Guess I Better Fit These In

I don't know if this is for my own edification or the fact that Wallene was digging through old picutres, but here you go:

This is [the infamous] Senior - he is holding our Son. Son was 5 days old. Sr. was 22. This is Jr.'s Baptism - I am on the left and my two very best friends and God Parents are to the right. Love you H & B!

I put this pic' in to show a better view of Sr. It certainly doesn't do anything for my profile, now does it? And exactly what was I thinking? wearing an off the shoulder dress to a baptism? Hmm? I have answers in my defense, but ...sigh...I give a hoot now. The pearls are lovely aren't they?

Sometimes a Moniker is Just That

I was leaning because that Rockfish was heavy! :) - and no comments on my haircut/lack of a touch up- I like it

When your blog name is "WaiterExtraordinaire" everyone knows - you are a waiter with great critique.

When your blog name is "It's a Pugs Life" you surely own Pugs. And cuties at that.

When your blog name is "FeistyFoodie" everyone knows to go for good eats. And wonderful reviews.

Right? And all the above is very true.

Well, when you see the moniker is "SkippyMom" [from "I Make Soap"] don't you smile? Seriously...don't you? Something about Skippy just turns up the sides of your mouth, doesn't it? There is nothing untoward, nothing mean - it is all happy. Happy. Happy. Happy.

Right?

What happens when the nom de plume of that particular blog loses her Skippyness? When she tries to ease in the bad news to her few [although quite loyal] tadpoles and attempts to intersperse it with the inane and the funny, but the bad catches up faster. What do you do?

Do I stop blogging because there aren't a whole lot of happy, happy days or do I continue on and share? Share that it took an hour to write this post because my fingers are stuck in straight mode due to the swelling? Or do I share that silly story that Scooby "told me" woowoowoo to get Wallene out of bed this morning? [Seriously, have you ever had a very large dog tell you something? He wasn't barking, he was simply "talking" ...arwowoarwoowarwoo...it was silly, but it worked - he woke her up!]

I missed y'all the last time I left. I left with no warning - but this time Chris is expecting a baby with Jo, Yvo is finishing a degree, Marni is coming this way for vacation, Linda & Denny should be through VA sometime, I want to follow Gail's lovely home renovation and Waiter is there with his sage advice and lovely family. Not to mention the smiles and laughs I receive from Rudee, Gizmo [plus a goat! :)] and especially Amy with her beautiful kidlets and then to sum up - the wonderful Pumpkin and Anita. If you can't tell - I love you guys...but my moniker is now a misnomer I am afraid. Sorry.

So do I sit around and post happy nonesense or do I let y'all read how the disease is affecting me or do I just walk away?

What is Up With this Rain?

Jiminy crickets! It just won't stop. We went into the spring season with a deficit of 9.5 inches of rain and were facing drought conditions this summer if something didn't happen. Well, the heavens opened up because it has rained almost everyday for the past month. Some of these storms are heavy and we end up with 2 - 3.5 inches of rain in one storm.

I know this is really boring, but the reason I am posting this is because the rain woke me up this morning at 6 am. It is pouring! We have a creek by our home that has a bridge over it that has been impassable for a week because of flooding. I peeked out this morning and it will be a long time before the neighborhood can cross this creek - it is up over 3 feet [usually it is about 2 in. deep].

We have been trying to get the roofers out to repair some shingles that blew off in April. Seems they can't work in the rain and won't make an appointment if the forecast even hints at rain. And they have predicted rain everyday for nearly the last month. Hopefully they will keep their appointment for Monday because I don't know how much longer we are going to not have a leak at this point.

Better not leak - the missing shingles are right above my bed. :0

Crazy Eights

Or I was tagged!

Gizmo at Gizmo Quilts was kind enough to tag me for this.

Here are the rules:
1. Mention the person who tagged me.
2. Complete the list of 8's.
3. Tag 8 fellow bloggers, and let them know they've been tagged.

Eight things I'm looking forward to:

1. This weekend - time off with the family
2. Seeing the eldest all dressed up for Prom next weekend
3. A day trip to MD on Sunday
4. Vacation this summer
5. The corned beef in my 'fridge
6. The end of the school year - the kids will be home - YAY!
7. Finishing up my swaps at Swap-bot
8. Warmer weather

Eight things I did yesterday:

1. Hung out with the eldest all day and watched bad TV
2. Ate Chinese food
3. Slept
4. Worked on my journal pages
5. Blogged
6. Researched on the 'net
7. Wrote several emails
8. Watched the Spelling Bee on TV

Eight things I wish I could do:

1. Knit
2. Crochet
3. Sleep eight hours in a row
4. Cure Cancer*Lupus*the common cold - anything
5. Grow something [anything] and keep it alive
6. Make pie crusts
7. Teach elementary school
8. Run a marathon

Eight Shows I watch:

1. Good Morning America
2. The Ellen Degeneres Show
3. Top Chef
4. Project Runway
5. World News Tonight with Charlie Gibson
6. Wheel of Fortune
7. Jeopardy
8. Unsolved Mysteries

Eight Favorite fruits:

1. Strawberries
2. Lemons
3. Pears
4. Oranges
5. Cantaloupe
6. Honey Dew
7. Watermelon
8. Grapes

Eight Places I would like to travel:

1. Georgia - to see Marni and Coffeypot [& families]
2. NYC - to see Yvo
3. Ohio - quick! before Linda and Denny leave
4. Alaska
5. New Orleans, LA
6. Niagra Falls
7. The Grand Canyon
8. Mt. Rushmore

Eight Places I have lived:

1. Springfield, VA
2. Hampton Roads, VA
3. Pittsburgh, PA
4. Stafford, VA
5. Washington, DC
6. Vienna, VA
7. Fairborn, OH
8. Bedford, MA

Eight People I tag:

I am not going to tag anyone - but please feel free to tag yourself and play along if you like. :)

I Think Someone is Laughing at Me

A little known fact - I absolutely abhor the color purple. It is a deep seated hatred based on my Mother's insistence that I share her passion for the color. I don't and I never have. Still, she was dogged in providing me with any and everything purple. For example - I wore a purple winter coat for 3 seasons, I had purple clothing, shoes and a blow dryer. After a while she simply did it for spite [even now] but dresses it up as "being funny because I know how much you hate it".

Ha.ha.

Although I don't discuss it much on this blog, as it is called "I Make Soap", I have Lupus. Come to think of it? I don't talk about making soap that much do I? Oh well. Whatever. I like to talk about our life and the mundane miniutae that bores y'all to tears - and? y'all are so welcome ;D.

Here is where the funny part comes in. Only having been given the diagnosis last year I was completely unaware that the "color" of Lupus is - you guessed it - PURPLE. Those cute little ribbons that everyone wears? Yes! Purple. The websites I have visited to research? Done in Purple. And it is so much better - part of their symbol is a butterfly. Nifty! [The reason for this is one of the side effects of Lupus is a rash that appears across the bridge of the nose and cheeks resembling a butterfly.]

Do I strike you as a butterfly type of gal? No, I didn't think so.

Now, I have nothing against butterflies per say, but purple? C'mon God - the disease sucks bad enough but now I have to show my support for it with the color I just don't care for and has mocked me for most of my life?

Funny...really funny.

Cure4Lupus

The Yummiest, Easiest and Expensive Dinner I Feed the Family

[I don't know why I have an obsession with food this week but please bear with me!]

We are going the easy route this week for dinner. I have been having some problems with the ol' joints again, so anything the kids can make or I don't have to stand too long to prepare is being whipped together.

Last night we had a house favorite. It is a splurge to make this meal because the ingredients aren't cheap, but we like to have it every once and a while.

Curious?

We love homemade French Dip Sandwiches with fruit salad and veggies on the side. Silly, huh? The thing about this meal is that sliced deli roast beef is incredibly expensive. $10.00 /lb here. Plus the swiss cheese costs $3.00 /for a 1/2 lb and a premade fruit salad is $12.00 [it is just not cost effective to make this, believe me - Cantaloupes and Honeydews are $3.00/ea] Beef broth is $1.00/can [2 cans], subrolls are $3.00 and the veggies are always in the house, so I don't count them in the price.

So, total? $30.00 and when divided by 4? That is $7.50 per person. Tadpoles you know how cheap I am - but this meal is just so darn good and easy. And healthy! [I will justify that $7.50 somehow, you know I will! :D]

To make the sandwiches:

1. Preheat oven to HI broil.
2. Slice 4 sub rolls and place on a cookie sheet covered in tinfoil.
3. Lay 2 slices of cheese on each sub roll. Set aside.
4. On stovetop pour 2 cans of beef broth in pot. Place in slices of roast beef. Heat on medium.
5. When roast beef is heated through [5 mins, max] place subrolls in oven and watch as swiss cheese melts, bubbles slightly and the edges lightly toast.
6. Remove. Using tongs place equal portions of roast beef on each sub. Cut in half. Serve with a ramiken of the beef broth for dipping.

That easy! And seriously? These are so good.

Now, could I please have suggestions for tonight's dinner? :D

Yes, Yes, HELL NO and Yes

Yes - My lovely husband found not one but TWO corned beefs at the store this weekend. He actually had a lapse in judgement and called me to ask if he should buy one. UH? YES? And why you are there honey I want the other one too. Mmmmmmmm. It is $30 worth of meat [oh, that makes me sort of ill to type that, but then again...corned beef!!!]and we had one on Sunday and the other we will have for Father's Day.

[Like that sucker is going to last in my household for three weeks HA!]

Yes - The rain. We still are a little low in the rain department [we need about 3 inches down from a need of around 10 inches] and it has been raining for around 24 hours - just pouring. That is good. What is better is it chased the midnight basketball players off of the school playground last night. Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights were interesting because they kept coming and playing into the late night hours [illegal & annoying] and we were trying to sleep. But there is something about a tall man with a LARGE dog that hints at the fact it might be time to vacate the court. :D

HELL NO - Washington Gas, AGAIN. I am not even going to get into this, but I am so sick of this company - once again I go to pay electronically and once again it declines my payment. I am not sending them a check because SURPRISE! The electronic payment cleared-magically-three days later! Sigh. I hate the Gas Co.

Yes - I spoke to Home Depot today and they are coming out to switch our gas water heater over to electric! HAHAHAHAHA! We have already changed the dryer and won't be using the fireplace or heater this summer - so NO GAS bill for us after I get this sucker changed over. I am just going to have them turn it off so they can't say we used it for anything - because you know they will come up with some lame charge. Bah.

