Stranded

I got tagged by Momma for a meme. It goes like this:

"Your ship has sunk. You have, of course, been stranded on a deserted island. You have salvaged a copy of the King James Version of the Bible and a copy of the complete works of Shakespeare. Nothing else. “The very next day you find one of those Arabian Lamps in the sand. Of course, you rub it and, of course, a rather grumpy Genie appears. “‘Let’s get this straight - there is a recession going on. There are restrictions on the three wishes now. I don’t do water or air transport now so no boats, planes or magic carpets. As for electronics, forget it. There isn’t the infrastructure on this island. “‘I can let you have one book and I mean one VOLUME, one essential item and one luxury item. Now hurry up and make your choices, I have to get to those five other islands you are going nominate. "

First off, I'm going to switch it to a New American Bible - St. Joseph Edition (the Catholic bible). And, I also want to say, I'm thrilled to have all those works from Shakespeare. "Taming of the Shrew" is my favorite, followed by "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "Romeo & Juliet". Not too shabby for a shallow, cleavage bearing hypocrite, huh?

After much thought, I decided my book would be a cookbook. This one looks good and handy:



It's "From the Earth: Chinese Vegetarian Cooking".

Then, for my essential item, it would have to be a big old pot. I'd need to boil water and cook whatever I could find, so a large pot like this would be most necessary:



Finally, for my luxury item, it would have to be a 10 gallon vat of moisturizer (with SPF):



(I know that's not a vat of it, but I couldn't find a pic for a vat of moisturizer. I'm going to rely on the genie to provide me with massive amounts of this).

I guess I need to tag 5 people. I'm going to tag:

Buzzardbilly

Ron

Gingermagnolia

Lisa (a new bud from down under - I know she doesn't like awards, but this is different and I'd enjoy her answers!)

and

MsPulp

Looking forward to the fall-out!

A Messed Up Week

I didn't have a whole lot of things to do this week, but for some reason, I was off a day. Like, on Wednesday, I felt like it was Thursday - but, I also knew it wasn't because at Buddy's school, Thursday was scheduled as an early dismissal day.

So, logically, I knew it, but I kept having that nagging feeling! Maybe I was just wishing the week would go by faster and we'd get to the weekend... I don't know.

We're expecting Sissy's big girl bed today. The store called last night and said our scheduled delivery is between 3 and 6 pm. I hope it's on the early side of that.

Maybe I've just been anxious about that transition all week.

I bought all the bedding earlier and have it all washed and ready. I think it's going to look really cute. We went to Kohl's and they had sheets with flowers or with really colorful stripes. I let Sissy pick - she picked the flower ones and I found a coordinating coverlet. I'll snap a pic of it when it's all finished.

We didn't get a headboard or rails. For now, we'll just have it low to the ground, but also use a side rail - just in case. But, if she falls out, she won't be too far from the floor.

I hope you all have a great weekend! I was tagged on a meme - but I'm going to have to mull it over for a bit. Hopefully, I will get that up tomorrow. If not, I'll see y'all again on Monday morning!

I Haven't Forgotten

Buddy was an especially difficult to potty train child. He did pretty good around age three for daytime stuff and even nighttime things. We'd put a pull-up on him at night and he always woke up dry.

The number 2 situation was trickier. He never did #2 in his pull-up at night, but he liked to hold it in. He was fully day/night 1 and 2 trained by his 4th birthday (but, keep in mind that Buddy was born 3 months before his due date, not expected to live at all - and only 2lbs, 5oz). So, being a bit slow in the potty training department was not a shock to us.

I have been a bit surprised that Sissy has not been more receptive until now.

You know, first time parents have these idealized notions about their child. A parent on round 2 probably should not.... but I DID! I thought, "She's a girl, she was born full term. Potty training will be a breeze!" LOL. Oh, how I laugh at myself now.

Sissy has done an amazingly good job so far. We are doing rewards with stickers on a chart and candies.

The candies are these:



It's a flattish thing filled with really cheap chocolate pieces. The child pushes the button and hears "Great job! You're such a big girl! Now choose a door and get a prize." Or something like that.

I bought her better chocolates at the store earlier, so when we run out of silly door prizes, she still gets a reward.

However, today, I noticed that she requested to go to the potty quite frequently and every trip (almost) resulted in voiding a bit of pee. That means she gets a sticker and chocolate.

I think she was holding back and saving up for more trips! That little scamp!

We also had an episode where *someone* pooped in her Dora panties. Hmmmm. We'll have to work on that. (and NO, it wasn't me - LOL).

Lent

As some of you know, today is the first day of Lent. I didn't make it to Mass this morning - it's at 8:15 and that was just far too early for me to consider starting my day. There is always the evening Mass later. For those unfamiliar, Lent is a 40 day period - from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday.

