The yard

Everything is looking good around here thanks to the rain we got for the last few weeks. Here are some pictures I took:













The Oleander bloomed but I haven't got a picture of it yet.

The flowerbed pictures are older, I have planted some more things and these plants have taken off and look nice.

Tomorrow I get to go tackle the weeds on the 4-plex, they have gotten out of control!

Hope everyone had a great 4th :)

Party Pooper

Somehow I was designated to be the one that everyone else followed to a pre-4th of July party. I somewhat had an idea of where I was going.

Then I get lost. I had been to the house before, but awhile back. I couldn't find it and finally everyone that was following me gave up! I don't blame them-but I had doubts about finding it before I even got in the car.

On top of that, no one had a phone number to call to verify the address. Oh well, I'm home and probably it was a sign.

I was going to go mow today but got too late of a start and just did a few things around the house. I hope to get more accomplished tomorrow other than a few loads of laundry, a sinkfull of dishes and a crick in my neck.

Going back to talking about procrastination-I'm doing it again and it's a vicious cycle I can't seem to get out of.

I started thinking about the application I put in recently. My credit report looks bad, and the place I applied for looks at your credit. When I was with my ex we bought several houses together as rental properties, and for some reason it lists all those houses as previous addresses. I'm worried that it makes me look unstable.

My priority is to get the vacant rentals finished, get them rented and then I'll start applying at other places, but like I said procrastination is setting in for some reason.

I want to go over a budget with Rick, but I think it'll be like pulling teeth with him! I think I'll save it for wednesday or thursday since the 4th is a holiday as well as our 4 year anniversary. He thought it was the 1st, and forgot last year as well, so I'm hoping that will mean he will go overboard on my present! Nah, I'll give him credit that he was within a week this time!

This is what I got for him, he had been wanting one for awhile:



It's funny/sad because I used to have a really nice one like this, but during the divorce I gave it away!

I hope everyone has a great holiday! :)

Bad Blood

I went out earlier to unwind and have a good time. I ran into some people I hadn't seen in awhile and played pool while we caught up. I lost two games and won one!

In comes my ex's boyfriend/keeper/sponge. (I call him a sponge because they aren't really together, but my ex pays the bills for him and his family). He is a piece of work and cannot stand me. My ex is dealing with my dad in the sale of his house and his boyfriend/keeper/sponge happens to be doing the painting on the house.

When he first came in I didn't know this. He was dressed in paint clothes and I didn't think anything of it. I heard him talking about painting somewhere, and he was making it a point to say how bad it was and how hard he is working. On and on he went about how bad the house was and how hard he was working.

Later, after he left, someone asked me why he was painting my dad's house. Then it clicked about how freaking rude he was being-talking loud to make sure I heard that he was painting a house that was really gross. It is not really gross, it just hadn't been painted in awhile-maybe 4 years ago.

It just floors me how rude people are, not only that but how my dad is being taken advantage of by my ex. I tried to warn him by telling him not to trust him and to stay away from him but he still considers him family for some reason. I doubt he will after he finds out the hard way.

I have heard from mutual friends about how he is getting the reputation of a crook so I guess the only thing that I can take comfort in is "what comes around, goes around".

Until then, I'll just have to shake my head and wonder why people are so cruel.

My new blog for sweepstake wins

Point.Click.Win

If you want something done...

ask a busy person! I heard that years ago in my other life as a Realtor. Someone with too much time on their hands will put stuff off while a busy person will find the time.

I have procrastinated too much lately. I see so much that needs to be done and instead of diving in like I used to, I bog down and do nothing. I noticed Rick does the same thing. I also noticed that if I take the initiative and start doing something, he will usually start up himself.

I finally got a few things done today that I had put off for too long and it energized me. Which is good because I have two vacancies that need some sprucing up. Hopefully it wont take to long to paint and clean them and get them rented.

I finally turned in my booklet application and I was told that I would hear from them soon about the next step. Tomorrow I'm going to research more and turn in other applications instead of putting all of my eggs in one basket.

I cleaned the office from top to bottom today, and I'm eyeing my bookshelves-I want to reorganize the books so I can find stuff easily. I spent 2 months looking for a book, finally gave up that I had loaned it out and then today by accident found it.

I mowed the backyard-we had a lot of rain recently and it looks so nice and lush. All of the new plants are doing well, except one that went into shock-but it is putting on new leaves. The latest one, an oleander, is getting ready to bloom.

Our apple tree and our neighbors apricot tree is full of fruit. I have to rake up the mess every couple of days. The dogs are having a blast eating them.

I hope everyone is having a great week, Jeff

This is amazing, but it makes me feel insignificant

Will work for food/mortgage payment/credit card bills

I went for the pre-screen today. It was a mini interview and then they handed me another application (25 pages) to fill out. This one is intense-wanting to know my last 15 year history, credit history, family history, etc. They check my credit as well.

It will take a few days to fill out, get a birth certificate, college transcript, and figure out dates etc. After I turn it in, they run a criminal background check and it looks like who ever I put down as references will be subjected to a mini interview about me!

She said it would take about 3-4 weeks after I turn this small book back in to them before I would even get to the regular interview.

The job lead with Rick's sister fizzled. She called this morning and said that her boss was going to probably hire a friend of his wife's.

What struck me as odd was that she told me he asked her yesterday if I was gay. I had met him a few times and while I don't broadcast that I am, I think anyone with gaydar can figure it out.

She told him yes and asked if he had a problem with it, but he said no. I get a feeling that he did have a problem with it, but I'd rather find that out now then later!