So, that was my weekend. How was yours? :D

Um...yeah, Don't Do That

I was chatting with a friend of my parents who I have known since I was five. We chat weekly as they are like second parents to my family. They have been retired for several years and belong to different retirees' groups. I was a bit surprised by a complaint she brought up for a second time. I tried to ignore it the first time and I didn't say anything this time, but seriously - you do not do this.

It seems this one group of 26 likes to go out to dinner. Nothing fancy - just a local joint of tex-mex, pizza or subs. They go about once a month and so far she has added three restaurants to her list of ones she will never return to.

Among her complaints? It takes the resturant to long to seat them, their food always comes out cold or has to be sent back and it is just too hard to receive refills on their beverages in a timely fashion.

I did ask her a few things the first time she brought this up, such as:

• What day of the week do you go? Tuesdays or Wednesdays [a typically slow night in restaurant land]
• How many waiters do they assign you? Usually one or two, but she said sometimes that is all that is in the restaurant on the night they visit. Remember these are small Mom & Pop type places, not chains.
• Did anyone ask to have the meals staggered coming out of the kitchen, so they could be served hot? No, they wanted to eat together. That would be unacceptable she said. [Well, so is cold food?]
• Do you let the restaurant know you are coming, i.e. reservations at least a day in advance? No, it is usually a spur of the moment thing with this group.

The last one boggles my mind. Dropping in with 26 dinners? Unannounced? oooookay. Understand that I love this woman. Normally she is incredibly kind and considerate. She is usually on the ball about these types of situations, but seriously? She does not have a clue that service is not going to be all it can be when you surprise a small restaurant with a party of 26 and insist on having all your food served at the same time and expect the kitchen to get 26 different meals out hot. I can't even imagine one poor waiter trying to wrangle this group, can you? Two is stretching it, but really?

Well I had to ask one more question. Being a former waitress I knew the answer to this before I asked, but I just had to - "So, Mrs. Q do you all go on the same bill or do you get separate checks?"

"Oh no Skippy. We always get separate checks that way they can't add the automatic tip on there."

God love her.

> headdesk <

Memorial Day

Captain, USAF [Retired]

This is my Dad.

Although I don't have a pic' on my computer of my lovely FIL I also honor him.

Master Sargent, USAF [Retired]

20 year Secret Service Veteran

I love you both very much. And we thank you.

And to all of those men and women who allowed us our freedoms, we thank you too.

God Bless America

[I miss you Dad. And Big E? I will remedy the picture snafu when you return from FL. :) Love you both]

It Feels Like Groundhog Day

I am not going to retiterate/regurgitate/repeat the stupid story of the idiot that is Drew Peterson.

Can anyone explain to me WHY everyday I turn on the news he is on? Every single freaking day.

He killed his 3rd wife. The cops screwed up. He killed his 4th wife and thumbed his nose. The cops screwed up again.

Would someone please fry his ass? Yesterday?

And take the whore in FL that killed her daughter with him.

For a Friend

I adore an internet group I belong to, it is called the Wishlist Group and it is where you can grant wishes for people. Just simple things that they can receive in the snail mail and [perhaps] what you send will make their day a happier place. :D

One of my buddies is turning 54 this year and she requested a birthday card. She also happened to mention that she loved the concept of Pigs flying. So I created a birthday card for her. The front says "YOU'RE 54?!?" and when you open it you see this ATC collector card I created....heee....

Who knew you could find flying pig graphics on the net? Took me forever to cut the lil' swine out tho'. Personally? I just love the smile on the pig's face.

Happy Saturday.

I Need to Get the Hang of Owning A Big Dog

Dear Scooby -
Dude, look. We have to chat. I now realize that you are probably the Guiness World Record Holder for largest Chesapeake Bay Retreiver in the history of the breed, but seriously? Could you please keep you head off my kitchen counters?
Is it really necessary, while we are sleeping, to eat all my bread and cookie products? Your score now stands at 8 english muffins [trust me they are better toasted] a dozen sugar cookies - which were huge btw - didn't your stomach hurt after that sugar rush? and a loaf of white bread. I will give you credit tho'. You are extremely neat at getting the bakery items out of their wrappings and you do clean up all your crumbs, so you get props for that, but for pete's sake Doggie I need to feed the kidlets breakfast and make lunches. Okay?
I like the way the kitchen is set up, but if I forget to set the bread and cookies back in the basket could you look the other way? Please? I am still trying to get the hang of having a small pony in the house and your little midnight forays aren't helping.
And another thing - I know it is the highlight of your day when the youngest comes home. Your "OMGOMGOMG!!!!!! dance" is adorable but Scoob? You are 7 years old - happy tinkling on her feet should've stopped quite a few years ago. Yes she loves you - yes she is taking you out right that minute - yes there is grass a few feet out the front door. Could you please, please stop with the peepee dance? I am going through 5 towels a week just for you.

Know that I love you and couldn't be happier that you are here. Let's just work on those few things, 'kay?

Your SkippyMom

PS - learn your breed specs. Chessies are not barkers. It is one of the lovely things about you guys. But I swear on God's little green apples if you don't stop taking your cue from the Nazi and barking at everything I am kicking her to the curb. Along with you. You scare the crap out me when you do that and I think the neighbors might be getting a little annoyed.

Real Quick

Yummy! I am sure everyone has made the following meal [or have had it in a restaurant] but it is the first time our family has combo'd these together. I have to say - it is the rotation to stay.

