JUST SHAKING MY HEAD . . .

I am about to spend a week with my 2 BFF's while cruising the warm waters of the Caribbean. (Husbands are coming too.) We will NOT be at a loss for things to talk about. (We NEVER run out of things to talk about but just in case . .) Husband has been supplying me with ENDLESS material for my next gig as a stand up comic. Just in the past week the man has gone totally DUMB with a capital D. The things he is saying and doing are giving me lots to talk about but some times I really DO feel bad making fun of the poor guy. He obviously can't help himself and the fact that this is actually nothing new says a lot for me staying with him all these years. I guess I just love a good laugh, even if my first reaction is murder.
The latest H ism came today when we decided to cram 2 large pool chairs into the car and drive them up to the Stewart Flea Market to have them re-strung. The plastic webbing is rotting and the last time we were at the Flea Market we saw a place that had good prices for making our lounges look like new.
Problem  . . .  Small Car . . .  BIG chairs. This is going to take some thinking and work so I knew we were in for trouble. Even though the Rav is the car that H drives the man knows nothing about this vehicle. Open the door, put in the key and GO is as much involvement as H wants. He has recently learned how to fold down the back seats but even that requires some help from me. We got the seats down, I emptied all the crap from the back of the car that H would have left and fought with and we were ready to go. It took some doing but we did get the lounges into the car, the door closed and we were ready to make the 30 mile drive.
As soon as we started out I heard a noise that shouldn't have been. At first H told me it was nothing,  "Stop listening for trouble" was his direct quote. (PS . . .  I am driving and don't like noises coming from my car when it is crammed full) WE turned onto the ramp to the highway and I stuck to the slow lane because I really didn't like this noise. The further we drove the more the noise was evident. H continued to tell me everything was fine. I continued to think the noise was coming from the chairs rubbing on the back door. Just before we were getting off the highway H MENTIONED that he MIGHT have left the head rests from the back seats ON THE ROOF of the car. (Picture my face when he tells me this . . .) CALM . . . CALM . . . CALM . . .  I WILL REMAIN CALM !  My response was "REALLY?" H had apparently taken the head rests off the back seats so they would fold down and rather than putting them some place SMART he puts them on the ROOF of the car.
I just happened to be at an exit so I pulled off and H jumped out and SURE ENOUGH! There sat ONE head rest on the roof of our car. TWO (2) seats, ONE head rest.
Some where between our house and 30 miles north of here there is a head rest laying on the side of the road and people are wondering . . . HOW THE HELL DID THAT GET THERE?
If they read my blog they will find out!

OH . . . PS . . . .  the shop was closed today so we still have the chairs in the car and will have to make another trip next week.  Do you think we will find our head rest on the way?

TWAS THE WEEK AFTER CHRISTMAS

OI !  What a mess . . .   I am cleaning up the aftermath of Christmas and it ain't pretty! Food all over the place and Mookie treats that were shot out of the "Snack Launcher" that I gave Kent are turning up in the oddest places.  I didn't think we had launched THAT many little treats but those little suckers are in every room of the house.  Mookie was eating the ones she could find but maybe she was then spitting them out in other rooms.  All I know is that the poor Bug Man had a time of it today when he tried to spray the base boards of the house. There is STUFF every where !
And don't even mention the laundry . . .  sheets, pillow cases, blankets all have dog hair on them so it is a laundry nightmare. (Not that I have anything else to do and it is too chilly, 62, to sit in the sun.) Ger is outside puttering and I am actually having a great time cleaning up here and there.  I love organizing and Sharon sent me a "AS SEEN ON TV" organizer. It folds up into a case with a handle but then opens into a large pad with pockets and slots for all sorts of papers and pens. I LOVE stuff like that!
 I have spent the morning throwing things on to beds and am now ready to start pulling things off the bed piles one thing at a time. I can only imagine what Jan Jan the Buggy Bug Man must think when he walks into this house. It is never looking neat and clean. It is ALWAYS in the state of coming or going. There is always a suitcase on the bed in the guest room, having either come from or are going to some  trip. That's just how we live.
But today's mess is particularly LARGE! We have the residue of Christmas all over the place. Empty boxes still litter the living room. Gifts are here and there waiting to be put away. Christmas cookies and all those sticky buns etc that we received as gifts are on the kitchen counters. They NEED to be put away A.S.A.P.  because I have gained 4 pounds back that I had lost before Christmas. I really should just throw them out but since there ARE starving children in China I just can't do that.
Here's a HEADS UP for you . . .   husbands don't like it when you respond to their question of "What can I do for you?" with a resounding "LEAVE ME THE "F" ALONE!  I mean really, I am up to  my elbows in mess and H wants me to tell him what HE can do. Every woman knows that you just have to OPEN your eyes and you will KNOW what to do.  God love these idiots we are married to.  I guess I shouldn't complain because at least he asks . . .  not that if I gave him some things to do they would actually get done, but he thinks he gets points for asking.
HE SHOULD ONLY KNOW!

THREE HOUR NAP !

And I am not talking about my grand children . . .  Christmas is over, the "kids" have gone home and I took a nap. In spite of the fact that Smith sleeps 12 hours a night I am too stupid to go to sleep when he does so I can get  my usual 10 hours. And some how, after spending 12 hours playing with the little guy, 10 hours sleep at night just isn't enough for me.

Smith and parents were here for Christmas weekend along with Mookie the dog. They arrived Christmas Eve morning and left around 10 this morning after we all went out for a nice breakfast. After they left I finished up Kent's mimosas that he had mixed for the weekend and I went to bed. Three hours later I felt like normal again.

It was a great weekend all around. The weather was beyond FABULOUS. Temps in the 80's and sun sun sun. The AC was running all weekend to keep us cool in the house and at night after Smith went to bed we had a fire in the new fire pit out on the patio. Smith slept through the night both nights, K&K got good nights sleep as did grandma and grandpa and Santa arrived right on schedule. It took us ALL day yesterday to open gifts. Smith wasn't too sure about the whole Christmas gift thing so he would open a few things and then get distracted. It is actually a great way to spend a day.  Open some gifts, have breakfast . . .  open some gifts, go for a swim, open some gifts, have some lunch, open some gifts, take a nap . . . .  and so it went for the entire day.

YAWN!

It is too late (9 PM) to write a big blog but I just wanted to say MERRY CHRISTMAS to all.  We had a wonderful day with Smith and his mom and dad and tomorrow I promise to down load some photos. We were up at 7 this morning and took all day to open gifts. One or two at a time were all Smith could handle so it was great fun spreading out the joy through out the day.
Kyle and Family are back from their week in the French Alps.  The skiing was fantastic with lots and lots of snow. Abby skied down from half way up the mountain and Roman skied down from the TOP! Pretty amazing stuff.
Keri and Family had a good Christmas morning.  Kaelin was super excited and Finley just loves EVERYTHING. Keri's father-in-law is still in a coma even though the doctors have taken him off of the sedatives and he is off the respirator. I guess Fred just wasn't ready to face the holiday madness. Keep your prayers coming and hopefully Grandpa Fred will wake up soon.
God Bless you all . . .  time to get some rest.

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

And I should be sleeping because there is a 17 month old little boy asleep in the crib in the guest bedroom and I know he will be awake in less than 8 hours.
Smith and family arrived here today around noon and I am EXHAUSTED !  I am in Holiday mode which means I am cooking !   When I have "guests", family or friends, I cook.  I love to prepare goodies for everyone to eat and today I went nuts making sausage bread and cheese balls and even a pizza from scratch because I had left over dough and cheese.  That is just plain nuts but I enjoy it . . . .  until I am too tired to make dinner.  I was delighted to attend the hour and twenty minute mass this afternoon at 4:00 just so I could sit for a while. K&K wanted to go to mass with us for Christmas. I would have preferred mass in the morning because oddly enough Christmas morning masses are usually empty. But the K's decided the 4 this afternoon would work best. NOT !  Five minutes into the completely packed packed packed church Smith had had enough and they all left. (We anticipated this and had brought 2 cars.) Lucky Ger and I stayed for the Christmas Pageant mass and all the extras. Not only was the gospel acted out by the children but then our pastor gave a 20 minute sermon that ended with the singing of 3 verses of "THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY" !  PA RUM PA PUM PUM !  Shoot me now I was ready to become a Jew! If I had had a Shepard's crook I would have smacked our pastor with it and then beat him to death with a donkey.
THIS IS NOT HOW WE SHOULD BE THINKING AND FEELING AT CHRISTMAS ! God forgive me but I got NOTHING, with a capital N, out of that mass. Good thing we went to Christmas midnight mass at 2 PM on Tuesday.
By the time G and I got home I threw dinner together, Smith went to bed, I drank a couple of glasses of wine and I am now ready to sleep in the shower because I am too tired to make it to bed. So what the Hell am I doing writing a blog? I couldn't go to bed without wishing all of you a

                                VERY  MERRY CHRISTMAS !