I feel so discouraged right now, I was hoping for something at least in the next week-not month. I'm hoping my bad attitude/case of nerves/self pity is just a product of going on hardly any sleep. I tossed and turned last night and when I would get comfortable I would feel too hot, etc. My mind kept wandering about the jobs/bills/etc.

I will have 2 vacancies next month which drops my income for next month by $650. Hopefully I can get those filled fast. I have to spruce them up on top of that so that was weighing on my mind.

I may have to evict the people in the front soon. They had the bright idea to buy their kid an electric guitar and not only are the other renters complaining, but a few of the neighbors. One neighbor has called the police twice after asking politely to turn it down. I don't blame them-that would drive me bonkers. They are also responsible for watering the lawn and they haven't been-the once nice lawn looks horrible.

I hope everyone is having a great week :)

Typing good, filing bad..

I took my clerical test today and overall I did well, but I had no idea they would give a filing test based on some uniform filing method I had never heard of. I bombed that part.

The HR lady was nice and let me take it again, I did a little better but I still don't think it was good enough for a call back-we'll see.

I haven't heard from Rick's sister about that job, I don't think she has given her notice yet.

I got my insurance policy renewal for my car today, it went up almost 65 bucks a month. All over a silly fender bender. My agent said if I take a defensive driving course it would save 10% per year. It upsets me since I have a great driving record and no tickets and the new price is will all of the discounts applied already.

I hope everyone is having a great Monday :)

Update.......I got a call from the place I took the clerical test at earlier and she wants me to come in for a pre-screen tomorrow. Not heard that term before, so I am assuming it is a fancy term for an interview.

Rick's sister talked to her boss about her notice, and mentioned that I was eager and willing to start anytime if he was interested in me as a replacement. He was in between meetings and said he would talk to her about it tomorrow.

Keeping my fingers crossed!

Out of the blue

Rick's sister works for a doctor, and is getting ready to give her notice since she found another job. She asked me if I wanted, she would refer me to take her place as office manager. I've met him a few times-he has a dry sense of humor and is kinda quirky but it would pay well and I would get out at noon on fridays. I said "I'll take it!!!"

So hopefully that will be a good job lead-not getting my hopes up too much, but maybe! Hopefully by this time next week I'll be employed and not bankrupt!!!

I won a few things this weekend-a pizza, a few tshirts, 2 movie tickets, a stopwatch, a haircut, a backpack and a customizable mousepad from Kodak. I got the Mp3 player in that I had won a few weeks ago. Still waiting on a big one :O

Hope everyone had a good weekend :)

Broke Broke Broke

This is the worst shape I have been in a long time-I have a bit more rental money coming in tomorrow hopefully. I haven't had anything shut off yet, if I don't get a job soon it may come to that :O Does anyone still give money for blood??!!

I have a typing test monday for the job that I applied for, so hopefully I can do good on that. I'm going to take some online typing tests to brush up. I suck at the numeric keypad and I have no idea how I can do at a voice dictation machine if they spring that on me.

I called a few places I applied for and haven't heard back from just to see if they like someone who does that sort of thing. Both places only had a choice to leave a message so I put on my cheery professional voice and left a message.

I hope everyone is having a great week and that it's not in the 100's like it is here!

P.S. Date Movie was the WORST movie I have ever seen! I laughed a few times, but the remainder of the movie was spent either grossed out, rolling my eyes, or embarrassed for the actors!

Adventures with Gramps

Rick did something to his neck last week while working out and can hardly move his head still-this is in addition to his bone spur in his foot causing trouble for the last month. He will be 49 this year so, to him, this is evidence that he old and falling apart. Plus his son and his girlfriend are due this time next month with his grandchild-so now he is old, falling apart and a gramps in his head.

I finally talked him into going to the doctor about his foot but he won't go for his neck yet. He is scared of the idea of a chiropracter and worried about what a doctor will do. So far they have just called in some kind of muscle relaxer that isn't helping much.

I'm taking an application in tomorrow for a job that my friend had told me about. I was applying online yesterday in .pdf format and had got all the way to the end when we had this huge thundershower. I went to go watch and it started hailing, then the electricity blinked for a second and shut everything off. I lost the application and had to start over!

I bought some more perennial flowering plants for my flowerbeds, and a huge oleander for a bare spot on the side of the house. So far everything has taken except for a spirea that is loosing leaves and looking sickly.

Rick and I spent Saturday cleaning out our shed. It had got bad. Just about the time we had everything out on the back lawn, we get a small shower. It lasted just long enough to get everything wet and muddy! It was still nice to get all these showers the last few days.

I hope everyone is having a great week :)

working around the house

I haven't been up to much except getting the yard in order. It is looking pretty good, all of the plants except one have been settling in.

The yard is greening up-sitting on the patio and getting a nice breeze filled with elderberry blooms and wisteria was a nice reward this evening. I woke up this morning and found these on a new plant:



I ran into a good friend this weekend that I hadn't seen in a long time and while chatting I mentioned looking for a job. It turns out that she is in charge of hiring for 2 some positions and told me to that they will be posting soon and that from my qualifications she would love to have me.

I have to wait a few weeks, but I was excited about the prospect-they both way very well and would be something I would love to do. Keeping my fingers crossed!

My dad finally got all settled in and now has told me that he is regretting the move on a few levels. I had told him all the way til the end that we could stop the move but he wanted to go through with it. I think it is a few things that are annoying-the screwy phone line, the leaky freon line, trying to get situation and he still hasn't found a few things that were packed in the wrong boxes or lost.

