Is This Really a Good Idea?

There are so many things wrong with this.

THE ANGRY WHOPPER

1. Don't food service employees take enough abuse from their customers that their jobs how now become more difficult because they have to serve something with a scary word in it. Can you imagine? "Give me the G*damn Angry Burger and make it snappy." uh.....
2. What advertising company came up with this ad campaign and who the heck at Burger King agreed to it? Someone needs to discover what "unemployment" means. Soon.
3. The commercials are insane. People are screaming after one bite - I suppose to show how "hot" it is because it has onion and jalepeno on it. Puhleese. Stupid concept.
4. Has society, as a whole, so succumbed to violent marketing that it is necessary to warn them about their food. That advertising needs to point out it is "Angry"? bah!

We don't eat at Burger King - but I would hope if we did they would be a high priority on our boycott list for "all things stupid."

The Letter R, Zentangles and a Groundhog

This is a card I drew for a swap for Groundhog Day. The inside says "ALREADY?" 'Cause don't y'all feel like that? Wasn't Christmas, like, last week? Huh, buh?..... My papercuts haven't healed yet. That lil' snot better see his shadow and get us all out of winter. now please :D

This is a Zentangle/Doodle envelope I drew for a swap I have. I am supposed to mail this to my partner. I am going to use white labels for the to/from addresses, but does anyone seriously think this thing is going to make it through the USPS? Naw, me neither....

Gizmo has memed me to list my favorite things beginning with the letter R. Giz, this was hard, but since you were so gracious as to name a goat baby for a member of my family [SQUEEE!] I will try and do this - I didn't know if I could come up with ten without stretching it a bit.

If anyone wants to play, just leave a comment and I will offer you a letter.

Okay - My favorite things beginning with the letter R [these are really not in order of importance - more in the order of how I have come up with them in the past few days]:

1. Recipes - I love reading, researching and receiving recipes. I love to cook and I find that the more recipes I discover [through the above mentioned methods] the better cook I am.

2. Reading - I love to read anything. At anytime...books, the interwebs, the newspaper, cereal boxes, the ingredients on the aspirin bottle? I am reading.

3. Receiving snail-mail - LOVE it...the internete-mail is great, but there is a tactile pleasure to holding a piece of USPS mail in your hand - knowing your pal/buddy/swap partner thought of you for the few minutes it took to mail it.

4. Rat dogs - Okay, this may be a stretch, but we are always calling our Spottie a "rat dog"..because she resembles a rat - low to the ground, stubby legs, long tail. So, yeah, rat dogs. [Also to include Jack Russels and doohicky dogs/Min Pins].

5. Red - The color red. My living room is red, black, green and yellow [it works, don't worry :D] but the predominant color is red. I also like to wear red clothing. It seems to work with my pale skin/fair hair. [I think so anyway] [oh, and just so you know that should read "sickly palor/dyed blond hair :D]

6. Refried Bean burritos - oh, YUM! I don 't care for much mexican/tex-mex food but I love refried beans...put it in a burrito - all the better!

7. Resale stores - Goodwill, Catholic Charities, etc. I have bought some of the best [brand new/gently used] clothing for pennies when my kids were younger...now I just like them for the kitsch in my house. And tadpoles, I need kitsch!

8. Real crime television shows/books - I love true crime stories where people do stupid things and expect not to be caught. The whole "What? Huh...? Life insurance? I was cheating on him? What does that have to do for a motive to kill my husband? Whaaaa? No, no...that bloody axe has NOTHING to do with his death. Honest." I have to laugh - I should probably call #8. Really Stupid criminals, because the crack me up. Don't they know that a) Divorce IS an option and 2) the cops ARE going to catch your butt?

9. Robin Roberts - Who does not love this Host of "Good Morning America"? Is she not amazing, a TRUE inspiration? YES! and is it a huge bonus that she is highly intelligent, well raised, articulate, funny AND gorgeous? I want to be Robin Roberts when I grow up - or in my next life. I will say again - an inspiration. Love you Robin!

