Another Day Without Power

Yesterday before heading out to vote, I got a text from a parent at Gianna's school asking me if I got power back. Turns out she did as well as a few other streets near us. I got very hopeful that our power would be restored.

I went off to vote, then took the girls to the library for some new books. I immediately tried the light switches praying they would work, but they didn't. I didn't lose hope. I figured it was a good time to clean the fridge so I can just re-stock it once the power comes back, and got to work. I only managed to get the fridge done before running out of daylight, but now I was losing hope. It didn't help when I got a call telling me where to go if I needed shelter in the new storm that's coming. I figured if we got that message then we were not getting power.

I'm very cranky at this point. Maybe cranky isn't even a strong enough word. I think it'd be safe to say I'm pissed off. I keep telling myself that we're ok and we still have a roof over our heads but its hard when we see houses behind us fully light up, glowing with power. Joe heard we might not get power back until Friday. Lets hope not for my sanity!!!

Our town has 5 schools altogether. And as of yesterday 4 of them got power back. So today schools were open for those schools. Meaning Marissa finally went back to school today but Gianna is staying home with me.

I'll be working on cleaning the freezer today. Then I have plans to play scrabble with Gianna, until pick up time for Marissa.

Running out of patience....

I'm sorry, I'm venting.

Technologically Challenged

It's been a crazy week here, it seems like me & technology have reached an agreement to disagree. I've had problems with my washer, my camera, my printer & my photo software. It's just driving me crazy!

The service guy came on Tuesday to work on my washer & long story short, he ordered the part & will be back on Tuesday to fix it.

I got my camera back yesterday. So far it's working, not perfectly but now I can take pics & be happy with them.

Yesterday I was on hold with Kodak for 2 HOURS about my printer. Finally I gave up since I had to pick up Marissa from school. Once we were all home again, I called a different number, spoke to someone right away & got the problem resolved in 15 MINUTES! The part is under warranty, & I should have it in 2-3 days.

Happiness!!

However, I need to call Kodak back though to resolve the software problem, but the last time I did I got annoyed with the lady on the phone & her attitude. It didn't help that it was hard to hear her & she had an accent I couldn't understand half the time! I don't feel up to the phone call right now--can you blame me?

BUT on the brighter side of things, I scrapped!! As soon as I can finish editing the pics of the LO's on my disfunctional software I'll post them.

Later!

ETA: I was frusterated with editing my pics so I gave Kodak another shot. After 2 HOURS on the phone with tech support, I STILL got nowhere!! I need to call back & speak to a "Level 2" tech. **SIGH** Since I was annoyed & needed to vent I "Twittered" during the 2 hours of craziness....

Frustrated....

Remember how just the other night I sent Joe into the dreaded crawl space to get the Halloween decorations? Well tonight I sent him back in not once but twice!!

See yesterday I realized that I never dug out Marissa's winter 4T hand-me-down clothes for Gianna. The weather is no longer cooperating & the girls won't be wearing anymore cute capri pants. **SIGH**

So I told Joe how I am losing my mind & that he needs to go back because I'm a nin-com-poop. Well he agreed on both parts & tonight he went into the crawl space & dug around for the 4T clothes. Only problem??

He couldn't find them!!

After hunting around a few more boxes calling out labels to me & me rejecting them, we head upstairs to the attic. Wouldn't you know it? We found nothing up there!!! Now we're frustrated & confused......& head back to the crawl space.

We're thinking maybe I labeled a box wrong. He pulls some boxes out for me to examine & I look inside only to find the boxes labeled correctly. Wanna know what we did next??

We went back to the attic!!

We did the same thing, opening boxes to make sure it's all labeled correctly. Wanna know what we found? The boxes were all labeled correctly. We can't find 4T Winter clothes ANYWHERE!!

So problem #1? We had planned to go Pumpkin Picking tomorrow.

Problem #2? Gianna has nothing to wear that reaches her ankles.

Joe said I'll have to go shopping tomorrow (no problem there), but I KNOW those clothes MUST be in this house!!

Clothes?? Where are you??? Come out come out where ever you are!!!