I hope everyone had a great monday :)

I never heard back from whoever that was that called-no phonecall or by mail. It's frustrating that is was probably just a spam phonecall from someplace that I entered a sweepstakes at.

Finally got my Dad moved last week-he was flustered since this is his first move since 1972. I think at one point he was overwhelmed and was thinking he made a mistake. He was sweating all the small stuff like utility switch overs and at one point was so upset he was red in the face that he couldn't find some WD-40.

I don't really care for the place-it wouldn't be something I would want but he seems happy with it. It needs a bit of work, but nothing major.

I spent time that I wasn't helping him working in the yard. I finally got a new mower. The flower bed that Rick made is all filled in. I found some landscape lights and put those in. All the plants are doing good, I have to water constantly since it has been so hot.

There were a few places on the side that were empty and we hadn't bought any plants for. I noticed rick was throwing a bag away with a potato that had eyes growing, so I cut a few off and stuck those in there-they are already 3 inches tall. I think the foliage is pretty and the little yellow flowers will look nice there.

I put a few applications in but haven't heard anything back yet. I will probably go tomorrow and put a few more in.

I hope everyone had a great weekend :)

What did I win???!!!

I got a call today and missed it, on the answering machine it said:

"This is for Jeff, I am calling because you entered a draw and congratulations you have won a Toyota prize sponsored by ESPN.com, we would like to ask you a few questions."

That was it??!! No name, no number :O He spoke with a heavy Indian accent and had to play it a few times to understand!

I Did some searches on my sweeps boards for expired contests and found a few that I did enter through ESPN where the grand prize is a Toyota-I hope it is one of those!!!

I'll be on pins and needles until I find out!!! Most of the time they will call you and then you will get an affadavit by fedex in the next few days or they call back. Keeping my fingers crossed!!

I hope everyone had a great weekend :)

what a fun week :O

I finished some more training this monday and tuesday, and by wednesday I went in for my regular schedule, 10pm-7am.

I realized after being there for less than 2 hours that this wasn't the job for me, nor was it the job I was expecting from the way they described it.

I stuck it out til 7am, but by then I was a wreck. I cracked a rib, my arms are bruised from wrist to elbow and I still hurt so bad that I am getting around really slow.

It didn't help any that tuesday night I started getting a sore throat. Today I have the full on body aches, runny nose and a cough to go with it.

I'm going in search of nyquil!

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Changes..

I officially start the new job Monday. These last few days of orientation were not too bad plus we got paid for it. I met a couple of the people that will be working in the same department as me so that was nice, I'll have a few familiar faces in the crowd.

My Dad officially got the house next to my sister, and is packing. My Ex is going to help him put some new carpet in and list the house for sale. I think his next door neighbor wants to buy it-so it will probably sell fast. I still haven't had an opportunity to see the new house.

I woke up to find Rick with a roto-tiller making a flower bed in the front yard up next to the house. It looks nice, we will probably use some extra brick we have lying around to make the border.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend :)

A win, a phone-call and some old friends

I won an IBM Portable 80GB USB 2.0 Hard drive with rescue & recovery (ARV $260.00) today on an instant win from Lenovo.

I had been having a dry spell so I was surprised when the screen popped up and said I won-I was thinking it was one of those small flash hard drives that are around 15 bucks, then I read the rules and was pleasantly surprised. My 2006 total is now $1262.11

Reading my sweepstakes message boards had kept me going, I had seen some postings of some big wins lately like a spa trip to france, a Ford Fusion and one lady won $3121.00 Best Buy gift card on a promotion for Prince's new album 3121.

I got an email from Amazon.com about their price drop policy, apparantly it DOES work. They said:

"We're writing to confirm that we have processed your refund for the above-referenced order. This amount should appear as a credit on your next credit card
statement"

So if you order something from them, keep an eye on the price for the next 30 days!

I got a call today and have orientation for the new job starting wednesday through friday so I am guessing I'll start the job the following monday. This job is more physical labor than office work like I am used to. I figured I'll either like it and get into better shape or hate it and not last long! Either way I'm going to approach it with an open mind and give it my best shot.

The barn swallows that have nested on my porch for the last 3 years are back again(or their babies from last year). I was a little worried since another kind of bird had taken over building into their mud type nest with bits of fabric softener sheets and shreded paper. I had gotten so used to seeing them, I was glad when they showed back up-like old friends.

But they barn swallows showed up and tore it all out are showing up everyday building it back into order. They have gotten so used to me and Rick that they won't fly away when we walk out the front door (their nest is only about 2 feet away) but will fly away when other people show up or walk out.

Here is a picture from last year, I haven't taken any new ones yet.

Price drop policy

I found this on the internet about Amazon.com and their price drop policy. The camera I bought last week dropped in price by about $25 bucks, so I inquired about a refund of the difference. That would be nice if it works!

I went to sign papers today for a background check and took a drug test. The lady said they would call me after all that comes back in. I'm still nervous, it's that unknown pit of my stomach nervousness about something new. Looking forward to the extra money, and today while I was waiting I was around some of the employees that knew I had been hired and they were treating me like one of them, including me in the jokes, etc-so that made me feel comfortable.

Here are a few pictures I took today with the new camera of Petey, Randy, Taylor and the Puppy:

You're Hired

I nervously went to the interview today, I think I did a few things right, but I know I did a few things wrong and left the interview feeling like I didn't get the job.

