Carve-a-thon 2004

The pumpkin carving festivities are over. The seeds are roasting and the kiddies are sleeping. I've been reading other blogs where the kids are celebrating, with costumes and candy in school and I have to say - We're getting gyped over here! We got the memo from the principal, "No candy, no costumes, no parties." No fun.

And a Sunday Halloween sounded great until my son got his hockey schedule. Game at 5:50 a.m. Huh? So, now he'll be up for 12 hours before he can even go Trick or Treating. Ugh. I suppose we could go out during the day, but that's just not the way things are done around these parts. And to even mention skipping the hockey game would be heresy.

I can hear the sounds of screams and ghoulies coming from the Haunted House at the camp next door... so spooky, I love it, it's like our own Halloween soundtrack.


Mine.

The son's. All his own. 

The girl's. Her design, my carving. 

Friday's Feast

Appetizer: Name 3 things that you are wearing today.
White socks, blue sweatshirt and ghost earrings to amuse the girlie.

Soup: Who was the last person you hugged?
The big, same time son and daughter hug at the bus stop.

Salad: What do you like to order from your favorite fast food place?
A spicy chicken sandwich (Wendy's) and a diet coke.

Main Course What time of day do you usually feel most energized?
Mid morning to early afternoon.

Dessert Using the letters in your first name, write a sentence. (Example: Sweet unusual spaniels are nice.)
Jumping elephants numb naughty idiots for energetic roughhousing.

It doesn't take much

These two things are presently at the top of my 'Making Me Very Happy' list.

Lip Gloss, the blue one is my personal favorite.

and

Chocolate Reddi-Wip , this one surprised me with it's fake chocolatey goodness.

Y'know those school fundraisers with the overpriced candleholders and holiday decorations? Well the neighbors ordered candy. We took it out of the bag but apparently the super delicious yummy smell of chocolate remained. Fred ripped the hell out of the bag and all of the boxes inside. Nice.

"Remember that fundraiser for the son's school you so generously participated in? Well, um..."

In all fairness to the little shit, he didn't actually ruin the gift things, just each and every box. Love that dog.


The damage.

The Time Has Come!!

The Red Sox won the World Series and all is right in the Universe.

Was anyone else holding their breath as Keith Foulke was running to first base just praying to God that he didn't trip or botch the pass?

Don't get me wrong, I didn't doubt that they'd win, even if I do tend to watch, cringing with my eyes half covered, in fact my personal belief was this.... that play by the Cards pitcher Suppan where he was running between third and home like some kind of 6 year old little leaguer, well right after that happened I said to my husband "Did you hear that???" "Hear What?" "That, the sound of the Curse, being lifted. The Sox will win tonight and tomorrow too." AND WIN THEY DID!!!!

Em, blogging may resume.

Next time the husband foolishly questions one of my purchases I will take the meat tenderizer out of the cabinet and place it on the counter and silently walk away. 

Caution: Do not buy a house where the only storage option is eaves. I'd give my right arm for a walk up attic right about now. 

Tuesday

Ugh. I'm suffering from a hangover. A baseball induced hangover. After last week's four and five hour games I'm having trouble making it past the 8th inning of any of the World Series games. Some fan. But now, maybe that's the thing that's keeping them winning. So I should try to fall asleep in the 8th. Being superstitious is exhausting too.

And the weather, it's not doing it's job. Misty, cold and overcast = Sleepy Jenny. Warm/cool and sunny= Awake Jenny.

I've been too tired to even think of anything to write. But I did just do my list of 100 things and that feels like a major accomplishment but it was at the expense of the girlie who is waiting to play CandyLand. So, I'm off to whip some four year old butt and beat her to that candy castle in the sky.

INVASION!!

I saw this over at Mrs. G's peek and thought I should pass it along....

Driver's license site

It's your driver's license information...AVAILABLE ONLINE. What the hell. I hate the whole invasion of privacy stuff.

