It hurts everywhere....

This was my dh today. Now, he shoveled the mulch into the wheel barrow for me, however, I and I alone raked and spread two freaking yards of the stuff. I also transplanted, dug, watered, etc. I am having trouble typing this because my fingers are even sore! But I have to say....it looks wonderful. I'm too tired to go out there and take pics, so you will have to trust me on this one. We still need two more yards of mulch to finish up. We started at 8:30 this morning and I finished at 3:30 this afternoon. But, it was a gorgeous day....overcast and breezy, which made things much easier.

I had to soak in the tub forever....my hands looked neon orange from the coloring in the mulch. I just can't wear those gloves when I do that. I need to "be one with the mulch" as I spread it around....lol. And of course, I just realized that I forgot to pick up the dogs medicine....so that means I have to get dressed again and go out. Damn it!

Wee one spent the day swimming with her little friends from the neighborhood. They were so cute. They must  have jumped in and out of the pool 100 times today. They were wild! Betsy actually made them lunch....mac and cheese for everyone! She is at work now and since it is Saturday....JB had to pick her up! Woofreakinhoo. I have a feeling I will not be awake at 11!

I suppose I had better get a move on and pick up the freaking medicine. Man, I wish Walgreens delivered!

Party day!!!!

As you can see by the above pics, the kids had a great time at their end of the school year party. Several of them sang, there was a dance, a few piano pieces, a rap, stilt walking, bunny hopping and a magic trick. Everyone did really great. One little girl went up to sing the Star Spangled Banner and got flustered in the middle of her song. She just stood there with huge tears in her eyes....and then the class began singing where she left off. It was so sweet! Poor thing cried the rest of the way through, but you can bet she got the biggest round of applause!

Wee one and her little friend did a great job singing....although their voices were barely audible. When they sat down wee one asked me if I saw her knees shaking....lol. After the show, they ate and ate and ate. The other room mom and I were then presented with gifts ( a lovely chenille throw), and cards made by the children. I love getting those cards more than anything, and I thought I would share a few of the things that were written to me....(these are word for word with spelling errors and all!)

From Patrick:
"Dear Mrs. B, Thank you for being are home room mom. Also, thank you for makeing are parties a succesed."

From Kerry:
"Mrs. B thank you for the parties. YOU ROCK!"

From Chase:
"Your no party pooper!"

From Jena:
"Thank you Mrs. B. My God, you have surived us, I wish you luck for the next year, and thoose savages! Thanks for the ice cream and party to come! Thanks!"

And my absolute favorite....From Wee one:
"Thank you Mommy! Dear Mommy, I love u! Thank u for everything! If you didn't help out, you'd be stuck in the bed all day! LOL! Love, your wonderful daughter!"

Now, can you see why I love doing this?

My train of thought has left the station....

I had all sorts of things to write about....but now that I'm sitting here I can't remember any of them. I suppose being that it's just past five am isn't helping. The stupid dog woke me up, shaking his head every two seconds. Apparently, he is having ear issues again. I tell ya, that dog has more ear infections than fifteen three year olds!

Did anyone happen to catch Oprah yesterday? I don't usually watch her since, well, I don't like her, but she had a woman on who wrote the newest hot selling diet book about French women being skinny. I wanted to see what their secret was. Apparently, they do not see food as "bad" or "wrong". They eat what they want, and (here's the key) STOP when they feel satisfied. In other words, if they want a chocolate eclair, they eat one....but put it down half way through because they have already experience the taste and smell. Here's my problem. Who in their RIGHT MIND would waste half a freaking eclair???? Therein lies the difference....

They also have a three bite rule. You get your plate, you take three bites of everything and then you are done. There was no talk of how big your bites should be....are we talking dainty little bird-like bites, or "I haven't eaten all day nevermind the fork just tip the plate into my mouth" sized bites.

Truthfully though, what she said was pretty smart. Enjoy good, wholesome foods and eat slowly, savoring every bite. Your fullness will register sooner and you can have what you like. They don't snack on chips or processed food, but good cheese or yogurt. And if you go out and eat a big dinner, you don't have to have a huge breakfast in the morning. It's about balance. And there are no "bad" foods. Carbs are good, fats are good, protien is good. Just in moderate amounts. They had an American woman on who actually lost 23 lbs. eating this way. Ithink you would have a hard time in the beginning with will power, and recognizing when you feel full. But beyond that, it just may work.

I have to make 34 ice cream cone cupcakes for school tomorrow. (how's that for a segue?) I bought the colored cones for a bit of flare. I do need to go get some frosting though. No, I am not going to whip up a batch of homemade frosting....wayyyyy too much work. LOL. Wee one has been working on her makeup for two days now. Her talent show act will be with her little friend, singing a "Spice Girls" song. She will, of course, be Baby Spice, complete with a Union Jack shirt and plaid skirt. However, she has not yet decided between the "shocking red" and "flaming pink" lipstick. I told her how about just wearing some glittery lip gloss. You can only imagine her response....