A few years ago, I decided to give up bread for Lent. I love bread, rolls, cakes, etc. So, it was tough, but I did it. I have decided to give up bread again this year. Giving up bread makes Fridays even more interesting for me.

Catholics don't eat meat on Fridays. We can have seafood (and frankly, I think fish and stuff is technically "meat", but whatev.). But, this means I can't even eat a grilled cheese sandwich or tuna salad sandwich on Fridays. I foresee a lot of salads and baked potatoes in my future.

The Evil Twin and I discussed what constitutes a bread product last time I did this. We felt like anything baked in an oven qualified, but things such as taco shells or tortillas did not because taco shells are a corn mixture that is fried and tortillas are cooked in a pan. Also, to my knowledge, neither of those things contain yeast, so I can eat Mexican food - only no meat on Fridays. That's okay, because I was a vegetarian for nine years and can happily eat vegetarian items.

(So, what is "out" for me? Bread, rolls, cakes, pastries, pizza... I'll have to be much more creative in seeking my carbs! LOL).

At my parish, the Knights of Columbus host fish fries on Friday evenings. These are always fun and tasty.

As is customary, the Fifth grade class "works" the fish fry. Basically, they fetch drinks for people, put trays away, etc. in order to receive tips. This tip money goes toward their end of the year field trips prior to "graduation". This is the last year of elementary school for them, so it's a really big deal (to them).

This Friday will mark the 1st fish fry of the Lenten season. Buddy's teacher wants all of the kids (all 15 of them) to work this first time. Then, she will set some sort of schedule for the remaining Fridays.

If they work the fish fry, they get to eat for free. Yay! Saves us a little money. We typically end up there every Friday anyway, so they'll get plenty of money in return from us - for the food and in the form of tips. The Knights are generally fairly generous with their portions, so we all get plenty of food.

And - totally off the topic, but I wanted to update - Sissy decided after last Thursday that she preferred diapers. This mindset continued through the weekend and onto Monday. Then, she decided she wanted to wear a pair of her new (she picked 'em) My Little Pony panties on Tuesday AM... no accidents. Same thing today, but I've noticed that she waits until after her morning "constitutional" to ask for the panties. We've decided to keep her in diapers/pullups at night for a while. She IS getting a big girl bed tomorrow. We bought a full size mattress and box springs last weekend and it will be delivered tomorrow. I already have all her big girl bedding washed and ready! (and no, I don't go for that cheapy themed bedding, like Princesses or whatever. The thread count on those things suck and no one likes to sleep on tatter balls after 2 washes!).

Some Shout-Outs

I was given an award, twice actually - and I'm not trying to brag - but I do want to link to the two who awarded me: First was Natalie (one of my new Australian followers - instead of an award, she might have passed on to me her cute accent, but no.) and then also a long time pal, themom awarded me!

I think that's pretty cool, even if I don't really participate in blog awards.



"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.”

So, in light of my not really *doing* awards and such, I thought this might be a nice opportunity to spotlight some new friends I have made and pass on the award:


Vevay Anderson

Alex in the Red State

Baylee and Blair

Roth Wriscey at I Seen The Whole Thang!

Mary at Little Weeloos Mom

LoveLladro

Mrs. Wally

Loni's World

That's 8 new friends. You should check them out too! I'll be back later with more (I think.... I'm falling behind in reading here!)

A Technical Error

I am having a really hard time this morning. First off, I just sat here and stared at the screen last night, willing myself to write something. I was blank.

I had spent the day out shopping - Kohl's and then the Mart of Wal for groceries. Nothing extra interesting happened.

I spend at least two hours a day (not all at the same time, but broken up) reading and commenting on blogs I enjoy. I was and am frustrated beyond belief. The blogs that utilize the word verification thing that pops up after the "send comment" button is pressed, just say "Loading..." and then there is no word verification word to come up. Sooooo, if you have your blog set like that, I (and everyone else) can not leave a comment.

I have my blog set for no word verification and anonymous comments accepted because I feel that makes it easier for someone to leave a comment. Even if they don't have a Blogger or Wordpress or whatever account.

I've only had maybe three incidences of spam in the 2 years or so that I've been here and it's easy to just go in and delete those.

Anyway, if you have your blog set up that way and you haven't had any comments since early yesterday, you might want to rethink your settings.

I'll try to get back to comment later on. Truly, I will! It's just hard, especially during the day when I have Sissy here at home.

Hasta la pasta! (I stole that from my friend J in Dallas). :-)

The Travelin' Corkscrew

Okay, I had planned to do this earlier, but I got sidetracked by a new 2009 Disney World guide book and that's why I never did reply to any comments on Friday, either. I've been in my "happy place" planning our upcoming vacation. But, I appreciate the response - even if Sissy decided that she was really more all about diapers the very next day of her many successful potty trips.

Like I said, I know this will be a up and down journey of sorts. We have an 11 year old... We've been down this most intrepid path once before.