Pity Party

I have been in a foul mood all day. That would basically be from me still not allowed to wear my contacts (I go see the eye dr. THURSDAY). Thus not being able to wear make-up to go out. Thus feeling trapped inside. BESIDES that I've got my "Aunt Flo" visiting, making my life a misery in itself. I haven't slept good. I'm in pain. I'm just an all around bitch!! I feel miserable & it's all just making me crazy!!

I even warned Joe when he got home tonight that I'm in a foul mood & that it's got nothing to do with him or the girls. Just me.

I think he wanted to run back to work!!

Or maybe he was wishing he had thought to bring home brownies!! LOL!!

I feel like I haven't had a relaxing week YET this summer!! Oh yeah & as of tomorrow the summer is 1/2 over! Can you just believe it???

ETA: Oh yeah I forgot to mention that I've also got a sore throat. I think Gianna got all "typhoid Mary" on us & we need to detox the house or something!!

It's all PINK!

Nope not a LO. Nope not a card. It's my EYE! I've got pink eye! It's all swollen & painful. (Take my word for it I was NOT getting a pic of that for the blog!! LOL!!!)

AARRRRGGGGGGHH!!!!!

I can't seem to catch a break this summer between the girls & me being sick in one way or another!

You know it's bad when I go to the Dr. right away! It started late Tues. night & by last night it was annoying me to no end! I thought I had scratched my eye or that I had something in there but the Dr. looks at it & declares pink eye right away. He asked me if I'd been near anyone with pink eye & I said no, not thinking about Gianna's slighty pink eye over the weekend. But I did mention how she had pneumonia & he said it's possible since it's viral too. Not sure if he was "yes-ing" me on that but whatever. I've never had it this bad & to top it off the Dr. says I have a really bad case of it! Fantastic!

Lucky me has to wear my glasses for a whole week (the frames bother my ear) & I can't wear make-up (not a problem). I have to make sure my hands are constantly clean especially when I'm near anyone. I'm trying to keep my distance from the girls & Joe just to make sure. The worst part?? I have to put eye drops in my eye 4 times a day!!

AAARRRGGGGGGHHH!!!!!

I hate eye drops or anything near my eyes. Go figure especially since I wear contacts all the time!!

The funny part?? Tonight after Joe put the drop in my eye I hear Gianna laughing at me!! Guess it's payback for all the times I've given her eye drops! Rotten kid! She's just lucky I love her!!

Calgon...where are you??? The Earring Story. ....Loonnnngggg post!!

Today started like normal. Was going OK, taught the girls how to play "Guess Who", but only really taught Marissa who was a little bummed because I kept guessing who she had (Gianna kept blabbing who our person was).

I play no favorites & show Marissa that in "reality" she doesn't always win. I'm ruthless like that...especially when playing "Monopoly" then it's a no holds barred death match!! Finally they changed games & tried playing together without me. Bad idea. It wasn't long before they started fighting over the new game. So I had to break that up....fun.

Finally I got time to sort out my next batch of pics to print for my next set of LO's. Just when I start printing my black ink ran out but luckily I had a spare. It prints a page then my printer runs out of color ink. Crap, I'm all out. **SIGH**

Gianna had a 3pm appt. for her annual checkup at the Dr's office. I had planned on going out after that to get a birthday gift for one of Marissa's friends that's having a party tomorrow (Yep, I like to wait until the last minute). I wanted to do this in one "outing", but now I "needed" my ink. Thought it over & opted to get her gift at Target so I could go to Staples after & get my ink. Mission accomplished.

The only glitch was the annoying lady behind me on line at Staples. There was only 1 line & I was behind 1 person. Then a guy opens another line & says "I'll take the next customer" so that person goes over to him. Now I'm next waiting patiently when this lady says "are you going over to that line?" I said "I think they're taking next in line" so she shuts up. Then before I know it she says "Now there's a line forming over there". I turned to her & said "Do what you want. I don't care". WHAT THE HELL? Is she in THAT much of a rush?? I only had 1 item but you didn't see me flustered. It wasn't worth it.

Next was Gianna's appt. She was anxious about getting her finger pricked but the tech wasn't sure if she would need it since she had it done last week so we went into the exam room after a quick "eyes & ears" test. Then the nurse told me she'd be getting 4 shots today.

Lovely.