10. Respect - I think that if everyone, everywhere gave everyone a bit more respect that the world would be a better place. It warms my heart when I see people in public actually respect eachother by holding a door or saying a yes ma'am to a elderly person or a simple please and thank you? Maybe a hello and how are you to your clerk? I don't know....I guess I am a little old fashion on that one, but it would be nice if it made a resurgence. I love it and I don't see it enough.

Again, if you would like a letter to play along, just let me know. I would love to read more!

Have a great Super Bowl Sunday - GO STEELERS!

Daddy's Home!

Banner day! Dad arrived home around 2 pm. We have been catching up and he has been telling me all about his trip. He ate a $50 steak - wow! He did say it was delicious.

~

He brought presents-

The postcard is the hotel where they stayed - The Borgata in Atlantic City, NJ

Aren't the stuffies cute? "Swim safely" y'all :D

The youngest made a sign!
Of course no "Welcome Home" is complete without a cake, complimented with

candles and party picks.
[Do not leave your 11 year old alone in the kitchen. This is the result.]

I ~

I am so happy - it is great to have him home. Funniest thing? I started teasing the dog about an hour before he arrived - saying "Where's Daddy, where's Daddy?" She barked at me for a solid hour and lost about 2 pounds running to and from me and the window.

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We all missed our Dad. :D YAY! [He has to work tomorrow and then he has 5 days off! I love the pool business in the winter ...heehee!]

Snow Day Crafts

It is still snowy, cold and icy here in Skippyland. We don't have it as bad as anyone else, I realize, but I do enjoy how pretty it is. This is a picture of the elementary school directly behind our home with the walking path.

After playing all day in the snow they came in for Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup.
They decided to goof it up - I think they are a bit tired of me taking pictures of their dinner for my blog before they are allowed to eat.

After dinner we moved onto serious crafting.
These are the youngest's creations - they are glass pendants, a glass magnet, glass thumbtack and a neat-o bookmark!

[I am stealing the middle pendant. Shhhhhhh!]
Seriously. I am.
The eldest's have an Asian flair - and of course she had to make two bookmarks.
I was teasing her about the arrow on the thumbtack [she took the pic']
Um...honey...a bit to the right?
I am waiting for a surprise Mom's Day Pendant - I can't wait :D

I bought all the supplies and instructions for these projects from Etsy.com - the lady I bought them from is wonderful.
If anyone is interested her site is Kristenskrafts.etsy.com.
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We really had a wonderful day. I can't wait for tomorrow :D!

Snow Update

Spootie Print

Our pathetic little Charlie Brown tree
Not without my sweater Mama, no way!

It snowed all day. It is still snowing, but so far we only have about 3 inches. The fun starts tonight with ice, sleet and freezing rain. Woohoo! Which means another day off for the kidlets tomorrow. They have already cancelled school.

~

Our doggie has discovered that if she wears her new sweater outside she can actually ROLL in the snow. It is her new favorite thing. I always thought doggie clothing was just an excuse for the owner to make their pet look goofy, but I am finding that the sweater she has actually does keep her warm. Bonus! Now I need to find her boots.

~

We are going to have homemade chicken noodle soup for dinner. Yum. It has just been a really, nice, fun day. The only way it could get better is if Pooldad had been home to share with us.

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Sidenote: Poor Pooldad. He had a rude awakening this morning at 6:30 am. Heehee....the automated school system alert called his cellphone and woke him up! Poor baby was just a wee bit hungover from last night. I laughed and told him he had best turn it off tonight because they will be calling again on Wednesday morning and if his friends and coworkers have as much fun with him tonight as last night he is not going to want to hear the phone ring again at 6:30 am! Their bosses are treating to dinner at Bobby Flay's restaurant. Does anyone know if the food is good?

~

Pooldad also said he has some good stories for me to blog about. I don't doubt it - When you put a bunch of poolguys in a hotel with unlimited $$$ for two nights? Something is bound to happen :D

My HOA is Ridiculous, but My Luck is Great!