Now! The feature! The corkscrew! Lots of people who work in the restaurant industry carry similar corkscrews. I got mine from a person who for now, we'll just say is someone I know.



It looks like one piece, right?

But, it's not:



And the two pieces fit together, like this:




There ya go. It's a regular corkscrew.

And, I carry it because one time, I was put in a wine emergency situation.

It's not as good as my home corkscrew:



Lucky me! I purchase wine by the BOX. It's much cheaper. And tastes pretty okay. Yeah.

Ditching Diapers?

I'm a little reluctant to talk about this today. I think if I spill the beans, I may be jinxing myself.

Sissy and I have been in a very comfortable morning routine for a short while now. The Evil Twin and Buddy leave for work/school and then I jump in the shower. When I would hear Sissy on the monitor, I would get her up, put her in our bed, turn the TV on and finish my morning routine of fixing my face and hair, etc.

Yesterday, she got up a bit earlier, so I just got her up and situated - sippy cup of milk, bowl of honey nut "Cheerios" (the generic brand) and all snuggled on the couch for her favorite shows on Disney channel.

Just after 9:30, I decided it was shower time and Sissy wanted to put on "big girl panties". We looked in her dresser and she found some she liked, so I put those on and some plastic pants over that. The big girl panties are those toilet training types - you know, they're a bit thicker in the middle, but not water proof.

I didn't expect to find her dry when I emerged from the shower, but she was! And, she pee'd on the potty 4 times today. She had one small accident, but it must have been dribbles because the undies were just barely damp.

I don't know what clicked for her, but hey, it's a start. I'm sure we're just at the tip of the process and there will be ups and downs, but gosh darnit! I am so proud of her!

I'll keep you guys updated on that fascinating and riveting bit of personal information.

You're welcome.

Tomorrow's post will be a detailed analysis of my travel corkscrew and its features.

Stay tuned!

Tell Me About Your Bag?

I have a new follower, Red from Ktown, and she had this cute little meme on her site a few days ago.

She had picked it up from another blogger and the rules state:
In reference to [the] rules...it's not fair if you take a purse that is fun, your fave, or something with more character than you happen to be using this minute. The rule is....it has to be one that you carried with you today.

I'm not much of a purse changer. I carry this one everyday and have for about 2 and a half years. Stop judging! It's big, it holds all my crap and it's cute. I get loads of remarks on how "cute" it is.



It's a bag made from fabric. It was made by a local business, which has since closed their doors. The company was called Bella Bags, and they made one of a kind, custom purses - you could choose your fabric, style, trim, etc. This one was a limited edition "Mother's Day" purse. There were only 50 made and I made sure I snatched one up. I love it. The colors are funky and fun. It's roomy as all get-out (3 inside pockets, 3 outside pockets). It's easy to carry, too!

As you know the HO™ and mom of two needs to tote a bunch of shit around daily. This purse makes it easy - I can shove everything I need in here and let that be it, instead of carrying multiple totes.

What's in that bitch, you ask? Good question. Here ya go:



Want a closer look? Let's examine further:



Okay, it's the necessities, right?

We have some Wet Ones wipes, travel tissues, the Pooh thing is the travel nap, some gum. Below the tissues is my blue coupon organizer and next to that, my rosary. Above that is a full pack of teeny Post-It notes. Then, we have a dirty bib (going in the laundry right away). The white box above the bib is a tiny first aid kit. Above that is a paint color sample from Sherwin-Williams (the color of our front door). Moving right, there's a Bare Minerals powder pouch, and a Key to my Heart cleaning cloth (my dangles are in the shop for repairs). Below that are my keys and my Kroger card and mini Swiss Army Knife. A bottle of cuticle oil. There's a box of crayons, my change purse with my Marshall University ID holder peeking out. The grey round thing is a roll of undeveloped film from my parents' house (I can't bring myself to drop it off*). The little blue box has tampons (TMI, but I'm being honest here). I have mine and Sissy's sunglasses, my cell phone, some hand lotion, check book (rarely used) and in and around the green Clinique bag is make-up - also IN the bag, but not shown, is a cork screw (for wine emergencies), a tape measure and Immodium AD.

Yes, I AM a traveling Boy Scout. Got a prob with that? Who will be your best bud when you buy wine and don't have a corkscrew? Who will help your sorry ass out when you have the squirts the next day and YOU have carelessly left home without Anti-Diarrhea medicine?

That would be me, babies. ME!

What if you end up in a one night stand and want to measure Mr. Studly's johnson? I'm here to help! I have a tape measure.

Sheesh. What would you all do without me?

* My dad died in 2004 and my mom died 14 months later in 2005. I really don't know if I want to see what those last pictures were. I'm sure it is family stuff.

PPS. The only item NOT pictured above that is in my purse daily is my Canon A590 Powershot camera. I know, I could have taken the pics with my Canon dSLR, but chose the easy route, so the A590 is not pictured. Google it if you're curious.