I was telling Gianna about it so it wouldn't be such a shock & told her it'd be like getting a pinch. This brought on her wanting her ears pierced because we had told her that's what it felt like. I asked her if she wanted them done today & she said yes. I kept telling her it would hurt but only like a pinch just to make sure but this is something she has wanted for awhile now & there was no stopping her. I asked the nurse if the Dr. had the time to do it today & she found out that she did. Meanwhile the tech comes in & says Gianna does need her finger pricked after all.

Oh this is gonna be a LOUD appt!!

The Dr. did the exam & her pneumonia checks out OK & everything else is just right on target for her age & her blood work came back good (it wasn't too bad of a finger prick but the tech made her laugh). Fantastic, that's what I like to hear! Then the Dr. says we'll do her earrings 1st or she'll be traumatized from the shots & won't do it. OK, I'm game.

She starts by cleaning her ears with alcohol & then it starts. Gianna was not liking the cold on her ears & started fussing. Great. We asked her if she still wanted her ears pierced & she said yes. She knows what's important in life! LOL!

The Dr. proceeded to mark her ears with a marker to gets the holes even & Gianna wasn't liking that but wasn't too bad. Until I had to hold her. The Dr. tells her she's gonna hear a "crunch" & then she'll have beautiful earrings. I tell her how it's gonna sound like her cereal, trying to downplay it, when it happens. Oh. My. Goodness!! The cry!! The tears!! The sound!!! We try to calm her but she wasn't having it, so the Dr. asks her if she only wants 1 earring or 2. I did not raise a dumb child & she said she wanted 2 but now she knew what to expect & was not happy at all! More cries! More tears! More LOUDness!!

But wait there's more!!!

She's there pitifully crying when the Dr. tells me to hold her & she'll give her the shots. Gianna could hear this loud & clear through her cries & wails louder if possible! Freaking out might be a good term. She gets 2 shots in each arm & was screaming like there was no tomorrow! I don't blame her one bit & feel bad. I should have made her ears a separate appt., despite what she wanted.

Just give me the "Mother-of-the-Year" award.

Coming home is when we were almost in an accident (see previous post). So when I say "What a day", I really mean "Where's the frickin' alcohol!!"

Don't worry I stick to coffee minus the alcohol!!

-----------------------
On a lighter note.....
Over the past weekend I was on a roll getting LO's done. In fact I did 6...YEAH ME!!

But you can't see them.

Sorry but the pics I took tonight all came out crappy so I'm gonna try again tomorrow.

FYI- I worked out my frustration from the day on the treadmill...and no my water was not laced with alcohol!!

A Message..... (Warning Adult Language)

To the MORON who just CUT me OFF!!

YOU ARE A STUPID MotherF******!!!!!! If you had hit me like you were GOING TO you would've had to deal with ME as well as my lawyer, & quite possibly the hospital because a**h** I would've made SURE you'd end up there!!!

****BREATHING******

We were on our way home just now, just coming off the highway, literally just 2 turns away from our house when we were almost hit. We were on the jughandle so we were going straight & the SON OF A BITCH Mother F**&&^% A**H** making a left tries cutting me off!

It's MY RIGHT OF WAY!!!!

He actually smudged my bumper ever so slightly but only because I swerved! He is SO F****** LUCKY that he didn't hit me ESPECIALLY with the girls in the car!! He didn't even STOP just kept going, obviously he knew he was wrong.

I'm shaking still & think I need an adult beverage.

Please Note the Summer Hours

Ever since school is out I've been staying up late not caring (sorta) about what time I get up. I've had things to do that I can accomplish better & quicker when everyone is sleeping & outta my way!

Last week our 1st week off from school was all about getting ready for the girls' birthday party so I had LOTS to do. This week I've been trying to get some scrappy stuff done so it's been more late nights. I'm just more creative when there aren't any disturbances. Now I know that the girls are still (sorta) on an early morning schedule but sometimes they'll even let me sleep a little longer. Nice.

However this week I've been plagued by people who feel it's their duty to call me bright & early to chat. WTH??

Monday morning after Joe called me at 9am to wake me up I had another call from Gianna's pre-school to make sure what time I'd be coming in for her cupcake party. OK that didn't take long but still.