WARM FUZZIES

H once took a class for graduate credits that included "WARM FUZZIES". It was a stupid stupid class taught by a real character. But H was there with some friends and it was quite entertaining to them. Warm Fuzzies has always been a "catch phrase" in our family ever since.  The idea is that students/children NEED Warm Fuzzies.  It is what the present day "Character Ed" is all about. Be positive with your students/children and they will flourish. As part of the curriculum the class members were awarded little balls of fuzz that had googly eyes stuck on and adhesive feet on the bottom.  Some had feathers on them, all were the size of large marble.  For a time our house was littered with Warm Fuzzies that dad had brought home to the kids. Usually they were given to the kids one day and the next day there was yelling about the damn things being stuck all over the place. I think we missed the point but be that as it may we had Warm Fuzzies.
I was always one to react in the negative and start slapping before I even thought to be POSITIVE. I was positive I was going to kill my kids if they didn't straighten up their rooms.  I was positive I was going to never buy them another toy until they learned to take care of what they had.  I was positive I was going to stop the car and throw them all out on the side of the road. I am amazed my kids grew up to be the amazing parents that they are today. I think they did what I was unable to do . . . break the pattern of behavior that my parents used on me. I swore I would never raise my kids like my mom raised me and yet that is pretty much what happened. I did, however, NEVER chase my child around the house swinging a wooden coat hanger at them. (I was a brat!) My mom loved me but her parenting skills were less than perfect and I totally understand where she was coming from. But I still carried that German stubbornness into my child rearing. My kids have broken that pattern and are soooooooooooooooo GREAT with their kids that I am in awe of them.  There are lots of Warm Fuzzies in all their homes, and not the kind with sticky feet and googly eyes. Just lots of love and hugs and positive reinforcement. My D-I-L asked me last week what I did instead of "Time Out" when out in public. I looked at her in total amazement and said,"I never gave my kids time out, I just slapped them". And that is the sad truth.
Sorry children of mine, I didn't know any better and I hope you have all forgiven me.
Now,  returning to the topic of Warm Fuzzies . . . .   I want a Guinea Pig!  I really want a dog but there is no freaking way in hell that H will allow a dog, cat, mouse, squirrel, guinea pig, gerbil, rat, hamster, gold fish, snake or alligator in this house.  There are many days when I don't feel welcome here so the thought of a PET is out of the question. H "HATES" animals ! He will tell you he doesn't HATE them, he just doesn't like them A LOT!  He HATES animals. I tell people the day H dies I will be stopping at the local pound on the way from the funeral home to pick up a dog.
But what got me on the guinea pig kick was stopping in the local PETCO today to get some gifts for my grand dog and 2 grand cats. I LOVED the store and would have spent a fortune except I had you know who with me. H took a  minute to use the bathroom and I made a beeline to the guinea pigs to see what was there.  They had an adorable brown and white little guy just begging to be adopted (for $34).  I know better than to even bring the topic up with H but I just imagine how nice it would be to sit down with my very own LIVE WARM FUZZY in my lap. Something to give some unconditional love to and to receive some in return.
It's a nice dream and maybe when I make that stop at the pound I'll also stop at Petco.

PS . . . .  Sharon if you are reading this DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT UNLESS YOU WANT ME MOVING IN WITH YOU AND BOB FULL TIME !

WHEN SHIT HAPPENS

We are never ready for it . . .   no matter how prepared for life we think we are we are never ready when the "Shoe drops" or when Shit happens.
We got a phone call from our hysterical (as in UPSET) daughter this afternoon.  I was just unlocking the front door after a day out and about when I caught the phone on the almost fourth ring. I heard my daughters voice and I just said, "What's Wrong" as a million different things were running through my head. Thank You GOD the children are fine and Steve is OK. Sadly Steve's dad is NOT OK. Fred had a blood clot in back of his knee and had it removed yesterday. I don't know any more than that. He was home today and suddenly collapsed on the floor and was not breathing. His wife called Keri and Ker walked Linda through doing CPR until the EMT's could arrive. Steve left to be with his mom and dad and Keri called so upset.
Keri is amazing that way. During the emergency she is cool as a cucumber but afterwards she needs a padded room to release all the pent up energy. When Keri's little brother was 12 our new puppy jumped up and tore part of Kent's ear. Mom had just run to the bank and was gone all of 15 minutes. Keri got a towel to press to Kent's ear to stop the bleeding and she kept her little brother sitting quietly until I got home. Then all hell broke loose and I had one bleeding son and one hysterical daughter.
Today was the bleeding ear all over again just multiplied by a BILLION !  As Keri was talking Linda through CPR she was pacing the dining room where the family had just been having a quiet dinner. Steve left and Kaelin paced next to Keri rooting her on with, "You go mom! You can do it!" Under any other circumstances it would have been quite funny.
So now Fred is in the ICU at the local hospital. He was clinically dead but brought back by the ER staff. As of now he is in a coma and only time will tell how this will all play out.
The week before Christmas and you just never know what life has in store for you. It sort of makes you want to put aside the shopping, wrapping and baking and maybe take an hour out for a visit to church. Or at least a take a few minutes to sit quietly and visit with God and discuss if you are ready to spend the rest of eternity with Him because you just never know when he will call YOUR name.

SLIDING TOWARD CHRISTMAS

 Who wouldn't want a slide in their living room? (Note the cat at the top of the stairs.)
Christmas arrived a little early this past weekend. Smith's mom and dad were very smart this year. They posted a "Christmas Wish List" on Amazon and it made shopping for the little man nice and easy.  One click shopping and a Little Tykes Slide was on it's way to Smith's house. It arrived there about a week ago and poor Kristen has been hiding it in the tiny guest bathroom. The 2 cats were delighted that Gma and Gpa came down on Sunday to drag the huge box out of the "kitty litter bathroom". I think the box was traumatizing the 2 kittys who probably haven't gone potty in a week.
After an interesting lunch out, (it is not polite to stare at 4 adults who can't handle one 17 month old little boy), we returned to their house and got to assembling THE SLIDE. Kent had it put together in the time that it took for Kristen to change Smith's diaper. (I can't imagine how S could put so much into his diaper when most of his and our lunches landed on the floor.)  Way to Go Little Tykes for making a product that was EASY EASY EASY to assemble. Smith came down the stairs with mommy and his eyes almost fell out of his head. He made a Bee Line for the slide and that took care of the next half hour. They must have one similar to it at his day care because he knew exactly what to do.

I love it when a gift is appreciated!
With any luck the slide may get moved out onto the patio but since K&K just found a FABULOUS wrought iron and slate patio table and chair set at a yard sale earlier this weekend the slide may be a permanent fixture in the living room.

After we returned from visiting with Smith we called the Maryland branch of the family and got to Skype with Kaelin and Finn. Dad was out with his friends for the afternoon and evening so Keri was entertaining the 2 little guys. They had just finished bath time and were in their jammies getting ready to settle for the evening. Keri looked like she had had a LONG night. Finn was in his JUMPEROO and Ger and I laughed our selves silly at the sight. A Jumperoo is the kid version of Bungee Jumping. The sling seat is fastened to 4 elastic straps that are suspended from the door frame. Finn was bouncing with his feet and nearly hitting the top of the door frame. He is so different from his sister who would sit quietly and not move.

Finn is jumping and just about crawling at 8 months old. You can just see the look in his eye that he wants to move. Kaelin was busy showing us all her Christmas books and had to run to get the SPECIAL book that grandma sent to her last week. It is one of those Hallmark books where you record your voice reading the story. Keri had me in tears describing Kaelin's reaction to opening the book and hearing my voice talking to her. 
This year I am really missing my daughter and her family but I know that once the holidays are over and Smith empties our tree of all his Christmas gifts G and I will probably start planning our next visit to MD.
You know we can't stay home more than a few weeks at a time.

