Holiday Sweetness and Thanks.

Boulet Boots, Style 7154

And so it is that another frenzied Paris family Christmas has come and gone. This one held particularly special meaning to our family as my Daddy's illness left us all feeling that we should enjoy this holiday to the fullest. As I've mentioned, my dad is an ex-professional cowboy from way back in the day. He gave up being a cowboy years ago, but never gave up the attitude nor the style. This Christmas, in his honor, several of us took a trip to the local outfitter and purchased boots. I went with my heart set on a pair of Luchesse boots my dad had seen earlier in the week, but they didn't have my size. My next choice were the Dan Post boots he had mentioned, also not available in my size. I landed on the above boots, which fit like a dream and feel like slippers kids. Seriously, I may never take them off. Now I know why Daddy wore boots all his life. The hero bought a beautiful pair of boots as well as did my sister. We were seriously thinking of heading out and doing some big time ass kicking with our new found attitude. Hee Yaw! Sweetly, and sadly, my dad passed down his collection of Stetsons and Resistol hats to the heads in the family they fit. I was lucky to be the beneficiary of a beautiful hat belonging to a great uncle, long gone, who evidently had a very small head but a very large personality. I will always treasure it.

Another aspect of Christmas that made the day so special was spending time with fellow bloggers Pat and Megan, former students of my sister and now friends of mine. They were thoughtful to include me in the gift exchange and among my favorite items from them are a Guatemalan Worry Doll to put under my pillow (they are getting to know me so well... thanks so much y'all!) and a fleece blanket. Is it possible they knew I was asking everyone for fleece this Christmas? I've been cuddling it since I came home from Alabama. Seriously, we all need to get together for cake again soon. You two are the best.

Christmas is absolutely not about getting things, but these are a few of the things that made the holiday special and created memories and I wanted to pass along thanks.


Christmas... Over. Look out for 2009. May we all be blessed with good health and good friends.

Giving something back.

Click HERE to find out more about how YOU can Raise the Cure.

Since my Dad's diagnosis with Pancreatic Cancer, I've been feeling helpless. One thing I've done is research. The Internet is a bottomless well of information about cancers of every kind. Good information, bad information, how to sort through the muck? One organization I have found that I like very much is the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. While I can find medical information at any number of reputable sources, this site is devoted to advancing research, "supporting patients and creating hope for those affected by the disease." As a charitable organization, it is a four star charity and accredited by the Better Business Bureau. I'm not here begging for donations. That is just not my gig, and I have no personal involvement with the organization other than thinking highly of it. What I am here to do is to ask you to check it out, and if not this, check out an organization you feel passionate about. So many good organizations are out there to help raise awareness and funding for the ugliness that touch each of our lives in some way. At this time of the year, particularly this year when I am reasonably healthy, I need to give something back. How about you?

Let there be Joy for the Holidays.

Despite the recent ups and downs in the family, we are marching onward with the holiday joy. The holidays are the one time this family unites and puts aside whatever is going on and spends a few days being joyful. Since I am fortunate to have married a Jewish man and have an interfaith marriage, Hanukkah and Christmas often fall near or during the same week. This year they occur during the same week. We are having a lovely time lighting the candles each night and are looking forward to spending today and tomorrow celebrating Christmas.

Happy Holidays Everyone. See you in a few days.

And Now for Something Completely Different.

Yup, the news is still bad on the Daddy health front. As I type, I'm sitting beside his bed watching him sleep peacefully... finally. I can't betray his dignity by going into details but the last couple of days have been something to behold. Being the sort of girl with a dark and silly sense of humor, I've been looking for ways to find a little levity in every day. We all have. So far, not a single day has disappointed in that respect. Even my sweet daddy has provided some giggles and smiles, heck the amount of cussing and name calling alone he does is cause for me to crack a smile. He is, after all, still an old professional cowboy. So today, while the news continues to be not so good, dare I say bad, just sitting next to my cowboy watching him torture his sitter and nurses with attitude and catching the occasional sparkle in his eye when I notice that sometimes he is completely lucid and doing these things purposely, and he knows he is being ornery... well, it is just another magical moment I get to spend with him watching him draw in his breath. Some day, I am going to feel very thankful for these moments with him. I'm still praying that a recent procedure will help him along enough to prepare for chemo and radiation.

My husband the hero made the twelve hour drive from Chicago yesterday. So glad he is sitting here with me now. This morning, I showed him a recent purchase I made. I've discovered that retail therapy is still, well it is still therapeutic. One of my sisters took a few hours the other day to do a little holiday shopping. This item I brought back for myself. Chicago winters are cold, so I needed a warm hat. Take a look. This is very similar...

It is me, no? Yes! We have all agreed. But I'll be waiting until I get back home to wear it. Here in Alabama it has been in the 50 degree range.

Well, shit. The news is not so good.

She looks so sweet, but she is dangerous. Like me. I'm handing out bitch slaps this week. Careful.

