There's no such thing as an easy job

Yesterday I started painting my blue front door purple. I was hoping to get this job done before we went to see my son at camp. Of course, this was not to be. As soon as I started the first brush stroke, I realized I would have to do at least two coats of paint. Then I got paint on the white trim and it dried by the time I saw it to wipe it off. Later, unbeknownst to me, the end of my rag had landed in the can of paint and it left a big splotch on the stoop. I asked HOH (hunk of husband) to see if we had paint thinner. Cleaning the stoop took longer than painting the two side panels.

After we got back from camp, I continued my 'easy' project. I got more paint on the white trim and then I accidentally stepped on the paint can cover...errrghhh!!!
Today all I have left to do is put another coat on the door (the side panels are done). I will have to pick up some white paint trim sometime before winter. I did have a slight urge to paint the trim and stoop purple as well because that would have been easier but I stopped myself....whew!

I also started trimming the bushes yesterday. HOH came running to point out the wires I should not cut but I can never see. I finally asked him to remove the wires for the spotlights which we use to light up the flag at night. We used to have a hedge trimmer you plug in but I kept cutting the extension cords so HOH finally got me a battery operated one which does not work as well as the other one but better than the other one if I cut the cord!

I got about halfway through and my walking friend called to see if I wanted to go for a walk and I did so I will try to finish the bushes today as well as painting the door.


Family Update. Today is my son's last day at Kamp Kermit. I put a note in his lunch today for the first time. (I do this all the time with my daughter). HOH went back to work today probably because I had him doing all sorts of stuff at home while he was supposed to be on vacation...poor guy. I am looking forward to when my daughter is coming home this weekend. I have to remember to tell her the dog is missing her,too, because she went into her room and took one of her stuffed animals! Usually first thing in the morning the dog wants to go outside but not today.

Have a good one!

Laugh for the day

Yesterday I mentioned I was helping my mother at the church where she works. She read a couple of jokes someone sent to her on her computer and I thought two were very funny.

Today's sermon: "Jesus walks on water"
Tomorrow's sermon;"Searching for Jesus."

The other one is: For those parents who have children and do not know it, there is a staffed nursery during the service.

Family Update: I plan to paint the front door today. We have a picnic at Kamp Kermit at noon where the kids do their skits. It is supposed to rain so it will probably be an indoor picnic. I feel bad for all those on the east coast who are experiencing flooding and hope there can return to their homes soon.

Hump day

I do not know why but whenever I think of Wednesday, I automatically think "Hump Day". I think my father use to say it all the time because it after Wed, we are over the hump and heading into the end of the week. I think it is a funny name for a day of the week.

HOH(hunk of husband) and I have been floating through life the last couple of days since our oldest is "up north' and the youngest is in camp until one every day. It seems so quiet. We went to the hardware store and I bought some paint for the front door. I am doing a different color. It currently is a slate blue but has been fading. So, I bought, are you ready for this, a deep purple for the door!!! I have seen it on other houses, although not too many, but I like it. Usually they also do the shutters in purple as well. We do not have shutters. I figure if I do not like it, I will repaint it since it isn't a big job, Sometimes you gotta take chances!

Today I helped my mother at the church were she is a secretary getting the newsletter out. I have not done this since I have had the kids so it was kinda fun to help out again. She took me out to lunch after and then we met my husband and son at the furniture place. We decided to buy the $500 couch rather than the $3500. Even if we had the money, my mother in law is right, I would have been worried about spilling on the more expensive one or getting it dirty. The whole reason I like the $500 one is so I do not have to worry about it!

We also got a matching chair and ottoman. It is actually a chair and a half so my kids can sit with me if they want. Right now they try to sit with me in a regular chair and there is not enough room.

I miss my daughter but I know she is having a great time and will have great memories.

Vacation

Not only is HOH(hunk of husband) home on vacation but our daughter is gone to her grandparents and the five year old goes every day this week to Kamp Kermit from nine until one in the afternoon. So, we are so excited to have some alone time but I bet you will never guess what the first thing we did after we dropped off the five year old.