ARRIVAL OF THE COOKIE ELVES

Two Christmas cookie elves took over my kitchen today.  They looked a lot like Ger and me but they were filled with an energy that I have not seen or felt in a long time.
G and I decided we would get our butts in gear and bake some cookies for Christmas. Now the only people we will see for Christmas is Kent, Kristen and Smith. Kent doesn't usually like cookies, Kristen is too skinny to enjoy cookies and how many cookies can an eighteen month old eat?  Who am I kidding . . . that little guy LOVES cookies so no doubt we will loose a great many to Smith. But even then, who is going to eat the 12 DOZEN cookies we have baked?
We started with sugar cookies and then went on to chocolate chip. I am trying to remember the PAIN I was in after eating those yummy 7 layer bars at Thanksgiving but the smell of cookies has a strange way of blocking my memory. How I wish I were more like my sister-in-law J who eats NO sugar EVER!  I don't know how she does it but the woman has not had a cookie pass her lips in over 40 years. Personally, I don't think I could live like that. I really do want to be LIVING my life even if I am killing myself in the process. It is much more fun and interesting.
So now there are cookies all over the kitchen counter and we have to figure out where to store them until their deliciousness calls to us or some one shows up that I don't have a Christmas gift for. We will give some to the ladies up in the POA office but how many cookies can they eat? Any one out there want a care package?
Not only do we have these cookies all over the kitchen but we have plans to bake MORE on Monday. How can we possible stop with a selection of only 2 kinds of cookies? We need to make some of those delicious cream cheese cookies that you have to shoot out of a cookie press. The first 2 batches of those always come out looking like BLOBS rather than stars, trees or ornaments. But since they all taste the same who cares what shape they come in.
Half the fun of baking Christmas cookies is the decorating. The chocolate chips don't get decorated. They just get eaten no matter what their shape. But sugar cookies need decorating!  WE will make up a mess of confectioners sugar and water with some food coloring added. Green painted trees with some sprinkles added, red Santa's with a mini marshmallow on the end of his cap, yellow stars and blue what evers.
Even though we don't have our children or grand children here to help as in years long past, G and I had a great time baking and reminiscing of Christmas past. It was a great morning and if the cookies taste as good as they look it will have been worth the effort. I'm looking forward to bringing Smith some Santa cookies tomorrow and seeing his reaction.

On a totally unrelated note. . .    Have any of you seen the ST. Jude's Hospital 2012 calendar?
I was given one the other day and finally sat down to take a look at it. If you think you are in a funk and not IN THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT take a look at this calendar and see if you don't start realizing how blessed you are.  Each month has a picture of a child who is being treated at St. Judes for some type of cancer. There is a one year old and 17 year old and each one will break your heart. I have never  had a calendar make me cry but this one did the job. There is a quote with the March picture of a 5 year old boy named Joshua. His mam says," They say life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, but learning how to dance in the rain. St. Jude gave us dance lessons."
Take time to dance everyone and say a prayer for these children and all the children in the world who are battling to stay alive. Then think how blessed we are!

COLD WEATHER VACATIONS

Are you thinking Bahamas, a cruise, warm sandy beaches with palm trees?  That's what I think about when the weather is cold and I want to escape. Not that it is ever that cold down here but when we were young and living in NY it was COLD in the winter and I couldn't wait to get away from it.
Out of my 3 kids only one of them followed in my foot steps and found that life in South Florida is like being on vacation. The other 2 seem to like the cold. At least that is what it looks like to me when you go from 40 degree weather to vacation in the Alps. That's where K&B and the kids are as of tonight. A week of fun in the snow! That doesn't sound like fun to me no matter where you are going. Cold is cold and swishing down a snow covered mountain is not what I want to do on vacation. The London group left today to head to Geneva, Switzerland for a week of fun (?) on the slopes. They went to a different town last year and loved it so I guess they don't mind the cold. It does sound very exotic doesn't it? Skiing the Alps in France. La De Dah. But what a great experience for all of them. My thought, other than the cold, are the coordination issues that plague my oldest child. Once he got over remedial skipping in Kindergarten he actually was a decent athlete. Soccer, tennis and golf are some of his favorite sports. Skiing, I'm not so sure about that one. I tried skiing when I was in college and found that those 2 huge boards strapped to my feet had minds of their own. And when you fall, which I did often, it takes a huge amount of coordination and strength to get yourself back up. I usually took the skis off, carried them up the hill and strapped them back on at the top of the hill. Seems like a lot of work just to get a cold butt.
The other child of mine wasn't cold enough living up on the East Coast of the Atlantic so she had to pack up her family and head to "ICE" just to make sure they were REALLY cold. One of the large hotels in the DC area has a yearly exhibition of ice sculptures. Like skiing in the Alps it is not cheap. K and family bundled up and headed off to ICE one of the afternoons this past week. I am told you get a parka to put on to help you weather the 9, (NINE,) degree temps that keep the ice from melting. This years theme was Madagascar, like the movie. Kaelin liked it except for the big and bulky parka. Finn was so bundled up by mom that I don't think he saw a thing. But I am told it was great fun, even though it was COLD.
As for me, I'm loving the high 70 temperatures down here and if I get chilly I'll just turn on the oven and bake some Christmas cookies. Who says you can't feel like Christmas if the temperature isn't 20 below?

A LOVELY DAY AT THE CEMETERY

NO !  Tell me I am not at THAT AGE where a day out means a trip to some one's grave! Lord help me!
But some times you gotta do what you gotta do.  Cousin L steps into our lives every so often and today was one of those days. Her second husband died about 4 years ago and for some reason cousin L seems to think H and I enjoy a yearly visit to Ed's grave. It isn't about the transportation . . . that I understand. At 82 the old girl should not be driving on highways or actually any road. Florida being Florida we are over run with 80 and 90 year old drivers that should be home or out on the golf course. Any where but driving on the roads. And now that it is "SNOW BIRD" season the roads are more deadly than ever. Knowing all this  the young senior citizens, (H and I), offer to drive 30 minutes north to pick up cousin L and drive her 60 minutes south so she can visit her hubby's grave. It only happens once or twice a year so we suck it up and offer it up to the Gods.
But . . . when cousin L calls and invites us to accompany her to the cemetery just for the fun of it I gotta wonder what my life has come to. L had suckered a friend into driving her to the cemetery today and she wanted to stop here, pick up H and I and then continue on down to the cemetery. Naturally, as any respectable senior citizen knows, none of this cannot be done without including a stop for lunch. H and I used to get nuts when his mother would ask him to drive her to the cemetery to visit H's dad's grave. We never minded taking her but when trying to squeeze the 3 hour trip into a work day, 3 kids schedules and  after school activities the words . . . "WHERE WILL WE HAVE LUNCH" usually sent H over the top and into a rage. The poor old lady just didn't understand that H did not have a full day to take off in order to go to the cemetery.
And now we have the same with cousin L. When we call her to see when she will be home for us to come visit her we are submitted to 15 minutes of her checking her calendar for; nail appointments, hair appointments, Maj jong, bingo, dr. appointments, church meetings and all sorts of other things she has going in her busy schedule. But when her call comes for the annual trip to the cemetery we are expected to be ready to go at a moments notice.
So off we went today and you know what? . . .  It was a very nice day!  The cemetery is actually beautiful. South Florida Memorial Cemetery with all it's white tomb stones with green wreaths on them is a moving sight to see. I'm glad we went to say a prayer for Ed and all the other veterans who have fought for our country.
And lunch was good too.

RETAIL THERAPY FOR CHRISTMAS

I know you are out there . . .  those folks who HATE Christmas shopping but I have to tell you I find it therapeutic and the perfect medicine to get me into that Christmas spirit.
Up to now I have been pretty much in the BAH HUMBUG mood for Christmas. Not having seen Kaelin and Finn since October, having Abby and Roman so far away and pretty much just feeling cranky has left me in a less than pleasant state of mind. H has been trying his very best to help me get in to a better mental state but that just bugs the hell out of me and I get worse and worse each day.
Enter a day of shopping!  ALONE !  Yesterday I took off ALONE and had some fun spending money. H likes to come with me ALWAYS and so I never really get the opportunity to truly shop. I can't let go of the thought that H is sitting in the front of the store WAITING. You know those men who are camped out in the ONE chair that these stores put up near the front door. There is one in every store you go into at Christmas time. They have a very bland expression on their faces as if they actually enjoy waiting for the wife. When we all know it is just a put on and they are bored out of their minds and are just playing the part of "GOOD HUSBAND".  Look quickly around the store and you will be hard pressed to find their wives. Some are evident in their harried hurried look, knowing that their man in the chair is a ticking time bomb. Others, God Bless Them, don't give a flying F and are just shopping their little hearts out, Husband be damned. I envy those women. I can't do it. I am the one who is running through the store ripping things off shelves just to have something in the basket so I can say it was a worth while trip.  Bottom line is, shopping is meant to be done ALONE !  Sometimes you go into a store and you just aren't feeling it. So then you move on and go some place else. Other times you walk into a store and it is like everything is just what you were looking for. Hours later you come out burdened with bags and bags of goodies. Then the fun part of coming home and sorting through what you bought is the icing on the cake.
I didn't need to shop yesterday, at least I didn't need to buy anything. The gifts had been bought on line for the grand kids that live far away. Sent directly to them, untouched by Grandma's hands. THAT IS SAD! So naturally I had some "extra" things that I had bought and wrapped and shipped. But it just wasn't good enough to get me into the Christmas spirit. I had pretty much all I wanted for Smith, the big climbing slide that will take up his entire patio, had been shipped directly to his house and is being hidden in the bathroom till grandma and grandpa get to come down. I had picked up toys and clothes for Smith over the past few months so I really didn't NEED to shop. BUT I SHOPPED ANYWAY!  First stop, Kohls.  Not as great as I had hoped.  Last year I did fantastic shopping in Kohls.  This year not so much. Right next door to Kohls is Target so I stopped in there and hit the mother load. I dislike our new Target because the store SMELLS. Every time I go in there the over whelming chemical smell makes me want to turn around and leave. After a while I don't notice it as much but what ever they used in the building of this store sure does stink. I got past the stink and did some good shopping for H and now I am more in the spirit of things.
I may just keep shopping every day just to stay in this good mood. I wonder if H will think my being in a good mood is worth the cost of a huge credit card bill ?

