Ahhhh, sweet freedom....

There is no relevance between this graphic and this entry....I just thought it was cute!

Today the girls went back to school....you would have thought it would have been hard to get them up and out, but both of them were all smiles, ready to go. Of course, ask me in a week how they are doing and I will guarantee the smiles will be gone and "real life" will have once again returned.

When I get up at 6 to make sure Betsy is almost ready to go to the bus stop, I wake wee one up and have her come into my room. This morning she rolled over, stretched, and fell out of bed. We were both laughing hysterically. She did it in slow motion, kind of sssssllllliiiidddding out of the bed and onto the floor. If it is possible to fall with grace, she did it. She did scrape her back a bit on the bedside table, however, she survived the injury and is fine. We were even early to school this morning, which was good since she needed a note saying that she could not "run" the five laps during gym, but "walk" them because of her Gerd. It is really bad right now....and when it's bad it causes pain when she runs, or walks, and sometimes just standing. However, she has been taking her Zantac and is beginning to feel better.

Betsy of course, came home with a list of things she needs for her new classes, along with $25 for her creative photography 3 class. Sigh....I didn't want to spend any more money this week....but, this can't be helped. She seems excited to start the class even if there are, as she put it, "tons of projects" that are scheduled. The teacher even told them that if they have a job that consumes more than 10 hours a week, they should consider dropping the class because of the heavy workload. I'm sure she can handle it though....she's a good student and has enjoyed the previous photography classes.

So, what did I do today....I cleaned the house and it actually STAYED clean for a few hours! No one walking on my freshly vacuumed carpets....although I did see tiny paw prints trailing back and forth as I moved room to room. London is not like Percy in that respect....she runs from the vacuum! I used to have to vacuum around Percy, and would even push him out of the way with it while it was running. London runs to the farthest end of the house, then peeks around the corner to watch for me. If I'm carrying it from one spot to another, she will bark at it....it's so cute! 

However, she loves when I windex Betsy's closet doors. While I'm cleaning one side, she is licking the other like she's helping me. What a nut! After cleaning for a bit, we went outside to play....I feel guilty when she doesn't get attention! Then we came in and I cleaned some more....then it was time for another potty break....and then a short nap for both of us! LOL. She is just so snuggly if you lie down next to her! I have to say, I was ready for the girls to come home....I got used to them being around for the past two weeks.

I can't believe it but they don't have a full week of school until February. They have "hurricane days" that they didn't use, so the school system is giving them Friday's off. Is that not the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard???? Trust me, this school system needs all the days they can get....they certainly don't need to give the kids extra days off. It's crazy. I can't wait to get out of here!

Okay....time to relax for a bit before bedtime. JB told London that she is NOT sleeping on the bed tonight. She's getting bigger and there isn't as much room as there was a few weeks ago. Of course, who do you think is putting her up there? MmmmHmmmmm, Mr. "I don't want a girl dog....I'm not going to like her because I want a boy dog". Yeah, he said that but now, what is the first thing he says when he comes home from work? "Where's my girl? There she is!!!! My sweetie....how are you my little Lon-Lon?" Such a sucker for a furry face....

Last day of freedom....

Ahhhhh yes, tomorrow the girls go back to school. Betsy is ready to get back, however wee one informed me only moments ago that she does not want to return to school and "can't you just homeschool me?". Poor kid. She has such anxiety issues....I can only pray that things get better for her. She is such a smart, witty child....it makes me so sad to see her stress over things. I'm trying to build her up so that the second half of this year goes smoothly. Of course now they are going to be pushing the FCAT's (standardized testing) so that will open up a whole new bag of worms. I guess I had better make sure her anxiety medication has plenty of refills....she has already been having acid reflux today, thinking about returning to school....sigh.

I made a pretty dang good dinner last night....fried tilapia with hushpuppies (homemade and wonderful!), coleslaw and rolls. Everyone loved it. I did so well eating yesterday....cereal for breakfast, bagel and fruit for lunch....and then dinner. Oh well....at least I was on track until 5! LOL. It rained buckets last night. I had to walk the dog and of course the minute we got out there it started pouring. She HATES getting wet, so it was a pretty quick trip out there.