Sorry for the picture quality, it is too cold for me to open the front door but I needed a picture of the snowfall we have had. Snowfall that wasn't supposed to be here until this evening. Snowfall that, so far, totals an inch [if that].

1. Can someone explain to me WHY my HOA has the nice, friendly landscapers out this morning - landscaping? I am not kidding. I thought it was bad they were out yesterday, in January, mowing the lawns. Yes, I said it. MOWING the lawns. Well, they are out here again today, doing god knows what, but it isn't anything to do with the snow. I think they are trimming trees. Trees that are not in danger of toppling due to snow/ice, but simply look lopsided. I hate my HOA. These guys are on the job 24/7/365. The end results are spectacular, but they seriously do not need to be working this hard. In the snow. For all things green in my neighborhood.

2. Yeah, baby...onto a happier subject!!!! My girlies get to stay home with me today. Do dah, do dah. I was so right yesterday! Go ME! And it didn't take 2 inches of snow. Just barely an inch. Boy, I love woosie [sp?] school systems!!! 'Cause my kids are staying home. With me....yay!

I have had one hour of sleep. I hope I am going to be awake to do crafty stuff with them later. :D

Happy SNOW DAY!

Too Bad...I'm Sad

Pooldad left today on a three day trip to Atlantic City, NJ for the annual Swimming Pool Convention. [I had to capitalize that-because you have to understand what an absolute BIG DEAL this convention is tadpoles.]

Sigh. I had completely forgotten that this was the week he was to go. He didn't sign on to go, nor remind me about it, because he was afraid to leave me here with the girls - he was afraid they wouldn't know what to do if my illness flared while he was gone.

We were chatting this past Friday and he mentioned that he had to work full-on M, Tu and Wed this week to cover the office because everyone else was going to the convention. We talked about why he wasn't going and we [the girls and I] assured him that everything would be fine and that it is very important that he go. [It really is a big deal.]

He left this morning, but not before stockpiling the pantry and 'fridge with enough food for a football team - [$150 worth] - He made me laugh! I already had groceries for the week - now we have groceries for 3 weeks - and a lot of toilet paper. Jeesh, the man is only going to be gone until Wednesday! But, if it makes him feel better then I will gladly partake in all the lil' goodies he bought us!

I do miss him when he is gone, as we are rarely apart. I usually go on these trips with him, but he knew I wouldn't want to venture too far from home this year, so he didn't [initially] consider going. It did take quite a bit of cajoling to get him out the door; still he knows we are going to be fine and he is going to have an awesome time! They are staying in a 4 star hotel and all food/bev/entertainment/transpo is paid for. We even raided our piggy banks/mailbox bank so he could play $5.00 in a slot machine for "his girls" - tho' he doesn't gamble I bet he wins a few dollars...he is lucky that way. :D

One of the last things he said as he was leaving was "Girls make sure you wait on your Mother hand & foot." The three of us kind of googly eyed eachother and I retorted "Uh, honey...they already do." Which is very true, hence why we looked at eachother so funny. The kids were mumbling "Duh, Dad" under their breath.

I may get lucky as we are expecting snow. If we get even 2 inches the schools will cancel and then I will have the girls with me! It wasn't supposed to start until tomorrow, but it is snowing right now. YAY snow!

Now I have to decide what to do with myself for 2 1/2 days. Any suggestions?

Maya A. I am Not

I have been reading quite a bit of poetry lately...on blogs, in books, etc. Poetry is so subjective and I enjoy 95 % of it, but I don't care too much for interpreting what I have read, nor do I write poetry well.