The lady told me she would call me before the day was out to let me know either way.

So I go home, nervous, thinking I'm an idiot for being nervous-either I got the job or I didn't. But I still fret like an idiot!

About the time I was giving up, about 5:15, the lady calls and offers me the job. Then a whole new set of nerves kick in!

I go tomorrow to sign papers for a background check and to take a drug test. I'm not worried about the background check, but having been to a few parties in March where people were "partaking" that runs through my mind.

I have no idea how all that works, but I read it takes 4 weeks to get out of your system. I am pretty sure it has been at least that long.

The hours will be off from Rick's, to where we wouldn't see each very much except on the weekends. He was bummed about that, but I told him he will learn to appreciate me more! He wasn't amused.

I hope everyone is having a great week :)

Interview blues

I had a relaxing Sunday, I had already caught up on the laundry and dishes as well as house cleaning and just watched tv, entered my daily contests, and got my clothes ready for tomorrow.

I got a call Friday for a job interview Monday. I wasn't nervous until an hour ago. Then I looked at the note I made while talking to the lady and noticed it says Monday the 2nd at 11am. I distictly remember her saying Monday the second so I am going to show up tomorrow anyway and if I'm a day early I guess that is better than being a day late!

Hope everyone has a great Monday :)

Late night shopping and spaghetti pie

I found a recipe today called spaghetti pie while I was bored and flipping through a "Good Housekeeping" magazine that came as a free sample to get me to subscribe. For some reason it sounded good and I trudge to the store and get all the stuff and throw it together.

It actually came out decent, tomorrow I'm going to try the shepherd's pie recipe I found. I guess I was in a dinner rut of eating the same things over and over.

I had a weak moment last night of internet shopping. I found this digital camera for a pretty good price, plus it takes video. I have been wanting it for a long time and the price finally went way down.



Then I found this gadget a few months ago after researching what to do with an extra flat panel monitor I have sitting around:



It lets you hook any monitor up to receive tv/cable without having to be hooked up to the computer. I had been wanting this when it first came out but it was really high, the price dropped as well.

I hope everyone is having a great week :)

Home sweet home

Out of left field my Dad tells me that he is going to sell his house to move into a house that my Sister and her husband bought next door to their house.

My sister had mentioned it a few months ago, but I didn't think it would go through. I think my Dad is being rash about it, he hasn't even seen the house and is already talking to real estate agents. My ex and my ex company will probably list it.

As I left that day, I had this sick feeling in my stomach that hasn't gone away. I'm not sure if it is from knowing I won't be able to visit the house I grew up in, that my ex will be involved in it, or that I think my Dad is making a mistake. Probably all of the above.

My ex cannot be trusted in my opinion, I have heard him badmouthing my family many times, and my sister works for him and knowing he will be involved in selling the house makes me sick.

I'm torn-I don't want to tell my Dad and sister what he has said for many reasons. My sister works for him, my Dad trusts him, and even if I do say something he will deny it and make it look like I made it all up for bitter reasons.

I will probably say something for better or worse-that way if they keep in contact with him it will be their choice and out of my hands.

I hope everyone has a great week :)

freedom of speech? It sounds more like freedom from speech.

Interesting article

Interesting article by Sean Wilentz about Bush and why he may go down in history as the worst American president.

Job Hunting

I put in a few applications today and have some marked for tomorrow or Wednesday. Tomorrow I plan on calling everyone I know to see if they have heard of anything.

I hate trying to sell myself and job hunting is one of my least favorite things to do. I don't mind the after part, just the application/interview part-I always feel like I'm in grade school taking a test!

Brian likes his new job, but it has been long hours, long long hours. Of the group that he trained with 2 quit during their shift saying they couldn't take it anymore and one wasn't paying attention and broke his wrist. He gets his first paycheck tomorrow so he is really excited-I hope he can hang on with the long hours and only 1 day off.

We are still hot and windy, today got up to 98. I got nervous earlier when I was picking up Brian from work-around the corner from the house it seemed smoky and hazy-with all these fires lately it made me paranoid.

I hope everyone had a great Easter :)

A mishmash day

I had a pretty good day today-saw my dad, saw some friends out tonight and met my new neighbor.

The house next door to me is an odd one, a Frank Lloyd Wright-esque number that sticks out like a sore thumb (a pretty one) in the circa 50's neighborhood. When we first moved in it was a drug den, the owner finally got forclosed on and a real estate agent bought it and renovated it and resold it to a nice couple from Florida who moved here for a hotel job.

They got transferred and it sold to a co-worker of theirs. Drag Queens. They were a fun bunch-we got invited to a few parties and had a hoot. They decided to move and sold it to a co-worker of theirs whom I met tonight. He seems like a nice guy-he is still painting and redoing some things before moving in.

I felt embarrassed earlier that it took so long to figure out why Firefox was flaking out on both my computers. I forgot I had checked the boxes that say auto update in Firefox and not to auto update in my firewall! So when I opened up Firefox it would give me an error message that it couldn't connect because the firewall saw it as new program as well as a threat. That wasted 30 minutes of my day!

I bathed my dog Taylor yesterday, and he is the only dog that I have ever had that likes it. I was a little upset later on while I was playing with him like I normally do that he got aggressive and snapped at me. Towards my face even. He is the one that was attacked by the pit bull so I'm thinking he was still gun-shy.

It caused drama around here because I spanked him for it and Rick got upset with me for doing so. We disagree heavily on discipling the dogs. I'm of the school where if they do something wrong you spank them-especially if they show aggression-I won't put up with them thinking the are the leader of the pack-I am!

