Just Another Sick Day....

Oldest was sick today. 

On Halloween. 

I know. 

Bummer.

So, like any good doting mother with no other choice, I called in sick to work.  Truthfully, I didn't feel good either.  Had he not revisited his day's prior meal choices that morning, I probably would have soldiered on into work.

Anyway...

Faced with the dilemma of having 25 monster cookies that I painstakingly labored over left at home, I packed up Youngest, and with Oldest fast asleep in his bed, headed off to school with Oldest's classroom treats in tow. I live a mile from the school and could walk home in 20 minutes, no need for DCF, thanks.  Upon returning home, I attempted to mindlessly engross myself in daytime television, but even with a mindless mindset, it still wasn't entertaining.  With my attention turned to laundry, I started the daunting trek up to the pile's summit, which was remarkably high considering Tony had done it all on Saturday while I was at work. 

What else did I do?

I hung pictures.

I rearranged furniture in Oldest's bedroom while he worked on a puzzle in bed.

I vacuumed.

I snacked a little.

I picked up the mail.

There was a letter for Tony's ex-wife, who's never lived here. 

Two coupon packs, two non-profits, a bill for Tony, and 4 credit card offers. 

Now, I'm always looking to see if there is a better offer out there than what I already have so I confess, I do open them.  One of the things I've noticed is that more and more credit cards are charging annual fees.  As if the interest wasn't enough, they are whacking you once a year with a charge of $65 and up.  In truth 2 out of the four were free cards, but I stood stunned in my kitchen when I saw this...

(Click if you're old like me
 and can't see the writing.)

Seriously? 

$495 a year....

$195 if I allow Tony to use it?

Sorry. 

For the second time in my life, I'm rendered speechless.

We don't talk about the first time.

Forgive Me Doctor, For I Have Binged....

Forgive Me Doctor, For I Have Binged....

25 Monster Cookies For Oldest's Classroom.
(3 trips to the grocery store, and one to Iparty for glow in the dark teeth)

21 GF and Peanut Free Chocolate Covered Apples
For Youngest's Classroom.
(3 additional trips to the grocery store, and one carefully
counted apple bag that when home, appeared to be 3 apples short)

But Who Could Blame Me?

**For all those concerned for my health, yes, I ate some chocolate... but I stayed within my 100 per day carbohydrate limit.  I just couldn't let it go to waste....

The Great Pumpkin Post....

5,000 pumpkins.

2 Boys.

1 Winding Trail.

Enjoy.



Truth Is Thursday...

Truth is... I had no idea what I had started with my last post, but it has been awesome reading every one's thoughts.  And I was so glad that there was no fighting.... 'cuz I don't do tension well.

Truth is... I spent an hour sewing patches onto my son's cub scout uniform, only to find out last night, it was the wrong color shirt. *sigh*

Truth is... I really want to do something with the cub scouts, perhaps the parent Scribe position, so I know what the heck is going on.

Truth is... I have lost five pounds.

Truth is... It's only been 7 days off sugar and caffeine and my hands don't hurt anymore, my cuts are healing up nicely (finally) and I haven't tried to stab any one that didn't deserve it.

Truth is... I went off caffeine by accident.  I ran out of Diet Coke, and I don't drink coffee, so after the detox migraine had faded, I figured I might as well quit caffeine too.

Truth is...  I've only cheated a little, and only when it fit into my carb count for the day.

Truth is... my niece wore her costume to a Halloween party at dance yesterday.  I now have two more jobs pending for hand made Christening gowns. Yippee...

Truth is...  Some days it just all comes together.  Wednesday was one of those days.  Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, however were not.

Truth is...  Payday can't come soon enough.  I think we're down to six yogurts, some cocktail weenies, and cereal.

Truth is... it's your turn!

Wordless Wednesday....

(One of the 5,000 pumpkins at the
Pumpkin Spectacular at Roger Williams Zoo)

Just a Question...

