Month: October 2008

  • I'm a Dragon

    Wait a minute. Maybe that should have been spelled, "I'm a draggin' since I still feel sleepy!!!  LOL

    I stayed up a little late last night diligently trying to finish reading my book.  The story is winding things up and I'm SO very close to the end.  But, I couldn't do it.  Tonight, for sure, I should be able to finish the last 25, or so, pages.

    It's cloudy today with the promise of rain by 5pm and heavy rain tomorrow.  Sharon's (sil) mom's funeral is tomorrow and we still don't know if we'll attend it or not.

    The painter, Don, is supposed to be here today to start working on the kitchen cabinet doors.  I know he'll be back because he left remnants of his trade!!!

    The only reason I found his stuff in a corner was because I am finding ponytail elastics all over the house again.  This time I think I have found the culprit.  Not that he is opening the drawer and taking them out, but I DID catch him red handed!
    My innocent little Chirpy!


    This week-end I chose the quilts for the foster children's beds.  The beds are made with clean sheets, no blankets, and the quilts & shams.  It looks better from the foyer and formal living room instead of just mattress pads on the unmade beds.  PLUS, the cats can't get the beds dirty with a quilt on them.  Now I need to consider what I want in the way of window treatments.  This room gets a LOT of sun in the summer and it's pretty bright until the sun goes down.  No good if someone is sick and needs to sleep.

    Pretty girlie looking wouldn't you say?
    I don't what I'll do if they offer me 2 girls and a boy.  Guess his bed will be the one in the corner, hidden by the one door closed!!!   Then he can have his own boy-ish bedding!

    And, the dresser is all emptied and waiting for little people's clothing.
    I need to put those blankets in a closet today.  One is an electric blanket for the double bed, but I don't think I'll use that.  Never know who might be a bed wetter.   Better safe than shocked!

    I went to the grocery store with Stephanie yesterday.  When, oh when, will I learn to stay away from Wal-Mart on a weed-end????  I was stocking up on pantry items (bread crumbs, seasonings, sugar, etc.) and could barely pull my grocery cart to one side to use my calculator, because of the throngs of people.  Standing in line was a whole different story!  I think we were in the slowest line in the whole store.  Of course, someone had a problem and the light on lane #8 blinked and blinked - *our* lane - while the check-out clerk waited for a manager.  I had told Stephanie to move from lane #6 to lane #8 and she was seething and told me in a not so sweet voice, "We should have stayed in the lane *I* picked."  Not wishing to slap my 30yo in the face in public (LOL) I simply nodded in agreement.

    Don just arrived.  My girls were semi-ready as I told them to hurry and get dressed when they first woke up.

    I took a quick bath and threw on a dress while still half asleep.  Rissy caught me at my desk with barely any coffee in me!

    Today will be an odd day - working around Don in the kitchen.  He said he was going to work on the cabinets in our garage with a tarp down.  Since it's supposed to rain tomorrow, I don't know if he'll come back tomorrow or wait until Wednesday.  I would think his plan is to strip the doors today and paint them tomorrow and let them cure for a couple of days before he puts them back up on the cabinets. 

    I haven't a clue as to what dinner will be.  Jesse treated us to Mexican food after church yesterday.  Last night we had the leftovers, which worked out great.  I took such a long time at Wal-Mart, it was 6:30 before I got home and unloaded the groceries.  Many things have to be put away today, the canned goods for one.  And, I have 3 packs of 24 count turkey hotdogs (Jenny-O) to divide into packages of eight.  That's a lot of hotdogs but, like I said, I stocked up yesterday.

    I also have the bathroom towels and Jesse laundry to do today.  I'm waiting for Don to finish taking the doors off of the cabinets before I tie up the laundry room - the room you walk through to get to the garage from the kitchen.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    I took a break to finish getting ready.

    Things look lots better AFTER a cup or two of coffee!!!  And brushing my hair doesn't hurt, either!  Although this is really an illusion . . . I am not nearly as awake as I look!

    That's why our homeschool doesn't start until 10am.  No telling what I'd be teaching if I attempted it earlier!

    Best get my books out and another cup of coffee.  THEN, I should be okay!  ( . . . should be . . . ) LOL

    Be blessed~

  • Camera Cord Arrived!

    I'm EXCITED!!!!!!

    Yes, I am.  As we headed out yesterday, I checked the mail box and there sat my new camera cord.  I, once again, can link everyone to my life . . . not that EVERYone wants to be linked!

    Yesterday, as we drove down our street, I had a funny feeling that we hadn't received a call from the therapist's office reminding us of our appointment.  Of course, I ALSO realize, with my mind being how it is, that didn't necessarily mean they didn't call the day before and I had simply forgotten.  Fortunately, I had the presence of mind to call the doctor's office and ask.  NOPE!  They were all out of the office yesterday!  Sooooo glad I called first.  That saved a 15 mile trip to and back again, and saved another 2 gallons of my precious gas.  Jesse filled my Suburban up 3 weeks ago when I was suffering from those headaches.  I'm still on 3/4 of a tank.  We have the *good gas* in the Suburban.  That means the more *expensive gas* since prices have come way down from what they were 3 weeks ago!!!!  I console myself by calling the expensive gas "the good gas" and it's a running joke between my friend Tangi and I.

