DId I Mention I Dropped the Damn Pie?

Sorry for the Dan Snyder post...but, alas, I digress....

Things I did today:

1. Made Thanksgiving Dinner. Now my whole house smells like turkey. Yum
2. I just dropped a whole pumpkin pie out of the 'fridge...dangit. Well, we have cherry. [In my defense I was trying to arrange leftovers and well...splat.]
3. Champange is a good thing. Especially now.

because....

4. I completely [how the hell do you spell that?] lost my patience with my my lil' sister friend and that wasn't right.
5. And I dropped the pie.

and....

6. I miss Rich and Amy. And I am mad about that. Are you allowed to be mad because someone dies? Well I am.

sometimes....

7. Dropping a pie is okay. Today it just sucked. But I guess I have the cherry :)

then again....

8. I have more leftovers than should be allowed [how come I cook in quantities of 12? There are 4 of us now] and where the heck are all of you? Don't you LIKE turkey, oyster dressing, gravy etc?

still....

9. I promised the kids pumpkin pie for breakfast. Hey! That is a damn good breakfast, think about it. With apple cider. Cherry isn't going to work.

I guess I will have to make them oatmeal. With cherry pie topping :) hee.

finally.....

10. Thanks for the kind thoughts and words. I am at a loss right now and I guess dropping a pie should be the least of my worries, but it seems to be a metaphor for my life right now.

And y'know what? Can the whole world just go ahead and F%^& head cheese now?

Oh, ho, ho, ho...Dan Snyder you deserved THAT

The Redskins lost to the Detroit Lions today.

The Lions have not won a game since December 2007.

Bwahahaha! This is lovely.

Sorry Mr. Snyder - all your money, overpriced venue and suing of ticket holders doesn't mitigate that your team stinks.

I Think It is Time

Such a dreary, rainy, cold day.

I think it is time to make "Thanksgiving Dinner" tomorrow.

I do this every year - I make Thanksgiving in October because I usually can't wait for Thanksgiving in November.

So I am bumping it up to September.

If the stores can rush the holidays, then why can't I?

We need it.

My Friend, My Friend

We have a best friend who is also Godfather to one of our children. They call him Uncle Rich.

Rich came into my life before I met Pooldad. 15 years ago he was the overnight DJ on a local DC radio station and when I couldn't sleep I would call him up and we would chat - for hours, which back before free long distance was pricey- in between songs. That is how I met him. Calling him up to request songs. It seems funny now, but not so strange back then.

For years Rich has been part of all our family gatherings and holidays as his family lives far away and he couldn't get home. He is just a natural extension of us and our families. Once in a while he would bring a date, but never anyone serious. He had never been married but we all knew he longed for a wife and family. He would tease us "I want what you guys have." We hoped and prayed for him. He truly was deserving of finding happiness with someone.

A few years ago, it seemed, he had finally found his soul mate. His best friend. He was giddy, happy in love and she was so special. They had a lot in common and just seemed to fit.

We were thrilled when he called us - out of the blue - to tell us he had eloped with his girlfriend Amy. You really couldn't find a cuter couple and we were so happy for them. His new wife became our "Aunt Amy".

Rich called me Wednesday night, late [which is normal for us, we always talk late]- but I was half asleep and begged off. He said no worries, to go back to bed knowing any sleep I get is bonus - he is great that way. I didn't get a chance to call him back. And now?

I am so sorry, my friend. My friend.

Amy passed away last weekend sometime while Rich was away on a retreat. He came home on Sunday and found her in bed.

Her funeral was Friday and he is having a celebration of her life next Saturday. Which is exactly what we should do for someone like Amy.

To give you an idea of how fun Amy is/was - Tie-dye clothing optional. And her favorite number? 3 - The celebration starts at 3:33 on Oct. 3. Nice.

Rest in peace my friend, my friend. You will be truly missed.

Wanna Take A Guess Who?

Was named 1st chair in Ensemble out of 12 flutists?

Yep! It's the one laying on the floor.

