Early morning musings....

Don't you hate it when something wakes you up before you are ready to be awake, and you can't get back to sleep? Hence this entry....it's 5:something am, and dh got up to get ready for work. As he did, the dog started twitching, hard enough to shake the bed and I realized I had forgotten to give him his pheno pills....so I get up and get them, and dh comes into the kitchen because he forgot his towel for his morning shower. So, being the kind woman I am, I go get him his towel. Of course, on the return trip to the bedroom, I pass the computer and decide to check my mail.... So, here I sit at an ungodly hour, typing an entry.   However, this time I'm being smart about it. I am typing it in an e-mail so that if my journal doesn't work, I don't have to slam the desk in frustration after furiously clicking "save" until my fingers bleed. This happened twice last night, so I'm not taking any chances. Not only that, but my ygp wouldn't work either, and I had some really interesting pictures to share....well, okay, they weren't that interesting. In fact, they were pretty pathetic as I was just randomly snapping pics around the house. I know, I know....I'm nutty....   Speaking of nuts, the squirrels continue to congregate in my backyard, eating the birdseed. The first thing I do when I wake up is look out the window and check for my cardinal family....and all I ever see are the squirrels. They seem to meet every morning for breakfast around the feeder. I should set out little cups of coffee for them....packets of sugar or splenda....maybe those little creamers you get at restaurants....I like looking at them, however, I haven't seen my birds in a while. I need dh to go out there and raise the feeder up, so the little critters can't get to it. I put a mostly empty jar of peanut butter out there, on the advice of my mother who said that they squirrels would go after that....however when I checked on it fifteen minutes later, the jar was 8 feet away under the swing, and the squirrels were back at the feeder....little smartaleks....   I hear wee one snoring from here. During the summer she never sleeps in her room. She sleeps either in: Betsy's room on the pull out couch; my room on the floor or loveseat; on the floor in the family room....where she is now. The summer for her is like one really long sleep-over. Once school starts, she'll be back in her room. But until then, she's all over the place. When she sleeps in the family room, I let her put Nickelodeon on, and tell her she can stay up as late as she wants watching cartoons.  She is excited, gets all her pillows and blankets and camps out for a night of tv freedom....and is asleep in ten minutes. Ahhh, to be a kid again.   Well, dh is getting ready to leave, and I am going to try to go back to bed. Good morning....

Weekend Update....

Can you guess what we did this weekend? Come on, take a guess....yup, we went to see Garfield the Movie. It was very cute....however, if it weren't for Bill Murray as Garfield, it would not have been very good. Some cartoons are just not meant to be turned into "real life" pictures. We went to the 12:20 show, which ended up being $21 for the four of us. Not bad....however....the snacks which included three drinks (two small, one med.), three small popcorns and a small order of nachos.....came to a whopping $29! Absolutley ridiculous. And here's another nugget of info that blew my mind....you could pay at the snack bar with a credit card. When did this happen? Is this a new thing or have I just been living under a rock somewhere? A credit card for popcorn? Sheesh!

After the movie we went and visited with my parents for a bit. They were enjoying a leisurely day in front of the tv....which is all my dad can do now. He is slowly becoming housebound, and with the deterioration in movement and eyesight, tv is about all he does when he isn't sleeping. Poor mom has become housebound along with dad. She can't leave him, for fear he will try to get up and walk, and end up falling. This disease has a high fatality rate from falls. It also is marked with severe exhaustion, which makes for a very long evening for mom, when dad turns in at 6:00. I signed her up for a free trial of People PC, since her service provider is so bad lately. She did send me a "test" e-mail, so I think she is getting the hang of it!  Way to go mom!

Yesterday the girls and I stayed home and cleaned while dh worked. When he got home Betsy took off for her Saturday night out at the movies with friends, and wee one, dh and I headed out for Borders. We browsed a bit, and bought a few things. Wee one bought The Waterboy dvd, (she and Betsy love Adam Sandler), and I bought the season 2 dvd of Strangers With Candy....omg....too hilarious. I loved that show. I have watched all the episodes since I bought it. I also got two workbooks for wee one, so she can keep learning over the summer. You would think she would have balked at that, but she has been working in them since last night....

I'm not sure if we have any plans for this week. I know on Wednesday I'm watching my dad for a bit, while my mom takes her girlfriend to the doctors (they only have one car and dh couldn't get the day off), and then they are going to stop at a home decorating store. I'm so glad mom has a new friend. Maybe I'll make rice krispy treats and kool aid for after their outing! LOL....she would love that. Other than that, I don't think we have any pressing engagements. The girls are bugging me to start painting their rooms, so I need to start thinking about that. I just haven't been in the painting mood lately. I suppose a trip to Lowe's is in the near future.....

Money jar update....

As of a few minutes ago, wee one reported that we have $101 in the "mad money" jar. Not bad....the girls think we should divide it between them. I think I should cash it and not tell anyone. Wee one has spent hours, lying on the floor counting endless pennies. She has always been like that, able to entertain herself with anything....buttons, erasers, whatever.

I have to say that I was so proud of her yesterday. She was getting ready to change the channel to cartoons at my mom's house, when the Reagan services began. She stopped, and began watching with my parents. She had many questions, and they explained to her as best they could what she wanted to know. She watched for 2 hours with them until I came to pick her up. As we got into the car, she wanted to listen to it as we drove home. She knew that the services in California started at 8 in the evening, and planned her tv schedule around it.

At about 9 she asked me to turn on the station. I told her I was watching something and she said, "Come on mom, it's history!" She then went into the kitchen and sat on a stool, watching. She updated me every so often, letting me know the plane was late, then when it arrived, and then when they had begun. Finally, I decided to join her in the living room. We ended up watching the services together. After hearing his children reminise about their childhood, and how much he loved God and Heaven, she said to me, "You know mom, people shouldn't be afraid to die. It's going to be wonderful up there." I can't tell you how sweet it was to hear my child say that.

