The Old Cartoons

Well, we downgraded our dish service recently. $19.99/mo now. But all we get are 20 channels and four of them are Nickelodeon and one is Boomerang. Boomerang is made by Cartoon Network and has all the old cartoons. So, the girls have been watching all the classics for a couple of weeks now. Scooby Doo, Flintstones, Magilla Gorilla, Pink Panther, Smurfs. There are so many. And they are enjoying them immensely. When I was a kid and watching The Brady Bunch, I had no idea I was watching re-runs. Well, this is all new to them, too. I found two Smurfs in my drawer two days ago. A regular one and Papa Smurf dressed up as Santa Claus. Jessica wants the girl smurf now. I told her I don't think we will be able to find that anymore and she seems to think Santa Claus may be able to locate it. So, I used a different tactic. "Of all the things out there, like Barbies and Disney toys, you want a Smurf from Santa Claus?" I think I have dissuaded her. But she is enjoying these cartoons. So did Dad, when he came over. A fun time for all.

Lombardi Ranch

The girls and I picked Scott up from work on Monday. It was his short day and he got off at 2:30. So, on the way home, we stopped at Lombardi Ranch. That was fun! We went into the petting zoo, the girls ran around the "police truck", we took pictures of the girls where you stick your head through the circle in the painted scene, they climbed all over the big pumpkin, we looked at all the vegetables growing there and I bought vegetables. Oh, and I took a picture of Rebekah in front of "Baby Boo's Maze". That is what we called her when she was a baby. The girls had so much fun! Then we went out for mexican food afterward. I haven't had that in forever! At least a month. Where someone else cooked it.

When we got home, Scott sat down at the kitchen table with the girls and carved a pumpkin with them. I fell asleep! Well, you see, Sunday, on the way home, Rebekah coughed so much that I thought she was going to throw up. Well, she didn't in the car, but later, when we were all going to bed, she woke up because she was coughing and threw up. Yuck! On her bed. So, I had the bright idea of sleeping with her on the floor of the family room on a sheet in case she got sick again. She didn't. But I couldn't sleep! All night I was awake. (Mental note: You are too old to camp out on the floor. Don't try.) From my spot on the family room floor, I heard every noise in the house. I moved to the couch and that wasn't much better. She woke up at one point and went looking for me and calling me. Finally, when Scott left for work, I put her in her bed and went to sleep in mine. That was good for about two hours when Jess got up. Time change. She was up before 6:30am. So by Monday night I was dead on my feet. Rebekah didn't get sick again and she hasn't coughed since then either. I guess she just had to get it out.

So, Monday night I was in bed before 8pm. Scott put the girls to bed. They have no qualms about talking to their mother even when she is in bed fast asleep, though. So, I didn't get much sleep. Rebekah walks in the room to find me. Sees me sleeping in bed. "Mommy!" "What Rebekah?" "I look like a ghost." "That's great, Rebekah."

And I think Hubby was upset I was trying to sleep through the pumpkin carving. Sorry! I just couldn't keep my eyes open! Can I blame it on the time change?

Fwd: This email to everyone you know...

Don't you hate when you get a great email. Very uplifting, a nice read. But at the end it says to forward to everyone you know, and, oh, what the heck, forward it to every possible email address in the world. Maybe you will get a penny for each email you send it to. Yeah, right. Maybe it will bring you bad luck if you don't. Not that I believe in luck, good or bad. Or your dog will have puppies. Or SOMETHING will happen because of your compliance or lack thereof in regards to this email you received.

Well, the ones that make me go "AAAGHHH!" are the ones that say, "If you don't send this to 387 people in the next 2 minutes, it shows that you don't love God and you are embarrassed to send it because it is about God." Give me a break. How many times have you received this? Somebody figured out that this is the perfect way to guilt people into sending some dumb email that you would not otherwise send to everybody you know. Some people fall for the "Your toenails will all fall off if you don't forward this" mentality and others are guilted into it by the "You are embarrassed to admit you love God if you don't send this" ones.