FREAKING RED BOWS

H knows better than to tell me things that other people say about me or my home or family.  And this is just the silly stuff I get nuts about.  Just imagine if it were something serious!
I came home from my MRI the other day and H told me he met the lady down the block and she wanted to know where our RED BOWS on the palm trees were. Every year I decorate the palms in front of the house with giant red bows and this year I just hadn't gotten around to decorating ANYTHING, no less the palm trees. My focus has been on mailing packages to Abby & Roman in England and Kaelin & Finn in MD. I did most of the big shopping on line with direct deliveries to the grand kids but I did have some stuff here that I needed to wrap and mail. Once the Christmas cards, letters and photos were done and in the mail it was time to concentrate on gift mailing. Then I had the car accident and have been running back and forth to the chiropractor and lastly the MRI of my back to make sure there is no hidden damage. I am actually starting to feel normal so I think I can safely let the chiropractor appointment go and return to my monthly maintenance adjustments. (I really do think my chiropractor was pushing the envelope with the over kill 3 appointments a week plus massages but I'm not the authority on backs. And considering the resulting pictures of my mess of a back, I guess I can use as many adjustments as possible.)
A N Y W A Y . . .   the red bows have been haunting me all weekend.  Lynne B was here for the weekend and we had a very nice visit but every time I had a free moment I was thinking about those stupid bows. I even woke up one morning at 2 AM and thought about going out to the garage, finding the bows and putting them up on the trees while everyone was sleeping. But I came to my senses and went back to sleep.
Lynne left this afternoon and H and I stopped at Sam's Club for some stuff, then picked up our NEW prescription sun glasses, stopped at Mac D's for a burger, came home to make a phone call and put the groceries away and THEN . . . put the FREAKING RED BOWS on the trees outside.
They look lovely !  If I think of it tomorrow I will take a picture for you so you can see the expert decorating we do. As I was putting the garland and bow on the mail box a different neighbor walked by and told us how lovely our house always looks at the holidays.
Good thing I had already hung up the bows!

HOUSE GUEST

NO blogs while we have company.  Lynne B is here for the weekend and we have been too busy to take time to write.   WE have been eating and drinking since she got here Thursday afternoon and will continue till she leaves tomorrow afternoon.
We did discover a new "Hot Spot" down on Singer Island.  Johnny Longboat's was great for breakfast with the $1.99 BLOODY MARY.  Great way to start any day.   From there we came back to the pool for a cloudy afternoon swim.  Mass at 4:30, dinner at Quarterdeck and shopping at Ross where Lynne found 3 dresses for $16 a piece.  She loved it !
Tomorrow Lynne returns to cold cold Ohio and we will return to putting up Christmas decorations.

Smith is sick with a stomach virus, poor little guy, Kaelin and Finn visited Santa and got a great photo. (Notice the kilt on Kaelin and the vest on Finn . . . . we brought those back from Scotland)
Haven't heard form the English Lawlor's so don't know what they are up to.
I'll write more one of these days.  Hope you're Christmas preparations are going well. Ho Ho Ho !

HOW COME NO ONE ASKS ME ?

Daughter-in-law K is a blogger.  And a very, very good one at that.  She is a talented writer, does give aways and generally entertains all who read her blog.  The "all" who read her blog range far and wide along with some really awesome people who represent different companies. K has made mucho friends through her blog and has received great gifts because of her blog. When K was pregnant with little man Smith she received all sorts of baby gifts from people who read her blog. Smith was hooked up with some really cute clothes and toys. Of the friends K has made through the Internet there are some really nice people. One couple from NY have hosted K and family for 2 different weekends and have even come to Florida for a visit down here.
The latest "BIGGIE" that has fallen into K's lap is the Oreck Vacuum company. Some how through K's blog Oreck contacted K and asked her if they could GIVE her a new vacuum! Do you have people offering you new $1000 vacuums?  I sure as hell don't!  Oreck would like K to use their product and then write about it on her blog !  I mean, is this a deal or what ?
So where are you girls out there reading my blog?  What kind of offer have you got to make? And right off the top I will say NO NO NO I will NOT take your husbands for a year and then write about them. I have enough material with the one I have here and do NOT need any others.

?

It happens every year . . .   Christmas sneaks up on me and I don't know how it happens.  I am just telling myself that in 4 weeks all the hype will be over and we can get back to living.  I think my Scrooge is taking over the rest of my nasty personality.

Bah Humbug !

IT'S THE SIMPLE THINGS . . .

Christmas cards are D O N E done !  Thanks to a lot of help from H.  Ger wrote the first draft of our Christmas letter which motivated me to get my butt in gear and get it written on the computer and copies made at Staples. I wrote all the cards and envelopes and H graciously folded the letters and pictures and inserted them all into the envelopes and cards. THEN . . . H continued to help in sealing up the envelopes, stick on the stamps and return address lables. WHAT A GUY !
To all of you out there who are expecting a card . . .  GOOD LUCK!  The stamps are hanging on by a thread and the envelopes are barely stuck closed. For a man who can shower anyone within 12 feet of him while he talks he didn't provide much spit on those envelopes. I have added some stickers with hopes that will keep it all together but from here on it is in the hands of our trusty Postal Service.

A GOOD LAUGH

I wanted to write this blog last night but H was already in bed reading and he "frowns upon" my using the computer while he is in bed. (Command Central is now located in the bedroom, rather than the garage) I think his problem stems from my giving attention to something other than him but who knows.  All I know is that it causes a great deal of huffing and humphing and throat clearing. So to avoid that I went to bed and ran this through my head while H continued to read QUIETLY.
ANY WHOOOOOOOOOO   The point I wanted to make was, LAUGHTER IS GOOD FOR THE SOUL, MIND, BODY AND HEART !  That is a fact !  I know that when I laugh with my friends and on the rare occasions when I laugh with H it is a great healing tool.
I have been feeling like CRAP with a capitol "C" for the whole week. The infections in my body were really beating me up physically and mentally.  Monday and Tuesday I was just a wet noodle and not fit for company with anyone, no less a needy husband. Yesterday I started to rally and I started to function once again. H has been talking about "US" (me) putting together a Shutterfly photo book of our trip to England. He thought it would be a great Christmas gift for his sister Ann Marie, since she was with us on the trip and still has not figured out how to make copies of her photos. I agreed this would be an excellent idea but warned H that it would be time consuming and frustrating. ( I am not as computer literate as I would like to think and the proof is in me trying to create things like photo books.  Yea, Yea, they walk you through it but it is still frustrating till I get the hang of it at about page 40.)
Last night there was nothing on TV (we did watch Survivor) so I thought I would give the book a shot. It took me forever to figure out the size and type I wanted to work with but finally got started. (The other half of the "WE" in this project was watching crap on TV and too busy to help. Not that there was anything he could do other than annoy me with helpful suggestions like, "Can  you make that picture bigger? Move it to the left!". He doesn't realize that I am delighted just to have figured out how to get the freaking picture to STAY where I "dropped" it. )  An hour and a half later H wandered in to the bedroom to take his shower and see what I was cursing and swearing about. He showered and came out to read in bed and was highly entertained by my commentary that was going on as I fought the "PROJECT".  It got to the point where the 2 of us were laughing so hard that I couldn't see to work on the pictures any more.
It was a gift to have been reminded WHY I married this man. Ger made me laugh, a lot, and I think that is why I fell in love with him. Over the years life has gotten in the way and there hasn't been as much laughter but on those wonderful occasions when we find time to laugh it feels great !

REFLECTIONS

I am sitting here thinking of "MR. PAPER CLIP",  "DEAD DOG" and a few other occasions from when we were traveling with the kids on our summer treks across the country in a station wagon and a pop up camper. I guess the laughter is always so much better because it is so unexpected. The usual grumps are smothered in giggles and guffaws and for those few moments LIFE IS GOOD!

A FANTASTIC WEEKEND

Smith's first ride EVER.