PPPS. Al, Happy Birthday, dude. I took this shot just for you!

I Did It!

I called a local tanning salon yesterday and made an appointment. I was in by 6:30 last night. It was great. I only spent 10 minutes in their lowest UV bed and I emerged a completely better person.

Just feeling the warm lights on my body made me happy.

I got home just in time to get Sissy in the bath, get all our evening routine things finished up and then was able to enjoy one of the 2 TV shows I watch when they air: American Idol (the other show is Survivor - and I know it makes me a complete dumbass to love those shows, but at least I'm not glued to the tube for hours every single night).

It was a 2 hour show, so I wasn't able to wrap up my blog and set it to post for 6 am as I usually do. I was just beat after the day of running around. Plus, I spent the time watching TV on my exercise ball. I really need to do something about my mid-section. So, I got my exercise ball, added some more air (it was getting low) and bopped around on that for almost 2 hours.

Now, I'm up again and I need to make lunch for Buddy.

For whatever reason, every Wednesday, his school serves a "breakfast" lunch. And for whatever reason, he doesn't like eggs, sausage, etc. What can I say? He's our child. Although, the Evil Twin and I LOVE breakfast for lunch or dinner.

Anyway, part of my job here as the HO™ (that's Home Office, for those who didn't know - it's what the Evil Twin's co-workers call me), is making lunches. I pack one for the Evil Twin on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Buddy almost always has hot lunch at school, except on the dreaded breakfast lunch days... which is Wednesday.

Lovely. I can't even get a break from packing a lunch. Some mornings, I have to do both Buddy's and the Evil Twin's!

I also have laundry to do today. As you can tell, it's all very glamorous around here.

When I'm not scrubbing toilets (we have three), I'm doing something else equally as impressive, like wiping down the counter tops or cleaning the kitchen sink. Stop yer hatin'! It's all part of my job description as HO™.

Also, I added a new recipe to the Glamorous Recipe site. I'll be adding a few more in the next few days and I have several to try before posting them.

Catch y'all on the flip side!

ETW - making life exciting so you don't have to, since 1998!

WV Weather

I know I've stated before, but just to reiterate, I have lived in WV for 25 years. One might think I may have become accustomed to the weather around here, but every year I have higher expectations than I should.

See, you know how banks and financial institutions have "teaser rates"? Well, WV has "teaser temperatures" every year.

We'll get a spot of decent warmer than normal weather and then get thrust right back into the shit of Winter.

Yesterday, there were even some snow flurries and the forecast calls for more of the same later in the week.

All of it just leaves me feeling blah and uninspired. And because of the stupid time change back in November, it's dark when we wake up and it's dark by the time we're eating dinner.

It's downright depressing, I tell ya.

I think I might have to start visiting the tanning bed once or twice a week - just to get my fill of UV rays!

I know it's supposed to be bad for the skin, but I've read that 15 minutes a day of full sun exposure, for natural Vitamin D, is good for us. I think I'm going to stick with that story.

In fact, our insurance should cover tanning bed visits! It's preventative medicine!

I know it seems self-indulgent, but for me, it's better than therapy. I'm going to find a place close by today, so I can sign up now.

I can go on tricking myself about the weather.

I'm On Vacation

Today is President's Day, so the Evil Twin and Buddy are off for the day. I'm taking it as a vacation day as well.

I do have some laundry to do, but other than that, I have a feeling it's going to be a very laid back day.

Yesterday, we decided to go to lunch and then out to the Mart of Wal.

I'm glad we had lunch first. When we were walking toward the entrance of the store, I saw a guy hold his right nostril closed with his finger, then blow real hard. I saw something whizzing out of his left nostril.... I don't know. I couldn't believe he did that.

What ever happened to handkerchiefs or hey, even the travel pack of tissues? Dude? Blowing a booger out your nose in that manner is just nasty!

This was at the white trash WM, so I don't know why I was so surprised to see that.

Anyway, I'm tired. I woke up a little after 4 am, having to pee like a Russian racehorse, and I just couldn't get back to sleep after that. The Evil Twin was alternately snoring and/or taking up more than his half of the bed.

After rolling around for a while, I just decided to get up. Plus, my right nostril was all clogged up and it was driving me crazy.

I should have just blocked my left nostril and blown really hard, huh? GAG.

Loving Myself

I got this from Karen over at Smiling Through it All. She had picked this up from a fellow blogger and was spreading the love.

The general gist of it is:
1.) Post something that you love about yourself.

2.) Beg your readers to post one thing that they love about you.

3.) Enjoy yourself and spread the love by doing sharing this on your blog.

Of course, listing something I love about myself seems kinda stuck up, but since this is more a personality trait than anything else, I guess I shouldn't feel too bad.

I love that I am a positive person (mostly). I tend to try to find the positives in any situation. Some people may see that as being pollyanna-ish, but I physically feel better if I can find at least one positive outcome for whatever obstacle I need to overcome. I mean, who doesn't like being happy?