    We went to the *local post office* (3 miles from the house) to mail Jesse's sister's (JoAnn's) birthday gift; and, the Wal-Mart that is close to us.  AND, best of all . . . I was home by 3:30pm - almost unheard of on a Friday!  Instead of barbecued beef sandwiches, I made chicken fettuccine with sun dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts.  Stephanie and JanaLyn joined us for dinner and JanaLyn spent the night.  I'm watching her on Saturdays while Stephanie works all day.

    Rather than chatter my fool head off, I will start posting the pictures I took over the past week, or so.

    The Before and After pictures of our once blue house, now olive brown.


    The Before and After pictures of the girls' bathroom, formerly white and ugly.


    The color was a lighter taupe than I remembered it being, but it dried darker than when it was still wet and blends well with the picture and other decor.


    The storm clouds that threatened us one day, but only brought a few droplets of rain.  Aren't they pretty?


    The Before and After pictures of Sampson's hallway.  That's the 6' hall that goes from the foyer to the kitchen and where his bowls of food and water sit.  I have definitely decided NOT to rehang all my little collectible pictures and things.  I think I'll hang something large and leave it at that . . . although, I have no idea WHAT will end up there!

    See by the thermostat?  The wall wasn't even all one color because we installed a new thermostat!  This was a peachy sand color.


    Now it is the same cream as the guest bedroom.  The kitchen is a pale yellow and, for some reason, the new hall cream color reflects the yellow of the kitchen.  At least it makes the area blend from one room to another.
    And see the bright and clean newly painted white door frame?  The 3 door frames in the kitchen were repainted and he will start on our cabinets on Monday.  I was standing in the kitchen when I took the second picture.

    Ah, yes! The infamous fuzzy cabinet doors!  Can you see the little bumps of fuzz that were painted onto the doors from the shedding roller?  The doors AREN'T cream, like the 2nd picture, but bright white.


    The window over the sink that looks into the den was also repainted and looks so nice.  Still waiting for the paint to cure so I can put my basket of apples back on the ledge.


    This is the Before picture of my fuzzy kitchen cabinets.  The fuzzy ones are only on the one side of the kitchen, the rest are okay.  No comments, please, on the 7 dozen cookies by the stove.  I buy different flavors, divide them between the boxes so each has a mix, and then freeze the remaining boxes to be eaten at a later date.  Can you imagine eating 7 dozen cookies each week?!


    The Before and After pictures of the bedroom hallway, also painted the same cream color as the guest room. 


    I just noticed, the pictures in the second group didn't get put back in the same order.  I forgot to check my camera to see how they were supposed to be hung!!!!  The second picture shows a picture of my mother (the oval) and, above it, my mother with her sister (the rectangle), my Aunt Doris.


    The Before and After pictures of the guest room.  This is the room where the infamous cream colored paint was intended to be used, and no where else.  Who would have thought it would grow in the can and end up also encompassing two hallways??!!

    Before


    After

    I moved the furniture around, at Jesse's suggestion.  The double and twin bed are under the window with a night stand.  The dresser is against the old bed wall AND that space to the right of the dresser will hold one more twin bed, IF we keep one of the room's double doors closed.  That's how we will be able to take in 3 foster children.  They HAVE TO HAVE separate beds.

    Speaking of which, I called the people who are supposed to have my file and will be assigning it to someone to do our home study.  She said she had my file in her office and was assigning them in the order of how they were received.  The case worker should NEVER have told me it would be assigned in the next day or two.  AND, she said to keep the documents I had copied for him (the ones he failed to pick up last Friday) and give them directly to the caseworker when s/he came for our interview.

    And, last but not least, my little girlies and JanaLyn last Saturday morning.  They pretty much look the same way again this Saturday morning, just wearing different nightgowns!
    Annamarie                                                      Luci                JanaLyn              Rissy

    I don't know why Luci has decided to start putting her hands in such an angelic form in all of her pictures????!

    And now everyone has been brought up to date on my life in pictorial form!!

    Homeschool today will be: Bible - The Lord's Prayer, Oklahoma history, Greek & Latin, art - color pictures of something "fall" for the front of their binders, and Rissy has a Pre-Test in spelling.

    Meatloaf on the menu tonight.  Probably cheesy potatoes and green beans.  I forgot to buy salad stuff when I shopped yesterday.  I ALWAYS forget one or two things - even if I DO write them on my list!

    Happy week-end, everyone!

  • It's Furrrrr-riiii-daaaaay!

    This has been a week that started racing by; and then, so did my responsibilities, coming at me from every direction.

    We didn't have school on Wednesday.  The painter was here, Jesse was here, and by the time the conversations stopped, I was too tired to tackle teaching.  Plus, I needed to start dinner - a turkey roast, sweet potatoes, boxed stuffing, broccoli, cranberry sauce, and rolls.  Just an off day for me with a big dinner planned.