I always feel a bit shy after an absence from the blog. Feeling a little bit like I used to back in school when I would have to take days off to recover from a bout of the flu and the first day back at school was a watered down version of the first day of school. I would stew and fret over what might have changed since I was there last, or in the case of the seventh and eighth grade P.E. class would those two girls who gained so much joy in bullying me because I was not athletic and always picked last for teams be just a little meaner when I came back? They had no idea at the time that I didn't give a shit about being good in volleyball or basketball, and lived for the day when I could concentrate on something besides avoiding their ignorance. Of course, I also didn't know how to express those things properly at the ages of 12 or 13. At that time, I feel sure most kids saw me as a quiet kid, small for my age... awkward and shy. What came across as awkwardness and shyness was, in fact, panic and anxiety. I've dealt with it all my life. I hope my being away for a while hasn't sparked any locker room gossip. The family business of sticking together has caused me to extend my stay here in Alabama until I feel comfortable leaving Daddy.

This past week, while in Alabama with my daddy and Momma, I started out feeling strong. Bitch Slapping Strong. I was ready to take on cancer single handed, on behalf of my dad, and when I was finished with that I was going to take on God himself for bringing this plague on my family. MY family, who has been through so much together how dare he use us as punching bags and hurt the one person in the family who deserves it the least? Sound selfish? You bet your sweet ass. Sorry. I know I'm supposed to be saying the correct things about how God will watch over us, but today my dad went by ambulance to the hospital with his liver shutting down, and all hell is breaking loose and I've seen no sign of God in all his healing glory all week long. Before you begin to wonder, yes dammit. I HAVE been praying. Sincerely. Yes I'm a believer. I think. I thought. I had no reason to doubt until now.

Back to the panic. Regulars who know me know I am panicking at this point. I did very well up until the emotional roller coaster finally crashed the other day. Tonight I've got the butterflies, and tomorrow is another day back in seventh grade. I'm working up the courage to reach inside myself and show myself and everyone else that I am a force to be reckoned with. At least in my own mind...

In a roundabout way, that is where I've been and how I've been and why I've been the way I am. Note... at the expense of others misery, my sisters and I decided today that people watching in the emergency room can be great entertainment. Sorry. I've said before that I'm not always sweet. One lady "passed out" at the triage desk, only to have the nurse check her wrist and the lady lifted her arm. Triage nurse said, "She didn't pass out, she just lifted her arm." To which patient replied, "Nuh-uh. I'm passed out." My sister and I really needed that comic relief at that moment and had to turn our heads we were laughing so hard. A little while later I spied evidence of inbreeding or could it have been a Yeti? Apparently the expression on my face was very easy to read, so my oldest sister punched my shoulder to remind me to be polite,(because I'm ten?????) I didn't realize I was being rude. Sorry lady, mythical creature. Really. And Sister? That was my shoulder with the shitty rotator cuff... so you got me. You got me good. Or was that God? I'm going back to my nice place now.

If I have offended anyone... for pity's sake please don't comment.

So many things on my mind.

I'm up way too late, knee deep in deep thoughts. I'm not feeling profound, nor am I feeling that I have much to say, but I put together the above collage which speaks volumes of what I am thinking and conflicted about.

*My apologies to any artists whose work I took without permission. I usually try to acknowledge, unless artist's work is under creative commons. Please let me know if I've made a mistake and I will take any unauthorized items down. Thanks.

While I was out.

Before I left town yesterday to fly south to be with my Alabama family during a family emergency, I was deep in the throes of holiday decorating. I had completed everything except putting up the tree. My sweet husband asked if I needed him to take care of anything while I was gone, I told him I would really love to come home to the tree being lit up. Today he emailed this photo to me. Thank you so much, Markie. Get over here and give me a big hug. I love you.

Out.

The above photo has absolutely nothing to do with anything at all. The wordplay on the sign makes me smile, and oh how I like the way my face feels when I smile after a long day of worry

and travel prep. Hopping on a plane first thing in the morning to see the folks and lend a helping hand where I can. I can not wait to wrap my arms around my parents. That's all I have to say about that, as the character Forest Gump would say. He is so simple, yet so profound. See you soon from way down south.

I am NOT angry at God. I am NOT ANGRY AT GOD!

Because if I WERE angry at God, then that would be wrong, wouldn't it? Feels like it would be anyway. A forbidden emotion, something the church of my youth wouldn't have approved of. If I did get angry at God for not watching over my daddy, and answering my fervent prayers to keep HIS hand over my daddy's health, if I DID get angry because today my daddy was diagnosed with a large malignant tumor on his pancreas, will fire and brimstone really rain down on me? Because if that is the case, I'm calling Bullshit on that. Fine. Rain on me. Bring it on. I'm standing, looking up in the sky arms open wide screaming WHY? You know what? I AM angry. I am really damn angry. I just don't know that I'm angry at God. And my next sentence is probably going to be... it's just not fair. That was predictable. But so damn true.

I Fought the Garage Door and it was a Draw.