Now, if you're so inclined, you can leave a comment telling me something you like or love about me (I have a feeling the answer will be "boobs" a lot). Then, post the rules on your blog and start learning to love yourself!

PS. Scroll down for your Valentine's gift! :-)

Happy Valentine's Day

Don't say I never gave you anything!

Friday the 13th

My day is off to a lovely start.

My kids have both been really good sleepers, thank goodness. Sissy stopped taking naps a long while back, so we put her to bed around 8pm and she doesn't wake up until around 8ish the next morning.

The Evil Twin and Buddy leave for work/school by about 7:30, so many mornings (especially in the colder months), I will crawl back in bed and listen for the baby on the monitor.

Sometimes, I doze in and out, but mostly, I just kind of snuggle for a bit under the cozy covers.

Shortly after 8 this morning, the phone starts ringing. We don't keep a phone in our bedroom and I'm lucky if I can even hear it from down the hall, but like I said, I was awake and listening to the monitor anyway, so when the phone rang, I bolted down the hall to grab it.

It was Buddy, calling from school. Guess who forgot his valentine cards this morning? Yep.

I got Sissy up out of bed, got her dressed and threw on some suitable for public clothes myself and dashed out the door.

I left from our side door, which is under the carport. I didn't even bother locking the door behind me. (I would really feel sorry for any dipshit desperate enough to try to rob our house - it is NOT in a convenient to rob location).

I get to the school and drag Sissy in with me. The secretary was at her desk and said that she had told Buddy she would bring his cards upstairs when I got there. For some reason, the old secretary (who retired years ago) was there, too. This woman always looks at me as if I have a dick growing out my forehead and always has greeted me in a nasty manner.

I am not a morning person - I wanted to spit in her face when I got the "Why do you have the Dirty Sanchez?" look. Instead, I mumbled to the new secretary, thanked her and dragged Sissy out as fast as I could.

Mind you, I hadn't even showered yet. So, I had pulled my hair back into a ponytail and didn't have any make up on, plus, I was wearing my lounge pants as the one pair of jeans that fit me are in the dirty clothes right now.

Oh well, I got a Sausage McMuffin out of the deal!

Now, I'm off to get a shower and later, I have to make yet another appearance at the school. Buddy's class is having their Valentine's Day party at 1:45 and as co-homeroom mom, I need to be there to help...

PS. I'm sorry I didn't get around to replying yesterday on the comments - it was a mucho hectic day - but yes, I do have some great friends and getting goodies by mail is always fun.

It's Been a Gifty Day!

I had a busy Wednesday, which is not the usual for me, but I had put off my weekly grocery trip because other scheduling conflicts. So, I went yesterday.

The Evil Twin had jury duty (or at least, he was in a pool of potential jurors for a trial). I was sad and I missed him. It's different than his regular job - at least I can call him there to check in once a day and I know roughly what his schedule is... when he'll be home, etc. I try to have dinner ready when he gets home.

He made it to the final 19 of jurors and then was dismissed! He was the first to take the "Walk of Shame" ™ Thank YOU, God! I did not want him on a jury case for weeks on end. He is my rock. I couldn't bear anymore drama with him not being around when I expect him. (truthfully, if I could have him home with me always, I would find that both good and bad).

But, I arrived home on Wednesday to find two packages on my landing.

One was from my super special girl, Ginger Magnolia. She sent this:



The top side is this:



How funny is that? I say: "VERY". Plus, lawsy knows I'm a sinner!

Then, we had two separate shipments from UPS for the kids' birthdays. These gifts are from Buzzardbilly, who does NOT need to spoil my children, but she still does.

Her gift for Sissy:




Both kids are totally stoked about the possibilities.

Here's what Buddy received:



They are both thrilled. Especially Bud - he knows he can help Sissy with her gift and he is beyond excited.

In a few hours, I will take them both to their yearly "well-child" check up.

It was an exciting day around here yesterday!

And, we are extremely blessed to have such good friends in our lives. :-)

The Meeting

It was a strange meeting, that's for sure. It was the Evil Twin, myself, the principal and Father (the priest). Of course, Sissy was there too - but I had brought crayons and a coloring book to keep her occupied.

As we sat, looking at one another, I got the distinct feeling that perhaps THEY thought that it was US who called for the meeting. No. This meeting was on the principal's recommendation and the Evil Twin and I went only to appease that recommendation and to let them know we were serious about correcting Buddy in the areas where he may be falling behind or not up to speed yet - that we love him, and want the best for him.

We are not pansy parents who just let the kids get away with anything. We can take Buddy to an upscale dinner and he will stay seated. Sissy is a little too young to be taught that, but we certainly don't let her down from her seat or highchair under any circumstances at a meal. We believe in a firm but loving home environment.

