I got a phone call from Hannah's teacher this evening. She asked me if I could send in our bag of Gerbil food so she could take it to the School District. She needs to prove that there is indeed a Gerbil food without nuts, so that Hannah's class can procure the classroom Gerbil. I really hope that they're getting a Gerbil that can juggle or swallow swords...what a hassle. On the same "Gerbil" note; Ms. Buso (Hannah's teacher) asked me if our Gerbil died today and that she was sorry. I told her that Indiana Jones died about 2.5 months ago. I guess Hannah finally felt comfortable talking about it in class, just not the specifics. That is Hannah for you, Hannah Standard Time. Ms. Buso felt really bad...I told her not to worry, that we had another Gerbil, Mocha Joe, and she was still alive and kicking. Though...two nights ago when I was putting the girls to bed we passed by her cage and she way laying in her cage and looked like she was dead...we shook the cage (I know, Shaken Gerbil Syndrome) and she did not move. I thought for sure she had died but when I started to really give up hope. Mocha got up, looked at us and went into her little house. She is always taunting me!!! She was probably thinking I would open the door to check on her and she would make a run for it...ha, ha...I am on to her evil plan.
In other news we took the car into shop before it could ask for it's Christmas Present. I am really hoping that the car will take note of the effort and leave our Christmas bonus alone. We ended up having to have some extensive work on the front end (tie rods, bushings etc...) and had to get 4 new tires. I told the shop that I only had a $1000 to spend. I smiled pretty and they gave us two 20% off discounts, 10% for AAA, and a $50 rebate on the tires. The total came to $999.71. Good Stuff:)
Whenever I have to put that much money down to fix the car or something in the house I always think of how many clothes or Little Pet Shop toys I could buy with a thousand dollars. The car is driving like a dream, so I guess I can cope:P
Thursday, November 20, 2008
I'll Take Gerbil For 1000 Alex...
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Over Exposed
We went to JC Penny's to get our Christmas picture taken. Frankly, I should have gotten the school nurse to take the pics...that is how bad the experience was
I should have know that these pictures were destined to be a failure. I had to go to 5 different stores just looking for a pair of white dress shoes for Audrey and could not find any, so ended up with silver. The dress that we had bought for Audrey, the only one that fit her, had a smudge on the front (we got a good discount for it) and it did not match anyone else's clothes. Saturday morn, I took the girls to get their hair done...that was a lot of fun, but the girl had quoted me $10 for each of their updos (even after she had seen Audrey's hair and told me it would be fine) but after it was all said an done she charged me $20 for Audge's hair.
The girl who took the pics clearly wanted to be somewhere else. She asked me what the pictures were for and I said that we were here for the family Christmas-pic...pretty straight forward. I guess I should have drawn a little diagram with stick figures so that she could understand better. She called the girls "you" and not once did she try to get them to smile, to pose them (I posed them) or give a flying whoot that we were even there. The only pic that turned out decent was lucky. She blamed Wes being so tall for her equipment not working (when she clearly had no idea what she was doing) she hit me on the head with one of the lamps and did not even say sorry. AHHHH!!! So we get done and are told to wait 15 minutes to see the pictures. 15 minutes pass...then 30 and then 40 and by this time I am seething. I go and ask when we can see our pics and am told that they are short staffed and that we are going to have to wait another 40 minutes to an hour. My voice started going up exponentially and that is when the manager screamed out that they would give us two free sheets. I thought, ok, I have a coupon for no sitting fee (because hell would of frozen over before I paid $40 for that photo session) and a free 8x10...that is 3 free sheets. Alright, we will walk down to the bookstore and wait.
We get back and the same girl (I will not call her a photographer because she isn't) shows us the pics on the computer. She took 25 shots and they had made a few of them into those special fancy sheets that cost more money and those were the only ones she showed me...I asked where the originals were. She pulled up the pics and only ONE of the family pictures were even on the screen. Her Manager had gotten rid of the rest because they were so lousy. I had steam coming out of my ears. I kept telling her "I need a minute, I need to talk to my husband" and she just stood there like I was speaking Russian. So I grudgingly decided on a couple of pics for my free sheets, and was told I could not have them because they were special sheets and were excluded. I wanted to just walk out but we had spent so much money just getting everything for the pictures that I was not going to walk out empty handed. Then low and behold the girl's cell phone goes off...I am in the middle of asking her a question and she tells me to be quiet and tells the other person that she is supposed to be off and she is trying to get out of there. I looked at her and told her to go and get her Manager and leave. Good Riddance!!! That was probably the highlight of the whole experience.
