Meet anyone?

NO, not that kind, sadly.

Devon was at the first meet of the season on Saturday. He did well. 2 personal best times, and 1 more within 98% of his best time. The coaches challenged them to get both of those, and they would get points. If they achieved a certain level of combined points, they would get to play water polo instead of practice. The kids rose to the challenge, accumulating enough points to earn them 1 1/2 hours of water polo! LOL, what they don't realize is that playing waterpolo is great exercise as well, strengthening your core muscles.

The swim clinic was fantastic. Jenny Thompson is a genuinely nice person. I had the opportunity to chat with her for just a couple of minutes. Plus watching her interact with the kids was great, especially for the girls. What a super couple of role models we had at the pool this weekend!

I already posted an update about Don is the prior post comments, so I'm not going to rehash THAT again.

How was your weekend?

Do I hear an echo?

Bang head, step back, repeat. Yes, here we go again.

Don made it 100 days. *sigh* He said they were completely miserable 100 days. Gee, guess playing games with your kids, remembering what happens on the TV shows you watch, and getting sumpin sumpin from me makes you miserable? And drinking doesn't? Nope, only being sober does.

Oh, and he is amazed that I put up with it. I'm starting to wonder about that myself.

We have a super big weekend planned. 1st swim meet of the season for Devon, followed by a tailgate and Brewer game with 130 of our closest swim team friends, and about 30 from another team from Eau Claire. Oh, and we are hosting a mom/daughter, caused I signed up to be a host family when he was still busy being miserable. That should be interesting. The only good thing is that he won't have a lot of time to drink since we won't be home until maybe 9 or10 pm after the game.

Then Sunday a swim clinic with JENNY THOMPSON. Only the most decorated woman Olympic athlete in the US (or maybe world) history. And she is a medical doctor to boot. What a great role model! Oh, and then follow that with our annual swim banquet, where the kids get recognized for their accomplishments (as do the parents for their volunteering. So now instead of having a partner who can share all the running around, I have to do it all again?

Damn, this sucks.

Refining Silver

I got this in an email from a good friend. I really liked it, so I wanted to share it.


Malachi 3:3 says: 'He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.'

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: 'He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.'

She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time.

The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, 'How do you know when the silver is fully refined?'

He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you. Pass this on right now. This very moment, someone needs to know that God is watching over them. And, whatever they're going through, they'll be a better person in the end.

Peep Meet fun!

Kim & I had a great time meeting at the mall on Saturday! Well, I did! Not sure how she feels after being subjected to 5 kids and 1 husband...

Here is proof that we did have fun. At least we didn't spend $15 on the pics!

Office Biggest Loser

Ok, so the Bloggest Loser hasn't really stuck with me. Sorry Boo. Neither has the OT Loser thing. So yesterday one of our office peeps asks me if I want to join the 15 other people in the office doing a Office Biggest Loser contest. 9 weeks. She said we would be having fun challenges and prizes.

I'm all about the prizes, and if that can get me to drop some weight, I figured why not!?!

I'll fill in more details as I find out. She is pitching it to our Exec VP tomorrow.

In the meantime, I had chips and guacamole for lunch, along with tacos from Chipolte. Mmmmm.

Why am I so obsessed with weather?

I think I have always been, but it has really become an issue this winter. We are 8 inches away from snowfall record winter.

Today it is foggy, cold, rainy. Ick. But it beats the dang snow, right?

I blame Weatherman Don, my DH. How can I not be obsessed with weather, when we have a dang WEATHER STATION in our house? Yup, it is hooked up to Devon's computer, so we can know what the weather is doing outside by looking at it. Wouldn't it just be easier to look out the window?

So other new news. I got a Blackberry Pearl from work. Nice, cause it is a cool toy, and they would call me if needed anyway, so why not. Yesterday my IT guy downloaded a couple of fun ringtones for me. "Borderline" by Madonna, and to embarrass my kids "Low" by Flo Rida. *grin*

I like lambs

Well, I guess I mean I like months that go out like a lamb. Of course, winter in Wisconsin has been roaring like a lion since, oh, October? I dunno.

I was all excited when I thought of this post, seeing as how it is the last day of the month and we haven't had any snow for like, 4 days! Then I looked at a calendar and realized we have 1 more day. Then I looked at the weather forecast, and the whole lamb theory went out the window.

Well, at least it is thunderstorms and not thundersnow we are having tomorrow. I feel sorry for people who live in low lying areas, as there are all sorts of flood issues. We live on top of a hill, but we have our own little lake that shows up during times like these, near the bottom of the driveway.

Today is my last official day of freedom until August 3. Yup, swim break is over. Actually, today doesn't even count, because we volunteered at a Special Olympics meet. But I am not counting that as part of the swim season, cause it really wasn't. We had a great time. All 4 of us were in the awards area. I got to give ribbons to countless special needs swimmers, and I got lots of hugs in return. It is so wonderful to see those faces light up when I gave them a ribbon, whether it was 8th place or 1st place. Each swimmer got a ribbon, for the place they took in their heat.

So tomorrow we start back to swim. Devon is on schedule, he is not quitting! I am so thrilled by his decision. After he got sick before state, I was worried, but he told me not to worry about him missing state, that he still had 3 more to go before he aged up to the next level! Yay! He has some good goals for this season, and is excited to be getting back in the water. He did go to open swim last week, and is a bit worried about being out of shape, but he doesn't have a meet until April 26, plenty of time...

Marisa has her goals too. She wants to get 1 state cut, with a stretch goal of 7. She is quite a ways away, so has her work cut out for her, but I think the goal of at least 1 is very attainable.

I have mixed feelings about swim break being over. I love being at the pool and mingling with the other swim parents, and I feel like part of a big family, which is wonderful. But I have really enjoyed my evenings off this month. I found ebay as a seller, and have been having fun with that, but I will have to curtail that a bit, keeping it more reasonable.

Ok, off to make dinner. We're having spagetti, our favorite swim season food!

He is Risen

He is Risen indeed!

I'd like to take this opportunity to wish everyone in blogland a Happy Easter. Whether you are celebrating for the candy, or to celebrate our Risen Savior, I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

This is what it looked like here on Friday. I took this picture looking out my front door. We got about 15 inches of snow! That bumped this winter into the #2 spot for snowiest winters in Milwaukee. Happy Spring.

Update

Wow, it has been a few weeks since I updated. Sorry!

We officially ended our short course swim season on March 2, with the close of the 13 & over State Championships. Unfortunately, Devon didn't get to swim. He missed the last meet of the season because he was so sick, and as a result didn't have any qualifying times for state. It's all ok though. He is better now, and excited for the next season.

I find myself just as busy. I'm focusing on my job at work a lot lately. Not just getting my work done, but trying to do it better, and to do a better job at being the Controller. As a result, I'm not playing here or on OT much. But I still find a few minutes each day to either lurk or post a bit. I haven't forgotten about you either. Just reorganizing a bit.

I'm also enjoying being at home most evenings. I say most because I've had book clubs, swim board meetings, and Marisa's basketball games to go to yet. I find it amazing that I am able to get as much done as I do during the season, since I'm not getting much more done during the 2 weeks since the end of the season! I do find that with less to do in the evenings, I have become less efficient, and more lazy. Guess I can't win either way!

So now we have 2 full weeks left to relax, and nothing much to do! Yay! I can keep up with my TV watching, and hope to do some more reading. Of course I have to finish some tax returns too. I do the returns for my dad, sister and niece, along with ours.

Family life is going ok. Sometimes better than others. Don is not drinking, which is good. But he is often more testy, less patient, and more critical of the rest of us. It is trying at times, but I guess I'll take it over having an active alcoholic in the house. It can't always be perfect I guess. I do notice I have become a lot more independent as a person, and I wonder if that threatens him. Well, tough cookies.

One thing I am not doing is getting more sleep, and I need to really work on that. My goal is to get to sleep before 11pm every night that I have to get up at 5:30am the next morning, giving me 6.5 hours of sleep, which should be enough for me. And occasionally I'll hit the sack at *gasp* 10:30!

Ok darlings. Thanks for reading, and sticking by me. Thanks for the continued PMs, pings and emails. They mean so much to me, you will never really know.

*smooshes*

We're going to State!

