Still breathing

Nothing to see here, move along...

Well, not much anyway.

Got a new front door to keep the thievin' neighbor kid at bay.

The quiet Thing got laryngitis.

Thing 4 has been coming up to say "How about a handshake?" Oh, for cute! (That's for Bossy.)

Thing 2 wants her name changed for her birthday.

Several of these are actually fodder for longer posts, but not tonite. I waded thru a couple Netflix movies, and I'm going to bed now.

Rut? What rut?

We seem to have hit that lovely cycle of work, sleep, work, sleep, work, work, sleep...
Bo-ring. I am, however, thankful for the lack of minor emergencies and mechanical breakdowns that usually spice things up around here.
The aging process hasn't slowed at all. I registered Thing 1 for high school (ACK!) yesterday. Thing 4 has preschool screening in a couple weeks. Oy.
The weathermen have been wrong about all the precip. It's been damp and gloomy, but nothing has actually fallen from the clouds. Today may actually produce some rain, but for now it is really foggy. I should join Cliff in keeping the gravel pit employees busy by hauling me in some gravel findings for my parking area, but I think I still owe them for filling my cistern, so that might have to wait a while yet. So for now, I'll just park on the street and stay out of the muck.
Off to update my netflix queue and prepare for another exciting day of digging my rut.

Get the hip waders...

The temps are cooling a bit, but still "unseasonably warm" according to the weatherman types who are supposed to know. I get my weather info from the 'net. I do occasionally check out local network weather, mostly to see what all the fuss over Sven is about. Apparently the little Nordic hottie has all the teenage girls and gay men in the Metro atwitter. Doesn't do it for me, but I'm over 16 and het. Anyway, along with the warm weather, 7 of the next 10 days have some sort of precip in the forecast. Good for the melt, not so good for drying out. The soil needs the moisture, but I'm tired of mopping already.
This is truly a Minnesota blog. I've regressed to talking about the weather. I have a couple of posts perking in the back of my brain, sort of in response to things I've read elsewhere lately, but I'll save those for another day. For now, I shall return to my life as a domestic goddess, and wipe a little nose, do a little laundry, and otherwise just try to make some visible progress through my home.

Spring is in the air, mud is on my shoes...

...and dogs, and car, and just about everything. The gravel patch where we park is soup. The snow piles were so high they are melting slowly while other sections turn into lakes. Luckily, the very back of the yard where I want to work first is in full sun and should dry quickly.

The older Things want to do some gardening. I think I'll set them up a gro-lite in the basement and let them start some plants. Thing 1 wants flowers, Thing 2 wants veg. I'm sure Thing 3 will chime in eventually. I'm all for it; our yard can't look any worse than it does. Might as well dig up some veg patches. Better start tying the dogs outside fairly often when the ground dries to keep the rabbits away.

I am actually making progress around the house today, so I'd better get up before I stall out. Happy planting!

Fun on a Saturday

Thing 2 wanted to bake cookies today, so she got her stuff ready while I made dinner. I looked over and told her to put on an apron and refrain from wiping her hands on her butt, as she had a big white handprint. She returned to her work, and said
"...that's either five or six scoops. I lost count. Mom distracted me with her butt crack."
She will never live it down.

Recovering from the weekend

So I wound up not having to work Job #2 Thursday, either, and slacked off something fierce. Friday I got to skip Job #1 again and go to Job #2 just long enough to work a groom's supper. Hard to cancel a wedding because of snow (but I daresay its been done). In fact, check out the Cosmic Junkie's cool snow pic. That's how bad it got here! I got out of there relatively early, bar-wise, ran to the convenience store, and picked up some hot chocolate, and woke up Thing 1 for some mommy time. It was her 14th (!!!!!) birthday Friday. She'd had a yucky day. She's grounded over a less-than-stellar midterm report, and was unable to enjoy her freedom on the snow days. With dad off at work, I let her crawl into bed with me and we drank hot chocolate in bed (verboten!!) It was nice to have her snuggle up to me. The next day at work I got to hold a co-worker's new baby. I miss those days, but the snuggle isn't that much different when they're 14.

I realize I have transposed the job #s. How will you live? My morning job is actually the second job chronologically. Now that you know, I'm sure you are much relieved. Anyway, I picked up a shift at the day job, so I put in 8 hours there Saturday, went home, gave the kids some quick attention, grabbed a nap, then put in 7 at the bar. I was ready for a day of rest, indeed. We had potluck at church, so I threw a little turkey in the roaster and dinner was taken care of. Came home, flopped on the couch, was immediately flopped upon by two dogs, and I watched Little Miss Sunshine. I enjoyed it.

