha! It does sound like something I would tell him. And yeah, I did roll my eyes at him! Not much else going on tonight, thank goodness! Y'all get some rest, I'm putting my feet up and then will have to do stuff around here. There's always stuff needed to be done around here! Night, B.

Well, blogger seems to be having problems with posting pictures. I'll try again later. I am sorry that I haven't posted all weekend. Saturday we has easter Vigil at Church with a reception afterwards and we didn't get home until 1:00am. We were all soooooo tired and I could barely think coherintly. Sunday we all woke up still exhausted, but had family obligations to do. The In-laws were Ok, no hassles this time. My Dad is Ok, as well. He is in a bit of pain, duh! But, he seems to be doing allright. The Doctor is going to have his hands full keeping him from going back to work. We didn't get home last night until 11:00pm, and then straight to bed for everyone. Well, almost everyone, I still had to iron Dh's clothes for work.
Oh, you wouldn't believe it, Dh's parents still had a few of his old Star Wars toys from 1977!!!!!
A lunch box, and 2 figures. My Son is in heaven! I hate to tell him that Dh might try to sell the lunch box on Ebay. (Hey, college for 2 kids is expensive!)
As for today, I have returns to make on a few things and I need to pick up Daughter a new set of sheets for her bed. So, I will yet again be running around!!! *sigh* Maybe tomorrow will be slower. Anyway, sorry for not updating and keeping y'all guessing. Hope everyone had a nice Easter. B.

Not one of my cats is normal. I'm not kidding. I got up to make Son a sandwich for lunch the other day and when I got back this is what greeted me. That's Son petting her, and Layla is just laying there like it's her due. Can y'all see her pink belly? When we had her spayed the vet shaved her tummy and it never grew back normal, just fuzz. Hahahaha!

We'll the In-Laws are coming over tomorrow to babysit while we have a meeting at Church (no daycare provided) and I have been cleaning like a mad woman. I do this right beofre they visit all the time. I don't want to give my MIL ammunition for any type of attack against me. She already thinks my kids should be in school and that I should be working full time. Of course she also thinks I'm fat. I'm overweight, yes, fat no. And I'm in better shape physically than she ever was. Besides, I'm making sure my Daughter gets a good education. I don't know why I let them get to me. We're happy and for some reason that bothers her.I'm already getting into my defensive mode. MUST. POWER. DOWN. Nah, I won't let her get to me.

Today was beautiful, WARM, but beautiful. I ran all over trying to get some errands done. Things that I could have done yesterday, but was too tired to do. Oh, forgot to tell you. My Step-Mother called this afternoon and told me my Dad did well, they were already home when she called.

Oh man, y'all should have seen the Easter isle at Wall-World today. Whew! It was a MESS! Parents were practically climbing all over each other. I was thanking my lucky stars that I've already gotten everything I need. I'd REALLY hate to see that place tomorrow!

Well, still things to clean! Night, B.

Ok, I was going into withdrawal not posting a kitty picture. Besides, if this one doesn't make y'all giggle, well, I don't know what will. See Squeekie? And the new catnip toy I bought the kitties last week? I call it a woodchuck, anyway, WE DID NOT PLACE THE TOY ON HIM. NOPE. He came downstairs with that toy in his mouth, rolled over on his back and started to play with, then went all limp and layed there. I HAD TO HAVE A PICTURE! C'mon, could you have resisted? He is just too weird.

Sorry for not having a better post yesterday, I was too tired. Still tired today. Didn't help when the MIL called this morning to tell me that my DH's Uncle (one who was in the Air Force, retired, became a prison guard, retired) who lived in California and was really sweet to our kids, especially our Daughter, died this morning. He was a good man who had been sick for what seems like a long time. He actually lived a year longer than the Doctors thought he would. He was his wife's rock. His wife is my MIL's sister. Jack (the Uncle) had been taking care of her for years. She has Rheumatoid Arthritis BAD. They have grown children who we've met and I just feel so bad for all of them. I'm actually glad we left California before he became sick. That way we can remember him as the vital, funny, brash man he was.