We had a rough weekend last week. Marisa didn't make her state qualifying times, and was quite upset. Devon was sick all weekend, as a result he didn't swim so he didn't get any times either. But he wasn't as disappointed. He said that he still has 3 seasons to get a cut before he turns 15. LOL

So anyway, the week has been quiet, except for Devon being sick. He was scaring me. Not eating, stomach pains, lethargic, sleeping a lot, etc. I took him into the Dr on Tuesday and they tested him and found he doesn't have the flu, mono, high white cell count. His chest xray came back clear, so the dr (not my normal one) thought he might have a sinus infection, since he had some drainage and tenderness in his cheeks. So we started antibiotics. Finally last night he is starting to feel a little better, although he is staying home from school again today.

Anyway, Wed night we get a phone call from Marisa's swim coach. It turns out another girl who was a relay only swimmer for State hadn't shown up for any practices this week, so they bumped her and replaced her with Marisa! She is so excited! So she made it to the last practice last night, and was able to attend the pizza party they had after that. She got her State qualifiers tshirt, a fun painters cap her coach makes up, and a neat no-sew scarf one of the moms started making for last year's team.

So tomorrow and Sunday we will be getting up at 5am, driving 1 hour 20 min to Madison for her warm ups, waiting until 9am for her to swim, and then going back home. We debated staying in a hotel, but the rates are jacked up this weekend. Plus with Devon not feeling 100%, I want him to be comfortable. He may not even come along.

Go Marisa! Go Lake Country Swim Team!

UPDATE: We made it to Madison without a hitch both days. Devon was able to join us on Sunday. Yay! He feels pretty good, although still can't eat too much, and gets tired easily. Both understandable. Marisa swam like a crazy girl! On Sat she took 2.5 seconds off of her best time, and then on Sunday she took another second off of that! It seems my kids are repeating each other. Last year the short course state meet was the catalyst for Devon, and hopefully this year it will be Marisa's turn! She didn't win any medals or ribbons, but she had a great experience, and a lot of fun with her swim friends. She even met up with an old friend who moved away.
Thanks for your support!

It is still winter

Yes, I cannot tell a lie. Winter is still here is Wisconsin. Just look at our forecast.

10-14 inches of SNOW. ugh. It will start around 6pm tonight, through early afternoon tomorrow. I'm expecting the kids to have no school, and am actually considering taking a vacation day. It depends on whether I get my car back or not. I'm driving Don's car as mine is having something with the rotors repaired. Don's car is a little sports car, with tires well past their prime. I love driving it in summer, but not winter.

I am sorry I haven't been blogging much lately. I think the weather has to do with it in part. Things are nice and calm at home, which leaves me time for self reflection, instead of having to put out fires at home. I've decided I'm a messy person. I need to get to a place where I don't leave things laying around, and then end up handling them 4 times before finally throwing away.

Also I am trying really hard to actually work while I am at work. And then things happen, like the phone lines going down, or (more devastating for me) the internet going down. Last week we were without internet for almost an entire work day. I was completely amazed at the amount of work I accomplished, which is kind of a wake up call for me.

I'm getting a new boss, as the best boss ever is retiring at the end of 2008. He is already here, the new one, spending more and more time in the office (he was an outside salesman). I know he is going to have high expectations of me, and will be shadowing me probably this summer, so I need to get my act together and stop coasting.

So I am continuing in blogland, but maybe not as much as I was. For now.

*smooches* to all of you blurkers and posters!

9 years

I wanted to post this yesterday, but internet was down at work, and I didn't get access to a computer at home until very late.

9 years is a long time.

January 30, 1999 is the least favorite day in my life. It was the day my mom died. I miss her just about every day, and thank her for everything she did for me. I am the person I am because of my mom.

Love you mama.

DDR

No, not Germany. Dance Dance Revolution.

I got the kids a Wii for Christmas, or rather Santa did. Last night was the first time I had a chance to play with it. Marisa & I alternated doing dance steps on Dance Dance Revolution. I thought I was holding my own, but kept getting graded a D, even in the beginner level. Obviously the game doesn't understand me. That was fine until I accidentally selected the Expert Level. OMH, it must have been so hilarious to watch me. At one point I was just jumping around hitting the pads in any random order. I got an F on that one.

Surprisingly, I'm not sore today. In fact, my back was bothering me for the past 10 days, and today it barely hurts at all!

The game also has a "workout" selection. I think I will try that one as an alternative to sitting on the couch.

Back to work

Don went back to work today, for the first time since his boss confronted him. His boss has not been the most supportive guy. When Don called him on Friday that he was out of inpatient, his boss was surprised, and seemed negative. He also was trying to lay a guilt trip on Don about taking extra time this week. At first Don wasn't going to, and he asked my opinion (WOW!). I said I thought he should continue with "day patient" for Monday & Tuesday (yesterday & today). He decided to do yesterday, but not today.

When I called him a little while ago, and I asked how he was doing, he said "Fine. Things went well, as well as can be expected". Now WTH does that mean? Is he talking about the kids, and getting them off to school, which is a trick sometimes, or about coming back to work? I suggested that we will talk about it later, and he agreed.

So I think that things are not that great at work. I know his plan is to leave there within the next 6 months. I told him to leave now, if he wanted to. We could make it. We have other financial resources that we could utilize if we have to. His response? No, let's see if he fires me first. Then I'll collect unemployment and go back to school (for computer training, to add to the Accounting).

I really think his work environment is not a good one. I'm worried that it will lead to relapse. Please pray and keep thinking positive thoughts for Don.

It's been a nice week

It really has. I came to work on Monday feeling a great burden off of my shoulders, and feeling much happier than I have in a long time. I guess I didn't fully realize how bad my depression was getting. But Don going into detox/rehab lifted that from me. The kids have been very helpful, and now I know that they know how to fold laundry! *rubs hands together*

I picked Don up last night, and am feeling a lot better about this round than I was. He was very communicative, asked me some very pertinent questions, we had some good discussions. All of this is new for him. He hasn't ever really been very much of any of those. He even said to me that the counselors wanted him to ask me what I thought about him doing 2 more days of day patient on Monday & Tuesday, like he is today. He said that he thought he didn't need to, but I said I thought he did. So he is going to.

The downer part, he called his boss (the alcoholic who has been sober for 18 months) to talk, and asked him for the 2 extra days off. His boss gave him a hard time about it, saying that stuff was happening at work, laying a guilt trip on him. He did say that Don could take the 2 days though, as he was surprised that Don was already out of inpatient. Oh, and he asked for the name & number of Don's sponsor! That pissed me off. I don't think he has any right to that info. Don did tell me that one of his goals is to not have that job within the next 6 months. I told him he could quit right now, but he said, no, lets see if he fires me first. It seems Don would like to go back to school to get some computer classes to add to his finance/accounting background.

One thing I kind of chuckled about. His counselors told him that the only people he should actually say he is an alcoholic to are other alcoholics. That none alcoholics don't exactly understand, and have a propensity to judge. To the rest of us he should just say he doesn't drink alcohol any more. I think that is kind of weird, but whatever. I did laugh, thinking, ok, LOTS of peeps on RTVW know.

Tonight we have a swim meet, and I will be taking the kids there. It is at a pool about 1/2 hour from our house, the other way from Don's rehab center. He will be meeting us up there, as his day patient thing goes until the time we need to be at the pool. But I'm not worried about it this time.

As a side ucky note, we got several inches of snow yesterday evening. The previous 20 inches or whatever had finally melted, so I guess it isn't so bad. Is it Spring yet?

Have a great weekend, and GO PACKERS!

Next

Ok, so Don is now in detox for 3-4 days, and hopefully will stay inpatient for at least 5 days after that.

Now, the next problem? Dang, but it's a biggie.

Yesterday Devon drops the bomb that he wants to quit swimming. Yeah. WTF? He is swimming the best he ever has. Yes, he just aged up into the 13-14 group, but he enters that group in the middle of the pack, not the bottom, and not far from the top. He says it is boring. Well, yeah, we haven't had a meet since early December, and I know he loves the competition. He did quickly change his story to he wanted to quit for now, and resume with the next season, which starts after Easter. I was devastated.