Well, I hear Betsy's alarm going off so I suppose I should get ready to take her to the bus stop. Have a lovely Wednesday everyone....

Odds & Sodds....

I had the strangest dreams last night, none of which were hot and/or steamy. I woke up feeling sad and depressed, but I can't quite remember what the dreams were about. Weird....I also slept wrong on my neck so if I want to look at anything to the left, I have to turn my entire body that way. I hate when that happens.

The weekend was a good one, and the pool is officially open....brimming with clean, freshly chlorinated water. It looks rather inviting, however it is way too cold to jump into. I like my pool water tepid.

I just returned from taking wee one to school and let me say....I just love how God works. He knows just when to put a little bit of humor into my day, to chase away the blues. We were driving our usual route when up ahead I noticed they were stopping traffic due to road work. I decided to cut through the adjacent neighborhood so that we weren't delayed. As we were winding our way through, wee one said to me, "They don't have electricity in here?" Puzzled, I asked, "What do you mean? Yes, they have electricity." She said, "Well that sign says 'No Outlet'." Let's just say it's a good thing I didn't have to tinkle at that moment because I don't believe I would have been able to hold it all the way home. I laughed all the way to school....thank you God for blessing me with a child that can brighten my day on a dime. I told her, "Honey I LOVE you!" and then I explained what it meant. She was laughing by the time I finished....what a kid.

Yesterday I finished my mound of ironing (someone didn't like their prize....::coughKimcough::). It took me two hours, but I did it in front of the tv so it wasn't that bad. I was really in the zone: iron, put on hanger, put in closet, repeat. And when I'm in the ironing zone, you just don't stop me. It only takes two seconds to snap me out of the zone....I need to finish without interruption. So, dh comes in the room and is watching me, then he tries to hug me. I'm like, "Move!" he gives me his sad face, "I just want to hug my wife!" I'm thinking, why is it that the ONLY time you want to get cozy is when I'm doing this? I told him that I was in the middle of my least favorite chore and if he wanted clothes for the week, he could wait for my lovin. MEN! The just don't get it.

As for today, I suppose I will start in on the disaster that is my house. My family had a bout of "weekend amnesia"....they forgot where everything went. They forgot where the toys go, that you rinse your plates before putting them in the sink, that when you can't put a toothpick in the kitchen garbage can because one more ounce of gargage will cause it to fall over means that someone should take the trash out....I've got my work cut out for me today.

Happy Monday.

Saturday....

As you can see, dh and wee one have been busy today, working on the tree house. They managed to put the floor on, and wee one spent her afternoon pounding nails in with the hammer that daddy bought specifically for her. I reminded her that it is ONLY for outdoor use and she may NOT bring it inside.

Before starting the tree house, we uncovered the pool. Did we find sparkling clear water underneath? Well, no....more like murky, fuzzy shamrock shake water. So, instead of shocking it back to life, we decided to drain it and start from scratch. After draining and hosing and shop vac-ing the rest of the gunk out of there, wee one got in and scrubbed the sides with our new "side scrubber brush and liquid cleaner". Apparently she inherited my "cleaning gene" as she excitedly told me how it "made all the gunk go away and now it's so shiny!" LOL....that's my girl! I tell ya, when she says that she wants to help her dad outside, she doesn't mean helping for 10 minutes till she gets bored. She was out there until dinner time, working like a little trouper.

I took Betsy to training at work this morning and then to try to cash her first paycheck. We went to our bank which has a sign posted in the middle of the window, "We are now open on Saturdays until 12:00!" However, the darkened lobby said different, so we went to the other branch that was listed. Do you think they were open? Heck no! Poor Bets was so disappointed. I took her to K-Mart and let her pick out a few things anyway, and told her she can pay me back. She got a shirt, a cd, and a tube of toothpaste....lol. I told her I'll pick up the tab on her .79 Aim.

We came home and I swear I spent two hours in the kitchen cooking! I made a wonderful potato salad which included bacon (it's sooooooooo good!), baked beans, grilled burgers and strawberry jello cheesecake pie with real whipped cream. I called my mom and asked her if she wanted to come to eat. She, of course, said no, that she had been cleaning and hadn't even done her hair. I rattled off the menu and let me tell you....she walked in the door just as we were serving! LOL....the woman has excellent timing.

While we were sitting at dinner, wee one told us a little story that I didn't know about. While she and her dad were working on the tree house, apparently the ladder slipped and John ended up hanging there, yelling for her to pick up the ladder. She said to us, "I was so scared I just kept saying crap, crap, crap when I was trying to pick up the ladder. But I did think one thing was funny. Daddy's legs were swinging back and forth like he was riding a bike!" OMG....I almost spit my potato salad out when she said that. I can only imagine my hulky hubby, hanging from that tree house, scrambling to hold on while wee one is trying to get the ladder back in place. DH of course said that she was supposed to be holding the ladder whilst he was up there, but she got distracted. LOL....what I wouldn't have given for a camera at that moment!

