Having a Blast!!!

Well, our visit with The Parents is a bit over half gone. I'm not looking forward to them leaving on Friday- we're having an absolute BLAST!

We haven't got to go on any day-trips like we had originally planned, my car has decided to be a bit finicky all of the sudden- but we HAVE done some local "Southern" type things.

You know- the things like going to Wal-Mart, and hanging at the mall, and trying out some of the local cuisine .
Last night had a cookout with all the kids and Grands attending and was THAT a lot of fun too!!Altho, it looked like it was going to rain, therefore giving us pause to cook the hot-dogs INSIDE instead of on the grill outside, afterward the guys(Paul, Glenn, Frank, Devon and Nicholas) all built a fire in the fire-pit and toasted Marshmallows.
Julie and Eddie and their brood of boys had to leave early- Julie has been a bit under the weather and wanted to go home and put the kids to bed at their regular bedtime so she could relax, and Kathy left a bit early as well because CJ was getting a bit cranky needing his nap and he doesn't like any bed but his own.
But we STILL had a GRAND time having dinner together and visiting.

I think Joan and Glenn enjoyed it as well and we all were ready for bed by the time the kids were all back home and we had the house to ourselves again.
It almost seemed too quiet.

I got quite the kick from our Nicholas(age 2) who insisted on calling Joan "Nanny" halfway thru the visit. I'm not sure she's ready for that honorary title just yet!
Regardless tho, it's hers now that Nicholas' has given it to her. He doesn't give people titles lightly, believe me. He WAS in a good mood yesterday tho...after his nap. He was hugging everyone and giving everyone kisses and just a happy smiling little boy! JUST the way I like 'em.
:-)

Of course you know I HAD to send them home with a bit of chocolate too.

You know Grandma's Motto:
Squeeze 'em Up,
Sugar 'em Up,
and Send 'em on Home.

Well, anyway,
Tonight Paul, Glenn, Joan and myself are going out to dinner at Kanpai Of Tokyo a wonderful Japanese restaurant where the chefs come out and cook hibachi style at the table. You're usually seated with a few strangers, (unless you book a big party) and it's a really good show if you get one of the chefs who likes to showboat a bit!

Last time Paul and I went there was our Wedding Rehearsal night when my BFF, Lois, and her hubby Brother Bob, came up from Florida for our wedding(for the SECOND time) and treated us to dinner there.
It was one of the best times I ever had.
As a matter of fact- two of the three most memorable dinners I have had have been there!!
One was a few years ago when I treated my Dad(Mom couldn't make it that night as she was feeling a bit under the weather) and all my kids to dinner there, one was our aforementioned wedding rehearsal dinner, and the other was at a lovely place called the City Range Grill where Paul and I went the night before he flew back to England on his first visit to America.

Anyway- we're going there tonight and I know we'll have a memorable dinner with them as well! We hope to be able to go to a park or maybe downtown before they leave and maybe get my BFF "Seacat" to take some pics for us. She's the one who did the "Sisters" photo-shoot for us and everyone LOVES those photos.

Anyway, we just had a big Sunday Southern Breakfast and while it was settling I thought I'd write a quick post and let everyone know we're just having a wonderful time visiting with Joan and Glenn.

Hope all YOU guys are having a wonderful week, too!!

Need to Know Basis.....

I need to know.....or maybe not.

I've been thinking on this for a LONG time- over a year now and still can't decided what to do.

Here is my dilemma.

I am Clay's mom. I was here when he came into this world. I counted his precious little fingers and toes and loved him every single solitary fraction of a second of his life- before he was born and after he......left us.

Now, until a few weeks ago- I hadn't seen any of the pictures of his car after the accident- but one of his friends had posted them on the memorial website set up for him on MySpace and I finally saw them.

Altho they were bad, they were not as bad as my mind had imagined them to be- the car was torn up, but in my mind it had been mangled beyond imagination or recognition- (which it wasn't)- making it much worse than it was.

Now- Kathy has Clays death certificate- listing all his injuries and such and has told me if I ever want to read it she would let me see it- but she wouldn't recommend it- that it was hard for HER to read it and she imagines it would be even worse for me as his mom to read and know. I , on the one hand, want to see it- to KNOW what injuries he had and what the actual cause of his passing was, I think it may put my mind at ease and maybe it would lessen the nightmares I'm still having about the accident and how he might have suffered.

On the other hand, the logical side of me says it might NOT put my mind at ease- it might actually be WORSE than I think it was, PLUS what possible good can come of it? Me knowing won't change the fact that he's not with us in this world so why would I want to know and what would it matter?

I don't know what to do. Do I read it and take the chance of it making things worse? Or do I let it lie and hope these nightmares go away eventually? It's being caught between a rock and a hard place.

