I slipped.... And more ramblings

The thing about major changes is that they impact lots of people.   Sometimes it's a very direct impact, like with your family, and sometimes the impact is much less direct.


I have  things on my mind -- big changes I want to make, and I've shared those ideas with a few select people.  The thing is, I am a diplomat, empathetic to the point that it makes me crazy sometimes.  Because of this, I  wish to be VERY careful about the timing and way in which I share my desire to make big changes that will impact others.  One thing is for sure:  Facebook is not the way to do that.  I slipped and made a casual comment on FB.  It made me loose sleep and question whether I should delete it, let it lie, or or what.  I decided that I will let it lie.

I need to refine my plan for the big plan.  Break it down into smaller pieces, so that I can start ticking away at it.  I am finding this hard to do.


I do know that step one is that I have to prioritize work.  I've got to focus and stop daydreaming during the day and get my work life in order.  I really cannot even think about moving forward until I look back and take care of some messes I have out there.  Time frame: if I got REALLY serious, 8-10 weeks.  Theoretically, I could be completely caught up by January 1.

Another part of the plan is a financial plan.  This is a little more difficult, and is many faceted.  It's also the part I have to be able to sell to get MightyMo on board.  I am very much a "if it feels right, it will work, God will look out for us" person.  I can make major decisions based on a combination of  faith, information, and planning. Faith is first, and God has not let me down yet. MightyMo makes decisions on information, planning and faith. And when all the planning and information doesn't pan out, faith has seen him through.

I am not very patient about some things.  (Most things.) I have instant gratification syndrome, and this part of planning is no exception.  I want to be able to have everything happen now.  But the reality is, there is lots to be done.  I have a house to update; it  needs major maintenance to (roof, flooring).  Also, I know, because of 17 years in real estate, to get a quick sale, things have to be right. The price has to be right, and the house has to be staged perfectly.  For my family, these things happening while we are living in the house is somewhere between completely insane and impossible.  We need to get out, fix, stage and sell, and have a back up plan in the event things don't pan out.  I have faith that it will work out.  The question is: where to go.  I'd love to find a "lease-purchase" arrangement that would allow me to get a jump start on my big plan. 

That is all on the "personal" side.  There is a whole separate list of things on the "business" side. Somehow, I think this list is easier, but in reality, it probably isn't. Then, I have the complication of constructing a plan that involves real estate, when I have family in real estate whom I am not ready to involve, but ultimately will not understand if they are not the ones to handle real estate transactions. I don't wish to "use" anyone else,  knowing that I have that issue.

Another thing that hit me like a ton of bricks is that I am within 3 months of needing to make decisions about schooling, particularly for Mojo, for next year. I can postpone the decisions, but there is a financial cost to (in the form of registration fees) to keeping options open. I am torn:  Home school or Magnet School.  This also plays into the "where to go" issue, because if I move out of the county, the magnet school option disappears, and then I have decisions to make about BigB, too.


I've sat here and typed myself into near hysteria at the overwhelmingness of it all. And I know, I've only scratched the surface.  I could go start on step one, but I have issues about attacking step one, without knowing what step two is.  I need the motivation of step 2.

I think I will go hyperventilate now. 

The Blah Blog

I am blah.

The end.

No, actually, I'll add a little more.  For my faithful readers, I want to remind you that this blog is my vent.  It's my creative outlet, and it's my release.  I have no intention of sharing anything important here.  It's just me, getting out whatever is on my mind.  If you wish to have facts, figures or other meaninful information, I direct you www.wikipedia.com.

So, today, I feel BLAH.  I have been very fortunate for the past few years.  My 4 herniated discs (2 in the lumbar area, and two in my neck) have not bothered me much at all.  Recently, though, I have been having numbness and pain from my right shoulder, all the way down my arm. The fingers, especially my thumb, pointer and middle finger, all get the pins and needles sensation.  My arm, mainly the upper arm and shoulder, aches.  It's not much of an issue during the day, but the pain is waking me up at night. Repeatedly. My neurologist told me a few years back that this was actually coming from the bad discs in my neck, and that when it started interfering with daily life, it'd be time for surgery.

Last night I took a proactive Tylenol 3 before I went to bed. I did not want the pain to start.  It seemed like a good idea at the time, but today, I feel pretty rotten about taking it.  But the fact is, that once the pain gets started, medication doesn't seem to knock it out so I can go back to sleep.  The only thing that does is getting up out of bed, and that means I am not sleeping. It's a catch 22.

Today's blah is a combination of not sleeping, plus the lingering effects of the codeine.  It stinks. I feel like I am dragging concrete blocks.  On top of that, my shoulder STILL hurts. 