    Yesterday, I taught everything except art, Greek & Latin, and Oklahoma history.  About 5 hours of school with a lunch break sandwiched in, to give us a rest.  I'm glad we pushed through, but my, oh my, were we ever bleary-eyed by 4:00!

    Jesse, I, and the painter talked about touching up some of our kitchen cabinet doors.  When we moved in, they were painted (over the original mahogany finish) an olive green.  Maybe sage, but GREEN, nonetheless.  We covered them with Kilz and painted them semi-gloss white.  Actually, we hired some friends to help.  One friend used a roller that was shedding fuzz balls onto the cabinet, but continued to paint anyway.  Not a smooth finish!  We have 4 or 5 fuzzy painted doors and Don is going to strip those and make them smooth.  Also, I never finished painting the board that runs under the cabinets on top of the floor - kick board??? - and he will catch those few spots.  There was so much painting to be done when we bought the house and I got VERY burnt out.  He said he'd come back Monday to start work on the kitchen.  He DID paint the doorways of the kitchen and pantry/laundry room.  They needed a second coat; but, like I said, I was burnt out.

    Jesse's brother called this morning to tell me my sister-in-law's mother died last night.  She, my sil, was there (in a city about 45 minutes from us) and he said they were headed back home (3.5 hours away from us in the opposite direction) and would be back Monday night for Tuesday morning's funeral.  We may have house guests Monday night. 

    Speaking of Monday and Tuesday . . . we are supposed to have a cold front with rain come through and I can hardly wait.  Tuesday may be a cold, rainy day.  If Jesse can't work mowing, we may go to the funeral.  We never met Sharon's mother, but we would like to be there for Sharon's sake.  I'll have to see what he has planned for Tuesday.  I know he found a free medical clinic and made an appointment for Tuesday to be seen.  He still isn't feeling very good after being sick last week.  I don't know if his appointment is in the morning, making attending the funeral impossible.

    I know Jesse will be working for a friend's pawn shop this winter.  At least we know that is a sure deal.  The friend is someone we've know over 10 years.  Jesse used to help him with his roofing business - a business the friend still owns.

    Last night for dinner, I used the one big crown of broccoli I had left from Wednesday's dinner, boiled 3 chicken breasts, and made a casserole.  Broccoli, rice, chicken & cheese.  The girls commented that I hadn't made it in a long time, which is true.  It's something I prefer to make in the fall/winter months.  The whole time we ate Rissy commented, "This is soooo good, Mom!"  She took a second large helping.  Must have been REALLY GOOD to her!

    Since this is my busy day (therapy appointments, post office, grocery shopping), I will serve barbecued beef on buns with chips and dill pickles.  An easy way out of having to stand in the kitchen cooking a longer meal!

    I found this old picture and wondered if any of you know who this might be?  It's rather (um?) "dated" a bit!

    A Xanga friend, Amber, mentioned in her last blog she "wanted to be Italian" and I having living proof that I did, too!  In fact, I wanted to marry someone dark and very Italian.  The man's face in my dreams wasn't clear, but the darkness definitely was!  I dated one guy who was Italian (which is what made me love Italians) and after that, EVERY person I dated was lighter - not darker than brown hair - complected.  I decided to doctor myself up in hopes of attracting an Italian!

    So, yes . . . the truth is out.  I used to dye my hair (and EYEBROWS!!!!!) almost black!  VERY dark brown hair, at least.  But it didn't attract any Italians.  The only Italian thing I enjoy now is Italian food!  (why is it ALWAYS about food with me???!!!)   Which is why, I "think" (!!!), my friend Amber wants to be Italian!

  • THIRTEEN THINGS THAT HAPPENED THIS MORNING
    BEFORE 9AM

    1.  I woke up very early - 6-something.  Finally got out of bed at 7am when Chirp insisted on playing and nuzzling my face.

    2.  I had been dreaming (in epic proportions, AGAIN) about WHY we have heard nothing about our home study.  I went to the place that was assigned to do our home study and met "NorElla" a gawky, goofy looking bleached yellow blond (an obvious bad home bleaching job) with cream colored (same as my newly painted walls!!!) plastic rimmed glasses.  She was 6' 4" tall and her clothes were skimpy, old-fashioned, and didn't fit her right.  She was in one word, obnoxious!  But, she was the one assigned to our home study and I was told by her co-workers she was a ditzy goof.  This was more of a nightmare than a dream!!!  I'm glad Chirper woke me up!

    3.  I took a bath long before I was totally awake.  I was trying to bathe quickly, and I realized I had washed my right leg three times!

    4.  I needed more than 3 cups of coffee to wake me up this morning, as opposed to the normal 1 1/2 cups!

    5.  I turned off "The Today Show" when all they talked about was more sad economic conditions.  And, the fact someone drove from Ohio to Nebraska (maybe Kansas, I wasn't awake) to drop off a teen they couldn't handle at a hospital.  The law was meant to be "no questions asked" when someone dropped off an infant because they were unable to care for the newborn.  This was the same place where a man had brought his 9 children, saying they were better off without him.  AND I CAN'T GET A HOME STUDY DONE SO WE CAN TAKE CARE OF CHILDREN LIKE THAT!!!!!