Not that the phone call about his death wasn't upsetting enough, my MIL brings up the fact that she was wondering what we wanted for the dinner she's making Easter Sunday.( It's one of the holidays I don't mind whose house I visit.) This was RIGHT AFTER she tells me that Uncle Jack had passed on. Um, excuse me? Could that not have waited a day? She is the strangest woman. I hate to break it to her that we're not going to stay long. I do want to visit my Dad too. His surgery is today and my Step-Mother has promised to call and let me know how it goes. I am nervous for him. It's his first surgery ever. He told me what they are going to patch his hernia with, some king of material like they use for parachutes.

A lady from the Crusie/Mayer blog e-mailed me today to tell me about another USB/New Book Store near me. I am excited to hear about it.

Oh, I did read 'Southern Comfort' by Karen Kelly tonight, on the treadmill. It was pretty good. Quite a few, um, steamy scenes. *throat clearing* Quite. Whew! Anyay, I decided to look her up at my library. She has 2 other books I want to try now, and the library, HA! Doesn't have ANY of them. Jeez, they suck. Oooh, Daughter likes the Acorna series by Ann Mcaffery (sp). And guess what else? I was looking for some Star Wars things for Son at the library and the funniest thing! There's a COOKBOOK!!!! I put it on hold, I'm just too curious to not check it out.

Well that's all from around my house! Night, B.

Hi. Just popped up to say I'm very tired. We've had a hard day. I've had 3 hours sleep and still have things to do before bed. The van is fixed, Dh's interview went great. Today was very emotionally draining, Dh and I had our 1st confession, I cried throught the whole thing. I won't go into it. Please catch a lot of sleep for me. Night, B.

In deference to Eve I'm not posting a kitty picture today. Her beloved Devlin lost his battle with an illness and as I understand I thought we'd skip it today. I HAVE posted a picture of a historical (which is not my usual thing) that sounded pretty good. I am waiting for the library to get it, I'll give them a month and if they haven't gotten it in by then, well..........I won't tell, Dh might be looking.

I have to ask "How many times can you sneeze in a row before you want to yank your nose off?" I lost count this afternoon. In fact gave serious thought to living without the stupid thing, till I realized without my nose my sunglasses would have no where to sit!

Also, I have been hanging out in blogland too long with writers. I sat down today and wrote a short story. First time in at least 10 years that one of the stories in my head was placed on paper! (Well, actually saved in Microsoft Word) Trust me, it's dreck, but it felt pretty good letting go of one of them. (More room for more junk now, I guess.)

As for the book I bought last week. I still haven't had a chance to read it. Actually that not quite true. I've had a few chances but am actually afraid to start it. I'm afraid I won't like it. Jenny Crusie is one of my alltime favorite authors and I'm afraid that I won't like it. I know I will suck it up and give in and read it. Soon.

Dh went back to work, still feeling under the weather. I have to say Thank God! Why is it I have MORE work with him around here? Unfortunately he will be off tomorrow, his normal day off. But, he'll be busy. The van has an appointment to be fixed, at 7:30 AM! Then he has an interview at 9:00AM! I have to buzz his hair tonight. And pick out his tie. Yes, I'm the one who does that. Yes, I pick out his clothes. I love him, but as he is partially color-blind? Ugh! Some of the color combos he's picked out? Hahahahah! So, anyway, y'all cross your fingers OK? PLEASE!!!!!!!???????

Night, B.

p.s. Please send Eve good thoughts!

Hahaha! This cat would not get out of the sink! I had to brush my teeth in the kids bathroom! Would YOU try to move her with that look on her face?

So, today. Dh started to get the kids cold and acted like he was dying last night. He woke up feeling even worse. His eyes were watering and he was sneezing like it was an olympic sport. He ended up taking a sick day. Geez, the kids had this thing and played outside all week. MEN!! Big 'ol babies.

Remember how I told y'all it was going to cost an arm and a leg to fix our van? Yeah, got the quote today, $376.26. OUCH!! Dh has been researching the problems that are prevelant with the type of van we have, and good grief! We are so getting rid of this sucker!
Oh, remember how I was saying that Dh is looking to tranfer back closer to home? He has an interview with his old boss to se if they can find room for him! I'm crossing my fingers and praying hard!! If he gets back here, thats less gas money, that I can then use to pop the kids in some kind of activity!