This happened on the way to practice, so I said he had to tell his coach. His coach asked to talk to him after practice, so I brought him back (I had to bring Marisa for her practice anyway) and we had a meeting. I didn't say anything, I let his coach do the talking. He was great, telling Devon everything he needed to hear. I was still devastated, because I know how Devon is, when he makes up his mind. He is just like his mother.

Later I called one of his past coaches, whose son swims with Devon, and who is a friend of mine. She was completely caught by surprise too. Then she told me that she tried to do the same thing as a 13-14 year old and her dad made her finish the season, and said they would discuss it at that time. She didn't quit, and ended up being a state record holder in high school. So I told Devon that I was invoking "Mom power", and that I wouldn't accept him quitting mid season, but that we would talk about it in March.

I know his grades aren't where he wants them to be, but he also plays a lot on World of Warcraft, so I think we need to set up some more stringent limits on that too. And I'm sure all the issues with Don are causing more stress for both of our children, which is probably not helping the situation.

Thankfully, we have an easy meet this Friday, where I'm sure Devon will excel. Then hopefully he'll get back into enjoying swimming again.

I know that God only gives a person as much as they can handle, but sheesh, enough already!

Not too optimistic yet, but...

I posted most of this on OT, but in case you don't go there...

It seems Don's boss confronted him about his drinking today, and he is going to check into the clinic. I think for a week of inpatient, but I'm not sure. I'll find out more when I get home I guess.

I'd like to be a little miffed that it took his boss to push him, but I'm going to stick with the belief that it was part us and part his job. Over Christmas break DH did tell me he would seek help in 2008, as our insurance coverage restarts. I think his boss "inquiring" might have been the final catalyst. Heck, I don't care what made him decide, just that he does seek help, as our marriage is on the rocks right now.

I told him that I can't keep handling this. Christmas break, when he had off of work for nearly 10 days, and was probably drunk a total of 9 days, not including the hours of normal sleep, was intolerable. The good thing was it woke my dad up. Previously my dad had insinuated that Don's drinking was because I'm not home because of PartyLite (Ok, don't really do much there since June), or maybe the kids, because they are kids. Whatever, he is old school. But now my dad sees the truth. So that was the silver lining there.

He was going to go in tonight, but needs to get a bunch of stuff done at work, so has changed it to tomorrow morning. He said that sleeping there is really not comfortable, so he would rather start off in the morning. I think that is a form of procrastination, but the rose colored glasses come back on, and I think that might be better, cause I can drive him there tomorrow, whereas I can't tonight.

I have a feeling it will be a long night tonight though, so I guess I need those prayers and thoughts too.

I'm also realistic that this may not be the last time this happens. But we are all learning, and if it does continue on after this, I won't let it go this long. I'm getting stronger and smarter too.

Thanks for your support!

new stuff

I know quite a few of you are fans of PartyLite. You may or may not remember that I sell it.

Well, our new Winter/Spring 2008 catalog is available. You can access it here.

I'm excited about some of the new items and scents. If you get a chance to browse, I'd love to hear your opinions as well. There is a definite Asian/African theme to this year's catalog, if you ask me. It also seems they have toned down the modern aspect, or rather have added some new countryish items. You gotta see the items on pg 48-49. Cockadoodle Doo!


On another note:
After trying to be the winning bidder for Hannah Montana tickets since I couldn't buy them when they went on sale, since they sold out in 3 minutes online, I was successful last night. I was the winning bidder on 4 tickets in row U in the nosebleed section, and only paid less than double the face value+fees. I'm very happy about that, as the tickets were going for well over $100/ticket before Christmas, and nearly $200/ticket AFTER Christmas! I paid less! Wahoo! Marisa was jumping up and down for over 1/2 hour last night. I had planned on selling 2 of the tickets, hoping to recoup some costs, but now Don says he wants to go too, so I will sell one of them. I really don't want him to go, plus I won't get as much for the 1 ticket compared to selling a pair. But I don't want to be a total beyotch.

Happy New Year

Hope everyone reading this had a safe New Years Eve and wishing all of you a Happy 2008.

The good, bad and ugly

No, this is not a movie. This is our life. Although if Clint Eastwood wants to come and do a shoot-em-up scene, he is welcome to.

The good was good. Kids had an enjoyable Christmas, opening presents, and spending time with their Opa, my dad. They loved the Wii that I bought them. Marisa is really good at the games. They were happy to get all the clothes they did too. The kids were great this weekend. They are getting so mature. *sigh* Also, I got a great camera. It is a Canon Rebel XTI. Lots of bells and whistles. That is almost all that I wanted. I didn't get the other thing, which leads to the bad.

The bad was bad. Don spent most of the weekend drunk. My dad is really upset about this. This part of the bad is a little good, from a selfish perspective. You see, my family has always thought Don just about walked on water. Now they have seen that he is an alcoholic, and that it really isn't my fault or the kids fault. I just ignore him when he gets like that, or if I have to put him in his place because he is being a jerk, I will do that too. My dad said he wants to talk to Don, and let him know it is apparent to him that Don is losing his family. Devon was supposed to have a dr appt today, but both kids were afraid to get in the car without me driving, so I had to reschedule it for next Monday, when I have off of work. Of course that made Don mad, and he drank even more last night. Nothing new there though.

Hence the ugly. On Christmas Eve he was drunk by noon. No one had yet arrived at our house, and about 1:30 he passed out on our bed. We were going to church for 3pm service, so after I asked him if he was going, and after responding "yes" he resumed sleeping anyway, so my dad, the kids and I left. It was a very nice service, and I really enjoyed it, and remembered that my family is really in Gods hands. Curiously, no one at church asked where he was. When we got back, some of the family was there, and he seemed a little better. Then more came, and he got drunk again. His sister, who knows, questioned him on it. It almost turned into an ugly scene, but they went downstairs where no one was sitting and had a long talk. Of course he gave the whole sob story about that he needed help, and I wasn't helping, etc etc. She actually semi believed him, until I confronted them about it. Meanwhile, his brother, who doesn't know, also noticed that he was visibly impaired (stumbling, unfocused, etc). He asked their sister, and said he wondered if Don was on some medication, since I was pretty much ignoring the situation. I figured I would let him create his own problem. Well, their sister set his brother straight. Of course Don had told his sis that he was going to talk to his brother about it, but neither said anything about it to the other, to the best of my knowledge. After everyone left around 11pm, he passed out again, and I was left to wrap all the presents. It was a late night, but I guess I had some peace & quiet, so it was ok. All in all, a typical weekend in the dragonflies house. Now you know why I like Mon-Friday best.

Today my boss brought in a bunch of yummy cookiez. Yay! Another reason to like weekdays!

I sincerely hope you had a wonderful Christmas, weekend, Tuesday. Smooch!

More Cookiez

Yay! I got more cookiez yesterday! Two different kinds, both of which are yummy. I had to fight my dad for the toffee ones! And how completely fitting that I got said cookiez during BEAR WEEK! Thank you so much cookie maker! eta: The cookie maker will know what I mean about BEAR week.

Thanks to cookiez exchange and some generous neighbors, we now have tons of yummy Christmas cookies to eat and share with any guests.


I would also like to take this time to personally thank those people who took the time to send me a Christmas card. It means more to me than you will ever know to know that I have friends that I have not yet met. I've shared more with you virtual friends than I have with my IRL friends this past year. Maybe because you are MY friends, and not OUR friends, IYKWIM. The same goes for those who have PM'd me.

Anyway, smooshes to all of you, whether you were my SS, my cookiez maker, card maker, or a poster on OT, Centerpiece or here. I truly do love all of you, even those I don't really like. :)

Smooshes are better than smooches, right? They sound like they are.

Stuff

I am not getting older, just because I now officially have a teenager.

We celebrated Devon's 13th birthday. Started on Sunday, when we went out to dinner. I made sure to mention to the waitress, and got a sock in the arm from him. They brought out a piece of cake with a candle, and sang Happy Birthday to him. He later told me thanks, and that he really did like it, even though he was protesting. Last night we opened his birthday presents, then had spagetti and ice cream cake, and after dinner had Christmas with my sister & her boyfriend, who are leaving this morning, and my dad, who arrived last night. It was a fun night.

I still have to mail out my Christmas cards. Guess getting them signed by Dec 1 didn't really help me after all.