I love God. With all my heart. But that doesn't mean I am going to send some dumb email to everyone I know and some people I don't just because the email tells me to. I'll send it if I think it will be a good read for the people I know. Funny, uplifting, meaningful, whatever.

Stupid email.

A good day.

Well, yesterday was Wednesday. I felt like baking. It was cool outside. VERY windy. But I needed to do schoolwork with Jess, and Scott had no clean shirts. Not even grey or brown. So I had to do laundry. So, I got up with him at 4am and started his laundry at 4:30 when he left. Washed his clothes (2 loads) and girls clothes (also 2 loads) over the course of the day. Folded and hung and put away. Worked with Jess on schoolwork. She needed to practice her letters. She has a hard time putting the letters in the right place within the lined paper. So, we worked on making perfect letters. Then, she wanted "Recess", so after about an hour and a half of intense writing and doing her workbook, they got dressed and went in the backyard. She loves to put her tennis shoes on now. She ties her shoes all by herself and also ties Bekah's. Pretty cute. So, off they go outside. Well, I was able to squeeze in some baking, too. While she worked on her letters and then when they went outside and for the rest of the day, I baked and cooked. I made my Grandma's potato salad recipe. But I didn't read until after I made it that the potatoes are supposed to be steamed and not boiled. Oh well. I thought it came out well. I never made it before. So, then I had one potato that got too soft. Couldn't use it in the potato salad. Well, I mashed it up and made mashed potato out of it. Which is precisely what you need for homemade potato rolls. Which I made. Which turned out delicious. Which take forever to rise. Which meant I had plenty of time to make pumpkin pie. Which I did. OKAY, ENOUGH!

So, I made potato salad, pumpkin pie and potato rolls. I was going to make something with peaches in it. Peach season is officially over. How sad! We went out on Tuesday to pick peaches and found out they were all gone. But the guy was nice enough to send me to the orchard behind his to see if they had any left. Turns out they did! Already picked. The guy told me I could put as many in a large paper grocery bag as I could fit in the bag for ten dollars. I took one look at these peaches and I couldn't believe my eyes! "These are HUGE!" I said. Well, he explained that these were actually small compared to the ones he had during the peak of the season. He said they were weighing in at two and a half pounds PER PEACH! The ones I got were at least double the size of the ones I have been getting all season. HUGE! I am going back to this place. My bag of peaches was at least 40 pounds. For ten dollars. Not bad at all! I am definitely going back to this place! Oh, and they are SOOO good, too. I am looking forward to Spring now. Cherries, peaches, apples....

Hubby went to church last night, so my day was longer than usual. I got all that stuff made AND washed up every dirty dish that I used. Kitchen table and bar counter are still clean. Yeah for me! And I borrowed the original three Star Wars movies from Zachary's dad, so I watched Star Wars and half of Empire Strikes Back while I baked and cleaned. It's been so long since I have seen those. I just love Princess Leah's hair. Those big cinnamon rolls on the sides of her head. WHAT were they thinking? The movie makes a lot more sense now, though. The comments about the senate and other things make much more sense when you have seen the first three movies.

The girls weren't able to stay up long enough to see Daddy. Rebekah came over to me while I was sitting down watching the movie. "Can you hold me?" She climbed up in my lap and told me I am the best food maker ever! Usually, I am the best mommy ever. But I'll take food maker, too. She loved the rolls. Had two. Then fell asleep in my lap. Maybe she was talking about the hot dog she had for dinner, though. She loved that, too. Jess was diplomatic and said the potato salad was good. She ate two hot dogs and had pumpkin pie for dessert. She didn't like the rolls. She said if they were sweeter, she would like them. Everyone's a critic.

Jess lasted about an hour longer, then succumbed to sleep as well. When their daddy got home, he got to peek in on the beautiful little sleeping faces.

A good day. Happy children, clean house. Baked goods. Does it get better than this?