Well, we were going to go out and have a nice quiet breakfast but both us were not feeling all that great. Neither of us slept well so we woke feeling sluggish. He had aches and pains and I had cramps(so much for being "alone"!) and I asked if he could stop at the store so we could pick up some Advil before we went for breakfast. He thought it was a good idea so the first thing we did on out vacation was to "purchase d*rugs" as my husband put it. Pretty pathetic, huh?

After breakfast we went to look at couches at the new store that opened today in fact. We think we found one along with a chair and ottman. Right now we have a sectional and it is so hard to move when we vacuum and also hard to get in and out of at times. Not to mention I like to take naps on the couch and this one is not comfortable at all to lay down on.

Then we went to another store to do some comparison shopping and we found a fabulous couch. It is crescent shape and made to seat at least five people and also came with two ottomans that fit in front. We both 'got in' and it was so comfy. The only problem is it is $3500! (The one we are currently looking at costs $500 - yeah- cheap!) Anyway, we think the color of dirt will work well with the kids and the dog hair if we get the cheap one.

Since we took out daughter up north Sunday, we went to church tonight and the assoc. pastor played the harp....it was actually very pretty.

Have a good one!

Happy Happy, Joy Joy

Normally on a scale on one to ten with one being really awful and ten being absolutely wonderful, I would rate most of my days a seven (aka pretty good). Yesterday, Friday, I would rate it a ten.

It was a great day. My daughter and I took my son to his last day of summer kindergarten camp. We then decided it would be nice to take the dog for a walk. Perfect walking weather, the dog was not pulling all over the place and the best part was she did not do her business until we got back to our place (really do not like taking three bags to pick up doo doo and yes, she usually goes that many times).

Later we walked down to get my son and I sent the kids over to the playground so I could talk to the teachers about how my son did. I got a great report and fell in love with the teacher who I hope he has in the fall. She told me she has three boys who have ADD and knows all kids learn in different way. She showed me the special pillow she would have him sit on when the kids are supposed to be listening. It is a texture pillow and she also talked about other things she would do. Both teachers said they thought he should go this fall rather than hold him home another year.

This was such a nicer experience than preschool and I was so relieved and so happy I felt like crying (remember I am not a cryer).

The other teacher was my daughter's kindergarten teacher and she is retiring this year. We were reminiscing(sp?) and she mentioned three things she always will remember about our family. One was the book I wrote about my eye condition and read to her class and she mentioned again she thought I should publish it so that made my day! She also remembered for show and tell one time, my daughter brought a little recorder and it had the baby's heartbeat on it when we went in for a check up. She said the kids each got to press the button to listen to the heartbeat and she said you could have heard a pin drop they were so quiet and listening as each got their turn. The third thing was when we finally did have the baby, the first thing we did was call her classroom to tell her she had a baby brother (we did not know the sex of the baby until birth) and all the teachers said the look on her face was amazing when she listen to her father on the phone tell her she is a big sister to a baby brother.

This would have been enough for a great day but there'e more. We decided to have a picinic outside (took longer to put the basket together than to eat the food!) and then we went into the front yard and played in the kiddie pool. My five year old was using the hose to clean out the cracks in the driveway and he found a "precious jewel" (actually play jewelry) then he found another one so it was like they were on a treasure hunt. My daughter was also looking and I said if she found any money, it was mine and sure enough, she found a penny.

HOH (hunk of husband) came home late but he is now officially on vacation. Happy, happy, joy, joy.

And all is right with the world....have a good one!

The Reason for the strange events

For awhile now I have been wanting to post about a disturbing event that has been happening to me over the past couple of weeks but did not want to depress anyone until I figured out what is causing these events.

A couple weeks ago I had a terrible dream...one where I woke up and could not get it out of my head. For those who have a taste for the morbid, I will report a little of what happened in the dream.

