Missing my Poppie

Today I am missing my Pop. I found this song the day of his memorial. I miss you and love you Pop.

See You When I See You

Let’s don’t day goodbye

I hate the way it sounds

So if you don’t mind

Let’s just say for now

See you when I see you

Another place, some other time

If I ever get down your way

Or you’re ever up around mine

We’ll laugh about the old days

And catch up on the new

Yeah I’ll see you when I see you

And I hope it’s someday soon

God made this ol’ world round

And maybe it’s that way

So the paths that we go down

Yeah I will cross again someday

Someday I’ll see you when I see you

Another place, some other time

If I ever get down your way

Or you’re ever up around mine

We’ll laugh about the old days

And catch up on the new

Yeah, I’ll see you when I see you

And I hope it’s someday real soon

I hope it’s someday soon

I’ll see you when I see you

Another place, some other time

If I ever get down your way

Or you’re ever up around mine

Just stop by

We’ll laugh about the old days

And catch up on the new

Yeah, I’ll see you when I see you

‘Til then my prayers are with you

And I hope it’s someday soon

I’ll see you when I see you

Black Friday and The Grinch....

So, it happens to be that time of year when radio stations and stores blare cheery Christmas tunes and our TV's are inundated with sappy movies about Christmas spirit and love.....BLECH......Then there is the one....the one show that I wait for EVERY year......Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas......I LOVE the grinch....he is fantastic. I AM the grinch....and it literally takes me until Christmas Eve to be happy and in the spirit. I don't quite know why it is the way it is, but, hey, it just is. But, I have gotten ahead of myself already....let me take you back a few days to Thanksgiving....(well, prior to that, but you should be able to follow my most random thoughts...)

2 weeks prior to Thanksgiving...I have conversed with my oh so great friend, Anna. We have decided that we will tackle Black Friday together this year.....OH LORD, help the masses. I begin scouring the ads and making my plan of attack. I have created a spread sheet. This is crazy. I am crazy...a spread sheet?? Really?? What was I thinking?

1 week prior to Thanksgiving....I decided that the spread sheet was not the best idea and that I should now write it all down in a notebook....so, I waited until a few days prior to the big day and finalized my list. DONE. I feel better now.

Thursday, November 24, 2011.....

I rose early. I had a plan. I was going to get a paper. I was going to get that bitch and have my ads ready to go! SURPRISE!! My lovely paper person gave me a paper! I am not supposed to get a paper because I only get Sunday and Wednesday...but, they love me for some unknown reason, so they left me one. <3 Thank you Paper Person!!

I got the food prepared, van cleaned out for our adventure, and headed out to my sister's house for our annual Thanksgiving day feast!! It was nice. My sister and I shed a few tears as it was our first holiday without our Pop, but, we regained composure and carried on with our day. We made it to my Sis and Bro in Law's house and had a lovely evening there. Once we left there, we headed back to our house to drop off John and get the kids to my parents house. I delivered the kids safe and sound, and was off to meet my dear friend Anna, her NEW HUSBAND (Rusty), and Nora at the local Toys R Us to begin our night of crazed shopping. (DISCLAIMER....Rusty and Nora were going to assist the husband with purchases that were supposed to be live at midnight, husband can not be in 2 places at one time, therefore needed assistance.)

8 PM Arrived at local TRU. CRAZY ASS long line...NOT standing in it....Boys and Nora piled into truck and headed out to WalMart. Anna and I sat in van. Laughing at the idiots standing in line.

9 PM TRU was supposed to open...why are all these fools still standing outside? Still sitting in van, watching. Anna has small rant about woman with tiny baby going to stand in line. Anna feels better when woman returns to vehicle a few minutes later.

9:30 PM Receive phone call from DH….xbox goes on sale at 10, not midnight….OH NO!!! So, no need for Rusty and Nora to be trapped in the store with him. Anna and I decide that everyone at TRU is on CRACK and decide to head to what we assume to be the least evil WalMart to rescue Rusty and Nora and get our crap done that needed to be done there.

9:45 PM Arrive at said WalMart….WRONG…SO VERY WRONG…..We entered the 5^th gate of hell. We decided that we were not going to fight over anything. We were gonna get what we could and forget about the rest. It’s not life or death to get some towels and waffle makers. There was one thing….one major thing that we both needed desperately from this 5^th gate of hell….everyone said they were gone….everyone said….”No more left”…..I, with my super shopping sight skills spotted one….at least I thought it was one…..I employed my hero stealthy ninja awesomeness and got….wait for it….wait for it….THE LAST 2 IN THE ENTIRE STORE!!!! I am awesome. I am feeling very amazing at this moment. I am high on the adrenaline. Ok, carry on…..what’s next? NOTHING…get the hell out of here before we get trampled for our awesome find!!  Wait in line 30 minutes…get told “this is not the check out line” go to check out line…pay and LEAVE….

11:00 PM Drop Rusty and Nora off at their vehicle and scope out line at TRU…..still shitty….still Crack ridden….moving on….to TARGET!! WOO HOO!!

11:45 PM Arrive at Target parking lot. Anna and I discuss plan of attack…most important items in store that need to be gotten…..thinking this may be the 6^th gate of hell…..wait for doors to open. Wait for line to clear out…..go up. NO BUGGY’S…..WHAT?? WAIT! There are some that are a make shift barricade over there….RUN ANNA!! RUN!! Get the buggy….As Anna totally F$*(S up this buggy to get it right side up….I am saving our spot in line….we get in the store….it is surprisingly pleasant…..I’m AMAZED….we get what we need….spot my evil ex-roommate, (who by the way is wearing this totally hideous hot pink fleece pull over thingy) and get out. Pleased with our experience in Target, we are in much better spirits, however, we need caffeine and sustenance.  TO IHOP!

Friday, November 25, 2011

1:30 AM IHOP hates us…they are closed….is anyone open?? Anyone?? Need caffeine!!! Need FOOD…..decided to randomly drive since we decided at the last minute to go to the MALL…(I know…examine head later) Find open Dunkin’ Donughts…..YAY!! Door locked….OMG…AHHH…they have a drive thru….it is open…..place order and wait for women in store to grind beans for coffee, grind flour for bagels, milk cows for cream and cream cheese, build the toaster, make the knife, etc, etc…..Meanwhile….HAVE TO PEE…..TERRIBLY……seriously think I’m going to pee myself….get food and coffee and across the street I see…24 HOUR WALGREENS!! YES!! SCORE!! I know they will let me pee there! Limp, waddle, and float into Walgreens to find weird ass manager that just shows me finger when I ask if I can use the restroom key….what does this bastard not understand? I am about to piss all over your floor dumbass! I just need the damn door open!! Open the FUCKING door! Finally get weird ass manager to open the door and evacuate the bladder. AHHH, much better…..Weird ass manager proceeds to follow Anna and I around the store….Anna and I get the shit we need and convince this manager to sell us the items we need at the sale price (sale does not start until 7 am). SCORE! One less store to visit when the sun is burning out our eyeballs.

2:30 AM Sit and eat and drink in Walgreens parking lot. Dare someone to tell us to move. Breathe and head back to mall.

3:30 AM JC Penny’s Scheduled opening at 4 AM…lights on…people walking around…fucker walks right into the damn store…..SHIT! They opened early!! WTF?!?! Park all kinds of crooked and go into store. Spot woman coming out of mall with Hollister and Victoria’s Secret bag…what??? Are they open too?? Greeted with candy, store map and something in a box…ok, thanks…where is the shit we need?? Get it, pay for it, get out…..