You shouldn't bite the hand that feeds you

So I've been bitten by Fred. Alot. For the multitude of readers that don't know (like there has ever been a multitude that do) Fred is my new old dog. Ten, twelve, nine years old, we have no idea. He's a bagel - a beagle/basset hound mix. Nice dog, tolerates hours of girlie hugs with a minimum of growling.

Another thing, he's pretty much deaf. Or pretends to be. I'm trying to teach him to take treats from my hand while leaving my fingers intact. I am now down to three fingers, making blogging an Olympic sport. Actually, he just bites me when he bites the cheese every freakin' time. So I quit for awhile. It was getting painful.

I've taken to letting him watch me feed Baxter, the big black dog, first as in "Look how nicely this well trained big galoot can take cheese from my hand." Fred, he looks up at me with those big brown eyes and I think, he's got it, this will be the time. I lower the cheese with my fingers curled around it, thinking that he'll not bite me but wait for the cheese to be offered. OW! FUCK! *Scarf Snarf Snort Swallow*

Maybe I'm the old dog who cannot learn the new trick. Why must I try to make him learn, why not just drop the cheese in his dish or on the floor. Or leave it on the kitchen table where I found him standing last month, eating toast, like he owned the place. I'll try it again later when my hand stops bleeding.

Okay, This Might Be a Little Much

I understand some of us would stoop to all sorts of levels to see the Sox, but this, this is crazy.

We are a dedicated bunch aren't we?

Dah, dah dah....And the Winner Is.....

So I guess it goes without saying that I'm pretty pleased with last night's game. :)

The Red Sox are going to the WORLD SERIES. THE WORLD SERIES.

Visit April for a little insight into the wonderful gut churning experience that is a Red Sox game. It is some kind of gift to watch a game where your team leads by seven in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs and not actually smile and relax until the umpire actually calls the third out.

*FLASH* Ohmigod. That was my life. Flashing before my goddamned eyes when Pedro gave up those runs. *Whoomp* That was the sound of me falling backwards onto my couch throwing a pillow over my face.

Don't get me wrong you can cheer when Damon hits a grand slam or A-Rod strikes out, it's allowed, but we Red Sox fans know that it's the regular, not so big plays that make or break us. So we sit, with baited breath, and we hope and we whisper "Pitch by Pitch, Pitch by Pitch" to the TV.

Okay, enough about baseball (okay, so you know that will only hold true for, tops, the rest of this post). But what else is there? Oh, the void that will be in my life after the WORLD SERIES. The Apprentice pales in comparison. But finally I will get my money's worth out of netflix. Those movies have been sitting and sitting...

My book club is meeting tomorrow night. I finished the book about three weeks ago and now I don't remember the characters names or even how it ended. Doesn't bode well for good discussion, but maybe I'll skim over the last chapter so as not to appear the fool.

And after four years in the book club we have our first 'issue'. Yuck. We all agreed at the beginning that we would purchase the books chosen if they weren't available at the library or whatever. It has never been a big deal and I know most everyone can afford the worst case scenario of two or three hardcover new release choices in a row. It started last month when I chose a book only available in hardcover. Most everyone bought it but a few of us lent our copies out to be read by others. Not an issue, we've all forgotten/miscalculated/been unable to find it, like I said, not an issue.

This last choice was also only available in hardcover. I ordered through Amazon with one of the books on my wish list to throw me over the 'twenty five dollar free shipping' threshold. A slew of emails came about a week after the last meeting. "When you're done can I borrow it?" and "If anyone has a copy to lend can I borrow it?" The one that really got me was from a girl who has just joined and has yet to attend a meeting. (That and the fact that she's the queen of the perky chipper email - ugh) She's not even buying the book? A free ride the first time?? There were about six or seven requests and from a group of 15-20 that's kind of alot. I understand that books are expensive and maybe these non-buyers should offer to split the cost with each other if they don't want to purchase it outright.

Did I mention that I hate confrontation? And that a few of us are miffed by the whole 'you buy it then I'll borrow it' mentality, but that no one wants to say anything, well no one except me, because I will truly flip the next time it happens.