A few years back a very good friend of mine's son was in third grade.  He had this really good friend at school that he wanted to invite to his birthday party. Normally, this is not an issue, however this particular friend was a Jehovah Witness.  For those unfamiliar with the religion, the only birthday they celebrate is the birth of Jesus Christ, all other birthdays are not allowed to be recognized or celebrated.

Phone calls were made back and forth with the boy's Mom, and it was agreed that he could be dropped off to play before the party and his mom would pick him up about a half hour before the rest of the guests came.  The birthday came and went, and both the boys had a great time. The family was very nice, and the boys remained friends for the rest of the year, but eventually the families lost touch.  At one point, the mother had said that they don't have many friends outside of the church, simply because it was difficult to avoid holidays, birthdays, and other things that they just didn't believe in.

Much later in life, one of Tony's family members converted to the Jehovah faith.  The rest of her family did not.  Her four children were left celebrating their birthday with everyone who loved them, except her. This new way of life for her had made it extremely difficult to be involved with people outside the faith.  Even years later, after she had somewhat moved away from the faith, she nearly died on the operating room table during a simple procedure, simply because she would not accept blood, even though, her children were ready and able to donate. 

Now, if you have been around here for a while you may remember this post in which I explain that I love all aspects of different religions.  I would like to add here that I do not, in any way, shape, or form, consider myself educated on any of them.  Just that I'm very curious, and love to hear about different faiths from the people who live them every day. 

But the other day as I sat watching Sister Wives, seriously this show is worse than crack for me, I watched the dynamic between Cody Brown and his teenage children.  I found it refreshing that while some of the wives are willing to let the children explore their own faiths and their own beliefs,  Cody seems shocked to here that they'd accept any other way of life other that his faith, or that of the Mormon church (not to associate the two, but these were the two he mentioned.)  I have also seen other shows where they are concerned with their children's level of "purity" for lack of a better word, and wonder if they will stay true to their family's religious beliefs, and what the influence the children of "other" faiths will bring to the table.

At the same time, I was blog surfing, and came upon two posts by two of my favorite pen pals, you know who you are,  in which they had been mistreated by people of the Mormon faith, simply because they are living in Utah and are not of the Mormon faith. I was shocked to hear some of the things they have gone through, that their children have gone through, simply because they believe something different. That they had been "exiled" in a way because they thought differently.

So here is my question...

For any of my pen pals that have an extremely strong religious affiliation, do you find it hard to be "real life" friends with people of different faiths?  Clearly, you all know what my beliefs are, but provided I was no different than what I am here, would it be hard for you to be friends with me out side of the Internet?  It's okay, if you would I'm, as always, just curious.

Okay...

Discuss...

Wiggling Out Of My Own Skin....

When standing on one's roof, fixing the leaks that are flooding your sun room floor in the hopes that the patches will hold until your contractor can replace the entire roof, the proper way to remove the tools, loose shingle pieces, cans of tar, and push brooms are...

A) Slowly lower the equipment to a helper, safely located on the ground below.

B) Place all tools and debris in a basket or bucket and lower it to the ground via a rope and harness.

C)  Hurl each piece individually off the roof onto the lawn, while screaming "CRAP!!!"  because you failed to check for children below.

As most of my neighbors will attest, today the answer was C. 

It is day three of my low natural carbohydrate, no refined sugar, "new" lifestyle. 

In an effort of full disclosure, I feel it also necessary to mention that I have inadvertently also started the "no soda, or caffeine" life style as well.

I know, I'm killing myself slowly.

Being Gluten Free, this means basically a diet of mostly meats, proteins, and veggies.  I have done this before and I know that day three is the worst day... ever.  It's the day of headaches, jitters, and irrational behavior.  So when I came home today with my head spinning and all but spitting pea soup, and Tony finally said "What the hell crawled up that beautiful butt of yours?", I knew it was time to get away.

So I went on the roof.

And I refused to come down.

No, not really, I just couldn't get down until someone held the ladder.  But trust me, I saw the twinkle in Youngest's eye when he realized he could leave me up there the entire night.