London has been doing so well at night. All I have to do is say "nighty night" and she walks right into her crate. Of course, last night she was barking at 2:30....so out we went to go potty. Funny though, when John let her sleep next to the bed instead of in her crate (bad, bad John!), she slept all night. Just like a toddler who wants to lay with mommy I suppose....she has trained really well....although she still has "potty issues" sometimes. I suppose that is normal....but she knows "sit" and "fetch" really well. I am definately going to have to take her to obediance training though....she has inherited Percy's stubbornness. She will sit down and REFUSE to move on her leash if she doesn't feel like going in the direction I am. Percy would actually sit and lean away from me for extra leverage. I swear....I think he is her guardian angel and he's whispering in her ear just to taunt me! LOL.

Okay, I'm off to the store....then back home to tackle the mound of crud on my desk. Oh how exciting my day is!!!!

Happy New Year....

I don't know what happened but in the past two days I've eaten soup twice. I had vegetable beef at Steak & Shake, and lima bean that my mom made and brought over today. I suppose I am a bit of a soupy girl. I used to love cream of mushroom as a kid. I remember coming home from church and making myself some....not because mom wouldn't do it for me....but because she would whisk all the lumps out. I loved the glops that didn't quite break apart. Of course it was Campbells....nothing else tasted quite the same. I also loved french onion soup. My sisters and I would make a piece of toast and float it on top of the soup, then put mozzarella cheese on top and microwave it until it got all stringy....mmmmm. We just loved that.

Our New Years eve was very quiet. I fell asleep watching the South Park marathon and John fell asleep watching....well, I'm not sure. He did, however, come in at midnight to tell me Happy New Year. Our neighbors were out, blowing horns and squirting silly string....which is now decorating the street in front of our house. Betsy said she had a nice time with her friends, and that the firework display downtown was awesome. Wee one said that they were jumping on the trampoline, tooting their horns and having a grand time at midnight. When I went to pick her up this morning I asked what time they went to bed. The older sister said, "Well, the movement in their room stopped around 4:30." LOL....when she came downstairs she looked like she was hungover....puffy eyes, still in her pj's....it was cute. She said they went to the barn to visit the horses (the mom and the daughter have one), and that was cool. Anyone want to take bets on how long it will be until I'm asked for riding lessons?

This morning we got up and went to early church....much to Betsy's chagrin, getting in at 1:00 am....then picked up wee one from her friend's house. Mom and Jody were here for a while....we had lunch and sat around eating since the "diets" all start tomorrow....yeah, sure they do. I will say though, I'm tired of my steady diet of Christmas cookies.

I did have a nice afternoon with my hubby though. He's been off for 10 days and it will be hard for him to go back to work tomorrow....so we ran to the store for toilet paper (that's not the romantic part), then went to Sonic for an orange cream slush for me, and a strawberry cream pie shake for him. We took them to the park and walked along the pier, then sat on the bench that looks over the marina. It was so beautiful in the afternoon sunlight....the boats and the water....and the weather has been gorgeous. Mid 70's with NO, ZERO, NADA humidity. We stayed for about 40 minutes, just enjoying the fresh air. Then we took a walk around the park, along the trails and near the pond....it was really nice. We haven't been doing much since, although we did watch The Wedding Singer. I just love that movie!

So, tomorrow things get back to normal....well, sort of since the kids dont' go back to school until Wednesday. I don't know why that is....but I'm sure I can find some cleaning and/or organizing for them to do. It's just the kind of loving mom I am....

Oh yes....my *dear friend Lori was *so kind to tag me this evening....*enter sarcasm here....so here is my very scaled down list of "quirks" that I have....

1. On the complete opposite end of the spectrum as Amy, I meticulously check the expiration dates on everything in my fridge. And just to be on the safe side....I throw them away 2 days before their "sell" by dates....

2. I have an obsession with the number "4". If you notice I like to use "...." a lot in my entries. You will never see 3 dots, nor 5 dots, but always 4. This holds true for exclamation points when I write "I love you!!!!" on anything for my family....(I'll bet you counted those, didn't you?)

3. I am obsessively clean about my e-mail box. I actually feel irritated when I know that there are e-mails that I either, a. haven't read or b. am not in the mood to read. Once I purge my mailbox I feel MUCH better. I'm the same way about my desk....I hate having clutter....and there is a lot of it right now! Grrrr....