We had Marinated Chicken Breasts grilled with Caesar Salad and yeast rolls on the side. Pooldad marinated the [thin] chicken breasts in Italian dressing and then grilled them up quick [10 minutes?]. The girls whipped up the salad [the Dole mix they sell at the grocery store - Don't judge it was extremely on sale!] - Oh, it was so good and fast.

Then we had homemade sugar cookies for dessert with Haagen Daas Lemon Sorbet. [Buy stock in the Lemon Sorbet tadpoles, really - I just discovered it and it is an addiction I am not ashamed to admit, hee - best part? So low fat - 110 calories per serving and you can't exceed a serving as it is really too tart.]

and Yes. I am officially stuffed. :D YAY!

You Guys Don't like a Cursing Skippy Do You?

;)

SOLs* = Stupid Over- Rated Lackluster Shit

How's that for a title, eh?

hee. [taking a cue from F$#% Cancer]

Seriously though, I hate these tests. For the uninatiated it is a standardized test given to every student, every other year, in every subject. And it sucks. The theory behind them is that if students are able to pass them then they will "know" all the pertinent information they need for their grade level and we will all have smarter kids! YAY!

NOT.

The trick to these stupid tests is that they are merit based, in that, the schools have to meet a quota to receive federal funding - if they fail to "pass" XXX number of children their money is taken away. This turns it into a game of "Teaching for the test" wherein the teachers are forced to spend their time covering a litany of information provided by the gov't that is 1. too much information to cram into one year 2. stupid and 3. useless.

For example: My kids knew the capital of China before they knew the capital of Virginia while in the first grade.

Wrong.

Why am I bringing this up? Two reasons - First, I hate the tests and what it makes the teachers do. Second? The eldest, who has not missed a day of school all year, wanted to stay home this morning with me for a few hours to have coffee and hang out until Dad could take her in late. She never does this, but today she wanted to, but no....she couldn't. Because? She had a freaking SOL this morning. This child has already taken 3 AP exams - what the heck is she taking stupid SOLs for? So, instead of getting a few more minutes of hanging out with my daughter, watching Good Morning America and laughing with her favorite crush, Sam Champion, she had to traipse off to school to fill in the circles of yet another useless test.

Now, this brings me to another story I was reminiscing about this morning. This was the eldest's first grade year in school. Our son was in second grade. One day they came home from school and we noticed while helping them with their homework that each had a "special" folder. Daughter's was for reading assistance and our son's was for math. I asked them what was going on and they said they were tested and they failed so they were put in special classes to help make them better at their respective subjects.

Oh, no they didn't.

I promptly called the school and soon had the Principal on the phone. After this conversation I think this woman is STILL talking about me.

Me: Yes, Mrs. P. I understand you tested my children and placed each of them in a remedial course?

Mrs. P: Why yes we did. They need it.

Me: Well, it is my understanding that you cannot place a child in remedial ANYTHING without first talking to the parents, is this correct?

Mrs. P: Well, yes. But we hold the right to act accordingly in the best interest of the child and WE felt it was best that your children be placed in these classes.

Me: Remove them.

Mrs. P: We can't. They have been tested and are considered canidates for these classes.

Me: Remove them. NOW.

Mrs. P: We won't. They need this instruction.

Me: I am their parent and I don't think they do. Remove them now and place them back in their regular classrooms.

Mrs. P: No. Our ruling stands.

Me: I want them in the regular classes now and if you won't honor my wishes I will remove them from the public school system by tomorrow.

Mrs. P: If you do that Mrs. Pooldad we will be FORCED TO TAKE YOU TO COURT.

Me: BRING IT ON.

>Click<

That is an honest to God true rendition of that phonecall. I was not kidding. I said it.

What this dumb woman didn't realize is [and some of you tadpoles do] is that I had been through the court system with the kids' father so many times I was on a first name basis with the Deputies that guarded the courthouse. [that is not a joke] Court didn't scare me and she was NOT going to intimidate me with her OMG! power. My kids. MINE. Back off and take your stupid tests with you.

The kids were removed from the remedial classes and placed back in the regular classes the next day.

Flash forward 5 years:

Daughter's elementary school graduation:

Mrs. P: Oh Mr. and Mrs. Pooldad you must be so proud of your daughter. She won so many awards this year [names them off]. She said this as if they were the ones worthy of every achievement the eldest had obtained.

Pooldad: Yes, we are incredibly proud. By the way aren't you the same administrator that threatened my wife with court if we didn't keep her in remedial reading in first grade?

Mrs. P: [looking straight at me] Um, well....um..yes?

Pooldad: Glad it worked out for you. [We turned and walked away.]

Sigh. I hate the public school system sometimes.

*SOLs = Standards of Learning Tests

A 3 Day weekend and 14 years of Marriage Gets You...

Laundry.

Lots and lots of laundry.

Evidently Pooldad had an ENTIRELY different agenda then Skippy this weekend. [Does this man NOT read my blog? Isn't that in the marriage convenant somewhere? "You shall keep updated on your spouses blog at all costs? or something akin to that? Jeesh.]

In fairness? Everything we own is laundered. E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G.

Hey! Including Scooby. That is the one little daytrip we took and Scooby swam in the Potomac. y'know - the River. Then he got a bath. So, yes. The dog is clean too.

