Being random on a Thursday...

Life is actually "normal" right now.  Strange, right?  Frank actually has some work, Michael is getting ready to start back to school next week and Nick is...Nick.  No drama, no fighting, it's actually been quiet around here - which is why I haven't had a whole lot to say.   Well, here's what's been going on that is NOT normal...

Clearly I should STOP trying to do anything to maintain my looks because the beauty industry just sucks.  Why?  Okay, first there was the whole Dominican Salon thing.  So I went to another local salon and the first time I went for an eyebrow waxing, it took the girl 20 minutes because she would only wax like 3 hairs at a time.  Not fun.  The second time I went, I got a different girl and she nearly broke my neck with the force she held me down in while she ripped off the wax.  Seriously, I had to use a heating pad when I got home!  So I go BACK there (because clearly I am a glutton for punishment) and wanted to get a haircut.  Three employees, no customers.  One girl is on the phone, the other two are sitting and talking.  One gets up to help me but the other loud mouth just kept shouting questions to me from across the salon in a tone that CLEARLY told me that I was bothering her.  Then she changed the price of the haircut THREE times before I finally walked out!  Crazy bitch.

I have been doing some tutoring lately and the other day the kid's mom was 25 minutes late for picking him up!  Seriously?  She didn't answer her cell phone so now I'm thinking that maybe she was in an accident or something and I had an appointment to get to but I couldn't leave because she wasn't here!  So the kid and I sit and talk.  He has no idea how else to get in touch with her, he doesn't know his dad's work number, I mean...it was crazy.  So she finally shows up, the kid leaves, I leave 3 minutes later to get to the appointment.  I did not yell at this kid, I thought we had a nice conversation.  Well the mom e-mails me later on to first, apologize, but then to go on to tell me that he son told her how UPSET I was!  WTF????  First of all, concerned, not upset and secondly, GET BACK HERE ON FREAKIN" TIME!!!

I finally DID get a haircut - at Great Clips.  Seriously?  Have I sunken so low that I have to resort to Great Clips for a hair cut?  Apparently.  So I go, get the cut and it's okay, I guess.  It's a little bit shorter than what I wanted but I know it will grow fast.  So then I decided that I had had enough of my hair color.  I had gotten fabulous high lights back right before graduation and I've been maintaining them and just doing my roots but the color was just looking a bit blah so I went back to my normal hair color last night - solid, no high lights.

Ick...


I'm not happy with it.  It's dark.  So now, just to re-cap my hair is shorter than I want and darker than I want.  Great.


So there's my drama for this week...the things that make my life what it is.  Crazy...

 

OMG...another Disney trip??

Okay, so the Disney store did NOT call me for a job and I have to admit, I'm a little peeved about that.  Not enough so that I would have any ill-will towards the Disney company but they could have at LEAST asked me in for an interview!

We are thinking of hitting Magic Kingdom for a day in November.  We'll be visiting my in-laws at some point and I think that we are going to try and do a day at Disney.  The only thing I am unsure about is whether to do a full day (at $85 per person) or just get tickets for the Christmas Party which gives you seven hours at night in Magic Kingdom for only $48 per person.  I've done both and they are fun but I am so not a night-owl that I fear that I won't feel the joy so much if I am dying to go to sleep.

THEN...because that's not exciting enough for me, my sister and I are trying to plan a trip for March of 2011 for just the two of us.  It's been a while since we've done that and it is TIME!  We have the greatest trips when it is just us and I truly treasure those times together.  So we are looking at prices and trying to find deals so I am SO EXCITED!!!

Let the planning and countdown begin!!

The Amazing Race is Back!!!

I am almost counting down the minutes until 8:30 Eastern Standard Time.  I have to admit, lately I have been all about the TV but really, life has sucked otherwise and this has been a nice diversion.  

So tonight "The Amazing Race" starts back up.  I don't understand these "new" seasons that seem to be all the rage where shows run in 12 week intervals.  I find it confusing and I hate that they don't do re-runs at all on them so if you miss an episode, you're screwed.  Not fun.  But "The Amazing Race" is truly a great show because I do find geography interesting and so not only are the challenges realistic (unlike those on "Survivor") but you truly get a glimpse in to the culture of the country they are in.  As a family, we enjoy the show.  

In order to kill time today I have (since getting home from church earlier):  Gone to Super Target, eaten lunch, done dishes, called my in-laws, entered in about a dozen books to swap on Paperback Swap, made Frank lunch and DRIVEN it 20 miles away to where he is working today, drove back, called my dad and spoke to him for like 30 minutes, mixed up a batch of dough for Artisan bread, shaped said dough (after 2 hours of rising) in to 16 individual rolls, played about a dozen games on Facebook, and written this blog.

And it's only 4:30.

Time is CRAWLING...

HGTV...I may need an intervention

I am not a huge fan of TV, but I do have some favorite shows that I won't miss:  How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, Psych, 30 Rock...prime time shows, once a week, no big deal.  But, oh, HGTV....

Even when our finances were at rock bottom this summer and I had to quit my memberships to the YMCA and Weight Watchers, the next logical step was to get rid of the cable.  But I couldn't.  I mean, we don't have the super-deluxe package, just the basic stuff, 100 channels.  I just couldn't bring myself to do it because then I would miss the ENTIRE HGTV network!  Seriously, when all else fails, I can turn to good ole channel 59 and there they are:  all my shows.  I LOVE House Hunters, Income Property...I have to admit, I have a secret crush (well maybe not so secret now) on the host of Income Property.  He's a little hottie and I do so enjoy his Canadian accent.  

I didn't think that my habit had gotten too bad but I'm starting to notice that Michael knows WAY more about home features than a ten year old should after being forced to watch House Hunters with me and while Frank was on the phone tonight with a friend, completely oblivious to what was on the TV, until I switched on HGTV.  Then all of a sudden he's like "Oh, THIS channel again?"  Really?  I have had to sit through WAY too many Turner Classic Movies and boo-coos of documentaries and I'm getting grief on sitting through 30 minutes of good, clean real estate searching fun?

God help the poor real estate agent we'd get should we ever be able to buy a house.  Now that I've watched all these people doing it on HGTV, I know all of the questions to ask, and what to look for and all that and now...well, I have just enough knowledge to be dangerous...Scary indeed...

Crappy Thursday...

Okay so let's take a running tally of all that I did NOT get today...

1.  I did NOT win the Publisher's Clearing House Sweepstakes
2.  I did NOT become Susan Mallery's BFF
3.  I did NOT find the miracle cure of this sinus infection/head cold
4.  I did NOT manage to stop at only 4 Double Stuff Oreos
5.  I did NOT save my Won Ton soup for lunch tomorrow AND finally
6.  I did NOT do one thing around my house today and am surrounded by dirty dishes, dirty laundry, chaos and ickiness.