Blech, sorry, long post but I'm getting mad that I have to be stressed about book club. It's usually a non-stress night out for me. But I'll think happy thoughts and damn that is SO easy today :) .

I *heart* baseball

I've never ended up as a hit on Google or Yahoo, until now.

And what were they looking for? Derek Jeter's butt. Now eyes, I could understand. And sickeningly self satisfied smirk, sure. But butt? How about ass. As is Derek Jeter is one.
Okay, is it obviously I'm a little too emotionally invested in this series? I've spent about 15 hours watching baseball in the past three evenings. And am I tired of it? Tired yes, but not of the Red Sox.

One more thing I'd like to add....and sadly enough I care enough about sports to feel this way. I love being a Red Sox fan and I am so glad I am not a Yankee fan. Don't like a call. Throw baseballs at the players and refs. Police in riot gear? Sure, they've got them. While the Red Sox fans are in the stands and they are praying, to God, or the God of Baseball, or whoever, but praying. And hiding their faces, because they are so afraid to look. And their hats, worn inside out, because maybe, just maybe, it will make a difference. Did they throw baseballs when they were losing by 124 runs in the third game...I think not.

I cannot believe I forgot two very important purchases.....

Season tickets to the Patriots and Red Sox.

Paying off my parent's mortgage, HAH! Where are my priorities?

If I had a million dollars....

I was over at Lisa's and thought I'd forward a question she posed for us....

What would you do if you won 14 million dollars?

I love my home, even though it's tiny and the local laws say I can't expand, I would just pay the mortgage off and finish the porch off. I'd build my husband a shed too.

I would travel each and every summer, all summer, with my kids. Mostly the U.S. but I'd like to go to Portugal and Italy and Australia. My husband could come too, I suppose.

I would ensure that the kids were set up for college. My nephew too, no cash handouts, just a nice custodial account.

I would pay my parents mortgage off and give my mom enough cash to retire and help with the 'living off her pension' thing.

I would call the local electric company and oil companies and provide electricity and heat to some who need it and find other worthwhile charities that needed funds.

I would buy a small cabin on a lake and spend alot of time there.

I would buy a super big, fast computer and keep it updated and super fast all the time.

And then the boring, invest, invest, invest.

Oh, and I would have a huge party, HUGE, with too many people, swimming in the lake, illegal fireworks from New Hampshire, and kids with popsicles running everywhere, and yummy frozen drinks, where we can all toast my good fortune. Cheers!

My son...

Would outfit the family with quads to ride on the land he would buy in Vermont.

He wants a truck and trailer (for the quads), a boat and boat trailer.

Would go deep sea fishing, buy hunting gear to take to Canada on a trip with his dad, me (?!?!), Kenny (my sister's ex-fiance, he hasn't been told that he's now an ex), my husband's friend Mark and his grampy. He wants to see Mexico and California too.

My girlie...

Well, she has no concept, and she's downstairs so I didn't ask her.

Rate This Buddy

Okay, I know none of this is earth-shattering, exciting, eloquent, hip or even interesting sometimes.

But ONE STAR?!?!? C'mon, I thought it'd at least get two.

Damn, raters at Blogexplosion.

The Weekend

Here's my husband in the big roll-y thing. I should consider hiring him out for kids parties. He kept them entertained, except for a few games of duck, duck, goose - the entire time. Ya-hoo!!


I wish I could say I feel rejuvinated after this weekend. That would be false. Two nights of five hour baseball games in a row sort of wrecks you for the days to come. But the Sox won twice. In a row. And thank you to Em for the self restraint in the blog department. Keep it up girl!!

The party was a success. The husband entertained them by rolling them all over the room in this sick-maker. Thanks husband. The girlie and her friends had a blast. I'm eyeing Kate's fear factor idea for my son's party in the spring. The candle store day was good, but long. It's quite a ride from where I live, and there are no deals to be had. But where else can you find a gazillion candles and all kinds of candle/house crap like this? And I listened to the Pats game and cheered wildly when they won.

It's rainy and chilly here today. Thank god for sweatpants and warm socks.