Well, that's enough of my sordid life (Hahahaha! Wait while I pick myself up off the floor!) Anyway, have a good night, B.

See this crazy cat? She is HANGING from the ceiling in my Daughters room! My In-Laws gave this toy 'thing' to my Daughter for some reason. As evidenced by the cat, she has never used it and just hangs it up every now and then so Oreo can play in it. For some reason the cat loves this thing. We can not get her to get out, at least for an hour or two.

Didn't got to Dad's today. I wanted to, but thought the idea of taking two kids who may still be carriers for whatever cold they had this week was a bad idea. Son is STILL having a problem with rivers running out of his nose. (I know. Eeeewww, gross!) I could have kept that to myself, but where's the fun in that for me? Hahaha! We barely made it to Church on time this afternoon. Afterwards it became our weekly trip to Wally-World for supplies as riveting as Coke and Diet Dr. Pepper and Son's chicken from the deli, being the only meat he'll eat besides chicken nuggets from McD's. I haven't had much time to read lately, we're looking over Daughter's new schoolwork and I've been running after two sick kids. I can't even put any books on hold at the library, beause I have to wait until tomorrow to find someone to fix the van, and don't know when I'll be able to pick up anything that might come in.

Nothing else to tell, except I have found a serious threat to my trying to eat healthier. Jack in the Box has the absolute best ever chicken biscuts. YUM! I had 2 for breakfast. I was stuffed, but oh, man, too good! Nothing else to tell, or rather nothing but mundane stuff! Off to scrub the munchkin! B.

Consider this post a filler. Blogger had a small problem this evening; when I went to post the button dor 'new post' wasn' there.
I wasn't able to visit my Dad, our van has had a loud sound coming from the wheels lately. We had the tires rotated, but the sound just continued. Dh called one of those auto places tody and was told it sounded like the wheel bearing. At first we thought he'd (Dh) be able to replace it. Unfortunately what he knows about mechanical stuff is not on par with what he knows about computers. So we're looking at about $400 ($200 of that was qouted for labor). OUCH!
I called my Dad today to see how he was doing and he told me he was scheduled for surgery on Friday for a hernia. Turns out he has 2, but the other one doesn't require surgery to repair. He joked they are going to patch him up, like you'd patch a tire. They are hoping this is just an outpatient surgery, it'll depend on how he feels afterwards. My Dad has to be in serious pain to even be doing all this. He broke his foot when I was 4 and went to work after being told it was broken, no cast! He went to work the day after he cut 2 of his toes off with a lawnmower and had them stitched back on! He hates hospitals and doctors, so I know he must really need this surgery. I'm just nervous, irrationally I am afraid for him. My Mom went in for major surgery and never woke back up. She died a month later. I know this is totally different for my Dad, but I'm still scared for him. We're hoping to visit today (yes, up late). I'm stressing out about all this, and to make things worse, my claddagh ring is broke. My Dh gave me this ring. I love it to death and I know it's trivial compared to everything else, even compared to other peoples lives, but it just feels like one more thing to go wrong! Sorry to bring the mood down with this post. Hey! In brighter news I haven't heard from the In-Laws for over a week. Which to be honest is making me nervous. Kinda like the mouse before the cat moves in for the snack!
Anyway, I'm going to get some sleep. Hopefully. Night, morning, whatever. B.

I call this the Ferret look. I don't remember why, but I do. Layla lays like this when she wants attention, but most especially when she wants to play. Playing with her her means letting her attack your hand. I figure it's the Siamese in her. You should see what she does to a roll of toilet paper when she's upset!

Haven't been doing much today. Had to rush to the library to return some video/dvd's the kids had checked out. We got there about 5 minutes before they closed, so no chance to look around. I did manage to make it to the grocery store for pasta and allergy medication. Whoopee! Hopefully tomorrow will be more fun! I may take the kids to see my Dad. Not sure yet.