Happy Thursday...

OMG...LOL...BFF's...and Facebook

I know, I know...I spend WAY too much time on Facebook but finally I feel like it is paying off.  Yes, I've gotten all of the high scores on some of my favorite games.  Yes, I have gotten in touch with people I never thought I'd see or speak to again.  And yes, I have surpassed Nick in the number of friends I have.  All of these are great accomplishments but today...TODAY...well, here it is...

OMG...One of my all-time favorite authors (Susan Mallery) has a Facebook page that I, of course, "liked".  I have had the opportunity to write on her wall and actually have her answer me.  For a book nerd like me, this is HUGE!

LOL...She's actually quite funny.  She makes me smile daily with her little blurbs and things that she posts.  I was already on her newsletter list from her main website but it seems a bit more personal on Facebook.  Weird, I know.


BFF's...Susan has a new book coming out on September 28th "The Best of Friends" and so today she asked on Facebook "Why should we be BFF's?" and we had to post a picture of ourselves along with an answer on her page.  So of COURSE, I had to do it.  The winner of the BFF thing will get their picture Photoshopped with Susan doing all kinds of fun things that BFF's do.  Silly, yes, but it would still be cool.

If you are a reader of contemporary chick-lit, check Susan out.  "Finding Perfect" came out earlier this month and is the third in a trilogy that is amazingly good.  "The Best of Friends" comes out next week and I'm sure it will be a huge hit, too.  If memory serves, she has over 100 titles to choose from and is a New York Times Best Seller.  Sweet!

All I can say is that I know to some people it may seem lame or ridiculous, but it is kind of a thrill to interact, even through Facebook, with someone whose work I adore.  As I told her in my BFF bio, I would consider it a huge honor to have my name even once listed in the same author category as her.  I bow to the master...

Big step to bring me THISMUCH closer to the dream...

Out of sheer boredom today we went to the mall.  Let me just say that I LOATHE the mall.  I have worked retail for most of my life and back in the day most of that work was done at a mall and I hated it.  I don't enjoy shopping at the mall for any reason whatsoever.

Kind of...

So we're at the mall mainly because it's a Sunday and we needed something to do and Michael has been asking to go to the Lego store that is at the mall.  Honestly, I think I could have found a thousand other things to do but we caved and went.  Now it just so happens that at this particular mall there is a Disney Store right across from the Lego store and so while the boys went wild for Lego's, I went wild at the Disney Store AND...wait for it...got an application for a job!  WOO-HOO! 

Now here's the thing:  first, this is a DREAM of mine - to work for Disney.  The mall is about 30 minutes away so it would not be convenient by any stretch of the imagination but it would be so much fun.  Second, the pay would have to be more than I am getting from unemployment otherwise it's just not worth it.  And third, how freakin awesome would it be for ME to work at the Disney Store and get some employee discounts to go to Disney?  

Sweet!!!

So I filled out the application and now I wait and see if they actually call.  

Fingers crossed!!!

Random...and bored

So life is somewhat returning to normal.  Frank has some work (praise the LORD!) finally and I am able to breathe a bit again.  It's going to take quite a long time before we are out of the financial hole that his unemployment put us in but I think I see a hint of light at the end of the tunnel.

Michael is tracked out of school right now.  It's the first of our three-week breaks that go with year-round school.  If things had been better financially, we'd be having a ball.  As it is we are pretty much hanging out at home.  The cool thing is that because Nick is out of town, Michael has decided to fill in some of the gaps and actually started doing some chores that he's never done before - like the dishes!  I mean, the boy just went in to the kitchen WILLINGLY and started washing dishes!  I was blown away.  And you know the best part?  I didn't have to RE-wash them!  Awesome!

Life is still tense around here regarding the landlord.  Although he and I made peace, Frank is still pretty bitter.  As it turned out, he DID file a claim against us in small claims court and even though he said that he wasn't going to go, Frank and I still did.  That was a pretty hard thing to do because while I am all like "It's okay, it's over, it's done" Frank was like "I'm here because he screwed us".  Not a fun way to spend an afternoon, let me tell you!  So we are looking at other houses to rent but really, I am afraid to make the move because of our finances and yet I cannot see making my husband stay someplace where he is so miserable and constantly full of hate and rage.  

We were blessed with a new dryer last week.  Well, not "new" new, but new for us since ours died and we were facing the cost of having to buy one.  Some friends of our had found out about our need and invited us over to dinner and gave us a dryer.  We offered them money for it but they declined.  It's not in pristine shape - there are some rust spots - but it dries WAY better than our other one.  We put the old one out at the curb and literally, 5 minutes later someone came and picked it up.  It looked like the truck from "Sanford and Son" but hey, at least it's not in front of my house anymore!

Frank is at a Tom Petty/ZZ Top concert tonight while Michael and I are hanging out at home.  I am feeling so dang lazy that I am almost ashamed of myself.  I have been playing games on Facebook all night.  No, not Farmville or Mafia Wars; I'm totally in to the Solitaire games.  There's this girl from high school that I am Facebook friends with and she is forever beating me at games and so my goal tonight was to take back my top spot.  Petty, yes, but I'm bored.  

Maybe I should find something more productive to do with my time...Nah, I'm off to play Algerian Patience Solitaire!

Seriously, 600 miles away isn't far enough...

Nick is up in NY right now visiting the family.  He made the plans without me.  He worked it all out and really, at 18, I didn't need to be involved.  He is an adult; he can make his own plans.

Or so one would think...

I had a couple of calls before he left from relatives that wanted to see him.  "Call him" I told them because really, I was not involved in any of this.  He made the calls, plans were tentatively made.  Until it all hit the fan today.  Majorly.  

He called me this morning just to chat.  There has been an on-going debate as to whether or not to go to a particular concert while he was up there.  He's going, he's not going, he's going, he's not...on and on and on it went until I thought my ears would bleed.  So last I had heard, he wasn't going to the show and he was going to his grandmother's for dinner.  

Or so one would think...

He tells me that he thinks he is going to the show tonight.  I'm like "Did you talk to your grandmother?"  He yammers on about a conversation that was had the night before and she kind of knows what's going on, blah, blah, blah.  So I'm like "Please, please, PLEASE call Nana and let her know that you aren't coming".  This went on through most of the day.  Some time around 3:00, I'm on the phone with my mom and she is describing all of the wonderful things she is making for Nick's visit tonight.

Insert awkward silence here...