Recently I signed up for a swap and one of the requirements had a list of ten words and I was required to compose a poem utilizing the given words. That would have been fine, had the words been normal words...that, I don't know? Could come within a hair's breath of a feasible rhyme? Be found in the same stratosphere...were related in some way? No. They weren't. At all [in my opinion]. But, I give you my attempt:

I climb aboard the train
I bid a farewell to all I knew
My luggage grasped firmly
My teeth set in decision
I crumble into a waterfall of emotion
School is taunting me
I want to float away
Gracefully, across a purple abyss
Like a feather

I put this forth, nor for laughs, but for the simple fact that I think I worked a miracle. This poem almost makes sense. Sort of. Well it would if you could describe an abyss as purple.

Actually, after reading it - it doesn't suck. Too much. And putting it together like that, it almost does appear to be a poem, right? And the words didn't come all orderly like that....when jumbled it is a bit harder. I assure you.

So anyone want to try to name my lame-O poem? I dare ya'. :D

"Two All Beef, Patties, Special Sauce, Lettuce....

...Cheese, Pickles, Onions on a Sesame Seed Bun!" Does anyone remember the contest McDonald's had many years ago? [somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 years ago?] The jist of the contest was you had to sing the ingredients to a Big Mac in under 10 seconds and if you did you won a free Big Mac. :D
~
Anyhoodle. I have been craving a Big Mac. We don't really eat fast food, but sometimes [maybe twice a year], I crave it. Pooldad is quite accomodating, but always warns me "Skippy you are going to be sick after eating it. You know it." He is right. I become really ill from fast food.
Meh. So, no Big Mac for me.
~
Or so I thought! My lovely, wonderful husband went to the store yesterday and bought all the ingredients for Big Macs and surprised me with dinner! WOOHOO! His thinking was, perhaps, if he made it at home I wouldn't become ill. He is all about trying to get me to eat and will happily make anything I suggest as long as I promise to eat it. [Half the time I don't...but - is the nature of the illness I suppose.]
~

Tadpoles - May I present:

The Big "Pooldad" [think his real name here!]

With steak fries [this is my plate, above]

This is the eldest's plate. Both girls scarfed the heck out of these! It was amazing.

~

I could only finish half of mine and two french fries [those suckers are BIG!]. No worries though, Pooldad happily polished off his Big Pooldad and my half. The dog ate the fries.

~

I felt great all night long. It was wonderful! I can't wait until he asks what we are having for lunch.

~

Big Pooldads Anyone?

That Was Amazing!

Married to a life long Republican, given life by two life long Republicans, my lovely in laws being Republicans - I do live in a lil' bit of a hostile environment...heee!

As a family [Pooldad, me, the youngest and the oldest] enjoyed the entire broadcast. We feel the hope and the promise. We think he deserves a chance.

The country - as a whole - has a lot to fix - but a fresh face should bring us some relief.

Congratulations Mr. Obama!

A Quiz

[Post read and approved by the eldest daughter]

From the following - please pick the one that equals $600.00 paid by SkippyMom and Pooldad:
a.) 12 months of water usage
b.) 30 months of car insurance for one vehicle
c.) electronics and eyeware our eldest daughter has managed to lose in 12 months
d.) all of the above

If you picked D you are correct!

I know I brag on my kids. What Mama doesn't? Still, the eldest - with her A average, band participation, MUN attendance and NHS membership - is going to make me pull my hair out or go prematurely gray! HELP!

She has lost two pair of eye glasses in one year. Now I ask you - as fellow eyewear patrons - who loses GLASSES? WHO? Does she not need them to - I don't know - SEE? At what point does she put them down and say - "Oh no need for these right now." Um, YES SWEETIE - you have a need - you are blind as a bat and you aren't supposed to take them off. Heavy Mom sigh.
~

The second pair? Okay. Who wears eye glasses on a roller coaster? A roller coaster that turns upside down? Yes - she had pockets and Yes! she had a purse. Did it not occur to her that $123 worth of eyewear was going to fly off her pretty little head at speeds upwards of 80 mph with gravity in play? I guess not. [I know the price by heart because I have bought them 3 times]

As for the electronics - One IPOD and one Zune - I don't even want to discuss this.