At least my sister acknowledged Don's alcoholism. She said it was obvious to her that he had been drinking before we went out for dinner. Nice to know that she isn't ignoring the whole thing, although I'm sure she didn't say anything to him, and he will think that she didn't notice. The next 2 weeks should be interesting. My dad is in complete denial. When I first told him about Don, he suggested that maybe he was that way because of my PL business, or maybe because of the kids. Yeah, sure, right. Sometimes he is so old school.

Marisa is so excited to have her Opa visiting us. She makes him coffee every morning, and has been playing the piano whenever possible, because I told her that he loves to hear the piano being played. She told me she didn't want to be mean to him like she was when Don & I went to Aruba. She is maturing so quickly!

I tried to buy Hannah Montana tickets for Marisa & me to go see, but they sold out by the time I was able to log in and get through the screens. Now I have to resort to trying to win them on the radio or more likely buy them on Ebay.

I'm swamped at work, and our Office Mgr/Credit Mgr just left for her vacation, so now I do part of her job too. As a result, I may not be around blogland or OT much in the next 10 days. I will be checking to see if my Secret Santa recipient received their gift. It is taking longer than I expected. Dang Postal Service.

I watched the entire season of Survivor, my first since Season 2 or 3. Probably watched it because none of my other shows are on right now. However, I am intrigued by the next season.

Funny Mail!

When I checked the mail today, on my way out to drop off Marisa at a Girl Scout Meeting, there was the usual stuff, along with a bright green large envelope! I wondered what it might be, as I drove. It took everything I had not to stop right there and rip it open! But I waited until I got back home.

Inside was a cute little card, along with a nice drawstring bag, and inside a round container in the shape of, and filled with M&Ms!!! The card made me smile about as much as the candy! The cover was a bunch of little babies floating around in innertubes. So cute!

Thanks to my funny mail sender!

Another successful meet

So Devon had his last swim meet as a 12 year old this past weekend. He was entered into 7 individual events from Friday night through Sunday afternoon. His goals were to get medals in all 7 events, and to shoot for an all around trophy (1st - 3rd for his age group).

Friday night he swam the 500 yd Freestyle. It was very difficult for me, but I couldn't be there. I was with Marisa, at her last basketball game (which they lost, and ended up the season 0-12, but with a good attitude). Both the game and the meet were at the same time, so Don went to the meet, since it was right by his work. He swore he would be able to drive Devon home, so what else could I do. I did get a call right after he swam, and Devon told me he got 3rd place! Wahoo!

Sat afternoon he was set to swim 3 more events. These were preliminary events, and the top 8 swimmers would advance to the finals in the evening. He swam well in all events, but ended up in 9th for the 50 yd freestyle. He swam the 2 finals and got medals again, one for 4th and one for 5th! Double Wahoo! He was very dissappointed in not making the finals on the 50 free, but he learned a good lesson, that sprints need to be sprinted. Clearly he is more of a distance swimmer, but he won't admit to that.

Sunday was similar to Saturday, except he qualified for the finals in all three events. He ended up getting medals for all 3! Two 5th place and one 6th place! Triple Wahoo!

As far as the final all around trophy, it came down to the last event for his age group. He wasn't swimming in it, but some of the guys with points right around him were. They finished with just enough points to push him into either 4th or 5th place. Not bad!

I am so proud of my 12th year old! I can only say that for 1 more week! ACK! He showed a lot of maturity this weekend, and I know our family life hasn't always been easy for him. He still is persevering, in both swim and with his school grades. Knowing that I have this influence on both of my kids just reminds me once again why I get up every day!

Shopping Survival!

So this past Saturday was our (dreaded on my part) Mother/Daughter Shopping Day with Marisa, her 2 BFF and their moms. All in all, it was a successful time!

We left our house around 9:15 am and headed into town. The weather was fine (just wait), and we found parking relatively easily, considering this mall is one of the worst in the area for parking. I purposely decided to park outside of Macys. You see, I had an ulterior motive to stop at the new Lush store inside of Macys. We did. The girls loved it! Marisa bought a shimmy shimmy bar, which is some sort of glitter lotion. I also bought something as a gift for someone, but nothing for myself. It was quite crowded, and I didn't want to spend the time it would take for me to explore.

We then went to Limited Too, and Marisa bought a complete outfit, all of which was on sale, another webkinz, and a webkinz charm. We then went to Build a Bear, but they were way too crowded to do anything, so we hit a couple other stores. By then the moms needed a break, and it was about 11:30. So we went to Paneras for lunch. Yum! I had soup, sammich and an Iced Chai. Very good.

We then hit Claires (costume jewelry), at which store the mom's stayed outside while the girls shopped. Marisa's friends suggested that she get some clip on earrings. That was such a self esteem booster for her! She has an underdeveloped ear on her right side, and no ear canal, so sound can't get through. Most of the time she wears a hearing aid, but she is very self conscious about the ear. She ended up buying 3 pairs, and has been wearing them all weekend, and loving it. She can still cover her little ear with her hair, but the earrings hang down and she feels very girly. Yeah!

After a couple of additional quick stops, we headed out. We knew the weather was going to get bad, but I was driving, with my brand new (6 day old) tires, so I felt reasonably comfortable. There was already at least 2 inches of snow on the ground, and it took us 45 min to drive the normal 20 min commute to home, but we made it just fine!

The last stop we made was against the desires of the girls, but us moms made an executive decision, and I think the girls were pleased after the fact. Plus after the pic, we got Sees chocolate suckers! Here is the result of that last stop. Marisa is top left, I am bottom right.

Have my cookies and cake too!

I got cookies and cake yesterday! And bars too! Yummy chocolate cookies, and some bars that look really good, but which I didn't sample yet. And a nicely wrapped bread of some sort that looks really good, but I didn't get to taste either.

Sucked being home for exactly 15 minutes last night, until I got home again at 10:20. But I have my priorities! Instead of getting dinner ready, I opened my package!

The card said it was a secret, but I think I know who they came from, and I give big THANK YOU hugs and smooshes!

Tickling the Ivorys again!

You may not have noticed, as I posted it on the Black Friday thresd over there, but we bought a piano this weekend! A PartyLite friend of mine was selling hers, for a fair price. We paid professional movers to move it for us, and it was delivered on Friday! We left a short while later to go visit Don's dad up north, but from the time we got back on Saturday and all day yesterday, Marisa was playing away. It was so nice to hear it. The piano is a bit out of tune, and needs a few pad reshaped, but we will have that done shortly, and in the meantime, it works just fine. I even sat down and played a few Christmas Carols to try to get me in the holiday spirit.
It is a 1950 or 1957 Cable Nelson spinet.

These pics were taken at my friends house, not mine.

On an unrelated note, I baked some Christmas cookies this weekend, and got most of my Secret Santa gift ready. I'm so proud of myself! It's only November! Next thing I know I'll have my cards mailed before Dec 23!

Update

So we had our big semi annual meet this past weekend, and it has taken me until now to recover from it. It was a busy 3 days.

Devon did fantastic. He swam 6 individual events and 2 relays. He qualified for finals in 5 of the 6. The last one he was disqualified for a false start. His knee wobbled right before the gun. He was really dissappointed, as it was the 100 yard Freestyle, one of his best and favorite events. But regardless, he finished in 13th place overall! We figured he would have finished around 8-9th if he hadn't been dq'd. He wasn't happy with all of his swims, but he has another big meet Dec 7-9, where he will be swimming the exact same races, and will try even harder.

Marisa did well too! She also swam 6 individual and 2 relays. While she didn't qualify for any finals, as there are sooooooo man girls, and her times are not that fast, she did get 4 personal best times, which is great!

I worked my butt off all weekend, and then on Monday night I spent 3 1/2 hours helping to distribute wreaths from our team fundraiser.

I'm really looking forward to a nice long weekend. Hopefully Don doesn't screw it up for us. He has been sober this time for about 8-9 days, so hoping he continues. Seems weekends at home without a lot to do cause him issues.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

Why did I say yes?

So Marisa and her 2 BFF have been conniving a way to make some money, because they want to go shopping. So what do us 3 moms do? We talk and decide to offer the girls a Moms/Daughters shopping day. December 1. No specific details just yet, but we are planning to go shopping and out to lunch. Maybe to Gurnee Mills or some other big mall.