So I cautiously tell her that I thought he was going to the show tonight.  This sparks much outrage and she hangs up to call my sister.  Within minutes, she's back on the phone with me (my cell phone).  While we are talking, my house phone rings.  My sister.  I tell her I'll call her back in a few minutes.  Thirty seconds later, the house phone rings again and it is Nick.  I let that go to the machine and he is like "Whatever aunt Karen says, don't believe her!" and hangs up.  So I finish talking to mom, attempt to call my sister, she doesn't answer so now I get the boy on the phone and SCREAM at him for making such a mess out of this whole situation.  We argued, he denied doing anything "really" wrong and I had had enough.  I talked to my sister, we laughed, we plotted ways to make the boy pay for all of this and in the end, he DID go to his grandmother's home for dinner and skipped the concert.

Here's the thing, and it may be a girl thing but I'm just sayin... you know, I can remember being 18 and hanging out with my grandparents was not a top priority.  As a matter of fact, I can remember times when I skipped out on it or cut a visit super short.  Now?  I would give ANYTHING to have a day with them again.  Will Nick feel that way twenty years from now?  Who knows?  But I know that I miss my grandparents more than I ever thought possible and I feel like he doesn't see them all that much as it is so when the opportunity arises, he should take advantage of it because they won't be here forever.  So yeah, maybe it's a girl thing but that's my advice on the subject...

From diamonds to silly bandz...

I grew up in New York.  Long Island.  If you watch the Real Housewives of New Jersey or the Jersey Shore or even Jerseylicious, THAT is what we looked like back in the 80's.  Seriously.  Big hair, obnoxious clothes and TONS of jewelry.  I was draped in it always.

When we moved to NC, I noticed that not all people looked that way.  Honestly, I tired of the jewelry and didn't wear all that much.  But things were tight after the move and so I ended up selling most of my gold.  It didn't make me sad to do it.  I had only one piece of jewelry left (other than my engagement ring and wedding band) that was real gold with real diamond (albeit small ones) and I decided to get rid of that one, too.  I took it to the local pawn shop and was pleased to make a little bit of money.  Actually, I am trying to put money aside so that we can visit my in-laws down in Florida this year and being that we had so many months of Frank being out of work and then getting screwed on this bathroom renovation, we had spent what little we had put aside for the trip.  So little by little I am selling off some things in hopes of raising the money.

But I digress...so after I left the pawn shop (and can I just say, with my NY accent, people still think I am saying "Porn" shop) I was driving away and I looked at my hands on the steering wheel.  On my left hand is my wedding band and engagement ring - which I love.  On my left wrist is a Mickey Mouse silly band.  On my right hand is a silly ring in the shape of a heart (a red one) that Michael gave me last week and on my right wrist is my Mickey Mouse watch that I got at Walmart for $10 two years ago that plays the theme to the Mickey Mouse Club.  

As a former Italian princess from Long Island, that is saying a LOT.  But you know what?  These little items on my hands and wrists mean more to me than all of the gold that I had in my life.  I don't miss the gold.  I don't miss the diamonds.  I'll miss the day when my little boy doesn't have time to give me a silly band that he knows I'll love or won't wake me up to place a heart on my finger.  So for now, I will treasure them...

Sometimes it pays to open your mouth...

So I ended up making the call to the Xbox people yesterday.  Nick got home and was so frustrated and so I was like "I'll call!" and I did.  

Two things come to mind.  One:  These people are idiots.  I mean, I followed like 27 prompts on the phone, they clearly knew who we were, had us on the big computer screen along with all of our info and then when I finally get a LIVE person on the line, I have to repeat it all again.  Fun.  So after explaining everything to this guy Dwayne, he tells me that he has to transfer me to an account specialist.  Of course you do.  Then, he comes BACK on the line with what I'm sure he thought was an "AH-HA!" moment and was like "Well, it looks like your system was returned to you because it's out of warranty".  

Deep cleansing breaths...

I FREAKIN KNOW THAT, DWAYNE!  THAT IS WHY I PAID YOU $100!  BACK IN AUGUST!!

Awkward silence...

Hold please...

Now, I am transferred to not only an accounts specialist but then an escalation specialist.  Clearly they could tell that my patience level had ESCALATED from having to deal with a bunch of idiots!  Twenty minutes and much venting of my frustration and reminding them of how unacceptable all this was, I am soon to be the proud owner of a brand spanking new Xbox, with an Xbox Live membership.

We'll see...

Today's endeavor came in the form of a response to a complaint that I sent to Staples when a super nasty little girl behind the counter made me want to reach over the counter and slap her two weeks ago.  Everyone has a bad day; I know that, I get it.  But sometimes the way that they express that to the customer is just more than unnecessary...this was one of those times.  So I wrote a complaint to the store about it and today I was sent a $20 coupon for my next purchase.  Did I do this in hopes of getting a "reward"?  No.  I did this because I have worked in retail for most of my life and you know what?  You have to have some self control and no matter what you have to at least TRY and be pleasant.  This girl was rude before I even got to the register and that is not acceptable.

Manager's beware...I guess I'm a not-so-secret-shopper...and I've got some time on my hands...

I take it back...XBOX SUCKS!!!

Companies of the world take note:  When I like you and you do right by me, I will praise you and recommend you to anyone who will listen, but when you do me wrong?  WATCH OUT because I will use every media possible to let the WORLD know that you suck!

A couple of weeks ago I was praising Nick because he had this broken Xbox and he had sent it in to be fixed, PAID $100 to have it fixed, and Xbox sent him back a still broken game system.  He called them, they apologized, the told him that for his inconvenience they would fix the system AND give him a gold membership to Xbox Live AND a new game.  Well guess what came in the mail today?  A STILL BROKEN XBOX!!  Now...I am mad.

Nick is at work at the moment otherwise I would TOTALLY be on the phone with these idiots and tell them EXACTLY what I think of them.  But Nick has all of their correspondence stuff and really, he needs to be the one to follow through with them and make this right.  I am practically sitting on my own hands to stop myself from calling them.  

So basically we went to the website, filled out a repair request, PAID THEM since the system was no longer under warranty, and TWICE they have sent it back to us un-fixed.  Does that seem right to anyone?  Does that seem like it is acceptable to take one's money and NOT do what you were paid to do?  I DON'T THINK SO!

Should they not make this right IMMEDIATELY, be prepared for a barrage of XBOX SUCKS comments to be randomly posted anywhere and everywhere I can get them.  It will be my Facebook status, it will be in blogs, e-mails... I will contact any television station with a troubleshooter, I'll contact shows like Dateline and 20/20.  I take this stuff seriously.