Yesterday morning at 8am Marissa's friend's mother called to verify a message I left her the night before. "Did I wake you?" Well, yeah ya did!!!

This morning after being scared out of sleep by Gianna crying in her room at 8:45, I was lying down, not intending to go back to sleep. Then all of sudden at 9am my friend Samantha calls to chat.

Come on people! I know it's not early but really, if I have no where to be at a certain time then I am sleeping in! Anyone who really knows me will know that I am not an early riser!! Call me later, in the afternoon preferably, to chat, or even better stop by with a large Dunkin Donuts coffee light & sweet!!

I'd appreciate the chat & the caffeine....'kay??

WTH!!!

I haven't had much to blog about this week. I haven't had anything nice to say. I've been driven to the point of frustration & I figure I'm gonna get it out & hope it passes.

Don't you just hate it when people decided your life for you? I do. They make decisions for you without ever consulting you? Then they judge you for these actions that weren't even done by you. How about when they expect you to change your schedule to suit there lives? Well, it's been done to me several times this week alone! The kicker is that it's by people that are close to me & I'm pretty pissed. I was also accused of not "going out of my way" for people. I defended myself by saying how I always go out of my way for people & how I'm taken advantage of for it! Now I'm careful of what I do for people since it just bites me in the ass.

For years I've been downplayed & ridiculed because I'm a "stay-at-home-mom". I've been told that because I scrapbook that "I have too much time on my hands". When I bake I get told the same thing....unless they want me to bake something for them. I'm at the point where I refuse to accommodate people because the favor is never returned. Not that I ask for much, but when I do they huff & puff about what a bother I'm being. Believe me, I am not the type of person that asks for help in anything very easily but when I do it's like I'm asking for the world by the reactions I get.

Joe always says "No good deed goes un-punished". Over the years I've come to realize this is so very true. I know this sounds mean but it just doesn't pay to be good because people just take advantage of you.

I'm sick to death of being taken advantage of!!!! You teach kids to treat people the way you want to be treated but some people just don't practice what they preach.

So is it any wonder that more & more I just want to take my kids & my hubby & move to where we don't know anyone?? I want to become a hermit!!!!

I Didn't Sign Up For This!!

Today was a lost, wasted day that I will never get back.

One of the moms at Brownies who volunteered to be "Cookie Manager" came over today to enter the cookie sales online. She had made this out to be a very hard thing to do but I kept telling her it shouldn't be that hard. So me & my big mouth offered her my help. What was I thinking????

She shows up at 12:30 with her younger daughter & some lunch she picked up for us. We talk for awhile & afterwards we get in gear & pull out all the orders. We (I) calculate all the cookies & she writes down the totals. We (I) figure out how many extra boxes we need to get & she writes it down. Then it's time to enter it online. We barely start when her cell phone rings & it's her sister with some bad news. Instead of telling her that she couldn't talk, she proceeds to chat for a good 20 mins!! Meanwhile I unload the dishwasher & try to keep busy without getting involved in anything too time consuming. FINALLY she hangs up & repeats the whole conversation in details to ME! WHY she felt the need to share is beyond me. She could have easily gave me a brief-"sorry but I had to take the call it was about my family" type of excuse but no.

By this time I'm annoyed because she invited herself to MY house & then ends up pulling this crap which is downright rude. So now we get back online & proceed to enter the cookie order. Let me just say the program is confusing & the notes they gave her to figure it all out were useless. So I'm annoyed more but it's not our fault so I let it go. We call the "help lady" from Girl Scouts several times & get nowhere near done. The program is doubling up our "extra" cookies we need to order blah blah blah. Now it's time to pick up the kids from school so she offers to go. Which frankly I have to vent & say--"Why shouldn't she have volunteered--did she expect ME to go & she have free reign over MY house?????"

They get back & of course the kids are hungry. I had picked up munchins & they had happily had some. The other little girl started leaving the kitchen with the munchins but Marissa told her that they have to eat in the kitchen (house rules--no food in other rooms). Great. But little by little the other girl kept "forgetting" & tried to leave the kitchen with the WHOLE box. She even snuck in the kitchen where we were on the computer & tried behind my back to do this. I told her firmly that all food has to be eaten in the kitchen & she laughed & ran off. Her mom didn't say a word. What the hell???? Needless to say this continued with our aggrevation with the orders & my aggrevation with her kids.