So while I was on the roof, Tony sealed the driveway.  Thankfully, he remembered to not seal around the ladder, although I know he was also tempted to leave me up there all  night.  I got most of the patches done, and hopefully they will hold for the next few weeks.  Because as well all know, as soon as one discovers the leak in the roof, the most wicked of New England nasty weather will fall upon us, testing every product known to Home Depot. 

But here's the thing...  the excess of work this week at the Post Office has really put a lot of strain on my right shoulder.  So, I am not supposed to be doing any repetitive over the head motions with my arm. The roof couldn't wait, and I was able to do most of it with my left arm. I have many more projects to do, all of which involve strenuous shoulder activity. The problem becomes that I am so fidgety,  I can't even stand it. 

I could watch TV.  But that makes me want snacks.

I could cook, but then I'd want to eat it.

I could do laundry...Wait. No.  I'm not doing laundry, forget it.

So I sit.

And I wiggle.

And I crank at people.

And I whine.

And I know when I wake up tomorrow it will all be better.

If it's not, for the love of God, someone please shove a cookie in my mouth.

Sugar, Oh...Honey, Honey...

I have had a long ongoing love affair with sugar.  In it's natural state, refined, still in the cane, it doesn't matter.  I love it.  And if you were to add some of it's sweet deliciousness into say, cake like ingredients, or any type of chocolaty goodness, I am doomed. I have had many a glorious dream of diving head first into the White's bakery cases. My body however, does not.  In fact it hates sugar.  Even in it's natural found forms of fruits and grains.

And so, the battle begins.

My mind says I can handle just a little bit here and there. I rationalize that I'll balance it out with healthy eating and a little extra exercise, later.  Until later is a few months later. Over *cough, cough* 40 pounds later, and my body starts to shut down.  My cuts won't heal.  My feet and hands tingle all the time and go painfully numb at night.  Blurry vision, a buzzing through my veins, and the never ending unquenchable thirst.

Okay  body, you win.

No more than 70 carbs a day until the weight comes off.

Until then, do not approach me if I have a fork in hand. 

Unless you're looking to get stabbed.

Thank the Lord, my birthday has already come and gone.

Pray for me.

And all those close enough to be within stabbing distance.

Truth Is Thursday...

Truth is... I totally forgot to post this, so I thought I'd share it today.  Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ever wonder what you would see if you drive into every neighborhood of a town that's 43 square miles?

No?

Well, then skip this one, because that's what you're getting.

As a mail lady, I have seen many a crazy looking dog... one rottweiler/ golden retriever mix comes to mind.  Seriously?  I didn't even think the gene pool could mix like that, he looks exactly like a rottweiler but with the longest, shaggiest hair ever. ...as well as some crazy looking people... remember the naked man? (Click here if you don't).  Many of these things go unphotographed because, well, I'm working people!  I don't have time for clicking pictures all over the place. And the naked guy would probably kill me if the seriously aggressive dog didn't eat me first. 

But this week, I took my time for 'y'all and snapped a few photos.

As expected, I saw plenty of mailboxes.  Some that looked like this...

...and this...

...other's disguised as a cow....

....and other's who's bills need a stern guardian...

But there's other things to see on the mail routes as well.  Like attack chickens, angry geese, (Really, Angry Birds have nothing on these guys) and angry horse farmers...

Who really just want us to slow...the...heck....down.

Then there's Rapunzel's castle...

Really.  It's a bunch of old stone castles out in the middle of the field.  I don't think any one's trapped inside them though, although I do on occasion hear a certain prepubescent boy out there practicing his saxophone, no doubt having been banished there by his parents who have had enough of the squawking and off key melody.

Then there's the really hidden gems, way out in the middle of no where, so lost to civilization that the STOP signs and speed limit signs are aged beyond recognition, yet the decorated paper paper plates nailed to the  trees over a 1/4 mile stretch, survive every force of nature known to New England...

Seems B-I-L-L-Y A-N-D S-U-E really wanted to wish their Mother a happy birthday.


Some times I have to go down unexpected streets, normally not traveled, to deliver packages. On one such occasion I found this...