Any advice or thoughts on how I can deal with this?

I know I'm obsessing- but I can't get past this...i just can't.

Having Fun.

Well, The parents have arrived and recovering from the 17 hour flight.

I'm working this weekend but on Monday we plan on them being over jetlag and us all being free and able to do something.....we're niot exactly sure what- but we'll find something.

I haven't had as bad a time of this illness as Paulius had, and am recovering much sooner. I had two really bad days(of course, while I was at work) and now am well on the mend. I really tried to do my best to stay away from everyone at work so no one would catch this and if anyone DID contra it- I truly apologize. I am a firm believer in if one is ill they need to stay home if there is ANY way POSSIBLE. Unfortunately, unless you are at deaths door and seriously IN the hospital, my job requires that you come in.Especially since we are several officers short at the job now and I am one of the ones who's on call to cover for THEM.

I cannot wait to have my days off to spend with the in-laws.
Later Y'all!!

Sigh...........

Dang- I was sick as a dawg last night and today. Don't know if it's what Paulius had or if it's just my allergies giving me extra extreme hell, but I got meds for it ALL and feel marginally better after taking them and getting some sleep and rest this morning.

House definitely not in the shape I wanted it to be when Mum & Dad arrive, but it'll have to do.
Paulius is cleaning the carpets as I write this and Frank, my eldest son, is doing the yard-work now. Mom is loaning us her car to pick the parents up tomorrow evening.

Thank God for my loved ones.

Lesson in Procrastination

Well, as my weekend draws to a close, I can see there ain't no WAY I'm going to get ALL my projects finished before Paul's Parents come over for their visit.

I'm almost finished with the bathroom- all I have to do in there is paint around the new mirror and do the usual tub and sink cleanup.

I'm not gonna get my hallway de-cluttered, nor painted and my photo gallery done. All I'm going to get finished is my kitchen scrubbed clean (It's especially time consuming this time since I was sick and in the hospital when it was time to do it in the spring and took months to re-cuperate and put off doing it til now) and the carpets steam-cleaned.
ARG!!!!!!


Oh well, I suppose that teaches me a lesson about procrastinating, eh?
Maybe it will be all done before the holidays arrive.........maybe.

Special Day For Me & Teddy Bear.

Today was a VERY special day for me.

My Eldest Grandson, Teddy Justin,(aka Teddy Bear) called me a couple days ago and and asked me to come have lunch with him at his school today.
So I joined my little man at his elementary school to have a meal with him and his classmates and THEIR Grandparents.
I got there at 11:30 as planned and waited out in the hallway with all the other grandparents.

The drill was- you stand in the hallway outside the cafeteria and when your child came by, you joined them in line. Well, I stood there and stood there as the kids filed past. After about 10 minutes, T.J. came OUT of the cafeteria and stood for a moment looking around, and when he spied me standing there, came over and took me by the hand, gave a great Dramatic sigh(Don't know WHERE He gets THAT from) and said very sweetly"Come on, Nana Vada- this way..." and led me back to his spot in line holding my hand all the while. I couldn't help but smile a bit.

I must becoming a bit senile in my old age to have missed him in his bright lime green shirt as he went by, but luckily for me he TRUSTED I was coming and he came and rescued me from the hallway- otherwise I might have been there WEEKS from now...lost and alone, starving and smelling because I was still waiting on my grandson whom I had missed in the chaos.

Anyway, he went in line in front of me to show me the ropes of how his school works, and so I had the same lunch he did. Baked Ziti(Very YUMMY) a breadstick, A portion of white grapes, and 2% milk. I was pleasantly surprised that TJ had made such a varied selection of food.
So as a treat I bought him an ice-cream- a fudgecicle if I remember correctly. And Bless his heart- let me TELL you the ORDER he ate them in.

Opened his milk, took a sip, then proceeded to eat his portion of grapes- one at a time- til they were all gone. Then he took a couple bites of his Ziti and and breadstick. Then he opened his fudgecicle and ate it very slowly and enjoyed it immensely. Then a sip of milk. Then he ate some more of his ziti and breadstick and almost finished it all before the teacher said it was time they left. He drank the rest of his milk as he led the way to put our trays away.
Then he gave me a HUGE bear hug and told me "Thank you for coming to have lunch with me" and he walked back to his class with a huge smile on his face.

I had to laugh....I kept giving him hugs and little kisses on the top of his head while we were eating and the little guy didn't complain the first time. After a couple-three times I realised what I was doing and I leaned over and whispered..."I'm sorry sweetie- it's embarrassing to have your Nana kiss you in front of your friends, huh?" and he just looked at me with those big huge brown eyes and smiled and said..."Nah, all grandparents do it- It's okay Nana Vada." And then he kissed me back on the cheek and gave me a hug.