And she's ours. All ours.

Way to go Squirrel!! We are so proud of you.

This is What We Know

Thanks Rudee for your input on my stroke questions. I did a little more in depth research and found out some things, but now I am just wondering.

To the tadpole that guessed it is Bee, good guess, it is. Now I want to clarify that I don't think she is faking it - what concerned me was that the hospital took a while to diagnose it [doing it through an MRI] and that she was only in the hospital for two days. That is why I asked. I thought strokes were more debilitating, although some are not severe as others. Seems, from my research, she must have had a cerebellar [sp?] stroke - which is the most minor.

Now, here is the quandry. They released her from the hospital in less than 48 hours [on Thursday] and told her not to return to work until next Thursday. She insists she will be in on Monday [as she has no sick leave left. Raise your hand if you are surprised.] Not to be offensive, but she is going to be absolutely useless if she doesn't stay home and recuperate.

Pooldad has assured her that all is well and to stay home, everyone in the office can handle it. She is insistent tho', but I have to wonder - shouldn't she stay home and relax? Even a minor stroke is serious, I would think? At least enough to warrant a week off in bed, right?

I actually feel pretty bad for her - she is morbidly obese [I don't say this lightly or with malice - but she weighs over 300 lbs at 5'4] and has some habits that aren't exactly conducive to recovering well or expeditously.

Not a Downer Post I PROMISE...

...well kind of. Kidding.

I have a question. I know Rudee is a nurse and some of you have experience with your parents/grandparents/family concerning this, but I have to ask:

What constitutes a minor stroke? And how long does it take to recover from one? How long are you in the hospital for?

Also, what causes a stroke? Can it be smoking? [yes] Drinking excessively? Or obesity? I know that in some instances blood vessels in the brain can go haywire [I am so technical] and cause it, but this isn't the case here.

The reason I ask is because Pooldad's co-worker is in the hospital after fainting while walking her dog on Tuesday. It seems to have taken a day and a half to diagnose a stroke [does it really take that long?] and she will be out until Monday. [Can you get better from a mild stroke that fast?] She is absolutely A-Okay and will be fine.

Any advice, suggestions, answers will be happily accepted. I have never [thank goodness] experienced this within our family and the 'net is being vague with me, so I turn to you, my faithful tadpoles for your answers and experiences, if you care to share.

And I want to thank you all for cheering me up! I feel better today and will be back to my Skippyness soon. Promise. As soon as my tear ducts completely dry up from complete and utter overuse. [Which should occur around 2 pm today. HA!]

Easily....

...in the top 3 of the worst birthdays I have had.

Of course my 27th sucked. Next there was the birthday 3 years ago where every single member of my family forgot.

Then there is today. I won't go into details but the only highlight to the day was a lovely e-card I received from a tadpole.

Otherwise? No gifts. No dinner, no cake - but I really didn't want cake. Dinner would've been nice tho'. Lunch was a joke.

And then I discovered the checking account is about empty. Which is not my doing. Sigh.

And I sit here, there is just nothing I can do. Except cry.

Seems I am getting good at that.

How I Spent my 27th Birthday

It is early in the morning. Senior [my first husband] is showering and I am already dressed and getting our one year old daughter and two year old son ready to go to daycare. I have a 12 hour day ahead of me, working, on my birthday.

The kids are sitting in front of the TV, watching Barney, while Senior is in the kitchen getting his coffee. I walk down the stairs [I will never forget the gorgeous suit I had on. I gave it away soon after. I still regret it.] and I greet him.

He turns to me.

Senior: I am leaving.
Skippy: Okay. [leans in for a kiss] Have a great day.
Senior: [he pushes me back] No. I am leaving. Leaving you. And the kids.
Skippy: Um. okay?
Senior: Goodbye Skippy.
Skippy: 'bye.
~
That was the absolute totality of that conversation. I was devastated. I had no idea he was planning this and no idea that he would be cruel enough to pick my birthday to do it. He did. I took the kids to daycare because I absolutely had to go to work that day. I had no choice.