These words should be painted on my garage door. I dashed out this morning to meet a friend for a lunch date... running a few minutes late as I always am, hit the garage door opener as usual on my way out the mudroom door expecting the garage door to go up and what happens? Not a hell of a lot. WTF. The door is just stranded halfway up and the motor to the opener is pathetically whining this little half ass groan. Well, I'm resourceful and remember what that red chord is for, so I pull on it and manually open the door and get my car out of the garage and manually close the door. Exciting stuff, huh? Not so much, really. I would feel so much better about this if I weren't already in a state of disgust about the garage to begin with. For the life of me, I'll never figure out why our "two car" garage barely fits two smallish cars with barely a foot between them. I might understand this if our neighborhood were built in another time, but our 'hood is fairly new, the homes are largish and built in the age of SUV's. Since the hero and I don't drive SUV's, we are one of the few couples on the block who can actually park IN our garage, so why the hell am I even complaining? I don't know. Perhaps I'm still cranky in the head and because I had to fight the garage door and a sidewalk this week. Wow, whine lately Melanie?

I did make it to my lunch date on time and had a lovely Italian lunch, followed by a leisurely drive home in the snow. The pretty kind of snow. Oh, I did get sidetracked at one store on my way home... I found some very cool fingerless gloves to wear inside for my never warm hands and some nifty ear muffs to help keep that nagging Chicago wind out of my right ear.

Tomorrow we make an appt. for the dumb ass garage door opener to be fixed. Of course it is never convenient for things to break, so it is what it is. Like I said, I'm cranky about it and tomorrow is a new day.

Big things happening tomorrow... much much bigger than any old door. My daddy is having some major tests run tomorrow. If anyone who reads this blog prays... please say one for his health. I would be so grateful for your thoughts and prayers for him.

Woman Gets a Beatdown by a Snowy Sidewalk.

One sidewalk. Seemed harmless enough at the time, although to its credit it was covered in a few inches of heavy wet snow. But still, one damn sidewalk. Do you mean to tell me that after weeks of unpacking boxes and lugging furniture around to place it just so, and hanging heavy pictures, and scrubbing every freaking inch of this house top to bottom including the garage, that the thing that finally puts my ass down hard is shoveling one damn sidewalk? Really? Hmmm. I don't really know what to think about that, but it makes my head cranky and I actually just woke up at noon feeling much much older than my age. I'm going to go take some more Tylenol, then I might go kick that sidewalk out of spite, since kicking myself for being so out of shape would be both awkward and likely make things worse. Oh, and once again... Hero told me not to shovel the sidewalk. In his infinite wisdom, he said it would make my back worse. So, true to form I was stubborn. Hero, you were right I was wrong. There. One of these days I might start listening to you.

Finding Ways to Take the Pain Out of Holiday Shopping

Black Friday, Cyber Monday, the holiday frenzy has officially begun. Now that we've given Thanks with our families, we've rushed the stores for deals and some folks have generally acted like criminals in the process. I'm sure you've caught the incident about the Walmart worker who was trampled to death on Friday in the news. I won't rehash that, it makes me sick and angry. People in crowds behave like animals. God I hate crowds.

This year, Hero and I restrained ourselves. Our only shopping on Black Friday was in the form of our weekly trip to Costco to pick up essentials, items needed to make homemade dog food and we did end up picking up a couple of books to read by the fire. We put the boys on the train headed for Chicago's Magnificent Mile so they could check out some of the sights of the city and do some shopping. They reported that the stores were not that busy, but they both came back with great deals. My son scored a great Guess coat for sixty bucks at Macy's. A Penguin T-shirt for sixteen dollars, and a sweater for a steal. His buddy got a couple of Lucky T-shirts for seven bucks apiece at Nordstrom. The deals are out there if you are looking for them!

Being on a tighter budget this year, I'm still working out my plan for Holiday shopping. I normally don't buy into the Black Friday panic shopping, except to get into the holiday spirit. It is fun. The prices always go down in the weeks closer to the holidays, with a few exceptions... certain retailers who never do markdowns and do specials only for the Holiday Kick Off. Those are not my targets, so I ignore them. I worked in retailing for many years and witnessed the panic of the companies I worked for trying to meet last year sales numbers. Generally, they try very hard to do this by marking down and moving more product. Its fairly common sense stuff. The mark up is high, there is a big cushion to make a profit. This is the reason I never pay full retail for anything. Everything I'm looking for eventually goes on sale. If it doesn't, I'm not looking for it. I'm moving on.

I'm not an economist, so I won't even try to discuss jump starting the economy by spending money. I don't really agree with spending money you don't have, and I don't agree with overspending through the holidays and spending January depressed and blue with buyer's remorse.

I will discuss being thrifty, looking for deals, being creative, looking for alternative ideas. I enjoy online shopping (hate crowds) and Coupon Cabin offers a good roundup of coupons you can use online and coupons available to print and take with you. Check out Cheap Uncle, as well. If you are looking to enjoy a meal out or would like to gift a meal, or ten, check out Restaurant.com. Amazing deals there and I believe Coupon Cabin or Cheap Uncle is offering a discount code for them right now, making their already amazing deals more so. (Thanks Steph for turning me on to them!). I'm also looking at Etsy this year for some gifts. I love the creative energy I see in the folks who sell their wares there.