Zachary

Jess and Bekah have a friend named Zachary. His mom calls him "Z". He is the cutest little boy ever! Not just cute, but well-behaved as well. He is four, right in-between the girls ages, so he plays nicely with both of them. He is very sensitive, not a bully, a little bit shy and really a good boy. I mean, not perfect, because then you would worry that something was wrong, but very well-behaved.

He is also an only child. So, he gets lonely and then his mom feels bad. Well, his mom has "borrowed" the girls a couple of times now and the kids get to play. We get together and play, too, at other times, but they have fun taking the girls out. When I was getting ready for the baby shower, Zachary's parents took the girls and went to the mall play area, took them to Red Robin for lunch and I think they went to the park, too. Yesterday we dropped off the girls at their house in the afternoon and picked them up at about 8:00pm. We got to go on a date! So fun! And the girls had a blast. Zachary went to gymnastics and the girls ran around on the grass outside for 45 minutes. Then they went to Costco and got pizza and smoothies or ice cream or something. They had a blast! Apparently a woman at Costco was looking at her assessing the scene, (my friend with a 3-,4- and 5-year old running around) and told her she was brave! Zachary's mom was a bit offended. It was none of her business!

Anyway, the girls had a great time. They didn't want to come home. At 8pm, they were playing in the backyard on the big play yard that he has. Three swings, teeter-totter, climbing wall, slide. It doesn't get much better than that!

They slept well last night. Scott and I got to have a nice, quiet evening out. We went to see "Man of the Year". Not as funny as I had hoped for. It was all right, but I would rent it, not buy it. The theater was quiet on Monday night, which was nice. Only a few people in there. A nice time.

So nice to have nice friends! A friend for the girls and friends for us as well. His parents are so nice, too! A wonderful day all around!

Phew! That's Done!

Well, the baby shower is done and my house is still clean. Three days later. ACTUALLY, it is cleaner now than it was on Saturday. I have been cleaning, re-arranging furniture, etc. The girls are under strict orders not to bring toys out of the playroom. Scott feels as though he is in someone else's house. Me, too. The nice thing is, though, that last night I didn't feel as though I needed to jump up and do something. I really felt like it was ok to sit for a few minutes. Now, mind you, only half the house is clean. The visible half. The half that nobody sees still looks like a pig sty, but we will cross one bridge at a time. For now, at least if someone comes over, I won't be embarrassed!

For the girls, it was a great week. My friend Mary took them early in the week. Then on Friday, they went to library storytime with a friend, went to the mall play area, had lunch at Red Robin, went to the park and then came home. Then Rebekah went to ballet and I dropped them off at Mary's afterward. They stayed there for a couple hours and Daddy picked them up and brought them home. Friday night, I got home from evening prayer at church at about 9:15 and Rebekah was already asleep. She was so tired! Poor little thing!

My conversation with Rebekah yesterday:
Me: "Rebekah!"
Rebekah: "Whatt?" (She exaggerates the T just a bit)
Me: "I love you."
Rebekah: "I love you, too!"
Pause.
Rebekah: "I love our precious family!"

I let them play with Play doh-doh (their name for it) yesterday. For about 1 and 1/2 hours. They had a blast. Then it took me about 30 minutes to clean up the table, chairs and floor from the play doh mess. I hate play-doh. It gets everywhere! Maybe it isn't the play-doh, maybe it is my kids. It got pressed into the floor, stuck in the crack in the table where it comes apart. It was everywhere. And I can't stand the smell of play-doh either. But since I spent all last week cleaning, I promised them they would get to play with play-doh on Monday. SO I had to let them. As much work as it was. And I was tired! Well, that is over. I can put the play-doh away for another six months! I don't mind other crafts, paints, etc. I just don't like the play-doh!

Now I just have to keep the house clean. Halloween, Scott's brother's family over for dinner, Thanksgiving and Christmas around the corner! Oh, boy!

Oh, and the person who I did the baby shower with, she was wonderful! So helpful! The house wasn't near done when she got there and she helped to put the finishing touches on it. Then we made the food, etc. It is nice to work with someone who is so easy to work with! I think the baby shower went rather well. And they got so many cute things! Oh my goodness! Now the girls want a baby brother even more than they did before!