Time to schedule a doctors appointment. 

Blah.

Another Update: Big B, Mighty Mo, "Shots Fired", Garden, and a few other things.

This is an exciting week for BigB. Many interesting things happening....

Here is a confession.  I pushed B into voice lessons.  She didn't really want to start them, and I encouraged her to try it for the summer.  She's grown, vocally.  She's still not clamoring to practice, but she knows she's learned a lot.  She loves the lessons; she does not love practicing. This is not a case of the "new" wearing off, it has pretty much been that way since day one.  I think it would be easier if I could help at all, but I cannot. She gets to a stumbling block, and it can become a wall.  There is no one to help her move through, around or over it.  I don't know "HOW" something is supposed to sound. I can't look at the music and help with things at all.  She's gone to YouTube a few times to help answer a question bye example, and couple of times, it's helped.  And a couple of times, the example has been wrong, or inconsistent with what she was supposed to do.

She has been asking to stop the lessons, reminding me that she did what I asked of her.  I have had to begrudgingly agree, and have asked her to give it just a little more time AND to give it her 100% best, with practice and focus, at least for a few more weeks.  I  have been hoping for a turn in the tide....

Then, when practicing this past weekend MAYBE something changed.  She loved the song. She had fun with it. She felt GOOD about it.  She went to her lesson with it a little different attitude.  It was one of those times she had gone to YouTube, and as it turns out, it was one of those times when maybe she picked the wrong example. I'm not sure how she felt about it coming out her lesson, but she was obviously depressed. Ho hum.


Her church service project, collecting shoes for Soles4Souls,  is coming together.  She's gotten permission from Phillips Prep and Knollwood to collect shoes at both locations.  She's written her speech, and refined it with her youth pastor.  She's got the collection boxes.  Now it's go time.  One day soon, the principal is going to say today is the day, and she'll make her speech over the intercom system to the school.  She'll turn in her speech to Knollwood, and they'll print it in the weekly newsletter.  This Sunday, the youth pastor at our church will introduce her and her project during the services.  Whew.

Monday, she found out she had been selected as the Phillips Prep student of the month. Her being recognized in this way is a parents dream. (Pats self on back!)  It's an "all around" award, looking at academics, sports, extracurricular, general attitude and demeanor, and more. The recipients are selected by the teachers in a two part process -- nominations and voting.  Yesterday we got to go have lunch at the Admiral Semmes Hotel, and she received her plaque.  Very nice!   (My mantra about the girls being well rounded, no matter what, is paying off!)

She has basketball tryouts beginning Monday, and a piano competition coming up on November 5, and then she is singing at the church spaghetti dinner and silent auction on the 6th. She is a busy child...

MightyMo (MM)  is off on week 3 of  his new job adventure.  This week has been much  harder for him.  He is far away, in a suburb of  Los Angles, CA, in a different time zone, and working 12 hour shifts.  Due to the 3 hour time difference, when we get up in the morning, he's still sleeping, and by the time he gets off work at night, and back to his hotel, we are in bed.  The end result, we are not talking much this week.   On top of that, he is assigned to the "Behavioral Unit" in the hospital he's in.  HA!  He is locked in when he gets there, has to have a security guard escort him in and out for breaks, and has to lock up the computers he works on if he is going to leave them, even for a few minutes. He is home next week, and then his next assignment is at a prison hospital in OK. 

I did talk to MM on Monday during the day.  We found out there were "shots fired" at one of our rental houses.  A neighbor called, and then the tenant called.  The story is that someone tried to break in, and when they couldn't get the door open, they fired shots.  My first question was did they shoot the door?  (Seems like a logical question to me!)  MM didn't know, and wasn't worried about that.  (HUH?)  We are letting the tenant break the lease, because she is scared.  OK.  My cynical nature is coming out here... buy I am thinking the whole thing was staged to get out of the lease.  She is behind on her rent,  not to far, but a little. Thieves typically try to be sneaky, ie NOT draw attention to themselves by making noise that makes the neighbors and police come running.  Why in the world would they fire gun shots into the air?  Who knows.  Anyway, empty rental houses are a bit of a pain when MM is around.  I am guessing it will be somewhere close to excruciating when he is NOT around. :/


My garden seems to have just stopped.  Nothing is happening.  No veggies. Everything looks healthy. I am going to fertilize again this weekend .  Maybe a few vitamins and minerals will help.

The GG has hit a major turning point. She is much better. She has not had any pain medications for a while and she's even done a few "Geegeeish" things.  She mowed her yard. (biggy!)  I am so pleased!  The last 10 days have been great! 