The view above my kitchen cabinets. It's a wonder my daughter will even come out of her room. I am just too tired to post anything else. See you tomorrow. :) 

*SPLASH*

Tomorrow's schedule is pretty much straight from the bowels of hell. But we'll muddle through. What other choice do we have?

We're having the girlie's birthday party at the YMCA tomorrow afternoon. She wanted a pool party in THE worst way, seeing as she went to one a few months ago, so I obliged. This is our first "out of the house" party for one of the kids. We did do a Providence Bruins hockey party for my son two birthdays ago, but seeing as the kids were all here, then the game, then all back here for an hour until their parents came, that doesn't count. The house still required cleaning.

Tomorrow, we pack a few bags and a batch of cupcakes. And out the door we go. Woo-hoo. And my husband volunteered to be in the pool with the kids. Even better. I can talk. To other adults. Is it my birthday? Might as well be, that's a gift in itself.

Sunday, I'm off to Yankee Candle and other assorted girl places with my mom. They have a HUGE store up in Deerfield with every single scent you could ever imagine, and some you couldn't.

Which, by the way, we planned this trip, how on earth was I to know that the Pats would be 4-0 and the Sox might be playing. So I guess we won't have to talk seeing as the radio will be tuned in to sports for the entire day. I'm just not a typical girl. Most of the women wandering around will be soooo excited to be missing the football and baseball. I will be looking for a TV in the tavern next door.

Friday Feast

Appetizer
What is your favorite beverage? I'd have to say Diet Coke tied with Pina Colada. Only one of which I drink daily.

Soup
Name 3 things that are on your computer desk at home or work. A pink Patriots hat, a rubber band ball and a wooden truck painted by the girlie.

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest), how honest do you think you are? I'd have to say a seven point five. I haven't told my husband about this blog. (Does he think I'm up here playing Solitaire???) and if you hurt my feelings I might just stew and not tell you and then just sweep it under the rug instead of confronting the feeling-hurter (this isn't directed to anyone who reads this, it's someone on the outside) On the other hand, I'm finding that I only have myself to blame if I don't speak up more. And I don't worry about saying just the right thing too much anymore.

Main Course
If you could change the name of one city in the world, what would you rename it and why? Okay, I can't think of any but I have one pet peeve that I'm going to share.... Street names. Why, why, why must every developer in town name their cul-de-sac after their children/grandkids/dog? I've seen enough Tyler Lane, Katie's Way, and the latest ChrisJenn Brooke Place to last a lifetime. Huh? Was Maple Street taken?

Dessert
What stresses you out? What calms you down

Stress = money issues, the new kid having trouble in school issue and the Why didn't my mother call to wish my girlie a Happy Birthday yesterday issue.

Comfort = coloring with the girl, watching my son play sports, a good book, the beach on a sunny day.

The Birthday Girl. 

A Baby Story

"I'll schedule a stress test for Monday, that way if you don't have the baby by the weekend, you can come right in for that."

My head kind of spins, I want to have this baby now, today, this minute. It's my due date after all, the son was born on his date, what's up with this one. I was SO tired of being pregnant. (it's a wonderful thing and blah, blah, blah - but dammit it's exhausting) I figure yard work and Chinese food. Worked last time.

I didn't do yard work, instead I did errands, ugh, did I feel extra sore. I went to visit my friend at her new house and watched my son run in the lake on a beautiful mid October day. Why was I so tired and sore from walking up the hill. And her bumpy road - freakin' owwww. Did I mention that this pain was coming oh I don't know, every five to ten minutes or so. Called the husband and requested the Chinese food. Around 5:00 p.m. I tell my husband. We leave for the hospital around 8:00 p.m. My husband drops me off so he can park the car. The obviously inexperienced nurse in the emergency room entrance tells me to sign in a take a seat in the waiting room. WTF, I think. But I sit.