What amazes me, though I guess it shouldn't, is she has managed to hold on to her "pay as you go" Virgin Mobile cellphone for 2 years. Oh - that's right - it contains IMPORTANT information. You know - all those numbers and emails to her buddies.

And although it has no monetary value - I must add in that her 11 year old sister has managed to keep and use her house key for the past two years.

Any guesses to how fast the eldest lost her house key? If you were in the single digits, for days - not months - then you are 2/2 on this quiz.

What are you supposed to do when you kid is excelling in so many other parts of her world - but can't manage to hold on to things of importance [glasses] and value [MP3 players].

The glasses I had to replace, obviously, but I was hard pressed to replace the original IPOD. Some of you will remember it "may" have been stolen [from my old blog]. Now I am not so sure, but her Dad and I did replace it - and she lost it.

We did solve the glasses problem tho' - she has contacts now - and if she loses those?

I love her. She is wonderful. I don't have teen drama, she doesn't fight with me - heck she doesn't even want to drive at this point - but I just don't know what to do.

'Cause it IS the Most Important Room to Keep Warm

We have a three level home. Most of my day is spent on the middle level which consists of the foyer, the living room, the dining room, the kitchen, the den and the guest bathroom [it is a half bath]. I have to avoid the stairs due to the condition of my legs - so I am basically stuck on this floor from the morning until bedtime. No big deal - I have everything I need - I am happy.
~
Well, I was happy until the temperature dipped down into the single digits/negatives. Although this floor stays relatively warm we have had one small problem.
~
The bathroom. The lil' bath [sink & toilet - with nary room to turn around in] is off our miniscule foyer within feet of our front door. This proved to be a challenge in using the facilities as the bathroom has no heat vent and with the cold air from the front door - it was COLD in there. Painful, don't want to remove any clothing and NO I surely don't want to touch any porcelain right now 'cause, seriously? I don't need anything to freeze kind of COLD. Outhouse COLD tadpoles. It was cold.
~
I know, I know...I could use the bathrooms upstairs [they are oh, so toasty] but I simply can't go up and down 18 stairs that often during the day. [Oh, and before anyone asks - we got the house before I had this problem, otherwise we would be in a one floor home! ]
~
Here is a picture of our "foyer" and the front door. I took this picture from the bathroom door way to give you an idea of how close the two are to eachother.

Well, my youngest took pity on me. Either that or she was becoming tired of hearing me yelp everytime I walked into the littlest igloo. She graciously went into the garage and carried up our space heater to install in the bathroom. It is an awesome [and safe] heater but it barely fit.
This was taken with my back to the wall - this is a really small space. Baby - oh baby - this thing works like a charm. It is now the warmest room in the house.

But my daughter noticed one flaw with her heater plan. She rectified it immediately:

And then she made me cake!

I have good kids don't I? I know I do. This is a practice cake for our Super Bowl Party in February. I think it looks awesome.

By the way - if this post was a little TMI - please leave me a comment. I don't want to offend anyone :D And by all means - please feel free to laugh at my bathroom misfortune. Because I know you will. heehee!

Comfort Food

I am not going to talk about the weather. No matter how cold it is here, it is colder someplace else. I think the whole country is experiencing colder temperatures than any of us are used to.
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As Mark Twain once said:

~

"Climate is what you expect. Weather is what you get."

~

I know we, in Northern VA, expect temps in the high 20's/30's this time of year, but like everyone else in our nation we are having 20 and 30 degrees shaved off our temps. I would like to add at least not one of us in tadpole land spent yesterday afternoon in the Hudson River, right?
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I have two solutions: Layering and Comfort Food!
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The layering is under control as Christmas was just here and we stockpiled hats, coats, gloves, scarves, snowpants, tights, socks and boots.
~
Onto the menu for the next few days, because I need something perking in my crockpot or roasting in my oven. I need the heat emanating off my appliances, warming my kitchen and the smells of goodness to keep me toasty.
~
Snack today is Spinach artichoke dip
Lunch will be chicken and dumplings
Tonight we are having crockpot beef stew with yeast rolls
Breakfast on Saturday will be crockpot oatmeal
Lunch on Saturday is Tacos with all the fixins' [this smells good, but no heat expended :(]
Dinner on Saturday is crockpot chili con carne with cheese, onion, sour cream and cornbread
Sunday brunch will be BLTs with either broccoli soup or butternut squash soup
Dinner on Sunday night will be Spaghetti with meat sauce, salad and garlic bread
~
I think that should fortify us until Monday when it is supposed to warm to our normal temps.
~
I hope you all stay warm this weekend. I pray that you receive the deliveries of propane, that your electricity doesn't fail and that all the lil' goat babies being born are warm and thriving.
~
And stay out of the Hudson River!