Another rule when Marissa has friends over is they can not play upstairs which includes their rooms. They have toys all over our den on the main floor & a playroom in the basement that's got loads of toys. So really -- no reason to go upstairs. I heard them all upstairs & after telling them to come down repeatedly I got pissed. Marissa tried being sneaky by cutting through the guest room which leads to my bedroom which leads to the other staircase on the other side of the house --GOT THAT??-- that bothered me BIG TIME. She was being egged on by her friend to do this & that scared me that she falls easily to peer pressure. It's not like I was calling to her from the other room-I was at the foot of the stairs & looking right at them! Of course "Ms. Cookie Manager" was still on the phone with the "help lady" from the girl scouts & ignored the whole thing.

By now it's 4:30 & I STILL had Gianna at pre-school (which is a daycare too. Don't get upset I'm not an un-fit mother!! She can stay as late as 6:30 but I pick her up by 3:30 usually). So I tell the mom I've got to go & pick Gianna up. She's like "oh well if you want to go & I'll keep doing this--sort of thing". Again! Talking like I'd leave her in my house. I told her that from Gianna's school I had to go to Joe's shop (which is no lie--his shop neighbor was ordering me new tires for my truck). FINALLY she gets the hint that she has to leave & wraps it up. Her girls are running willy-nilly all over trying to hide so they don't have to leave which annoyed me more. When we were kids we obeyed our parents the 1st time nevermind the parents of our friends when we were at their houses.

So basically after all this I was pissed off the rest of the night. I felt very taken advantage of. Why do people mistake my being nice for being a push-over?? By the way she also "invited" herself over my house when the cookies come in because I have more room to split up all the boxes of cookie orders. AARRRGGGHHHH!!!!! I told Joe that I'll finish this but from now on my new motto is "Just say NO!!!!"

100th Post!!! And Some Venting...

WARNING: This is a long post.....
I want to start this post on a happy note.....this is my 100th post!! YEAH!!! Didn't think I'd get there as fast as I did. Especially with all the blogs I check constantly during the day. Which might be the reason why I don't get stuff done around here!! I also didn't think I'd ever have any readers either. My sisters & a few close friends know I have a blog but most of them would only say I have too much time on my hands. Joe knows I have a blog but hasn't asked to read it which I'm happy for. I share everything else with him but would feel weird if he read what I wrote here for some strange reason (although I tell him literally everything). So I just want to say THANKS for listening (that's assuming there's anyone out there reading my blog)...especially tonight because.....I need to vent.

Today Marissa had a Brownie Meeting which was like any other. It was my turn to be "Snack Mom"--no big deal. I asked Marissa what she wanted to bring & she said the sugar cookies from Pillsbury (or something like that) that has little hearts shaped in the dough. I can't call it slice & bake because you literally open the pkg & place the pre cut cookies on a sheet & bake. Voila! Cookies!! So I made those as well as brownies because I can & I did (I confess--it was a box mix--I'm not Super Woman!!).

I pick Marissa up from the meeting later on & asked her if she had fun & she said she did. Then she tells me she's hungry. I said to her you just had brownies & cookies for snack there!! She said "Oh yeah" like it had been hours ago instead of a mere few minutes. So I asked her if the kids liked the treats. She said yes & that most of the girls wanted seconds of the brownies & the troop leaders (we'll call them "1" & "2") had to cut some brownies in half so everyone would have enough. She then told me that "2" said when it's her turn to bring in snack she'd bring healthy snacks, like carrots & cucumbers & celery & broccoli with dip.

Now let me describe for you the person I'm dealing with....she's the sporty type, has 3 kids but you couldn't tell (yeah--my jealously is showing!!) I have never said much to her other than basic pleasantries. Our girls were in some activities together last year & our paths crossed but other than that I never had much to say to her really. Nor does she to me. That's all I really know about her.