This dream took place at the middle school I went to over 25 years ago. Now, I have dreams about school all the time where I cannot find my classroom or my locker but this one was totally different. This time I was in the hallway with Kelso and Jackie from 'The 70's Show" and Kelso had an American Flag. I thought we were going to surprise the class with a patriotic tribute but then Kelso had a gun! I turned and ran out of the school only to try to enter another door and came face to face with another gunman, a kid I did not recognize. I knew I was a goner when he fired his rifle at me. I fell to the cement hoping I would live. One eye was open and I saw the end of the rifle come into my sight right up to my head and the gun went off again..

Now the parents are all rushing past me trying to get to their kids. They do not see me and I hear my brother's voice calling for me. At first he is annoyed because he is the big brother and is responsible and he finally sees me on the ground. He thinks I am being difficult because I will not get up but then he walks around and sees I have no face left.

Then I wake up.

A couple nights ago I had another dream where I was in a horrible car accident but when I woke up I was ok because at least I was alive in that dream. Two nights ago I was in our bedroom with our son when the room cracked and we slid down the hill but we were both ok. Then, last night I dreamed I was on my way to an airport but forgot my ticket so I had to go back home only to find one of my family members dead.

I am a little worried.

I tell my husband about the dreams and we try to figure out what I was watching on tv the day before I had the dreams. He mentions he was watching earthquakes on the History Channel and I said I watched a cartoon with our five year old. Then he watched a war movie, I watched a Disney movie. Last night he watched a show on volcanoes and I watched Spongebob with the son. My husband is not having the awful dreams, but I am.

So, I guess this must be the answer. The reason I have nightmares is because of the cartoon channel!

I did not have this problem when I used to watch Scooby Doo when I was a kid but we did not have cable then either. So, since I already blame the cable company for a lot of things, I am going to blame them for this as well.

Family Update: Today while the five year old went to school, my ten year old and I decided not to clean and made cards (stamping). She made thank you notes for her first communion gifts. We have not done this in months and it was fun to get back into it again. We also went to look at a duplex with my sister-in-law and then out to dinner at a place where for some reason, we let the kids decide and they both argued about it for a half hour but finally came to conclusion we could all live with. (We adults did not want to make any more decision so that is why we let the kids decide.) They made a good choice.

Have a good one!

THE NEXT DAY: well, here it is morning and guess what....no bad dreams! Blogging helps....note to self, must blog everyday...

Energy Crunch

Remember the energy crises in the '70's? I was a kid but we were taught to turn off the lights when we left the room, same for the tv, radio, etc. Now I have a family of my own and am the one who pays the bills. Our electric bill is unreal so we are trying to cut down on our electrical use. I have been turning off my computer and only using it once a day rather than checking it periodically throughout the day and then leaving it on all night. Pete and the kids have been doing the same with their computers as well. I know it does not sound like much, but I am hoping that 30 days of three computers not running 24/7 will help somewhat even if it is only ten dollars at least it is a start. We already use energy efficient appliances and light bulbs. So, once we get our next bill, I'll let you know if our experiment worked.

Family Update: We have had a fun past couple of days. I have been painting images on cardboard for Vacation Bible school and after I finished I let the kids paint an extra box I had. They had so much fun and it kept them busy for a couple of hours!!! (It was a very large box and they did all sides). We also went and looked at a duplex and scheduled another showing so my sister-in-law can see it even if she does not like it, she can compare it to others. I was happy because I thought both sides had a sunken living room but only one side does. But, I am not the one looking.

Then yesterday, the kids and I walked a mile and a half to the McDonalds. I like to have the breakfast and they like lunch so we got there just as breakfast was ending and lunch was starting. The kids played very well with the other kids and the ten year old saw four kids who were in kindergarten at her school last year. They all knew her because she helped out in class at recess.

Today, my four now five year old had kindergarten camp at the school he will be attending in the fall. He has it three days this week so I used the time to spend time with my daughter who will be gone all next week. She wanted to play Scrabble so we did and she beat me! She has really improved since the last time we played.