Have to go now, bathtime for the munchkin! B.

This e-book is being offered by Draumr Publishing. It's basically one of those mysteries that contain a lot of humor and 'misunderstanding'. It seems right up my alley. I'm just waiting to buy any more books for a while. I don't want my DH to start wondering where all my books ae coming from. And he'd have to help me put this on my little Compaq Ipaq he gave me when he was tired of it!! (I call each new computer gadget his 'toy' of the moment. ) I'm still a computer goober with a lot of things out there!

The best thing happened today. (Besides Daughter doing so well on scores.) My Grandmother "Grammy" dropped in for a visit! She's 81 and still driving! We live about 40 minutes away from her. She said she was out getting her hair done (every Thursday) and decided to come visit! We talked and she visited for about 2 hours. I realize I am so lucky to have a grandparent living. My Mom's Step-Dad (Papa Don) died last year. Anyway. It was nice to have a visitor that wasn't my In-laws. My Dad has only been to my house 2 times. Once when we first moved in and one other time when he bought the kids a swing set and brought it over. Which was nice, don't get me wrong. I fully appreciate the fact that he was nice enought to buy a swing set for the kids. It's just I have to do all the visiting, you know? How'd I get off onto this? Whatever.

Nothing much else going on. I keep telling you, I lead a pretty boring life. I'm sure you don't want to hear about how I had to keep wiping my Son's nose all day because it was dripping and he just smears it all over the place, right? Oops, too late. Y'all have a good night. I'm gonna pop a pizza in the oven, relax and enjoy the limited time we have together, just the 4 of us, because Dh works long hours! Night, B.

Yes, that is Oreo. Yes, she is LICKING the bag the catnip came in. Yes, my cats are crazy!

Not much to tell you today. Daughters placement scores came back today. And........she scored an overall 94. She scored as above average for the whole thing. We are so proud of her and I feel validated that I am doing an OK job with her. Her books came today as well. We did have a wierd question from the UPS guy. Daughters name was on the package and he asked us if we were "Dead Heads", you know, Grateful Dead fans. Um, no. Turns out Daughters name is in a song by them. Go figure.

Today was Dh's day off and I made him wash his car. It was so pretty outside and I didn't want him sitting in front of his computer all day. The kids played with the neighbor kids and had a blast! We also had class at Church tonight and one of our Deacons had us cracking up! Son seems to be getting a cold. Ugh! And the river of drainage lives on! Oh, I've been looking at a couple of e-books I want to read. I'll post the titles and the publisher tomorrow and if y'all have read them, let me know.

Nothing else, B.

Yeah! It's out! I was the first person to pick up a copy from BAM this afternoon. I haven't started it yet, because the kids have kept me busy. I was able to use my discount card and ended up with 30% off cover price. Have I mentioned I love BAM? I don't buy too many hardbacks but my Library is awful about getting books in and they don't even have this down as a catalog entry! Plus, I was good last month!

I had to wear my wrist brace on my arm today. It's one of those that people with carpal tunnel usually wear. I have nerve damage that bothers me from time to time because of a cyst that grew in between my wrist and hand bones when my Daughter was 2. I had to have it drained. OWWWWWW! That topical stuff that is supposed to help with pain, yeah, doesn't work so well. Oh, and it took them 6 months to find the cyst on an x-ray, hence the nerve damage! Anyway, I overdid it with some Pilates on Sunday and then held Son most of Mass Sunday evening, by the time I tried to get my shower Sunday night, I was in so much pain I wanted to cry. Dh offered to help me in the shower, no really, just help. As in help me shave my legs, (cause I do every night) I'm sorry but the idea of him near my knees with a razor scared the tar out of me, so I just gritted my teeth and did it on my own. I took it easy yesterday and it didn't bother me, but today? Ugh. Had to wear the brace for hours, let me tell you driving with it on was sooooo much fun. Luckily it was on my left wrist and I'm right handed.