Or if they mess in the house, I won't put up with that at all. I would rather rub all of their noses in the mess and spank them all if I didn't know who did it just to be sure-where Rick is really lenient.

He also is the one who feeds them whereas I'm the one who bathes thems, takes them to the vet, clips their nails and gives them their medicines-who do you think they run to and like the most! I'm the heavy I guess. I can just see if we had kids, it would be the same. Maybe not.

With his kids, he is the heavy and I'm the fun step-parent that keeps secrets, takes them out for fun and sides with them usually when he is mad at them!

The fun final note of my day was balancing the check book, or actually un-balancing it. I had wrote in a deposit twice by accident-a large one. So here I was operating on a lot more money than I actually had-that was a fun discovery!

I hope everyone is having a great weekend :)

5 day weekend

Rick took off a few days, so wednesday felt like friday, thursday like saturday and today like sunday.

He has 8 weeks of vacation every year and his job has a high stress level so I suggested he use some of it to get away for a bit. He was getting stressed out at home over the smallest things-I can already see a difference.

He is talking to a friend of his again that he had a falling out with, so it's nice to see him making an effort.

Brian has been at his job for almost 2 weeks, it's hard work but he likes it-he'll like it even more when he gets his first paycheck with over 90 hours on it.

I won a few more shirts this week from Miller Lite, and some cigars from CAO. Still waiting on my car or trip!

We have had more fires again, I saw one in the distance when I was coming home from my Dad's house earlier.

Our area has lost 1,035,880 acres since January 1. We need some rain.

This is a picture of a small town north of here that was almost destroyed:



I hope everyone has a great weekend :)

Top 10 favorite movies

For no other reason but that I was thinking about this earlier while I was doing dishes. They are in no particular order and constantly change.

6 weird things/habits about yourself

I saw this on my friend Ginger's
blog and thought I would do it just so everyone can see how nuerotic/weird I am!

1: I am a total neat freak-we are talking toothbrush in the crevices, move the appliances/furniture, organize sock drawer freaky.

2: When I get in a reading mood, I read about 4-5 books a week.

3: I am a incurable procastinator.

4: I will watch any game show-anytime, anywhere.

5: I will not cry in front of anyone-but will bawl like a baby in private.

6: I collect duck figurines, ship models, hand figurines, crosses, toy cars, rocks and fossils. I also have a collection of odds and ends that I won't get rid of due to my sentimental nature.

Now it is all out there in the open, sigh, I feel better!

Libra (Sep 24 - Oct 23)

Your Week Ahead Libra - Saturday, 8th April 2006

This week brings a full Moon in your sign. If you are anticipating a quiet, easy time, you had better adjust your expectations. Something big is brewing. Now don't worry, I said big, not bad. It's not necessarily going to be easy but it won't prove hard, either. Just challenging in the nicest possible sense. You are about to put all your energy into something very demanding that's wonderfully worthwhile. If you don't already know where your great opportunity lies, you'll see it soon enough.

If I believed in this stuff I would be worried!

Sunday

I have been neglecting giving my car a bath for the longest time and finally went and washed mine and Ricks car. There is a new carwash around the corner from here with all then new bells and whistles so it was not a big job.

I need to get the tires rotated, oil change and a few other things done but I'm the worst of procastination.



I planned on bathing the dogs as well but ended up watching a few movies and some tv shows. I didn't even make dinner, I got lazy and ended up picking something up.

This week I plan on starting a job search-not looking forward to it. I have a few ideas about what I'd like to do but still undecided.

Hope everyone has a good Monday :)

A blast from the past or don't blog when you are drunk

I get home from a blurry Friday and find this picture staring back at me from my email



My best friend Ginger had told me about this picture but I couldn't place it. Her scanner was down for awhile and she finally fixed it and emailed it to me.

I vaguely remember this person. This was me when I was somebody else entirely different. I think I was mid 20's and didn't have a clue what was forthcoming in my life as it is now.

I was in Ciudad Juarez, had a ton of money, and pretended to be happy. The next year I looked the same in Paris, London, Berlin, Amsterdam and Brussels. I looked similar in the Caymans, Jamaica, Cancun and Cozumel. This was who I was when money didn't matter.

I went from the low income neighborhood to the 4500 square foot house where I parked my Land Rover, boat, motor home, Excursion, Jeep (just for fun) and had my eye on the BMW that I thought I deserved.

I went from monthly bills of $25,000+ to eeek, will I be able to pay my cable bill this month?

That was who I was then, but who am I now? I vaguely recognize myself in this picture. I don't remember it being taken but I remember the past that goes with it.

I ran into my ex tonight, the one that I built all of my past with-and the one thing that stuck out in my mind was thank God I am not that person any longer.

He was with his new crowd, I was with mine. He points over at me, says something to his friends and they all laugh. It WAS funny, but I was laughing at something completly different than what they were!

A few wins...

I won a free ticket to see Narnia or any Disney Film from the Narnia instant win. This is my second one of those.

I have won 2 T-shirts from the Miller Lite Save the Taste instant win, a 12 pack of Coke from the MIS Race to Win instant win.

While looking back at my winning emails I found one I had missed somehow back in February for a $20 gift card to the NCAA sports store from the Coke A winner every 35 seconds instant win.

That puts my yearly total for 2006 at $1063.03 and an overall total since 2000 at $20,364.52! Not bad for a little side hobby!

Have a great weekend :)

It's official...