    6.  I opened up the windows in the house.  One of the sensors to the burglar alarm system fell off of the window. Fortunately, we had already turned off the alarm.

    7.  To get to the nail glue (what you use to glue the sensors to the windows), I had to move the 10' ladder Don's been using, then get a step stool, and then search through the "tool" tub.  A Sterlite big plastic box. I located the glue, made the repair, and did everything in reverse to put the ladder back in its original place.

    8.  I quickly continued to dress, do my hair, and face before Jesse left.  He was waiting in case Don showed up.  I hate to bathe with a worker in the house.  Gives me the creeps - locked doors, or not.

    9.  When I was completely done, shoes and all, Jesse came inside and said Don had left a message on Jesse's cell phone that he wouldn't be able to come today (had to take a grandchild for some shots) and he would see us Monday.  Sigh!  All that racing around I did . . .

    10.  I ordered the girls to bathe before we had school and a fight ensued as to WHO would take a bath first.  Normally, it's the other way around and "last" is the position they vie for.

    11.  I read a few blogs and purged my email account of old mail, while I ate a bowl of dry cereal and drank ANOTHER cup of coffee.

    12.  The fresh air made the house cooler than the stuffy air we felt this morning and it made everything pleasant.  Birds were chirping.  Garbage truck lumbered down our street picking up trash.  No wind outside - translated that means: no dust INside!

    13.  Then my quiet solitude was interrupted by Luci saying, "Mom!!!  Quick!  Look at Chirper!"  He was on the window sill of the guest room.  The room I can see from my desk.  I told her he wanted to smell the outside through the screen.  She said, "NO, MOM!!!!  He's OUTside!"  Sure enough, he had found a small tear in the screen and had made his way to the outside window sill.  Oh!  Be still, my heart!  I eased him back inside and closed the window except for 6 or 7 inches.  That's after I tore almost the whole bottom of the screen out of the frame.

    Any chance I got the chaos out of the way early today??????

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  • Is It REALLY Wednesday?

    This week seems to be flying by and it *doesn't* seem like much is happening. 

    One thing hasn't changed.  I'm still typing on my old keyboard because I haven't felt like crawling under my desk to track the keyboard's cord and replace it with the new keyboard Jesse brought home for me.  Yes, I *know* I'm lazy!!!  LOL  Still missing those "f" "g" ")" and "-" keys and having to retrace.  My words continue to come out, "heap o trouble" instead of "of"!!!!  I have to pound several times on the keys that miss.  Bear with me . . . I try to catch typos, but miss many other things.  I'm so worried about missing letters, I miss the obvious misuse of "their" and "there"!!!   (sigh) Not the worst problem in the world, by any means!

    Get this . . . after having OVER bought an amount of beige paint, which made us use it in the hallways, too, Don ran out in Sampson's little hallway.  Jesse had to make a run to Home Depot after work yesterday, to buy ANOTHER can of beige!  A little ironic, since I didn't want ANYTHING beige in the first place!!!  Don just showed up, I'm half asleep in my bathrobe, and he's ready to paint onward!  He said he'd finish the woodwork in the kitchen (semi-gloss white) that we never did finish after moving in 4 years ago.  Embarrassing, but the truth!  We bought stain for our master bath cabinets (mahogany) and I never did that either, so Jesse wants me to ask Don if he can do that job, too.  I see our bill with him moving higher and higher, but . . . if we HAVE TO sell our house, at least it will be freshly painted and the carpeting is the only eye sore.

    *  Jesse just called and no one needs their lawn mowed.  He said it all looks the way it looked 2 weeks ago when he last mowed.  That means his income is coming to a screeching halt!

    *  Yesterday, I spoke with my banker and he said he'd be happy to speak with me next week about the economy and how it impacts Jesse and me.  He just had surgery and yesterday was his first day back to work.  Besides playing "catch up," I'm sure he feels less than great.  He went home early.

    *  Taco salads last night with the ground beef I pulled out of the freezer.  Rissy did it all.  I showed her how to season the meat and how much water to use to let it simmer into the meat.  Other than that, she asked for help (from her sisters) with setting the table, etc.  I went out to see if she was ready for me to assemble the salads and she only needed me to open the olive and black beans can.  She had five plates with five salads already put together.  She's becoming pretty good at kitchen duties and cooking.  She brought me a recipe card and asked me to make a taco salad card to add to her recipe box.  I should date it, because someday, when I'm long gone, she can look at it and remember she was only 7yo when her momma copied that recipe to her card!

    *  I got Jesse's checks entered and a deposit slip made yesterday so he could take it this morning to be deposited.  I just noticed it's still here.  Can't pay bills until the deposit is made.  Maybe he'll be home early and will be able to run it up to a local branch.  Just so the money gets in there.

    *  I couldn't bring myself to watch the presidential debate last night.  There is so much mud slinging going on in these  last weeks of campaigning, and I had a feeling the debate would be more of the same.  Apparently, it was.