One I can relate to...

Praise The Lord

An elderly lady was well-known for her faith and for her boldness in talking about it. She would stand on her front porch and shout "PRAISE THE LORD!"

Next door to her lived an atheist who would get so angry at her proclamations he would shout, "There ain't no Lord!!"

Hard times set in on the elderly lady, and she prayed for GOD to send her some assistance. She stood on her porch and shouted "PRAISE THE LORD. GOD I NEED FOOD!! I AM HAVING A HARD TIME. PLEASE LORD, SEND ME SOME GROCERIES!!"

The next morning the lady went out on her porch and noted a large bag of groceries and shouted, "PRAISE THE LORD."

The neighbor jumped from behind a bush and said, "Aha! I told you there was no Lord. I bought those groceries, God didn't."

The lady started jumping up and down and clapping her hands and said, "PRAISE THE LORD. He not only sent me groceries, but He made the devil pay for them. Praise the Lord!"

Is Gun Control The Answer?

Okay, I am going to get on my soapbox here. I just read about the school shooting in an Amish schoolhouse. Apparently the shooter was angry about something that happened twenty years ago and decided to take it out on some innocent Amish schoolgirls. They don't deserve to be shot!

SO, then I saw some comments posted about the shooting and the others from last week. Well, so many people are saying that these criminals should not have access to guns. That there should be more gun control. Yes to the first part, NO to the second!

How many criminals get their guns from a gun store, where they must go through the background check, basic firearms safety test, waiting period, etc.? None. Maybe a few. They get their guns on the streets. Stolen from somewhere else, bought from someone who sold it illegally. So, how many of these hundreds and thousands of gun laws are protecting the public from criminal access to guns? Very few. So, what is the purpose of all the gun laws? To keep law-abiding citizens from being able to carry guns. If there were more people allowed concealed-carry permits, there would be fewer gun-related crimes. No criminal wants to be shot dead while holding someone up. Or robbing a liquor store. He wants a victim that cannot defend himself.

This is such a sad story. I have visited the Amish community in PA. They are hard-working, friendly people who just want to go about their lives and not harm others. It is so horrible that an angry man had to take it out on these people. They don't deserve that. But to say that it is because he had access to guns, and that people should not be allowed to have guns is like saying that matches and fire should be banned because someone started a fire. Fire is good. Without it, we could not heat our homes, light our fireplaces and our candles and enjoy our backyard fire pits. But when it is used in a bad way, well, then it is not the fault of the fire. It is the fault of the person who used it carelessly and without concern for anyone but themselves.

Our country is divided. The right and the left. Who is right? Neither and both. Both sides have their beliefs and convictions. But without unity, without allowing the other side a choice, without having the right to live as we want to live, this country will not survive.

We need to pray for our country and our brothers and sisters in it. We need to remember what our founding fathers built this country on - a belief in GOD. We need to look out for each other and look to God to heal our wounds and give us peace.

When I was pregnant with Rebekah, the alarm went off in the house. At about 6:30am. Well, needless to say, I about jumped out of my skin. I grabbed the phone, called 911 and reported that my alarm went off and I thought someone was trying to break in. I also grabbed some protection. Well, I checked all the windows and doors, told Jess to stay put and waited. Twenty minutes later, the sheriffs called and said they were on their way, from the other side of town. Twenty five minutes after THAT (45 min. after I called) they showed up. Thank goodness it was not a real break-in, but an alarm malfunction. Had it been a real break-in and I was waiting for the sheriffs to come to my rescue, I would not have been there to answer their questions. They cannot protect you or your home or your children from someone intent on doing you harm. They just cannot be there in time. And there are at least half a dozen police, sheriffs and retired sheriffs in my immediate neighborhood. Big help. Be prepared to take care of yourself. Hopefully, you will never have the need. I hope I am never in a situation where I will need to protect my family. But I am prepared to do so. Be prepared. The criminals are.