But, you enter hormones into the equation and etc. and all bets are off.

I won't go into all the details of the meeting, but suffice to say we left a bit more confused than we went in. I'm glad this is Buddy's last year at this school. I'm not sure how much more I could take!

I'm also afraid to say, that while doing a daily cleavage shot may seem like a good idea to most of you, I don't think it's going to happen. Mainly because after a while, you all would notice I own 4 shirts total. So, who's to know I didn't just take 30 shots in the same top? LOL.

I do think there might be an extra special something from the Evil Twin coming up, so don't get too dejected. He may be slow on painting a figurine's hair, but he's my hero in more ways than I can express on a daily basis.

Can I get a "SOUL"? Can I get a "MATE"? Thanks, kids! Love ya!

I Had to Pay For It

Getting the router re-established, that is. I broke down yesterday morning and called a local company to ask about "house calls". He said they did, I explained my sitch and he said, "I can be there by 1 pm."

I was just hoping for something by Wednesday, so I was extra pleased. It meant I had to scrabble my schedule around and not do my usual Monday shopping, but I think I can hold off until Wednesday this week anyway.

Today, the Evil Twin and I have a meeting scheduled to talk to the school principal, the priest and if she can arrange it, Buddy's teacher. See, they all seem to think that because Buddy is a shy child and not involved with sports or extracurricular activities that this must mean that Buddy does not behave in socially appropriate ways.

It is such a long, drawn out and convoluted story that I am not going to rehash it here. Suffice to say that we believe they are making a mountain out of a molehill, but in a good faith effort, we have agreed to meet with them and discuss the situation.

Mainly, on our part, it's an attempt to let them see that we DO care about him and his welfare, we take the situations seriously and we are working (at home, with our own tools) to make things better.

Frankly, I think he's just emotionally immature for his age, but he's a boy and sometimes, these things take time. It doesn't mean we will ignore this and let him enter middle school completely unprepared and also enter as a target for bullies left and right.

So, we're doing that today and on Wednesday, the Evil Twin has been called in for Jury Duty. It doesn't mean he'll be chosen to serve, it just means he has to sit in the cattle call for possible duty. So, he'll be downtown all day and then, I can shop for groceries.

I am working hard at trying to find easy, nutritious, inexpensive - yet filling - meals that I can whip up on weekends. We've tended in the past to eat out far too often.

This is making grocery shopping a challenge for me and there's nothing I love more than a challenge.

Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself a bit. It's going to be a busy week - but that's preferable to being a boring week stuck inside because of snow or something.

All I know is that all is right with the household now that our router issues are resolved.

And because I'm in such a good mood, here's the gratuitous "Monday Mounds" pic for your pleasure (or disgust, if you hate cleavage - who would that be? Only one dick I sorta know of - more on that later).

The Evil Twin said my last cleavage shot was chintzy and I ripped off my readers by posting such a travesty. Perhaps this will make up for it.

Story of my Life - Updated

After sooooo many years, you would think I might have learned my lesson. I bought this little figurine years ago:



Oh hell yeah!

Except I don't drink Merlot and I'm not a blonde and it's not e-mailing that is in question.

It's more like "Chardonnay and blogging don't mix".

The Evil Twin had said he would paint the hair on the figurine black, but it's been at least 3 years and she's still blonde. I don't anticipate that happening anytime soon.

It's good that I set my sights low.

Always expect the worst and you won't be disappointed!

That advice can lead to extreme frustration though. So, take it for what it's worth.

I have a busy week coming up. I'll try to stick to our regular meetings and such, but I can't make any promises.

Happy Monday, mon!

PS. It has come to my attention that what is meant to be snarky and sarcastic digs at the Evil Twin come across as me pointing the finger that he is lazy. That is not the case, he does plenty around here - more than most husbands with a HO (home office) do. He's a fantastic husband and I just like to poke fun at him! So, in your mind, imagine me laughing as I'm saying "I set my sights low." and thing of that nature. :-)

Pitiful Me

Sorry about the whine fest yesterday. You all need to know that I write up my post the night prior and then schedule them to post at 6:00 am, which is before I even wake up.

Most times, I've had a glass of wine or two (or three) by the time I get around to writing. This can sometimes result in the "poor, pitiful me" type of ramble that was here before. Sorry 'bout that. It's just that I love my commenters - all of them and they are all so funny and insightful, I feel bereft if I don't hear from many people each day.

Don't take it that I don't love each and every one of you! Honestly, I'm just happy someone (or a few someones) read this thing when I decide to have verbal diarrhea.

On another note - back to the router. It seems to be just fine now. I was instructed to hit the "reset" button by the helpful cable internet provider lady I spoke to and it did help. Although, it also wiped out all my firewall settings.

Time to grab the booklet and go to the Evil Twin's computer for a bit. His computer is the "system administrator" thingy-ma-do, so I'll need to start there. I suppose?