I also went on five mile walks with my friend but we are taking today off. I am kinda glad because my legs are tired today!

Thanks to all who responded to my last post and have a good one!

A Rare Find

We just got out Reader's Digest in the mail and, as usual, I read all the funny articles first such as "All in a Day's Work" and "Humor in Uniform". Then, as I was flipping through the articles, there was a comment or saying that the magazine will often put at the bottom of the page. This one caught my eye. It said, "The reason we have families is so we meet people we would never ordinarily meet."

I thought this is so true. Recently, I made a new friend. Now you have to understand, I do not make friends easily and have not made once since I had my first child and spent most of my days home. I did make an effort to make friends when she went to school and started kindergarten. I was determined to make small talk with the first parent I met while I was waiting for my daughter to get out of school the first day.

I spotted a parent as soon as I got to the blacktop...she and I were the first ones there. I made small talk and she answered but that is as far as it went. I am sure she was wary because I use a white cane since I have a sight problem. Plus, I was probably coming across as overly friendly. I still see her at school functions but it is a "Hi, how are you" and then we are on our way.

So, I decided maybe I should not try too hard and of course, that meant, do not try at all so I dropped the effort.

Then, ten years later, my son is going to preschool. My husband and I were hoping to find someone to carpool since I do not drive. He could take the kids, and hopefully we would meet someone else who could pick the kids up. So, we got to the first parent meet and greet and as the evening draws to an end, we are feeling like there is no hope. We looked at the addresses of the other families and they either lived too far away or we were not familiar with the street location.

Finally, my husband says he was approached by someone who wants to carpool! I jump for joy, we exchange information and decide we wiil carpool. Later, she offers to pick me up on the way to pick up my son so he has someone there rather than someone else's mother. I happily agree (anything to get out of the house).

Three days a week we talked about all kinds of things on our trips to the preschool and became very close. When my son was stuggling in class, she was so supportive and told me all the things her kids had done.

When school ended a month ago, I wondered if she would still want to get together and go for walks. She is a very busy mom with four kids. I lucked out, she wants to go for walks, too, so whenever we get the chance we go for a walk and keep in touch.

And to think we never would have met had it not been for the kids.

Have a good one!

Oh yeah, for those who want to post your weight loss for Tuesday, go ahead since I probably won't blog until late tomorrow or eveb Wednesday. Some of you are doing so well!!! I am going to say I gained 50 pounds so next week I can say I lost that much or at least close to it.

Ok. NOW have a good one.

The Sandwich

My daughter wanted me to blog about the sandwich so here it is.

She wanted an egg sandwich for lunch so I made one for her. It was on a paper plate and she was on her way downstairs to eat it. I told her before she went downstairs she had to get water for the dog. Instead of putting her sandwich down, she carried it along with the water bowl. As she put the water bowl down on the floor, I heard a PLOP! I lookover and her plate is empty. I ask, "Where is your sandwich?" and she is looking at me and cries, 'It fell into the water bowl!"
Sure enough the dog is drinking all the water in order to get to the sandwhich. I was laughing so hard because I thought it was so funny. She was notl laughing because she did not think I was going to make her another sandwich but once I told her I would, then she laughed. And that is the story of the sandwich which really was pretty funny....guess you had to be here to really appreciate it.

Hooray it is Friday and Father's Day weekend. Pete and the kids went and got his gift which was a remote control airplane ($30) and of course they had to try it out as soon as they got home. THe last time he got one it flew once before crashing to the ground. This time he flew it into the bushes and then into the house but at least it still works and will live to see another day.

Have a good one!

MIBD

MIBD stands for Most Important Brain Delete which happens when people forget the most important people or things to them. For instance, it always happens at the Oscars or the Emmys when people are giving their acceptance speech, they forget to thank their spouse or mom. (This is why I always practice my thank you speech while I am in the tub).