It's a Friday, so even though it's a small hospital, it's busy and there aren't two seats together. I try to find a seat for the husband when he comes in. WTF, he says. Sure enough a real nurse jumps up and says "You can head right up, who told you to sit?" Usually I don't try get people in trouble. This time I point right at the offender and say loudly that she asked me to sign in too. When I get into the hospital room, it hits me. They say you forget, and you do, UNTIL THE NEXT TIME. Mild anxiety attack, but it passes. My midwife suggested walking. I shot her a look. It gets pretty fuzzy and really painful from this point on. I only remember a few things, one of which was my midwife touching my foot to tell me they were going to check the progress. I asked her so politely to remove her hand and told her that no she cannot check the baby. And she didn't. I loved her.

More pain and sometime after one a.m. my midwife hold up a baby, my baby. And says look. And I think, are those boy parts??? And she says "It's a girl". A girl. I knew I was having a boy. I had boy names picked out. The girl name was just a backup. We didn't find out the girl/boy thing beforehand from the doctor - I just knew. A mother's intuition. Apparently, it can be wrong.

My heart swells, I am in love, again. Happy birthday girlie. Today you are four.

Damn Yankees

I sit here cringing as I listen to Yankee fans yell "Who's your daddy?". Bastards.

It's Wednesday!

I clicked over to see what Tara was up to and I clicked back so fast I nearly threw my wrist out. Ok. Not really, but I clicked back fast so as not to read her answers to weird ones.

1. What household appliance are you most like and why? My microwave. It seems impatient doesn't it, cooking your food (or heating it up so much that while it might not actually be a 'baked' potato, it's hot enough to be considered cooked) so quickly. And maybe not all the way done 'add another thirty seconds'. Or maybe way too hot and 'let it sit for five minutes to cool off'. Impatient and never seeming to get it quite right.

Or I could get all mommyish and say my waffle maker because my kids love it soooooo much.
That second one is much more flattering.

2. What are the pros and cons of having a white tiger as a pet?
Pros: Less birds, less annoying partner. Literally, like a bite or two less.

Cons: I don't have a great love for cats either. That and the fact that I would have to keep its huge legs of cow or antelope in my freezer.

3. Why do you torment me so? Why not?

4. Whatcha gonna do when your little bird flies away? Rejoice, I'm not a fan of birds. At All. Although I did like those bald eagles. But, they were far away. If they got too close I would, if empty handed, run away with my arms over my head and if I had perhaps a tennis racket in hand *WHACK*.

5. What are the functions of hair? How would it affect one to be without it? Insta-Shade in the summer and a free hat in the winter. Brrr. feel that icy breeze blowing across your scalp. Without it there would be no hat head, bed head or bad hair/growing it out/why does only one side flip up so perfectly days. But then there would be no great hair days and those days are worth suffering through the rest. And hair is a good descriptive characteristic. Blonde hair shoulder length, short spikey black hair, red, curly hair would all become bald, with the no hair.

You snooze....

Is it so bad to let my girlie take a nap while I read through my blogroll?

Nope, because tonight I'm working and the husband has to try to get her to fall asleep. Hah!

Unexpected car naps - I love you!!!

We made it. The sport weekend is over. A loss in soccer but two wins in hockey. He is a very happy boy.

We carved pumpkins and took a hayride this weekend. Drank apple cider and made pumpkin bread and ate cranberry crisp. I read a book(Pay it Forward), we watched Dr. Dolittle and the IMAX wolves movie. We went to our neighbor's son's 16th birthday party and laughed so hard we couldn't breathe.

The Patriots won and the Sox play tomorrow. And please, do not doubt that the Red Sox will win. They could, they really, really could. But damn, it's the Yankees. And that devil Jorge Posada, and Jeter, and A-Rod and Matsui and....you get the idea.

And if you have a chance, swing over to Riley's World and take a look at the poll she has posted. Some beautiful pictures she has there. You won't be sorry.

Okay, you'll have to click on the picture to enlarge it. Once you do you'll see two birds above the trees in the middle of the picture.