Friday night on the way home from swim practice, Marisa asks me if the 3 moms will agree to stand outside of any stores the 3 girls decide to go in, and not participate in any clothing purchase decisions. Um, yeah, right. As if.

I very calmly explained that we were doing this to spend some time together, AS MOMS AND DAUGHTERS, not chauffeurs. Also that while I would not stand OUTSIDE of any stores, I would not go into the dressing room with her. She seemed to accept that compromise, at least for now.

*sigh* Only 19 days to go. Maybe I should update my will.

My new fav

Why this song is listed under Timbaland, I'm not sure. I do see him in the video making little "uh, uh" noises, but the band is One Republic.

I'm trying to decide if the lead singer could be a new crush for me too.

Last night when I asked Devon who sang this song, and sang him the chorus, he said, "Oh yeah, I love that song, but I don't know who sings it, I have to download it." Scary.

I remembered seeing this band on "So You Think You Can Dance", but had forgotten about it until I heard it on the radio earlier this week.

BTW, you can see the video if you scroll down a bit on the site.

RIP Jessica

A good friend of mine's daughter was diagnosed with leukemia on her 21st birthday in April 2006. They have been battling it ever since, almost getting a bone marrow transplant twice, trying new treatments, having strong faith and dogged perseverence.

Jessica lost her battle on Saturday night, and in her mom's words, is now singing and dancing with Jesus and the angels, in no more pain.

Both Linda (my friend) and Jessica have been such and inspiration to many of us. It helped to remind me to keep strong in my own faith, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges and obstacles.

I'm proud to have known Jessica in her health and during the past 19 months. I'm not at all sad for her victory over death, just sad for her family that is left behind, for now.

RIP Jess.

Socks

A long time ago, at least a year ago, Bravie recommended Spanx socks to me. At least I think it was Bravie. So I bit the bullet and bought a pair. They cost $10 for one pair. I thought it was completely outrageous, but I must have been in a spending mood. So I got the pair, and they became my favorite socks. So much that I wore a hole in one, at the toes. That's ok, I kept on wearing them, just tucking that little whole under, so that my tootsie wouldn't stick out. Last week I was in a spending mood again, so this time I bought 3 pairs. Black, Brown and chino. I needed some socks right away, so when I was at Target I bought a 3 pack for $4.99. They even said "fuller leg". I figured that would be cool, but they totally dug into my shin anyway. I was in major pain after wearing a pair all day. All I kept thinking was, when are my Spanx gonna get here?

They arrived today! I am happy! My legs are happy too. *jumps around*

What recent purchase are you happy about? LIke maybe buying a banana costume or something?

Costumes

So finally I had some time to go costume shopping with Marisa. Good thing too, cause she has a Halloween party to attend on Friday, and trick or treat is on Saturday. We tried a couple of stores, and found one at Walmart, of all places. Last year we went there and all they had were little kid costumes, so I was doubtful. This year was much better, and the store is only 7 minutes away from home, not like our next choices which were 15-20 min away.

She is very excited. She is a 50's polka dot girl.Devon announced he is not wearing a costume this year. At which point I announced he wasn't going trick or treating then. At that point Don piped up and said he had a Jason mask Devon could wear, with some old clothing or something. They are going to look through our costume bin today.

Mighty Mite

I now know how to use a Mighty Mite. Do you know what that is? See picture at left. It acts like a jumper for cars. Works without having to have a 2nd car to jump your car from.

Yesterday morning my van had a hard time starting, but it did start. Same on the way home. I called Don and he said he would show me how to use the Mighty Mite, since he suspected the battery, as it was over 6 years old. I had to take Marisa to her basketball game, and of course we were cutting it close on time. Got back in the car, and nothing happened. So I called Don on the cell speaker, and had him tell me how to jump it. Worked like a charm. Of course Marisa was hopping like a jumping bean about being late, but I got her there on time.

Haven't had to use it since, but I've turned off all nonessential electrical components like overhead lights, radio, even my GPS. *gasp* Of course once the van is started, I can turn those back on, but then before I turn off the engine, have to turn off all those things again.

We are getting a new battery tonight. I am the Pretty Purple Princess, after all. I shouldn't have to be inconvenienced like this. Plus I got my hands all dirty doing the red on red and black on black clampy thingys.

He ain' heavy, he's my swimmer!

8 Medals, 2 ribbons and 2nd place trophy! That is what DS did this weekend.

He swam a total of 10 events (8 individual and 2 relays). Started off the meet on Saturday with a 1st place ribbon in his relay. Then swam 4 individual events, including 100 yard Freestyle, 100 yard Backstroke, 50 yard Breastroke and 200 yard backstroke, and came away with 3 silver medals and 1 bronze medal. Not a bad day. Then we went back today and he started off the day with a 2nd place relay finish. Then he swam 200 yard Individual Medley, 50 yard Freestyle, 50 yard Backstroke and 200 yard Freestyle. He got 1 Bronze, 2 silver and ended the meet with a GOLD MEDAL! He was so excited! Of course, so was I. I did get tears in my eyes, and I think a few might have spilled over. He ended the meet getting a 2nd place all around trophy for his age group! What I most admired about him today was that going into the last place, he was guaranteed a 2nd place trophy. But he wanted to get that gold medal, and beat the guy who was already guaranteed 1st place. Which he did!

Of course I wouldn't forget DD. She had a good Saturday, finishing with a 7th place and 14th place ribbon. She won her heat in one of the races too, which was great! Today she swam and won a 5th place ribbon in her relay. The individual races today were not her best. Everyone is allowed an off day. I think I was more frustrated than she was, but I think I covered it well.

After all that, I am exhausted! Being a cheerleader (for other kids too of course) is hard work!

Are all my posts about my kids?

Last night in her 2nd basketball game ever, DD made her first basket! Monday she had made a free throw, but that doesn't count. She is one of 2 girls that have scored any points in either the first or 2nd game. The other girl played organized basketball for 3 years. DD - never played organized bball before. She also made a bunch of really good defensive plays. It helps that she is 5'2" at only 10 years old. There were girls on the other teams we played that were much taller though.

Of course after I told everyone else that I saw after that about her basket, she kept yelling at me to stop telling everyone. As if.

We have a big swim meet this weekend. We have to be at a pool by 7am both days. *sigh* At least the Packers are on a bye, so I won't miss that. Plus we have a wedding tomorrow evening for a co worker. I really don't want to go now, but I said I would and there are 28 people from work going.

See, it isn't all about the kids! So there!

Also, because I love watching Milo...

Mural

eta: I took a better picture with my camera. You can see it much better now.


So we have always wanted to have a mural painted in the little inset between the kids rooms. Our painter recommended a lady who does murals, so she came over to discuss it. I had no preconceived notions about it, but after she asked some questions about it, we decided on a tropical theme. Devon wanted dolphins (jumping up by the sun), and Marisa wanted horses (there are 3 little ones bottom left), so they each got their wish as well. I wanted the sunrise.

better than buying online?

I bought a pair of earrings over the phone yesterday! Sight unseen! A friend who knows I like dragonflies called me to chat, and mentioned that a friend of his makes and sells jewelry, and has these 2 pairs of earrings! One was described as too big for my taste, but the other seemed really cool! So now I'm hopping up and down looking forward to getting some new bling!

Speaking of jewelry, did I tell you that I bought a set of pearls from China? A friend of mine went there for business, and had told me about pearls they sell there. So she got me a set, necklace, earrings, and bracelet. I am excited about them too. Debating if I should get them appraised, as my friend mentioned that one of her co workers bought a set that was valued over $3000, and she paid $100! I paid $95 for mine!

So, what have you bought lately? Anything sight unseen?

Wheat-Free, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Pizza Crusts

"Rustic Crust™, Inc. is a New Hampshire based bakery specializing in Old World style pizza products that are as convenient as they are delicious."



If you suspect that sounds like press release puffery, you're correct. But the press release in question announces a new line of interesting-sounding products, Wheat-Free, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Pizza Crusts.

Their website is www.rusticcrust.com. A store locator can be found there.

No swim for you!

