Last weekend of the month

For whatever it's worth, it's finally the weekend. Unfortunately, that just means I have fewer days left this month to get the stuff done that I want.

Joe went to Anchorage yesterday. He flew out at 7:20 am and was home about 12 hours later. In my joy to have the car all day, I stayed home. No trips to Costco, Fred's or even out for lunch. I enforced afternoon naptime and fell asleep watching the snow fall out my bedroom window.

Tristan is still coughing and woke up really congested early this morning. I was getting some decongestant for him and that prompted an early morning exodus from bed. We were all up before 6 am, to see Joe off to work, I guess. I left the kids on the couch watching Noggin, with drinks and dry cereal and I went back to bed. Tristan fell asleep in the chair shortly after that, but Grace kept changing clothes, playing games and I swear she was talking to me every 10 minutes about something. I heated up leftover pancakes for breakfast about 9 am and hopped in the shower. I shoveled the steps and part of the driveway after that, but lost my momentum by curling up on the bed with a book when I came inside.

The majority of the afternoon has been spent putting DVD's in for the kids and fixing lunch/snacks/drinks. I really need another nap.

"Girls have ponytails. Boys have belts."

Today is a sick day. Momma is not going anywhere. This cold has royally kicked my rear.

Joe was off yesterday (and today) so I got to the post office finally and mailed 3 packages, to the bank for deposits, changing the billing address and ordering new checks and the yarn store for some new needles. I stopped back at the post office to get a change of address form (closing the PO Box) and started coughing so badly in the lobby, that I almost threw up. I had to go sit in the car (and hack and wheeze) until I could drive home. I'm putting an extra bottle of water and some cough drops in there in case that ever happens again.

I spent the rest of the afternoon making some Easter cards (for a swap that might not happen now?) and cleaning up my craft tables. I made fleece blankets for the kids last week (I think I forget to mention it here) and the rest of my stuff got shuffled around. Dinner was Shrimp Scampi, with a side of Power Rangers - Tristan's new addiction. I slept like crap, even with Nyquil, until about 4 am. The kids were yelling for me at 7:10 am. Yipee.

Even better, it's snowing again. The forecast (hahaha!) is calling for another foot this week after saying it would be 40 and raining. So, the weather recap is - 27" of snow last week, followed by rain and freezing temperatures making? You got it! ICE! And now more snow on top of the sheet of ice, for a slippery ride no matter what. I'm really kicking myself for not getting the studs for the car a couple of months ago.

The title today is Tristan's quote from this morning, regarding accessories for the different genders. He made me laugh, which made me cough... Happy Wednesday All!

Holiday Letdown

Due to the weather change (to rain and fog), a crappy cold, falling off the roof (metaphorically speaking) and the almost 4-day-old migraine as a result, I have been unable to keep up with anything beyond the basics. The house is a mess. I declared today a PJ day and fed the kids M&M's for a snack. Fishing Guy headed back to work this morning. Life is back to normal.

Yard Fun

Some pictures from today...

I realize that they need a little set up, so here is the short version. The kids were tired of playing outside in the armpit deep snow sometime Tuesday afternoon, so Dawn and I joked about the kids needing paths through the deep snow and took the kids inside for the day. Joe built the sledding ramp/luge course the next afternoon and also broke a path to the snowman, so I could get a picture of the kids next to it. This morning Rob used the snowblower to make an in-case-there-is-an-emergency-and-we-can't-get-out-of-the-back-door path into his back yard and it evolved into this. If we had more daylight today, we would have had a snow fort too.

This is the view from the back of Rob and Dawn's yard to the street.


Ethan and Tristan - Tristan is the giant.


Her Highness - Grace


All three kids heading out to the street.


The path Joe dug for me from the downstairs patio door connecting with the others. I can now cut across the yard again to Dawn's house. "Make a right at the first intersection and take the next left, by the big tree..."


So what did YOU do today?

The Number Four...

It finally stopped snowing today. After 4 days and about 27" of white stuff in the yard. I have some more pictures - gah! What a job to download them every day.

I made cards today - two sets of 4. One is for me and one is for a hostess gift.

The number of boots, mittens and socks I had to put on and take off of the kids to play in the snow. Everyday. For the last 4 days.

How many hours I want to take a nap for... :o)

Happy Birthday!

to my My Twin.

I hope you have a wonderful day!

It's STILL snowing...

It hasn't stopped since Sunday morning, well maybe in the middle of the night when we were all sleeping, but we don't know for sure. We are pretty much snowed in and very thankful that Joe doesn't have to go back to work until Sunday.

This was the driveway this morning at about 10 am.



And this is the thermometer (about 6" diameter) and the back porch accumulation this morning at the same time.



We now have a luge course in the front yard and I'll download the pictures of the kids up to their armpits in snow later tonight. We have had a blast shoveling, snow-throwing and watching the big plow with all of the neighbors.

And we are all wondering WHEN the snow is going to stop... Maybe tomorrow.

Let it Snow!!!