Other examples of MIBD are: forgetting to sign your tax return, getting all the way to the event and realizing you forgot your tickets or not picking up your kid at school. This happened once when my daughter was in kindergarten and she had a half day and I totally forgot. Now I am a total freak about half days...."Do you have a half day today? How about tomorrow? Maybe later this week?"

"Mom, school is out, it is summer."

"Ok, well I am just checking.Now, go clean your room."

Last night I had an occurrence of MIBD. We had gone out to dinner, we get all the way home and I knew I had forgotten my purse. My husband asks, "Are you sure you took your purse?" This is a valid question because I rarely take it. "Yes, I am sure because I rememeber thinking I should not take it off because I might forget it" (I wear one of those small purses with the long strap over my torso so it does not fall off). So, my wonderful husband says he will go back and get it. He is so good about these kind of things. This is maybe the third time I've done this since we have been married, and each time he has offered to go back and get it. Each time someone was kind enough to turn it in. So, thank you to all of you who return purses!

Since we are talking about MIBD, i wanted to mention a very important item to my 'top 100' list which I had been saving for the top ten but I totally forgot about it which is "I love chocolate". It should have been at least number three or four right after the birth of my kids.

Family Update:Well, you already know what we did last night with the whole MIBD. This also happened with 'Post you weight loss Tuesday' when I could not remember what I was supposed to blog about that day, right? RIGHT! that is my story and I am sticking to it!

Have a good one!

Amnesia Tuesday

Let's see, I know there is something about this day I am supposed to do but I cannot remember for the life of me what it is. Is it my top 100 list? No, I think I finished the list last week. Maybe it is the artifact box filled with my lifetime memories? Nope, that is Dr. John. Perhaps it is the last day of school? Nooooo, that was last week.

I cannot figure out what I am supposed to do on Tuesday. The blogger was giving me trouble so maybe it is "have trouble blogging"Tuesday. I have a small inkling I am supposed to post a number but I am not sure why. Well, I will post a number just fot the heck of it and if my commenters would like to post a number they are more than welcome to do so. I like the number four so will pick that number. (This would be a plus four but that is as far as I go with this!)

Family Update: We had a nice weekend at home. Sunday we went to look at about ten open houses for my in-laws. We saw many nice homes but after HOH talked to them, it looks like they would rather move to where my sister-in-law lives which makes sense if they want to go into a house with her. She lives about a half hour away. This way they will also be closer to their other grandchildren. This is one of those times I really miss driving. It would be nice for me to pack up the kids and go visit them (and others) once in awhile. I always liked highway driving.
If you go to my daughter's blog, Bree, from my links, she did a tribute to Anne Frank. I think she would appreciate a comment and I would, too.

Have a good one people!

Finally I know who I am

All these years I thought something was wrong with me. I finally found out I am an introvert. There was a huge article in the paper a few weeks ago talking about how parents should allow their kids to have their own personalities and how introverts need to be treated and handled differently than other kids. Hello? What, did someone out there expect everyone to be outgoing? Why did it take this long for someone to figure this out?

Well, I gotta say I was relieved because finally an article which says just because I am shy does not mean I am stupid or cannot learn anything. It pointed out several things that I connected with such as introverts like to watch and learn before they do something and they need downtime away from people to re-energize. I always thought I was different or anti-social because I liked being alone once in awhile. The article goes on to mention some people thrive on attention from others(extroverts) and some people are drained when they are around people too much and need to get away. The article ended by saying the world is a better place with introverts because they are the thinkers, inventors, the scientists, the artists and authors. I am an introvert and proud of it! So next time I crawl into my cave for several days, do not be offended, I am simply recharging my batteries.

Family Update: We did some cleaning this morning before heading out to look at an open house. It was very nice and handicap accessible with a great room but no finished basement. Pete and Breanna are at the arena football game.

Have a good one whether you are an introvert or extrovert.

Time to play tag

I know I just did a list, but I got tagged and no one can tell me "I am not part of the team". (hee-hee).