Friends

It is nice to have friends. Family is chosen for us. We choose our friends ourselves. Friends change as your life changes. When you are young and single, you "hang out" with friends that are in the same situation. Some you get together with just because you like to have fun together, some because you can talk to them.

When you get married, you choose different friends. Your single friend will not necessarily feel comfortable with you and your spouse. You move on. You don't lose that friend, but time and circumstances change relationships. Then come the babies. It is completely different to be married with kids than married without. That can change relationships again.

It is nice to find people that you click with. To have people that both you and your spouse get along with. That is so much easier and more relaxing than having "his" friends and "her" friends.

We spent the afternoon yesterday with some nice friends. People like us. But not too much like us, that would be wierd. A little different than all the other people that are out there. People you can relax with. People who just kind of think the way you do. It was nice. Good food. Good friends. A rain-puddly afternoon. A good time. I hope they had as enjoyable an afternoon as we did! :-)

A Wrinkle In Time

As a kid, I was a voracious reader. I would read anything and everything. I would read in bed before it was time to go to bed and after I went to bed with a flashlight under the covers. I would read until I was done with the book and then start another one. Never had a problem with book reports. I would read the book several times, if it was a good one. I read Little Women and loved it. So I got Little Men, Jo's Boys and about 4 other books by Louisa Mae Alcott. I couldn't put the books down! One book I read was A Wrinkle In Time. Great story. Well, let's say, for the sake of argument, the book was 300 pages. Well, I read the first 270 pages or so as quickly as I could. Read it right through. Then, I turned the page. Page 271 was Page 1, Chapter 1. Then page two, page three. It just started over. The book was messed up. It didn't have an ending. The last 30 pages of the book were missing. I never finished the book. That was frustrating for so long and then, eventually, I forgot about it. Same thing happened with Star Trek: Voyager. I never got to see the last episode. Until it came out on video and I had Netflix. Well, at the library yesterday, I found the Disney movie, "A Wrinkle In Time". It apparently came out in 2004. I never knew! Now I have closed that chapter of my life. What a relief! Now I don't have to wonder what happened at the end of the book!

Things are looking up!

The evacuation has been downgraded to precautionary. That's good. The fire is 63% contained. That's good. The wind didn't kick up yesterday. That's good. Three goods. Dad stayed at his house last night, but we are still enjoying the kitty cat here. The girls love him. I found Rebekah on the floor with her face in the kitty's fur the other night. She had disappeared about ten minutes earlier. Soft warm fur. She loved it. And the kitty just sat there. He's very good. And we are feeding him, too! That's a bonus for him!

Hopefully, everything stays where it is supposed to stay today and the winds do not kick up. Thank you, God!

Fire Update

The conditions today are not good. Dad was going to leave last night about 6pm and we talked him in to staying until morning. That was not hard to do. He didn't put up a fight. He just left about a half hour ago, after making german pancakes for the girls. We measured out the ingredients so I will post the recipe later. The girls were VERY happy. That made their papa happy. And they didn't want him to leave. Rebekah asked if he was going to stay here forever. Dad's friend called from Tucson. He used to work for Dad, like 25 years ago, and he still calls Dad to ask questions about Porsche repair. He has his own shop, but still calls Dad at least once a week. Anyway, Dad and I were talking about Chuck calling. Rebekah says, "WHO is Chuck?" So I told her he is a friend of Papa's who calls Papa because Papa is smart. Rebekah's response: "Well, I'm smart. Is he going to call me?" Dad had a good laugh about that.

He left the animals here. He is going to come back tonight. The firefighters were there yesterday assessing the houses up in the area to determine what would need to be done in the event they had to come back up there to fight the blaze. That means they are preparing. The humidity is less than ten percent and the winds will be heading northwest, straight toward Dad's house, at 6-15mph with gusts up to 25mph. Very erratic and unpredictable. Red flag warning for fires. Evacuation order still in place.