3:45 AM Load purchase into van…..move downstairs…..go into mall……AHHHHHHHHH Bath and Body Works is open….I’m in like Flynn!! So totally ripped that store off!!! Got some serious Bath and Body stuff for less than $60 bucks……..Cuz I worked the sale/coupon/gift ratio…….feelin’ really good about this……

4:15 AM  Decide to check out Old Navy…..sit for a minute…..NOT GOING IN….Evil ex-roommate has followed us to the mall and is infiltrating my Black Friday…I HATE HER. Leaving mall now.

5:00 AM MICHAELS!! WOO HOO!! Crafter’s paradise. Anna and I briefly entertain the idea of making some Christmas ornaments, but quickly dismiss that idea for the moment. INSIDE….they let us in a couple minutes early! YES! Got our stuff, go to check out…slow ass woman in front wants to read the entire ad to the sales clerk….REALLY? Do you have nothing better to do at 5 AM than fuck up the rest of my day?? Move on to different line. Check out…Anna still standing behind woman with ad reading fetish and her 85 billion wreaths….really? Cuz who has that many windows??? JEEZ!!!  45 minutes later and 3 lines later (mind you….really no one in the store, just these annoying women that had way too many items and then wanted to bitch about pricing) we exit store….On to the next stop….

6:15 AM Office Max……..Go to get my camera and the other things needed….well, my camera was gone…(Amethyst, sales associate from hell talking our damn heads off) consulted Anna for advice on camera issue…..got better camera…YAY! Check out….Amethyst still talking to us as we walk out the door….

7:00 AM Rite Aid…closed…bitches….didn’t adhere to the printed ad time…..off to Kmart….Find awesome, tall associate that gets item I need and Anna turned Ninja got the VERY LAST ITEM that is a HUGE deal to my little one….YAY ANNA!! Rockin’ to the register….got our shit, got out…..

7:30 AM New Rite Aid…got in, more Ninja moves from Anna, got it, got out…..

8:00 AM STARBUCKS….our friend….we love you…..cursed about annoying people, propped our feet up on chairs and relaxed for a while.

9:00 AM Let’s go to Barnes and Noble for shits and giggles…OK…..2 Vera Coffee Cups and a potty break  later…we are both happy

10:00 AM Headed back to Anna’s…..WAIT… I need some games for me and the kids……Go to Game Stop…..himmed and hawed over all the different choices….made decision…after another consultation with Anna, purchased games (thank you for the discount Rusty!).

11:45 AM Arrive back at Anna’s house……unload items…..Had the best pee of the entire night……said my farewells and headed home

12:15 PM HOME…..not for long……unload van…..get items in attic……have 10 minute break….go to get children….

Long story short….I didn’t get to sleep until 8:30 that night……I was talking like a complete idiot, but, I did it! Anna….we survived Black Friday…we didn’t go to jail, and we didn’t get injured!! YAY US!!

Now, I am faced with Cheerful Christmas crap that I don’t want to hear or deal with….because I am the GRINCH….GRINCH GRINCH GRINCH……Maybe I’ll snap out of it? Maybe??

Til next time,

~Lou~

Living and Learning

I was watching Oprah's Life Class last night and she happened to describe me perfectly. She was saying that there are those that do, do, do, and never get in return and eventually the ones that do, do, do start to think "what about me?". Those people start to wonder..."I am doing this, but, I'm not going to get anything in return." So, these people start to do things begrudgingly. They will do them and not let the other person know that they are aggravated, irritated and downright resentful of what is happening in their friendship. These are the people that are frequently used in friendships until they are just simply used up. Oprah said "Sometimes, you have to divorce your friends." I have to say that I agree with her 100%. I have recently gone through a friendship "divorce". It is hard, it is uncomfortable, it is painful, but, it is worth it. I have felt more freedom, more peace, more comfort and more truth through this process than anyone can really believe. I had been used. I had been the one to listen, to lend a hand, advice, comfort and love. I was never heard. I was never advised. I was constantly the one giving. Oprah went on to say that there is a point where you either say "Yes, I will do this with a happy heart and not begrudgingly." OR "No, I am not able to do this for you anymore." Although the decision was not mine to "divorce" my friend, it turns out that it was the best decision she has ever made for me. For that, I would like to thank her. She has freed me, and she has shown me what true friendship is about, and it is NOT what we had. It was a one sided relationship where she was in need and I was the "fixer".

Now, my question to you is this: Are YOU taking up for yourself? Are YOU making sure your friendships are balanced and that you are happy helping and getting help in return? Balance is the key. I know I have found balance. Have YOU?

Love to you,
~Lou~

Update and Thanks

Well, life has slowed down somewhat. We have almost finished doing all we need to do for my Grandmother since Poppie passed. (Don't get me wrong, we will NEVER be finished, but the major items that have needed to be accomplished have almost all been completed.) It still seems so surreal to me. As a matter of fact, last night I closed my eyes to go to sleep and saw my Mom and Grandmother in the room with him after he passed. I am still quite haunted by the events of that night. My days and nights are normal with flashes of the hospital, my family, my own feelings. This whole grieving thing is much harder than I ever imagined. Friday will mark 1 calendar month. Today marks 4 weeks ago that he went to the hospital, 12:30 AM will mark 4 weeks that he has been gone.

So, amid all of our crazy days and long nights, I have managed to contract the nastiest cold I have ever had in my life. I feel like I have the flu. It's rough. However, Theraflu has become my new best friend. I believe in nothing less than a good bottle of Theraflu to lull my body and mind into a sweet slumber.

Other than that, not much has been going on. Other than finding through this journey who my real friends are. I have realized that I have wonderful friends and family that will be there to support and love me. People who really, truly care about ME. I have learned through this one experience that true friends want to help you, they want to be there for you, they want to listen to you and help you through your pain and sorrow. I've finally seen that friendships are not all about ME listening and being there and helping. It is a true TWO WAY STREET!

To YOU, my friends and family....THANK YOU FOR LOVING ME! Thank you for supporting me and being there for anything I need at any time.

Love to you all
~Lou~

One Day At A Time

This is what I keep telling myself...One Day At A Time Lou, you can do this. Just take it one day at a time, one step at a time and one breath at a time. So far, so good. I am cautiously optimistic that things are starting to fall into place. Everything is coming together, slowly, but surely. After we get over the hurdles in our way, I will be moving on to working on myself. I have enrolled in Oprah's LifeClass. Monday was the first session. I really enjoyed it and I am thinking this could be a great thing for me. We shall see where it leads. I will blog later to fill you in on the memorial celebration that we held for Poppie on Saturday. For now, I am tired. I am resting for the night.

~Lou~

Not The Happiest Of Blogs

I'm not even sure I know how to start this blog post. I guess I will just jump in.