Four jobs I have had:
1. fast food worker
2. bank teller
3. data entry at college
4. receptionist at a industrial tool store

Four movies I would watch over and over:
1. The Princess Bride
2. The original three Star Wars movies
3. Steel Magnolias
4. Field of Dreams

Four places I have lived:
1. Green Bay, WI
2. Upland, CA -6 months
3. LaCrosse, WI- 7 days until adopted to live in...
4. Madison, WI- 1 year before moving to Green Bay

Four places I have visited:
1. Chicago
2. San Francisco
3. Boston
4. Orlando

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. in bed sleeping
2. in a hot tub
3. swimming with dolphins
4. in clothes a few sizes smaller

Four tv shows I love:
1. Scrubs
2. Letterman
3. Live with Regis and Kelly
4. What Not to Wear on TLC

Four favorite foods:
1. Steak
2. Chicken
3. French Fries
4. Chocolate


Family Update: Today was the ten year old's last day of school. Afterwards one of her classmates rented a limo for all the fifth grade girls to go to a roller skating rink which I thought was pretty cool but I was a little nervous because I did not know the parents and this was the first time I let her go without calling the parents. Then they were late getting back so I thought for sure they really did not go to the roller rink but instead went to the airport and now on a plane out of the country! But she soon showed up. Whew!

HOH mowed the lawn and then we watched the Brewers who were losing last I checked (ahead 6-0 and they give up 8 runs in one inning and most of them were walk ins! Who does that?) I should have utilized my time better by doing something constructive rather than watching the game.

Have a good one!

The birds are not chirping yet

Since I have been laying around like a blob and so tired lately, I decided I needed to get some exercise so I called my newest friend, Jane to see if she wanted to go for a walk. She had been busy the last couple weeks with family in town (she comes from a family of 13!) so we had not walked in awhile. She agreed to go so we decided to go at six in the morming. Of course, I was worried about not getting up in time so I woke up every half hour all night even though I set the alarm. I made it out the door at six a.m. sharp and I noticed it was so quiet, the birds were not awake yet with their usual chirping. I also noticed out lawn really needs to me mowed.

It took awhile before Jane and I started yakking since we were both like zombies but once we got going, we were talking back and forth. (Normally we walk after dinner, but it has been too hot lately).

HOH said my last couple blogs made him cry so I decided to talk about one of the fights we had early in our marriage. We have so few fights, I remember exactly when it was. It was January 1996. We had a 7 month old baby and we decided we needed a new faucet. The problem was the new faucet needed some kinds of rigging under the sink so when it was hooked up, we did not have any hot water. So, I waited....and waited....and waited. For THREE months I waited for him to fix the faucet. Finally I said, "You have one week to fix the faucet or I am calling the plumber." I ended up calling the plumber the next day.

True, the hot water worked for the dishwasher, but it was a pain not having any in the kitchen sink trying to wash off counters and tables and rinse out baby bottles, etc. I thought I was pretty patient but once I get to the end of my rope, it's over folks.

Now we laugh about it. Now I ask if a project can be finished, if so when? If not, can I call a professional?

Have a good one.

Finally the last ten

Ok, we are down to the last ten items about me. I would consider these to be the most important to me.

10. When I was younger, I collected penquins, then I stopped and collected Coca Cola items because I liked the old fashioned pictures of the girls with the Cokes and now I like victorian angels and victorian santas. I think I was supposed to be born in the Victorian era but I would not have put up with all the nonsense that woman were not allowed to do.

9. One thing I really want to do (this will make some of you croak) is to swim with the dolphins at the Dolphin Research Center in the Florida Keys. They have a program for people with disabilities and they do not make the dolphins do anything they do not want to do especially when there are new mommy dolphins.

8. I would like to have an art show some day..

7. When we win the lottery, we would like to go around the country giving money to people anonymously(sp?). Wouldn't that be fun? We would also start a think tank type business to come up with cool inventions to help people.