This Made Me Jump....

I woke up at 3 am and have been watching TV and playing around on the computer. I even wrote a few limericks.

The time clicks down to when the kidlets wake and begin getting ready for school. The youngest is up at 7 am and the older is up at 7:30.

At 6 am the PHONE RINGS! It is right next to me and about made me jump out of the chair! Who the heck is calling US at 6 am? WHO?

Guess what? It snowed last night. No warning on the THREE hours of news we watched last evening...I wasn't watching news this morning [they tend to repeat the same stories ad nauseum, so I watch cable until GMA comes on] but still....NO warning at all last night, that maybe it would snow? Our weather people stink, especially Doug Hill. I said it Doug - you big baby - you are an awful weather guy. AWFUL!

Since all the curtains/shades are closed at night I didn't see outside to see the snow falling. Surprise!!

The phonecall was the automated school system call "Schools will be delayed one hour...." I swear I was getting ready to curse someone out for calling so early and scaring me half to death.

Bonus tho' - the kidlets get to sleep an extra hour! :D

Writing Limericks for Gail

Gail over At the Farm is having a contest for best Limerick. Well, I won her last contest :D so I wasn't going to enter, but she keeps cajoling me. It doesn't matter that I don't, can't and won't write poetry [even as simple and fun as a Limerick] but since I love her so much I agreed to play.
~
Sigh....
~
I want no guff about these, okay? I know they suck - you know they suck - no need to repeat the obvious, kay? Okay?

Here goes:

~

In Melbourne there is a woman named Gail.

Who is a friend to all without fail.

But she is forcing me to write,

this limerick, I fight!

But if I win I get a prize in the mail.

~

There once was a Momma named Skippy.

Her humor was somewhat [so] dippy.

This limerick, to write

and try as she might.

Did not result even ONE big, fat YIPPY!

~

[they aren't getting any better are they? :D]

~

A dachsund is a breed without peer.

Their owners hold them so dear.

But our lil' Spot

was not the "pick of the lot."

We got stuck with the dumbest, that's clear!

~

[no hate on Spottie's...y'all know my dog :D]

~

I want to be light as a feather.

To wear my my bikini in the warm weather.

But the holidays came,

and I ate without blame.

Now I can't see my "regions so nether."

~

Pooldad enticed me with a smile.

So we locked the door, full of guile.

The kids started banging!

I screamed "There'll be a hanging!"

And we got back to business they would think vile. [;D]

~

[this last one happened all the time when the kidlets were little]

~

I embarrass myself with how bad those are...but what's a girl to do when a friend asks? So, Gail I hope you enjoy. Pick one to enter - but uh...I am not expecting a prize. Y'think?

Isn't She Cute!!

The very lovely and talented Niki made her. Niki is over at Pumpkin Country.

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Niki and her husband are incredibly gifted! I found her blog reading through some of yours and I am so happy I did. In addition to her blog Niki has a lovely lil' shoppe with her handmade goodies listed as well as patterns and wood pieces that her husband has created. I so want to decorate my home with all of it - especially the handmade frames and her stitchwork.

~

Thank you Niki, so, so much for such a sweet addition to our family. I think I am going to name her Hannah. Oh, I should point out that I won the lil' sweetheart in a "Comments Contest" - my very first comment on Niki's blog. :D

~

Please click on the picture to see a close up of the hand stitching on her face. It is so sweet :D

Baby It's Going to be a Cold Winter....