Tonight we have the beauty of going to bed in clean jammies, with clean sheets and quilts. All at once! It is almost a lottery win tadpoles - or a hat trick, if you will!

Do you suppose I can salvage something of the last 72 hours tonight? Does anyone think, perhaps, dryer sheets could be an aphrodisiac? Because if they are? well.....

[fingers crossed] ;)

OMG!!! ETA: The night has been saved!!! Our favorite "camp" movie of all time is on TV- "Air Force One" - you know the one where Harrison Ford screams "GET OFF MY PLANE"! Oh, tadpoles it is SO the little things. I knew this weekend would shape up, I just didn't think it would get this funny...giggle. Oh, oh, oh and when the secretary is floating down in the parachute? TOO priceless. Oh heck! Please say it with me! ALL the bad graphics with people floating through the sky! AWESOME!

I am rambling and you have no idea what I am talking about, but :P I don't care. This is fun! G'night! ;D

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like. . .

[only] A 50 HOUR WORK WEEK FOR POOLDAD!

~

Weehaw! He is early shift today [only 8 hours] combine that with Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and it is 50 hours - but - the BONUS BONUS BONUS is:

HE HAS TOMORROW OFF.

HE HAS A THREE DAY WEEKEND.

~

How exciting is that? YAY! And yes the caps do mean I am screaming [and accidently scaring the dogs, oops!] because I am so freaking excited. :D

~

He will be home at 3:30 today and doesn't go back to work until 11:00 am on Monday. Who cares that it is supposed to rain [again] for 4 days straight? Or that my heating pad broke and I have slept 12 hours in 3 days? Not meeeeeee....'Cause my best buddy is going to be home and goof off with me for 3 whole days.

~

Damn. It's like Christmas came early, y'know?

Nice Way to Jinx Yourself Skippy

[Allow me to preface this to say I found this very funny and I am not complaining. This is a completely unavoidable circumstance in the Spring while employed in the swimming pool business and goodness knows we have been in it long enough to know this is going to happen once or twice or a gazillion times every season]

Since this is another pool work story I decided to post the pic of my little friend standing on a Loop-Loc cover. Yes, they are that strong :) - Neat, huh?

I know I have been going on about Bee missing a lot of work during the Spring which forces Pooldad to have to work 15 hour days. Guess what? This story doesn't involve her - although I have to add so far she is up to 9 days off in the last month. Today turned into another 15 hour day.

Here's the Jinx - I was teasing Pooldad the other evening about his belly being a little bigger then I have seen in the past few years. He commented that it was probably due to the fact he is all office, all the time and no longer goes on the road to fix/service pools. I responded with "Ah, well I think I will call T/D [the owner & Pooldads only boss] and tell him to stick you out on the road so you can work off a little of that weight." Laugh, laugh, ha, ha.

Today Pooldad had early shift. This is very exciting as the Capitals are in game 7 of the playoffs with the Penguins and he would be home at 3:30 pm - well in time for the tip off later in the evening.

When I phone him about an hour ago the first thing he said was "Hope you and the girls have a good time watching the game." I knew what he meant and was livid thinking Bee had taken off yet again. He quickly explained that it was not her [shock] - no, instead it was one of the mechanics. Seems that the mechanic drives a car with expired tags, an expired inspection sticker and an expired tax sticker - basically a big red flag for being pulled over by the police. Oh, and may I mention that he likes to imbibe and allegedly drive after imbibing? Yeah, well - they can't find him so all bets are on that he is in jail this morning. Sigh. [Nothing new for the pool business - this happens a lot with the hourly employees we have been acquainted with during the 30 odd years he/we have been involved with this business.]

Is there no one else that can go on the road and open pools? Apparently not. So, yes, I had to go and open my big, fat, mouth and there is my lovely husband working his 3rd 15 hour day since last Friday and the 10th of the season. And me left to watch hockey all by my lonely. sniff .... giggle...[I am KIDDING tadpoles]

But I have to say - I really have no one to blame but myself, now do I? :P

I miss you honey - see you at 10:30!

Well THAT has REPURPOSE Written All Over It

[pic' for Marni! isn't he cute?]

This weekend it was time for our little pony to receive his first bath. Since it rained for 9 days straight it has been pretty muddy here in lovely ol' Virginny...so off to Target for a suitable vessel in which to wash the beast.

~

We do have a garden tub in our master bath and although he could probably jump in, he is older [7 years] and we want to spare his hips the work.

~

Hence our old standby - a blue, plastic baby pool.

~

Having lived with this pooch for the last 2 weeks one would assume Pooldad and the youngest would have a good gauge of just how big Mr. Scooby is, right? You wouldn't think so by the size of the pool they brought home. Nope.

~

Spot fit great. And she was fine, but I swear the Chessie was laughing at Dad when he tried to get him in. Chessies love the water, that is a given, but poor Scooby just looked at Dad with a face that said "Gee, dude...thanks for the new water bowl. What's with the bubbles?"

~

It was hysterical. Spot could drown in the thing and Scoob barely got his ankles wet. Yes, it was that small. [They eventually soaped him up and hosed him off - mission accomplished. Then it rained again. Argh.]

~

I stayed inside giggling at the fiasco which was "First Doggie Bath Day" and dreamed about all the things I can now use the pool for - what shall it be?