Many years ago I had a similar issue with HP.  We bought a computer, I called them with a problem (the computer was 48 hours old) and their customer service person blanked out my hard drive and therefore deleted all of the programs that I had just paid Best Buy to install.  Then they hung up on me!  After DAYS of calling and complaining, I wrote to the president of HP (actually, I emailed their corporate office) and told them that I was now starting my campaign of news media to tell the world how HP treats their customers.  

I got a brand new computer less than a week later.

I don't think that people should gripe just for the sake of griping but when you have been screwed by a multi-billion-dollar company, by all means gripe and gripe loudly!  

I'll keep you posted...

9/11 - A different kind of tribute

If you are reading this post then you can remember that horrible day when it seemed like the world was coming to an end.  I was at a bible study meeting.  Michael was a baby.  Nick was at school.  Frank was at work.  I came home and my sister called and told me to turn on the TV.  Even without all of the media coverage that is showing today, I can still remember it all so clearly.

Families lost loved ones.  People lost friends and co-workers.  American's lost their feeling of security.  

One of my oldest and dearest friends - I'm talking friends since birth practically - has a birthday on September 11th.  There is no joy in celebrating anymore for her because it is a day that is shrouded in sadness.  There is no escaping the "looking back" footage that is all over the TV.  I always felt bad about that and I'm sure that there are some people that would be like "Well, in the grand scheme of things she didn't lose anything".  But she did.  

Is it small when compared to the loss of so many lives?  Absolutely.  Is it small compared to the families whose lives will never be the same?  Yes.  But to her, and to those who love her (like me), you almost feel bad sending a cheery "Happy Birthday" message because all that this day represents.  It's almost as if you feel bad celebrating something that is happy when there are these constant and blazing reminders of all that we lost on September 11th.  

 I've sat in front of the TV for most of the morning watching as the History Channel played documentary after documentary.  I cried.  My heart ached.  I cannot even begin to imagine how those directly affected by that day, who lost loved ones, are coping.  To see the images replayed over and over must be overwhelming.  Every time I see an image of someone who jumped from one of the towers, and it is more than a blur, I have to remember that that PERSON is someone's family.  Somewhere there is someone seeing their loved one in the last ten seconds of their life!  That is the final image that they have and it is heartbreaking and devastating!  I don't think I'd want to see that and I certainly wouldn't want my children or my husband to have to see that.

So the TV is off.  My prayers have been said.  I am here to focus on something happy.  I am choosing to focus on something good.  Someone good.  Someone sweet, someone who has been my friend, my sister, my family for as long as I have memory.  Lisa, I wish you a Happy Birthday.  I wish for you a day that we can celebrate you being born for if it wasn't for you, a lot of my most treasured childhood memories would not be.  If not for you on this day I would not have had an escape from some of my most difficult family times.  Your family always welcomed me and treated me as if I belonged.  It may be years since we've seen each other but you are always in my heart.

Happy Birthday, my friend.  I love you!

Sooo...this is new...

If you were to ask my husband he would tell you that I am the QUEEN of strange ailments.  It's true.  Ever hear of a pregnant woman's jaw locking open from yawning?  That's me.  Ever step on something microscopic and have your toe turn black?  That, too, was me.  I am forever getting sick with things that just don't make sense.

Yesterday I was sitting here at home and my back hurt.  Not the muscles, but my skin.  It felt as if I had a bad sunburn; there was stinging and itching - the kind that comes when the sunburn is fading.  The only problem was that I had not been out in the sun and there was no sunburn.  Just the pain.  So I had poor Frank GENTLY scratching my back to get rid of the itch but was almost in tears because even the slightest of touches made me want to cry.  What in the world???  

Getting dressed today was painful.  Putting on a bra brought tears to my eyes.  I have no idea what this is...even lying down on cool sheets was a reason to twitch.  And don't even ask how it felt in the shower.  So for now I continue to sit and feel discomfort.  It's not as bad as it was last night but there is still definitely something going on.

Here's the weird thing:  I had to stop using my bath scrunchies (which I get rid of RELIGIOUSLY every two weeks) because it used to cause me to break out and itch all over my shins.  I had actually not used one in months and got a new one the other day and used it in the shower to...you guessed it, wash my back.  Coincidence?  Is there something toxic in the bath scrunchie?  Who knows!  I would be curious to hear if anyone else ever had such a problem...

All I want is a good night's sleep...dang it!

I've heard that it isn't a good thing to let yourself sleep late on the weekends to make up for having to get up early during the week for work or school.  Honestly, I just want a good night's sleep.

My brain goes a million miles an hour when I try to go to sleep.  I am a very deep sleeper until around three in the morning.  Then?  All bets are off.  Pretty much the slightest noise will wake me up and keep me up because then, my brain starts going again. 

I have a night-time cocktail that helps me go to sleep.  Two Melatonin, three Advil and one Benedryl.  I should pretty much be in a coma for a good eight hours, but am I?  heck no!  If Frank is snoring, I am awake.  My fan which is usually my savior to block out the noise, now is making weird noises of it's own that keep me awake.  

What is it like to be able to fall asleep and stay asleep without any assistance?  This is what I want to know.   Once, I was staying at my sister's and told her I was having trouble sleeping.  She gave me an Ambien.  It took TWO HOURS for it to kick in and when it did?  No lie, I was sitting on the couch having a bowl of vanilla ice cream and I literally fell off the couch on to my face!  Luckily Frank was sitting next to me and grabbed the ice cream before it hit the floor too.  Priorities, people. 

Two years later, I'm with my sister again and the topic of sleep comes up again and she's like "Okay, take the Ambien and we'll watch a movie.  This way you know you have some time before it's going to hit."  Good plan, right?  Wrong.  THAT time it hit in less than ten minutes!  We were sitting and watching the Sex and the City movie and I didn't even make it through the opening credits!  She and my mom had to CARRY ME to bed!  Now there's a picture for you!

So I'm off to pop my nighty-night meds so that i can sleep for around four hours.  I am so NOT living the dream!

House Hunters: Stace Edition

One of my all-time favorite shows on HGTV is "House Hunters".  I'm not a big fan of the International version, but the regular one is a must-see for me.

After all of our bathroom drama, we are seriously in the moving frame of mind.  You know, Frank and I sort of sit here and watch it with our own wish list of what we would want in a "new" house.  You know, a mortgage right now is out of the question:  you know with both of us essentially being unemployed.  But what I would love is to find a place that is a rent with the option to buy.  It is amazing to me that you hear all about how people cannot sell their houses and yet they won't consider this option.  

