Almost a new year...let's make it a good one

Well, it's all over but the dropping of the ball and the first year without Dick Clark. I plan on settling down for a comfy evening in pj's with my family and out traditional viewing of the Twilight Zone marathon. Party animals, we are not. I lack the stamina to stay up late anymore. Just too much of a snoozy girl. So enjoy bringing in the New Year your favorite way.

Every year I resolve to lose 3,000lbs or make a million dollars or have all my Christmas shopping done in April or learn to play five new instruments. Every year I manage to disappoint myself and others. This year, I have decided to be the best me I can be. That is all I can do. I sure hope that I can do this in a joyful manner, being a good example to my children, family and friends. During this year, I covet your prayers and encouragement and hope that I will be the same kind of person to you.

The hub and I decided to end 2012 on a positive note. After all of our Kroger Plus gas points, we piggybacked cars at the Shell station and managed to get this price per gallon:



I was most pleased with this price and figured saving $50 was ending things with a bang. After that, I went and spent my Christmas money. The dulcet sounds of a red mother of pearl accordion will be flowing throughout our house. Rock on, 2013! God bless you all and I look forward to another year of sharing our strange and funny life with you....Happy New Year!
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I've reached new levels of geekdom

Go ahead and say it..."We didn't think that was possible." Har har hardy har har. I am a geek, I'll claim it. Growing up I was a Star Trek watching, NPR listening, Apple II+ playing, Weird Al listening bonafide geek. I watched my brother play D&D. I bought little lead dwarf and elf figures at Ben's Toy Store in Johnson City, TN. And now, I am on the cusp of purchasing something to propel me into the realms of geekdom with one of my heroes, Weird Al. Yes, my friends, I am about to buy an accordion. Having the desire to own one for several years has kept me on the lookout for some time. Seeing as how this area is not a hot bed for accordion activity, it has been a fruitless search so far. If we were to travel up to Wisconsin and visit our family, my brother in law assured me that there are accordions to be found on every corner...across the street from a bar. They have the right idea becasue what goes better with beer than polkas? And what do you need to make any polka legit? Yessireebob, an accordion. I have been hesitant to buy one online sight unseen. As with most musical instruments, I want to hold it and check it out and see how it sounds. So you can imagine my excitement when my brother texted me to say there was an accordion spotting downtown. I grabbed S, who needed some TLC after a rather hurtful experience during Sunday School this morning, picked up my brother and sister in law and headed downtown to take a look at this beauty. The only problem was I didn't really know what I was looking for in terms of good or bad. The words "vintage" and "mother of pearl" were thrown around, which sounded promising, but looks aren't the hallmark of a good musical instument. It was very flashy:



What makes me extra geeky is the thought that kept going through my mind: "Would Weird Al approve of this purchase? Would he play this?". The man is coming to our fair city in April and I am hoping upon hope to get some tickets, but like he cares what I buy. I couldn't bring myself to spend the money today so I left no poorer, but a bit disappointed. After consulting with my musical genius friend, Prince Andrew(long story), he said that it looked like an excellent deal to him. I will travel back downtown tomorrow to see if this 1950's beauty is still there. If it is, it was meant to be. If not, we all know the answer. Either way, the peppy sounds of a polka(or my favorite Yankovic tune)will be coming out of our house one way or another. You'll know where to come party.
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I am a computer idiot...pure and simple

Just let me say, first off, that the post oabout my son's favorite barbershop is not new. It was maybe my third post on this freshly created blog. Like any inexperienced computer person, I failed to label my posts to help people find them in a more efficient manner...not like people are feverishly seeking out any one post of mine. As I had a little bit of down time over the holidays, I thought I would take a few posts a night and label them, you know, "OCD" for the Pizza Inn post or "Bite suit, crazy cousins, Olympics" for the post about attack dogs. I apparently pushed the wrong rectangle and posted a year and a half old post today. Why and how I do not know. I can't undo it now. Dur. So for those of you who have read that one before, sorry. For those who haven't read it, enjoy. It is kind of a sweet one for me.