    *  Instead, I went back to bed (after playing Solitaire on the computer) a little early and read more in my book.  Now I'm wanting to finish it, but I keep getting sleepy and have to put it down!  At least I'm to the point where President & Mrs. Lincoln have *just* moved into the White House!  We all know there can't be much more to the story after that.  It jumps between her growing up as a child, to her being in an asylum, to her growing up and meeting President Lincoln, to her being in an asylum, to her in the White House, to her . . .   I've caught on to the author's tempo and it's easy reading, now!

    *   School is going well,  and my new lesson planning book is largely the reason.  Today is the hard day to teach:  Math, Language Arts, etc.  We're using Saturday to do what we didn't do during the week and teaching Latin & Greek along with Oklahoma history.  JanaLyn is here on Saturdays and I'm happy those are the subjects she'll be "subjected" to (a little play on words!).

    *  Jesse had to turn off the heat & air fans (we run them all the time) and the ceiling fans this morning.  It was below 50 outside and the chill in the house was welcome.  This is the time of year when nights are chilly and days are around the upper 70's and low 80's.  The time of year we can pull out our long sleeved or 3/4 sleeved cotton dresses.  Soon it will be to chilly for those during the day.  HELLO CASSEROLES!!!!

    So, there you have a bullet form of what's not so exciting in my life.  Kinda nice for a change!

  • Tuesday, No News Day

    Don is here painting the hallways.  We have the bedroom hallway (20 something feet) and a 6 foot hallway that leads from our foyer into our kitchen which is named  "Sampson's hallway" because it's where his food and water sit.

    Mrs. Carper, I hate to say it, but I over bought the creamy beige paint for the guest room, and now the hallways, that I had hoped to paint gray, will be beige, too.  I must admit, I'm disappointed there will be so much cream in the house.  At least the walls will look clean.  The bedroom hallway holds all of our family photos.  Sampson's hallway holds wall thingies that I have had for years - which is why most of them are country blue and mauve - from the 1980's.  Remember those days???  I still like the color combination and wish it was still popular.  I took pictures of Sampson's hallway and actually took out the nails and spackled the holes.  I am seriously considering NOT putting my country blue and mauve collection back up there. 

    WHEN my new camera cord arrives, I'll show you what the collectible hallway looked like before I decided to change.  I have NO IDEA what I will do in that little hallway to replace my collection.  I also took pictures of the pictures in the bedroom hallway (leaving the nails in place) to remind me of how they were all hanging before being removed.  I'd never get them back in the correct spots without a photo to refer to.

    I HAVE to get Jesse's checks ready for deposit today, so I can pay bills.  And they are HUGE this month.   A little scary.  Yesterday I balanced the checkbook and gasped at what HAS TO BE paid compared to my balance.  (Clear! electric shock paddles . . . okay, heart's beating again!)  Yes, it appears that bad this month!

    Home school is awaiting me.  At least this is what I term an "easy day" with social studies, history and geography.    Teaching different grade levels of math, penmanship, reading, and language arts is more difficult and takes longer.

    The pork roast dinner was a hit last night.  Jesse and I marveled at how much I had prepared and the fact one slice of a boneless pork roast (3.75lbs) was all that was left.  I thought for sure I'd peeled too many potatoes and we'd be eating mashed potato leftovers for the rest of the week.  Nope!  Not even a teaspoon was left.  The sweet and sour red cabbage and sauerkraut wasn't enough.  No one go seconds - boooooo!

    No idea what to fix for dinner tonight, but I KNOW I'll have to pick something soon so it will be thawed in time to cook for dinner.

    We got next to NO rain from this last "storm" system.  It was east and west of us, but hardly anything here in central Oklahoma.  Lots of ominous clouds and a sprinkling of rain, but nothing measurable.  We have another chance next Sunday into Monday for rain.  I've even took pictures of the big black clouds, which you'll see AFTER I get my camera cord!

    So, today's list:

    *  Enter Jesse's checks and make out deposit slip
    *  Finish laundry - Annamarie's and Luci's
    *  Come up with an idea for dinner
    *  Teach school
    *  Clean Jesse's and my sinks in our bathroom

    Doesn't sound like too bad of a day, does it?!!!

    Be blessed ~

  • Drizzle, Rain, Cooler Temps

    I slept late - 8:10am!!!  Everyone else is still in bed! 

    It's been dark, dim, dark, dim, spot of sunlight, dark, dim (etc.) outside this morning.  We've had rain throughout the night, which we needed.  No rain since September 13th.  Jesse already planned to NOT work today. 

    I have a mountain of laundry and have no idea if Don is coming back to paint the bedroom today.  He hasn't called.  (EDIT:  I was proofreading this and he just showed up at 9:15)

    I took a pork roast out of the freezer this morning for dinner.  I haven't cooked pork in over three years.  It sounds yummy to me.  I'm going to fix my paternal grandmother's (which became my mother's) traditional pork dinner.  That includes, mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, and apple sauce.  It doesn't look appealing because there isn't much color on the plates, but the flavors sure taste good together.  Sometimes Grandma served sour red cabbage or brussel sprouts.  I DO have a jar of red cabbage, but no brussel sprouts.  (spell check keeps highlighting the word "brussel" . . . I think I'm spelling it correctly)  I'll also make a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.  Jesse will hate it; but, he's isn't a huge dessert fan, anyway.