I have to report that I am no closer to finding house number #114 as I am Babylon.

And of course, when you are really, really out in the back woods, there is always some idiot who dumps a mattress off the back of their truck in the dead of the night, leaving the locals to clean up the mess.  In doubt, these owners decided to recycle it...

Because nothing screams "Look at me I'm white trash" team spirit like an old 1970's flowered mattress graced with a giant "B".

I also found the best use for recycling old wine bottles ever...

See the fence around the flower garden?  It's upside down wine bottles.  Just don't get too close with the lawn mower. I sure home the Mother is home from Rehab by now...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And now... Truth is... It's your turn!  Write your post and link up!

Wordless Wednesday....

37 Never Tasted So Good....

Always The Flower Girl...

...Never the bride.

Except for Halloween.

Now, I have no problem saying "No" and "No way in Hell", laughing in her face, and telling her she's crazy to my sister. My niece, however, is a totally different story.  So when she wanted to be a bride for Halloween, and then told every one she knew that her Auntie was making her gown, well... what can I say.

My kitchen table was covered in tulle and lace for two days, but it's finally done.

And what bride's big day would be complete without a veil?

The verdict is still out on my boys choices of costumes this year.

But I have to be honest, if I can get them to stay home this year, I'll gladly buy them a big 'ol bag of candy. 

I just don't know if I have two more costumes in me.

Still Going Postal...

So, real life has once again trumped my writing abilities.  Work has been crazy, the roof's leaking in the sun room, and Halloween costumes are waiting to be made.  I am trying to catch up a little at a time, so bear with me, OR leave me a comment and I'll come by and visit, mkay?

Lately, I have been inhaling more than my share of the recommended allowance of mail truck exhaust, and I have two stories to share from this past week.  First, I had a certified for a house on the regular route I do.  Having been down this shared driveway many, many, many, times, I know they are never home during the day.  I toyed with just throwing the slip in the box and rolling along, but then my conscious got the best of me, and off down the drive way I went.

Upon reaching the house I had past at least 5 PRIVATE PROPERTY signs.  Turning into the driveway, I see a car parked up on the lawn and three people sitting on the picnic table, casually enjoying their lunch.  Happy that I stopped, I exited the mail truck and approached the people so they could sign for their certified.

Except, it wasn't their certified. 

In fact, it wasn't their house.

They were Canadian tourists, stopped for a rest, with their car parked on the LAWN, eating lunch on some one's picnic table, a half mile back in the woods.

REALLY?

Who does that?


The second story is more of a revelation I had this last week.  Being an eternal substitute carrier, I work on many different routes around town.  27 in total, but for the most part I rotate between about 10 on a regular basis.  There is this one man named John who gets mail at 5 house on various mail routes.  He is a nice man, in his mid forties, and in one of these houses (the one next door to the day care center they also own) is a Mrs. John.  Now these are not little cottages either.  These are homes that range from $380-$600K homes, with multiple floors, bedrooms, and beautiful kitchens in the ones I've seen anyway.

The rest of these homes have other last names residing in these homes.  All female, and all with young children.  Most of them attend the day care that Mrs. John owns.

Now one could think that he could be a land lord. 

Or that he dabbles in real estate. 

But no, not me. 

A decade of postal experience, a bizarre obsession with TLC, and an abundance amount of toxic mail truck fumes and I could only come to one brilliant conclusion....

John has sister wives.

Real ones.... right here in my little old town.

Shut up. Don't tell me No... it's much more fun to live in my partial crazy postal brain. K? 

And that's all I have for today.  I will hopefully be back tomorrow with some random pictures.  Brainless, easy pictures.... with not a lot of words.

Because that's where I'm at lately.

All Put Together...

I started Youngest in cub scouts this year.  I figured it was about time to teach him how to  set all his evil maniacal schemes create all of his genius style inventions and utilize them with practical applications. It would also be nice if he learned how to not burn the house down. 