So the schools closed all three pools that our team practices at yesterday. They were going to be treating them, is what the emails said. I'd like to know if they were able to test the water, to see if it was contaminated, or if they were just being proactive, which is a good thing too. I'm also curious how they treat them, as the cryptosporidium bacteria is chlorine resistant.

I've decided to have DS tested to see if he has crypto, just in case. He was completely fine the day after being sick, but I wouldn't want my kid to be the one who ends up reinfecting the pool, if he does have the disease. Normally he wouldn't need to be treated, but they do have antibiotics. I read something about not being able to swim for 2 weeks, which would totally suck. Some of the other parents and I are talking about having our kids do some special dryland practice if they keep the pools closed.

Aside from sick kids, the really unfortunate thing is that there was supposed to be a girls high school meet tonight, and our team has meets scheduled on Friday and Saturday this weekend, at our main pool. I'm wondering if those meets are now in jeopardy. What a shame that would be. The kids love going to meets. Especially the one on Sat. Our team gives away trophies to the top 16 swimmers in each age group. DS was going for first place, and DD has gotten one the past 2 years.

On the plus side, I may not have to drive carpool tonight! It was going to be to the furthest away pool, and earlier than normal, so a real cramp to my schedule.

From one child to the other

DS is home sick today. This is very odd for him. More odd because last Monday he stayed home sick from school with the same excuse. I went home at lunch, and today he actually looks sick.

Says he feels like he will throw up, but doesn't actually. Only burps. Gross.

He did eat a piece of toast, and some juice.

I'm trying not to be too worried. I think it is a combination of a lot more swimming, more intense homework/schoolwork, less sleep, growing.

To be safe, I scheduled an appt with our doctor for later this month. He needs a check up anyway.

Update: I talked to our Doctor, he wasn't overly worried, said there are lots of bugs going around. But to schedule him for a checkup when it is convenient. Oct25.

Then later in the day I got an email from his swim coach. A parent reported today that their child has Cryptosporidium! So I called the doctor back. The nurse said if I want, I could bring him in, but they would need to get a stool sample. Um, yeah, right. I talked it over with DS, and he wants to wait and see if he feels better, which he seems to be doing. Also the nurse said that a healthy 12 year old has no concerns if he would have crypto. Ugh.

7 10 year olds is too many

We had Marisa's birthday party on Saturday. We drove into the city and went to Comedy Sportz. It was great. She volunteered to go on stage, and since there were only about 25 people, and we accounted for 12 of them, people in our group were selected a lot as volunteers, or suggestion ideas. It was a great time, everyone really enjoyed it. The whoopie cushions they gave out to the birthday group were a headache maker in the car ride home though.

We stopped at FunWorld to play lazer tag. My team won, cause we kick butt. There was a young lady that was cheating, and I told her not to. Afterward her mom came up to me to pick a fight. What a beyotch this woman was. I didn't back down though, so after swearing at me she walked away. We left shortly after that. I was a bit concerned that she might have a big boyfriend with a gun or something, so I kept a watchful eye until we were back on the road. I had forgotten that FunWorld attracts a lot of scummy people.

We came home, had pizza and ice cream cake, watched a movie, and I managed to get the girls to sleep by 11:40. This was after I threatened to take them all home. We had to get up early, since their parents were picking them all up at 9am, so no late late nights.

All in all, a very successful party for Marisa. For me, there were too many of them. A couple of them not my favorite girls, but that's ok, they aren't MY friends...

GO PACKERS! I have 5 minutes until kickoff! Ready to kick some Bear butts!

1st Swim Meet of the Season

Well, we got the first swim meet of the season out of the way last night. It was a rare week night dual meet between our club team and our rival club team. Fun, but no rewards as far as ribbons or medals or anything. But still a good way to get back into race mode.

DD got a decent start. Her relay team had a best time, and she got one more best time on her first race, the 50 yard freestyle. She didn't fare so well for her other 2 swims, the back or breast. Neither was a best time, but she still felt good. She has her next meet on Oct 13. We are hosting that meet, and it will be a full fledged meet, with lots of competition. I talked with her coach, and he feels it is time to step it up in practice, that he will start to push her a bit more. She has set some high goals for herself, and I hope she continues to see some improvements at each meet, to keep boosting her self esteem. I always make sure to say something positive to her.

DS had a phenomenal night! He started off the night winning his relay with 3 other guys. They beat the other teams "A" team, which had been ranked higher, so that was great! Then he proceeded to win all 3 of his individual swims! He has been really working hard, and this was a great mental reward for him. He was seeded 3rd, 2nd, 3rd for his races, and won each easily. His personal goals are to get State qualifying times for the 13-14 year old bracket, even though he is only 12, because he will be turning 13 before the next State Championship in March. I think he will be able to do it. Only 1 of the 3 individual races are eligible swims for State, but this is still a great achievement for him! His next meet is a Senior meet on Saturday, where he will be swimming against older, more advanced swimmers. Instead of being near the top, he will be near the bottom, which will be a good test for him. Maybe he will surprise all of us!

I was a little irked that the hosting team didn't tell the people that ran the concession stand for the basketball games in the gym adjacent to the pool that there would be a couple hundred people there. As a result, they ran out of almost all concessions. I had to settle for spagettios, which were not very appetizing.

Monday

After yet another night of not enough sleep (thanks DH), I got to work on time. Today is the day of our semi annual Board of Directors meeting. I usually am not invited, which is fine. However, I usually have done all the prep work, and want to make myself available if they need any more info.

After about 1 hour DH called to tell me DS is sick. He feels nauseous, and fell asleep on the couch after being up about an hour. I talked to DS to see if he would be ok being home alone for a while, and he was fine, as long as he knew I was coming home by around noon. I also had to do payroll today. So I buzzed out of there by 11am, and get to spend the rest of the afternoon in peace & quiet at home.

I think DS might have a little bug, but more likely he is overtired. So he is resting on the couch, with my laptop checking out World of Warcraft videos on YouTube. And napping on and off.

I actually logged on to work from my home PC for a while. Sent an email to my boss. LOL Makes me feel I'm not wasting the whole day.

DS will skip swim practice tonight, but DD has her first basketball practice at 5pm and swim practice at 7pm, so I'll still be running. We have our first swim meet tomorrow, a short little dual meet with our rival team. Should be fun.

So, how is your Monday going?

frustration

Last night was a bad night in the dragonfly household. All because of DH and his problem. No, not the gluten challenge, the drinking one.

He got hammered early. I wasn't home (driving car pool) but DD told me he was acting funny. He passed out and then spent the rest of the night completely restless. That is why I only got 3.5 hours of sleep. I did end up sleeping in the spare room where Kim wants to live. (sorry Kim, you can't have it just yet).

He didn't go into work today. Said he was going to make a call to the center. Last weekend he mentioned he had been thinking about going inpatient. Gee, you think? Only what I have been saying for, oh, let's see, 4 months?! I would like to say I hope so, but at this point I have no hope. He has to schedule it though, thanks to his jerk of a boss. He has plenty of vacation, to miss a week. I personally think he needs more than a week.

This is breaking up our marriage. I will listen to the advice I gave to tkit, that this is the worse part of "for better or worse", so I won't actually pull the trigger, but at this point we are becoming roommates more than anything. I do all the scheduling, shuttling kids. Every time I try to trust him, he falls farther off the wagon than he was. I can't fight or fix this. That is the most frustrating thing for a fixer. Helplessness.

*end self pity rant*


Hey, don't forget to look at the pics in the post below this. I love my new paint. I forgot to tell you that we are getting a small mural painted in the inset between the kids rooms. I'm looking forward to that!

Painting pics

We had most of the living spaces on the main floor of our house painted, along with our bedroom. I am very thrilled with how they turned out. I'll let you judge yourself.


Great room before and after



Kitchen & dining area before and after


Master bedroom before and after

The walls not behind our bed are silver. That is the first time I have experimented with silver, and I like it!

Lists

Stolen from Glow, Bravie & Weltek...