Ah, good old troubleshooting. I'll be glad to take any tips, tricks or hints anyone might have as to my dilemma! :-)

I hope I'm able to figure it out, otherwise, Geeksquad will be getting a call from yours truly.

In other news, something in this room - the den (aka "living room" to non Southerners...it's the room with the main TV in it) smelled like farts last night. And, it was just me and the parakeet. I can tell you, with all honesty, I was not farting.

Could there have been fart fumes wafting up from the man den downstairs where the Evil Twin and Buddy spend Friday evenings watching old Three Stooges episodes? Or do birds fart?

I think I'll google that.

Just one more item to add to my "to do" list.

Stupid Technology

I'm not sure what is going on with our router (which delivers the "wiffy" I am so dependent upon - the word "wiffy" comes courtesy of Jeff Kay - who, if you have not checked him out, DO IT. The Evil Twin designed a new header for him too - some people get speshul privileges around these parts).

The stupid router keeps doing "something"... losing it's connection or something. I'm not sure if it's a situation where the router is about to shit the bed or what. We've had similar problems in the past - a day or two of having to reset the router several kabillion times a day, and then the next thing we know, it's just working along swimmingly well.

So, either it's on its' death bed or it's the weather or it's our cable provider or who knows? What do I look like, a damn IT person over here? I'm just one frizzled housewife, I can't be expected to solve the computer problems around here too. (although I often do, for economy's sake and it's easier than buying a new one and having to figure out MORE logistics).

Now, I've been on the phone with our cable/internet provider and they very helpfully told me it was simply a router problem and they are not authorized to deal with that end of it. I GET that. She said our signal looked good - and I don't doubt that.

But where does that leave me? Wondering if I need to buy a new router. That's where. And, also figuring out who to call to install it or if it's something I can do on my own without bursting an aorta trying to figure it out.

Of course, I just filed our tax return yesterday, so what comes next? As usual, it's something around the house needing money - bleeding me of unexpected expenses. I don't care for it.

Also, you know what? I have over 60 "followers", yet, I get 10 comments yesterday? Yet, I had over one hundred hits on the ol' blog yesterday.

I am feeling sad and needy here people. I am also admittedly a comment whore. I spend HOURS commenting on blogs I enjoy, yet I rarely get return comments.... Very hurtful, indeed.

AND, I'm operating on a shitty and iffy wireless connectivity here - yet, I make the effort. I make the 4 gonzillion trips up and down the stairs to reset the router every 15 minutes so I can leave comments and yet, I get squat in return?

If nothing else, I'll lose a few pounds on the literal "Stairmaster".

De nada (that means you're welcome - watch more Dora the Explorer to keep up, k?) ;-)

Seeing the Light

And it's not a train! I've been able to finish up loads of little things (and a few big things) this week, so I am feeling SO much better! It's a good morning!

Yesterday, I had some major issues with my router and so, I wasn't able to get around to all my blogs - which means I am more behind than ever in that department, but I will try to get caught up again today.

I received an email from a reader who does not have a blog and this reader had a few questions for me.

I'll answer those now!

1. How do you feel about the military? Did you or ET ever serve?
We are both very pro-military. I went straight into college and did not serve, but the Evil Twin was in the Air Force. He served his four years active duty, then moved back "home". I met him when he was serving his four inactive years. I think America is the best place in the whole wide world.

2. Ever been in a fist fight?
Surprisingly, no. I've been in many verbal showdowns. I was in an abusive relationship prior to meeting the Evil Twin and was hit on many occasions, but I never hit back.

3. If you had to live somewhere else, where would it be?
I lived in Georgia for 8 years and I was very happy there. I like the temperature and location, so I would move back South - probably somewhere north of Atlanta.

And, now I'm waiting on my dishwasher to run through a cycle. I need my crock pot clean, so I can do crock pot chicken tortillas. Nom, nom, nom!

The Questions

Okay, I asked for questions yesterday. I had a few takers on my offer. So, I'll get to that today.

First up is Johnnie Avocado, and he asked, "Aside from family, who is the person you most admire and why?"

This is a tough question, because I have many people I admire for many different reasons and I really can't place one above the other for the most part, and my answer might change daily. But, I'd have to say if I admired one person *right now* it would be RachelLucas. Her blog leaves me exhausted to tears with laughter because she simply states her opinion simply. Plus, I agree with her on everything.


Then, it was not so much a question for my blog, but I figured I'd answer it here. Rosemary mentioned that her husband wanted some pinto beans and wanted to know how to fix them.