~

I finally decided it would be best utilized as a really nice [albeit shallow] container garden on our back deck. The only things I can think of that may thrive in such a tiny vessel are herbs and some flowers. So that will be fun, I suppose.

~

The best part? This wasn't even the funniest thing that happened this weekend. :D

'Cause He Lives to Entertain

Yesterday Pooldad was in the local card store looking for a Mother's Day card for me. While searching he happened to pick one up he thought was nice and opened it up to read the inside.

Suddenly the card started to SING really LOUD "Love is a many splendid thing...". He quickly shut the card and said, out loud "Shit, I would be divorced over THAT!"

He hadn't noticed there was a woman shopping at the end of the aisle. She was laughing her behind off and wiping the tears from her eyes. She smiled at Pooldad and said "Thanks for that."

He is my own Rodney Dangerfield :D Aren't I lucky? hee

Great Song, Stupidest Video Ever [Sorry Billy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kehh-zcnKuM

Just had to say.

So Pretty

I know I said we went out for our Anniversary last weekend. We did. Actually tomorrow is our true Anniversary - 14 years - but we went out last weekend because tomorrow is Mother's Day.

Anyway - my hubby brought me these lovely roses for our Anniversary. I am a huge daisy fan so whenever he "splurges" and buys me roses [especially light yellow ones] I go weak. Aren't they pretty? Our baby picked out the yellow container [my fav' color] and I tried to make them look decent ;)

The eldest is at an all day concert and the youngest is at a sleepover. We are having grilled lamp chops, with grilled asparagus and baked potatoes for dinner. Oh, and champagne.

Happy Anniversary honey - I am so glad I met you. :D

I Think My Husband Just Fainted

Tony Dorsett rocks!

I just called him at work to let him know I saw a commercial for a new show.

Get this-it is all about THE DALLAS COWBOYS. Think Yvo's obsession with the Mets or Marni's overt fondness for her beloved "Lost" and you get the idea. Now tenfold it.

It is called 4thandLong. It airs on Spike TV starting March 18 at 10 pm.

Damn. Just when I thought I could get through a quiet offseason of a few months this comes along.

Bad enough they have the Super Bowl in February now [what happened to January folks?] and pre-season starts in August. AUGUST?

Well, now it is official. Football. 12 months a year. And the stupid Cowboys to boot. [ha!]

Love you honey ;)

Answering A Question

I had to laugh at Rudee's question in comments:


"BTW, Is the wench shaping up or is she still taking advantage? Inquiring minds want to know."



The wench in question is Pooldad's coworker who has been forcing him to work more then he should due to her complete lack of work ethic. When I asked her why she would schedule him so many more hours [than her] when they are supposed to be job sharing she replied, "Oops I made a mistake on the schedule. It won't happen again Skip."


Wellllll....she did make the schedule a bit more fair this week. He had 2 early days [YAY!] but, [drumroll please] guess who took today off? Yep. She wants to go to the beach. Pooldad gets to work both shifts today for a total of 15 hours [7am - 10pm] because she has the day off. In the Spring. Within two weeks of Memorial Day, which is "D-Day" in the pool biz because that is when all the pools need to be open and sparkling.


She is going to be completely out of vacation and personal days before we hit July at this point. But no worries. She is leaving the company at the end of the year.

Just praying they don't offer me the job. Me? Pool management experience? Why no, I know nothing. giggle.

Sometimes Even SKIPPY snaps; I am Tired of The Whining

I have the nickname, Skippy, for a reason. Still, sometimes it gets to be too much with blogs I pass over. And I need to say:

SHUT UP.

Just shut up.

Now I want to clarify NONE of my blogroll is going to find themselves in this post - these are other bloggers I click over to from blogs I already read.

BUT I SWEAR TO LIFE'S LITTLE GREEN APPLES IF I READ THESE ONE MORE TIME I am doing something...I don't know, but dammit, something.

My first and favorite has driven me nuts for years. She will recognize herself, but would do herself a great service in NOT posting a comment. If she likes then she is more then welcome to post a comment, but it would be a huge mistake. Don't do it.

1. This is the blog that constantly whines "I never have any money" - but she posts about the concerts, movies and extraneous pets they cannot afford. They are steps away from eviction and CRY, CRY, CRY because they can't afford rent, food, meds or basic living expenses. The "husband" is forever being laid off, no fault of his own according to them [before the recession], the parental/maternal family sucks, nothing is the bloggers fault.

Just shut up already. When anyone offers salient advice to this blogger [via blog, email or phone] she blows it off with another excuse of why that won't work. This blogger doesn't want help - she justs wants to whine and get sympathy - I wonder how many more months, [years?!] people will tolerate it. It is so old.

Stay out of the movie theatre and the concert hall and get a life. Get help. Learn to budget your money so we don't have to hear about why you don't have money for food/meds but that CONCERT WAS SO TOTALLY AWESOME.
And stop haunting my blog. It annoys me.

[ETA at 2 PM - May 8 - talk about haunting my blog. She has a new post up - 5 hours this one was orginally posted - that addresses everything I mention above. I would never have written a single word of the above paragraphs had this blogger actually told anyone that 1. The rent is paid [never mentioned anywhere when they finally paid it off] 2. She is finally on her meds with no problems [not mentioned anywhere until now?] 3. Her family life with the relatives is [now] great 4. Her relationship with her "husband" is so wonderful - he just left her a few months ago, now he is back and it is peachy? YAY! Her blog wouldn't annoy me if she just told the truth, but it is whine, whine, whine..and then I call her on it on my blog and suddenly it is all daisies and lollipops! WEEHAW! Well I am happy for her, honestly. Now what the hell is she going to whine about? Can't wait.]