Dancing to the live music

 A weekend in Orlando with Smith is the next best thing to a hot fudge sundae! (I had one of those too)
We left our home on Friday with Kent driving the 4 adults and Smith in the big comfy caddie. It was a nice ride in style to the "Happiest Place On Earth". We were able to check into our Hilton Hotel that we got for $59 a night . .  . thank you Hotwire . . . and get a little snack before we headed off to THE MARKET PLACE where Smith's Aunt Brie was working at Goofy's Candy shoppe. (Brie is doing a Disney internship and will be in Orlando for the year so she can get her sister Kristen and the family into the Disney parks for free. We visited Brie at work for about 10 minutes and took Smith on his first ever amusement part ride . . . a little train that went around a track about as big as my living room. The track was small, my living room is not that big.) Smith wasn't too sure about this whole thing but quickly got into it and had his mom take him on a second time. From there we went on the carosel and then did some dancing on the deck while the grown ups had a beer and rested our feet. The next day was our adventure to ANIMAL KINGDOM. When you travel with a one and a half year old you get up and get moving bright and early. . . .  which was great because the park was nice and empty so Smith got to meet the characters with no crowds around. He seemed to like Thumper the best but seemed to like every character he met. We had a great day at the park and even though Smith didn't get a nap he hung in there and we all had a great time.

Is Smith afraid of the sea monster or grandma?

 Unfortunately that night was not a good one for Smith and his mom and dad. Poor little guy was up a LOT during the night but by Sunday morning breakfast he was doing great. Good thing because the 2 hour ride home took us 4 hours, thanks to all the Thanksgiving travelers.
But we made it home safe and sound and from what I hear Smith has slept like a rock the past 2 nights.

Now its time to get focused on Christmas and start decorating, shopping, wrapping, etc. etc.
When all I want to do is rest it isn't going to be easy. I"m sure you'll hear more about that in my next blog.

Getting into this ride thing

Lovin'   thumper

Can you find Goofy?  (He's wearing a brown shirt)

GREAT WEEKEND

Too bad you will have to wait to hear about our fantastic weekend in Orlando with Smith and his family.
I ate a ton of walnuts and have such a pain in my abdomen as of last night and today. I can't sit up so I can't blog.
Hang in there because the weekend was so great and we got a ton of super pictures.

THANKS GIVING

Went to mass this morning for Thanksgiving and was very glad I did.  Our pastor started his sermon with a reminder that the FIRST THANKSGIVING was celebrated by the pilgrims . . .  who had lost three quarters of their people in that first year after arriving in America. The pilgrims came here for religious freedom and suffered terribly from the moment they left England. People died terrible deaths and yet when the year was over the remaining pilgrims took time to GIVE THANKS!
Makes you stop and think a bit. So you don't have a job right now . . .  Do you have a family who loves you?  Do you have your health?  Do you have clothes to wear? DO YOU LIVE IN AMERICA?
I know these are tough times and, believe me, I am more than blessed in all I have, but there isn't a day that goes by that I don't stop to say "THANK YOU GOD!" for everything I have.
I know it isn't easy to say, "Thank You" when you are down but no matter how far down you get there is always something to be thankful for.  STOP looking at the "Poor me, I don't haves" and start searching for what you DO have. It may not be easy to find something but keep looking and then work up from there. If you're not 6 feet under with worms crawling through you then you've got something to say Thank you for.  No more pissing and moaning folks . . .   it's THANKS  GIVING  TIME !

THE BEST DAY !

FEEDING DAD A COOKIE

Who is the cutest boy in Florida?

 Kent, Mookie the dog and Smith came up to our house today to help grandpa with some chores. There was some screen repair, some tree trimming and the planting of grandma's avocado tree that I grew from a seed. (It is now 4 feet tall and ready to go into the ground. I hope!)
The big boys had a good time being manly, flexing their muscles and doing "MAN" stuff. Smith and I had the very best, most fantastic time ever just being ourselves. Usually when any of the grand kids come for a visit it involves preparation, cooking, cleaning, scheduling and planning. This was just the best hang out with grandma day ever because we didn't cook or clean or plan anything.

Hi Grandma, is this the snack drawer?

Smith and Kent arrived around 10 and because Smith had slept in the car he was ready to go. The big boys got started on their projects and Smith and I headed for the garage where all the toys are kept. I let him pick out what ever he wanted to play with and we even took some time out to paint on the easel. That's a first for this little guy and he wasn't too sure what to make of it. His reaction to the dripping paint was "MESSY". Yep, that's what he told me. From there we moved into the living room with an arm load of toys which we spent all of about 2 minutes playing with. The all time hit of today was a little pink doll stroller. At first Smith tried sitting in it but it was a little too small so he took to pushing/ carrying it around the house. Any time it got stuck he would pick it up and move it. At one point we were out on the side lawn trying to push it in the grass and that just wasn't happening.
Then we headed for the back yard and it didn't take long for Smith to have his feet in the pool splashing around. Luckily it was time for dad to stop for lunch so after Smith ate he went down for a nap and the grown ups took a much needed rest. When little man got up from his nap he and I headed back to the pool where we did some naked (Smith, not me) swimming. We must have spent a half hour at least with Smith jumping off the edge into my arms in the water. Several jumps landed Smith under water but he came up laughing and ready for more. He really is very comfortable with the water and even though the water temp in the pool is a cool 78 degrees it didn't bother either one of us. WE HAD A BLAST !
I am now ready for a nap ! I bet Smith is sleeping on the ride home. I know Kent wanted a nap and Ger is looking pretty comfy and quiet in his chair. A good day for everyone!
WE will see this happy little man on Thursday for Thanksgiving, along with Ger's brother Tom and his wife, Joan. Then on Friday Smith and family and Ger and I will head up to Orlando for a couple of days. Smith's Aunt Brie is working with Disney and can get us into the parks for free. Unfortunately the Magic Kingdom is not included in this plan because it is a holiday week but I honestly think Smith will enjoy the animals at Animal Kingdom more than anything at Magic Kingdom. Smith loves ANIMALS !
Should be fun!

TALK TO THE HAND . . . PUPPET

I was cleaning out the guest room today and I found a cute little mouse puppet that I had bought years ago. Mouse and I are now best friends.
 For those of you who haven't seen the Mel Gibson movie, "THE BEAVER" I'll give you a very brief synopsis. Mel is having coping problems and leaves his job, wife, family and in the midst of a drunken stupor he stumbles upon a hand puppet of a beaver. This becomes his life line to the world. Through the hand puppet Mel is able to say all the things that he is unable to say on his own. People of course think he is totally crazy but he turns his world around.         I GET IT !
So there I was today trying to have a conversation with H when I decided "This is impossible". The MOUSE hand puppet will now be my go to place when I need to talk. (That and my blog!) Talking to H is like talking to a water melon or a door or a chair or, well, a beaver or a mouse. I know better than to talk to him  when he is sitting in front of the TV (right there that eliminates about 40 hours of the day) but being in front of the TV AND watching FOOTBALL is such a combination that I can't make sense of anything the man says. I stupidly was trying to tell Ger something and the conversation got so OVER THE TOP ridiculous that I finally just agreed with what ever H was saying and ended the conversation.
Enter THE MOUSE . . .  We had a very nice chat, made total sense to me and the mouse and all the stomach pains and head ache went away.
It is amazing what you can learn from the movies.

INTERNET OVER LOAD !

Unlike what H said the other day, I AM NOT ON THE COMPUTER ALL DAY as he is in front of the TV.  BUT . . . when I do get playing/working on the beastly Internet I am, at times, totally over whelmed with LOG IN'S !
First, let me say I LOVE this MAC. There is nothing better and I will NEVER EVER go back to a PC. You can take your windows and shut them tight because they will never be a match for Mac. That said . . . my brain gets quite frazzled at times trying to remember the pass word/ sign in name / code ? what ever for every single thing that I have to log into an account for. I know this is for my protection but for crying out loud who is going to sabotage my blog? I'm sure you would notice something was wrong if suddenly there was a witty entry EVERY DAY. You would know for sure it wasn't me. And if the blogs were cheery and up beat without a single piss or moan you would know it wasn't me.
How does the rest of the world handle this problem of "SECRET PASSWORDS" for everything? I have a little black book which, if I can find it at any given time, contains all my passwords. But then I come up with a new account some place and don't want to use the same password over and over so I create something very clever that I can't possibly forget so I don't bother to write it in the little black book that would take me an hour to find. You know that the next time I log into that new account I can't remember the password to save my soul.
But better than all that are the accounts that you HAVE the log in address, you HAVE the account access name and you think you HAVE the password and yet you can not log in no matter what you do.  I have typed and retyped passwords in various languages and I still can't get into MY account. Do you really think there is someone out there who WANTS to pay my E-Zpass bill ?  I don't think so !  Every time I go to that damn account I end up having to call them on the T E L E P H O N E and change the password and clear up what ever business I have with them. And yet sure enough, next time I need to log in to my account . .  .I DOESN'T WORK!  FRUSTRATING !  I really don't think it is me causing the problem but then again, that is quite possible.
Another thing I have to say is that I am very happy to have in my bag of tricks the ability to type at a fairly good pace. Nothing like my kids but I do hold my own. That I can thank my dad for.  He was always a fantastic typist having worked for Western Union way back in the day when telegrams were the means of "QUICK" communication. He could type faster than anyone I knew. I used to love it when he would let me use his ancient type writer. What was that old sentence that you would type so you got to use every letter on the key board? Something like "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog". The stuff I remember . . .  and yet . . .  what was my pass word to log on to this site?

CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN THIS TO ME ?

WHAT ARE THE WALL STREET PROTESTERS PROTESTING?  I am quite serious . .  .  I don't know.  I have read articles and watched YouTube and I still don't get it. AND how does burning the city,(a direct quote from one of the protesters) and/or taking over the NYC subway system accomplish anything?
Sharon, I know you are reading this and I really do want to understand this.  I get the "Tea Party" group. They are unhappy with the way our country is headed and, like myself, just don't know what to do to change things. So far I haven't seen any one suggest burning down the capital or taking over the trains. I look at the pictures of both groups and see all the young people protesting wall street. That is good, it's the young folks who are going to be running this country and they need to be involved. But do you want your future government run like a dictatorship, where if you don't agree with them they will just burn your house down and kill your family? That is the mentality that I am seeing here. Yes, they are young and they are angry but I also think they are misguided. I don't want to live in a country ruled by violence. There are plenty of those around already. What happened to our democracy? Yes, the people should be heard but do you hear the screaming of your 2 year old who is throwing a tantrum because they don't like something or do you hear the voice of your parent or grandparent who wants to discuss things with  you?
I'm not happy with our country. I haven't been happy with where it's been heading for many many years. NOT just this present administration but all our political leaders for the past 20 or so years. They are NOT listening to the people. The people of our country are frustrated and angry but throwing tantrums and stamping our feet will get us no where fast. We still live in the greatest country on earth and it is time for us to realize that we need to work together, not split apart any more than we already are. Never  mind Democrat/Republican . . .  liberal/conservative . . . WE ARE AMERICANS ! And until we stop separating ourselves into groups screaming at each other we will never get past this mess.
Did you ever stop to think that maybe this is EXACTLY what our enemies want ! Stir up the pot and then sit back and watch us self destruct.
I think if we would ALL stop looking at what is WRONG and start working on what is RIGHT maybe we could make some progress. What IS working? How can we incorporate that into other areas that aren't working as well.  Come on people . . .  we are SMART !  Let's figure this out without all the yelling and screaming.

WHAT TO SAY ?

Last night I was all set to sit down and blog when H told me I am on the computer too much.  This coming from the man who sits in front of the TV 8 hours a day. (I counted them up and YES . . .  he watched TV for eight hours yesterday!)
Now it is another day and my brain is blank. Well, not really.  My brain is never blank. It never stops for a minute and that is a bother some times. Forget meditation, it just isn't happening cause I can't get my brain to shut off. My brain isn't even quiet when I sleep because I dream non stop all night long.
The other night I was reading a "trashy magazine" and there was an article about Justin Timberlake. It said he smokes pot to quiet his brain. He gets it through a doctor.  I WANT SOME POT ! For some reason I missed the entire druggie era and never smoked a joint in my life. That is on my "bucket list" for sure. It might be just the thing I need to calm myself down. Like last night when H told me I am on the computer too much, that put my brain into overload and I talked to myself for an hour. Even the happy pills I take don't help in shutting down the whirl wind that is my mind. (BTW . .  . the computer remark was in response to my mentioning that maybe the reason the TV is buzzing is because it is on too much.) (I SWEAR THAT IS ALL I SAID!) About mid way through the evening last night the TV suddenly started to buzz and have static lines run across the screen. That along with everyone looking very PINK made us think we had a problem. At first H tried to tell me it wasn't the TV that was buzzing. I will admit that I did THINK "WTF?" but just SAID "Why don't you turn it off and see if the sound goes away . . . DEAR" Anyone care to take a bet on what happened to the noise once the TV was turned off? Like we have a swarm of bees flying through the den causing a loud BUZZ . . .   or maybe it is my teeth vibrating when I am grinding them too hard?  SERIOUSLY . .  .  So,  the TV has a buzz and the color is off again.  Today we packed up the TV and brought it back to Best Buy where it was purchased only 10 months ago. The kid plugged it in and TA DA . . .   NO BUZZ . . . NO PINK PEOPLE.    The "Geek Squad" told us they would leave it plugged in for a half hour or so to see if it started to buzz but we couldn't leave the store. We packed up the TV and brought it home where H had me plug it in (he doesn't have a clue) and there he has sat for the past 4 hours.
So far it isn't buzzing.  It will wait to do that right about 8:00 tonight when Survivor comes on.

WHAT HAPPENED TO COMMON SENSE ?

Lets start with a question for you . . .   WHO DO YOU THINK SHOULD BE PAID MORE
                             YOUR CONGRESSMAN OR YOUR CHILD'S TEACHER ?

If you have one ounce of common sense you answered "MY CHILD'S TEACHER" !  It makes all the sense in the world to me that the person you are putting in charge of your child's education should make more money than the idiot who is assisting in the demise of our country. If we don't educate our children we will raise a nation of uneducated idiots who will toss the future of our country into the dumpster.
Two of my children are educators and neither of them is making 1/3 what a congressman makes. WHY ?
Oh yea, teachers only work 10 months a year . . .  congress men work less than that . . . by far !
Teachers are entrusted with teaching your child how to read, write, spell, add, subtract, eat healthy, use proper English, use proper hygiene, have safe sex, drive, stay away from drugs and alcohol and you name it, the teacher is teaching it because in many/most cases mom and dad are working 2 or 3 jobs just to make ends meet because the GOVERNMENT is taxing mom and dad up the wazoo. But that same government is paying itself a might fine salary!
FOR WHAT ??????       I know my congressman is NOT representing me . . . he hasn't voted for a single thing that I believe in nor has he/she USED AN OUNCE OF COMMON SENSE.
I am really pissed that my son has not had a raise in 4 years. I am really pissed that my son has to take 3 days off without pay next week because the county doesn't have enough money to pay him and his fellow teachers. BUT the county will start paying merit pay to teachers whose students perform well on tests. Yet we will force the schools to close so the teachers have less time to teach while we add 20 new things to the curriculum while making pay cuts to teachers who are making less than $35,000 a year.
Write your local congressman and tell him to take a $100,000 pay cut and work twice as hard and see how he likes it !

SNUGGLE ALERT !

It is fun living in Florida. It is such an unusual place and there are so many unusual things here that I am constantly entertained.  Tonight's blog comes to you compliments of NBC News, West Palm Beach's weather man, Steve Weagle, or as we fondly refer to him . .  .STEVIE WEEGIE !  This guy is GREAT! He is probably the best weather man on the planet or at least in Southern Florida. He actually gets the weather report right. If he says it's going to rain, it rains. IF he says it will be hot, it's hot. (That really isn't too much of a stretch since this is SOUTH Florida.) If Steve says the hurricane will not hit us, we don't bother to "batten down the hatches". Steve is the wizard of weather! And his forecast for tonight is a
"SNUGGLE ALERT". I am sitting here in my flannel PJ pants and a sweat shirt. The AC has been turned off for at least a week now and the windows have been open to the wonderful Florida breezes but tonight all the windows and doors are shut tight. The temperatures are going DOWN to 55!  OMG ! Break out the fleece and the blankets, the hats and mittens, the snow shoes and muck-a-lucks, we're in for a cold spell!
I sure hope you're laughing by now because I am. You cannot imagine the hype over the temperature dropping 25 degrees. Not from my man Steve but from the news media in general. Any time the thermometer drops under 70 it is front page news. But I must admit I am COLD tonight. I was actually trying to enjoy the sun this afternoon but it was just too chilly so I had to come in. I realize that if I was still living in NY and the temp ROSE to 55 I'd be out in the yard in my bathing suit taking advantage of the HEAT WAVE. But we have become spoiled and anything lower than 70 is down right cold. But as bad as I am Husband is ridiculous! The man got up this morning and put on HEAVY jeans and a sweat shirt and stayed in that all day . . .  even when it got up to 75 early this afternoon he remained dressed for a blizzard. Go Figure! Unlike H I change my clothes 20 times a day to be comfortable. I started out today in 3/4 length sleeve top and Capri pants. From there I went into my bathing suit until I actually tried to sit outside and then changed back into Capri's and a tee shirt. From that I am now into the flannel pants and sweat shirt. But come bed time I will have a window open cause there is nothing better than sleeping in a cold room. That was one of the big perks of our trip to Scotland this October. Most of the B&B's were cold at night but the beds all had great big down comforters on them. Those are just wonderful to snuggle under. But I wouldn't change my Florida living for the world. The idea of 75 degrees or better EVERY day for most of the year is just perfect with me. I'll think of you tomorrow when I get up in 50 degree weather and am basking in the sun a mere hour later loving the 75 degrees.