Hero and I have already gifted each other this year. We've purchased books and a snow thrower. The snow thrower may come in handy very very soon! After hearing that this area was pummeled with 84" of snow last winter, we decided both our bad backs and my rotator cuff that is on its last leg just can't handle a winter of shoveling out of that kind of snow. I'm sort of exited to fire it up! Right now it is a novelty. I'll hate it in another couple months. I know. I know.

Here's to hoping everyone has a fantastic Cyber Monday!

World Aids Day '08

Today is World Aids Day 08. Bloggers all over the world are uniting to spread the word about Aids. At this time in our history, there is abundant information available yet, still the disease marches on. We can help. We can start by simply making the resources available out there for people to see. We can also donate our time or money. I'm not talented at many things, but I am very talented at stating the obvious. Aids is a big deal. So today, do something small. Wear a red ribbon to raise awareness. Or, do something large. A grand gesture. Talk to a friend about HIV testing, (see Link below) or making a donation, or perhaps just picking up a gift from the RED store online, (Link provided below.)

Information about Aids

HIV Testing near you!

Product RED

I am thankful.

I am thankful that my son is here with me for Thanksgiving. He brought a buddy home with him, and I am thankful for him too. I am also Thankful that my son made it quickly through a little health scare the first night he was here. I am full of love for that boy.

I am thankful that my thirteen year old pup still seems to have some spring in her step and still adores me.

I am thankful for Friendship.

I am thankful for my entire family, all the originals plus the in-laws.

Would this list really be complete without being thankful for the hero? He who is my best friend, companion in life? (Markie you are on the bottom of the list because I wanted to frame the list with my two best guys.) I actually have to say that because I know him so well he will wonder why I'm mentioning him all the way at the bottom.

Where I've Been

I really didn't mean to just disappear, step out and not return, switch my status to "away" and never change it back. But one thing led to another, and days added up to weeks, but I'm here now. Back with you. Online. So what have I been up to, you may be wondering? Outside the blogging world, I've been busy getting my house in order, STILL. Damn that is a never ending task, but also I've been swimming in creativity and inspiration, which I adore, and at the end of every day I feel a little high when I look around and see what I've accomplished. The hero and I are working on a fairly tight budget this move, since our house cost a considerable amount more than our previous one. I've decided that to begin, I'm going the use what you have route when decorating. You know what? It has turned out lovely. I'm re-purposing things all over the house. We are living the definition of recycle! It has been both challenging and fun. Like a puzzle. I've only had to purchase things like a couple bookcases, a few lampshades, shower curtain, towels, and only two bigger ticket items... a sofa and love seat for two separate rooms and some area rugs which we found at very reasonable prices. God I love the thrill of the hunt. I'm like a hunter stalking its prey looking for great values.

As far as wall art is concerned, I've used what I have. It is fine. Great, actually. Not fancy or valuable, just that I like what I have. I'm filling in with old Black and White family photos.. This house is feeling like a home. Speaking of home, my kid is coming home today! Hee! (At some point the teddy bear border in his new room is going to have to come down, it is on the list.)

Another thing I've been doing is thinking. Now that I've moved, and said goodbye to my beloved home town, and hello to my new life, I've been wondering which direction to take this blog. I sort of feel at a crossroads here. I have so many interests, so many things I like to talk about, (often whine about, I know.. I know) I'm not so sure how to classify this little piece of my heart anymore. Personal journal? If it is that, then I would feel odd talking about food or decorating or many of my other interests. I don't want it to be too schizophrenic an undertaking, yet I would like to express my whole self. Hmmm. See what I mean? I've been busy in my own head.

So, with all that going on in my head this past Sunday, I came up with my Holiday page header up there at the top. I hope you like it. I do think I need to tweak the font a bit to make it a bit easier to read. I've been out there gathering all kinds of fun tools to use on Blogs, and that is something else I'd like to perhaps pass along. See? Me with all the ideas. I'm a thinker, I tell ya.

Happy Tuesday all.

A Day is Not Enough.

A big heartfelt thank you to the Veterans of this country, all twenty-five million of you, who have served to protect this great United States of America. You deserve so much more than a day named in your honor.

Damn, I hate it when I fail and other news.

We are what, 10 days into November? Ten whole days. November seemed like a great month to participate in NaBloPoMo again. The concept is simple enough. You write a post for your blog every day for a month. November is great this year... there is no theme, you just write! Good God, that should be easy for someone like me with an abundance of things to say at any given time. Heck, I did it in August when the theme was "Hot." But you know what you guys? Less than a third of the way into the month, I fell flat on my face. I got quiet, maybe I just feel tired from all that is going on outside the world of the web. So, tonight I will unceremoniously remove my November NaBloPoMo badge. Perhaps I'll try again in January. I'm not doing that to myself in December.

I'll still be here writing, just not challenging myself to that goal.

In other news, hospitality is the word for this weekend. We were invited to a little party by the neighbors on Friday evening. A wine and cheese event. The evening's host is a Sommelier, (um seriously, spell checker doesn't know this word! wants me to use smellier, lol) so the wine choices were lovely and he was knowledgeable and patient with those of us who don't really know our Boone's Farm from our Reunite (me).