This next blog isn't attached to anyone on my blogroll, I just found her. She is the most self centered piece of crap I have ever met [on the net or in person]. She is beyond pale in her mind and can do no wrong. She shoves her greatness down your throat at all cost and she dares you/anyone to defy her. I did.

2. She whines "Someone stole my copyrighted screen name". First off you CANNOT copyright a screen name; you can only trademark it. Your blog isn't as popular as you think it is [15 comments avg. a day] how would the woman using it even know you even existed? Get it right and stop threatening the woman that inadvertantely used the name you use. Jeesh - she has more right to it than you do at this point. Check TESS.gov you pomopous ass and then you can whine. You aren't in TESS so YOU.DO.NOT.HAVE.THE.TRADEMARK. on the most common name for anyone who has ever waited tables as a female ...get over yourself. **She can copyright her blogs contents but her name is not copyrighted - she has to buy a trademark.


Finally I have to add this niche I stumble upon on a daily basis:

You're a bigot and/or a racist.

I can't count how many of the blogs I click over to are exactly like this. If you see yourself here, then talk about it on YOUR blog. Leave me out of it. I already know you are a bigot/racist and I will reply as such in comments. Once. I am tired of you slamming our President.

3. Stop whining about OBAMA and claiming you aren't a bigot. You are. It has nothing to do with the Democrats winning the White House instead of the Republicans. You can mask it anyway you want, but, in truth, you are a racist. I hate it. Normal discussions about partisan -bi partisanship leadership are fine, but you all are so over the top that it borders on a hate crime. I am tired of it. And your angry rebuttals about not being a racist only prove to make you more guilty.

Just say it - You HATE that an African American is in the White House - how dare the American Public do this to you?...Bite me. And stop trying to defend that you aren't racist. YOU ARE.

I don't care if any of you agree with me. I have my own issues that I DON'T bring to the table of this blog. That is my choice - but for those of you that bring them to your blogs - take the advice given, learn and move on. The horse is DEAD, get off and move on.

I don't live a perfect life and I have never claimed to - but damn...STOP THE WHINING. It isn't one post with these folks, it is several...and it gets old...and I know I can "change the channel" and move on and not read these blogs - I could, but it fascinates me that so many people go back again and again to give support when they keep doing the same damn things. I don't comment - there is no point.

These people want to hear what they want to hear and if they don't hear what they want then their arguments are ridiculous. I guess that is the fun in watching the trainwreck in what they show themselves as.

Whiners

It's Skippy, not Sippy!

I have a question for you tadpoles. Please tell me what you think.

~

I have a lovely penpal who resides in NY. We exchange letters and small gifts on a bi weekly/monthly basis. I adore her and I love that we keep in touch.

~

Here is the thing - she never gets my first name right. In the interest of not divulging my real name - some of you know it and you will guess what she is doing - I will use "Skippy" as an example.

~

She keeps leaving out one letter. Without the one letter it is still a real name, but it is not mine. So instead of "Skippy" she puts "Sippy" on everything. Growning up it drove me nuts when people would mispronounce my name - it is as tho' they didn't even bother to read it. And I hate being called "Sippy".

~

Here in lies the problem. She is a much older woman [think my grandma] and I would hate to offend her by pointing out my actual name is "Skippy" - but wouldn't it be nice if she knew my real name? It is a minor thing in the big picture but it is driving me bananas.

~

Opinions please?

'Cause all Statues Wear Goggles

Look how cute the youngest is getting on the bus a few years ago. Wow! How she has grown. :)

[click to check out John Carroll..the statue...he is going snorkling!!! Heehee]

Here we are - "The Girls" in front of my alma mater, Georgetown University, 3 years ago.

I can't believe how they have grown. Can you believe it?

I know I would like the weight I had on me that day back - but we are all still ostrich legs to this day....giggle...

I put on my wedding bands the other day and they fell off. They just fit on my pointer finger now. In a few months I fear I might have to wear them on my thumb.

Silly.

Well That's Enough to Make Skippy Crabby

Pun Intended! :)

For Mother's Day this year [combined with our Anniversary] we decided to go BIG! and have a crab feast for dinner on Sunday. We are huge fans of the delectable Chesapeake Blue crabs and used to eat them with a fair bit of regularity. Until, that is, the population dwindled and crabbing restrictions were put in place. The prices skyrocketed and we sadly curtailed our crab eating habits to, perhaps, once or twice a year.

The industry is rebounding [YAY!] but we have not purchased crabs in the past two years because at the market price they were truly a luxury, more expensive then lobster or steak. Or a corned beef "out of season". hee!

~

This year is the year- we said! We were going to buy them come heck or high water - price is no matter -we said! It is a special anniversary AND Mother's Day - it is worth it!

~

Or so we thought.

~

I called our local crabshack yesterday to place an order for next weekend. To say I choked while on the phone with the lovely Capt. Pell would be a slight understatement.

~

A bushel of large males? Yes - 5 dozen crabs - is $210. TWO HUNDRED AND TEN DOLLARS.