If you have been following my blog and reading it, you know that my Grandfather (Pop or Poppie {I may refer to him as both, so, please don't be confused}) was admitted to the hospital for a pulmonary embolism on Tuesday, September 27, 2011. My Sister and Mom left the hospital around 9:30 that night and all was well. Pop was laughing and joking around. Everyone thought he would be just fine. I went to bed at about 10:30, maybe 11. At 12:28 on Wednesday morning my phone rang. It was my Dad. He told me that the hospital called and that Pop was not doing well. He had stopped breathing, had to be put on a ventilator and that he was completely  unresponsive. As soon as I got off the phone I immediately got dressed and told DH that I was headed to the hospital because Pop was not doing well, it was exactly 12:30 AM. At 12:32 AM I was headed out the door and getting in my van. (Why I remember exact times is beyond me. But they are burned in my memory forever now.) As I drove the dark, empty streets I could see lightning over in the direction of the hospital. I prayed "Poppie, hang on, I'm coming." But, I knew better, I knew with every flash of lighting it was not good and that my Pop was gone. I arrived at the hospital at 12:46 AM. No one was there. I called my sister and she said that she and my brother in law were pulling in. So, I waited for them. I didn't want to go in alone. My sister and I all but ran into the hospital both saying we didn't like being the first ones there. After having to wait for the snail speed security guy to scan our id's, take our picture, do facial recognition and print our badges, we finally got on our way up to Poppie. I looked at my badge and my sister's, we had different letters, her's said 3A, mine said 3B.....something was NOT right. We got to the floor walked past a station full of nurses, past another smaller station with one nurse and arrived at his room. It was empty. EMPTY. No sheets, no sign of anyone having been in the room. The bed was in an upright position completely bare. My sister and I stood there for what seemed like an eternity just staring. I walked around the corner and looked at the nurse and trying not to cry said "Where is my Grandfather?" She asked who my Grandfather was and I couldn't speak. Nothing would come out of my mouth. All my sister could say was his room number "337". She got up and said "come with me". We walked around to the large nurses station and she spoke with a woman in a white coat. She shook our hands and introduced herself, but, I couldn't tell you her name. She said that he had been moved to ICU just around the corner and that she would take us back there. She got on her phone and I was on her heels and I heard her say "The family is here. They didn't get stopped. They made it to his room." We got into ICU and a doctor was waiting for us in the hallway. He shook our hands and told us who he was, again, I can't remember that. He said he was going to take us around the corner to talk to us. We knew. We knew what had happened. We just didn't want to believe it and I think we needed to hear someone say it. The doctor asked us if we knew what he had been admitted for, and we said, yes, a pulmonary embolism. He said yes, that is what caused him to be admitted. He then started talking and I know he said that it was a miracle that we had gotten him to the hospital at all because most people don't make it to the hospital. He then said that his embolism was massive and that unfortunately, he didn't make it. All I could say was "OH JESUS!" My brother in law (bless his soul) was trying to comfort the 2 of us. The doctor said how very sorry he was and asked if there was anything he could do to help us or if we had any questions he would answer them the best he could. I immediately asked if there was something we could have done to prevent it, and he said that we did the best thing by getting him to the hospital when we did. We then asked if he felt it, was he in pain? Did he know what was happening? He said that he felt no pain and did not know what was going on. He said as soon as the clot moved Pop went unconscious and had no idea what was going on. They did CPR and revived him for a while, then he went into cardiac arrest and they couldn't get him back. They were doing CPR when they called my parents and he was pronounced at exactly 12:30 AM, the very moment I was getting dressed. He died without us. He died without a single person who loves him by his side. I'm so sad about that. I'm so very sad I didn't get to tell him one more time how very much I LOVE him. My Mom, Dad, Grandma and Cousin were still in route to the hospital and my sister and I were panicked at the thought of having to tell them. The doctor said he would tell them, we didn't have to do it. I won't go into the details of watching my Mom and Grandmother get the news, just know, it was heart breaking. When Mom and Ma decided to go see him and say their good byes I took my cousin and went to my Uncle Dan. He was at home alone, and I knew he needed someone with him. I stayed until my family got back from the hospital. We sat and talked for a few minutes, then we all headed out. 3:30 AM I got home, walked in the house and it was SO quiet. Deafening. I changed back into my PJ's and headed to the kitchen. I made a pot of coffee, and sat down to try to watch some tv and get my mind off of everything. It didn't work. I cried, and cried and cried some more. I went to the computer, I wrote a blog...I have no idea where it is...apparently it never posted. I went outside and sat on the front porch. It was still. No breeze. Nothing. Earlier in the evening there had been a lovely breeze, now everything was still. The only sound I could hear were the crickets. I looked up at the sky, stars slightly covered by dark clouds. Then, I heard a laugh...it was POP. I heard Pop laughing! Then I heard him say "Y'all didn't expect that did ya? That was a good one!" I proceeded to answer him "That's NOT funny POP!" (More on this phenomena later so you know I'm not crazy)

We have spent the remainder of our week taking care of Ma and trying to make everything as pleasant as it can possibly be. We have told stories of our Poppie and laughed until our stomachs hurt. During one of our conversations my sister got the most excited look on her face and said "Guess what happened to me yesterday when I went to Farm Fresh (the grocery store of Pop's choice!)!!!" We asked what and she said she got out of her car and looked down and right beside her foot was a.....and she pulled out a nickle. Our mouths fell open, this was not just an ordinary nickle. This was a 2005 Lewis and Clark nickle. She said she could just hear Pop..."Seen this one yet?" She said she had never before seen this nickle, neither had any of us, and said she looked up to the sky and said "HEY POP!" right out loud. Then I told them about me hearing Pop laughing and I told them what I had heard him say, and Ma was shocked, she looked at me and said "I heard him laughing in the living room yesterday when I was getting up from my nap". We are all sure that Pop has made himself known to us. He has made it clear that he is watching over us. We have been able to make difficult decisions with ease. We have felt as if Pop were guiding us, letting us know exactly what he wants. While I don't want to say it has been easy, because GOD knows it has been the hardest thing we have dealt with as a family yet, it has been peaceful. The family (and I mean everyone) is in agreement with all of the decisions, all of the planning.


We have chosen not to have a funeral, instead, we will have an informal, celebration of his life, complete with all of Pop's favorite foods. There will be BBQ and Coleslaw, Brunswick Stew and Cornbread, Butter Beans with Pop's Tomato Vinegar Salad, his beloved 3 Bean Salad, Vinegar Pie, Coconut Creme Pie, and of couse, it wouldn't be complete without Pop's SIGNATURE Fudge. We will have a time to tell our great memories of our Poppie and remember him with love.

My sister has written the obituary (BLESS HER, I couldn't do it). It will be non-traditional as well. That's the way Pop would have wanted it.

Before I go, I'd love to tell everyone a little about my Pop.

My Poppie was fantastic.
He gave me rides on his shoulders.
He could make anyone laugh.
In every situation, there was a joke to be found, and trust me, he found it.
He loved to collect coins.
There was always a treasure to be found anywhere you went.
He loved his family beyond any measure.
He did goofy things.
Life was full of "Popisms".
The Redskins were ALWAYS the team to beat in his book, no matter how bad the season was.
He loved his chewing tobacco.
Everything important is on floppy disk!
He once ate cracker jacks in the dark and ate the prize.
He would always ask you if you remembered.....something that happened way before you were born. And than LAUGH AND LAUGH.

We love you so much Poppie! We will miss you. Keep the angels laughing, and make sure you tell us all the great stories of what we missed when we arrive!

Charlie Lee Spivey 6/2/33-9/28/11

My Pop

My Poppie was a good man. He was loved by everyone. He was the cornerstone. When I was little he would hoist me up on his shoulders and give me long rides. My Poppie was so funny. He always made you laugh. He told great jokes, and did some absolutely ridiculous things. I loved my Poppie. I didn't tell him as often as I should. I didn't get to see him before he passed. I'm so sad that I didn't get to tell him one more time that I love him. It's finally hit me that he's gone. I made it through the Doctor telling Me and my Sister that he didn't make it. I made it through the Doctor telling my Mom and Grandma when they got to the hospital. I made it through comforting my Uncle. Now I'm home, and I've lost it. I'm so sad that I won't get to see him again. I'm so sad that I won't get to have Thanksgiving or Christmas with him. I'm just so sad. I'm going to miss you Poppie. We all will. Until we meet again, keep the angels laughing and on their toes. WE LOVE YOU FOREVER!!!!!!

Catching Up

Well, it's been way too long since my last blog post. I must catch you up. I have had SO much going on!!

My 9 year wedding anniversary was on the 21st, and we did not get a chance to celebrate :( BOO HISS on 12 hour work days 7 days a week. (More on this later)

I had a most lovely coffee date on Thursday that turned into an afternoon perusing the new Vera Bradley collection and stopping for a cup cake :). It was a truly enjoyable morning/afternoon and I can't wait to get together with my friend again (which will be this week!!).