Anyway, I didn't want to be that parent.  You know, the one who drops their kid and runs for the hills screaming "Hallelujah!!!!" for the hour of free time on a Friday night.  No.  I decided to sit it out and stay with the other mothers in one of the upper hallways of the school. 

So there I sat, with four other mothers, casually telling their younger children "No running in the halls", and "No jumping with the lolly pop in your mouth...you silly goose."  There was no eye rolling, no screaming at the top of their lungs, no deep OH-MY-GOD-I-AM-SO-TIRED sigh.  Seriously?  Are these women for real? Just calm words, endless patience, and casual conversation. It was 8:30 at night.  On a Friday.  Really?

Then I started to notice they all had makeup on, and their hair was neatly done.  One was even wearing a cute jean skirt and some fabulous boots.  They all sat there, chit chatting about volunteering in the classroom earlier in the week, the Fall Ball Little League double headers they had just come from, and what they made for dinner this week.  Real meals.  None of this Mac-n-Cheese and hot dog business.

As I sat there, in all my baggy shorts and T-shirt glory, still having the vague sent of mail truck, I couldn't help but think, "How are these women so put together?  They make it appear so easy.  What the hell am I doing wrong?  Holy Heck, my kids really are that bad." 

I really wanted to be like these women.

I wanted someone to look at me and say "Wow, she really can do it all... and look fabulous at any time of day."

Discouraged, I decided to walk down to where the cub scout meeting was being held  since it was almost time to leave.  I walked into the school cafeteria to find 6 boys completely involved in the after meeting activity.  The activity involved kick balls, some random targets, and a large area of open space.  It was loud.  It was crazy.  It was completely out of control.

And then all at once, the scout master raised his two fingers in the air.  No yelling.  No eye contact.  Just walked into the middle of the game with his two fingers in the air.

And the kids stopped. 

They also put their two fingers into the air.

They put the balls away.

They found their parents wand went home.

I sat their stunned.

Forget about being like those women.

I want to be that dude with his magical fingers of power.

Truth Is Thursday...

Truth is... my house has been invaded with gnats.  I have no idea where they're coming from, the house was top-to-bottom cleaned on Monday and we haven't eaten bananas in weeks.

Truth is... my friend emailed me this the other day...

...and after I was done laughing, I continued to spend a few more hours on the computer.

Truth is... I am still depressed.  Not over anything in particular, just can't seem to shake it. AND we're due for rain the next two days.  Joy.

Truth is... when I talk to Tony about it, he tries to fix it.  There's nothing to fix mind you, but he's still trying.  He's making me crazy.

Truth is...  every time I have a cough or a tickle in my throat, when I Google it, it becomes a tumor. Case in point,  I saw this show on Chronicle last night....

Chronicle Wednesday: HPV - Video - WCVB Boston

...and now I'm convinced that this virus is lurking inside me somewhere just waiting to kill me.

Truth is... my big birthday plans involve baking a cake.  That's it.

Truth is... I was playing with my three year old nephew the other night and sadly, I can't remember having that much fun with my own kids.  Sometimes I wish I could go back and do it all again. (With my kids, not additional kids... just to be clear.)

Truth is...  I believe the majority of this post may have been brought to you by the letters P. M. & S.

Truth is... it's your turn!  Grab the link on the sidebar, and join in! But don't forget to come back and link up..

Completely Random Tuesday...

Even my snacks knew I needed a little love.

 It's a whole new meaning to "comfort food".

This balloon's from our wedding on the 26th of AUGUST.

Seriously thinking I got my money's worth at the dollar store.

We're taking bets on how long it will stay up. 

Anybody want in on that action?

Damn. 

And I really wanted to "Ride The Skittles Rainbow".

Well, that's one way to get him to stop talking.

It's a good thing we caught this one by the feet.

It would have been a seriously quiet ride home.

For once I'm  participating in Stacy's Random Thoughts Tuesdays... ON TUESDAY!

Go on, check her out...


I'll still be here, slaying' the beast.

But that's a post for another day.

October Sunday...