Today has consisted mostly of de-holidaying the house and getting ready for the new year. Like the slacker neighbor I am, I sent the hub and kids out to deliver Christmas cookies that I had not been able to deliver earlier. We have older neighbors who are very good to us and I had not yet baked the cookie dough when they showed up with their bread and rolls. I was the ultimate neighborhood loser. After feeling low and inadequate, we set off for the Apple Store, whose employees can certainly make one continue to feel low and inadequate, what with their Genius Bar and all. S had, as previously stated, saved and purchased herself an iPad mini. She was going back with commission(allowance) and a loan from the 'rents to purchase her AppleCare for the device. The boy used some of his commission to buy a new iPod Touch case for his hand me down device. Captain America cases are the best. G chose to play on the ipads in the kids area and save her money. She has been a bit on the dull feeling side today, asking to just go to sleep today. Anyhoo, after the Apple Store and a trip to Williams-Sonoma to puchase some deeply discounted items for next year's Christmas gifts, we headed home. I think all the hustle and bustle of the post-Christmas mall was too much for somebody:




She is now resting in bed, although I keep getting little ipod text messages from her. Maybe I need to go check and see if there is any slumbering going on in there.

Tomorrow brings with it a work day and then relaxing with the family, I hope. If any snow would like to make an appearance, I'm sure the five heartbeats of this house would welcome it with open arms. We need to get some sledding in...all except for the hub. He better not.

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My son's favorite place

My son is a boy of simple tastes. He likes chewing gum, super heroes, playing with his friends and getting his hair cut. He used to go to one of the big haircutting chains in our area, mostly for the entertainment value he brought to my grandmother's weekly hair appointment. While he enjoyed spending time with her, he HATED getting his hair cut there. The clippers sounded like a buzz saw from a mill and the ladies did not appreciate squirmy little boys. Then, we discovered the barber shop and the game changed. Instead of dodging the clippers and crying at the sight of the beautician, he collapsed into a trance worthy of a snake charmer and his flute. Then, tragedy happened. Our beloved Jerry was gone. The only barber who could cut Fin's hair and not make him look like Lloyd Christmas was gone! We all went into panic mode, going to the Facebook airwaves to see if anyone knew of his location. Luckily, our friend Philip came to the rescue and gave the great news that Jerry was opening his own shop in a much more convenient location. Celebrations commenced and all was right with Fin's world. Why would a boy love the barber shop so? I hear many stories of moms and dads holding children down in the chair while the nervous barber did his best not to take off an ear or unintentionally cut gang symbols into their scruff. Fin is the great great grandson of a barber. It is in his blood. As a woman, the beauty shop is a place to talk about the latest gossip, significant others and how best to fix your split ends. I love my stylist...she is the bestI have ever had and is my dear friend to boot. I treasure our time together. While the barber shop is, for the most part, the male version of the same, it is something more. A sacred brotherhood where men come to talk sports, crazy wives, the latest arrests and get themselves cleaned up. My father, a fairly well known and well respected engineer, has the barber blood in him. I have seen him work through many problems with my brother, husband and uncle as they sit in the chair and he trims up their beards. The hypnotic motions of watching my grandfather go in for his weekly shave at the local shop bring me back to a simpler time...where a hot towel and and straight razor made one feel like a man again, fresh and clean and ready for possibilities. The smells of shaving cream and pomade, the zip of the straight razor and the buzz of the clippers are all soothing. When I take Fin, I feel a bit like I am intruding on an exclusive club. Luckily, I am given a bit of a pass since the boy needs a ride at this point. I feel honored that I am allowed to be a part, even if just on the outside, of this process. My parents' church has opened a twice a month barber/beauty shop to help those regardless of means. I tear up every time my mom tells me of clients standing a little straighter when they walk out with their new looks. Jerry and the other barbers in our society are in a ministry that others fail to recognize. One where the heartbroken are heard, where the storytellers have an audience and where the disheveled are cleaned up and sent out looking like a shiny new dime, ready to take on the day. God bless the barbers of this world.

Just another chilly, boring day

You can't have it both ways. I understand that, but sometimes I forget that. When it is terribly busy, I want calm. When it is too calm, I want some action to liven things up a bit. Today has been one of those days that, while I loved having no agenda, I feel dull and a bit of a loser in terms getting anything accomplished. I did go to visit a friend whose mother was having surgery today. Coming from a long line of hospital waiting room squatters, the magnetic pull of cramped quarters, bad coffee and poorly stocked vending machines beckoned me to crawl in the car this morning armed with a bag of treats to be consumed by the waiting family. My aunt, uncle and parents have spent years of their lives dropping in on friends and family who are patiently, or impatiently, waiting for news of loved ones. I feel the same pull in my blood, but sadly I lack the finesse and comforting words of my family members. Today's trip got me as far as the hospital parking lot where I found them still in their car, but I felt awkward following them in like some weird lost puppy. SO, I shoved the bag of treats in their hands, gave a hug and went on my way. We did text throughout the day, so my squatting relatives would probably be okay with that...even though they still don't understand the attraction of talking by typing on a phone.