My weekend was rather uneventful. We waited all weekend for the airshow to go on, however, due to the nasty, wet stuff that was falling from the sky, we didn't get very much. A few planes here and there and some pyrotechnics that made us feel like we were cartoon characters being blown up. DH did decide that we should go out to dinner for an impromptu anniversary dinner. So, I called the parents and begged for a couple hours of babysitting. They agreed and off we went to our dinner. Other than that....nada.

This week started off with my eldest home. She was not feeling well, poor thing. So, she and I vegged and watched scary Lifetime movies all day. It was beautiful.

Today started off with a wake up....at 7:19!! OMG! The kids are supposed to be walking to the bus stop at that time!! HOLY CRAP. So, we rush to get ready (pants on, shirts on, socks, shoes, brush your hair, TAKE YOUR MEDICINE!, get your book bags and get in the car!) and managed get to school in time. I drop the kids off and after listening to my youngest scream and cry for me...I get my teary self into the van and start heading out of the parking lot...BUT, not before being stopped by the VP who just wanted to chat about the school bus. UGH! Really? I'm running seriously late here today. Finally get away from the VP and get back home at 8:00. I quickly hop in the shower, rush myself, get dressed, sit down with a cup of coffee, drink half of it, jot a quick excuse note for yesterdays absence and it's time to get the eldest to her bus stop. I get outside, chat with another mom, the bus comes, collects the children and I am in the van again headed to my Grandmother to take her to the commissary.

I arrive at MeeMaw's house and she meets  me at the door with purse in hand (can we say anxious to get out and get some groceries??). Off we go to the commissary. We managed to get all the shopping done and are checking out. I look at the clock...HOLY STINK! It's 11:10! I run out to the van, pull it up front to load the groceries and PRAY that we make it to the house before my little one gets off the bus at 11:30. 11:20 get phone call from vaguely familiar number. I answered the phone...it was Shelby's "principal" from last year! She called to check on little bug and see how she was doing and to BEG me to bring her to visit because they miss her so very much. I agreed and must remember that she is only there on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 11:27 cell phone rings again...it's the elementary school..."Mrs. Warden?" "Yes???" "Did you catch the bus?" "UGH! No!! She's EARLY!" (at this point I am literally 2 minutes from my house) "Yeah, she was a little early today, she called very upset because she said you are always at home and she couldn't believe she was this early. So, she is bringing Shelby back to school." "Ok, I'll be there in 5 minutes to pick her up." "Ok, that's fine."  Now, let me just tell you that I have NEVER EVER EVER missed picking one of my kids up from the bus, so, I am extremely upset at this point. I get to school and the bus is still in the parking lot. I literally missed her by a minute. I run in, sign Shelby out, and she told me that she told the Principal that it was NOT my fault that the buses left the lot early. (Insert HUGE thanks to Michelle!) So, Shelby and I trek out to the van to meet MeeMaw and head back to her house.

We arrived safe, calm and collected to MeeMaws house and proceeded to start unloading groceries. Well, here comes my Dad. (Why is he home? He and Mom were supposed to be on their way out of town on vacation.) Well, turns out my OTHER Grandfather had a doctors appointment this morning, and so Mom had to take him. Well, something was wrong and his blood pressure was low, so they sent him to Patient First. Ok. We got all the groceries in, I got all the frozen and cold stuff put up and I had to sit down!! I was beat and my feet were killing me!  I finally got Shelby rounded up and we headed home.

I got home, put up my cold stuff that I had gotten at the commissary and sat down to eat some lunch. I checked the caller ID and saw that my girl, T had called, so, I called her. GOOD NEWS!! She got the new apartment and they move in on Friday!! YAY!! I am super excited! She decided to come over for a visit, so, we sat and talked and waited for Logan to get home. It was nice to just be with her. I always enjoy our time together.

After Logan got home and T went to her own school, I came in and relaxed for a while til hubby got home. Time for hubby to get home came and went. OH NO! What's happened? Is he OK? No answer on the cell phone, no answer to the text message. I started FREAKING. I sent my sister-in-law a text message. Just as she replied, hubby called. His car won't start at 7-11....REALLY? SERIOUSLY? Ok, BREATHE. I tell hubby to call me back if he can't fix it. He calls back and asks for the phone number to the tow company that's right by where he is. I get to looking for it, and OMG! It's a miracle! the car started. So, now he's on his way home.

Eldest daughter arrives home, hubby arrives home, sit and talk with hubby a while, get eldest daughter to her appointment at 5. Grab dinner on the way home. Get home, eat dinner. Hubby tells me that my sister called. Oh LORD! So, I text her and ask if she has heard anything about Pop. She called me and said that Patient First called an ambulance to take Pop to the hospital. (My Mom left this morning for a simple doctor appointment with him and didn't eat breakfast anticipating that she would get home, grab a bite and hit the road!) I find out that my Mom hasn't eaten anything all day and that she is in the ER with my grandfather and immediately wanted to go get her food and take it to her. Well, I couldn't get a hold of her on her cell phone. Big surprise...hello? They are in the ER DUMMY! So, I did what any logical person would do, I called my Dad. LOL. He said that he heard that they thought he had a pulmonary embolism and that they were doing some lung scans. Ok. I'm absorbing this. I then called my sister and told her what I had been told. So we waited a while and waited some more. Meanwhile, I've still been trying to call my mom, gotten a call from Dad's Mom (MeeMaw), called Mom's Mom's (my Ma and Pop's wife) house and talked to my Uncle Dan. He said that they are keeping Pop in the hospital and that he does have a clot in his lung (Pulmonary Embolism). I was getting ready to call my sister again, and my sons teacher called...OH GREAT...I really don't need to deal with this now....but, I answered anyway and talked with her for a few minutes, MeeMaw beeped in so I called her when I was done. I called Dad again to see if he had heard anything else when I got another call...it was MOM! I quick answered and found out that he not only has the pulmonary embolism, but, they are scanning his heart tomorrow to find out if the clot came from his heart and if it is trying to throw any more. They also found a mass on his lung. They don't know what it is, but it doesn't sound good. So, I sit here, blogging and thinking and worried as I wait for my sister to call me and let me know how everyone is (She is heading to the hospital).

As for the rest of my week? Tomorrow is breakfast with my fantastic sis-in-law and T, Thursday is coffee with my awesome friend and Friday is test results for Logan and coffee with my sis. I think I'm set up for a good rest of the week.

I hope you were able to follow my twisted, random blog post and that it made some sort of sense to you.  If not, keep following me, you will get used to me. LOL

Have a wonderful week!
~Lou~

Yesterday's Adventures In WalMart (AKA HELLMart)

Well yesterday, I felt brave. I was going to make my menu, make my shopping list and brave the wind and rain to go grocery shopping so I could feed my family. Oh yeah, and take the 2 younger kids with me! (I guess I had a momentary bout of insanity, no, wait, that's the norm.)