Hero and I are looking forward to hosting a guest later this week from back home, his sister will be visiting for a week. I can't wait to see her! Then my baby will come home for a few days the week of Thanksgiving. So much to look forward to and be thankful for.

So, I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. I missed a day, I slept for 20 hours on Saturday. I knew I was headed for a crash and I crashed. So weird when that happens! But today its back to being up and around and out and about.

See ya Monday!

They Call Me Mel-o Yellow...

originally uploaded on Flickr by "Amelia"

I took a drive six miles to a neighboring village for a doctor's appointment today. The drive was beautiful, no traffic to speak of, the roads curvy and the trees showy with fall color. The weather today was seventy degrees and sunny. Just a perfect day. Tomorrow I believe things take a turn, weather-wise, so the best dog ever and I enjoyed fresh air in the sun room this afternoon. Peaceful, beautiful, lovely. So peaceful I'm too mellow to say much more this evening. I'm just quiet. And that, my lovelies is peaceful for the hero.

Election Night!

Although it is too early to call, the talking heads covering the election have already predicted a win for Obama. Locally, in Chicago, there is a big shindig going on for Obama in Grant Park which is sure to turn into a massive celebration, and rightly so. I'm stating the obvious here... this is sure to be a win of historic proportions on many levels. I'm exhausted, and can't stay up all night to find out the official outcome, but regardless who wins... change is coming.

See you tomorrow.

Keeping Tabs on the Election

I found this link over at Tuck Goes to the Arch. See my sidebar for the link. Thanks Pat for the heads up!

Dexter...

“I am the punishment of God...If you had not committed great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you.”

-Genghis Khan

Dexter - Showtime Sundays 9 p.m.

Hero and I are huge fans of this show. (I just tacked that quote up there on top because I think it fits.) Anyway, with everything going on the last few weeks we have fallen behind on watching Dexter episodes, so today we got almost all caught up. This season is very exciting so far and different from the previous ones... I am really liking the way Dexter's character is evolving.

See you tomorrow!

My Hair is a Hot Mess, Y'all.

I missed my last appointment with my stylist back in KC before we moved. She was ill and it was the day before we were moving, so rescheduling was out of the question. July was the last time my roots have been touched up and the ends trimmed and the layers shaped. More and more lately, I wake up and this is what I see in the mirror...
Sadly, as far as styling goes, this is what I've resorted to. The early nineties Elaine 'do. Only not as cute. And so sad that my current hairstyle is nearly twenty years old and on closer inspection makes me think of those women on that polygamist compound down in Texas. Just put me in a prairie dress and I'll be good to go. Thankfully my hair is long, because I fear if I cut it short I'll end up looking like Phil Spector.

On really bad hair days, I resort to wearing one of my many ball caps. I'm thinking of buying this little guy, though. Available through Cafe Press. I think it says it all.

If anyone knows of a great salon in the NW suburbs of Chicago... please advise. I'm on the hunt. And Adrienne, I miss you.

Happy Halloween

"Watch out for Witches and Stuff." Indeed. On this day, please beware of the spooky aforementioned "stuff." While one never knows where they may encounter this strange entity called "stuff", watch and keep your guard up. Please let me know if you encounter said "stuff". I'm dying to know what it is.

This could be creepy stuff... crows gathering in a leafless tree. I like them, myself, but I can also imagine a scene from Hitchcock's The Birds getting ready to happen here.

Luckily, this witch doesn't seem too spooky. In fact, she seems to be having a rather frank conversation with this little youngster. Maybe she is explaining that witches have been given a bad rap for centuries. My very favorite thing about this picture is all the other little ones up on the hill spying. So cute.

As one of the descendants of one of the Salem witches who was both accused, convicted and consequently hung for her supposed crimes, on this day where we need to watch out for "Witches and Stuff" I will honor her memory by passing out treats to children that come to my door. Most likely while wearing my yoga pants and a sweatshirt. Dressing up like a witch is really not my style.

Happy Halloween Everyone! Stay safe and definitely... watch out for stuff. K?

Oh Autumn, You are Gorgeous

Welcome Ms. Autumn. Just look at you, regaled with all your colorful spectacle. Why do you seem so demure? Surely anyone capable of splashing parts of this earth with such beauty for a few short weeks each year is capable of a little lustiness. And please, don't be so humble... you do such fine work. Your brush strokes are perfect and your eye for color is enviable. I myself try to emulate your color choices in over half the rooms in my home. I shouldn't gossip, but I'm not a fan of your friend Winter's color scheme. (Nor do I approve of her rude and surly behavior. I felt her sending a cold wind my way the other day, and yesterday there were a few snow flurries. SHE is not welcome until the leaves are off the trees. Please let her know I said so.)

I didn't take this photo, I found it on Wikimedia. But I think Ms. Autumn did a lovely job here. And it reminds me of a dream I had once that made me laugh and wonder, and I still remember it vividly to this day. Those are the best kind of dreams.

Just peaceful. A person, me, could get lost just walking endlessly down this road. Peace is what I need today. Received some worrying news last night about a family member. Have been worried sick about another little guy. I am distressed that I can't fix either situation. I hate helpless feelings. So, today is all about me trying to figure out how to deal, and also making some banana bread, and of course continuing work on the house.