10 Favorites...
Favorite Color: Green
Favorite Food: Candy
Favorite Band: Queen
Favorite Movie: LadyHawke
Favorite Sport: Football
Favorite Season: Summer!
Favorite Day Of the Week: Saturday
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Kopps Black Raspberry
Favorite Time of Day: whenever I'm sleeping

9 Currents...
Current Mood: Tired, sick
Taste: Sushi
Clothes: Jean capris, Swim team tshirt, tennies
Current Computer Background: Milo Ventimiglia
Current Finger/Toenail Color: none
Current Time: 12:53 CST
Current Surroundings: office
Current Annoyance(s): People deleting their own posts without explanation
Current Thought: I want to go home

8 Firsts...
First Best Friend: Debby
First Love: Don
First Screen Name: dragonflies
First Pet: Tanya
First Piercing: Ears
First Crush: Bobby Sherman
First Music: Queen "A Night at the Opera" The whole album
First Car: Pontiac T1000

7 Last...
Last Cigarette: Never
Last Drink: Wine with Weltek
Last Car Ride: To the bank at lunchtime
Last Text Message: No idea. My text message box is empty
Last Movie Seen: In theater: Evan Almighty At Home: Sixteen candles
Last Phone call: DH called to talk about our mornings.
Last CD Played: My own mix CD - namely Fergie

6 Have You Ever...
Have You Ever Dated One Of Your Best Friends: Yes
Have you Ever Broken the Law: Yes
Have You Ever Been Arrested: No, but I was interviewed by the police in my teens once
Have You Ever Skinny Dipped: Yes
Have You Ever Been on TV: Yes I performed on the You & I show
Have You Ever Kissed Someone You Didn't Know: Yes

5 Things...
You're Wearing: Lake Country Swim Team tshirt, jean capris, white socks, tennies, bra & panties that don't match
You Did Last Night: not much
You Can Hear Right Now: The effing heating and cooling system above my head (this is what Weltek said too!)
You Can't Live Without: Breathing
Do When You're Bored: OT, Blog, read, sleep, not necessarily in that order

4 Places You've Been To:
1. The Netherlands
2. Aruba
3. New York
4. Paris

3 People You Can Tell Anything To:
God, besides, he already knows. That counts as 3.

2 Choices...
1. Black or White: Black
2. Hot or Cold: Hot

1 Person You'd Do Anything For:
My son or my daughter

Erasing posts

It really irritates me when people erase their entire post on OT. Especially if it was a controversial post. If they just made a mistake, fine, but once it has been responded to, leave it!

ok, end mini rant.

I got prizes!

Yay! I got a package last week! I opened it and found a lovely oil warmer, with some yummy scented oil and some tealights. Also a very tasty (I know cause I ate it) vanilla sucker, and some Bees chocolate. Did you know that when it is melted and rehardens it still tastes like yummy chocolate?!

Anyway, if this was a 4th place prize on Bravie's game, I'm thinking 1st place was a new car or something!

Thanks Bravie! *smooch*!!!


PS. this is my first blog entry dedicated to someone I have never met!

Wildlife

Last night we had all the windows open to try to air out the smell of paint. It was very quiet, kids were in bed, no TV on. All of the sudden I hear howling. Like really close by. I ran to get DH, and when I slid open the patio door he could hear them too. Then when I commented on how close they sounded, they stopped. DH then slid the door shut and said, well, they heard you, so I guess they are close. Like right on the other side of the tree line, in the farm field. I kept listening, after moving away from the door, and about 5 min later they picked up again.

That is why my cats are indoor cats.

We also have been host to a flock of turkeys. This is the 2nd year in a row. Last year it was 11. This year 15. I only mind them when they fly up to my deck and leave lots of feathers and poop behind.

Over the past 6 years of living here, we've seen fox cubs, deer (males, females, fawns), rabbits, squirrels, woodchucks or ground hogs, raccoons, possum, skunk, and once a coyote ran across our front yard early in the morning. We also have quite a few large hawks. The kind that would easily fly off with small dogs.

What wildlife do you see around your house?

Um

Yeah, I will be posting some peep meet pics. I just haven't had any time. This week is totally crazy for me. I'm already looking forward to the weekend. *sigh*

I had so much fun at our WI mini peep meet! I now feel like I've known Weltek, Nolay, Frodis, Kircon and Berwyn forever! I'm a little miffed at Flowerchild for not letting us know what happened and why she didn't show. I'm thinking it was something birthday surprise related, but still.

So, *squints* who's up next? Who wants to meet me?

10 years ago today...

My beautiful daughter was born! 7:01am on a gorgeous Thursday morning. Happy Birthday DD!

This picture is at 1 year old. Wasn't she adorable?!

What a difference 10 years makes. She is still my beautiful girl, but now she is blossoming into a young woman as well. I am very thankful that she still listens to what I have to say, even if she doesn't always do what I suggest. That is free will in action, I guess.

Last night we had so much fun getting ready for the first day of school. She asked me to help her pick out her outfit. She informed me that "Boys really notice you the most on the first day of school, so I want to make a good impression, otherwise they won't notice me at all the rest of the year." I almost felt like sabotaging her outfit! hee hee. Since it is going to be warm today, we agreed on jean capris and a new blue top that has sparkles on it. She is finally wearing her hear back off of her face, with a hair band. I allowed some lip gloss, that is it for make up though.

We also celebrated her birthday yesterday. She wanted to get her gifts early, so I acquiesced. She was very happy with the Webkinz that I bought, as well as the Lilkinz her brother bought. She LOVED the personalized M&Ms that we got too. And of course was very excited about the horseback riding lessons, even though they don't start until November.

We made cupcakes for her school treat, and put the personalized M&Ms on them. What a great idea it turned out to be! She felt very special. I had 1/2 of them say Happy Birthday, and the other half say DD is 10! I knew she would love them! We'll give the rest away at her birthday party.

I'm trying hard to think about my baby being in double digits now. She did tell me she will always be my baby. *sigh*

Kid stuff

Yesterday I left work early (such a hardship) to take the kids to their school's Open House. We met the teachers and dropped off their supplies. Found out that the locker stacker thingy won't fit in DS's locker. I think I've talked DH into making him one. We found a cool design that another kid had. Of course DS is being very nonchalant about it, but I think he would be happy.

Speaking of DS, it is really driving me crazy that everyone seems to think he is already a High Schooler. He is very tall (5'7 1/2"), but don't make him older than he already is! I've had 3 people this week ask me if he was in 9th grade! Noooooo, not yet! I'm not ready to give up my baby!

After the Open House we ran home and made some dinner, then DH & I went back to school for 7th grade orientation for parents. I think this will be DS's toughest year. He has pretty much skated through school so far, getting very good grades, with minimal after school effort. Doesn't seem that way for this year. But that was what I thought last year too, come to think of it. Oh, and he has a field trip already! 4th day of class. The fun thing, they are going to a camp, which happens to be the same camp that DH & I met at, when we attended a precollege Freshman camp.

One interesting thing the teachers mentioned, if he wants to take Honors classes in High School, they suggested that he take the ACT test in February. Anyone else experience this with their kids. Should he study for that? Our high school has about 2400 students, and is ranked very high in both sports and academics, but is very competitive too. I'm really hoping and praying that both kids do well. I'd love if they both stayed in swimming (not sure DD is going to though) or some other athletics. Maybe that might lead to a scholarship. Of course academics comes first, and their are scholarships there too...

I left the orientation early to go to the Annual Swim Team meeting. It was very informative. They asked me to run for the Board of Directors, which I did. Since there were the same number of parents resigning as joining, that worked out. The President later asked me to be Treasurer. That should be fun. The fun thing, the meeting was held at a local wine shop. After the meeting we stayed to socialize a bit, and I had a yummy glass of Sangria.

Today DS starts swim practice with the Senior group. He was moved up before he turned 13, which is the standard cut off, based on his incredible improvement and performance since the beginning of the year. He is incredibly excited, and a little nervous.

DD doesn't start swim practice until Sept 13, but she is also going to be playing organized basketball at her school. Should make for an interesting Fall.

Yes, summer is over. *sigh*

Blogging is fun

Ok, I think I am getting the hang of this blogging thing. It is way fun. Don't get any work done, but have lots of fun. Thanks for making me feel so welcome too!

Upcoming Peep Meet

I am very excited to be able to host a mini peep meet! Sept 8 at my house! We are expecting around 7-8 peeps to join us.