I guess  I can understand this; I mean, not everyone takes care of their rental homes like we do.  In the fifteen years that we have been in this home, we have treated it as our own.  During that time, we have put in cabinets, painted everything, replaced all of the overhead lighting, did major landscaping outside and then, of course, there is the bathroom.  Most of the stuff that we've done was never compensated by the landlord and you know what?  We didn't mind because this is our home and we wanted it to be someplace that we loved living in.  

So what's on our wish list?  At least three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a dishwasher and insulation!  That's not too much to ask, is it?

Bunchy underwear, mom jeans and Victoria's Secret...what a night!

The other night a friend and I went out for dinner and a little mall walking.  I'm not a big mall shopper at all; I enjoy my Target and Walmart, thank you.  So we cruised some stores and then went to dinner and ate WAY too much.  Totally worth it, BTW.

The first store we hit AFTER dinner was Victoria's Secret.  Now I am by no means delusional and think that I am going to look like one of the models in the picture but for crying out loud couldn't there be at least ONE thing in the store that I could have fit in to with a little dignity??  Back when Frank and I were dating and even newly married, I could go in there and get a little something to feel pretty and sexy and be okay.  Now?  Just the thought of TRYING to squeeze in to even the most modest of items in the store was mortifying.  I'm down 25 pounds - and I know I could easily stand to lose 20 more - and I was still too big for the store.  NOT a good feeling after eating way too much at dinner.  Hmmm...could one have to do with the other?  I'd rather not know.  

Walking out of the store in a fit of giggles, we get in to a discussion about underwear in general.  We both admitted that yes, comfort is what matters most but occasionally will wear something a little slinkier for our hubby's.  TMI?  Sorry.  So along THAT line we discuss how difficult it has become with today's fashions to actually WEAR the darn comfortable underwear because jeans today are cut a little low and if you are wearing the comfortable underwear, you almost have to stuff it down (or bunch it, as you will) in order for it not to be seen if you bend over and have it scream "Grandma Alert"!   You know, just because I'm 40, does not mean that I don't want to wear fashionable clothes!  Mom jeans are just not fashionable no matter what you say.  

We exhausted the world of fashion and headed over to Barnes and Noble - a favorite place of mine.  Now, I am an aspiring writer and although I am not as diligent as I should be about getting published, I am still amazed at the CRAP that is out there that actually DID get published!  I mean, really?  The Kama POO-tra?  All about going to the bathroom gets published but I can't??  It just doesn't seem right.  

Oh, the humanity of it all!!

Step away from the hot wax!

About three years ago, a hair salon went in to the strip of stores on the corner of my street.  At first I was excited (even though I had a salon that I was VERY happy with) and then when all of the signs went up, it said that it was a Dominican salon.  Now, I am not saying anything negative but do you see the picture of me here on the blog?  I am as white as white can be.  All of the pictures in the window were of women of all ethnic background - but none were Caucasian.  So, I figured no harm, no foul, this just isn't a salon for me.

Then my stylist moved.  Dang her!  Then we had budget issues so getting my eyebrows waxed was a luxury that had to wait.  Well, two weeks ago I finally walked in to the salon next door.  Actually, the woman who owns it is married to the guy who did the plumbing on our bathroom and so I felt like some sort of ice was broken and I felt a little more at ease with going over.  

It was short lived...

His wife is very nice.  She is half Spanish, half black.  She is very exotic looking, beautiful, really, and has a very thick accent.  She has traveled the world and lived in some fascinating places and we were chatting (actually, I think I was babbling) and she had me in the chair with a hot wax ready to go on my brow and she's like "So...three years I am here and you wait until after you meet my husband to come in".

You could have heard a pin drop...

I apologized.  I had no excuse.  I didn't want to offend her by saying that I didn't think that her clientele included white women, blah, blah, blah, I yammered on and on, all the while praying that she wasn't going to wax some funky design in to my face!

After that things were fine.  She did a beautiful job and so we ended the appointment laughing and now, when I call, they tell me they are OUT OF WAX!

Should I be offended??? 

Another day, another miracle...God is good

Today was a weird day.  I was doing my thing, being kind of lazy and I had this overwhelming urge to call a specific friend.  We don't talk on the phone much and we hadn't seen each other in a while but I felt strongly about having to call her RIGHTNOW!

So I call, we talk, I share with her all that's been going on and by the time we were done, I felt like I had some direction.  She is a very Godly woman and I mean, she said a LOT of stuff, too much to write here, but let's just say that she said EXACTLY what I needed to hear.


I showered, got dressed, went food shopping (had a NASTY encounter with a deli lady), came home and was just doing my thing.  There was nothing remarkable about any of it.  


Then I got a call from the North Carolina Real Estate Commission.


I had e-mailed them about our situation and basically it all came down to this:  Legally, we cannot withhold rent even though the landlord owed us money.  I knew it, but I didn't WANT to know it.  We still had a great case that would go in our favor and I know we could win in court.  When Frank got home, I told him what I'd learned and we agreed to pay the rent today - thanks to the money we were blessed with yesterday.  He did NOT want to go down and deal with the landlord again so I said that I would.


Well, I was shaking like WILD on the 30 second drive over.  I rang the bell several times before he answered.  He invited me in and we...talked.  Well, actually, we yelled a LOT for the first 20 minutes and then...God gave me an amazing sense of peace.  We both calmed down, we talked, we cried, we asked each other for forgiveness.


Bottom line, he paid more than he wanted to and we accepted less than we wanted and now, the slate is clean.  There have been many misunderstandings over the years and we cleared the air on all of it.  As I was leaving, I actually hugged him and told him how I felt like for the first time in 15 years, we actually talked and got to know one another. 


We shared our faith and actually it was one of the most spiritual moments of my life!  I felt like I was flying when I left.  I didn't realize how much tension and stress I was carrying with me!  You know, I've had people say that in certain situations they have felt a super-natural kind of peace and the God gave them the words.  I truly felt that today.


So God is not only a God of the heavens and the earth, he is also a God in petty disagreements between tenants and landlords; he is the God of peace and love.  This was an amazing lesson and I am just offering my praise to Him for it.

The blessing's in crisis...

Okay, so things have gone from bad to worse. Frank finally sat down with the landlord about being paid for doing the bathroom reconstruction/renovation and when he went there, the guy pretty much told him that he's not paying him.  Well, that's not 100% accurate, he WILL pay him, just less than HALF of what Frank billed him for.  Essentially, two weeks of back breaking labor is only worth minimum wage.  Go figure.