6. If I had one wish, I would wish for the power to heal.

5. My proudest professional achievement was graduating from college. So many people told me I could not do it. The day I got my diploma, I felt I was getting a triple doctrate.

4. Proudest personal achievement (besides the family) is walking a marathon two years ago. I think about doing it again but it is a lot of training time away from the family.

3. I believe in miracles and that they happen every day, all the time, we just are not aware of it. It would not surprise me if I suddenly no longer had a vision or hearing condition. (Hey, I hit my head so often, it could trigger some blood vessels to unblock, and Voila!)

2. I would like to publish a book. I wrote a book for my daughters class in kindergarten called 'The Blind Lady who can See'. The teachers asked me to talk about my condition and the kids were always asking me questions so rather than standing up there and talking I wrote and illustrated a book to read to the class. As soon as it was done the teachers told me I should publish it. I figure since the recommendation came from a teacher, I should be able to do it. Then my son came along and I have not done anything about it yet.

1. Number 2 leads me to my proudest moment as a parent. I was reading the book I wrote to my daughter's class and near the end I started to get choked up. My daughter got up from where she was sitting and came over and stood by me and put her hand on my arm while I finished reading the book which ends as follows; "Even though there are so many things I cannot do such as drive a car or see the stars, I focus on the things I can do. I can still read and paint but the thing I like to see the most is the smile on my daughter's face. I think I am pretty lucky for a blind lady." She was only five years old and she was comforting her mother..KLEENEX PLEASE!!!

And all is right with the world.

Who cares what we weigh Tuesday?

I did not get on the scale today nor do I plan to but for those who would like to post a loss, be my guest. I hope everyone either remained the same or lost something.

I wanted to mention something the ten year old said after her communion yesterday. Her dad mentioned something about now she knows what communion is and she said, "When I was younger, I thought communion meant church was almost over!"

I think I will also include my countdown starting with number 20...we are almost done!

20. I have a problem with freezing meat. I would rather use it right away than thaw it out.So, we usually have the meals with the meat in the beginning of the week and have the other meals such as pastas near the end of the week.

19. I do not eat or make soup. In fact the only soup I have tried is chicken noodle when I was a kid. My mother makes soup all the time and I could always tell when I came home from school when she was making pea soup...YUK! Same for liver and onions. The family likes it once in awhile so I will use the stuff in a can (the soup, not liver and onions.)

18.I am 100 percent Norwegian....uff da! I used to get a kick out of telling people my father is part Irish so I would wear green on St. Patricks Day and they would say that I must be part Irish and then I would point out I was adopted which would then lead to the discussion if I ever wanted to find my birth parents (no!) blah, blah, blah.

17. My house is decorated in what I call a 'mish mash' style...a little of everything with no theme.

16. I never got pulled over by a cop (ok,
I do not drive but I meant while I was driving).

15. I have never met or talked to anyone famous (unless you count a few Packer players). I would like to have a conversation with a famous person to ask them if it is really a pain to be famous with all these strangers asking stupid questions like the one I am asking. I also want to know if it was worth it to be famous and have all that money. If it were me, I would want to be famous in a way that I am not recognizable such as an author or someone who invented a life saving device or something we use everyday like the paper clip.

14.I say 'like' way too much.

13. I only started eating salads in the last couple of years.

12. When I worked in the vault at the bank, the most money I ever had at one time was just over 2 million dollars (during the holidays).

11. Also while I worked at the bank as a teller, I had a guy come in who showed me a gun in his pocket. He was upset because the bank has closed his account. That is why I went to the vault so I would not have to be a teller anymore. Most people are not happy when they go the bank and I did not want to deal with them anymore.

Thanks goodness we only have ten more to go. The last ten are the ones I think represent me the most.

Have a good one!

Continuing the countdown 30-21

We are almost done with the top 100 things I feel you must know about me (or not).