A half bushel of large males? 2 1/2 dozen - $110 ONE HUNDRED AND TEN DOLLARS. [This would leave the kidlets out of the crab eating equation anyway ;) ] still.....

~

He asked if I wanted to place my order. I sputtered, stammered and finally gasped "I have to talk to my husband. Gotta go!" click.

~

TWO HUNDRED AND TEN DOLLARS?

~

Hot dogs anyone?

There is Just NOT Enough Bourbon** in My Part of the World to Ever....

....fill out the SAT registration form online for the eldest. Ever again.

The SATs no longer exist for the purpose they were originally created for. It used to be you took the SATs to gauge your knowledge and place yourself among worthy canidates to attend a particular college.

Now? Just to sign up for the freaking test you are filling out pages of information that colleges are BUYING from the SAT "institute" to know who to recruit and try to get the student to pay good money to attend their institution. BUT you are trapped filling out and paying for a test your child HAS TO TAKE because colleges won't accept an application without it. Sigh.....

This was the longest 2 hours of our lives answering all the questions on this form. And if you miss one little box on one little page you have to go back, ad nauseum, to figure out what you missed and get it right. One example - it took NINE questions to ascertain that the eldest was just plain "white" [I swear I was ready to click "Alaskan" just to get it over with - who knows? Her bio dad is adopted - he could've been anything...and besides that they weren't getting our salary history. WTF.]

I was ready to stab someone with my sharpened #2 pencil.

**Pooldad's observation as my hair started to fall out in clumps after page six.....

Yes, Yes, a BIG NO and a Yes

YES - Going to celebrate our anniversary, quietly, at a hotel with room service and no kidlets.
YES! - Being able to leave the kidlets home alone while we celebrate our anniversary overnight. Came home and the house is still standing and they are alive :) Bonus!

A BIG FAT NO - for Embassy Suites Hotel in Herndon, VA. Because....

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: 6:05 pm Sunday - Ms. Dillshad called us back and was very nice. Removed the room charge and offered a free night's stay - very apologetic. The following happened, but she realized it shouldn't have and has welcomed us back with the promise of a personal room check. I will, once again, try this hotel. But the third time has best not "be the charm"...:)

This is a hotel that we have stayed at 6 times in the last year. It is a suite hotel, local to our home, and we enjoyed the first 4 stays...but have experienced a few problems on our last two visits.

Our fifth visit wasn't so bad, but we took umbrage to the dirty sheets that had blood on them. Ewwww....We informed management just becuase we thought that perhaps they should KNOW that housekeeping may be shirking the bed changing part? We weren't looking for compensation - but they gave us a coupon for $25 off in the restaurant. Entrees start at $20 - so that was nice....we never used it.

Then last night we decided to go have a quiet night, just the two of us, for our anniversary. The other Embassy Suites we like more [Tyson's Corner VA] was booked, so we decided to give Herndon another try.

Big Mistake.

Do you know we found blood on the sheets again? What is up with that?...but that wasn't the worst part.....and come to think of it neither was the 3 inch burn mark in the duvet or the loss of TV for 2 hours this morning...nope.

One guess what Pooldad spent the entire night doing....

PLUNGING THE TOILET. The first time it backed up around 5 pm we called maintenance. They plunged it, we tipped the guy and he left. The next time we flushed it did it again. Pooldad called down to the front desk and BROUGHT HIM THE PLUNGER. [grrrrrrrrr] Everytime for the rest of the night it backed up and got the floor wet. 10 pm PLUNGE, 11 pm PLUNGE 2:30 am PLUNGE....you get the idea.

I was fed up. I have worked at a hotel before, for a few years before I met Pooldad and I was management. This is completely unacceptable and not the way to handle this. When we spoke to the front desk they gave us two $25 coupons for the restaurant and took $25 off the room rate. I explained to them that was not enough - that we weren't coming back so the restaurant coupons were useless and that either they comped the room or I was notifying VISA and obtaining a chargeback for the remainder of the price.

Don't get me wrong...We happily pay for services we use and don't complain like entitlement whores to get free stuff. We have both worked service/retail for too long to abuse the system and have had it done to us too many times.

But seriously...instead of moving us or actually fixing the problem [clean sheets? a working toilet?] they basically paid Pooldad $25 to do it all evening/night.

This is not the way we wished to spend our night. Oh, they did offer to take off our room service charges but we refused that because that penalizes the room service people/restaurant and they did an excellent job. Our problem is with housekeeping, maintenance and the front desk.

They told me they couldn't comp the room because they weren't managers and the manager wouldn't be in until 3 pm. Well Ms. Dillshad - I will be calling you at 3 pm. And once you provide me with an email I will forward the pics of the disaster of a night we had. Then I expect this to be taken care of correctly.

OH...and did I mention they actually gave Pooldad a stack of rag towels to clean up any water mess that occured? Jeesh....

One more YES - to room service, which was delicious, timely and hot - thanks guys and also a yes to spending time [in between plunging] with my lovely husband.

Happy Anniversary Pooldad. I love you!

My Dog is A Drinker

Remember the sign from this post? Wellllllll....we had to modify it a bit.

The pup will drink the toilet dry if allowed. :)...which I don't mind, but um...wet toilet seat? Not so much.

Still. I couldn't imagine not having the beast. He is such a baby, sweetheart, love. We are so lucky.