So Frank told him that he wasn't paying rent then until the bill is cleared (meaning, our rent is the money that he needs to pay us) and the landlord said that he would take us to small claims court.  BY ALL MEANS PLEASE DO!  For starters, it would save me the $70 filing fee.  Next, I can then tell everyone what a giant jackass you are!  

But I digress...things are clearly not getting better there, Frank still doesn't have steady work, I've had to go and apply for food assistance (NOT something that I EVER want to do again) and the bank account is near the single digits.  So I go and get the mail today and there's the usual bills and flyers and then there was an envelope addressed to me and Frank.  There was no return address.  On the outside of the card was printed:  "Encouragement:  Helping a friend to see a difficult situation from God's point of view."  And then below it "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts" Isaiah 55:9.

Inside the card was handwritten.  "Be not afraid, neither be dismayed for the Lord thy God is with your wherever you go."  Joshua 1:9 and then "The Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly." Psalm 84:11. Where a signature would be, it said "The Lord loves you and is watching out for you."

Inside that card beside the encouraging words was $500 in cash...the EXACT amount of money that we laid out on materials for the renovation that the landlord has not reimbursed us.

He is a mighty God; a mighty God indeed...

Today's post is brought to you by the number "1"...

...Because it's the loneliest number.

(Insert pitiful, sad music here)

I am telling you, today was the WORST day!  I know, I know, I've been saying that a LOT lately, but it is so dang true today!  Why?  You'd think I'd be happy with my new bathroom and the fact that someone actually called Frank about some work.  But no...that would be too easy.

After two weeks of waiting for my landlord to clean up the yard (which he has told me FOUR TIMES that he is sending someone over) we went outside to do it ourselves.  Now, Frank had a hissy-fit with the boys, telling them that they better be careful because there were nails in the wood, wear good shoes, pay attention, blah, blah, blah and then guess who steps on a nail?  FRANK!  So on the same foot as the spider bite, now he has a puncture wound from a rusty nail.  His tetnus shot is up to date so he's fine but really?  Spider bite AND rusty nail??

We fought with Nick because he went out and bought HIMSELF lunch and never bothered to ask anyone if they wanted anything.  So when he came home and Michael asked if he could have some of the pizza, Nick was like "NO...I bought this with MY money!"  Again, are you kidding me???  We fought on THAT one for like 20 minutes.

We pack up the back of the van TWICE with debris in the yard from the bathroom renovation and my landlord does a drive by and is like "You're not throwing out the things I want, are you?"  REALLY???  Can someone PLEASE give me a break!  We threw out stuff that was rotten, covered in nails and mold and do you know that bastard got out of his truck and dug through the dumpster and pulled some random pieces of wood out?  

So we get through the yard clean up,  I mow the lawn, we fought over lunch, we fought over another disagreement that Frank and Nick had, I finally convince Frank that TODAY we are going to fight for our rights face-to-face with the landlord and I go to sit down and type up our bill for labor and... the computer froze and would not work.

That was it.  I was done.  I literally had a breakdown.  I crawled in my bed and cried for like an hour.  My head still hurts 7 hours later I cried so hard.  I just cannot believe the crap that is going on here.  I feel like we are in the fiery pit of hell and it just keeps getting worse.  Everyone is walking on eggshells around me and I just ate like a dozen Enteman's chocolate chip cookies and feel sick.

If I had someplace to go, I would so get in my car and just be by myself for like a week.  I totally need someplace peaceful with no one around me to feel human again. 

You can't make this crap up...the random edition

Yesterday morning, Frank was getting Michael ready for school and he was like "Man, something bit me...it's so itchy and it has a blister".  He was very non-chalant about the whole thing so I didn't give it another thought.  Well, this morning he makes a comment about it again and I happen to SEE the blister and was like "OH MY GOD!!!"  It was HEINOUS!  We went to the Minute Clinic...they don't treat these things.  We went to the local Urgent Care/ER here in town and waited two hours to find out that yes, it is a spider bite, no, they don't know what kind it is and basically he has all kinds of medication to treat it.  Very EXPENSIVE medicine.  

Fabulous.  Just what we need right now when we are broke...more bills.

Have you been watching the news lately?  Okay, so Levi Johnson (whose main I claim to fame is knocking up Sarah Palin's daughter) has taken back his apology to Sarah Palin.  GASP!  Say it isn't so!  Really?  Who cares?  Why is this person getting top billing on any news show?  He's some little fame whore who is trying to stay in the spotlight but he hasn't done a decent thing to earn it!  Knock up your girlfriend?  Don't marry her.  Need money?  Pose for Playgirl.  I mean, really?  Does anyone think that Sarah Palin is losing sleep over his non-apology?  I honestly hope not.

Octomom should NOT be on "Dancing with the Stars" and if she is, I refuse to watch.  

Why does the USA network put on like a thousand episodes of NCIS and Burn Notice but barely shows great shows like Psych?

Is it wrong to eat Hostess Cupcakes for breakfast?

I'd be willing to sell a kidney right now to NOT have to cook dinner.

Last night I was cutting Michael's hair (he's 10) and he stopped me mid-way and was like "Look, don't cut it as short as you did the last time...I had to wear a hat to school because I was so embarrassed."  REALLY???  You're TEN!  And a BOY!!!  

It took me two HOURS last night to get Frank to wake up and move to the other side of the bed and to get UNDER the blankets.  Seriously, by the time he finally did, I was no longer tired and didn't sleep well the rest of the night.


Clearly, I have issues.

Defining moments...

Okay, so the afterglow of having some time to myself in a completed bathroom has faded and life officially went back to sucking today.  

Aren't you glad you stopped by?

So I'm on the phone with my mom today and we were talking about how I'm doing and I'm like "you know...I'm just disappointed".  In what?  Well, right now pretty much everything.  I look around me at my friends who have a different kind of family than I do.  I mean, I have always known that my family was "different" but it never bothered me until now.  Mom and I talked on that a bit and it's kind of wild that we can both pick the moment that changed our lives (and we were on the same wave-length as to what that moment was).

Without getting in to a bashing session, we both agreed that the moment was when my dad left.  Life changed in that moment and it was never the same and it hasn't been the same since.  Yes, we've all grown up and moved on but ...well, did you ever see that movie "Sliding Doors" with Gwenyth Paltrow?  Well, the story is about a woman who's life is defined by one moment:  She is on her way home and at that point the movie splits to show how her life would have been if she actually caught the train home and the other side shows what happened because she didn't catch the train.  It's sometimes as simple as that.

If my parents hadn't split up, mom wouldn't have worked three jobs to support us.  My sister and I wouldn't have been left alone so much to fight.  Dad wouldn't have gone through his party phase and ...well, let's just say that the family would still be benefiting from that.  