Today was the Sunday I planned Oldest's "almost" birthday party.  We'd invite up to 2 friends to go with us to Six Flags for the day.  Four friends later, his friend from school arrived at 9am for our journey west.  I'm not going to lie, only having one child available to go meant less craziness, less cost, and less begging to borrow a minivan for the trek. 

By 930 we were off. Three hours later we arrived, big eyed and ready to tackle all the rides that wouldn't make us throw up. We quickly discovered that Oldest's friend does not like roller coasters.  Or heights. Or anything that moves too fast.  Lovely.  Several meltdowns, five rides, and a lot of ice cream later, it was clear they'd had enough.  Armed with three bags of cotton candy for the ride home, we began out 3 hour trek back just in time to see the second half of the Patriots game.

Exhausted, Tony's butt planted firmly into his a$$ groove in the couch, it becomes clear that I'm not going anywhere.  Phone calls are made and we are +1 in the boy count for the evening. I began making dinner.  Sitting outside, I began grilling burgers, listening to the crickets, and watching the sun go down. It was so relaxing.  The perfect end to the day. 

Youngest appears at the doorway...

"Hey.  Can I come out?"
"Sure"
"It's so peaceful out here at night."
"Yeah, and if you listen careful, one of the neighbors over there has a band playing at their cookout."
"Oh yeah....  Hey, I have a talent that could help save my life someday."
"And what talent is that?"
"I can annoy people so much that they leave me alone."
"Awesome"
"You know what else would be awesome?"
"What?"
"If I had a light up basketball hoop. I have a glow in the dark basketball, but that way I could play at midnight."
"Really?"
"Yup."
"Interesting."


"Burgers are done"
"No cheese on mine please."
"Okay"
"Can I have a friend over tomorrow?"
"Sure buddy.  The more kids the better."

I Love Sundays in October.

And, I think I'll love Monday too.

Random Picture Post.....

I didn't even work today and my brain is mush,  so I thought I'd treat you all to some random photos of my day.

This is Bob...

Some of you may remember him from last year.  Because every year about this time, my children prove to me that they produce enough chaos and noise to wake the dead.
This year they also awoke Sheldon...

Although he actually made it all the way out of the ground, and now scares me every time I walk by the back door.

The weather here in New England is making me crazy.  There was frost on my windows this morning at 34 degrees, by noon it was in the upper 60's and by 2pm, the heat kicked on in the house because all the windows were open.

Tomorrow, it's supposed to be 80 degrees.

And when my flowers look like this still...

It's hard to convince me that the bulbs need to be dug up and taken in.

Busy weekend ahead.

With hopefully, a whole lot more blog fodder.

Seriously. 

Waking the dead is about as exciting as it's been around here all week.

Truth Is Thursday...

Truth is... I've been a bit depressed lately.  Not sure why exactly, and it's not worth concerning yourself over. Because, if you've been here a while, you know that my mood swings more on this blog than a manic on a triple loop roller coaster.

Truth is...  I feel like my feet are running, but I can't seem to hit the floor.  Lots of energy out, not a lot coming back in.

Truth is... we are celebrating Oldest's birthday early this year, on Sunday.  Here's hoping I survive.  Or it at least provides some good blog fodder.

Truth is... I read this yesterday and thought it was the best thing ever! Go ahead, look, I'll wait. Serously!  A countdown to brithdays!  Brilliant!

Truth is... MY birthday is in two weeks.  And for the first time in my life, I don't want to do anything.  Nothing.  Zip. Zero. Nada.  I told someone at work that I was almost 37... the words tasted really bitter as they rolled off my tongue.

Truth is... I "couponed" my way into a free extra large bottle of Tide laundry detergent this week.  It's sad how thrilled I was about this.

Truth is... Seems DOR has investigated my ex-husband's source of income. There isn't one.  Which means my hopes of seeing another dime or any of the back support, is again... non-existent.

Truth is... I'm hoping the three-day-two-day weekend improves my mood.  The upcoming 80 degree weather is a good start.

Truth is... It's your turn!  Grab a button, write out your "truths" and link up!