Wee one is at her friend's house swimming right now, and Betsy is at work. Dh is in the shower and we are going to watch a movie when he gets out....so I'm outta here for now....later!

And the winner is....

WTG Kim....you were the only one who guessed the answer to yesterday's question correctly. I put the wash off until today....and guess what???? It still isn't done! LOL. Now, I know I told you that I would give you a bowl of homemade ice cream and a dusty donut as a prize, but my piggish family polished off both desserts. So instead, I am going to send you something even better. Keep an eye out for the mailman because you are soon to be the lucky recipient of....the mountain of ironing that I have not yet begun to scale! See? It's a win-win situation for, well, me! LOL....

I would also like to thank Angel, Jeanne and Niki for playing. Although your answers were wrong (you all forgot an important little quirk in my obsessively clean personality....procrastination! lol), you will be receiving the home version of our game.

Anyhoo....

I have a confession to make. As you may have noticed from my past few entries, I've been quite emotional lately, and dare I say it....a tad bit depressed. I'm not sure what it's all about, but it just seems that all aspects of my life  have been out of kilter lately. This morning I got up after 7 hours of sleep, and felt like I had stayed up all night. I went through the usual morning routine and after I returned home from taking wee one to school I went back to bed till noon!  I'm so embarassed! But I have to say, it felt wonderful. I'm currently using the "go ahead and relax because next Friday at noon is d-day" excuse for slacking....the kids finish school that day. I know I keep saying it but where did the school year go?

Speaking of school, I have to plan an "end of the year" party for next week. I'm going to use the ice cream cone cupcake recipe once again (thanks Lisa!!!!) because the kids LOVED them. They are having a talent show that day so I won't have to plan any games. I guess it will be more of a snack thing. Of course, that means getting some other parents to send in juice or chips or what have you....and that pretty much requires a DDS degree in this school....it's like pulling teeth to get people to help out! The kids are always so appreciative of everything that we do though, so it makes it worth it, even if the other room mom and I have to buy most of the treats.

DH took wee one and I out to dinner tonight. I wasn't in the mood to cook and he was in the mood to buy....so it all worked out! Afterward we went to the pool store to get sand for the filter and some start up chemicals....yes, the pool will officially open this weekend! Wee one is thrilled. Betsy, however, keeps reminding me that with her work schedule, vacuuming the pool will be nearly impossible. I reminded her that with my busy schedule, taking her to get her liscense may be nearly impossible.....then she asked if Saturday would be a good day for Dad to set up the vacuum so that she could clean it....

Well, it's about time to pick her up from work. This is really getting expensive! I've used 1/2 a tank of gas in a week, picking her up and taking her to work. Not to mention having to take wee one to and from school for geek patrol. (I had to write that because she was watching me type....)

Have a good evening and Kim, I like nice, crisp lines in my jeans! LOLOL....

I scream, you scream.... oh yeah, and we also had ice cream....

I am not having a good week. My hormones decided to have a party and have invited their friends....so I am overflowing with emotions, tears, you name it. As I was driving my "typical teen" (read: smart alec daughter) to work, I contemplated stopping at the grocery store and picking up a bottle of wine for myself and escaping for a few blissful, buzzed hours. Then I remembered that I had something at home that would make me feel much better than that. Left over vicoden from my last bout of sciatica? No. What I had in mind was much better....

I decided to use my new ice cream maker and freeze my troubles away. I chose the vanilla recipe to start with....something nice and easy. It called for heavy cream, half and half, sugar, vanilla....I could feel the tension melting away as I read the recipe. I followed the directions to the "T" and I must say, it turned out quite well. Smooth, creamy and straight to my thighs. Who could ask for anything more?

Right now JB is outside working on the tree house for wee one. She is at church with her friend and, as I said, Betsy is at work. Yes, I've got a free and quiet night with the hubby and he is outside working off his frustration from the day. I should be enjoying these nights as next Friday is my last day of freedom. The girls will be home at noon....and won't return to school until next August. Where did this year go? I am amazed at how fast it went. Betsy gets her first paycheck on Friday, and I told her that she can do whatever she wants with it....and then the rest of her paychecks will be split between her checking account and car insurance. It's just amazing to me that I have a child who is now in the work force.

Anyhoo....

Completely off topic: My desk had a bunch of scratches on it and it was driving me nuts. So, today I took a brown marker and colored for an hour or so. Let me just say that it looks pretty dang good. My mom said that you are supposed to make a paste consisting of instant coffee andwater and rub that into the scratches. That would never work for me....I'd be journaling and licking the desktop all evening.

Well, I suppose I should go now. I have a load in the dryer that I should take out, and one to put in. But I really don't feel like doing it. Let's take bets on weather or not I actually do the remainder of the laundry, and finish tonight....or leave it for the morning. Come on....it'll be fun. Winner gets a bowl of ice cream and a dusty donut!