    Our caseworker never picked up the folder of info he wanted me to give him and we've never heard hide nor tail from him.  I give up.  I said I wasn't going to spend my energy to make DHS do the "right thing" this time around and Jesse gently reminded me of my words.  Eventually the case will be assigned to someone; they'll eventually call us to set up an appointment; eventually they will come by here to do the interview; eventually they will finish the home study; and EVENTUALLY we will have foster children.  My only worry is that it will be right at Christmas time and we don't exactly "DO CHRISTMAS" like most people.  That will be weird for them.  No tree, no reindeer, no Frosty the Snowman.  I pray, if that is the time they arrive, what we DO do in our home will be more than they are used to.  What a horrible time for a child to be brought into custody!

    I'm 3/4 of the way through my book.  I'm really enjoying it.  I didn't feel right yesterday (again).  I felt like a headache was trying to get itself started.  My eyes burned and I felt very foggy or like I was watching me and seeing people, but not exactly THERE.  Weird to describe.  I broke out in a sweat in church and felt dizzy.  I wondered if that's how people feel before they faint.  I've never fainted in my whole life.  Jesse told me later it WAS hot and stuffy in there and it wasn't just me (I told him I felt that way most of the time everyday!).  I told him I had been worried I'd perspire through my solid purple dress.  I didn't and I DID make it out of there into the cold air conditioned vehicle, while making small talk and pleasantries with some of the other church members.  They NEVER speak to me, but yesterday 3 different women wanted to talk!

    We had leftovers for lunch - EXTREMELY CONVENIENT - and then I went back to bed to lay under the fan.  I fell asleep with my shoes on (I'd taken off my head covering) and woke up 2 1/2 hours - maybe 3 hours - later still on my back with my shoes on!!!  I forced myself up for fear I wouldn't sleep at night.  I made an easy dinner of frozen pre-fried chicken strips, macaroni & cheese, green beans, and leftover pumpkin spice cake and peach pie for dessert.  At least the refrigerator is cleared out of its leftover containers!  Rissy can wipe down the glass shelves today.

    I laid back down on the bed after dinner (this time in my night gown!!!) and read for an hour before something I wanted to see came on TV.  It was about the Amish school shooting - kind of a documentary show - and it kept my attention, but I read during commercials.  I think I watched the news until the weather report was finished 10:15pm and then turned out the light and went right to sleep with both cats crowded around me.

    I feel okay today and have no idea what was up with me yesterday.  At least I was able to rest throughout the day.  Sleeping during the day is usually impossible for me, so *something* was out of whack.

    Jesse and the girls are all getting up and I think I'll surprise them with breakfast.  Everyone normally fends for themselves at breakfast time and this will be a definite treat!

    Be blessed ~

  • Friday/Saturday

    Oh!  I DO miss not being able to post pictures.  Trust me, my camera is still actively taking pictures.  At some point,  I'm going to flood Xanga with a back log of them!

    Yesterday was a good day and much was accomplished. 

    FRIDAY:

    *  Don taped the guest room (chair rail, base boards, and around the closet and entry doors' trim) and then decided he would rather use his spray gun, instead of rolling it.  He said he'd be back on Saturday at 8:30am to paint.

    *  Our caseworker called the night before to say he'd be here around 1:00pm on Friday to get copies of our home study, proof of auto insurance, and copies of the cats' and dog's vaccinations.  I got those ready in the morning and put them in a folder.  I had told him if he was running late and I had to leave, I'd leave the folder under the front door's mat.

    *  I washed my hair in the kitchen sink (had already taken a bath the night before) and while it dried we did schooling.  Yikes!  Rissy was like a pre-teen girl . . .  tears, frustrated, and the whole nine yards.  At one point she told me, with both tears and anger in her eyes, I was teaching "all wrong" and it was MY fault she didn't understand the 1's, 10's, and 100's columns.  (sigh)  The other two girls passed Rissy up and were done with their few assignments that were given.  Rissy was agonizingly slow with her few assignments, and still needing a math speed drill test after the accusations of my being a poor teacher were flung at me.  I decided I couldn't face giving the test.  So, it was circled and moved down to Saturday's school work. 

    *  You'd think the home school experience of Friday would have deterred me from continuing with homeschool education completely - especially the next day (Saturday); but, boldly I forged forward and wrote down, "Introduce Oklahoma History" & "Introduce Greek and Latin" . . . I know . . . What in the world was I thinking, right?!  Talk about a glutton for punishment!!!

    *  The caseworker hadn't come when we were ready to leave for the girls' therapy appointment, so I slipped the manila folder under the door mat and left.

    *  The therapist was running late, the girls continued to be antsy.  It reminded me of how pets act weird right before an earthquake or major storm!  Finally, *I* went in to speak with the therapist first while the girls waited in the play room.  I told her how horrible the girls had been to each other and currently they weren't allowed to play in the same room as another sibling OR allowed to talk to each other.  I gave her a few highlights of all that had gone on in the past week:  My 3-day migraine, the girls and my getting a flu shot on Monday, Jesse's flu illness on Monday evening,  the painter here, the hearing tests on Tuesday, etc.  I couldn't see that anything had caused an upheaval in their lives, nor could I pinpoint what we might NOT be doing right, as parents.  In my opinion, they were all crazy and *we* were fine!