Keep him in your prayers. Dad was saying that it would be easier just to go and be with Mom. He only talks like that when he feels thoroughly defeated. Which he does right now. He said he can't live like this for the next two weeks. So, he will stay here until the danger is passed and I can keep an eye on him.

Happy Birthday Blog!

This is my 101st blog entry! It was supposed to be witty, yet refined, bold, yet not too revealing, with an air of understated elegance and charm. Yeah, right. It's just me. But this IS my 101st entry! That's pretty good! I guess I have finished the trial period. And you, my wonderful readers, are all still here! How nice! Just waiting for little morsels to chew on, eh?

Well, here is one.

YOU ARE HERE

X

And this is the highlight
of your day.

Right? :-)

I love you, too. Thanks for putting up with the rants, the complaints, the happy days and the sad. Thank you for still being here!
Before my two hundredth blog, I propose to do the following:

Lose weight down to my next goal (like checkpoints).
Find my contract with the stupid patio guy.
Get my house clean. Actually this has to be done by Friday, October 13.
Jessica will be reading. She is well on her way.
Read five books. That are not printed on cardboard pages. And no pictures.
Go on a date with my husband.
Go out for an evening with my friend Mary.

These are the goals. Let's see if I meet them. I should refer back to this and check my progress.

I probably shouldn't blog when I am this tired. I will never remember writing down all this stuff!

Day Fire

Dad came home with me last night. We got the house as well-secured as possible. Under the circumstances. Depending on who you talked to, the fire was between three miles and six miles from Dad's back porch. That was last night. They said it wasn't going anywhere last night, however, this morning is another matter. The fire is on the other side of the mountain from Dad's house. That's no good.

There was a meeting with the neighbors last night. One neighbor works for the forestry service and another is a sheriff. Some people's homes are in the trees, some are out in the open with no trees nearby. Dad's is the former. Surrounded by trees. We cleared everything off the porch at about ten o'clock last night. Firewood, chairs, etc. We took pictures of all the vehicles in the garage, the garage itself and the entire house. We got all the valuables out of the house.

We had heard a rumor that the road through town was closed to people coming into town. Not true. So, Dad came home with me. Apparently there had been a sheriff going door to door on Monday night about ten pm. Well, if they came to Dad's, he didn't hear them. He has some trouble hearing, so this is entirely possible. We spoke with the sheriff last night. He took down all the info for all the neighbors and they tied a yellow "flag" to the house to show that they had contacted the owner. They are under recommended evacuation status (i.e., time to leave). Anyway, I think that made him a bit nervous. So, we did what we could and prayed over the house before leaving it last night, with Scottie and Grey Kitty in tow. We prayed that God would send angels to protect the home and property, that He would protect the firefighters and that He would send rain (or snow) to douse this thing. Do a miracle, God! Or, at least, use this terrible situation to Your glory! Grey will stay here and I will be driving down to Kris' house tomorrow with the Scottie dog. She agreed to keep him, though she said, she hasn't had a dog since moving out of my parents house when she got married. I think she is not quite sure what to do with him. I'd keep him here, but he is much smaller than our two german shepherd dogs. They are separated from him tonight, but we can't keep him in the dog crate and I am afraid the dogs will all bark their heads off.

Dad has a Porsche Roadster that he has been restoring for about 15 years now. It has been painted silver. He showed it to me last night. It is BEAUTIFUL. It is not completed, and cannot be moved. Client cars, all but four, have been moved to a more secure location. One of those that is left at the house is in the same situation as Dad's Roadster. It also cannot be moved.

Thank you for all your prayers. I am also worried about Dad right now. I think part of the reason he came home with me was so he could get some sleep. He hasn't been able to sleep lately. Understandably so. Not knowing if the fire is going to kick up overnight and be a problem. We got home at midnight and I am sure his two granddaughters will be waking him up by 7:30 or so. He was looking forward to seeing them.