I'm jealous of my friends who have families that can HELP them.  I'm envious of my friends who have parents who take them on vacation or just want to spend time with them.  I realize that I am 600 miles away from both of my parents and that was my decision to move.  But at this point in my life when things are so low, it is scary to not have anyone to help us.  Actually, I hate that we even NEED help, but we do.  


Tonight, before Frank left for band practice, we had a talk that I think is going to be a defining moment in our situation.  I have always supported Frank and encouraged him to make choices to do what he wanted career wise.  Well, tonight I pretty much lost my mind and became the anti-cheerleader and told him what I (and that is a bold and emphasized "I") NEED him to do.  I think it's a good thing that he went out after that so that it can sort of sink in and it's nice for me to have a little reflective time, as well.


Fact is, friends, I'm scared and freaking out about our finances.  I know we are not alone and that the majority of the country is struggling but I am selfishly focusing on us.  If I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times, God has never left us without a roof over our heads and food on the table.  But  you know what?  This time, it just FEELS different.  It's a little too close to the fire, if you know what I mean.  


sigh...

It's the little things...

So this morning, Frank took Michael to school, came home and then got ready to go to WORK!  Yes, it's a small job, only a day or two, but he is GOING TO WORK.  Yeah!

Next, we both got ready in our new, improved BATHROOM!  Yes, it is finished.  Finally.  There is now room enough for both of us to get ready without bumping in to one another or having to stand on the toilet.  Life is sweet.

Nick went to work at noon.  Michael was at school.  Frank was at work.  I was at home, all ALONE!  I just really enjoyed some time by myself...I read a book, I talked to some friends on the phone and just in general, enjoyed the peace and quiet of being alone in my house.

Right now with life being so sucky, it is nice to find some joy in the little things.  Long may they last...

The Mommy Diaries...

As a parent, sometimes you look at your kids and think "Dang, I did good".  Other times you want to pound your head against the wall and cry "WHY?"  Parenting has been rough lately with this renovation going on.  

Nick has essentially been M.I.A. throughout most of this.  He has found other places to stay and hang out when he's not working and he's slept out a couple of times but for the most part, he had very little to do with all of the craziness that was surrounding our family.  


However, he had drama of his own.  For starters, there was the Xbox.  Hopefully that will get shipped out soon.  Then his car broke down.  Again.  This is the third time since we got it that it has refused to start.  We are blessed to have a dear, dear friend who is a mechanic who actually found out what the problem was and was able to fix it for free.  Sweet.  But...the boy had been without a car for five days - and he spend a LOT of those five days wanting to use MY car.  

Then...there was the iPod.  Oh...the iPod.  If you are a mother who is reading this, you are either going to sympathize or want to reach through your computer and smack me.  Nick and I have an ongoing issue with the laundry.  I will DO his laundry...I really don't have a problem with that...but he refuses to empty his pockets and honestly, I don't check.  Numerous times I have gone to take the clothes from the washer and found them covered in wet paper from things he has left in his pockets.  I gripe, he essentially says "Too bad" or the ever famous "Oops", I vow to never do his laundry again and then a few days later, there I am washing his clothes.  

Then...there was the iPod.  Are you seeing where this is going?

Last night I took the clothes from the washer, put them in the dryer and heard "clank, clank, clank".  When I sorted through the clothes, there, in his jeans pocket, was the iPod.  The 30G iPod.  The 30G iPod that the boy uses like it was a lifeline.   Well, that baby is flatlining, let me tell you!

So, as the mom of an 18-year old person (man, child, take your pick), should I have to go through his pockets?  Isn't the fact that I wash the clothes enough?  Or how about the fact that I have been living in bathroom renovation HELL for two weeks and have hit my limit of bad stuff happening around here!!  
I have to admit, I feel guilty.  I feel really, really bad.  I didn't MEAN to kill the iPod.  It sucks that Nick has to suffer for making a bad decision and not listening to me on top of already being without his Xbox AND car.  

Bad mommy moment...

My Fair Wedding with David Tutera Finale!

Well, she is back for the FINALE!!  That's right, my mom's work is going to be featured AGAIN on "My Fair Wedding with David Tutera"!  How exciting is that??

This week's episode is the "Greek Goddess Bride" and mom did her table numbers, seating cards and her famous seating board - which we HOPE will actually be SHOWN in this episode!  I so wish that I was up on Long Island with mom to celebrate with her.  I mean, this is BIG.  She hasn't received any calls or orders from these shows yet, but she recently updated her website to include the pictures from the Purple Princess Bride episode and when she does wedding shows around the island, her signage and advertising will all include this wonderful achievement.  

SO PROUD!

Actually, it's funny because here in North Carolina, they do not do weddings like they do up in New York so I cannot even try and be the Printing with Panache South part of her business because it just wouldn't fly here.  I'm kind of bummed about that because what she does is just so cool.  If we were still living up there, I would totally want to be working with her - she's just completely creative.


So tonight at 10 p.m. be sure to tune in to the finale of "My Fair Wedding with David Tutera" and watch and listen for him to mention Printing with Panache and remember, hey, that's Stace's mom!!!

Nine Questions

Okay, so I totally stole this from Vicki at Frugal Mom Knows Best but the questions were quite intriguing so I decided to swipe them!  :)

1. What are you superstitious about?
I'm not really a superstitious person but I will admit, I get a little twitchy if a black cat crosses my path!

2. What’s the story behind one of your scars?
I have a pretty massive scar down the center of my chest from having open heart surgery when I was four years old.
 
3. What are three things that you would rather be doing right now?
First, I'd rather HAVE a bathroom that I could use, next I'd rather have someone else making my dinner and lastly, I'd rather be reading a novel that I published rather than someone else's!

4. What do you do when you're bored?
Eat...I know, shocking!

5. What's your favorite thing to do? Why?
Read...I could read all day long and just chill because it totally relaxes me and takes my mind off of all of our troubles.

6. What do you do when you're lonely?
I call a friend!

7. How do you measure the passing of time in life?
I have a TON of scrapbooks.  I'm big on taking pictures.

8. What would constitute "the perfectly lived day" for you?
Oh, that's the dream!  It would include not having anyplace in particular to be and to be surrounded by my husband and kids sharing laughter and just having fun being together.  There would be no worries about finances or anything else; it would just be a time of enjoying our time together.

9. If you knew you were going to die in a year, what would you do in your final days?
I would want to spend every moment with my children and my husband.  I would want to just TALK to them and hear about their plans for the future and tell them all of the ways that I have LOVED them.  I would write each of them a letter that they can always have from me that told them the same.  In that time frame I would want to create as many positive memories as possible for them and do with them all of the things we said we'd do but never did.