And as far as my "recovery" from the fender bender earlier this week.  I got a rental car today . . .  a little Toyota Camry that is mine to use, free of charge, for the time it takes to get my car fixed. I was back at the chiropractor today and even though my back and neck remain very tight I am feeling pretty good. Nothing some nice warm sunshine can't cure.

JUST COULDN'T DO IT !

NO lawyer for me thank you ! I just got up this morning after thinking and thinking and talked with Ger about this whole going to a lawyer thing.  We both feel that the reason you go to a lawyer is that you are having a PROBLEM with someone and you need legal back up to get what is fair for you. That isn't the case here so I just couldn't see going through someone who is only going to get paid by making our "case" into something it isn't. My insurance company has been fantastic.  They were very helpful and pleasant on the phone and they all speak ENGLISH without an Indian accent. The insurance company has appraised the  damage to my car within 20 hours after the accident. They have come up with a fair amount for the body shop and have already paid the body shop for the towing. The body shop is already working on my car and  has no problem with the insurance company. As for medical coverage for me and the chiropractor who is treating me for slight whip lash and back ache, my insurance company is also paying 100% there. So why do I need a lawyer ?
I got up this morning and called the lawyer and cancelled our appointment for today and it felt like the weight of the world was lifted from my shoulders.  I just was not comfortable making this into something it wasn't and if, Heaven forbid, I run into problems down the road, I have the name of a good lawyer I can contact.

SPINNING HEAD

My head is spinning but not in the "Rosmary's Baby sort of way, more like, "WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING?"  This is a direct result of yesterdays fender bender smash up. Between insurance company calls I am tied to the telephone and my rapidly growing list of notes. Thus the decision to introduce a blood sucking leach into the equation. Totally against every fiber of my being I am going to a lawyer because of this accident. Not to sue anyone but to get someone who knows the in's and out's of accident law proceedings. The big push in my mind to go this route is because the guy that hit me was driving a "company" car so the added issues of dealing with a company and their insurance rather than just Joe Schmoe and his insurance is a no brainer. 

It all started when I got up this morning at the crack of dawn to a phone call from the insurance adjuster from my company. He had just inspected my car (People actually function at 8:30 in the morning?) and against my hopes for a Caddy, my car is NOT totaled but has $5,100 worth of damage. The next call was from the auto body shop wanting to get going on chopping off the entire back end of my car and putting a new one on. (I wonder if they could do that for me? My back end is pretty saggy these days too.) Since I still have not heard from the man's insurance company I am not doing anything and from what I hear I may not hear from the other insurance company because they have to go through all sorts of channels within the car owners company. By the time I got off the phone my head was starting to spin and my neck and back were aching. I slept O.K. last night but I definitely can feel the residual effect in my neck and back. When I was making the bed and got a shooting pain up the right side of my butt I decided I better get my butt back to the chiropractor for another adjustment. 

As it turns out a chiropractor CANNOT, by law, do any adjustment on a patient after an auto accident before doing a complete set of X-Rays. So now the money in my pocket is starting to dribble out, thanks to the smash up derby that took place yesterday. My chiropractor advised us to get a lawyer to handle all the legal BS and the insurance companies so we have now officially joined the ranks of society who keep lawyers in business. It is killing me to do this because Ger and I always feel things work out the way they are supposed to . . .   and maybe they will. But just in case I'm glad I watched all those Perry Mason shows so I know what to do and say.

And if you don't know who Perry Mason is you are too young to be reading this blog!

CRASH !

I'M O.K.  Let's get that out of the way first . . . my car . . . not so much !
I got up this morning feeling like I had a load of cement in my back and legs so I called the chiropractor and got an appointment to come in and get straightened out. On my way home my car was hit from behind and the damage doesn't look good.  Want to guess if the driver of the car that hit me was on his cell phone or not?  Of course he was ! I must say it scared the do do out of him and he totally admitted to being at fault. Not just an admission to me but to the police who showed up in a matter of seconds.
I was stopped at a light with cars in front of me and looked in my rear view mirror and saw that I was about  to be hit. For a split second I thought the guy just might stop but I was braced for the hit and sure enough . . . . . WHAM ! He did try to swerve to the right at the last minute so the right side of my car got the worst of it but the entire bumper is hanging off and the right tail light looks like a Halloween eye ball just dangling by a wire. The trunk popped open and will never shut again because the entire trunk opening is out of shape. I'm hoping the insurance company totals the car cause then I just might get that Caddy I have been dreaming of. (Used of course) The other driver worked for a Lab where he drove around picking up specimens from all over the place and he was on his phone talking with his company when he hit me. I think he had one extra specimen on the seat of his car after hitting me.
What I couldn't believe was that I was so cool and collected.  I pulled over and dug out my phone and dialed 911. The cops were there before I even got my car off the road. What service! GO PALM BEACH GARDENS POLICE ! The cops were awesome and really concerned about my well being. The other driver got a ticket for distracted driving. My second call was to Ger who showed up in a matter of minutes. I think he was worried we wouldn't get to go out to dinner . .  .   JUST KIDDING ! Ger was excellent and a big help. He comes through when I need him.
So now I have no car, spent the afternoon on the phone with my insurance company and probably need to go back to the chiropractor tomorrow for another adjustment. All things considered it was a good day. No one was hurt and it gave me something to blog about.

A MORNING AT THE ZOO

I found out on Sunday that places actually open for business before 10 AM. I couldn't believe it myself but Ger, Kent, Kristen, Smith and I were AT the Palm Beach Zoo at 9:25 AM this Sunday morning. IT WAS WONDERFUL once I got my bones out of bed and moving in a direction.
Kent and Family came up for the weekend and we had a wonderful time. At least Smith and I did! The weather was cool so we didn't go in the back yard pool but we did go for a swim down the block at our community pool on Sunday afternoon, after Smith's nap. WE tired out the little man walking around the zoo for 3 hours in the morning and it was great fun. When we got there the zoo had just been open for 25 minutes so the place was EMPTY !  The animals were active and it was great to walk through with a 15 month old. Smith walked on his own most of the way with a few interludes in the stroller. We got to see the BIG black bear right in front of us. The bear was moving around checking out the pieces of pumpkin that were there for him to nibble on but he really didn't seem very interested. The otters had a small pumpkin floating in their pool but they were too busy grooming each other and the raccoon was having a feast eating all the pumpkin he had. I guess Halloween is over at the zoo.
We stopped for an early lunch at the snack bar and Smith devoured 3 chicken fingers and half his dads french fries. I guess all the walking gave him a good appetite. Our last stop before leaving the zoo was a visit to Mr. & Mrs. Tiger and their 3 little cubs who are not so little any more. The cubs were born in the spring, much to the delight of all us zoo goers, and they are growing so fast.
All in all it was a great day and as soon as I get my camera working I'll add some pictures.

HOME

Home is where my bed is.  My heart is still in Maryland and England with my grand kids. It's been a month and a week of travel to see the children and we miss them when they aren't around but home is where I long to be right now.
Home is where my comfy bed is . . .  not Roman's double bed that Ger and I get to squish into while Roman gets to sleep in the top bunk in Abby's room. It's also not the sofa bed in son-in-law Steve's office that I find strangely comfortable with all its "nooks and crannies" that fit the shape of my body perfectly. These beds are wonderful when falling into them after an exhausting day with the kids but  MY bed is still the best.

2 little cheese balls !

on the play ground

Reading the funnies.