The other troop leader "1" happens to live on my street & we've been to a few neighborhood parties together & talked a bit but are we friendly to the point of calling each other for no reason not really. She's a "local" & was raised here. She's a sporty type too & has 2 kids. So "1" is the one I usually deal with when it comes to "Brownie" stuff. She's just more approachable. I talked to her briefly when I picked Marissa up & she didn't say a word about the snack. In fact there were no leftovers that I saw except the extra water bottles that I sent in. See there was a healthy part to snack--water!!

My aggravation is strictly based on what I heard from my 6 year old. I'd like to be wrong & I'm sure I'm taking this way too personal. I don't know if I'm looking too deep into this but it just doesn't sit right with me. Especially since we're selling Girls Scout Cookies right now & that would make her a hypocrite!!! Now---who wants to buy some "Broccoli Bites with Icing"?? Anyone??

Edited heavily after initial vent.

Can you believe it???

Tomorrow is THANKSGIVING!!!! I have warned Joe that I will be drinking. This is not something that I normally do but due to the fact that his Dad will be here to drive my stress level to the ROOF I will be drinking. Got that? For the past week Joe's told me that his dad has asked if he should bring any pastries & each time Joe tells him no. Now my F-I-L KNOWS I bake whether he knows that it's fun for me is another question but he KNOWS I bake. So today after I got home from doing a little shopping I check the machine & see that his dad called. Can ya GUESS WHY he called? Yep you did--He wanted to know if he should bring PASTRIES!!! Can you BELIEVE the man?? He DOES NOT LISTEN! THIS is WHY I'll be drinking!!!

On a different note. For about a week now I've had URGES. GET YOUR MINDS OUT OF THE GUTTER!! No wait it's ok-it's true BUT that's not the point of this little story!!! You'll NEVER guess what those URGES are for either.... Not sure where the 1st urge came from exactly but the 2nd urge came last night flashing on my screen saver. I had the urge to have another BABY! I saw the cutest little pic of Gianna from when she was about 18 months old & it struck a motherly chord in me.

Now Joe would LOVE to add on to our family but I've said for awhile now that I'm done. The girls are both at the point when it's fun to go places without lugging a diaper bag among other reasons. Why does the urge still hit me when I'm thrilled with my 2 happy & HEALTHY girls?? Could you believe it's all the sweet little baby things that I've been keeping "just in case". Could you believe I'm one of those people that just aren't happy unless they have a baby attached to their hip?? hmmmmmm.... Maybe I'm an insane women that's escaped from a mental institution...could you believe THAT??

What the?????

I don't have a lot of time this week since I'm trying to get ready for this jewelry party that I'm hosting BUT I tried changing a few things here on my blog & it's NOT letting me! What the hell?? SOOOOO frustrating! I don't have TIME for THIS!!!

I can't believe it is TWO days away from this party that I'm having &
1. I'm still not done cleaning.
2. I'm STILL waiting for A LOT of responses.
3. I'm not sure what I was thinking when booking this-the WEEK before Thanksgiving!!
4. I'm STILL have to clean the house!
5. I swear I'll NEVER host another one of these parties--EVER!!!
6. People STILL haven't responded whether they're coming or not--RUDENESS!!!
7. I'm sitting here blogging when I should be CLEANING!
8. I'm feeling rejected while trying to make the most out of this.
9. I've got more ideas for desserts than appetizers (should've been a dessert party!!)
10 I'M STILL NOT DONE CLEANING!!!!!

WHAT was I THINKING when I told Carolee I would support her & host a party at my house?? Oh YEAH that I would support her like the friend that I am! DUH! And seriously WHY don't people RSVP when the invite SAYS to RSVP???? If the invite doesn't say anything then I would understand BUT it DOESN'T!! I am having a MAJOR inferiority complex ever since I booked this!! I'm normally a confident person although a little shy but this has me going CRAZY! I know it shouldn't bother me so much but it is & it shouldn't. I know better but can't seem to help myself. I feel like I might have to cancel it but that would just add to my embarrasement that I'm feeling. Guess I'm not as confident as I thought. I keep saying that we'll make the most out of this & enjoy it with whoever does show up.....so THERE!!