Shelby and I sat down and made the menu, I then made the list of things we needed and we got dressed and headed out to the store. I figured on a rainy, cold Saturday most people would still be at home and in their jammies. We got to our newly finished Super WalMart to start our attack. Upon entering the doors, there was a nice lady standing there that asked if we would like to have a free re-usable shopping bag for the....wait for it....GRAND OPENING....OH NO! SHOOT ME NOW! I had NO idea that it was grand opening weekend, this darn store has been open the whole time, and they finished a few weeks ago. Well, with a happy face, I said yes, and decided to go ahead with my plan of attack. Off to the produce! I managed to get through the grocery part with not too much of a problem from the kids except for a few outbursts of them trying to kill one another in the cart, then it was off to paper goods and bath and body. We managed to fair well in those departments...wow, this is turning out to be a really nice trip with them! I am excited! On to the toy department for some browsing (we have a birthday next month and Christmas is coming up rather quickly! And, I told them they could have a SMALL prize for behaving.).While I am standing there on the toy isle I am making mental notes of what the kids really like and what they sincerely want for Christmas. I have now been on this ONE isle for 30 minutes, I have examined every Barbie, Tinker Bell, Fijit, Teacup Piglet, Polly Pocket, Monster High, Bratz, Littlest Pet Shop and Squinkie known to this one WalMart. Now, people are starting to fill into the toy department. I finally get her to come to the BOY isle so that poor little Logan can look and see what he would like. He quickly chooses a Bakugan (however you spell it). So, off we go. Shelby decides she needs to go back to the toy department and find something there that she would like. OFF SHE GOES! So, I follow behind. I stood there and waited, and waited, and waited. At this point there are people walking around the store with balloon animals and cotton candy (OH NO! So not what I wanted to deal with!!) thankfully my children were oblivious to it. I finally convinced Shelby that we should go see if we could find something for her in another area of the store. After a good solid hour of being on this one toy isle, she decided that it was better to go with me than stay there with the strangers. SUCCESS! I am now headed to check out! Well, she finally found what she wanted, a $3.00 Tinker Bell Cell Phone. GLADLY. Put it in the buggy and LET'S GET OUT OF HERE! The people were getting thick and I was starting to lose all composure. Then, I saw it. The awful, LONG LINE waiting for balloon animals and cotton candy. The kids looked at me with pleading eyes and begged for the chance to get an animal and cotton candy. "NO!, All of our time was spent in the toy section, now, we  have to pay and leave." (I'm such a MEAN ASS Mom!!)

Ahhhhh, the calm of the check out line....oh wait, there is a woman using coupons....not that I mind couponers, I am one, however, WalMart does not have their shit together for coupons yet and most of them they have to enter manually, they won't scan. So, I wait, trying to entertain the youngsters with anything I can think of. FINALLY, it's our turn at check out!! The kids are so excited that they MUST have their items as soon as they are rung up. So, they stand there, playing with their toys while I load the buggy with all of the purchased fruit, vegetables, canned goods and paper products. My order is almost done when I hear a bagger asking the lady in the isle next to me if she has more items in her buggy because she has run out of room to bag things and needs to start loading them into the empty buggy. No biggie, right? I have baggers ask me that all the time. OH LORD! Katy Bar the DOORS! This woman had a complete outright temper tantrum in the middle of WalMart while unloading her buggy!! The bagger asked if she could just bring the buggy down a bit (the entire buggy was empty with the exception of stuff in the very top, where a child would sit). This customer proceeded to YELL at her "NO! YOU WILL WAIT FOR ME TO FINISH! I DIDN'T COME HERE TO BE HARASSED! I WANT A MANAGER HERE NOW BEFORE THIS GETS WORSE!" WOW, really lady? She just asked if she could start putting stuff that YOU purchased into the buggy, it's not worth all that now. The bagger looked at her and said "Ma'm, I'm not trying to harass you, I was just asking if I could start putting your stuff in the buggy because I am out of room here." I felt so bad for the bagger. Poor woman was just trying to do her job and she got screamed at! I looked at my cashier and said "WOW!", she was just shaking her head. Needless to say, we high tailed it out of there as fast as we could so as not to be in the middle of DRAMA! I hate drama.

Today I am waiting for my DH to get home from work so that we can get over to my grandmother's house and have his birthday dinner/party. I hope it goes well for him, last year was bad, MeeMaw was in the hospital and we didn't get to have a party for him because of work.

Here's to a great end to a nice weekend!

How was your weekend?
~Lou~

Where to start, and where to go?

I'm not even sure where to start with this post exactly. I have had so much going on since the kids went back to school. The first week was really getting in the groove of being back to school and the schedule that comes with it. This week has been about trying to clean up my house since it looks like HURRICANE IRENE came and stayed allllllll summmmmer.

Yesterday was a crappy day to say the least. I felt so awful that I literally was in bed all day with the exception of times to go to the bus stop, and then was asleep by 5 pm. Not sure what is going on with all of that, but, I am working on trying to get better. LORD knows, I have to. With that being said, let me interject that my DH was simply amazing. He had dinner for everyone AND did homework so that I could rest. He knew I was not well, and boy oh boy did he step up!! <3 it made me feel so good to know that he handled everything for me last night.

So, on the list for today is to get some laundry done, get some of the kitchen re-assembled and dinner going. Hopefully I can stay out of pain long enough to accomplish my goals.

I guess that I should take my tangled, and twisted mind and get started on my day.....but maybe I'll have just one more cup of coffee. ;)

Have a wonderful day everyone!
~Lou~

Silence

It's so incredibly quiet in my house!! I have waited what feels like eons for this day to come. How happy am I right now?? Ok, now, I understand that some of you may be saying "What is wrong with this woman? Doesn't she love her kids? All she has done is complain about them and wish that school would start." I get it, really, I do. Let me just say this...yes, I love my children, yes, I miss having them at home and I feel slightly lost at the moment. That being said, all 3 of them have ADHD, and sometimes, a mom just needs a little down time. So, I am extremely grateful for school! This gives me a much needed break from the every day screaming, fighting, complaining, and all around aggravating mess!

Shelby got up this morning with her hair all a mess looking like some kind of animal had tried to make a nest in there over night to say..."It's my first day at (insert school name here)!" She was thrilled to be off to Kindergarten!

Logan was excited to be off to First Grade with his new teacher and all of his friends. He was super sweet to his little sister and waited for her so that he could sit with her on her first day.

Emma was off to her first day of 7th grade and 2nd year in middle school. She was excited, but nervous at the same time.

I have enjoyed my cup of coffee and some silence. Now off to do some cleaning before the baby gets home from school.

<3

Hope everyone is having a fantastic day!!
~Lou~

A Glimpse Into My Near Future...

Did you get it? SILENCE! That is the glimpse into my near future! Tomorrow is the last day of summer vacation, and my kiddos will be back in school!!! YEEHAW! I can't wait! They are ready too. I think we are all sick of looking at one another right now. LOL.

It is bitter sweet because my oldest will be starting her second year of middle school, my middle one is starting first grade, and my baby is going to Kindergarten!  How time flies. It seems like only yesterday I was taking my oldest to Kindergarten for her first day and fighting with my boss over the fact that I wouldn't be at work for a couple hours. How absurd is that? She didn't even want to let me go take my baby to her first day of school? I'm so blessed to be able to stay at home now.

So, the book bags are packed, clothes are all sorted and ready to go, lunchboxes sitting there waiting for their food to be packed and kids anxiously waiting for Tuesday morning at 7:30 when they will board the bus!

I'm sure I will feel differently on Tuesday morning once they are all gone, but for now....HURRY UP TUESDAY!

I hope you all are having a wonderful Labor Day Weekend!

~Lou~

I'm on the count down!

Let the REAL countdown begin! Only 6 days until school starts! I am so excited I can hardly contain myself!! I am really looking forward to the 4 hours of silence I will have Monday through Friday.

My youngest is in REBEL mode, and has decided that she WILL NOT go to school. I will happily stick her on the bus on the morning of September 6th!!!!!  She will go, and she will LOVE it. I know her teacher (Logan had her last year), and she is absolutely wonderful. I couldn't ask for a better Kindergarten teacher for my kiddos.

Logan and Emma are way too excited for school to start. They wish it was already in session. For that matter, so do I!

I want to crochet, I want to knit, I want to do what I want to do for a change. That, however, will have to wait. My house looks like Irene and half of her friends stayed all summer! So, I will spend the first week of school fixing what they have jumbled up and made ugly all summer long. Maybe after that I can resume my yarn/hook/needle obsession.