I worked the whole day [I ended up actually working 13.5] and I stopped for one drink after work to "salute" myself. Do you know how empty a bar is on a Wednesday night at 10:30? It was pretty damn lonely.

I arrived home at 11:30 pm, put the kids to bed and started my new life the next day.

Camping

This is what you look like Saturday morning when you spent all day Friday talking to lawyers and crying.

[Bad lighting and no make up adds to the beauty, y'think? Oh, and I think I needed a shower. :)]

Hell. These are cool bikes you can rent. They hurt your behind tho'.
My Happy Camper. Check out the shirt. Too cute isn't it?
[Click on it to read it. I love it.]

This is too much white, on white, on white for a photo [sorry I don't have Yvo, Amy or Gail's mad photog skillz],

but dayum this was good.

Followed Yvo's advice on the potatoes and we smoked the chicken.

I want to go back simply for this dinner. So good.

~

That is about all I got Tadpoles. It has been a long week and I am crazily tired.

Escaping

This is Gladys and Bob from our last trip.

~

[Found out Gladys is actually Gary. hee]

~

Taking Wallene kamping [think KOA, I kan spell, you no...lol]

Just one night.

~

I have to get out of here.

Perpetual devotion to what a man calls his business, is only to be sustained by perpetual neglect of many other things. - Robert Louis Stevenson

Hence the twitter.

Huh? Check the Facts, Sir...

We love the Eldest's Principal. He is a kind man and very involved in all aspects of the day to day goings on in her school.

Unfortunately he seems to be a little overworked and/or his admin. asst. sucks.

We received a pre-recorded message from him last night announcing a meeting for NHS parents and students at the school in the upcoming week.

He let us know the importance and the date: Mon. 9/22 and the time: 8:30 pm.

Well...Monday is not the 22nd, Tuesday is. And 8:30 is awfully late for a meeting at the school.

I checked the website and discovered that the meeting is actually Mon. 9/14 at 6:30 pm.

Huh? A week off, with the wrong date AND a two hour time drag? Curious.

I called my fav' front office lady, Leslie, to ask and she laughed and said she would just have to check into it as it seems this wouldn't be the first time.

I know in the scheme of things that this is minor, but how can you get EVERY detail of the meeting wrong except the purpose of it?

I Guess It is Too Much?

I just asked for something I am able to eat.

First Day of School

"But Mamas, where'd dey goes?"

The President's Pep Talk

Whether the American public likes it or not President Obama IS the President. Other Presidents before him have addressed the Nation's school children and in my 42 years have never seen such a backlash as this "speech" is creating. I put the word speech in quotation marks because I don't think it is so much a speech as it is a pep talk to fire up the Nation's school children.

If you haven't read what the President is going to say today it is here: President's Pep Talk.

He isn't pushing a political agenda or mentioning health care [or anything else that makes some Repubs and all racists/bigots grab their chest in fear]; This isn't a Political Indoctrination - he IS OUR President. He is simply going to encourage our children to do their best, that our Country depends on them in the coming years. Isn't that what we tell our children everyday? Haven't you, as a parent, ever thought or even said out loud the following: "One day I won't be here and you will have to survive and thrive on your own"? He is going to speak about their personal responsibility - Something I hope I have taught my children and others have too. Unfortunately I see it less and less where we live.

The fear mongering and hatred among opponents to this speech make me sad - Sad that he had to release the speech ahead of time, sad that everyone can't just get along [this is the largest chasm I have ever seen in my life], sad that in trying to do something special for our children he is attacked. Vehemently, I might add.

He is only asking them to stay in school and do their best. I appreciate any positive reinforcement I can get when raising my kids. The President reiterating today what I have been trying to instill in them for years? Bonus

What is wrong with that?

Yeah, The Thrift Store Rocks

[yes, I am putting it on something larger :)]

We bought a 32" TV at the thrift store today for 17 dollars. The picture [on the TV] is gorgeous.

It is incredible. I love the thrift store.