I was a little worried at first. I didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea. Kim & I were talking about this some time ago, and how it would be fun to get together with peeps in the area, and it just spawned into this meet. But I guess if anyone is offended, that is their problem, not mind. I opened it to everyone who might want to come anyway.

So I was trying to decide on some food to have, and was at a friend's house. They asked why I needed some ideas, and I explained I am meeting a bunch of people I don't know. Gave more details, and that we had invited them to spend the night in our house. My friends were appalled! "You don't know who these people are, they could be axe murderers" and "Are you going to hide all your valuables". At which point DH piped up that we don't have any valuables, well, except the kids, and if they stole them they would have to drive them to swim practice 4-6 times a week, so in the end they wouldn't take them anyway. I had to LOL. DH, the one who was very opposed to meeting anyone from the box. Now, after having met PRE, Wallflower, EMTBGirl and Brown Roach, he is looking forward to meeting more!

One of my other friends, who has met peeps online through a sheepshead site, warned me about the reactions of our other friends. And they did reference him as well, that we were as crazy as him.

I'm so happy that I am not as short sighted and closed minded as some people I know! Getting to know my online friends, even if it is just online, has greatly enriched my life, expanded my horizons, and really helped me to see things from different perspectives. Also to see how truly blessed I am.

Happy Birthday

To my husband! Now we are the same age again!

Since the Packers are playing, we won't be going out for a special dinner. I am going to try a new recipe that Qwertypie gave me for Oven Crisped Orange Chicken. It is gluten free, and I know DH has missed eating fried chicken. I have all the ingredients except for orange juice concentrate, so I'll have to stop on the way home.

I'm also picking up an ice cream cake that I had made for him. Normally these cakes have this yummy cookie crumble inside, but that has gluten, so I had them remove it.

He asked for a GPS, so I found a decent priced Garmin Nuvi 350. It is smaller than mine, has more features, and of course was cheaper. Go figure.

I hate allergies and school supplies

I have been sneezing all day. I even took a dang allergy pill. Unsure if it is August allergies, a cold, or due to the dust created by the electrician who installed a strobe light fire alarm in my office this morning. Stoopid fire marshall guy. I think he has it out for us. I do usually have more allergy attacks during April & August. So far this month it has been nearly nonexistant. I figured the anti oxidant stuff I was taking this summer really did help. So much for that.

Happy Monday. Last night DD commented on how weekends always go by so fast, and that they should be longer. Couldn't agree more. So far I have no reasons to leave work early this week. *sigh*

Yesterday we spent 1 1/2 hours at Walmart buying school supplies. $150 down the drain. We even had a few things that we could reuse. By the time we left, I noticed that each kid had somehow managed to finagle a few extra things they really didn't need either.

Now I know why we always have done School Pak before. I think I would have saved money in the end. But then I wouldn't have had that wonderful bonding experience with my kids. (end sarcasm)

Beginning of the end...

for my business, that is. I've been feeling more and more done with it over the past 8 months. I still love candles, but I feel my life is going in a different direction for now.

I'm not willing to give it up completely. Not willing to say "I quit". But I'm not actively seeking home shows anymore. Of course that means I will be getting a lot of calls to have shows. That is ok, but I'm not actively growing my business. I figure I will still take care of my current customers and their candle needs, and that is about it.

I was listening to a Fergie song, and realized that part of it described how I feel about PL right now.

(I need) ...to be with myself in center, clarity, peace, serenity
I hope you know, I hope you know
That this has nothing to do with you
It's personal, myself and I
We got some straightening out to do
And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket
But I've gotta move on with my life...

I do realize some of my feelings stem from the problems our family is dealing with now, especially between DH and myself. But I honestly believe that I have been feeling more and more ambivalent about my business for a lot longer. I'm getting more involved with the kids' activities, namely swim. I'm running for election to the Board of Directors of the swim team, and if I am elected, I am hoping they ask me to be the treasurer. It isn't as hard as it seems, since the club has a finance person, but I would still be overseeing that aspect.

With the contact list I have, I figure I could always pick it back up. But for now, doing home shows isn't fun anymore. I always said if it wasn't fun, I would stop.

State 12 & Under Swim meet

Wow! What a weekend! So I missed Friday's events. I couldn't catch an earlier flight home from Houston, and then my flight was delayed nearly 1 1/2 hours, so I got home around 12:30am. But the rest of the weekend was fantastic!

DS swam in 7 individual and 4 relay events. He finished with 5 individual ribbons and 4 relay placements, including a 3rd place finish in the 400 meter freestyle relay! It was the very last heat of the very last event on the very last day of the meet. I'm sure all the boys were tired, but our team was sick of coming in 4th or 5th throughout the meet. They all swam their fins off, and it ended up being a close race, with our boys narrowly beating out another team who had consistently beat them! DS was so proud (as were we!). Our boys were only 1 of 2 relay top 3 finishes by our team (there were 12 total relays). It was so great to see him standing on the podium. That had been his goal, to get on the podium at least once. For relays, only the top 3 are honored like that, with places 4-6 getting a ribbon. Individual races have the top 8 finishers stand on the podium, while the top 16 get ribbons.

We now have a month off. I'm looking forward to not having to chase to the pool every day! Both DS & DD have expressed some interest in doing some laps during open swim. Guess they are dedicated after all!

I'll post a pic as soon as I get one. We only had our video camera, and asked others to send us pics if they have them.

Later this month I expect to be elected to the Swim Team Board of Directors. There are 3 people resigning their positions, and 3 interested in taking on a position, so it won't be a real election. I'm looking forward to getting more involved. (Did I just write that out loud?)

**side note**
I'm really looking forward to the upcoming WI etal peep meet. Anyone is welcome. Will you be there?

Heading out...and back

Howdy y'all!

I'm about to leave to go to the airport! Heading to Houston for PL's National Conference! It will be a blast, but I think it will be the last one I attend. With everything going on in my life, I am making a conscious decision not to build my PL business. I still plan to take reorders from friends, family and customers, and if people want to do a book show, I will be happy to accomodate them. Maybe an occasional home show for a good friend. It has been 4 years!

I'm coming home early this time. Normally I stay until Sunday, but this year I'm flying home on Friday. DS is in the State Championship Swim Meet, which is held Friday-Sunday. He said it would be fine if I missed his 2 events on Friday, but not the rest. And of course, wild horses wouldn't drag me away! My original plan was to head home late on Friday, but now I am rethinking that. There are 2 earlier flights that have availability, so hopefully I can go standby on one of them, and surprise my family!

See ya soon!

Birthday weekend

Ok, I know I'm a little late in posting this, but all the kidlessness over the past week made me lazy.

I met Weltek on my birthday for a quick drink. She was on her way to visit Breezy, so I sent along 2 cupcakes and told her she had to share. She gave me a gorgeous bouquet of yellow roses! It was a lovely surprise, and they smelled wonderful. I still have a couple of them left. The goofy thing is this is the 2nd peep meet I've had with Weltek, where neither of us remembers to take a picture. Go figure.

Our family went out to dinner at Maggiano's. They offer gluten free pasta, and after the chef came out to discuss options, he made DH a yummy gluten free marinara sauce, along with the gluten free penne. I had my favorite, Zuppa de Peche. Yum.

We had a big swim meet on Sat & Sun, at which the kids did great! DS got his 5th state qualifying time, this time in the 400M Freestyle. It was the first time he swam it, and he had no problem at all qualifying. He is turning into quite the distance swimmer. DD got 3 out of 4 best times, which is great as well!

Even though it was 97 degrees, on Sunday we went to Summerfest. After surviving for 4 hours, including an hour long visit to the Cool Zone, and air conditioned room commemorating Summerfest's 40 years, we got to see INXS! We found seats in the 9th row. It was quite loud, didn't get to stay the whole time, but saw just over an hour. I got to hear most of my favorite songs, including By My Side, Afterglow and Pretty Vegas. JD was quite hot. *swoon*. I like him better with short hair, but h-o-t nonetheless. My camera has issues, especially when zooming. This is the best picture of the ones I took. Notice the open shirt at the bottom.

I also took some video. Just can't figure out how to upload it here. Tried Google & Yahoo, and they didn't seem to work. Maybe I'm just too impatient.

All in all, a very satisfactory birthday weekend!