My first bald eagle sighting. And I got to see two. They flew right by us. Close enough to see their beautiful white heads and tails. I was in a state of awe and missed the money shot but wow, bald eagles. The girl I work with is really involved with the eagles and hopefully I'll have a picture to post this week that will just blow you away. Okay, maybe not blow you away, but it's really (dare I say it....) wicked good. :)

The Smell of Victory

They won, they won, they won, they wu-un. In typical,extra inning, Red Sox style.

I cannot believe how true this damn thing is

You Know You're From Massachusetts When...

The person driving in front of you is going 70 mph and you are cursing him for going too slow. Only because he's in the passing lane, the slowpoke. You actually enjoy driving around rotaries. Sadly enough, I do. You almost feel disappointed when someone doesn't flip you the bird when you cut them off or steal their parking space. You know how to pronounce the names of towns like Worcester, Billerica, Haverhill, Barre and Cotuit. Pretty much. You have driven to New Hampshire on a Sunday in order to get beer. Yep. You know that there are two Bulger brothers, and that they're both crooks. You know what they sell at a packie. Duh. You know at least one bar where you can get something to drink after last call. Chinese restaurant right down the street. You can actually find your way around Boston. It's smaller than you think. You know what First Night is. Yeah, lame and over crowded and freakin' cold. You know at least one guy named Sean, Pat, Whitey, Red, Bud or Seamus. Holy Crap, All but Whitey. You think the rest of the country owes you for Thanksgiving and Independence Day. I do. You have never been to Cheers. Not once. When the words 'WICKED' and 'GOOD' go together. And they don't? You knew that there was no chance in hell that the Pats would move to Hartford. Puh-leeze. You have gone to at least one party at UMass. Only one. The curse of the Bambino is taught in public schools. My son knows. You own a "Yankees Suck" shirt or hat. No, just way to much Boston/Pats gear. You think Doug Flutie is the greatest athlete ever. Um, no. You remember exactly where you were when the ball rolled through Buckner's legs. - Watching with my dad in the newly finished rec room. You pray for the Red Sox to win the World Series not this season, but in your lifetime. - This is the year, Baby! You know how to make a frappe. - Husband does. You know that "Big Dig" is also a kind of ice cream you can get at Brigham's. Yummy stuff. You actually know how to merge from 6 lanes of traffic down to one. Slowly, too slowly. You never go to "Cape Cod", you go "down the Cape". Again, true. You think that Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs and Derek Jeter are more evil than Whitey Bulger. Add Jorge Posada to that list please. You're aware that there is a town, somewhere in Massachusetts, named Brimfield where they have the biggest outdoor antique market in the world. And it's killing me that I haven't been. You can drive to the mountains and the ocean all in one day. They're just big hills, really. You know that the Mass Pike is some sort of strange weather dividing line. As are Routes 128 and 24. You know that P-Town isn't the name of a new rap group. True. You know that Ludlow is 90% Portuguese and that Fall River is 90% Lebanese. Fall River is way more than 10% Portuguese. You do not recognize the letter "R" as a part of the English language. p,q,s,t,u,v You've called something "wicked pissa" . Not much. Am guilty of wicked good. You have driven to either Rhode Island, New Hampshire or Vermont for a tattoo. Got one at an illegal tattoo party. You've slammed on your brakes to deter a tailgater. Many a time. Know at least three Tony's, one Vinnie and a Frank(ie). Only two Tonys that I can think of. Paranoia sets in if you can't see a Dunkin Donuts, ATM or CVS within eyeshot at all times. Hah, there is a Dunkin' freakin' Donuts on every corner 'round here. You keep an ice scraper and can of de-icer on the floor of your car...year round. My permanent winshield wiper stuff is always de-icer mix. And it's in the trunk. You still try to order curly fries from Burger King. Sorry, nope. You know what candlepin bowling is. Yep. You drive 45 minutes to New Hampshire to save $5 in sales tax. Nope, but I've gone over to save $50.00. You've pulled out of a side street and used your car to block oncoming traffic so you can make a left. No, because I so hate when people do that. *eh-hem* husband. You've bragged about the money you've saved at The Christmas Tree Shop. Holy shit, the other day....remember???? You know what a "regular" coffee is You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from Massachusetts.