Why Don't I Listen to My Husband?

I should listen to my husband. The hero knows me better than I know myself. Really he does. This is why he is the hero. In the space of a few weeks, (what day is this?) I believe I have managed to exhaust myself by my manic quest to unpack nearly every freaking box and organize every single item. This week, I've been meaning to put it all together... the fun part. Hang the pictures, place the knick knacks just so...

I've done a bit of that, yes. Yesterday I hung a small gallery of anscestors in black and white in the living room. Today I installed an under cabinet CD/Radio combo thingy in the kitchen. Oh, and had Jane the Ignorant Slut (the GPS) escort me to the neighbor town to do some shopping for essentials. Back and two loads of laundry later, and I'm hanging my head, not out of shame, just because the muscles won't hold it up any longer.

Back to what I was saying about the Hero. He predicted this would happen to me. He is brilliant that way. I am going to try to rest a bit over the weekend and renew my spirit.

Aren't these photos fun? I found a link for Zoe Jaremus, the photographer, over at Beachbungalow 8.

Now, if you'll excuse me. I'm crawling back into my happy place to rest and maybe do a bit of worrying about a boy I know and love. Will see you Monday.

P.S. Best Wishes and Good Luck or Break a Leg whichever is the proper thing to say to a certain someone I know taking her PH.D exam today.

Gimme a Break

Photo found Here.

Thanks my loyal readers for checking in looking for updates! I have been lazy with the blogging the last few days, but busy in "real world" duties such as unpacking the house etc... boring for you to hear me go on and on about that and since that is all that is going on in my mind and in my life... well, it follows that I haven't been writing as much. I don't want to be a bore.

Today, I am taking it a little easier and kicking back. Oh sure, I'm working. I'm carting things around up and down stairs etc. But Hero asked me to not work as hard today so I sat down for lunch and watched an episode of True Blood. Now I'm posting on my Blog!

What the heck is wrong with the formatting on my fonts? Are the buttons stuck? Dang. Not typing in Bold or italics intentionally. I will be back soon-ish with more important and exciting things to say. I hope!

Move from Hell... Complete!

Image found here.

This image has nothing to do with the body of this post except that it is hellish to me. In my vision of hell, the demons are all puppets and clowns. I freaking hate those things. Really. Look at those eyes.

Really, this should be my final update, whine, moan and groan on the chaos that Hero and I have now deemed the Move from Hell. First, my apologies for not updating back on the 8th, as promised... computer connection problems. I believe that comes with the territory of setting up housekeeping in a new place/town. Gee, if only all of life's problems could be solved by placing a call to Comcast and having them send out a friendly tech to fix things right up! Okay, so here is the final bullet list:

• I didn't mention it before, but we arrived here on Friday, a bit over a week ago, and Hero had to leave for South America (Columbia) on business for six days on Sunday. We had contracted with the people who set up the move to hire a company that includes UNpacking as a service, because I have a bad (painful as hell) rotator cuff. The company they sent to move us did not offer that service. Hero was out of town for a week, I'm not being a martyr here... I just hate boxes. So I've been unpacking like a crazy woman. Wish I could mention the name of the company we hired. They suck.


• I'm a little out of order here, but you have to hear this. Back at the old house, we had a leather sofa in our finished basement that reclined on both ends. We had given instructions to Crackhead and Tubby, (my little pet name for the partner of Brokenfoot) how to take the sofa apart because it would not fit up the stairs in one piece. Okay, ma'am, no problem. When it came time to move the sofa up the steps, we hear moaning and groaning and screeching sounds on the walls. Hero and I ran over there and see they are trying to shove this huge sofa up the stairway and through the doorway. When we told them again that it needed to be taken apart first, Tubby glared at me and dropped his end (he standing at the top) and Crackhead had to make a run for it back down the steps because the sofa was coming right at him. In the process, the metal bottom of the sofa gouged out the walls and a side of a built in planter box at the bottom of the steps before it came to rest. They left the sofa laying upside down at the bottom of the stairs.


• Tubby took a poo in my powder room and clogged the toilet, overflowing it. He had personally packed all the plungers in the house except one and they were loaded already. We found the one. He used one of the furniture blankets to mop up most of the spill, but I had to clean it properly after they left.


• They ran out of there ten minutes later. Literally RAN, with Hero chasing after them screaming.


• The new owners of that house have a nice black leather sofa now. We are responsible for repairing the damages, we will send the bill to We Suck Moving Company, Inc.


• The next morning was filled with phone calls to figure out when and who was coming to pick up the remains of our things. The buyers took possession of the house at 2:00. Moving Company couldn't get anyone out until Saturday. Nice. We had to leave for Chicago to close on our new house the next day, had to hope the buyers would be cool with all our leftovers in their garage for a couple more days. As it turns out, they were perfectly lovely about it. There is a God. Tubby and Brokenfoot didn't show up until Sunday to get our things. We Suck Moving Company, Inc. keeps their word every time.