It started snowing this morning, about the time I posted the other entry. It's still snowing. Hard. We have about 8 inches so far and it's not supposed to stop until Tuesday. Total could be 2-3 FEET!!! Yahoo!

We got the kids out skiing this afternoon. I pulled them around the cul-de-sac on the sleds when they got tired and Joe went for a little ski alone. I went to the store this morning and stocked up on diapers and milk - we were at Costco yesterday, so Bring It On!

What awesome timing for Joe to be home on vacation!

Vacation

I've been meaning to get here before this.

Grace is still sick, congested and a nasty cough. She hasn't been sleeping through the night and therefore, neither have I. We seem to have escaped the latest puking bug to hit the neighborhood though.

We went sledding again yesterday afternoon. What fun! The hill is at the middle school about a block away, so we just pull the kids over in the sleds and play for about an hour. I haven't taken my camera over yet (after the first dive I took I'm afraid I will break it) but Dawn has some from the last two times we've gone. As soon as I get them from her, I'll post them.

Joe is officially on vacation this week. He took Tristan out for breakfast yesterday and then to the hardware store. We all went to Costco to get groceries, cleaned up the garage, Joe made a run to the dump and then we all went sledding.

I finished my scarf for me - no picture yet - and started another one for Grace in a baby pink. Her birthday is in a month and it is sneaking up on me quickly. I have no idea what else we are going to get her.

Anyway, I have grand plans for all the stuff I'll be able to get done this week while the kids have Daddy Time, but I have a feeling it will be like having 3 kids at home instead. At least I will have access to the car all week!

It's Cold

A high of 7 above today and a low about -4. It's not normally that cold this close to the ocean. We set records yesterday too, with a low of -2. The windchills were -30 (or more) and we put on coats and hats to run next door to play. Today, only Joe is venturing outside.

The kids are starting to go nuts and I can't get anything crafty of my own done without "help" from them. We made foamie snowmen today for our craft, they played with playdough and colored pictures. We, mostly Grace and I, played Go Fish too. I made them stickers with the new Xyron and that turned into card making.

I'm almost done with my latest scarf - for me! I should be able to get it done tonight or tomorrow. It's turning out better than I thought too.

Grace has a hacking cough and didn't sleep well last night. So far, the rest of us haven't gotten the same thing. I've been washing my hands like a mad woman and making sure I get enough sleep.

The Weekend

Friday afternoon - went to Dawn's house stamp some cards and let the kids play. Came home about 6:30 pm, fed the kids and went to bed early. Grace came home with her first "crush" on a 6 year old named Bradley.

Saturday - finally cleaned and vacuumed the living room. Put away the decorations and took the ornaments off the tree. Went to see Finding Neverland for a Girl's Night Out. It's the first movie I've seen in the theatre in five years. I've been invited to hang out with Dawn's group of friends a few times and they are really good about getting together regularly. They all know each other from their church.

Sunday - Felt crummy, slept like crap and didn't want to walk to church in the below freezing temperatures, so we stayed home. I cleaned up my craft tables, worked on the laundry and knitted. Spent the evening curled up on the cozy couch watching TV.

Today - Still feeling a bit crummy, but took the kids sledding anyway. We woke up to falling snow and had to go play in it. We got about 3 inches and it's due to get cold, so it should stick around for a while. The kids declared Alaska better than Washington today too. Joe came home for a long lunch and I went to JoAnn's (again) with Dawn. I was good and only bought batting - 50% off!

Now, I'm going to go watch Mary Poppin's with the kids before bed!

TGIF!

So far the only thing notable was that today was the last weekly paycheck. Next week we will get the first bi-monthly check. What an exciting life I lead.

I finished the 10 cards for the card swap this morning. I think they turned out cute and I can't wait to see what everyone else does. I bought everything I used the other day - a new stamp and ink, patterned paper and cardstock, tags and snaps. The only thing I had at home was the adhesive, small flower die cuts and my setting tools. I did learn that I don't like liquid adhesive - my photo splits are my favorite still.

I have some quilting to get done and a new Xyron sticker maker to play with. I am forcing myself to work on it, knowing that I will enjoy it once I get going. It's so easy to find other stuff to do instead though.

I have a couple of stories about Christmas that I need to get posted too, if only so that I don't forget them.

The first one was simple. I made meatloaf for dinner one night and Joe asked who made it, with a bit of attitude and before anyone else could say anything, I blurted out, "The Meatloaf Fairy must have stopped by." We all ended up laughing at the shocked look on his face. I will admit that I rarely make meatloaf - like less than 5 times since we've been married - so the question wasn't totally out of left field.