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Forty five minutes to go....

Thanks to her, I won't be missing the Sox game this afternoon.

I love me some Manny!!!!

Woohoo - go SOX!

Proof positive that summer is hanging on by a thread up here in the northeast.  

Meet the In-Laws

My husband is 'the responsible one' in his group of siblings. Well, let me tell you, it doesn't pay, at least not with his family.

The day of the Brother in Laws wedding, after having a few drinks (I wasn't drunk - happy and dancing and relaxed, but NOT trippy drunk) and a fairly good time we go to the parking lot where my mother in law has parked her car extrodinarily close to my husbands truck. (She moved her car closer to the door.) Well, I'm no Kate :) , but I could've squeezed in - no problem.

The problem? I had to buckle my girlie in her car seat. I'm holding the door from hitting the mother in laws car with my leg and trying to buckle the girl. I reached for the buckle, the door slips and *ding* into her door it goes. She's right there, "Don't worry about it, it was an accident, no big deal" I apologize profusely because truly, I am sorry. "Oh, my god, I'm sorry" etc, etc. She reiterates... Don't worry about it, a few more times and we all leave.

Three weeks pass. My father in law states that he's getting the door fixed and what body shop should he go to? My husband comes home and relays the conversation to me. He says we're fixing the door. I say they can call my insurance company. He says we have to fix their door. I say I could've done more damage with a shopping cart. He says we have to fix the door. I say if the estimate is more than their insurance deductible than they'll have to file a claim and we'll pay their deductable. He says we have to fix the car.

I shut up. What I want to say is this.... Only you sweetie. They would not make your brother, the son who forged their name on checks for thousands of dollars just last year, pay them back. It's no one's business whether he's paying them back according to my mother in law. Never mind the money he took from them (freely given, I might add) while he was awaiting his trial and in prison (yes, folks, PRISON!).

But you call my husband to see if he can return your post hole digger/chainsaw/ladder after one day? And make a comment like, "Good thing we're right around the corner - you wouldn't be able to borrow this stuff if we were in North Carolina ." ( Which is where they threaten to move every few years, but don't because their daughter lives with them with her son and "Where would she go?")

HELLO?!?!? When you need a $100.00 ladder for exactly two days and have always been told that we can borrow items like that, why the comment? And next time you need to use a leaf blower don't call me. But I digress. Because, the point is, they wouldn't have even asked the daughter to fix it if it had been her. And the other son would've made an empty promise about getting it fixed himself (and maybe this newly reformed self of his would've done it - but we've all been burnt many, many times by that one) and then never follow through.

But this other son, my husband, he'll pay. He'll make sure it gets fixed. That's what he does. I don't say any of this to my husband because deep in his heart he knows all this already - and it really hurts. Not the taking responsibility part, but the part where, 'why all the free ride stuff to the other two and they're only throwing him a borrowed (and make sure you bring it back tomorrow) ladder once in awhile?' - that part. And the part where they treat the other grandson like gold and my kids over here with their responsible son, are the afterthought.

Note: I'm sure there will be another post about that around the holidays because my son is just starting to notice that Nana and Papa spend a heck of alot more on the other grandson. Please, son, let every manner I ever taught you about politeness leave your body temporarily that day to ask them WHY!

And I don't want to say it out loud, because really, it sounds so damned whiny. But I can put it all here. And you can read it or skip it or whatever. And see....I already feel better. Much better. Thank you, you free blogging therapists!

Today's incident.
This car is a gift that just keeps on giving.

How not to take out your frustrations

Talk about misplaced aggression!

Heat is for whimps!

Y'know I live in New England. I'm used to the cold. And it's not really cold just chilly.

Unless you're in my house. Where it's hovering around 58 degrees and slowly dropping.

My husband won't let me turn the heat on unless we get a new furnace filter and the wood for the woodstove sits piled up outside because he wants to paint the cellar walls before he brings it in.