4. I have to have at least 5 calendars in my house, and I can't change over to the next month or day (if it's a tear off calendar), until that exact date. I also have a tradition on New Year's day where I sit down with my old calendar, a pen and a highlighter, and go month by month writing down important dates....

5. My rings have to be lined up perfectly at all times. I hate it when the wedding band is askew, the mother's ring is to the side and the engagement ring has twisted completely around. I fiddle with them a lot....

Ahhhh, there we go. My top 5 quirks of the day....drove me crazy not to stop at 4!!!!

The non-resolutions....

I've decided to do something new this year.  It seems that whenever I make a resolution,  I end up doing the exact opposite of what I intended to do. So, with that in mind, I give you....

"Sherry's List of Opposite Resolutions, 2006"

1. I resolve to enjoy carb, fat and sugar laden foods in order to become the woman I want to be. No longer will I be a slave to celery, fat free dressing and gallons of Crystal Light. I will make it a point to eat well after 6:00 pm, and possibly throughout the evening, whilst sitting on the couch watching tv.

2. I resolve to take a nap for 30 minutes, three times a week. I will trade in my New Balance walking shoes for fuzzy slippers and snooze my way from breakfast to lunch....or perhaps lunch to dinner, whichever fits my schedule. I will not sign up at my local gym,  park further from the doors while shopping, or take the stairs instead of the escalator.

3. I resolve to spend my money like water and not put a penny into savings. I'll use my credit cards until the little strip melts off, and scoff at those who use coupons. All of the clothes I buy will be full price and from the mall instead of outlet stores. I will be the best dressed woman at the debt consolidation office.

4. I resolve to let London have run of the house. I won't take her to obedience school, but give her free reign....my harvest table will be her fantasy chew toy, my carpeting her luxurious outhouse. I will set a place at the table so that she does not have to beg on the cold floor, and make John sleep on the couch so that my precious pooch is sure to have a restful night sleep on our expensive new mattress set. She will be our little princess! (Okay, that last sentence will be true either way....lol).

That is all of the "opposite resolutions" I can think of right now....I'm sure I will remember some more later. Betsy has gone out with friends for the evening, and wee one is spending the night at one of her little girlfriends. Of course, that leaves John and I alone....

We started our romantic evening at my mom's, setting up her dvd/vcr player. After that we had a superb dinner at Steak & Shake.  Then, we came home for a quiet, cozy evening....he is snoring on the couch with London at his feet, and I'm here on the computer. Sometimes I wonder how we went from New Year's out on the town, partying until dawn, to sitting at a hamburger restaurant next to a senior couple out with their two grandkids whilst their own kids were most likely enjoying a spectacular evening somewhere....but what is really scary is that we WANTED to spend our evening like this! I suppose time goes on, we all get older, and things change. But that's okay. I like where I am....and who I'm with. And I suppose, that is all that truly matters.

I wish every one of my wonderful friends a very Happy New Year! Have fun and be safe!

 

Finally a few minutes to sit!

I still can't believe Christmas has come and gone. It seems like we waited forever for it to get here, only to have it immediately leave. Sigh....

We attended the candlelight service at church on Christmas Eve, a wonderful way to begin the celebrating. The service was a sort of "unplugged" version of our usual Sunday mornings with lots of music and even a solo sung by our minister. It was wonderful....who knew he had such a lovely voice! My mom and sister came with us, as well as Betsy's boyfriend. Mom and Jody came home with us and we relaxed in front of the tree for a bit....and opened a few gifts. The next morning the girls were happy to see that Santa had been there, and we spent an hour or so opening gifts. The girls were thrilled with all of their presents....

Of course we also had wee one's birthday to celebrate, so she got to open those gifts as well. Everything she got was somehow related to "The Nightmare Before Christmas". She now has a hoodie, shirt, pj's, slippers, lip gloss,  pillow, blanket, PS2 game, soundtrack and special edition DVD to keep her occupied! LOL. She just loves that movie.

After the gifts were opened, we went to church and then came home to have Christmas with mom and Jody. When my mom came over she gave the girls their gifts....portable dvd players, which they were thrilled with. Each of them also got a tub of chocolate peppermint reception sticks (thin peppermint sticks covered half way up with chocolate) "from" my dad. He always used to have reception sticks on his headboard in the bedroom, and he would share them with the girls. They used to sneak into his room and get them all the time....of course he knew they were taking them but would act like he didn't know where they were disappearing to.