I am glad that this did not happen while Mom was living. It would have been a much different situation had he also needed to contend with her safety. We did post a note on the door for the firefighters that there are no longer any handicapped people living in the house. It has a handicapped ramp on the side of the house and there was a wheelchair on the front porch, that we moved to the side of the house.

Will keep you posted.

Rebekah has a crush

Well, I guess it was bound to happen eventually. She thinks he is handsome. Well, his wife thinks he is handsome, too. Rebekah has a little crush on her priest.

"I think Fadder Rich is handsome. AND he's a BOY!"

"Yes, Honey, but he is married. You have to find a boy who isn't married."

She's still looking.

I'm up to my knees in....

So, yesterday I took Jess to the doctor. No cold. No flu. No shots. She doesn't have a fever. She has a stomach ache. She has had it for several weeks. Before she eats, after she eats, when she isn't thinking about eating. Various times. All the time. Seldom. It comes and goes. For the most part, she runs around like her wild crazy self. But then she will get a stomach ache out of nowhere. Huh?

So, we went to the dr. He listened to her breathing and they did an xray because he said her breathing on one side was noticeably different than the other side. He thought about pneumonia. No. Lungs are fine. But, the other thing that showed up on the xray was her intestines. And they have a lot of stuff in them. That shouldn't be there. It needs to come out. Well, there is only one way that is going to happen. She had apple juice and prune juice for breakfast. With wheat toast and shredded wheat cereal and some sliced peaches. Lunch will consist of some dried apricots and a sandwich on whole wheat bread. We'll see what happens after that. She doesn't seem to have a problem. She goes every day, but maybe that's all it is.

The point of all this is, well, one of the things the dr. said to do is get some specimens. So I am collecting samples in little vials and this is all very new to me. One thing I found funny is that I am supposed to smear a small sample on this card for three days. It is called Hemoccult II. "The world leader in occult blood testing" is what it says on the outside of the card. Brings new meaning to the term, "dabbling in the occult". What exactly is it they are dabbling in?

Oh the joys of being a mom.

Do they or don't they?

So, every once in a while, I come across someone who doesn't like me. For the most part, I get along with just about everyone. I have some very close friends. There are a few people I have known for 33-34 years! I have some great friendships. Everybody has friends that they relate to more than other people, but sometimes I just rub some people the wrong way. A guy I used to work with, who didn't want to work very hard, said I made him look bad and he hated me for it. Another guy who just decided he didn't like me. Period. I didn't do anything to him. Various women along the way, one of which had a crush on a guy I was seeing at work. But she was MARRIED! Unhappily, though. Sometimes there are reasons, sometimes not. Or at least, not that I know of. I have been told I have a very strong personality. I guess I do. I do care what other people think, just not to the point of living my life by it. I have had to come to terms with the fact that I cannot make other people happy all the time, and if they don't like me, tough noogies. I can't be something I am not just because someone else is uncomfortable with it. Sometimes, I am just too out there. I don't try to offend, in fact, many people confide in me and feel very comfortable talking to me. Their secrets are safe with me. But not everyone.

I bring all of this up because recently I came to the realization that there is someone who I think falls into this category. I don't think they like me very much. I am not certain why. I just get this feeling, even though we have known each other for some time, that maybe this person is one of those that I rub the wrong way without realizing it. Some of these people I confronted at one time or another, to try to make amends. Some I just left alone. So my question is, my bloggy friends, what do you think? Should I say something to this person, who I am not entirely certain, but pretty sure has a problem with me, although I don't know what, or should I just go on? Although, now that I think there may be a problem, I will possibly feel more uncomfortable with them. I have been thinking about this for over a week.

On being 36

Well, in two days, I will no longer be 36. Every year, I turn a year older and don't really think about it. My sister is going to be 40 next month. So, I will be in my 30's and she in her 40's. Ha. I am SOOOO much younger than her!