I wanted to cry it was so sweet.
I adore my little guys.

Hi Ho- Hi Ho.............

Well, My cleaning schedule didn't quite work out as neatly as I had planned.

See I make plans- and God laughs.

I went into the kitchen and started to wash dishes- but noticed that the faucet was running a steady stream of water....small, but steady. Now bear in mind that my brother, Charlie had come down just a couple months ago and helped me replace the washers in ALL the faucets in the house.

(And by helped me I mean I watched him do the first one, then tried to do it myself, and ended up begging him to do the next one because I was so frustrated at not being able to get the thing off because of the mineral build-up.... and also because after 30 minutes of wrestling with it Charlie was laughing at me and my ineptness for doing anything slightly resembling plumbing and electrical work.I DID get to do one of the bathroom ones, tho, and did a fine job of it.)

Well, anyway. Charlie had warned me that I might have to make some adjustments to the hot-water one after a couple weeks and to call him if I needed him to help me.
I thought- I did ONE of them last time- I KNOW how it's done- I'll do it myself.
So I got out the tools and proceeded to take the faucet handle off.

And YES- I DID remember to shut of the water valve before unscrewing anything.
I'm BLOND- not Stupid.(And never MIND that I forgot to turn the water off first the FIRST time I did it when Charlie was here helping....I LEARNED from my mistake.)

Anyway......I took it off and took it apart- and the only part of the rubber washer that was there was the part DIRECTLY under the screw!! What the HECK????? Well, then I remembered we had used all the washers that fit my fixtures LAST time so, Paulius and I went off to the local home improvement store to get washers. And while we were out Paulius got the part we needed to replace the aged guts to our toilet tank.
We came home and I replaced the washer without incident. But when it came time to put it back together, I just couldn't get the thing to tighten up the way it should. So off it came again and I tried it over again....... And again....... And again.
I just couldn't figure out what the dang problem was. So, finally giving up, I called my Darling Baby Brother and asked him what he was doing- and if when he finished up his project- could he "Please come down and help me figure out what the HECK I'm doing wro.........oh wait......Never mind, Bubba...I figured it out-But THANK YOU anyway!!!."....
During our conversation I had been tinkering with the contraption and lo and behold- I had ONE part on backwards and when I turned it the right way it screwed in to the fixture and everything fell into place. So I DID end up fixing the sink by MYSELF!!!!!! Charlie did tell me that here is some part in my hot-water tank that may need replacing if the washers are being eaten that quickly...and we may be able to replace just that part- OR we may end up replacing the entire water heater....depends on the model heater we have....MORE good news.
NOT.

You have no idea how proud and happy it made me to be able to finish that faucet job by myself
Sure, I can DO flooring projects. And I can DO painting projects. And I can DO re-arranging projects. And I can cook and bake and dance like a demon- but for me to do an entire plumbing or electrical project on my own-even one as seemingly small and easy as that was- is a major- and I mean MAJOR- accomplishment for me.

Paulius meanwhile, was working on his bathroom project and not having nearly as much fun as I was. But that's for him to tell.

I, on the other hand, got up this morning and have been decluttering my kitchen, finishing up the afghan I'm crocheting for my in-laws, and decluttering the living room as well. Now, HOW I got involved in THREE projects, instead of the TWO I had planned for these two off days, is beyond me. I think it had something to do with the fact that in the middle of my original two projects, I have somehow managed to lose my black yarn to finish the afghan with. So I began looking in the living room corner where I keep my stash of yarn and realized that there was a LOT of clutter that shouldn't have been there and so in looking for the yarn, got involved in decluttering the living room as well- I mean since I was already in that corner cleaning, I might as well declutter the rest of the room while I'm at it, right?
Paul hates for me to start cleaning a room- and can't say as I blame him- cause when I clean everything has to be pulled out and moved, so the place ends up looking like its been in a cyclone before I put everything back and it looks good again.
That transition time of chaos is enough to throw anyone in shock and sent them scurrying to the hills.

Anyway- I've been on a carousel going from one room to the next doing whatever I see needs doing until I go to another room to rest- and end up doing even more stuff in THAT room as well instead of resting.

Looks like the only place I'm safe from work is here, behind the desk, in front of the computer.

Paul has yet to make an appearance this morning...I mean afternoon......He came to bed after daylight so we slept different hours today- but when he gets up, I'm looking forward to watching that series he has been blogging about lately...The Sci-Fi western called FireFly. We watched four episodes last night and I'm looking forward to watching a few more tonight.
I like that series!

Suppose it's time to toddle back to my work now........ Later!!!

Exciting News!!!

Had a few changes in the household!!