Later in the afternoon we packed up and went to my aunt and uncle's house for dinner. It was a nice visit, thankfully. JB and I put aside work issues and enjoyed the afternoon as a family, which made everything much nicer. We actually had a great time, especially playing bingo. My aunt always has the quirkiest ideas for things to do. Last year she got wee one a set of handbells and after we were done eating, we were each assigned a bell and we played Christmas music. It was hysterical....and after the first 20 or so times, it started to sound pretty good! Of course, I'm not sure how the neighbors enjoyed it, being that we were out on the back porch! This year we had a great time with the bingo. She had bought 10 gifts and wrapped them, so that after someone got a bingo, they could choose a prize. Wee one won the first game, then the second. By the time she won the third game she said she didn't want to play anymore. Janice asked her if there was something wrong and she said, "No, I just think I've won enough. And I want mom to pick a prize instead of me this time." Awwwww.....everyone thought that was so nice....and she ended up being the caller from that point on. We decided since things were moving rather slowly, that we would not clear our cards on the last game to get things going. Of course my sister and I got Bingo at the same time....so like the immature brats that we are, we raced over to the tree and pushed and shoved each other to get the gifts we wanted! LOL....we stayed until 7 and then it was back home to wind down.

I didn't go anywhere on the 26th....I wasn't going to fight the crowds. Of course I have been out since and now have more to pack away until next year. To be honest, I didnt' see anything that was a real bargain....but it didnt' stop me from buying! LOL. I did have all of my decorations down the day after, however, I was told to leave the trees up until New Years. Guess what? I'm taking them down tomorrow! Oh, if you could only see the girls rooms. It looks like a tornado went through them! I can't wait to get organizing!

Okay, I am outta here for now. I have come down with a terrible cough and I feel like my head weighs 20 lbs. I hope that everyone had a merry Christmas!

 

 

Christmas pics....

I am going to put these pics in for your viewing enjoyment....but I'll write later as the dh is standing here, coffee in hand, sighing as he waits to sit down and play spider solitaire. Man, he acts like this computer is his too!

HO-HO-HO

Only 12 minutes left of Christmas Eve....where does the time go? It seems like just yesterday I was putting up my decorations....and you all know what I'll be doing on Monday! LOL....

Tonight was a lovely evening. We went to the candelight service at church at 8, and it was just beautiful. I love it when all the candles are lit and we sing. It is so peaceful, and such a beautiful reminder of the true meaning of Christmas.

Today Betsy went for a bike ride with my aunt whilst I finished up baking the rest of the cookies. I had three different kinds that I wanted to make, but I only got one done. My aunt from NC is here, and she stopped by which meant I stopped baking! LOL. We had a nice visit and will see her tomorrow at our family gathering. I knew that wee one would be anxiously waiting for tomorrow, so I let her open one of her birthday gifts. She got "The Nightmare Before Christmas; Special Edition" movie on dvd....but that wasn't the one I wanted her to open. I also got her "Oogies Revenge" for the ps2....but both packages were the same size and shape....so she ended up opening both of them. Needless to say she was well occupied all day long! JB spent the day outside washing the car and waxing it. I have to say (and it's killing me to do so)....the weather was beautiful. Sunny and mid 60's....it felt like the beginning of spring! I was sitting outside in the rope swing, enjoying the breeze as London chased her ball around the yard. I will never get used to winter here!

Santa has already visited, and I see a pile of presents under the tree. It's amazing that you can spend so much money and have such a small pile! LOL. Still, I think the girls will be very happy with their gifts. I have a feeling that wee one is caught between knowing who Santa is, and wanting to believe who she thought he was. She said to me, "I already know the tooth fairy isn't real." I asked her how she knew and she said, "Well, she forgot me TWO nights in a row!" (Hey, I was really tired!!!!) LOL. I suppose they have to find out sometime....still, it will be a tradition I will miss.

Only 4 minutes left until Christmas Day....so I shall go and dream of sugar plum fairies and such....

Have a Very Merry Christmas my friends!!!!