More fires on a dry windy day

After the March 22nd fire everyone gets nervous around here when it gets windy-we had 35-45 mph winds with tomorrow an expected 60mph. On that day at least 907,000 acres burned-the largest grassfire in Texas history. 11 people were killed with 22 homes destroyed as well as an estimated 10,000 cattle perished.

Today we had several more fires-This was on our local newspaper website:


Wildfires erupted across the Texas Panhandle Thursday, forcing mandatory evacuation of the Gray County towns of Lefors and Bowers City and at least two northern Potter County neighborhoods, Appaloosa Hills and the Webb Addition at El Rancho Road.

About 550 people evacuated from Lefors and Bowers City, heading to Pampa. At least one structure burned in a fire at Northside Acres, on Willis Knight Street. Fires prompted closure of a number of county roads and highways.



We need some more rain around here and fast!

Rick's son Brad got a new puppy-I wanted to kidnap her when I saw here-she is a miniature pinscher name Loki



Here is one I took of Rick and Randy today-Rick is so attached to that dog. It was love at first sight with those two. My ex wouldn't let me take him when we "divorced" and then a year later his new fling didn't like pets so he dumped him off on me-which I'm glad!

Rick was hesitant at first since we still lived upstairs in my apartment building and had Petey as well. I came back from picking him up and Rick grabbed him and they have been inseparable ever since!



I hope everyone has a great weekend :)

A new look, some pictures, and a new do

I found a new template today at Free Blogger Templates and spent awhile customizing it.

I took some pictures earlier while I was watering the lawn:

This is Randy trying to find a quiet place to recover



This is the puppy tenatively named Sissy AKA Brownie, or Pup



This is a rose of sharon with the new coming out while the old is still on it



Taylor being disturbed from his sun nap



This is me after finally breaking down and coloring the gray in my beard-I think it is too dark but everyone else likes it (or lying to appease me). Not sure if I will do it again-I might try a lighter color



This is the wisteria getting ready to make me want to sit on my patio when the breeze is light



I hope everyone is having a great week :)

Where I Am From

I found this on Donna's blog and thought I would give it a go. If you decide to try it, the template guide is here. Donna did one for her and one for her husband that I enjoyed reading.

My friend Ginger did one as well. If you decide to do one let me know, would love to read it.

Here it goes:

I am from a rebellious shy Catholic girl who married at 15 for so many reasons and Southern Baptist farm kid who came home from graduation to find his bags on the porch.

I am from parents who met on a double date at a carnival and ditched their dates because they fell in love at first sight.

I am from Hamburger Helper, Betty Crocker, Hungry Man TV dinners, Tupperware and generic brands.

I am from a bad backed, gnarled fingered Dad who got that way working 3 jobs so my Mom could stay home and raise kids. I am from the suburbia that slowly went from middle to lower income just as the 30 year mortgage paid off.

I am from the identical plots of Bermuda grass lawns filled with dandelions, the snarly Elm trees and the snow of Cottonwood trees.

I am from Saturday cartoons, Sunday breakfasts of bacon, eggs and biscuits & gravy and eating dinner in front of the TV, from Mayo's and Thompson's, Bradstreet's and Dunn's.

I am from the weekend alcoholics who owned liquor stores and men who came home smelling like death from the beef packing plants while the dogs licked their shoes on the porch. I am from people who were in local papers for catching the biggest fish.

I am From Tornado tales of cars being picked up and gently sat down miles away, stories of how bad the great depression was and why I should clean my plate.

I am from not learning about religion until it was my choice, and finding out about sex from HBO and Reader's Digest.

I'm from the Texas panhandle where I would miss the dry wind and thunderstorms if I moved, where I get nervous when tornado sirens go off, from chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, hush puppies and fried catfish.

I am from a Grandfather who taunted me with his missing finger up the nose trick, from the Aunt who went to work one day and was never seen again. I am from snuggling up in a warm quilt that the hands of grandmother's I never met made.

I am from drawers full of black and white photographs and 8mm film spools full of people I am from but who died before I was born. I am from coin collections, collectible liquor bottles and Elvis memorabilia.

I am from people who did the best they could with what they had who I am finally beginning to appreciate.

Immigration bill....

This angers me on so many levels.

Aren't we all from immigrants? It is just an issue of how many generations it has been since our families have benefited from the same thing that may be taken away from others soon.

Where would our country be if it was decided from the beginning to build a wall and keep people out?

Yes I think there should be a system to document people coming into our country as well as a checks and balance system.

This all reeks of fearmongering and one of the most unAmerican things I have seen on the whole issue is that the immigrants are hurting our economy. If there wasn't an economic niche for them to fill they wouldn't want to come here.

Has anyone seen this movie:

Monday

This is a picture I took awhile back in Colorado and stumbled upon it today. I had forgotten how much I liked it.

Randy got his bad teeth pulled and the few good ones left cleaned. He is still groggy and just wanting to lay there. He had an infection in his nasal cavity that will take awhile to heal.

He has a little pep in him and seems to be taking it all well.



Taylor is doing well and should get his stitches out soon. Here is a picture I took last winter with their matching sweaters (no I don't make them wear sweaters, I just put these on for a photo op and then put them back in storage!)



Petey is running around trying to figure out why everyone else is getting all of his attention.



I hope everyone had a great monday :)

Gorgeous Sunday

It was a gorgeous day today-one that makes you want to work in the yard. My mower is on the fritz so I have to wait til it is out of the shop. All my trees are in bloom and some bulbs are coming up.