(I did call and complain to JC Pennys customer service. They are sending me a coupon for two free sheets and a free photo session. Yippee:P)
So we had a major dilemna: we still needed Christmas pics and didn't want to pay anyone to do them. We didn't want to drive two hours to the good photographer, so if you want something done right, do it yourself. We got home and took pics of the girls and then our neighbor came over and took our family pic which turned out FABULOUS!!! I can not post any on this blog because that will ruin the Christmas card but here is a good pic of me.
The Land of Cashews and Almonds
I finally got up enough courage to try an Almond again. I have been craving them so badly that I have been replacing the taste of Almonds with the "Almond scent." I have been smelling cleaning supplies, fabric softeners, hand creams and candles...just to quench my new-found passion. I broke down Friday night while Wes was home, and ate an Almond Joy. I slowly ate the chocolate bar and nothing happened so I ate the other one. AMAZING!!! Wes was worried the whole time but was so relieved that the past Almond experience was not just some weird fluke and was actually a revelation. He got so excited and started pondering what nut I could try next. We settled on Cashews because those are his favorite.
We went to the store the next day and were in the nut isle...it felt so weird, so foreign and strange. I felt like death could get me at any minute but I had to explore a new found journey...of nuts. (I know I sound so dramatic)
We started looking at roasted Cashews and, low and behold, the Cashews are roasted in PEANUT OIL. Who was the genius that thought this was a good idea? So, we looked at another brand and, the same thing. So all these years (I am almost 32) I thought I was allergic to tree nuts but come to find out I was allergic to the oil that some idiot was roasting the tree nut in. We went to the nut bins to see if they had any organic Cashews and they did; safe, as far as peanut exposure.
That night I took the little Cashew out of the plastic bag and smelled it ...no reaction. I then stared at it a little while. I had never even felt a Cashew, so that was a little strange. Then I took a bite... HEAVEN...forget the Almond. I mean, my life has been meaningless without the Cashew. Everything was perfect, no swelling or itchiness. I ate another one and then my mean husband took the bag away from me and told me I had to wait until the next day to try another so we could see if there was going to be an allergic reaction of any sort. I woke up the next morning and everything was right as rain. Thank goodness I made that mistake a couple of months ago or we would never have had this epiphany. To think I don't have to be scared of these two nuts just as long as they are natural and not roasted is a big load off my shoulders. The next nuts I am going to try are Macadamia Nuts and Pistachios.
A Non-Violent Revolution
No matter what your political views I am so happy to have witnessed with my own eyes the wonder of the United States' democracy in action. It was marvelous. We had a Non-Violent Revolution. People are dying by the hundreds-of-thousands (Congo) or have fought wars for years on end and still were not able to accomplish the same thing that happened peacefully on Nov 4th. That is the true Majesty of this country. I was very proud to be an American, very happy to be a Veteran, very happy just to be a part of history. Honestly there have been many times this election year that I was happier to be a Canadian. I am lucky and blessed to have two countries to call my own.
I have waited a few days to write this blog because I know that Wes' and my political views are the minority in the family. I am just so happy that in my lifetime, I was able to witness a black man elevated to the highest office in the land and to have heard his acceptance speach. People will talk about that night for generations.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Dollhouse Update
The dollhouse is coming along quite nicely. Wes has the structure done and is now working on the facade. He is making trim for the windows, shutters and a doorway. I will soon be painting it and we will be putting the siding on. I can't wait. Then we will start decorating the inside.
The house is just a bit smaller then Hannah
Halloween Parade
We had beautiful weather on Friday. It felt like a summer day. The evening was even warmer. This is the second year in a row that we have had great weather on Halloween.
The girls had their school parade. Hannah got to march with all the other grades this year, that made her happy. They are both looking so old.
Halloween 2008 II
Here is a pic of my hair...for all of you who are curious. It has gotten very long.
Wes's Pumpkin Creations
The Witch from Bugs Bunny (Hannah's Pumpkin)
Woodstock (Audrey's Pumpkin)
Snoopy "World War I Flying Ace" (Wes's Pumpkin)