I realize now that I shouldn't have treated the dogs with turkey scraps. I'd forgotten about dog flatulence. Cripes!

Back to what resembles "normal" around here. That bus comes stinkin' early, so I'll bid you all a good night.

Snowbound by choice

The "official" snowfall tally so far is 2.5", with more on the way. The main roads are plowed, but there's blowing and drifting to keep things interesting. I called work and told them I could make it if needed, but maybe it was better to keep the tip pool small. They said fine, so I am slackin' off until job 2.

So, I will jump back in to the TT fray wih this little bit of nonsense...

Thirteen Things to do (or not do) on a snow day 1. Sleep in (after checking the radio for school cancellations, etc.) 2. Stay in Jammies as long as possible. 3. Think about giving the dogs a bath, then realize they're just gonna get wet and dirty again next time they go out in the snow. 4. Brush the dogs instead. 5. Trim nails and clean ears while you're at it. 6. Watch the netflix you ordered. 7. Cook up a big ol...(insert your favorite here, pot o chili, cake, batch o' brownies, hotdish...) 8. Eat most of it yourself because the kids have all abandoned to go build snowforts (that's the good thing about March snow, usually warm enough to go enjoy it) 9. Catch up on laundry 10. Wait for the plow to go by, then dig out the car. 11. Make homemade hot cocoa 12. Work on cleaning out the junk (room, drawer, basement, heated garage...) 13. Plant rump firmly on chair and surf away the day. Number thirteen is starting to pan out...

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Again with the randomness

More snow on the way. Coming down thick and heavy at the moment. We may have a snow day tomorrow. What some people won't do for a day off work.

***

I really need a haircut. It's getting to the point where I just work in some gel when it's wet and blow dry it back and out of my eyes, and hope for the best. I've been getting a kind of retro swoop thing going. Last weekend for work I wound up looking like this:
I really need a haircut.

***

More on the "warping our children" front: Thing 1 asked if we can watch Rocky Horror Picture Show sometime soon. Oh dear.

***

And finally, an allegory for you. Thing 4 is warming up to the dogs, however, probably because he lives on their level, he notices that they smell like dogs.
"The doggies are stinky!" he announces.
"But we still love them." I reply.
"No, they stinky!" he asserts.
"I still love you even when you're stinky." I remind him (so potty training isn't going so well...)
I take a little pause.
Lately I've been noticing the quote "Your attitude(s) is (are) like the aroma of your heart." The coach in Facing the Giants says it, but I haven't been able to track down his source, and I've seen it popping up elsewhere. I can have some pretty stinky attitudes, but God loves me even when I'm stinky. How lucky we are to be loved unconditionally. We can joyfully accept His love, or scorn and reject it, but is there for the taking no matter what our mood at the moment.

***

Off to batten down the hatches. Stay safe and warm.

What have we done to these children, v2.0

So I come downstairs this morning to the sound of Thing 4 watching movies; not Shrek, or Lion King, but the singalong feature on Monty Python and the Holy Grail, as he bounces along to "Knights of the Round Table." Oy. This is almost as good as the time I found him and Thing 3 smacking their foreheads with DVD cases as they watched the monk scene. Thing 1 can frequently be found sprawled on the couch with her father's boxed set of M*A*S*H*. Our children will either have very eclectic tastes, or be royally screwed up.

And so it came...

My FIL, the weather geek, says we got 10" of snow; neighbor says she heard 16"on the radio. It was plenty. Wet and heavy. Good for the dirt, bad for weak roofs. When iPastor came home from night shift at 6am, the highway had been plowed to one lane, but the streets had not. He's lucky he made it into the yard with that lightweight, low-slung Geo. The neighbors came to blow us out, and as I dug out the wheels, the snow was right up to the frame.
I was awakened by iPastor answering the phone. The neighbor from across town was in Monte waiting for a ride, and couldn't rouse anyone at home. I went out to go check, and quickly determined it would be faster to walk than to try to extricate the vehicles. Walking in wet snow is a better workout than a Stairmaster(tm). Too heavy to shuffle along in, you have to step over. And over. After I got home from waking the neighbor (helps that they have large, loud dogs) I figured I was in for a penny, so I took my dogs for their morning potty. At first they seemed to enjoy a romp in the snow. It wasn't too long before they figured out it was almost as deep as them, and they got tired of jumping.
The forays into the snow weren't half bad. 25 degrees is plenty warm when you're properly clothed and exercising a bit. Happily, it is no longer 25 below zero. This snow will melt relatively soon, and probably be replaced by another blast or two before spring. We do have snow in the forecast most of this coming week, but I don't think in this amount. I had hoped to take pictures, but it would require working up enough gumption to find the camera. And batteries.
Thing 1 is working on a service project. She won a Kiwanis essay contest, telling what she would do for someone if given $100, opting to send some homemade care packages to servicemen in Iraq through anysoldier.com. She's downstairs working on her homemade goodie bags. We suggested she see who else she could get to contribute, so she hit up the local Lions and got another $100. Mama's little capitalist.
Off to finish supper. Monkey brains tonight!