That is it for now.  I am off to a gathering of the ladies I did weight watchers with.  We are going to meet to motivate. (Might be a little late, since I've gained back all but about 4 or 5 pounds of what I lost.)  I was going to try the 2 week Atkins induction, hut the thought of no bread, rice, pasta, or potatoes hurts.

Blurb: Funny Memories

Today, I got to spend a little quality time with Mojo.  She is something else!  And I need to come up with a new name for her.  Mojo is just not working out.... but that isn't what this blurb is about.

Somehow in the conversation today, we talked about the fact that ALL children manage to swallow a coin, and that most, if not all, get some object stuck in some cranny in their head.  We had a chuckle as I remembered the orifice plugging adventures...

BigB was about 4.   Her friend, Natalie, had given her a golden princess crown, adorned with lovely pink heart shaped crystal jewels.  B loved  that crown.  On this particular night, I have no idea where the crown was, but apparently the largest, pinkest heart shaped crystal had come unglued right from the front and center the crown, and BigB was absentmindedly playing with it while watching TV.  The next thing I know she says:

"Momma, I can't get it out of my nose."
"You can't get WHAT out of your nose?"
"My heart. "  

Now, just imagine the dumbfounded looks on parents faces...

Of course, we proceeded to look in the childs nose, and figure out what was in there, and begin a "discussion" about getting it out.  I think MightyMo suggested needle nose pliers, and I was yelling that there was no way on God's green earth....  Well, you can just imagine.

In the end, it was my calm and rational thinking (ha!) that saved the day.  I had B take a deep breath through her mouth, and blow her nose while I held the other nostril closed.  The next thing you know, I was holding a glittering, heart shaped, pink boogy.      Which went immediately in the garbage.  

B continued to play princess with that crown, with the missing jewel, and every time she did, I laughed at the thought  of the glittering, heart shaped, pink booger.

Mojo suffered from ear infections as a young child.  Eventually she got to the point that she didn't t run a fever or complain that her hears hurt. but sometimes she would tell us that she could hear gurgling inside her ears.  That became the tell tale sign.  I assume that gurgling is what prompted her to put toilet paper in her ear canal. I guess she was planning to DRY out her ear.

She came to me one day and said that she couldn't get all the toilet paper out of her ear.   HUH?  And so began her adventure.  I got what I could, and even got the tweezers out, but it was WAY down there.  I called the pediatrician and scheduled an appointment. The pediatrician got some out, but said nope -- it was too far down there and scheduled a same day appointment with the ENT.    The removal of the toilet paper ended up happening under a microscope with the aspiration machine, which , by the way, also removed the gurgle via the ear tube.

Anyway, we had a good laugh over these stories, so I thought I'd share.  :)

Blurb: Procrastination ... it's making me wait.

Everyone join in and sing along!  The tune is the 'Anticipation" from the seventies. Carley Simon is one of my favorites from the day.  I also remember a Heinz Ketchup Commercial, and to this day, some 35 years later,  every time I use a glass ketchup bottle at a restaurant, the commercial and the song pops into my head.  Marketing Genius.

Anyway... back to my blurb:  I do it EVERY year.  I wait till the last possible minute. I procrastinate, and then I scramble.   Tax Returns. Blah.

As the money person for the family, tax returns fall to me.  I report to MightyMo what is on them, whether we need to send money, get money back, or break even.  It's never pleasant.  I have very legitimate reasons for not making the April 15 deadline.  We simply do not have all of our information by then, so for as long as Mark and I have been married, I've filed an extension. Used to be the "automatic" extension was only four months, until August 15th.  If you were desperate (and I was once), you could apply for an extra 2 months.  Now, the automatic extension is six months, and there is no extra time, regardless of your circumstances.  When my time comes, please don't let it be in October, because I'll have to do tax returns from my casket. I am imagining the internet connection isn't great 6 feet under. 

So this weekend, I must disappear into the abyss of  W2's, 1098's, 1099's, charitable donations, and bank statements, and get all the data converted into the governmentally approved format.   I , must think about depreciation, and capital gains, and losses, educational expenses.

So, thank you for allowing me this final moment of procrastination.  Since the 15th is on Saturday, the returns must be postmarked by Monday. 

While you anxiously await my return to the Toliet Water, please enjoy Carley Simon and the fact that she is anticipating... not procrastinating.