The second story could have been so much worse and I'm only OK about it now because it's resolved. My big gift for Joe this year was an electric razor. I spent a ton of time researching brands, reading epinions and price shopping. I finally settled on the new Braun Activator, without the LED screen. I was shopping at Fred's one night (alone) and I found the model I had been looking for. I had planned to order it off of Amazon, have it shipped to my parents (there is a shipping problem with that item to Alaska) and then my parents would bring it with them when they came. The price at Fred's was almost the same as Amazon's, plus the employee discount and not having to deal with the round and round shipping made it worth buying it here. I had the cashier price check the model with the LED screen too, to see if it was worth the extra and decided to get the basic model. My only concern was the box seemed a bit dinged up, but it was in the plastic outer box, so I bought it.

Fast forward through the wrapping and under-the-tree-sitting to Christmas morning. Joe opens it and is very excited. Successful gift! I'm feeling triumphant for finally surprising him. After breakfast, Joe sits down to put it all together. He takes all the parts out and for some reason, the razor is charged and turns on with the power button. Very strange - and not a good sign. I immediately opened the cleaning base - only to find the solution has been drained from it's case and there were little hairs all over the inside. Frick-a-Frack! Someone used it, returned it and I put it under the tree for a gift. I was so pissed that Joe promised to take care of it, just to keep me out of the store the next day.

Joe returned to work in the morning, with the used razor. He made a big deal and told everyone that this incident ruined my holiday. He came home with the LED model that night because it was the only one left. So, not only did he know how much I spent on it, he had to pay an extra $16 for the more expensive model.

Now, he loves the new razor. The sink is clean in the morning too, which I love. The only thing I could think of that would have been worse? If I had mailed it to someone as a gift. Blech!

All the other stuff

With all that's been happening with Joe at work, I haven't had the time to blog about the rest of the stuff.

I got my lab results back yesterday. Everything is normal, except that I have high cholesterol - 227 (needs to be under 199) and my LDL is 157 (needs to be under 100). Yikes! This is the first time it's been tested and I have 6 weeks to eat better and exercise to bring it down. After that? I have no idea. On the wagon I go.

Grace is having "Why'd we have to move?" meltdowns regularly. She misses all her friends back in Washington. It might just have something to do with all the Christmas cards we got, including a drawing for her from her best friend. It breaks my heart to see her so sad.

We have rain today, due to freeze again tonight. I need to get some YakTrax soon, before I fall and hurt myself on the way to the mailbox. I (seriously) would be better off wearing ice skates on the driveway.

I went out yesterday, alone for the first time in two weeks, and got my haircut, shopped at the Scrapbook Shop, spent my gift card at Joann's and picked up 3 fat quarters at the quilt store. I'm doing my first card swap with the neighbor, 10 Thank You's due the 15th. I've got a block (or two) to make for a comfort quilt, that I will also be quilting and I did a little browsing for a couple of fabric swaps I have coming up. Busy is a good place to be right now.

I also made Joe mad by falling asleep last night instead of, erm, you know. He also got mad this morning - at 5:15 am - when I was also, ahem, sleeping. He slammed doors and left for work early, while I came downstairs to check email because I couldn't go back to sleep until he left. Now? I'm still tired and not impressed with the tantrum he threw.

I've got another full day of laundry (thanks to needing to run every dryer load twice) and cleaning to do. I also have to take the tree down today. Grace goes back to Cubbies tonight, which I'm guessing will mean we will all be sick by the weekend. I want to hide in the basement and play with my stamps and fabric, but two small people keep wanting to eat. *winks*

An update

It was true. However, the truth is horrible and I have such mixed feelings about it, that I didn't sleep well last night.

She committed suicide. In her children's room. With a gun to the head.

Her kids found her when they came home from school.

Joe went in to work this morning to do some damage control and to be there to help any way he can. I really feel for them and I wish there was something else I could have done. I am thinking of calling all of the other wives and getting together with all of our kids, at least once a month. There is safety in numbers I think.

The trend here isn't good. All of the directors and managers that were married when they moved here? Left without a wife - either by divorce or now, death. I plan to buck the trend.

It is harsh here. It's isolated and dark. It was enough for me to go to the doctor and ask for help. I don't know if we'll stay after our three years is up, but I plan to give it a fair chance until then.

Sad news

Joe just called from work.

His boss had just called him in a panic - saying his wife just died.

I don't know anything more, but please keep him (and their 3 kids) in your thoughts and prayers tonight. I'll update as I find out more.

Happy Day!

First things first, Happy New Year!

Also, Happy Blogiversary to me!

Oh yeah, I'm back! :o)

It's been a long 11 blogless days. We've done a lot and I have a lot to write about - it's just going to take some more time. So for now, the cliff notes.

Christmas was good. I got everything I bought for myself and some cool surprises from my family. I got a $50 gift card to Joann's and the whole family got cross country ski gear.

We all stayed healthy and no one argued. The kids were even super-well-behaved.

The weather is finally cold and we have snow on the ground. We have a snowman in the yard and went sledding on the hill by the school. We all went skiing on Saturday too.

Today, I've got toys to re-organize and I've got to get caught up with all of "My" stuff, like the laundry, vacuuming and taking down the Christmas decorations. Fishing Guy has tomorrow off, so I'll be waiting to take the tree down until he's here to help.