    *  The therapist called me back after she spent time with the girls together, who played while she observed their interaction.  She told me (laughing the whole time) she was sure I'd like to know what Rissy had said to her. I quote verbatim, "Thank you so much Ms. Bell.  We aren't allowed to play together at home, in fact, we aren't even allowed to talk to each other any more.  This was so much fun.  Thank you so much for letting us play together."  (shock!!!!!  slow boil inside me!!!)

    *  Sweet, smart, manipulative Rissy!

    *  We left there and went to the special store where we buy Rissy's shoes.  These are people who take the shoe business very seriously and make doubly sure they are giving you the "perfect pair of shoes" for your foot.  I convinced them to sell me some that were slightly big.  They cost $55 a pair, and I was afraid she'd quickly grow out of the ones that were the correct size.  She has been growing in monster-size proportions, lately.  They wanted to sell me a size 1 1/2; but, we left with a size 2 . . . and NO BALLOONS - not after the way they had acted all week!

    *  We stopped at PetSmart to pick up a case of Chirper's prescription food, that they had agreed to hold for a few hours.

    *  Next was Wal-Mart.  So pleased with myself.  Not only did I need a new "white board" for school, but the cleaner to clean it.  The only cleaner was in a pack with 4 colored pens.  But, I NEEDED that cleaner.  I guess I"ll find a way to use the colored markers - I normally only use black.  But the biggest news about Wal-Mart . . .  I got out of there spending less than $100!!!  AND, I only forgot to buy sliced olives.  Yay for me!

    *  We headed home and upon arriving found the manila folder still under the front door's mat.  Ohhhh, well!  Did I expect anything more?  Still, no one has called about setting an appointment for the home study.

    *  We had leftovers for dinner and, in the middle of eating, JanaLyn and Stephanie arrived.  Stephanie and I visited for a little bit in the den before she left.

    *  I read more of my book (I'm loving it!!!) and finally put it aside and said good night to Jesse.  I woke up in the early morning hours with another headache and took a Fiorinal with Codeine, which successfully knocked it out.


    SATURDAY:

    *  This morning I struggled to get out of bed at 7am to chat with Jesse before he left.  I hopped in the tub before Don arrived here to paint.

    *  As I was getting dressed the phone rang.  Rissy said Don had to leave town and wouldn't be here today, after all.

    *  That worked out well because Chirper has had a cough and wheeze in his chest for 2 days.  I wanted to take him to the vet this morning and not wait until Monday.  I didn't know how to reach Don and I wasn't sure if he could spray the guest room in just a few hours, before I would have to leave with Chirper.  The vet closes at noon.

    *  So, besides school on the agenda for today, we will first take Chirper to the vet.  Since he's small in size and his immune system is compromised, I don't think it's wise to wait.  He could get deathly sick very quickly, like a baby or pet bird.   AND, Monday is supposed to be full of storms that I'd rather not get into driving around town.  JanaLyn will get to go to the vet with us!

    *  I don't know what to do about dinner tonight.  We STILL have chicken soup, Mexican casserole, macaroni and cheese and some smoked sausage left and I'm thinkin' . . . leftovers again.  OR, I could make that potato soup tonight and serve the leftovers after church tomorrow.  Decisions, decisions!

    So there is another two days of my life . . . I'm glad to be alive and feeling full of energy. 

    Last year, this same date, I literally thought I was dying from some strange malady, since I couldn't shake the pneumonia and side effects of having NO strength. 

  • Well, phooey!

    I say "phooey" because my USB cable from my camera to the computer just bit the dust.  It's been persnickety for months.  I had to put the connection end of the cable in the camera with the cord held " just right" and supported against something so it didn't wiggle out of place.  This morning, the connection didn't happen at all - no matter how I jiggled the cord.  I ordered another cord from E-BAY and is should be here in about a week.  At least purchase and shipping was less than $5.00!!!

    I had pictures of the newly painted bathroom, but nothing has been put back in there.  In fact, Don left the tape up and said he'd pull it today.  He also said, he's coming back today to paint the halls or guest bedroom - my choice.  Jesse told me to have him do the bedroom first so we could get the mattresses out of the hallway and Rissy's room.  Oh yeah!  That's right!  There are still mattresses in our hallway and her room.  They've been there for so long that I thought that's where they went and I no longer "see" them!!!!  Just like a junk pile.  You get used to seeing it and it no longer looks like junk.  LOL!