• Remaining beds, and furniture were delivered on Wednesday! Much of the wood furniture damaged. Tubby and Brokenfoot didn't wrap what remained. But I'm just happy its over. Really happy its over. The sofa from Hero's apartment here didn't fit into THIS basement, and neither did a queen size box spring (there is a turn heading down the steps) So we have to figure something out for a couple of rooms down there. No big. I gave that sofa away along with that mattress set to the movers (different set of guys).

Largely, things have been very smooth sailing since we have arrived in Illinois. Hero didn't get kidnapped by any drug cartels in Columbia so I didn't have to call upon my standby posse to go down and find him in the jungles. Thank God. Really the only glitch this week aside from a painful shoulder and sore back is that my best dog ever developed a case of bronchitis and I had to find a Vet... pronto. Of course I didn't know she had bronchitis, I just knew she was coughing. Anyway, I found a vet, he seems to know his stuff and the cool thing is the office manager is from Blue Springs, my town back home! She was very excited to meet someone from her home town and I was excited to meet someone who seemed familiar, though a stranger. You know? And I've been tooling around in my car getting where I need to go with the help of my little GPS, who Hero and I named "Jane, You Ignorant Slut." Yes, I'm giving away my age. I'm all about the golden age of SNL.

Now that moving trauma is OVER... Hero and I are looking forward to really and truly starting over here in this strange new land. I have to say, it is lovely here and I can't wait to get out and explore!

I'm still here, and you won't BELIEVE what's been going on!

Hey everyone, Gosh I love you guys. I really really do. In answer to Shana's comment from the other day... YES WAY! Plus, there is more moving hell I haven't had a chance to update and it is not over yet if you can believe that. I'm sitting here as I'm typing waiting for all of our beds to arrive from KC, as they would not fit on the original truck. Turns out the man with the broken foot had some kind of freaky prophetic powers.

I will be back later today to tell you all about the highlights, or lowlights... depending on how you see things. I have a sense of humor, so there is a lot to laugh about. A few things to scream about but hero and I already did that, so we are smiling now. I need to go medicate before the movers show up with that last load. See ya later!

Moving Chaos and Other Trivia

Okay, so chaos. I mentioned in my thinking pink post earlier today that I would follow up on that later so here I am. Its all about this moving thing. One never really expects things to go down perfectly, but smoothly would be good... right? RIGHT? I've never been good at making a long story short, but here are the highlights so far.

• The movers were supposed to show up Monday morning, but due to delivery issues they had nothing to do with (payment issues on the part of their previous delivery customer) they did not arrive here until 1 p.m. yesterday afternoon.


• The Driver promptly fell out of the truck and broke his foot. This prompted many calls back to the home office. He ended up hobbling around all day on his foot packing boxes until he could get the go ahead from the home office to go to the hospital for an x-ray. Confirmation... as suspected. Foot broken. This is the only guy on the team license to drive the truck. He broke his right foot. This is going to make for an interesting drive to Chicago for him.


• Oh, did I mention that we were planning on leaving for Chicago this morning? Yeah, not so much. This house is half packed as we speak, 2:20 on Wednesday afternoon.


• Our moving company guys had to call for reinforcements from a local moving company for the heavy lifting part due to the broken foot. One of them seems a little less than healthy, like maybe he's been hitting the meth pipe a little too hard. Nice. I love this day.


• Good news, the Vet called. The dog's blood work came back and she does not have Hypothyroidism. To celebrate, I ate a Klonipin. Because I deserve it, not sure I deserve it, but I feel better. So .... um, there.


• Hero is having to take his conference calls outside today. Too much noise indoors. It is a beautiful day out there. See this is not all about whining.


• Hero and I both agree that perhaps we should have chosen one of the other moving companies we took bids from. This whole deal is beginning to feel a bit haphazard and disorganized. Two of the things I despise the most. For a girl who likes everything Just... So... this is chaos. Hindsight 20/20. I'll check in later if I have anything to add.
• Back with more to add! Overheard Crackhead a few minutes ago saying as he was carting a load of boxes up the stairs, I'm never going to have this much stuff if I ever live in a house this big. I feel ashamed, and I'm sorry I called you a crackhead, Crackhead. But I do smell the stale doobage on your clothes, so maybe you are just a malnourished pothead. My bad. Can I buy you a Big Mac?
• The little guy with the broken foot just said, I hope every thing fits in the truck. HUH?

Today is all about thinking Pink!

So despite the chaos going on around me, (more on that to follow) I wanted to pause and reflect. I have been so blessed to have lived forty-five years without so much as a hint of a lump or bump to even indicate a breast cancer scare. Others in my family have had scares and some have had battles in recent years. For them it was frightening and at times overwhelming, for us... the family members standing by watching it was a helpless feeling as we prayed and did the things you do for the people close to you who are given a cancer diagnoses. So, today, in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month... take a moment to pause and reflect and say a prayer if that's your gig, or donate a couple bucks if you can, and definitely take some time to print out THIS! If you don't have one or have it committed to your memory already. Oh, and schedule a mammogram if you are due for one. I am.