Weekend Update

We had a relaxing sort of weekend finally. Marissa had off from school Thurs & Fri so she had a 4 day weekend but, I think we all took advantage of that. Fri night we went to my sister Marie's house for my B-I-L Danny's 41st birthday. As we drove up it started snowing! It wasn't by our house but she lives 30 mins north of us so that had a lot to do with it. She made dinner & we had cake & coffee. Afterwards we watched Spiderman 3 which looked pretty cool with the special effects even though I'm not into "Spidey" that much. It was nice...until little Miss Gianna had not 1 but 2 accidents in a row! AAARRGGGHH!!! What is with her these past few days????

Sat. we slept late & lounged in our pj's for most of the day UNTIL....my F-I-L called telling us he & Marlene were stopping by for a little while & would be here in 30 minutes! So much for the relaxing weekend!! We scrambled around getting showered & dressed. I took my time knowing that the longer I took the more of their visit I would miss!! When I came downstairs I said hello & Marlene started jabbering telling me all about her dieting & that she's on Weight Watchers now...blah blah blah. Luckily Marissa dug out some board games & challenged her to checkers. Love that little girl!! To keep busy I made a pot of sauce then went around doing things I should have done during the day but was being too lazy to do. FINALLY after 3 HOURS instead of the aforementioned "little while" they left. We ended the night by watching "Deck the Halls" which was an ok movie. I think the un-expected visit killed the mood.

Sun was a repeat of Sat. (without the intrusion) & after getting dressed we went to BJ's to do a little shopping. Then we went out to the diner to eat. After putting the girls to bed we watched Desparate Housewives then Brothers & Sisters & went to bed. Nothing exciting, but relaxing.

I had a dream about the jewelry party I'm throwing Fri night. I dreamt that only a few people came & Carolee didn't display her jewelry so no one bought anything. I REALLY want this to go well. I don't think I will ever host another party like this again!!

Speaking of hosting a party. It's been settled I'm doing Thanksgiving here again. **SIGH** I don't mind the cooking & all that, but it's the torture of listening to Joe's dad complain how "this country needs a depression" "everyone spends money they don't have" blah blah blah. WHY does he CARE???? It doesn't affect him at ALL so why does he bitch about it so damn much!! Sorry but as much as I love him he's gotten far too annoying for me & I think I'll be drinking heavily that day--you know 1 beer & I'm toast!! LOL!!!

No good deed.....

I've survived another Thursday night with my F-I-L. Luckily he was in a good mood tonight & Gianna kept him occupied for awhile so that's a plus. He's got this annoying habit that he'll tell you a story & then immediately after telling it he'll REPEAT it...SEVERAL times!!!! AAARRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!

Other than that it's been a nice day. Today & tomorrow the kids (Marissa) have no school. So Marissa got to go to work with Daddy & Gianna went to pre-school...that means Mommy went....SHOPPING!!! No nothing for myself unless you count that skin cream from Bath & Body Works but no I did a little Christmas shopping. Marissa also needed some jeans because around this time of year she gets a growth spurt & the jeans fit her around the waist fine BUT are TOO short. Hopefully the jeans will fit her fine for awhile or the poor kid will be wearing capri's during the winter!!! LOL!!

I did get a little happy mail today. I found this COOL bag on Shaunte's blog
http://www.joann.com/joann/shop/shop_tszoom.jsp?path=http://63.210.199.180/13/15/6/131564.jpg.fpx

I figure I can use it on vacation to carry my cameras & video cameras & paraphernalia around now that I don't need a diaper bag anymore. I can't wait to play with it & fill it up!!

Today was a weird kinda day with Gianna. I can officially say she's been potty trained for a couple of weeks now (I forgot to mention that in previous posts). She now does both #1 & #2 on the potty on her own. YEAH!!! HOWEVER....today when I picked her up from school I was told that she got up from her nap & went & sat herself in a chair & REFUSED to join in any activities or circle time or snack time. I also noticed that she didn't have any lunch...why? you ask...because today was the dreaded---FISH STICKS. YUCK! My daughter is stubborn beyond belief & will REFUSE to be coerced (sp?) into eating something she DOES NOT LIKE! When I questioned her in the car about her day I asked why she was in the chair by herself & she told me that she didn't want the other kids to take her Aurora dolly. That's the doll that I let her take to school to help her over me leaving her there. PLUS that's who she was for Halloween PLUS she's a possessive child PLUS I've noticed when I drop her off in the morning some of the kids kinda get in her face & annoy her. So I think I need to talk to the teachers & explain that she might be feeling a little bullied (if that's the right term). My heart just about broke when I realized that my little baby went practically all day without food! Nevermind that she had a rotten day! I told you that story because...... To make matters worse when we got home she had an accident & wet herself. She hasn't done that in ages but I changed her & moved on. Later as I'm cooking dinner she comes in & tells me she did "stinky" in her underwear. That's 2 accidents in 1 day!!! Is she regressing because of her rotten day today???? I feel horrible about it!!