Getting up out of my comfy cozy warm snuggly bed tomorrow is really going to suck. But seeing as I'm getting up to go to the hardware store to pick up a furnace filter it won't be too bad. And naturally tomorrow it's supposed to be seventy degrees and sunny. I think my husband sees each and every day that we don't use any heat as a small deposit in the bank. And seeing as oil prices are going through the roof he's probably right. I hate when that happens.

Maybe someone from Canada can help me here but on my calendar and on hers I noticed a Canadian Thanksgiving. Is this just like the U.S. version with turkey, pilgrims and indians or is it something entirely different?

My mom, at fifty three years old, discovered today that she was allergic to amoxicillin. How? She has to take a mega dose (2000 milligrams) before she gets her teeth cleaned (she has mitrovalve prolapse and the plaque can travel through your blood stream and infect your heart) so, just as she's done for the past five years, she takes the dose.

First her hands and ears turned red, then her forearms, face, neck and body. Then her lips started swelling up. The dentist, in the midst of all this, says he has no benadryl but she should leave and get some immediately. (LEAVE?!?!) I was at work and completely unaware (no cell signal in my area) so she calls her boss who brings her to the pharmacy where the pharmacist says "GET TO A HOSPITAL -NOW!" She goes to the ER they shoot her with prednisone and some IV stuff and home she goes. She's on Benadryl and prednisone for the next week because apparently the one megadose stays in your system for that long. Holy Shit. Some serious harm could have been done today. I'm very thankful that it didn't.

The extent of my playdoh abilities. I can make a nice snake too. My true calling is with the rolling pin and some cookie cutters though. 

After leaving to put laundry into the washing machine the snowman met an untimely demise courtesy of smushy three year old fingers. 

Free time? Highly overrated.

A word of warning. If you want any kind of life do not sign your children up for hockey.
Soccer, swimming, little league sure, but avoid the ice.

The weekend schedule:
Friday
Soccer 4:30 p.m. -5:15 p.m.

Saturday
Soccer 12:15 - 1:30ish p.m.
Hockey 12:00 - 12:50p.m.

Sunday
Hockey 1:00 p.m. - 1:50 p.m. (this one is an hour away)

Monday
Hockey 10:40 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. (this one is also an hour away)
Hockey 6:15 p.m. - 7:05 p.m.

This doesn't include the midweek hockey practice this week or next.
Soccer - two times a week and your done.
(And hockey costs more than 10 times what soccer does - before equipment)

But he loves it. Loves both sports really.

And excuse me while I brag for a minute but he scored FOUR goals at the
soccer game last Saturday. FOUR!! He blew by everyone on the field.
Man, that kid can run.
Which, I have to say, I'm grateful for because last Monday he came home
in a fit of depression because he's the shortest kid in his class and by last
Friday in gym he had discovered that he was the fastest.

And here is a note from my girlie:

ruiuiioiujuujy1524781234567990==ljhkiyy768563987.b,122344556678
990jhuhujijj85iy,././

Off to play playdoh! I love that smell. :)

#16 - my new favorite number. 

Raindrops on Pine Needles. Taken on the way to the bus stop.

If you ever get the chance, visit this store. Don't let the giant lighthouse or, in one case, thatch roof repel you. It's not for the faint of heart, especially on a weekend. And unless your man enjoys this type of thing he's best left at home (or in case of a sudden need for a picture frame, lighted christmas pine garland, a mini loaf pan and umpteen inexpensive holiday decorations - in the car).

I usually only go twice a year because well, the stuff is cute and cheap, but mostly it's just that....stuff. And my house is small. And I'm a pack rat, a condition I have genetically inheirited from my father's father. But I went today and the joy... new throw pillows for the couch, two ceramic pumpkins, ghost earrings to delight my daughter on Halloween (my ears NOT hers), shot glasses for my parents cabin, a stack of three pumpkins and my girlie - she behaved. No running away, hiding down aisles and rearranging shelves. We put our new outdoor hanging votive holders outside and voila...it became October.

Oh, and the guy with the frosty breath up above the header is Tedy Bruschi.