If I have to listen to cartoons any more, I think I will LOSE MY MIND! Am I the only one that feels this way? Because, I feel like I am.

Unfortunately, I am bombarded by ridiculous noise at the moment, and I can't even think straight, therefore, I have come to the conclusion that blogging was an awful idea......

sounds from my house:
"URRGH"..."AHHH".."You're giving me another fever!"...."blah blah blah blah GOOSE and get me OUT!"...."HIYAH!"...."I need to go to bed!"...."Who wants some chocolate covered pretzels?"...



Now, I am logging off....


Til next time
~Lou~ who will find some small slice of sanity in 6 days!!

Devastation...but, not total!

First and foremost, THANK YOU GOD! God surely answered my prayers with a resounding YES! Prayer works, and boy, did it work yesterday for me!!

Irene has officially left my area, but, she certainly left her mark. The poor Sandbridge area is devastated. Houses are just ravaged, beaten and bruised. It will be a long road back for many who own homes in that area. My heart goes out to them.

We did find out that the missing boy as of my last post was 11 years old, and he, unfortunately did not make it. A tree fell on his apartment building and he was killed. It breaks my heart. I am so sad for that family. They were only trying to stay safe, but, it wasn't good enough.

I am not sure the total number of deaths from NC and VA that we have, I do know another child was killed last night in a car accident at an intersection with no power. Another heart breaking story.

We have now officially been embarrassed by the goofy teens in our area. There is a video on youtube of many, many young people out at the Oceanfront during the Hurricane. The Weather Channel was trying to do a live broadcast, and these fools were running all behind the camera, streaking, etc, etc. It was just flat out rude and unbelievable! So, I am sure the rest of the nation believes we are a state full of idiots. UGH! It's just the youth of our area that are dumb, not us!! I honestly felt sorry for the reporter. He was so bewildered.

Now, on to my major issue. Well, all the limbs that fell in my yard were from.......yeah, you guessed it.....THE DAMN GUM TREE!!! I am calling the City tomorrow and telling them that they have GOT to come take out the tree. Only one car can drive through at a time because of the enormity of the limbs that have fallen. My driveway is almost completely blocked, and to top it all off, THERE ARE GREEN GUMBALLS ALL OVER MY YARD AND STREET.......ok, I'm done now.

So, I thought that today would be lovely. DH would be home, we would move the branches, take a ride around to see any damage that may have happened near us, check on my grandparents, go see my other grandparents and parents, maybe check out the Oceanfront aftermath...etc, etc...OH NO! No, that can't POSSIBLY happen....they called him to go into work....WHAT????? All for a stupid tile floor because they are on a deadline. NEWSFLASH!!! I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR DAMN TILE FLOOR WHEN THERE ARE TREE LIMBS LAYING IN MY YARD/DRIVEWAY/STREET!!! Ok, again, I am done.....

Now, I will sit here today answering the door to all the lovely helpful souls that will cut up my branches and move them for a fee, explaining that my husband and I can do it when he gets home from work. This is not the way I thought my DAY AFTER YESTERDAY would be. They should my life into a movie. It would be a drama/comedy. Never dull. They could call it....DAY AFTER YESTERDAY...LOL

I hope everyone else fared well during the storm.

Love, Light and Hope to all!

Irene....an update.

Well, the day sure has been an eventful one. We have had a constant tornado watch, 5 tornado warnings, a boat rescue out in Ocean View (OV), have been notified of 4 deaths caused by Irene, have horrible damage in Sandbridge, and last but not least, my house has been assaulted by the tree limbs from my neighbors tree and the damn gum tree in front of the ditch.

Let me start with the 4 deaths. I am so sad over this. One person passed away in a car accident, one person had a heart attack putting plywood up to prepare for the storm, one person drowned, and one person had a tree limb fall on top of him. :( It's awful. This I can say with certainty....we will NEVER have another storm named Irene.

Now, onto the MORONS on the boat. Apparently they were on their YACHT that they LIVE on, and decided that it was a good idea to stay on board. Needless to say, they broke away from the pier, and floated on out. Well, my tax dollars went to save the foolish couple and their cat. When they were rescued, they were told...too bad about your boat. Well, now they have no home. I feel bad about that, however, COME ON! It's a flippin' HURRICANE outside. Are you STUPID???

I have seen footage of homes in Sandbridge (an area in my city) where entire front walls of homes have been blown away and they are just sitting there, wide open. Needless to say, there are many in Sandbridge that have lost everything they have. Garage doors ripped off, walls torn down, roofs missing and siding flapping in the wind. It's so sad to see.

As far as I go? Well, I am fortunate. I still have power, we have no downed trees, just random limbs flying out of trees. I will be calling the City after this and informing them that their gum tree in my ditch must be removed, because the entire top of it is laying in the street in front of my house. Do bear in mind that I have called the City, they have come out, and agree that the tree needs to be removed, but for some unknown reason, it's still standing there. Procrastination by the City at it's finest.

So, over 200,000 people in our area serviced by our power company are without power. Again, I will say, I am fortunate.

The worst of the storm should be here at approximately 5 and won't be done til about 9 tonight. I am continuing to pray for angels and the umbrella of protection.

Just getting ready to sign off and they came in with Breaking News, a child is missing in Newport News....I am on my KNEES PRAYING.

God Protect Us.
~Lou~

Hurricane Irene

Talk about one BI-POLAR storm. This girl is just speeding up, slowing down, gaining strength, losing strength. WOW. What a roller coaster.

So, last night when I went to bed, the tropical storm force winds were due to start around 11pm, hurricane strength winds at 4am last until 2 pm, then tropical storm force winds until 4am on Sunday. Well, it's 5:24am, and we are just now starting to get tropical storm force winds, and hurricane winds aren't supposed to hit us until 8pm tonight. I guess Irene decided before she said GOOD NIGHT, that she would just enjoy the view. Ok, I get it. It's ok, I understand the beach is a beautiful place and you don't want to miss a thing. It happens.

I am quite accustomed to Hurricanes and their finicky personalities. I have lived through many.

I have been up since 2am because my youngest and eldest came running into my room, youngest screaming and crying, and oldest completely freaked out because an Emergency Alert came across the TV. Tornado Warning. GREAT...they are terrified. So, baby girl crawls in bed with me, and eldest goes back to bed, or so I thought. Poor girl didn't go back to sleep. She is attempting it now, as I type. Hopefully she will get some more rest. Shelby? Well, as soon as she hit my bed, she was fast asleep. So, I dozed off and on until DH woke me at 3 because he was leaving for work and I wanted to be up so I could know all that was going on at the time, since, well, Dear Irene was supposed to be making her appearance here within an hour. Well, you know what happened from there.

For now, I am trying to enjoy my electricity, drink my coffee, listen to the news and play a few games on the computer.

Hoping and praying that she decides to be kind to me.
~Lou~ <3

Good Night Irene!!

For some reason, I can't shake this impending doom and gloom feeling. As Irene churns out in the ocean gathering more and more strength I am more and more bewildered as to what I should do for my family. I don't know if I should stay or go. This is one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. If I stay and things are worse than they are forecasting (which is highly possible), what will happen? If I go and it turns out to be nothing more than Tropical Storm force winds, then I'm stupid and wasted money on a hotel. Our forecast has now gone from at Category 2 downgrading to a 1 during her trip over us to a Category 3 that doesn't start downgrading until she reaches the Eastern Shore. This storm is so unpredictable.

I am scared, and I have been praying. Praying that God will shield our home from damage, cover our area with his protective umbrella, and send his angels to watch over me, my family and my friends.