30. I start out sleeping on my tummy, then move to my side and then my other side.

29. I like to save the blue m&ms and eat those last.

28. I know the choc. chip recipe by heart.

27. I was going to say I have never been out of the country but I remembered when I lived in California, we took about a 15 minute trip into Mexico. I was so scared I wanted us to go back right away. The awful part was it was so easy to get there but it took forever to get back in. The guy I was with was a paramedic and had a fishing tackle box full of first aid stuff and I thought for sure we would get checked and pulled over for that, but they let us through. Whew!

26. If I had one super power it would be the power to heal.

25. I do not like shopping for clothes or shoes. I wear shoes until they are worn out.

24. My life motto is "seeing the glass half full and not half empty".

23. I color my roots. In fact, I just did it yesterday but left the color in too long because I was reading everone's blog!

22. I have never had a cup of coffee.

21. For the longest time, I had to sleep with a ton of blankets. I liked the weight. I was one of those people who was always cold. Now, I sleep with just a sheet and sometimes not even that. (Premenopausal???)

Family Update: The inlaws are here and we are getting ready for the ten year olds first communion. Yesterday they all went swimming at the hotel. I was going to go until I decided I had better color my hair.

Have a good one!

A Rare Event

I actually slept well last night. This rarely happens...maybe once in blue moon, whatever that means but I am fond of saying. I figure I slept well because of things that DID NOT happen.

I DID NOT have a bad dream( I almost always do and remind me to tell you of the the worst one I had last week which was one of the reasons why I had a rough week and did not blog much.

The kids DID NOT come into our room in the middle of the night and try to squeeze in with us.

It DID NOT thunderstorm last night.

The dog DID NOT get sick in the middle of the night therefore requiring a roll of paper towel and a can of cleanner not to mention air freshener.

The temperature in the room DID NOT get too cold or too warm.

I DID NOT have to get up in the middle of the night to use the restroom.

I DID NOT wake up in any sort of pain which requires the use of taking medication.

The phone or doorbell DID NOT ring in the middle of the night.

Well, I guess a lot has to NOT happen for me to get a good nights sleep. Oh, let's not forget I wasn't worried about getting up in time to get the garbage out in time (That was yesterday!)

Have a good one!

Top 100 countdown starting with 40

Alright, continuing the top 100 countdown starting with 40.

40. I like mowing the lawn. It is good exercise, it usually looks good(sometimes I miss a spot and hubby has to go over it so it is more work for him, poor guy) and I feel like I have accomplished something. I also like trimming bushes for the same reason but I only do that once a year.

39. I tend to buy things I do not use and I do not buy things I could use. For instance, I like to buy picture frames but most are not up on the walls yet, wicker baskets, craft stuff and dvds/cds that I have not opened yet but I really could use some new clothes but I won't buy any because I do not want to buy the size I need. Silly, silly...

38. The only time I iron is around the holidays or special events.

37. HOH and I had a small wedding (30 people) and spent our honeymoon staying at different bed and breakfast inns in the northeast (Vermont, N.H, Mass., and Conneticut.) We spent a lot of time looking for a McDonalds because I could not stand the food at the inns. They served things like vegetables(ewwww!) and eggs with crab in it....blecka!

36. I really do not understand why people worry what other people think....especially people they do not know or like. That is like worrying about when an asteroid is going to hit the planet. THere is nothing one can do about it so stop wasting all that time and energy worrying about it!

35.If I were younger and healthier, I would want more kids.

34. I stopped driving about ten years ago. My eyesight had deteriorated to the point where I just was not sure if there were cars coming or not when I stopped at a corner near my mother's house. It was a route I had taken several times a day for years. It was also spring and kids were out with their bikes and I could not be certain they were not there. So, I stopped driving. Usually I do not miss it, but once in awhile I do. It would be nice to take the kids up to the in-laws or to visit my out of town friends or to run to the store so HOH would not have to stop on his way home from work.

33. I hardly said a word when I was young, now I talk all the time.

32. HOH is my best friend.

31. I cannot sing.

Well, I hope I have not repeated something I already had on the list but I am too lazy to go back and check!

Have a good one!