The X-box story....

Christmas 2008...my sister bought the boys an Xbox for Christmas.  They were THRILLED to say the least.  It was a refurbished one but it had a limited warranty and it worked beautifully.  The memory on it was huge - way more than you get when you buy the standard Xbox new.  They got HOURS of fun out of the system until...

The red ring of death...

Yes, this apparently is a heinous thing that can happen to your Xbox and although Microsoft is aware of it, the older models are pretty much sure to have this happen.  The boys were devastated when it happened...Michael was playing it when it did so Nick, naturally, blamed him.  This was a great source of grief in my house.  

So on graduation weekend while my nephew was here, he helped Nick "fix" the Xbox.  There are a great many sites on line that show you how to do this - something about wrapping it in a towel and overheating it or something like that.  Well, it worked, Nick went out and spent a FORTUNE of his graduation money on new accessories and games for the system and was happy as a clam until...

The red ring of death...part two.

Now there is MUCH yelling, screaming, crying...oh, the drama!  Finally, Nick had had enough and decided to spend the $100 (since the system was out of warranty) and get it fixed.  Microsoft will fix it for the $100 when it's out of warranty - it's free if it still has one.  So we get our ticket number, print out our UPS packing slip, I take it to the UPS store and deal with Beavus and Butt-head (remember them?  Seriously, that's who was working in the UPS store), pay my $11 for shipping and off it went.

It came back today.

Still broken.

Now there was much MORE yelling, screaming and now cursing was added to the mix while Nick FREAKED out.  But he pulled it together long enough to call Microsoft and demand that something be done.  I was so proud of him!  He told them the whole story, how they have our money and we still have a broken game system and how that is not acceptable.  By the time he was done, they were going to accept the system back, fix it, give him a gold membership with Xbox live and perhaps a free game.  Not too shabby.  Oh, their reason for not fixing it?  They sent a letter saying how it wasn't under warranty...uh, duh!  We told them that when we submitted the repair ticket!  And that the system looked tampered with.  Um...we got it USED...I'm sure somewhere along the way someone tampered with it.  

So long story short...Xbox will be shipped out on Monday and in two weeks we'll probably have a new and improved one with new things to play with.  Not that this really effects me in any way, shape or form because I don't play the game but at least there will be some peace between brothers once again.

At least for a short time...

Eating in the closet...the new normal

So I have been stressing lately.  Clearly.  I had to quit Weight Watchers and have not been keeping to the plan at all even on my own.  The first night that we had to spend at the hotel I was like "Sweet!  Vending machines!" and ate some Famous Amos cookies.  The breakfast buffet was a carb-fest with bacon.  Seriously.

On Tuesday, Frank asked me to go to Home Depot for him.  So I'm like, sure, okay, no problem. what do we need?  He then proceeds to draw me a picture of some sort of metal thing that he needs that will protect the wiring in the wall so that no one can drill in to it.  I'm like "What's it called?"  he says "I don't know".

I wanted to cry.

So I asked him to just GIVE me the picture and he says "I can't give you that!  They'll laugh at you if you show them that!"  Okay, so to re-cap...I have to get a metal THING that protects things in the wall, we don't know the name or in what department it would be in and your sending ME a non-building-renovation-illiterate WOMAN to the Home Depot to scope it out.  Super.  I get to the HD and start my search.  I find and employee, I describe what I am looking for and he directs me.  Sort of.  I walk, I go...no metal plates.  Kay, fine, look for second employee.  She directs me and I go and Voila!  metal plates.  None of which even remotely resemble Frank's diagram. 

Now I am ABOUT to cry.  

Employee number three comes up as I am dialing Frank's number and between the three of us, we FIND the metal plate.  Score!  So what does all of this have to do with eating in the closet?  Well, I left Home Depot feeling all kinds of emotional and just FED UP with all of this renovation nonsense and drove right over to Dairy Queen and got myself a Blizzard.  I didn't get anything for any other member of my family.  I got my Blizzard and I ATE IT in the car!  How pitiful is that?  Oh, and not only did I eat it in the car WHILE driving, I discarded the evidence so that no one would KNOW that I ate it!  I'm sick!

Yesterday, I went to Walmart to get - surprise, surprise - some things for the bathroom, and did a really super-small food shopping.  While going down the snack aisle for Michael's snacks, I snagged a bag of Milano cookies.  I got home, I HID THEM in the cabinet that no one uses and felt pretty damn good about it.  Nick was out, Michael was at school, Frank was burrowed in the bathroom mudding the drywall.  I took out some cookies, poured myself some milk and sat in the corner of my dining room (where the computer is) and was just about to take the first bite of cookie when Frank walks in and is like "Oh, so you got yourself cookies?  Did you get any for me?"  

SON OF A B....!

Really, like I'm cowering in the corner, trying to soothe myself with some food and it's like he sniffed them out!  I told him (okay, so I blatantly lied) that they were for "us" and he's like "I don't like those...I like the other Pepperidge Farm cookies...you know, the crispy ones".  Seriously, I should have smacked him.  So we establish that these cookies are mine, I'm a bad wife, blah, blah, blah...

Today I take out some cookies to eat.  Again, Frank is in the bathroom, Michael is intently building with some Lego's and I just sit down and all of a sudden, Michael's like "Hey, where'd you get the Milano's?"

Okay SERIOUSLY family...give me a break!  Let me eat a snack in peace otherwise I'm putting a lock on the closet door and hiding out in there and will no longer cook ANYTHING for anyone!!  Can't a stressed out mom binge in peace?

Sorry for the delay...

Okay, so I haven't been around too much lately because I have been deeply entrenched in the bathroom renovations.  They are getting better, I'll admit, but this has been insanity.

So we spent the weekend at the local Holiday Inn.  There was a lot of driving back and forth, trying to do laundry while rummaging through the debris that is in every room, on every surface of my house.  Michael was irritable and did not find staying at the hotel as much fun as he used to.  He was bored, I was exhausted, he wanted to play, I wanted to draw the curtains and curl up in the fetal position.

THEN on top of that we had to deal with the landlord AND his brother.  I'll save that post for another day.  We checked out of the hotel Monday afternoon and by Monday night, we had a toilet and a tub.  The sink will be installed tomorrow.  But we can shower, we can pee...all without driving anywhere.  

So I'm home, Frank is still working day and night to get this done without hardly any help.  We were blessed because we had some awesome guys show up here on Sunday to give Frank a hand...thank you Brian!  Thank you Joe!!  You guys rock!