As of this post, we have not been issued an evacuation. Which is a double edged sword. Either our City Officials are thinking that we will be ok, or they are just sitting on their thumbs too afraid to pull the trigger.

My gut is in knots, I have so much to get done today, and I must get on it.

I will try to blog some more before we lose power.

Blessings to you all.

~Lou~

Swamp Fires, Earthquakes and Hurricanes...OH MY!

Well, as the news so kindly put it on their facebook page...do you get the feeling that Mother Nature is picking on Hampton Roads?

YES, YES I DO! Things have been happening that DON'T happen around here and it's quite disturbing to say the least.

Very rarely do Wild Fires hit around here. We have them occasionally, but, not bad, and certainly NOT like this one that is raging through the Great Dismal Swamp. :( Poor bears :(

On to the BEST topic...Earthquakes....REALLY? I have lived here my whole life, so have my parents, and let me tell you that none of us have EVER experienced an Earthquake here. Things like that just don't happen around here. They just don't. I'm so flabbergasted by it, that I can't think of anything to say other than...THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN HERE!

It was the weirdest feeling ever. First I got very disoriented, it felt like everything was spinning and my eyes were rolling all around. I couldn't understand what was happening. I thought I was going crazy!! I asked my mom what was moving, and she said, "I don't know, I think my chair is moving. I thought Shelby was behind me, but, she's over there!" She looked at the blinds and they were swaying. It felt like we were in the ocean, just bobbing up and down. At that point, I looked at my mom and said "I think that was an Earthquake!" She said, "Yep, I think you are right!" People in the neighborhood were coming outside to see what was going on. I called my sister's house and my nephew told me that yes, his house was moving and his chandelier was swinging from side to side. We were all scared! We didn't know where the epicenter was, what magnitude it was...NOTHING. We turned on the news, and there was nothing but soaps on....WHAT? So, it wasn't until a while later that we learned that it was a 5.8 Earthquake in Mineral, VA and the effects were felt as far north as the Canadian Border, as far west as Ohio, and as far south as Atlanta. WHEW! That was crazy!!

So now, I am trying to make my list of hurricane essentials that will be gotten on pay day. Irene is supposed to be pretty ugly, and from the looks of it, she is HUGE. I'm not looking forward to her visit, and kind of wish she would change her mind. I will need to get cards, dice, inexpensive little games and puzzles, etc, etc. Bottled water, batteries, flashlights, a hand can opener, canned goods and toilet paper are also on the top of my list. OH YEAH! and charcoal. Must have grill necessities because undoubtedly, the power will be out for days and days.

Well, I have run out of time, I have to go somewhere :( BOO HOO, I was just getting in the groove good!

I will try to blog again before this dreaded visit from the one named IRENE.

Lou ;)

A Day At The Beach....Literally Part 2

Where did I leave off? Oh yeah, the 335 pound man (I know that because he told me how much he weighs...does anyone else find that really disturbing?) that told me to take care of his kid while he and his wife went crabbing....

12:30 PM
After watching this little girl named Sandy for, oh, 2 hours, her mom comes up and feeds her 2 hot dogs and some grapes. She talked to me for a few minutes, and went back out crabbing....OK....weird, however, I have a sneaking suspicion that this was no ordinary marriage between the two from the way he acted. It seemed very, for lack of a better term....fishy.

2:00 PM
Said parents emerge from the water and Sandy went to play in the water near her parents after about 30 more minutes of playing with me and the kids. Well, Sandy wound up in the water, her mom was watching her and her dad was...guess where? CRABBING, AGAIN! My kiddos wanted to go swimming, so, off to the water we venture. Well, poor little Sandy just latched right back onto us and remained with us in the water. After a few minutes, her dad realized I was in the water, WHISTLED at his wife, and told her to bring him a new net and 2 anchors, well, she did and then commenced to JOINING him in the water. I guess when he saw me look at him to see what he was whistling for, when he made random motions with his hands that meant for me to look after Sandy, again. Well, since no one said anything to me, I got my kids and left the water. Sandy said her mom said she could stay there and sit right where the water comes on shore. OK....We went back to our fishing spot and needless to say, I did keep my eyes on Sandy, because, the poor little thing didn't have anyone else looking out for her.

3:30 PM
I was never so relieved when I saw Sandy and her parents packing their stuff to GO HOME! It was the highlight of my day. Pretty sad, hunh?

3:45 PM
Random lady walks up to me and tells me that I am as red as the chair I am sitting in and that she wonders if I have ever heard of this stuff they call SUNSCREEN. Why, yes, I have heard of this new substance, and I did make sure to cover my children in it, however, in all of the craziness of the day, I had neglected to use the new fangled stuff on myself. She apologized and told me that she has a degree in sarcasm due to the fact that she is a middle school teacher. I immediately laughed and felt the need to question this teacher as to where she may be teaching that she has such a wonderful degree in sarcasm. Well, turns out that she teaches at my cousins old middle school and actually had her in her class....again....RANDOM! She really was a nice lady, and she made my last 30 minutes on the beach very nice.

4:15 PM
Packing up to head home. Now, Shelby decides she is going to be ROTTEN and run into the water, so, in I go after her....in my clothes......nice. After wrestling with my 5 year old for 5 minutes in the Chesapeake Bay, I emerged....slightly wet, but, victorious! YES!

4:30 PM
In van, headed to grocery store to get all items needed for dinner...
I go into the grocery store, with a head full of sand and salt and half wet pants. I can only imagine what people thought of me walking around in wet pants and scratching my head...LOL. I managed to gather everything needed and get out to the van. FINALLY, heading home to get a shower!

5:00 PM
HOME AT LAST!! We all got showered, I got lotion rubbed on my oh so burnt skin and headed into the kitchen with DH to assist in burger and fry assemblage.

5:45 PM
Dinner was FANTASTICAL! I ate, watched some television and fell fast asleep. What a day!

Oh, in all of the above I forgot to mention that we managed to catch 4 spot and a baby fish that shall remain nameless (for our own protection) we threw back the nameless fish and donated the 4 spot to the nice teacher and her husband. All in all, everyone pretty much had a good time. I can't imagine it being any better. Except for the 335 pound man, the sunburn and the random fit that was thrown in the Bay.

What did you do with YOUR Saturday this week?

Later Taters!
Lucy Lou....Still in search of sanity

A Day At The Beach....Literally

This is my second attempt at blogging today, my first was DELETED by my oh so sweet youngest daughter while trying to capture the escaped bird. OI....so, here goes AGAIN.....

Yesterday was officially deemed FAMILY DAY at the Warden Wacky-Bin. My sweet, oh so Darling Husband decided last weekend that he would take yesterday off of work! This only happens once in a blue moon, so, we were thoroughly excited. He planned the whole day.....as outlined below

6 AM get everyone up (seriously? 6 on a Saturday?)
8 AM head to beach for fishing (again...family activity? really?)
?? PM come home and make burgers and fries for dinner (ok, that's fine, we all LOVE DH's burgers)

Friday night: Everyone go to bed at 9 please, because we are going to the beach tomorrow!! Yeah, we all ended up going to bed around 11....it's summer.....who needs bedtime? Especially when late bedtimes mean mom gets to sleep in!

Saturday morning:
6 AM
Husband attempts to wake me for 30 minutes. Once husband achieves goal, I emerged from deep beneath the covers extremely grumpy.

7:15 AM
I remained grumpy until entering the shower. When I exited the nice hot shower, I was greeted with a sausage biscuit and hash rounds from Hardee's!!! That made my day get slightly better.