Yesterday I FINALLY found a good home for our little doggie, Barney.
So no more coming home to lil' accidents all over the house that I have to clean up before I go to bed......No more coming in or waking up to having my shoes chewed up or having one sock, one bra, and one pair of undies in the middle of the living room floor where he's dragged the out of the hamper and him lying there chewing on them.
No More having to watch where he is at all times or chase him down when we put him outside to play for a while.

Just Happy days with NO-MORE BARNEY!!!!!

Poor Buddy looks so sad - hunting in all the corners Barney usually hides in when he's pooped and knows he's been bad.....But I don't feel sorry enough for him to get the lil' monster back.
No-sir-ee Bob!!!!

I've given Paul permission to do one of two thing if I EVER mention getting another animal. Smack me in the back of the head or give me a good swift kick in the Arse. Either/or ...or both!

We're in high gear this week getting ready for Paulius' Parents visit on the 19th!! I'm cleaning the kitchen and decluttering the Hallway (again)today and tomorrow.Then, this weekend, we're cleaning the carpets(LONG OVERDUE, that one!!) and then the following days off all we have to do is just a bit of Hoovering and dusting(normal stuff)to have it looking good when they get here....We are SOOOOOO looking forward to having them here with us again!!!

I've even traded off days next week with one of my co-workers so we can pick them up at the airport and spend time with them that first night they're back with us!!!

(Thanks Rich- you don't know how much I appreciate you switching off with me so I can be at the airport and pick my in-laws up and spend some time with them that first night instead of having to rush to get in to work on time! You ever need a like favor- I'm here for ya Buddy!!!)

I just hope the temps here continue to drop so it's nice and comfy for their visit instead of hot and muggy. We purposely scheduled their visit for this time of year so it wouldn't be miserable hot and humid when they were here and so we could actually go OUTSIDE and do something without us melting like the Wicked Witch of the West on the Wizard of Oz. At least we can go out now without the heat searing our lungs if we take a breath before reaching the air-conditioned interior of the car!

Lucky us.

Anyway- that's about all for today Boys and Girls!!

Bathtub Test

During a visit to the mental asylum, a visitor asked the Director how do you determine whether or not a patient should be institutionalized.

'Well,' said the Director, 'we fill up a bathtub, then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the patient and ask him or her to empty the bathtub.'

'Oh, I understand,' said the visitor. 'A normal person would use the bucket because it's bigger than the spoon or the teacup.'

'No.' said the Director, 'A normal person would pull the plug. Do you want a bed near the window?'

Hmmmmmmm...Info- I need INFO!!!!

As a Blond, I'm not sure whether to be insulted or not.

I mean, Geek is a good thing to be cause most "Geeks" have an IQ of like a zillion or something, right?And Paulius says I don't qualify as a Geek?
So, I don't qualify as a Geek cause I don't get into gaming and know ALL the "geek-speak" lingo that some do?
Does ANYONE remember my year long Addiction/Obsession to Second Life? Or are certain games not a qualifier to be a GEEK? Is there a list somewhere?

Exactly at what point does a person get awarded the Geek title? What are the requirements and who do you apply to for that status?

I need INFO, dammitt! Explain this life-form to me!!!!

HAPPY DANCE!!!!!!

I just got a call from my boss who old me I PASSED that big certification test that I was so worried about for so long!! That means a RAISE for me beginning with this weeks hours.
He also told me that the payroll was now being sent out on THURSDAYS instead of Tuesdays- Which SUX really BIG ONES!

Oh well, Nothing we can do except accept it.
Dammitt- but YAY on me passing that test!!!!!
I'm STILL a HAPPY CAMPER!!!!!!!

Is It Too Much To Ask......

Is it too much to ask that my PAYCHECK be deposited ON TIME- I mean since my company expects ME to show up on time for work and all...... It seems only fair that I expect the same for my money I've earned....Don't ya think?????

Broke and pissed off- is there anything MORE annoying?
I don't think so.

Riiiiiight...I Mean "Yes Dear!!!! Whatever you say Dear!!!"

more animals

Kelly & Toby-Best Wishes on Your Wedding Day!

Our friend, Kelly, and her fiance are getting married tomorrow. It's going to be a small intimate gathering of them and their families in a beautiful location and I pray that they have good weather for it....and if not- then I've heard that a bit of rain on your wedding day is supposed to be GOOD LUCK! So they're set BOTH ways!!

I hope her and Toby's marriage is just as happy as mine and Paulius' is. All marriages have their ups and downs, but I think Mine and Paul's is happier than most. We've had very little turmoil that were due to mistakes and misunderstandings....almost all of them have been due to outside forces such as deaths, sickness, and such.(I hate even actually putting that in writing or saying it out loud because it seems to tempt fate....)

All you need to know is that you love each other and that it's for keeps.

And with that in mind....
Kelly and Toby- Congratulations and the Best of Wishes to you both for a Long and Happy Life together!
We love you both!