Here it comes...

We've had an abnormally snowless winter here in Minnesota, so now that a three-day storm is on the way, its all people have been talking about all week. We desperately need the moisture, so its a good thing, really. The snow was supposed to start about 2 am, but held off until about 9:30 this morning, after spitting a nasty layer of freezing rain on the ground to slick things up a bit first. At least it was little pellets, and not sheet ice. I'll have to wait until this afternoon to see if I attempt the drive to work. My boss has farther to drive, and goes right past here. Maybe I'll make my drive dependent on whether he makes it. My luck, he'll have stayed over in town.
The girls and I started out with great progress on the house this morning, and are taking a well-deserved break. I should get back to it, however, before I lose my momentum.
Sadly, now that I sit down to address you fine folks, I find myself lacking anything to say, so i'll leave y'all alone and go peruse seed catalogs online. The first seed catalog used to come the week (and once even the day) after Christmas. Since I started looking online, however, I have to go search out the info on my own. I miss having a catalog to tote to the kitchen table or bathroom to peruse at leisure. I'll have to sign up for a mailer to fix that.

Road Trip

We're back from going to see Mercy Me in concert last night. The bands were awesome; the trip less so. Kids had attitude, iPastor had little patience for them, and I tried to enjoy myself despite them all, with varying levels of success. I suppose it was about time for a letdown. I usually spend more time planning and fiddling with little trips like this than we actually spend on them. So far, the trips we've taken have turned out fairly well. Guess everyone needs a clunker now and then. I was so stoked for this concert, and the music was all I expected. Could have done without the distractions.
It seems we finally have a break in the weather. Let it climb above freezing and we start acting like it's summer around here. It was 37 degrees today, and we saw shorts and flip flops all over the mall. Most area schools were out so it seemed like a weekend.
Been a little scarce around here lately, but the routine has been mostly the same old work and sleep cycle. Aside from a bum knee kicking up to complicate matters, things have been pretty uneventful.
With that, I'm off to settle the troops in for the night.

Thursday Thirteen

Lately Thing 4 has taken to saying he's "afraid" a lot. He is usually afraid of anything he doesn't want to do. For simplicity's sake, this week's list...

Thirteen Things to be afraid of, according to a three year old 1. The dark 2. shoes 3. coat 4. bedtime 5. supper (instead of bananas, which instill no fear whatsoever) 6. mom 7. dad 8. the other Things 9. his toys (instead of the babysitter's toy that he wants to bring home...) 11. sitting up straight 12. bathtime 13. clean pants

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants



***

So I'm pretty sick of freezing my fanny, among other things, every time I go outside. The temperature was supposed to creep up into the 20s and 30s by Sunday, now it's been pushed back to next Wednesday. The sun is nice. It's sharp and bright and very pretty, from the inside looking out, anyway.

***

Waitress gem of the week:

"Is that the only soup you have today?"

"Yes."

"So there's no other soup today?"



I get major bonus karma points for throttling my inner sarcastic witch. It would have been too difficult to choose which reply to use anyway...

"Yeah, we have three, I just said that to annoy you."

"I could run down the street to the store and get you a can."

I even withheld the simple "Are you really such an idiot?" stare, and kept my happy face firmly plastered on.

***

On other fronts, Job #2 is great. Short shifts, fun people to work with, fun with customers as above and nice ones, too. The major downfall is the reputation this place has for evil desserts and really good food. Not part of the weight loss plan at all. Every day I must calculate something along the lines of, "Did the running I did burn enough calories to justify the chocolate macadamia nut pie?"

***

I must be off to get things done before I go. It's a two-job day. Ick.