Hey, need an opinion or 2 on books for Daughter. She seems to lean toward the Fantasy genre. I requested 'Acorna: The Unicorn Girl' from the library for her and she's enjoying it. Any other suggestions for YA fantasy? She is almost 11 years old and can read higher than her grade level, I'd guage her at 10th grade level. I do worry about too much violence or sex so anything that doesn't have that would be great. Let me know, OK? Thanks!

Between my allergies (UGH! Drainage) and my wrist, I'm wiped out. Hope y'all have good dreams, night.B.

So, can you guess by looking at Squeekie, that I let the cats have catnip last night? The other picture is of Oreo trying her hardest to climb my Patio door! She does pretty well, doesn't she? Although, about 5 seconds after Daughter took this picture, she FELL OFF THE DOOR! Hahahaha!
Ooooh, I suffered horribly last night. I had to, gasp, clip the cats nails! ALL of them. Squeekie is the easiest. All you have to do is scratch his chin and he'll lay there for you. (I have Daughter hold them, DH is such a wuss about this.) She scratched his chin, and presto, Squeekie is done! Now, Layla is different. No matter how much you sweet talk her, DEMON CAT! She screams, hisses, growls, tries to bite! Yeah, my lovey Layla. I finish her as quickly as I can, because to be honest, she scares me like this! (Today she is all sweetness and purrs.)Patches is usually the mild mannerd one, but last night? Not so much. She actually scratched me! (Hence the need to clip the claws.) Oreo is taking lessons from Layla. I can now see at that point WHY Dh is being a wuss! Last, but not least, oh no, is Smokie. Now my Mom had her declawed when she was younger, so I only have to clip her back claws. You'd think this would be easy, right? Nope, last night must have been some kind of organized rebellion because she took offense and struggled and meowed and finially hissed. But, by that time, I was done. Did I mention that before each cat was held, I tried to dope them up? Yessiree, I had a bag of catnip and tried to get them all to sniff it to relax them. Didn't work. *sigh* But, at least I'm done with that, for another month (sob, NOT). It was actually pretty funny!
Not much else happening today. It's pretty out and Son is not feeling the greatest, but he's fighting it and trying to play. The cats seem to have forgiven me, trust me I'm gratefull. I don't know how to sleep with one eye open! Have a great day! B.

Oreo is your typical cat in many respects. In others...... not. I don't know of many cats that like to play with ice, or that "talk" as much as she does. She also growls when she's on your feet and you move them! Other things as well, are strange about her. But, in the end she is sweet and soft.

I have looked back over my posts of the past few days and even some of my comments and feel that I must apologize. Dh's snoring is taking a toll on my sleep and therefore I am soooo tired most evenings when I do post. I have rambled and made not much sense, so, sorry! Last night wasn't much better, one reason why I ended up sleeping late today and missing morning Mass. So we are going tonight instead. It has been beautiful outside for the past few days. Weather my kids have been taking advantage of. I hope we keep it for a while! I am so tired of weather that changes from hot/warm to cold/freezing. As for yesterday I had a few errands to run and one of them was to PetsMart to pick up cat food. They were having an adoption fair for the Humane Society. I was so sad to see all the animals that need homes. I ended up donating the few dollars I had on me to them. We also looked at the kitties they had inside. I swear if I could give them all homes I would.

After DH got home last night (he got off early to make up for the night before) we went to the video store and picked up a few movies. One of which; A Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. A very strange movie. Out of all the characters, I liked the depressed robot the best. To be honest, I didn't like the movie much. It just seemed disjointed and strange, I joked with my Dh that maybe you needed to drink something before watching it, that that would help it make more sense. HA! Picked up and finished Full Scoop by Charlotte Hughes and Janet Evanovich. It was pretty good. Not as light hearted in areas the others were, but the subject matter of this one was a little more serious as well. I am awaiting with patience the release of Don't look Down by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer, due out tuesday. Looking at their joint blog today, it seems Jenny Crusie may do a sequel to my favorite book of hers, Smart Women. I hope so. There were a few characters in that book that could be used for the sequel and I look forward to seeing which ones she may pick.

Nothing much else going on, gotta get ready to go! I hope y'all have a good day filled with at least one laughing moment to look back on. B.