Blurb: Wallets and Purses

I have recently purchased a new wallet.  It freaks me out a bit, because I call it a wallet, but someone else may call it a purse. It has a wrist strap.  It is large.  It has many cubby holes, and places for my cards, checkbook and license and my Chill Frequent Visitor Card.  I actually have some empty holder spaces.   They do seem to have forgotten that little flap of plastic to put between duplicate checks.    My fancy new wallet was on clearance at Target for $6.48.

I have painstakingly gone through everything in the two wallets I was using.  (don't ask -- it's not worth the explanation.)  I have looked at each piece of paper, I have shredded old cards, I've consolidated and combined and whittled away at the wallet clutter.  It's much improved.

I had not one,  but 5 (F-I-V-E) Visa gift cards in my purse. FIVE!  I promise, I have not forgotten to use them.  Each of them probably has a balance of $0.12 on it, and all pooled together, I couldn't get a $.50 cup of coffee.   Nonetheless, I decided it would be worthwhile to check the balance on each of them, so I  flipped them over to get the phone number or website and instructions for checking the balance.  I ran into a problem.  I can't read the text.  Not with my glasses on.  Not with them off. Not with my back-up reading glasses. I need an honest to goodness magnifying glass.

Anyway, I also have a new purse.  I have decided I really, really like these KAVU purses. They are NOT on clearance at Target for $6.48.  I've also sold my girls on the redeeming qualities of these bags, the main one is the single adjustable strap on most of the styles. It gets long, and my very tall BigB can carry on "cross-body" style without it acting like a pushup bra.  It sits comfortably at her hips.  The number of things she needs to carry on a daily basis out grew her first KAVU, so now she has a new one, same style as mine.   MOjo was feeling left out, and I found myself continually fussing at her for not carrying a purse, so today, she got her first KAVU.  We are all stylin' now.  (It's lucky I had a full jar of peanut butter in the pantry, and an abundance of eggs in the fridge. )

Blurb: Brussels Sprouts

I have figured out that I've been mispronouncing "Brussels Sprouts" my entire life.  I was calling them "Brussel Sprouts".  Somehow you loose one of the "s" sounds when they are back to back like that.

I am a rare bird, I know, because I like Brussels Sprouts.  I like 'em with salt, pepper and butter sauce.  Mmm.  I planted some in my garden, with NO clue what happens when they grow.  I've been watching for signs of the fruit, and nothing is showing up.  Last night, I once again resorted to Google and YouTube and researched the "life cycle of  Brussels Sprouts" (this is also how I figured out I was pronouncing it wrong.  When I typed "Brussel", Google kindly asked me did I mean "Brussels".).  

Let me tell you, they are weird looking. They look like those homemade pine cone Christmas Trees, except green.  As it turns out, the sprouts grow right off the main stem.  I am not sure about harvesting a few at a time, or I have to take out a whole plant.  I suspect only MightyMo and I will eat them, so a few at a time would be best, but if a bunch come at once, I can freeze them.  I could share with friends and neighbors, but now that someone has suggested that my garden might be arsenic laced from my aged railroad ties, I am a little wary of being blamed if someone happened to get sick, or was knocked off.  Who knew there was enough drama in gardening to for it to be the basis of a murder mystery?  Or better yet, an opera! 

Not MY Brussels Sprouts

And now, for your enjoyment,  I bring you an excerpt from the aria:  Cavoletti di Bruxelles, composto da Tishmeister.   (Sheet music available soon.  Until then, use  your imagination. )

 Il mio vero amore, mangiare questi cavoletti di Bruxelles, mangiare quattro hudred di loro tutti i giorni.

Blurb: Romaine

This is my official blurb:  I had a salad with Romaine from my winter garden!  Very good, and very satisfying!  I actually resorted to YouTube, trying to figure out the when and how to harvest.  I decided on cutting the outside leaves, and leaving the hearts .  If I understood correctly, the lettuce keeps growing when you harvest this way.

I really have so much to learn.

Recounting a good weekend.

All afternoon, things have been happening, and I've been thinking "I need to blog about this".  Now, I am sitting here with this empty white box in front of my, and it has acted like a vortex (as if I know what a vortex is), and sucked my thoughts right out of my head.  Sigh.

The weekend started out great.  I spent Friday afternoon driving around, thinking and day dreaming.  I saw Billy Goat, and the Kid.  I also got to meed Grandma & Grandpa Goat.  They seemed quite nice, but I was a little afraid they thought I was lurking around, and a danger to the grand-goats.  (This goat thing may be going too far.)   I stopped in at Lowe's and picked up a few things, including some spinach plants.  