Right now we are trying to decide what to do this evening. Dh had to work today, so he is vegging on the couch. I wanted to go somewhere, anywhere! I'm sick of sitting here.

Betsy went to the movies so at least one of us is having fun. Man, I really have been a crab lately. My hormones must be all jumbled up. Who knows....

Friday blahs....*warning: this entry may cause severe yawning due to boredom factor*

Okay, I know the graphic is huge, but I'm too tired and don't feel good enough to figure it out. I hate it when sites that I'm used to using, change everything and I have to re-learn. Don't they realize that I am just lazy enough to learn only what I need to get by? Sheesh.

To update, I'm tired, achey, grainy-eyed, and generally crabby. I'm sure I have wee one's virus. I'm just glad I got it before our trip to NC. Now, if I can just keep dh and Betsy from getting it. I've been rather snappy today, and emotional.

 I watched the Reagan services today, and was teary eyed more than once. It was amazing to see the love and respect this man received. Margaret Thatcher gave such a moving speech....I can't imagine anyone not becoming weepy as she spoke. Such eloquence. I was also very moved by our President's words. I think he did an excellent job. My heart goes out to Nancy, as she finishes this last leg of her emotional and exhausting journey.

I did do all of my ironing today....I forgot about that. As I was doing it, wee one sat at my feet, counting out pennies, dimes, nickles and quarters from our spare change jar. She is up to $31, with about 3/4 of the bottle to go. She loves busy work like that. She just came in here to hug me, and her hands smell like pennies! LOL.

Well, I'm getting tired sitting here....I'm going to go lie down for a bit. By the way, I have been reading all of my journals on my alert list....but I haven't posted comments....I'm sorry....I'm falling so far behind! I will start again tomorrow....I promise! Take care all....

http://www.maggieco.com/html/detail.cfm?ID=667&Category=1       This is a piece done by one of my favorite artists, Erika Oller. I love her paintings, they are so happy and whimsical. I wish I had the talent to paint like that. Oh well....maybe some day I will learn.  Today was a day filled with running around. I went to the store, took Betsy to her friend's house, stopped at Walgreens for the dog's prescription, went to the grocery store, back home to write my entry in the Community Storybook, made dinner, then went to my parent's house to put up some rails for my dad, so that he's able to walk to the bathroom at night.  Now, I am sitting here, trying to relax. I feel like crap. My eyes are burning, I'm exhausted and need to sleep. I also do not know why my journal entry is self centering as I type.   My Animation Factory is still not working correctly, and I have yet to call about it. They owe me two free days so far. Possibly three, depending on what time I call tomorrow. I hate it when a website has a specific area to contact them with concerns, and then they blow you off and don't respond. What's the point?   Well, I think I'm going to hit the hay. My kids are both gone for the evening, and I am going to take advantage....goodnight all....    

Sick kids, spaghetti and free graphics....

Yes, this is a repeat graphic....because my subscription at Animation Factory is not working properly. It seems they have changed their format, and I am listed under the "free" category, instead of the $59 "gold" category that I have paid for. I have sent an e-mail and if I get no response by tomorrow, they can expect a call from a dissatisfied journalist! What is it with the internet lately? My service has not been good for the past two weeks, now my graphics are taking a dive....sheesh.

Wee one had a raging fever last night. I spent two hours rubbing her down with cool washcloths. She finally began to cool off around midnight, and was able to sleep until morning. She has a stuffy nose and sore throat as well. Her fever returned once today, but it wasn't as bad as last night. She spent the day in her jammies, playing with a huge bucket of toys that was stuck in her closet. She found the tooth fairy pillow she had been looking for, along with a plastic set of bowling pins. She also had three nectarines and two bowls of jello with whipped cream on top....the kid has it made, I tell ya. I even made her favorite dinner of spaghetti. She said it was marvelous. She also updated her journal (listed on the right under Wee One), and said a nice thing about her mom.....*enter collective "awwwww" here.

Right now I'm feeling yucky. My head seems full, I'm dizzy, tired....I have a feeling I may be coming down with wee one's bug. I did all the laundry today, and cleaned the house in case I feel cruddy tomorrow morning. I didn't get out to do my errands, since Betsy has been at her boyfriend's all day, and wee one didn't feel like getting out. I really need stamps. I should send dh to get them for me. Of course, he will complain....but hey, that's what lunch hours are for, right?

Dinner and snails....

Obviously I was bored last night, and decided to photograph dinner as I made it. It was too hot for anything heavy, so I made fried chicken salad. It turned out pretty well....everyone enjoyed it.

Then next few pictures are from today. This is wee one's friend who, whenever she is over, finds a myriad of critters; tree frogs, lizards, dragon flies, and snails. (And yes, they are "catch and release" only) They have such a good time together, I love having her over. They swam together, ate lunch, played inside, took the butterfly net outside and ran around....truly a lazy summer day. Oh to be young and frivolous again!  Unfortunately, I must have picked up Brianna's virus from Kara's entry....and passed it on to wee one, as right now she is covered up, shivering, with a stuffy nose and scratchy throat. Poor baby. She is also watching her most favorite show....Full House. She is obsessed with it. She watches an hour in the morning, and an hour at night. Becky is getting ready to have the twins, and wee one can't wait. It's funny how she is so into the show, becuase when Betsy was a baby, the show was popular and people always said she looked just like "Michelle Tanner from Full House".

I am looking forward to my stint as writer for the Community Storybook. However, I am surrounded by wonderful and talented writers, and I hope I am able to contribute something as good as they have.

Well, I hear wee one calling...."Mommy....I need someone to take care of me...." She always knows just what to say.