    Around noon, the DHS caseworker is coming by to pick up some info from me.  I made copies of two former home studies, the pets vaccinations, and our car insurance.  Proof of insurance and vaccinations are required.  He's going to wave those papers under the nose of the people who are assigning our case to a person who will actually write the home study.  He can't believe this has taken so long.  Yesterday they said they had our info right there and it would be assigned yesterday or today.  He told them, "That's what you said last Thursday.  You said it would be assigned Friday or Monday."  He wasn't happy because he keeps telling them how easy our home study will be and he's right - it will be VERY easy.  We're very boring people and the only that has really changed is our age!  Well, I guess this is a new house to write about.  And . . . we've met a few more people over the years.  But seriously, my mother died on 11/19/83 and that info hasn't changed!!!  My brothers and sisters are still my brothers and sisters . . .

    We have the therapy appointment this afternoon and only a handful of things to get at the grocery store.  It's looking like an easy day.  Well, let's see how it pans out!!!

    We're having leftovers for dinner tonight and the plan is potato soup tomorrow night.  I have to use up some extra potatoes and the excess of milk I bought!

    Today, I think all I'll try to accomplish at home is washing my hair and teaching school.  The laundry can (and definitely WILL) wait until tomorrow!

    I'll continue to take pictures and, whenever the new USB cable arrives, I'll inundate y'all with photos soon! 

    So, enjoy this reprieve while it lasts!

  • Thursday Thirteen #35

    Unable to set pictures into the Thursday Thirteen format, this will have to be MY OWN way of Thursday Thirteen-ing everyone!   Sorry Thursday Thirteen people!

    1.  Today is a gorgeous day.  Not a cloud in the sky!

    2.   I was outside and came back in to get my camera to show the newly finished house color.  Garage doors.  (The house numbers will have to be repainted in white, they no longer show up.)


    3.  Front of the house.


    4.  A close up of the front entryway.


    5.  Close up of front door corner.
    Looks like I need to brush the dust off of the front door's molding!

    6.  This is part of the new backyard view.  The back door and Stormy in a dining room window.

    7.  And this is a close up of the backyard wall and brick.

    8.   The dining room's bay windows.

    9.  And, no more blue chimney!

    10.  I thought we were done and he had started his new job.  He hasn't been paid by us, except for the spray rig Jesse bought.  But after not seeing him for quite a few days, or hearing from him, and after seeing this left behind:
    We figured he had started his new job and wouldn't have time to paint the inside of our house. Boo!  Hoo!  That left me with the guest room, that I haven't been fired up to finish, AND the wretched bathroom with all it's nooks and crannies to paint around!

    11.  But . . . !!!!!  Guess what?  Jesse called this morning and said Don was on his way over to paint the bathroom!!!!  The girls and I scrambled to empty the bathroom of it's contents.
    And *I* scrounged through cans of paint looking for that light taupe I had bought over a year ago.

    12.  The back of the door.  The tile looks blue, but it isn't . . .every single thing is white.  Plain BORING white.  The tile, the toilet and sink, THE WALLS . . .

    The blue tint must be the sun filtering through our frosted glass window over the tub.  Isn't this room in pathetic need of help with some color?  ANY color?

    13.  After dusting off many paint cans that were stored in our utility room (to maintain the paint at an indoor temperature), I found one can that HAD to be the color I had picked out for the girls' bathroom.  It was the only beige-ish color that wasn't custom made.  When we moved in here, I had them match the flat beige-ish paint from the formal living areas and a satin finish color for our kitchen (pale, pale, yellow).  They both say "custom" on their labels. 

    The only can I found that said semi-gloss and wasn't custom made was this one lone can.  A color much lighter than I remember choosing.  Of course it WAS over a year ago that I bought the paint!!!!  Maybe I'd thrown it around in my head to do a taupe brown and decided it would be too dark for the little bathroom.  I just don't remember choosing what I found; although, it, does indeed, match the lightest part of the background color in my picture.  It may also blend well with the color of marble counter top in that bathroom, too.
    I sure hope so, because that's what we've decided to use!


    So, there you have my day.  Jesse got up early and is trying to work (with a friend helping) as much as possible.  I think Greg will mow and Jesse will weed eat, edge, and blow off the grass.  I hope he can make it through the day.  It IS a lovely day with temperatures in the high 70's.  Jesse didn't look so great when he left.  Greg has been a friend for a long time and is in between jobs, right now.  He needs the money and Jesse certainly needs some help.  No medical provided -  it was stated clearly up front!!!!!

    I had planned to wash my hair in the shower this morning and let it dry while I taught school.  After Jesse called to tell me Don was on his way over to paint, I quickly had the girls empty the bathroom, I looked for the paint, and I grabbed some breakfast bars for breakfast.

    Not exactly as I had planned for today to turn out.  I CAN take a shower in my bathroom, but will demand the girls stay in my bedroom nearby.  I feel really weird bathing with a stranger in the house!  I guess I could take a quick bath, put my hair up in a clip and get dressed and teach.  The whole shower thing could happen later.  I just don't want to miss the vice presidential debate tonight.  And, I'm not sure how much attention Jesse will require after going back to work so soon.  He may come home, shower, and fall into bed!

    It's chili dogs for dinner tonight.  We had Mexican casserole last night.  There is less than 1/2 of the casserole left, which is okay.  Tomorrow, after the girls' therapy appointment, I will get home late and will serve leftovers for dinner!  The more, the better!

    Have a good one!