Saturday, I spent the morning and early afternoon in the garden. I NEVER thought I'd enjoy this as much as I am.  I started out thinning the turnips.  I forgot this step, and it probably should have been done 2 weeks ago.  I've probably stunted their growth.  Next, I planted the spinach plants from Lowe's.  My attempt at direct sewing the seeds failed, and so I've started plants in trays.  They are JUST sprouting. I smile every time I see a new little green sprig.  I actually caught my self talking to them.    Anyway, I want to make sure I have spinach, so I bought the 16 plants.  I'll add my 48 additional plants in a couple of weeks.  I weeded the sweet peas, and I also planted some green onion seeds.   It may be to late for the onions, but we'll see.    I bought onion and garlic bulbs to plant for next spring, and then realized I had no where left to plant them.  So, in the end, I've decided the garden is too small.  I may be building a raised planter next weekend.

I also planted daffodil bulbs.  I love daffodils.  I guess, it would qualify as one of my favorite flowers.  I cannot see or think of a daffodil without thinking of my Nanna.  She had a field beside her house where she had planted rows and rows of daffodils.  I grew up playing that field, and in the spring, I would pick daffodils until I couldn't carry anymore.  No matter how many I picked, she always found vases for me to put them in, and we displayed them around the house.

The rest of the day was spent on exciting stuff like laundry and eating.  Mojo spent the night with a friend, and Big B and I watched Titanic.  I started feeling really achy and got chills and was running a fever.  I just knew I was getting sick.  I feel asleep during the movie, and I guess BigB pretty much tucked me in.

Sunday morning I woke up feeling much better. We made it to 9:15 the church service.  The sermon series is about God's Will the reconciliation of free will with God's will.  It's a deep topic. And it hit home, on many levels.

After church, Bentley and I sent MightyMo off on week two of his travel.  We were all OK with things, and it was a little easier on everyone, knowing what to expect.  The fact is that last week didn't progress that much differently than when MightyMo was home. I added taking the garbage out twice a week and walking the dog to my daily to do list.  And, quite frankly, that is really all I can say I noticed.  The girls probably spent more time with MightyMo on Skype than they would have spent with him had he been home.

After a trip to the grocery store, and checking in on Mojo, BigB and I picked the first lettuce from my garden!  Yay!  I  picked some outer leaves from the romaine and iceberg, washed it, and cut it up.  For dinner, I had a sandwich with my romaine lettuce, and a salad from the same.  It was good!

After picking the lettuce, I headed to my moms. (I took her enough for a single serving salad.)  I had called her and asked if she had some things on her "to-do" list I could help with this afternoon.  Whatever this thing is that has a hold of her is really taking its toll.  Her strength is completely zapped.  Her pain comes and goes.  I wish we could get to the bottom of it... Anyway, I helped mom by cleaning the pool. It had not been done for a couple of weeks, and will need to be done once or twice more before we can cover it for the winter.  Right now, I think that is easier than taking it down.  She says she's letting it go next year...

AH HA -- I just remembered one of the things I wanted to include in my blog.  It's a story about my family that I heard for the first time today.   My great aunt on my moms side, Lorraine Shelton, passed away this weekend.  She was quite the character.  Her daughter, Janice, and my mom were comrades in arms in their youth, getting into all manner of hoopla.  She refereed. An aunt from the OTHER (dads) side of my family called to make sure we knew of her passing.  While we were on the phone she told me how my Aunt Lorraine's sister, Margret, had lived with my paternal grandparents when she was in high school.  Lorraine and Margret's father could not get Margret into town to the high school for school everyday, so he worked a deal with my grandfather that Margret could board with them during the week in exchange for babysitting a couple of nights a week, so Margret took care of my dad and my aunts.  Hearing stories like this reminds me why I like small towns.

I got the pool cleaned, while BigB studied for one of her FOUR tests tomorrow. She has make up work due to being out sick last week, and EQTs start tomorrow.   I took her to church and went back to moms and helped with a couple of other little things.  I got a phone call from BigB, while she was at church.  This is a phone call that was a first for me:  "Mom, this lady found two kittens under the dumpster at church! Can I bring one home and keep it? "  It just breaks my heart.  Because BigB loves loves loves animals so much, and because, I'd really like to have an outside cat, to keep the creatures that come into the yard from the woods at bay.  When I get my barn, I will have a barn cat.  Yes, I will.

Oh, I made the mistake of giving my dog a rawhide bone.  She is worthless and in another dimension now.  She has become a possessed bi-polar dog, and cannot be bribed with treats, or walks on the leash or even a car ride.  She stayed in one spot, huddled over her bone,  and would not move.  I couldn't get her to go outside.  I may have to borrow an armor suit, and take it away.

That is how my weekend went.  I wish it wasn't over yet.  I need about 3 more days!