More random randomness

I bought some new bath products at the Evil*Empire Saturday. I got a couple of bottles of "3-in-1 Bubble Bath, Body Wash, and Shampoo" Someone in the health and beauty industry has finally figured out that soap is soap. I, and I am willing to bet most consumers, have been using liquid bath products interchangeably for years. Now it's a marketing point rather than just being too lazy to run to the store for shampoo. Another disturbing observation; on the bottles is a bright yellow sticker that says New! Flavor! Who's tasting the soap?

***

Woohoo! The high today is expected to (just barely) break zero. Can spring be far away? I did notice more daylight as I sent the kids off to the bus this morning. This is the time of year when we start to gain daylight at a noticeable rate. I am stoked.

***

Well, it's not above zero yet, so I'd best go start the vehicle warming.

Randomness

That seems to be the word of choice for Thing 2 these days, so I may as well roll with it.

***

The doggy assimilation seemed to be coming along nicely. After getting home at 2:30 am from Job 1, then having to get Things 1 and 2 on the Speech bus at 8:00am yesterday, I was ready for a little quality couch time. I popped in a movie for the younger Things, and snuggled in to doze. Dogs apparently thought this was swell, because they hopped up to join me of their own accord. I may have stunted all progress today by giving them baths, as they seem particularly skittish, but I'll have to see if they calm back down.

***

Its cold. Bitter. Biting. Piercing. Yuck. I have had amazing luck with car batteries, as we have no garage or tank or block heaters on either vehicle (I realize this is stupid living in Minnesota, but who am I to be blamed for having common sense?) I did have to put some isopropyl in the van which cranked right over, but would not stay running. The temperature is supposed to sneak back up painfully slowly over the week, and Sunday jump into the mid-thirties. It's a heat wave people.

***

I am ignoring the Superbowl. I hope the Colts win, simply because my friend Ann will be impossible to live with if the Bears win. For better football fun, check out Facing the Giants, which my church will be showing in a couple weeks.

***

I suppose I should go draw a bath and scrape of the stank. We had no water all day yesterday due to a main break. It seems to be at least a monthly occurrence hereabouts. Our water bill has been increasing on a steady scale to make improvements, but I haven't seen any yet. Gripe. Maybe a bath will improve my disposition as well as the ambience. Ta!

***

Hello Monday!

These days I almost look forward to Mondays more than the weekend. Unless we make plans far in advance to go somewhere, the weekends around here are ruled by work. Sundays we both have off, but the day is spent on church and catching up sleep and chores for the week. When Monday comes, however, if we've played our cards right we roll into the less-hectic beginning of the week. iPastor is off the regular job for a couple of days and we only have my schedule and the kids' to contend with. Our weekend just gets bumped up.
The Valentine candy rolled out in WalMart the day after Christmas. Tarnishes the idea of getting candy to know it's been wrapped in plastic sitting on shelves somewhere for at least 4 months once you factor in shipping and storage. I really hate Valentine's Day. Greeting cards in general irritate me to no end. I like funny ones. If you have something to say to me, I'd much rather you say it yourself than pay $3.50 for a Hallmark card. Unfortunately, the female in-laws all seem to enjoy finding that perfect card, and making a to-do about a card that's "just BEAUTIFUL!." I'm a girl like many others, and if it takes a consumer-driven holiday to make you pay attention and do something nice, I'll take it, but I'd much rather have those moments come at spontaneous times throughout the year. Any time at all, thank you. Any?
The catalyst for this particular rant was finding this site today following random linkies. It struck me funny. The language is pretty crass for the fainthearted, but I agree with the general sentiment.
I suppose I should be off to Job #2 now. You all have a swell day.

Daily Blather

I'm skipping the TT this week until I have a list I'm willing to spend some time on.
My sister called to tell me one of my Aunts died Tuesday. My dad's sister, Margret.
When I was growing up, my mom's unknown (at the time) neurological conditions was already causing her to self-alienate, and bring my father along for the ride. We seldom saw any of my father's side of the family, for no real reason that I know of. My dad had a favorite cousin that we saw occasionally. We even went camping with their family once, and my cousins Jack and John spent their time tormenting me. We most frequently saw my dad's Aunt Hattie. She lived on our route to Sioux Falls, where I had to go every six weeks or so to see the orthodontist. Hattie had a neat old farm place that was always loaded with the typical grandma stuff, and she had an ancient German Shepherd named Queenie who loved attention.
I actually saw more of my family after my parents were gone. We stomped the same ground and I ran in some of the same circles as extended cousins. I barely knew the woman we're burying tomorrow, but she was always pleasant when we met, and she sent me some pictures and genealogical information a few years back.
Tomorrow I'll drive for longer than I'll actually spend awkwardly trying to remember my cousin's names and make small talk with my sister, to honor the memory of a lady I barely knew, but remember for her kindness to me. Not a bad legacy, that.