I found this little quiz over here at Sandra's blog, RUAWAKE. Since I'm sitting around supervising the movers while they pack up our belongings, I thought What the hell, I'll take it! I'm feeling a little bit like a loser just surfing the web while these two guys are working their asses off. I kind of feel like I need to pitch in and help, but I'm not getting paid... good damn money, in fact. They are. So throw a bon bon my way. I'm taking a quiz.

If you were a sexual position, what would it be? A butterfly, though my life span may be quite short.

Can you literally put your foot in your mouth (or toe to your nose)? Yes, no problem at all.

Name the last time you were absolutely certain you were the a-hole and still didn't apologize for it: Yesterday. This morning? It happens a lot.

How do you keep score? Depends on the game.

In which way(s) do you exact revenge? I live by the what goes around comes around philosophy. My hands stay cleaner that way.

Which super power would you rather have: Math genius or a Grammatical hawk-eye? Grammatical Hawkeye! The costume possibilities seem very cool.

Of the forty or so hours you are paid for, how many of them do you actually work? I don't work at a job, currently. So I am free labor around here.

How loudly do you laugh when you're alone? As loudly and proudly as when I'm with company. I also talk to myself. I'm tellin' ya... I'm a real dork.

Grant or Gable? Gable, because he is a little rough around the edges.

Coffee cans under the porch or in the mattress? In the mattress.

Hot or cold? Hot.

Hard or soft? That question could be answered so many ways. But for the sake of a PG rating, I'll just say I like my bed soft and my pencil leads hard.

Right or left? Right Handed.

If you could be anyone in the world, dead or alive, in any era in history, would you choose to be you? Yep.

If you could be with anyone in the world, alive or dead, in any era in history, would you choose the one that got away? Absolutely NOT.

What's the best thing you ever did that you didn't get credit for? That's a toughie. I'm stumped.

Where in the world would you rather be right now and with whom (and, yeah, it can be anyone, alive or dead, etc.)? Already in our new house with the Hero and the best dog ever.

It's only Tuesday, but do you already have plans for the weekend? Yes I do. Unpacking boxes.

Well, what are you waiting for?

*Here is a recent development to the day. One of the movers just fell out of the truck and thinks he broke his ankle. I just gave him the address to the local hospital. Keep smiling Melanie!

So Long, Farewell....

Just a few quick shots from yesterday's going away bash... a very few shots as we were having such a good time we kept forgetting to pick up the camera and shoot photos!

My best girl Ann... stuck around and helped me divvy up the leftovers, wine and beer!

I love this girlie.

This big crazy goofy guy. Yes, he is trying to lick my face. I. Love. Him.
(In a brotherly way, geez y'all.)

Eric and Mel... laughing together since 1982.

Aha... now smile.

P.S. I missed you Steph and Anna. Steph I know you were under the weather, I hope you feel better soon.

P.P.S. Mark and I were so touched by our friends and family spending the day with us. A send off full of laughter and only a couple of tears sure takes the edge off leaving town. Hugs! We will be seeing everyone soon!

Countdown is almost over.

The movers arrive on Monday to begin packing us up.

This weekend is the beginning of the end of our time here in KC. Saturday, Hero and I are taking a day trip down to see our son at school and take him out for a meal and give him hugs. Sunday we are throwing a Bringing Down the House party, cooking up all the food left in the freezer, serving all the wine in the wine rack. It will be a regular mish-mash of hamburger, steaks, chicken nuggets and God knows what else I can dig out of there. Um, yummy. Good thing our friends and family like us for who we are, not what we are planning on serving them that day. It will leave them with memories, though. Most likely gastronomical nightmares. Sorry lovelies. We promise to make it a fun time.

After today, blogging may be spotty for a week or so. I promise to get right back on it as soon as we are in the new house and have Internet hooked up. Hero is headed to South America soon after we move I just know I will feel like writing and will need the company of my laptop.

Everyone have a fantastic weekend wherever you are. Here in KC the weather is fine and the locust leaves are beginning to fall. I think I spotted a red maple leaf turning on my tree in the back, but it was just one leaf... things are turning to autumn slowly.

Just a girl and her best dog ever...

This morning, Liz and I were experimenting with the timer setting on the camera, taking some self portraits. Hardly glamour shots, (Puh-leeeez, not my style at all) I just wanted photos of my girl and me and we improvised. I should have turned off the flash... she looks like Cujo.

Oops, picture took while I was checking her little face for eye boogers!

Isn't she beautiful? Her fur is as soft as a rabbit's and she is the most gentle girl. It kills me to think that she is 13 now. She is my constant companion, and one friend that Hero and I do get to take along on our new adventure. Thankfully. Yup, we are blessed.

WTF ate my house?

Do you all see that? Over there to the left, along the roof line where the siding has been... oh, I don't know what the hell happened. Raped? It was not like that a week and a half ago when I took my leave for vacation! It was not like that when we sold this house! It was not like that when the buyers had their inspection done! At some time in the last two weeks, something got hold of my house and chewed the hell out of this portion of siding. Nice job little critter with the razor teeth. Good for you. I hope you choked yourself on the insulation. Damn! I will be spending more quality time with the handy man this week, because we can't leave this money pit without sinking a few hundred more bucks into it at the last minute. It just wouldn't be right. *wink*