Today is also my B-I-L Danny's birthday. He's my FAVORITE B-I-L but he's also my ONLY B-I-L!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANNY!

WARNING: A little venting.....
Earlier this week I booked a Silpada jewelry party with my girlfriend Carolee for the 16th. I started sending out invites but so far have gotten more declines than people coming. I'm really frustrated with this!! I feel like I have no friends!! I'm really trying to help Carolee out because the more parties she books the more commission she makes (I think that's how it works) so I REALLY hope I have a good turn out & not have to cancel the party! The venting part is I feel that my so-called friends are just "users" (I won't mention names). They use me because they know that I'm a SAHM & according to THEM I have LOTS of time to kill! I admit that I have a hard time saying no to people BUT I'm just trying to be a "good" person by treating people the way I would want to be treated. Is that so wrong?? This has been bothering me A LOT this week & really bummed me out (that's why I haven't posted in a while). I feel better now BUT I will be re-thinking how I respond to people from now on. Times like these I wish I could move & become a hermit!! Some people SUCK! As Joe says "No good deed goes un-punished" or that other saying "Mean people suck!" Yeah I'd have to apply both to this....

Thursday night vent.....

Last night was fun. The girls had a BLAST trick or treating with our friends the Coopers. Her BFF Ariel was the same as Marissa Princess Jasmine for school but changed into an Alice in Wonderland costume to go out in. The girls (namely Marissa) gave me some crap because she's still got her little Princess bucket for her candy "collecting" & said it wasn't BIG enough! HA! I still think of them as little little kids & so the buckets are plenty boy was I wrong! So because of that we took a trip to Target to see what was on sale & found the last 2 Barbie treat bags for next year. It was "Marissa approved" so I don't want to hear any crap next year!! LOL!!

I hate to admit that I don't think I got any "GOOD" Halloween pics this year. That just bums me out! Would it be weird to dress the girls up again & have a do-over??? Not for trick or treating just for them in their costumes! hmmmmm....something to think on.....

It's Thurs. night & you know what that means...DUN DUN DUNNNNN....my F-I-L is coming over for dinner. That means he's gonna tell the same stories as last week & he'll bitch about things that are SO un-important & he'll complain about things that DON'T even affect HIM!!! That just drives me nuts!! In the past 1 1/2-2years he's gotten so OLD so FAST & the only way to describe him is a "Grumpy Old Man"! It's frustrating! I love him dearly BUT there's only so much I can take! It doesn't help that this week I can feel my old friend "Myrtle" stopping by for a visit! **SIGH**

On the brighter side tonight is Grey's!! YEAH! The only bright spot of my day so far! I am SO ready for the weekend!!

Welcome to my pity party...

Ever feel like you're insignificant? That's how I've been feeling lately. It seems like I could exist in this world without ever being noticed. Joe's been very busy at work with a lot of craziness & I keep reminding myself that it's not his fault (it's REALLY not) but I feel lonely. I need more attention but not in a diva kind of way...Even my friends have been hard to get in touch with. It's too hard to reach them at work & afterwards I've got the girls pulling at me so I don't get a chance to call them at night. On the other hand the phone DOES work BOTH ways-so what's up with them??

On a brighter note-I've got some work done that's been calling my name. I'm hoping to get more done today so I will have tomorrow to just sit & SCRAP! Yes that's what I said SCRAP! I think I've got my mojo back! I'm in the mood to scrap again. I think it's been helping that I've been reading the new Becky Higgins sketch book. I just LOVE using her sketches! My only problem with the book is that it doesn't have pic measurements but I'll survive! I hope to have some fantastic looking layouts to post soon! OK that's it...the parties OVER!