After returning home, I found children still in pj's with one of them making a home made barometer for school. Laundry, straightening and cleaning followed. Then a few hours of sloth. In this time, we received word that sweet baby Drew was not doing well. His pulmonary hypertension is causing such issues and those issues are hard to overcome. He is resting and all we can do is pray without ceasing, hoping that his little body will find its will to fight once again. Miracles happen every day and I just hope one of them happens in his life.

I am currently listening to the hub and children listening to our team play their bowl game. Overtime is never where you want them to be, but at least they got to a bowl game. We just won, the kids and hub are happy and bedtime is about to commence. There is a peanut butter ball with my name on it and then bedtime for me. Aren't you riveted by the excitement that is my life? I'll take it a million times over.


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Back to life...back to reality

Well the last of the family left today to return to their own homes and comfy beds. It is bittersweet without the sweet. Reality had to return, but I was not really ready for it. And in true fashion for the kind of luck we have, not two minutes after they left, the boy tripped over the dog gate and hit his nose against the wall. The tip of it turned blue immediately. Screaming and crocodile tears commenced. After feeding the children lunch, I treated myself to a luxury that I hadn't indulged in since Thanksgiving: I sat down. On the couch. And woke up 90 minutes later and felt like complete crap, but was warm and snuggly with my children. I'll take that any day.

We splurged and ate out tonight. Frankly, as much as I love Chirstmas dinner fare, we could not take another night of ham or pork tenderloin...any pork product. G had more fun with a paper placemat than most people can...love that girl:




The evening has been spent enjooying the fun of Apple products and iMovie. I have been baking to take treats to friends in the hospital waiting room tomorrow. As much as I love to bake, I think I may be losing my cooking mojo or suffereing from a janked up oven. When turning out loaf number two of lovely pumpkin bread, it does not bode well to have actual bread batter ooze out of the crack in the top of the loaf...especially when it was baked almost 15 minutes longer than the recipe asked. Grrrr. At least the ends are nice. Honestly, that is just beyond annoying.

It is about time to turn it. Have to go clean bread goo off the counter and try not to cuss and run over the bread pans in the driveway. It's too cold...that won't happen. Tonight.


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The day after kinda stinks...

The day started off with some promise. I slept in past 7am for the first time in I don't know how long. The rain was dropping on the roof, making me want to turn over and try for a little bit more sleep. Then I looked at the clock and realized that the hub was going to be late to work if he didn't get moving soon. The kids got up, the hub left and then all hell broke loose. Attitudes were in the dumpster, everybody wanted Daddy and Mom was a swamp witch again. I took a quick jaunt to Walgreens and Kroger to see if there were any after Christmas deals to be had. The kids are good for gift bags for teacher gifts for the next three years, I think. After returning home, we started taking the ornaments off the tree which was fun for about, I don't know, two minutes. After that, the swamp witch was working alone. The boy got a remote controlled solar system for his bedroom. He was thrilled when my dad finished putting it up. Our little budding astronomer wanted to write about his new toy in his new journal. He said, "I need to write it down now. My memory is erased when I go to sleep. It resets each night." Where does he come up with that stuff? By the way, I am writing on my new keyboard and it disables the autocorrect. Sorry for the typos that I have not caught. I'm sure there are more than usual.

My aunt and uncle came over today and brought the kids Christmas presents. The boy once again got a great gift. He was thrilled with his new sheets. Can you guess why?



S had a big day as well. She has been saving up money and, after receiving Christmas money, had enough to take a trip to the Apple Store. She took lots of time to make a list of questions for them and even made a chart of comparisons between products. A bit later she came walking in, the proud owner of her very own iPad Mini. Gotta admire her for her thriftiness, which was burning a hole in her pocket.

Good things happened to the kids and that's enough. It just stinks to be an adult dealing with putting decorations away...and being the bad guy...all the time. But I am blessed. Baby Drew is having a bad day today and nothing I've complained about today is even important compared to his problems. Pray for his little body. So worrying...
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