[Well, except for the two unattended TODDLERS playing swordfight with steak knives in the housewares section - otherwise it was awesome.]

Champange Weekend!

The time is here tadpoles, the time is here.

We received official confirmation at 3 pm, September 4, 2009 that we no longer owe a dime of child support.

WEEEEEEEEEEEEE - Freakin' -HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Before anyone reads this and thinks that we have wanted to shirk our responsibility to Pooldad's children, we did not. Never have and if they need anything, we never will.

The fact is: We were caught in a system [VA DCSE] that FORCED us to pay an extra $14,000 [plus] for two years to a child that was too old and not eligible to receive support. And NO, we were not [and will not be] reimbursed for the overpayment. Although the mother knew she wasn't entitled to the extra payments for TWO YEARS she never mentioned it. To recoup the money we would have to take her to court and I am just not going there. Our obligation to Pooldad's youngest son should have ended when the courts recorded we had overpaid by two years for his older sister. They simply ended payments to his 20 year old daughter [yes, 20 years old] and required us to continue paying for his son.

The end of the child support payments mean that we no longer have to accept the ex's abusive phone calls, her stalkerish behavoir or her vile, vile actions.

We miss the kids. But we will NEVER miss her.

Buy Korbel stock - 'cause tadpoles? It is gonna be a champange kind of weekend.

Wallene is 12!

Yessir, that's my Baby!

~

Wallene, so named by Bulletholes due to her misfortune of running into a wall, is 12 years old today. As all the tadpole parents know it seems like yesterday she was born. Our little potato - as we called her back then. Speaking of what we call her, I have no idea why we even filled in her birth certificate [which, in itself is a funny story] but heck, this kid has more nicknames than a Big Mac has calories.

~

True story: We were in a store one day and I was talking to Wallene and I used a couple of variations of her nicknames [based on her real name] while we were shopping and a woman walked up to me, and in all seriousness, asked "What IS your child's actual name?" I laughed and told her and she nodded and said "Ohhhh...I can see THAT." :D

~

My father used to call on a weekly basis, shortly after her birth, and ask "So what are you calling the spud this week?" heehee.

~

She is a heck of a lot of fun. She is my constant companion and helper. She is happy, smart, kind and has a truly innate sense of humor that borders on, ahem, too mature for her age [?] We laugh like heck at her jokes**, but quickly have to add "Um, let's keep that amongst us, shall we?" Her teachers adore her and we enjoy the notes/emails sent home regarding her latest escapades at school.

~

As much as I know how it hurts for a child to leave home and the Squirrel's departure next year will be hard, I am just happy that "our little surprise" still has six more years with the ol' parental duo.

~

I don't know what I would do without her.

~

We love you Wallene. Happy Birthday!

~

**I don't mean she repeats adult type jokes, she simply says things that make her appear a bit older then she is - and we have to remind her "Uh, you're 12, not 40, 'kay?" 'Kay. :D

Am I the Only Person...

...who thinks the media is over hyping Swine Flu/H1N1?

Seems to me it was a big deal last season and the pharmecutical companies jumped on the band wagon and produced the vaccine.

Suddenly, there won't be enough. Ohnoes. And now we need to have our children vaccinated instead of just under 2 yo., the elderly and those with compromised immune systems.

Is anyone thinking that they now have a boatload of vaccine they can't offload and someone, somewhere [Hello Pharmecutical Lobbyists] have gotten to the media to scare us into depleting the supply?

The media is threatening 100,000 deaths this season. Really? Already this morning they have quarantined SIX [OMG! Six!!!!] students at Emory University with the flu.

Is it all necessary or is it just to make sure their stash of drugs is sold?

Heaven forbid they don't make their profit.

**This ends my "Cost of Medical Care" diatribe for September.

Just Drives Me Bananas

I read this story today and it just makes me so mad. The jist of the story is that Medicare is overpaying by $1,200 for wheelchairs and if there had been competitive bidding they could have cut the cost by that much. Instead the suppliers are getting exhorbinant payments for wheelchairs that cost them much less to buy.