That's an easy one. Buy a bag of the dried beans. If you want pinto beans on Tuesday evening, put beans in a pot with water that comes above the beans on Monday evening. Any beans that float, discard. Discard any other weird pieces you see a floatin'. Let them soak overnight. In the morning, rinse these beans at least three times. Make sure the water running off them is clear. You can put them in a stock pot, cover completely with water and simmer all day, but I prefer to use my crock pot. I put the soaked beans in the crock and cover with water. Then, I lay a couple of pieces of uncooked bacon on the top. Cover and set to high for 6 or 7 hours. You'll need to discard those bacon pieces before serving. Salt and pepper to taste. Best served with cornbread, which can be made by scratch with corn meal, but some people prefer it sweeter. Enter "Jiffy" brand cornbread mix. Frankly, I think when you introduce sugar, honey or molasses, it becomes more of a cornCAKE than cornbread, but whatever...

Gingermagnolia asked, "How you do keep your skin so pretty?" Well, first - thanks. And second, I cannot emphasize moisturizer enough. Every day. It doesn't even have to be an expensive name brand. The Mart of Wal equivalent is good enough. Slather that stuff on there every morning. Plus, I drink a metric assload of water each day. I think that helps.

Tiff asked, "What kind of razor do you use?" Back in my college days, I discovered that men's razors work much better than those marketed to ladies - and they're CHEAPER! WTF? So, I bought myself a Gillette Sensor Excel (the two blade type, I think) when they first came out. It's the disposable razor head type thing (as opposed to the disposable razor completely). The good thing is I can use one blade forever. After I met the Evil Twin,I bought him one for Christmas and now, we each have our own handle blade, but can use the same type of blades for them.

Ron asked, "Have you ever worked or considered working at a strip club?" Here's the truth: I have never even BEEN to a strip club! Not that I have some sort or moral objection or anything, but I heard that they charge a steep cover charge and then, the drinks are overpriced. So, I've just never been interested enough to even check one out. However, if I wasn't so shy and I was 20 years younger, I think I could work at one... maybe.... with enough drinks in me.

PS. if anyone wants to ask me something privately, you can email me at eviltwinswife@gmail.com. I'll answer here, but I won't say who asked... Just a thought.

Trying to Keep Up

I am so far behind - with my blog reading/commenting, with life in general. So, if I haven't visited/commented you in a day or two, please forgive me. I will try to get to you soon.

The weather here is crazy. It's been snowing like mad and I'm really surprised we don't have a 2 hour delay here. It will be a miracle if we don't have an early dismissal today (and I originally typed that "dismal"... Freudian slip anyone?).

I've got some big decisions to make this week, which, once they're made and taken care of, I won't have all these worries over my head. Sometimes things just take time.

So, it doesn't make it any easier that I have these decisions and I find it hard to think when my routine is all messed up + the school schedule is very unpredictable these days = one very disorganized and mentally ditzy Evil Twin's Wife.

Well, I'm off to get pinto beans into the crock pot for the day. I just wanted to check in and let you all know that I'm around....I'm just very, very busy.

Busier than a one legged man in a butt kicking contest, as I like to say.

As if I don't have enough to do, I figured that since I have some new(er) readers, I would open the floor for questions.

I know I've done this in the past, but I'll give everyone the chance again to ask me anything. I'll answer and it'll be honest. So, if there's anything you'd like to know about me, but I haven't already humiliated myself by announcing it, here's your chance!

Let the questions begin!

Hay pregunatas? Use the comments box. :-)

My Sweet Girl

Today is her actual birthday. She has been with us for three years! She's our little groundhog babee. :-)

The day she was born:



Here she is with mom... I just had a c-section, so I'm looking a little puny - but deep down, I was just so thrilled!



We had her little "party" on Saturday. She had said something the day before about a party "with balloons". We hadn't planned on balloons, but the Evil Twin went and got a boquet of the helium filled ones at Kroger. You should have seen her eyes when she saw that bunch of balloons. It was like if a grown up had won the lottery! She was beside herself. Too funny.

She had a couple of gifts from other relatives, which she opened and loved. Her final gift was from us. It was a Suds N Surprise Dora. This thing:



It's sort of like the big Barbie head toy. She had seen the commercial for this about a week before her birthday and got it stuck in her mind that she had to HAVE this toy.

Dutiful mom that I am, I googled it. Apparently, this thing is so hard to find - I got one of the last 4 on some website - I paid about $35 for it. Amazon has it now for nearly $100! (I should have bought 2 at the $35 price! LOL).

Anyway, it's pretty lame. With hot or cold water, the child can create different patterns on Dora's face and swimsuit. She also has stripes in her hair that can be changed with water.

The most fun feature is that it came with two hair clips with "hair extension" pieces on barettes. I had fun wearing the blue stripe hair extension around the house on Sunday.

This toy was a huge hit for her and she really loves it.

Now, I just need to get to the business of thank you notes. Since both kids get gifts from the same relatives and their birthdays are so close together, I usually just send one card after Sissy's birthday. But, I write Sissy's side and then make Buddy write his Thank You on the other side.

It's just easier for me that way. Plus, the cheapskate in me enjoys saving a couple of extra stamps! LOL.

Feliz Cumpleanos, nina. Te amo.