Taylor is doing a lot better, he is starting to play with the other dogs and is wanting to stay outside longer. He still wants to be right by my side when he comes in but stopped wanting to sleep on the bed with me. His stitches will probably come out tuesday.

Randy hurt his leg today and is limping. Not sure what happened, he probably jumped off the couch wrong. Tomorrow I have an appointment for him to get his teeth cleaned and some pulled anyway so I'll tell them about it.

Petey is still his ornery self!

Brian got a job and starts tomorrow. He had trouble for awhile finding something due to his probation, but this job didn't seem to mind. He is off probation in a couple of months anyway so he is excited about that as well as getting lots of overtime at the new job.

My Dad told me the other day that he had a lady friend over for dinner last friday. At first I did a double take but after a few minutes I was glad that he is dating rather than moping around. It must be serious, she is going to stay the weekend with him this coming friday! Not sure if he has told my sister and how she will take it.

Hope everyone has a great Monday :)

Ever wonder what to do with those Peeps?

Computer Cord Chaos and too much TV

I kept putting it off. I needed a couple of surge protectors on the computers for the longest time and only had power strips. I finally tackled it today.

I pulled the desk out, unplugged everything, fought the dust bunnies and started from scratch.

I even went so far as to label each plug so I would know what it was later and tied the extra lengths of cords to reduce the mess. This is part of my spring cleaning festival. Yesterday I tackled the kitchen closet (AKA if you don't know where else to put it, throw it in that closet).

You could have spotted me at Walmart-the spring cleaner with a cart piled high with organization bins, boxes and one of those spools to wind the tangled mess of orange extension cord.

I have one closet left-the office closet (AKA when you open the door everything flies out closet). If you watch the show Friends-it's like the closet Monica had under lock and key so no one would no she is actually messy.

I got a DVR recently and have went wild with it. I had no idea I was missing so much TV! I set it to record a show anytime it comes on or a movie that is on when I am away and the next thing you know I have tons of shows to watch.

There is even a handy search feature so I can search for shows I had no idea existed based on a keyword. The best perk is fast forwarding through commercials.

Some of the shows that I normally wouldn't catch that I am now addicted to are:
-Footballer$ Wive$
-Drawn Together
-The Oblongs
-Moral Orel
-Seconds from Disaster
-The Price is Right
-Kath and Kim
-City Confidential
-Distraction

Rick get's to record all of his flyfishing shows, cooking shows, and Larry King Live.

Since I got the new 60" plasma he tapes just about everything in high definition as well! I had no idea how much of a difference high definition was. I'd like to hook up surround sound soon as well.

Parts of our town was evacuated today from a huge grass fire within the city limits. I saw a news flash on and it was towards the area where some of my family live. On top of it all it was windy, about 38-40mph wind. Luckily they contained it and called off the evacuation. The news said 8 homes were lost, but no one was hurt.

I hope everyone has a great TGIF :)

A few wins and boredom...

I got a FedEx envelope yesterday from a GE/Home Depot contest I entered last year and it contained a $50 gift certificate from Home Depot. I need a few small things from there so that is cool.

I also won a lighter from a Camel instant win. I was determined to win that one since I had been playing it for so long!

Taylor had to go back to the vet again-they took his staples out and he itched the spot and opened it back up. So now they used sutures instead-he seems to be leaving it alone for the most part although he is itching were the hair is growing back.

He has been really needy lately so I have been trying to keep him near me. He also is doing a few strange things, like peeing on Brian's leg and getting mouthfuls of food and dropping them in other places throughout the house. Hopefully he won't be doing those for long!

It has been a boring last few days-I'm eyeing my kitchen cabinets and closet to clean them out or the outside shed.

I had a couple of plumbing troubles in the last few days-can't wait to get those bills-yuck.

Hope everyone is having a great week so far :)

Recovering...

I'm slowly starting to feel better from all the scrapes and bruises-still a little down. Taylor is doing good, healing and acting like he is getting back to normal.

I won a couple of things yesterday, a duffle bag from a dorito's instant win and a luggage bag from FedEx. Hopefully this is a good precursor for a trip win??!!

I've been having fun loading up my Ipod with all my cd's, it does more than I thought.

We had a pretty good snow yesterday, it all melted off already, but it was nice to get all the moisture.

Hope everyone has a great weekend :)

F*cked up day

We had a pit bull named Naughty-she was always a mellow dog and never caused any trouble or had ever been aggressive. She was part of the family and, being a pit bull, never caused me any concern about her being around my other dogs.

On Wednesday, she decided to go galavanting, and dug out of the backyard. She got busted by the pound. We paid the fine and brought her home. She was so excited to see us and you could tell she was happy to be home.

We put her in the backyard, and my dog Taylor, who I have had for 7 years was back there. He is a beagle/american foxhound mix, about her same size. He was excited to see her and ran up to her and all of the sudden Naughty attacked him.

I was doing dishes and heard Taylor screaming. Which is an odd thing since he has never barked or made much as a squeek. She had grabbed him by the throat and it was like she went insane.

Rick and his son were out there and were trying to make her let go but she wouldn't. I ran outside and my first thought was to grab her and pull her off but she wouldn't budge. My next thought was to punch her and kick her so she would let go but she wouldn't.

I ran to the faucet to turn the water hose on her, and after a few seconds that seem like minutes of hooking the hose back up, I started spraying her with the sprinker that was attached to the hose.