Because I am staging a boycott on my gas company. I am so tired of incompetence, theft and their attitude that they basically "own" us. Bah!

Here is the story:
Monday, December 5 th I sat down at the computer to pay all of my bills. The phone/internet/cable, electric, water and gas. In that order. The first three went perfect -verification number, email confirmation on all three, etc. and I moved on to the gas bill.

I hate our gas company - It is Washington Gas for anyone who cares [and doesn't want to be scammed]. But, as much as I hate them [more on that later] Monday sealed my feelings of utter disgust.

The gas company has a $300.00 of our money on deposit [to insure we pay our bill on time or something]. Well, sometime in September they decided to "request" an additional $500.00 - uh, buh? WHAT? No, you may NOT have an additonal $500 deposit - No, you do NOT need $800.00 to insure we pay our bill [our bill never exceeds $300, even in the winter] - So, we pay our usage each month and ignore the $500.00. They can't turn off our gas because we aren't paying a "request", right? I didn't use that amount of gas - I don't owe you that money. It's a scam.

Well, in lieu of paying on line I decided to CALL them and pay it to a live person, over the phone. The customer service person pulled up our bill, verified our info, etc. then told me that I had to talk to someone else because my bill was "so high". Um, NO it's NOT. It was $226.00 - but they were adding in the pesky $500.00. Sigh. I get the other Washington Gas yahoo on the phone and he says that he can only accept $726.00. I told him I didn't owe it...'round and 'round this lil' convo went and I finally hung up.

Fine. I go to pay it on line. I have done this before. No problem. I go through all the keystrokes, type in the amount and click "SEND". Anyone who pays online knows you NEVER click twice because it will post twice and take twice the money, right? No, no...I didn't click twice, BUT a new screen pops up and it says "UNABLE TO COMPLETE TRANSACTION. THIS TRANSACTION DID NOT PROCESS. PLEASE MAIL YOUR PAYMENT TO Blah, blah, blah" Something like that.

Okay...third attempt. I am not too sure about writing a check. Suppose it DID go through? I wait two days...no email confirmation, no money missing out of my account - I write it, assured that the first payment didn't go through and I DO mail the check.

Forward to Friday. I am balancing my bank account and I go online and there it is!!! Electronic transfer!!! And not for the original $226 - it was for $350.00. HUH? Well it is too late to call the freaking gas company - so I call my bank to stop payment on the check - you know - the one I mailed after it told me it didn't go through online?

My bank says that they can't stop payment on that check because it has probably already posted at W/G's bank and I would lose my cancelled check fee if it comes through. Okay, now I hate my bank. I hung up.

So, long story short - they are theives. They want that deposit and come hell or high water they have $350 of it now....There is no way for me to get it back [until I move and if I do I will make sure my WHOLE house is electric]. Nor is there anyway to PROVE that it said "TRANSACTION FAILURE" or that I actually typed in $226, not $350. Bless it all to $%^& I am so mad. I was so mad Friday night I told Pooldad that I was going to transfer all the money out of that account and put in my other account and let that stupid check bounce like a big ol' rubber ball. I would've paid the $35 NSF fee and W/G doesn't repost them....hahahaha! Unfortunately I can't because I wrote two checks on Friday to our daughters' schools for fees and I don't want those to bounce. :(

Our hot water, stovetop, dryer and heat are all gas. We all have to bath [but we only wash our whites in hot water], I have to cook and I can't hang the clothes on the line in the winter [trust me it is way too cold here for that]. That leaves heating our home - which is the biggest part of our bill.

Well, Skippyfamily?

It's going to get cold. Bundle up. Layer. Sleep near the fireplace. 'Cause Skippymom doesn't care. I am tired of giving our money to this crooked company.