8 AM
We were almost ready to head to Wally World to pick up a few things that we needed (beach towels, sunscreen, snacks, drinks and some fishing tackle)

8:45 AM
Arrive at Wally World to grab the few needed items and hit the beach! With towels, sunscreen, snacks and drinks loaded in cart, I ventured off to the outdoors department, where I find my sweet DH standing with a tackle box, tackle, and bait. Then he remembers that his fishing license is expired...GREAT, there is NO ONE in this department. We found someone to call that department back to their station....20 minutes later....no one has arrived. We have them call again, and managed to grab a cheap cooler, and 2 chairs while waiting......10 minutes later, here he comes....all chipper, don't worry about the fact that you made us stand here for 30 flippin' minutes waiting on you!!  What's that all about? 15 minutes later, DH and I both have a fishing license, and we head to check out.....$170 later (this includes the fishing licenses). Oh this is way more expensive than I planned on...it's a day at the beach for goodness sake!

9:45 AM
HEADED TO THE BEACH!! WOO HOO!! Finally!!

10:15 AM
Arrive at beach parking lot.....every jerk in the world was there with boats and jet ski's....finding a place to park was next to impossible...HOWEVER, we succeeded!!! I managed to get the cooler loaded with drinks and bottled water out of the van and head to the big box meter (after all, DH carried all poles, tackle box AND my large bag of snacks, towels, book, purse, sunscreen, etc. down to the beach). I paid the $3.00 to park and headed down the board walk to claim my spot of semi-paradise.

10:30 AM
I made it to the spot that my DH had claimed to be greeted by a 335 pound man that looked at me and said "Keep an eye on my daughter, see my wife out there? I'm going out there to crab with her, and we will be out for a while, just look out for her, she likes to run off. Her name is Sandy (how ironic). Sandy, you be good and stay here so that she can keep an eye on you. DON'T run off!" Ok...first of all, I came to the beach to spend time with MY FAMILY, NOT BABYSIT YOUR KID!! However, because I felt extremely sorry for this little girl, I didn't say anything to the big F*%($&. Now, I am babysitting and watching my own kids. How did this happen to me???? I just wanted ONE day at the beach, just ONE......that's all I get each year is one day. This is not turning out like I planned.

To be continued........

The lousy hum drum of day to day and a little excitement....

Well, let me first tell you that as of last night, I have nearly everything I need clothing wise for my eldest to start her second year of middle school! YAY ME! (Thank you Goodwill and Salvation Army for having such a wonderful selection!!)

So, I started the day by removing all of the tags from the clothes and washing them. Then, I ventured onto my lovely desktop computer to check out a blog that my sister has insisted that I start following (which I found out that I can do that via facebook and twitter! Again, YAY! LOVE my facebook and twitter accounts). So, this is the website http://www.heavenlyhomemakers.com . If anyone that may happen to read this oh so lonely blog feels so inclined, should definitely check out. I first thought this woman was just extreme and way off her rocker, however, after thought, she has many valid points.

I have recently been told that my hard work at couponing and cutting our grocery bill down to the bare minimum I could possibly spend was JUNK and that it was not healthy and I needed to do better (yes, I was told this by my 6 year old son). Granted, I already knew that macaroni and cheese, hamburger helper and rice a roni was HORRIBLE for my family, however, it is what fit into the very restricted budget, therefore, it is what made it's way into my cart and into our stomachs. So, I decided that I should re-evaluate our eating habits. I am now in the process of trying to figure out if there is any way possible to make my grocery bill still affordable, and the healthiest it can possibly be. I am looking into a company called Azure Standard that is apparently a very large co-op that delivers FRESH, ORGANIC foods all over the country via semi-truck OR UPS. They have drop sites so that multiple families may order and meet in one spot to collect their orders. Now, with that said, I will tell you that you must order a minimum of $50 (which is NOT hard to do according to their website) AND the total shipment must not be below $550. Now, if I were to do that on my own, it simply would not happen. I don't have an extra $550 to spend on ANYTHING, however, when you add in how many people are ordering and their each individual orders, it adds up, and is quite feasible. Now, I need to find out if they have a drop location anywhere remotely close to my house.

Needless to say, now I am obsessively looking for ways to feed my family REAL, natural foods, and present them in a way that will make them WANT to eat it. I will also be looking into Oberweis Dairy and trying to get my dairy products from them as they are a local source for fresh, organic dairy products.

That is my excitement for the day...what about you? Anything exciting where you are?

Until the mood strikes again...
Me :)

Life....or something that may resemble it slightly

So, here I sit, exactly 26 days before the official first day of school! I can't believe Summer is almost over, but it also feels like it has dragged on FOREVER.

Let me just say that LIFE is not exactly normal around here, but then again, what is normal? I'm not sure I know.  Anyhow, between the constant bickering, WWE and sheer laziness my house looks like Hurricane XYZ has hit. I MUST get this fixed. 26 days, 26 days. I will make sure that it is under control in 26 days.

I have school shopping to finish, schedules to get from my faithful postman and sanity to find. Ok, so, the sanity part will have to wait for a while. It's more fun without it.

Laundry and dishes await my perseverance. I must answer their call.

Until my next random rambling...
Me......just me.

A New Perspective

So finding a new perspective in the least obvious place is always a surprise.

I have recently found a perspective that has cleared a lot of my thinking. I am honestly shocked and amazed. I have seen the power of prayer at work in the most wonderful way. I have received words of wisdom from unlikely sources. I am thankful for my stumble upon this wonderful source of inspiration.

Because of my "stumble", I have found new strength and realized that I am not to blame. The blame game is played way too often when we should be taking responsibility for our own actions and reactions.

To you, my inspiration. THANK YOU.

I will pray with a faithful heart, an open heart for change. Bigger change, better change.

Couponing

I have been watching the Extreme Couponing show on TLC, and I have come to the conclusion that most of those couponers are actually hoarders. It is really hard for me to believe that they "need" enough toilet paper to last them for 3 solid years, and enough mustard to last them their entire lifetime. My thought? DONATE! If you are getting all of those items for free, or nearly free, why not donate those items to families in crisis? There are some families that are truly struggling to buy toilet paper, toothpaste, soap and other necessities.
That being said, I have done a lot of thinking, and soul searching. Every time the show comes on, I am called by God to start clipping EVERY coupon and using them strategically so that I may be a blessing to a family in need. Do I need diapers? NO, but someone in my community does. So, I am about to set forward on a new adventure, that will hopefully be a blessing to my community. Wish me luck!

Cancer

I AM SO ANGRY!
I just found out that cancer has claimed yet another person that I have come to love.
Not only did we lose Warren (one of my Dad's best friend and fellow band member), but also a very, very young girl who's name is Savannah.  She was only 11.
CANCER: GO AWAY, LEAVE ALL OF US ALONE!!
Can't SOMEONE find a cure?????  I know it's out there, we have to look harder.

Life, or something like it.....

So, it's been almost 8 months since I have blogged. I know, BAD BLOGGER!  I just thought that with all that is on my mind today, this would be a fantastic place to vent about it. 


First of all, I have my annual IEP meeting for my daughter today, and let me just tell you, I am NOT looking forward to it.  I am going to have to go in there with my list 2 miles long to tell them how they are failing my child.  It is NEVER fun to have to do that under any circumstances, much less when you are faced with a room full of teachers, special educators and a Vice Principal.  However, I will do it, because it is what my daughter needs.


Secondly, I am thinking about the future, what it holds, and what will ultimately be brought across my path.  Why?  I have absolutely NO clue.  I guess the best thing to do is to just wait it out, not worry, and face things as they come.  No sense in worrying about it now. 


Third, I am completely BUSTING at the seams waiting for July to roll around here.  I can't wait to get to Tennessee and spend some MUCH needed time with my Bestie!  I really could care less if all we do is sit piled up on her couch or bed crocheting, drinking coffee and just talking!  Just to be in her presence is enough for me :)


Ok, I have to go get ready for this craptastical meeting now.


Till next time......
Lou ;)