Home is where my computer is . . .  the one that doesn't skip off the page and delete everything I have just written because of an accidental brush of my hand on the key board.
Home is where my car is . . .  the one that is easy to get in and out of now that my bones are hurting from all the playing on the floor with the kids.
Home is where my vitamins are . . . the ones that I counted out and set up for daily consumption while I was away and then left them on the kitchen counter. (That glucosamine really DOES work as I find out when I don't take it for over a week!)
Home is where all my "projects" are . . .  the ones that occupy my time when I don't have grand kids to occupy me. I'd rather  play with the kids any day but that isn't possible so I have "projects".
Home is where all our favorite restaurants are . . . Moes for taco salad lunches and Juno Beach Fish House for wonderful fish dinners. Lunches and dinners that I don't have to cook myself and clean up after.
Home is where I don't get dish pan hands because I almost never wash dishes. They just go in the dish washer and that is that. When there are grand kids involved it seems you are always washing something. From clothes to dishes to "drop zone mats" on the floor under Kaelin's and Finn's chairs to spills and silly string on the tree out side.
Home is where my HUGE bath tub is with the bubbles and candles and aroma therapy. A quick shower before bed just isn't the same.
Home is where there is no waking up before 10 AM!
Home is where I belong, even though I LOVE LOVE LOVE being with these amazing little people I do enjoy returning home to all my comforts.
It is in the high seventies here today, a breeze is blowing and it is just perfect! There is NO SNOW in the forecast, the cold front will only drop the temperature into the LOW 70's and I can once again put the coats, jackets, sweaters, hats and gloves back in the closet to await our next visit North of South Florida.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN HALLOWEEN HALLLOWEEN

Kaelin is confused.  Halloween has been going on here in Southern Florida for the past 4 days and Kaelin is totally Halloweened out before the actual holiday arrives. A few weeks ago Kaelin and her mom were shopping and Kaelin saw a bride dress costume. She had already decided she was going to be Snow White, a costume that Uncle Kyle and Aunt Bridget had sent to Kaelin for her third birthday. Kaelin loves her Snow White costume and will often wear it to church, shopping or any other time when the mood strikes her. Keri had gotten Kaelin sparkly red shoes to go with her costume so when the bride costume entered the picture mom had to pause. But then Kaelin announced that she would be Snow White this Halloween and a bride NEXT Halloween. Problem solved!  Until we had 3 Halloweens.
We arrived in Maryland on Wednesday and were delighted to see our wonderful little grand kids. Finn has grown so much in the past 4 months he is a completely different child. We left a little 3 month old infant and returned to a 7 month old little man.  He is rolling all over the place and making all sorts of sounds. Finley thinks his big sister is the funniest thing in the world and just laughs and smiles when ever she is around. Heaven help you if  Kaelin is in the room when you are trying to feed Finn because his complete attention is on his sister. Our days have been spent playing with the 2 kids and helping out where we can. Thursday Keri came home from school with a mission for all of us. A friend of hers from school needed help with her 2 kids because their dad was in the hospital after emergency open heart surgery. The help involved picking up Ben (6) and his sister, Kate (17) . . . taking the kids to dinner, Kate to band practice and Ben trick or treating at his sister's high school. Ger, Kaelin and I left Finn with Steve and we all met Keri and her charges at a pizza place. Mid way through dinner Keri took Kate to the high school, returned and we all then went back to the high school to trick or treat the Halloween decorated school. Kaelin was Snow White and looked adorable and had a great time collecting a TON of candy. That was Halloween #1
Halloween #2 was Saturday evening when Kaelin got to trick or treat at THE WHITE HOUSE, which was orange.(Wonderfully decorated and lit up with orange lights the White house looked amazing.)  Keri's school was given 300 tickets for trick or treating at the white house at 6:45PM. They had a lottery and Keri got 3 tickets for her and her family. Since grandma and grandpa were here we were able to stay home with Finn while the rest of the group left for Washington DC. This time Kaelin was dressed  in her pumpkin costume because it was a cold cold night and her costume could go on over her sweat shirt, coat, and 2 pairs of pants. The trick or treaters had a great time and it was a once in a life time treat. Kaelin was so exhausted she fell asleep in the car on the way home and was totally confused this morning as to how she got home and into her bed. The poor little thing was still tired so when mom asked her what costume Kaelin wanted to wear to TRUNK OR TREATING at their church today Kaelin naturally said she wanted to wear her BRIDE COSTUME. Keri, being just as confused told Kaelin they were going to be a bride NEXT Halloween. To which Kaelin replied, "But this IS the NEXT Halloween".
She went to church in a dress . . .  no costume.  She played games at the church party, went on a hay ride and went trunk or treating in the parking lot. And that is the end of Halloween. Sure hope no one comes to her door tomorrow in costume because as far as we are all concerned,  Halloween is OVER for this year.

NO REASON TO BITCH

I had a full blown bitch fest ready but decided to check my mail first.  That took the wind out of my petty complaints. A good friend from many years gone past has once again fallen off the wagon and is in the hospital with kidney failure. It doesn't sound good!
Husband's stupid inability to communicate doesn't amount to a hill of beans thanks to my faith. Over the years God has helped me to learn how I have to change to accommodate the idiots around me. ( Just another case of the world being crazy and I am fine!)  But it has seriously helped me to cope and hold this marriage together. H just isn't a communicator in any way shape or form.  He digresses to his Neanderthal means of grunting and I have had to learn to interpret. Today's debacle of his "helping" get something from the attic was classic. Him yelling "GET THIS . . .  GET THIS" and me not having a clue as to what the hell he wants me to do. I was quite tempted to just let the attic stairs drop on his dumb ass head but a quick prayer and a quick assessment of the situation helped me to figure out what he hell he wanted me to do.
I guess our dear friend "X" never got past communications 101. He has been troubled for years but never let on that he had problems.  "X",  like husband was a good Irish Catholic with a classic Irish Catholic mother. This is a sure fire track to disaster. These men do not allow them selves to "FEEL".  They just do as they are told and as they were taught living in their totally dysfunctional families. NOTHING WRONG WITH THEM! Heaven forbid you should even suggest that! They just go along driving the people they love further and further away and then can't understand why you want nothing to do with them.
Sorry to say I have shut down my hope for a better future for "X" and who ever else you care to read into this. Some times it just is what it is and we can't change anything so we just resort to prayer. I'll add poor "X" to my hourly prayers and hopefully God will help us all.
In the mean time I am retiring to the computer to put it all in type and get it out of my heart, soul and head before I buy that gun.

GRAND KID UP DATE

We just had an overnight with Smith and it was GREAT !  Mom and dad had a Halloween party to attend at Kristen's work place so they invited us down to spend the evening with our little man. WE arrived in the late afternoon on Saturday and took Smith and the dog out for a walk through the neighborhood. Smith's favorite pastime, at 15 months old, is to look for the "DUCK DUCKS" that roam the neighborhood and swim past his back yard. And because he feeds the ducks they are usually on the look out for him also.
Yesterdays walk was extra fun because we found a boat in some one's driveway and some Halloween decorations. Smith is a very curious and friendly little dude who loves walking up peoples drive ways and knocking on their front doors. Thankfully his "knock knock" is very quiet which gives grandma time to run up the drive way and scoop him up before anyone can hear him at their door.
Unfortunately there were no ducks to be seen yesterday so we just walked through the neighborhood calling "DUCK DUCK". Little man is talking up a storm and when we got back to the house for dinner he and I had big chats together. Smith helped me heat up the pasta and sauce I had brought down and pulled out all the pots from the cabinets to make an obstacle course for grandma in the kitchen. When dinner was ready grandpa, Smith and I sat together and ate. Smith communicates his wants and dislikes in very clear nodding and head shaking. I could ask him if he wanted more or if he was full and he could tell me! He knows the word "DOWN" for when he is finished calls "PA PA" when he wants his grandpa.
After bath time grandpa read Smith 20 or so books and then the little guy went right to sleep without a complaint. (The book reading consists of picking out a book, turning all the pages and getting another book.) I'd say we had a fantastic evening! Smith slept through the night with one wake up call at 3 AM. Smith's dad came to the rescue on that one and little man returned to sleep till almost 7 AM. Since we were on such a high we took Smith and the dog for an early morning walk and then Smith, grandpa and I all went out to breakfast at "Donalds" ,(Mac Donalds to you and me) Smith was still in his jammies cause grandma didn't want to wake mom and dad rummaging around for a change of clothes. I'm sure it's not the first kid to go for breakfast in his jammies! Donalds was decorated for Halloween and Smith was loving looking at all the witches, ghosts and pumpkins hanging from the ceiling. He ran around the  place pointing at everything. When grandpa arrived with the food Smith sat up and ate pancakes, sausage, eggs, "home fries" and part of a biscut. Not to mention the entire glass of OJ that he drank. Ger and I just keep watching him eat and couldn't believe it. I think this may become a ritual for us.
AS for the rest of the grand kids . . .  Abby and Roman are on holiday AGAIN and are spending 5 or so days on the Isle of WIGHT with their mom and dad. WE are curious to hear about the trip and add it to our list of places we would like to visit on our next trip across the pond. The 6 weeks of school and week vacation schedule sure agrees with all the London Lawlors. There is nothing not to love about it. Abby and Roman will be home in time for Halloween but there didn't seem to be any big plans, last we heard.
Unlike Miss Kaelin who will be TRICK OR TREATING at the White House this year ! Keri got 3 tickets from her school so she and Steve and Kaelin will be in Washington DC on Halloween evening getting treats from the President himself. (I doubt that but they will be at the White House). Grandma and Grandpa will be at Kaelin's house handing out goodies for the masses and taking care of Finley. Ger says we have the better end of the deal! Should be fun no matter what!
Once we return from our Kaelin and Finn visit we should be remaining in Florida for some time.  It has been better than beautiful down here these last few days. Temps in the high 70's and sun sun sun !
Too bad I am so tired I just keep sleeping half the day.