[sorry that was really long! :D]

Also ETA: Pooldad was with me the entire time I was paying bills on Monday. In fact, he talked to them on the phone first. He also saw the "FAILURE PAYMENT" screen.

Happy Birthday Papa!

This is my Dad. Hi Papa!He was the hardest worker I have ever known. He was set in his ways and they are convictions that I hold true to this day. He taught me so much and I miss him.

He could laugh really hard at spectacularly bad "B" movies and Roadrunner cartoons while the TV was on volume 50 [think Infomercials on HIGH!]. He was always more entertaining then the show.

~

Pooldad and Papa loved to play golf together. P/D says that my Dad had the most beautiful draw on a golf course and was the coolest guy he ever played golf with.

~

When my Dad passed Pooldad snuck a yellow golf ball in his casket. Our family loved it. So would've my Dad.

~

I could write volumes, but I think I will leave you with this little vignette of familylife. Picture my Mom, my older sister, my older brother, me and Pooldad.

~

Sis: So what did you put in with Dad, Skippy?

Skip: You mean in the casket, with Dad?

Mom: Yes. What was your memento?

Skip: Well, since Dad loved to play the lottery I put a Pick 6 ticket in...it pays 10 mil.

Bro: Really?

Mom: Really?

Sis: Really?

Skip: um...yes...he loved the lottery and Bro put in vodka, so what is wrong with a ticket?

Sis: Nothing...but uh...I mean I put in Marlboro Light cigarettes....

Mom: [hurriedly interrupting Sis] Nothing is wrong at all Skippy, really at all - ah - that is sweet..but did you, y'know..write them down...the numbers?

Skip: You don't mean did I write it down in case he wins?

Bro: Well yes...did you write down the numbers dumbshit? [Yes, in the limo, on the way to the burial, he called me dumbshit]

Skip: The numbers to the lottery ticket? huh?

Sis/Mom: [practically yelling] YES!!!!!!!!

Skip: um...sure. [I didn't really write them down but I said yes because I thought we would be attacked if I said no-believe me I could've cared less...it was a SYMBOL tadpoles.]

Mom/Bro/Sis: [sigh of relief]

Mom: [Believing I am as shallow as everyone else in the limo blood related to ME] Good, well at least we will know if it is a winning ticket.

Skip: 0_o!!!! [I said NOTHING]

~

A few moments later I turned to my husband and whispered:

"Like I would so DIG my father up for the winnings? Are they nuts?"

~

And now you know why I don't EVER post about my immediate family.

'Cause I Have a Rockin' Mother In Law

marty feldman lives

[C]Argyle Ride

[you will get this in a second, enjoy!]

It is a known fact that my most fabulous MIL is NOT a dog lover. It isn't that she doesn't like dogs as much as she is shy/afraid around them.

Exception: our dog SPOT [dog pictured in bad fashion wear]

She loves our doggie and our doggie worships her. It is so weird. Still, it is what it is. When anyone comes to visit our home they are barked at, looked over and screened the entire time they are here.

Not my Mom. Nope. You best stay out of the way for the lovefest that occurs every time that my Mom shows up. These two are something else.

Well....that explains this sweater. It is a gift from her beloved "Grandma"...and she wears it. Ahem.

Here is the reason why: Spottie LOVES car rides. If she can finagle her way into "Big Red" [Dad's truck] and position herself shotgun she is a happy pup. Unfortunately it is cold here in the east and she isn't able to ride in the SUV at her whim. She is a shivering lil' thing within 10 seconds.

MIL fixed that. She bought Spot this cute lil' argyle sweater. Now, you have to understand that Spot the Dot does not take kindly to clothing. Of any kind. No matter what. No matter how and she will eat the offending clothing off her body. We have tried.

Until..... she discovered that argyle ugliness = vroom, vroom.

Yes?

This dog will JUMP into that sweater if she knows it involves four tires and an engine that cranks up. [I had to qualify that as "Big Red" is kind of a piece of shit...giggle...]

She may not be stylin'...but she is sooooooooo profiling.........