This story reminded me of the births of my children. I nursed all 4 of my kids from the moment they were born. The charts say so, my husbands were there and guess what? I remember it too.
We also had insurance for all four births. What annoyed me was on every single insurance bill we received that was marked "PAID" they listed pain killers for after birth pain control. Four times I called four different hospitals and four different insurance companies to inform them that they were not to charge for pain killers [hospital] and the insurance company needed a refund for monies paid because as a nursing mother I most certainly was NOT taking pain killers - it was always tylenol with codeine and the cost was ridiculous! It worked everytime, but I sure did piss off a lot of hospital billing offices by pointing out their mistake. They couldn't even be bothered to check my records to see I was breastfeeding and therefore was not taking pain killers - they just added in on as habit because it was assumed a post birth Mother was in pain.

It wouldn't have bothered me if it happened once, or heck even twice - but for all the births? Stupid and criminal. They were doing it on purpose to recoup money they didn't deserve.

And everyone wonders why healthcare costs so much in this country. What a joke.

Camping!

Wallene in front of our kamping kabin.

We were at a KOA - everything is spelled like that.

Sammy was a constant visitor. He loves crackers. And cheese.
Wallene made a new friend. She is very sweet.
The only pic' Wallene managed to take of me.
Yep.

The one fire we were able to start.
~

Notice I said "start" and didn't mention we kept it going? It rained. It rained all weekend except for about a 4 hour window on Saturday when we were able to cram in fishing [they were biting!] the pool, bike riding and a quick hot dog dinner. Then it poured. Bless Wallene's heart I took a quick nap Saturday night and she stayed out in the rain trying to keep the fire going to warm me up - even using a whole pack of paper plates to help it along. [Didn't work :( ]. We had a great time but forgot about the heater in the cabin and about froze our heinies off Saturday night. It was cold!

~

I had a "Now I have seen everything" moment while camping with Wallene. We walked into the restroom and standing at the sink was a fellow camper who was washing raw chicken in one of the bathroom sinks. I just stared because I honestly couldn't believe it. We went about our business and when we came out she was gone, but her mess was all over the counter and sink. Salmonella much, anyone? We let the front office know [without revealing who it was] and they quickly went and sanitized it.

~

Then there was the deja vu' of our other camping stalker. Seems the maintenance man [the guy who cruises around on his lil' golf cart doing various duties] took quite a shine to Wallene and me and took to stopping by several times a day at the cabin to chat and even joined us [uninvited, but with his own pole] for fishing on Saturday. It was creepy. Wallene was uncomfortable so I said to her "Let's go back to the cabin and call Daddy", hoping he would hear. He did and responded "Oh, where is he? And you make sure you tell him to come on over and teach y'all how to fish." I replied "He is on call this weekend and WE taught him how to fish, tyvm." [True. Wallene and I can seriously fish y'all.] He finally got the point and left us alone after that but made sure to wish us well when we left early the next morning.

~

All-in-all it was a fun time and we really didn't want to leave. We will be back soon I am sure.

I Look Naked and Damn I Have a Big Nose...Wow

No comments about my nose or I will ban you. BAN YOU! And yes I look buck naked but, in actuality, I had on a strapless [duh] black velvet gown. My kids are just sucky photogs.
~
This is what happens when you leave your beloved home for the weekend. He pulls up the New Year's Eve pics and keep them out. So you see them when you come home.
~
You know. Those pics you just don't really want to think about, now do you?
~
And if anyone...ANYONE mentions the cut job on my bangs I will hunt you down and ...um, DISCONNECT YOUR INTERWEBS. Yeah, that! Got it? Don't go there.
~
And we won't discuss my chin. Not at all. No. Nope. It simply speaks for itself.
~
Still, for the entertainment of my tadpoles I post the worst pic' my husband could find of me.
~
Never forget me.
~
Or the chin. ;)

If You are a Mother - You Know...

Why this picture brought tears to my eyes.