Why it is good to have a birthday:

You get to blow out all the candles on your birthday cake.
There are going to be a lot of candles on my birthday cake.
But more on my sister's.
Scott makes me a birthday cake on my birthday.
which means my husband will be cooking in the kitchen.
I get to eat cake...
and the calories don't count on your birthday.
I get birthday cards.
some with money in them(?)
so I get to get something for me, instead of for the kids.
JCPenney sent me a $15 gift cert for my birthday.
I get a free appetizer at Red Lobster.
And at Johnny Carino's.
And a free dessert at Bucca Di Beppo.
If I go to all these places.
And, if I don't go, I get to save all kinds of money.
Dad is coming out to babysit the girls, so we can go out.
If the fire doesn't threaten his house.
The girls will get me a birthday card.
And Scott is taking the day off of work.
So I don't have to get up with him at 4am.
Which means, I get to sleep in on my birthday.
And do whatever I want.
Which is, to spend time with my family.
And, most importantly, my God loves me.

High Today: 77 Degrees

Nice! It is windy, but that is clearing away the smoke and stuff. Promises to be a nice day.
Today's schedule:
9:30-10:00 Story time at the library
10:30-12:30 Jessica's schoolwork, laundry
12:30-1:30 Lunch and play
1:20-3:00 Laundry, housecleaning, etc.
3:30 Rebekah's ballet class
4:30 make dinner
5:30 Scott home, have dinner, do dishes, relax, go to bed (and watch Whose Line on ABCFamily)

Full day! Will have to squeeze in going outside and enjoying the weather for a little while.

And continue to look for that stupid contract...

How We Occupied Ourselves During Retreat

On Thursday, Scott left early, not having heard that the time to meet was changed. So, I got up early with him and helped him pack. Dad was supposed to come out on Thursday morning to spend the day with us, but he had to head down to Sun Valley to work on a race car. He got to our house in the mid-afternoon. We had a nice time and he got to see Jessica's ballet/tap class. She is doing very well. She is enjoying the tap. We signed Rebekah up to do ballet again and she will start on Friday. She wants to do it this time. That lasted two weeks in March, but I think she will stick with it this time. I will have to take pictures. It is so cute.

So, after Jess' ballet lesson, we went to the grocery store and picked up some steaks for dinner. We didn't eat them. We went out for chinese food. The girls love chinese food. They also love japanese (Rebekah ate six california rolls the last time), mexican, italian, steak and just about everything else. I think Rebekah's favorite was the sweet and sour pork. And the little wontons they serve with sweet and sour sauce before the meal. Jess prefers the beef with broccoli and the fried shrimp. Anyway, we ate and then came home and watched The Iron Giant. Great movie. Dad had never seen it. Rebekah's favorite line, "I go. You stay. No following." It's so good!

So, we got them to bed at about 11:00pm and then the girls were waking Papa up at 7:00am. I got up and fixed oatmeal and then Dad got a call on his cell phone that they were having problems with the race car. It was leaking. And they were headed out to a car show or something, so it needed to be fixed. Nothing like being needed. So, he left and the girls were so sad! They couldn't wait for him to come back. We went to the library for storytime (every Friday) and then did some errands. He was gone for about three hours and met us at Costco later. Then we headed up to Frazier Park to stay Friday night up there. We made Prime Rib for dinner (rib eye steaks at Albertson's $3.87/lb - just ask them to cut one for you to whatever size, ours was 8 lbs.) That was yummy. The girls wanted more, more, more.

We had jello for dessert and then talked and played pool. Jessica was so tired she was asking to go to bed! How often does that happen? In the morning, we had German pancakes and sat on the front porch for a while. It was only about 75 degrees outside during the day. At night, we had the windows open and it got down to about 45 degrees, so I had to shut the windows. Such a problem to have! The girls didn't want to leave their Papa. So we stayed until about 4:00pm. We headed over to Gramma Alice's house for a family get together there. Got home at about 8:30pm and Bekah fell asleep on the way home. Kept 'em busy while Daddy was away so they wouldn't miss him too much. It seemed to work. They were VERY happy to see him, though, when we got home from Papa's house. A fun weekend. I missed Hubby though, and I was VERY happy to have him home.