She finally let go and Taylor ran into the house-she was quick and ran in after him. I got into the kitchen and she had grabbed him by the throat again. I still had the hose and in my kitchen, I sprayed her in the face with the hose again and when that didnt work I started hitting her in the head with the sprinkler that was attached to the hose while punching her with the other hand.

It was so surreal at the time because I lost my dog Reggie in a similar way in 1997 and I wasn't about to lose Taylor the same way.

I punched, kicked, and all but bashed this dog to try to get her lose from Taylor.

Finally, I got her lose from him and he ran into the house while Rick held her.
Taylor was all shook up and on the couch and I ran to check him out. He seemed ok, but there was blood all over me. I found a huge cut on his neck about 4 inches long and freaked out.

I sorta went calm then, to take charge I guess, I told Rick to make sure the other dogs were ok and got Brian to call a Vet to tell them we were on the way, but I was worried since it was after 5pm of who would be open. Luckily the one I picked was open so we made a mad dash and wouldn't you know it my fuel light came on, oy.

Luckily we made it to the vet and Taylory was ok, he got a dose of something that calmed him down, some staples and some antibiotics.

When I finally realized that he was going to be ok, I finally looked at myself and realized I looked worse for the wear. I had cuts all over my hands, both of my knees and elbows were scabbe up and I had a major cut on my hand. I don't remember getting any of them

We all realized at that point that if Naughty had decided to attack one of our other dogs (small dachsunds) or us, it would have all gone down different.

Rick called the pound again, where we had just picked her up, and told them what had happened-to come pick her back up. We knew that they wouldn't adopt her out and put her down.

I am so thankful that Taylor is ok and that it wasn't Petey or Randy she went for, but I feel so horrible that I basically beat the crap out of her before she got put down. But I couldn't and wouldn't ever trust her again to be around Taylor, the other dogs, me, or anyone.

What if it had been one of Rick's or my nephews, or a friend that just happened to be around? I can't even imagine.

So here was this dog that I loved, trusted and even defended when everyone said "eeek it's a pit bull" doing the very thing that everyone feared she would do.

I think Rick and Brian are kinda freaked that I let loose on her, we are all happy that Taylor will be ok but we are all sad that Naughty is gone.

It's all too weird.

Purple weenies and leaky pipes

It wasn't a good day yesterday when the first thing I had to do was call a plumber. He found the leak, fixed it and told me the words I did not want to hear "I think it's time for a total replumbing". I think I aged 2 years from that phone call.

OK, now I have seen it all:



I wish this was a joke! There went my appetite :O

Here is another appetite wrecker although the name is kinda funny:



I hope everyone has a great weekend and that no plumbing calls are in anyone's future!

¡Ay carumba!

Last night I organized my desk and most of the office. Tomorrow I may tackle the office closet, it is one big mess where we shoved all the stray stuff after the move.

Tonight I cleaned out my bedroom closet, going through some old boxes, organizing storage stuff etc. Then I started in on the dresser drawers.

I have a few old tin boxes that I used to collect years ago, and over the years I had stuck stray bits of life in them: a ticket stub, a business card, etc. Back in the mid 90's I took a trip to Mexico and had some leftover money that I stuck in there-the Peso was really weak back then. I also found some Belgian francs and some British pounds that I had leftover from a trip to Europe in 1994.

I sat them aside with the thought of looking on the internet of the conversion rates and kept on cleaning.

I finally sat down and added them all up from the online conversions and while the European money was minimal, the pesos add up to almost $190!! I have some more stuffed in boxes in the closet so I'm hoping that total goes up after I clean it out!

Not much else happened today, I hope everyone has a great weekend :)

A few boring days

Not much has been going on around here. I have been catching up on some movies and books. No wins since February 23rd :( I'm hoping a surprise win will come by USPS, UPS or FedEx soon.

In fact it has been so boring I feel like I need to get out and do something before I go stir crazy-or at least start doing some remodel work on the house. My sleeping habits are all off kilter so I'm going to try to work on that.

I have been wanting to update the kitchen paint and flooring. It is all in good shape and wont cost much. The people before had a thing for all black and white and I want some color in there. They also had a thing for wild colors in the rest of the house like yellow and green in one bedroom and purple and pink in another! Those were the first to go LOL

Rick is on a diet of some sort that a friend of his told him about. I don't think it has a specific name but it limits your sugar and carbs. He has been in a MOOD lately from the sugar withdrawals, so today I told him I have named his diet "The South Bitch" diet!

He is actually doing good on it and working out every other day at the gym-luckily the new diet is only supposed to last 30 days for whatever reason to which I and I'm sure everyone he works with are glad!

Hope everyone is having a great week :)

Good news and bad news

My niece had a nasty fall off of a horse and is in a drug induced coma while her brain is monitored for swelling.

The first day the doctors were not optimistic at all and were preparting everyone for the worst. The next day her brain stopped swelling and went down even. When they tried to slowly wake her up it all went awry and they sent her back down. They are going to try again tomorrow.

My friend Ginger came up to visit which helped a lot. Plus I finally got to meet her pug Winston who felt so at home he hiked in my kitchen twice!

I got my video Ipod in the mail that I won last month, and have won 5 books, a timex indiglo watch, tshirt, a pizza, a movie and 20 two liters of diet coke in the mean time. My total for 2006 is $724.78.

I set my dad up on entering the instant wins to start and the first one he entered he won a lighter from Camel-he was excited and is hooked. He called today and asked me to set him up on high speed internet so he can enter faster!

Hope everyone has a great weekend :)