A Monday morning funny

My inbox this morning contained the following anecdote of uncredited origin. It came via my wickedly witty friend Ann who needs to post on her blog more frequently for my enjoyment.

****

I was in Wal-Mart buying a large bag of Purina for my dog Lola and was in line to checkout.

A woman behind me asked if I had a dog........Duh!

I was feeling a bit crabby so on impulse, I told her no, I was starting The Purina Diet again, although I probably shouldn't because I'd ended up in the hospital last time, but that I'd lost 50 pounds before I had awakened in an intensive care unit with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and IV's in both arms.

Her eyes about bugged out of her head.

I went on and on with the bogus diet story and she was totally buying it.

I told her that it was an easy, inexpensive diet and that the way it works is to load your pockets or purse with Purina nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry.

The package said the food is nutritionally complete so I was going to try it again.
I have to mention here that practically everyone in the line was by now enthralled with my story, particularly a tall guy behind her.

Horrified, she asked if something in the dog food had poisoned me and was that why I ended up in the hospital.

I said no ..... I'd been sitting in the street licking my butt when a car hit me.

I thought the tall guy was going to have to be carried out the door.

****

With that, I return to the everyday ramble. Have a good one.

And there was great rejoicing among the snowmobilers

A couple inches of good snowball snow is commencing to cover the brown drear outside. The kids have all packed off to go sledding or simply stomp around in it. I, on the other hand, am planning a snowy day nap.
I sometimes feel pretty lightweight about the day-to-day prattle I post here, but I am often reluctant to delve much deeper into some things.
I let drop pretty lightly the "poverty level" issue a couple posts back. It's entirely true. I am both blessed and stressed. We live in a community in an area of the country where even at below poverty level, we keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. I get very frustrated with the situation at times, however. We have household repairs and non-life threatening medical issues that are constantly put off instead of addressed. Any little bump in the road (like running out of propane last week) can knock us off track and set us behind. We qualify for certain kinds of assistance, but the bureaucracy involved with obtaining and keeping those programs intact in our home is often paralyzing. Yet when I feel oppressed by these issues, I also feel extremely guilty. For as much as I struggle some days, there are families out there that would be so grateful for what we have. Poverty in America is swept under the rug. In our land of plenty, we try not to think of want. If we extend our view outside the borders of the USA, it's even more shaming. There is absolutely no reason that a nation with the resources and wherewithal of the United States could not provide adequate food, water and shelter to the entire world if it simply WANTED to. I have heard it said that our nation's surplus could feed the world if someone would just pay the shipping and distribution bill. Are we responsible for the rest of the worlds' needs? No. Shouldn't our sense of decency or justice or some indwelling human compulsion drive us to want to help anyway? So perhaps I'm a sentimental git, the kid who cried for lost puppies and bought groceries for the homeless people upstairs. I can't say that's a bad git to be. It also helps me keep swimming.

Certifiable

Proving once and for all that I should be institutionalized, I checked my family and a few extras into the local Country Inn and Suites for Thing 3's requested ninth birthday party. The calling card there was the pool, and it really didn't cost me much more than when I pack a herd of kids off to the bowling alley or skating rink for birthday mayhem. By and large, all kids were well-behaved, they just outnumbered me. They did run the complimentary hotel cookie jar completely dry in a matter of minutes, and I found out by the multitude of extra pillows that they had been sneaking off to the front desk one by one to get them. I think we had nine pillows in the room when we were done.
Now that we are safely home, I have been cleaning out the mud room/dog kennel, and biding my time until a quick trip to Granite Falls to meet my Ma and pick up some meat she and dad have been getting way cheap. It's always a hit to the grocery bill at once, but 40 pounds of pork loin goes a long way, even for a family of 6. And it's yummy! After I get back, I'll fetch Thing 4 and friends from the church program (got well-rounded kids, they attend several local church kid's programs. This one an all-day, once a month, one every Wednesay evening, and our Sunday program) they went to, and come home to fix dinner and maybe catch a quick nap before work. Gotta cram a Sunday School lesson in there, too. Dang. Better get at it. I'll chitter away at you folks some other time.