Hoping to See Spring Again

We received over five inches of snow the night before last. As such, I decided to work from home, yesterday. No way was I going to risk my life in even more impending snow. It was slow, but a fairly good day. It's spring break and both my kids were home making me a little nutty. It's hard because they can't go outside and play, which would alleviate some of the extra energy they have. I'm praying the temps warm up enough over the next couple of days where they can get out and go to the park.

Friday, we're driving south for the Babe's dance competition. She's to compete with other groups across the state. I hope her expectations aren't too high. Last year, they placed platinum for their category. I think they look great when they perform but, of course, I'm incredibly bias.

The drive is approximately 4.5 hours (but a bit faster, since part of the drive allows for super speeds). The temperatures are usually 30 to 40 degrees warmer than they are here. So, even if the temps remain a little chilly, we're headed to nearly summer like weather. Bring on the swimming pools!

The sad part is that we will be traveling on my wedding anniversary. This is the first anniversary that my hubby and I will be apart. We are not happy about this in the least, but I'm sure we'll be rewarded with trophies from both ends (hubby and the Babe's). This weekend, hubby will be in an all natural show. I can't imagine that he won't place, after going up against "roided" up guys the past couple of shows. I'm so very, very proud of him.

Today is my mother's birthday and I asked her to tell me what she wants. In the past, I would have thought this tacky but, she's nearly at retirement age and pretty much buys whatever she wants. I felt it best to just ask. Know what she said? "Bananas. I want bananas." I told her to think about it a little more and call me back with a real answer. (P.S. I'll still get her the bananas, though).

Post-Surgery and Easter

Friday was surgery day. We were scheduled to be there at 8:15 (early, but not unreasonable). We arrived at approximately 8:00am and my mother was waiting for us in the waiting room. I inputted Indy's name into the computer, which programmed my beeper, then sat to wait to be called.

After about five minutes, the beeper went off and I went to the admin station to sign lots of papers and get tagged. She told me to take the beeper back with me because it would go off again when it was time to see the nurse. Within five minutes of returning to the waiting area, the pastor of our church arrived. It seems someone didn't pass along the message of what time we would be there. He'd been there since 6:00am. Yikes! What a guy. He talked with my mother and I for a few minutes, then little Indy. He had her hold her neck up so he could see her cyst and get an idea of what we were dealing with. Five minutes after that, the beeper went off again. I was glad things were moving along nicely.

The nurse weighed her, took her height then showed us to an examination room. There, she took her temperature and blood pressure. She also left out jammies for Indy to put on (and some warm socks). The next nurse came in and gave us information about the surgery start time (9:45am) and pain management. She said she just wasn't sure what to expect for her since everyone is so different. She then showed us to the pre-op waiting room (more like a playroom).

There were all manner of toys for her to play with; dolls, kitchen sets, trains, blocks and more. She was having a grand old time. Then, an hour lapsed and we were way past surgery time. My mother inquired with the nurses station and it seems the doctor was behind on the surgery before hers. She was beginning to ask for food, poor thing. What child wouldn't, who is accustomed to having regular breakfast every morning. Finally, finally (at around 10:45am) the nurse came out to introduce herself. A few minutes later, the doctor came out to apologize for his lateness and assure us we were going back in just a few minutes. Lastly, the anesthesiologist came out and introduced herself. She also asked us if we had any questions.

We walked back to the surgery doors with Indy and said, "See you later," as she went through (the education classes said to say this, rather than goodbye as it can prove too traumatic for both the child and parents). My mom and I then headed to the next waiting room to receive status updates on Indy's surgery. While we waited, I wandered down to the cafeteria to see if there was anything I could eat from there. No dice. My mother went and came back with a tuna melt. It smelled divine. Have to remember to make those at home.

Indy's surgery was successful and fast! The nurse initially told us 1.5 hours to complete the surgery, but they were done in 45 minutes. Hooray! The doctor came back and confirmed that the cyst was a Dermoid cyst, but that they would send it to the lab for testing. He also said he didn't see any cancer or cancerous cells. Good! Lastly, he indicated that she would not need to stay overnight and could go home with me. That was the icing on the cake. My mother and I went back to see her in post op and, although a bit loopy, she was in good spirits. She drank them out of apple juice and slushies.

Saturday, we had Easter practice again and she was totally up for it. She ran through her speech twice, then participated in the Easter egg hunt. When we got home, she died eggs with her sister. Later, we ran errands then came home to watch movies and eat.

Sunday, my stupid clock sprang forward (it still has the chip and I bought it before all the changes were made a couple of years back). It was fine, since I wanted to try something new with my hair. It totally didn't work, so I rinsed it and brought back my curls. The girls looked beautiful, my hubby was handsome, and I was working it in a David Meister yellow dress (size 8, thank you).

We came home, watched the Prince of Egypt and passed out on the couch. Later, we went to Wally world and shopped since everything else was closed (we missed our Target, yesterday). I had lots of yummy new goodies from my plan but they were loaded with salt. I'll know better today. TOM is a monster, when it comes to salt (and it's way).

Overall a positive and happy weekend. Thanks to you all who reached out with your concern and prayers. You'll never know how much those mean to me. Hope you all had a happy and joyous Passover and Easter.

Snowy, Snowy Friday

It started early this morning and hasn't let up much. Thankfully, it's not sticking and warmer weather is on the horizon. Hubby is safely in Washington and arrived around 6ish last night (after leaving at 5:30am yesterday morning. Yikes!). He spoke to me of the beautiful drive and the lush greenery the Oregon coast has to offer. Neither of us has ever been to Oregon. I guess he's now got one state "up" on me.

He said that they drove past a tree farm and, initially, it appeared to him as mountain terrain but as they drove closer, they discovered that it was acres and acres of trees. How I wish I could have seen it for myself. I asked if he'd taken any pictures. Well, of course not. Ugh!

I thought I wouldn't sleep well last night, missing my hubby and all. Surprisingly, I slept better than I've slept in weeks! I gathered it was because I wasn't waiting up at all hours to talk to him. Also, instead of "teddy", I threw an extra blanket on the bed to mimic his warmth and presto! Instant, fabulous sleep. I woke up happy and light, but of course, I still miss him.

Yesterday, I organized the Babe's closet. She had an onslaught of plastic baby hangers, old clothes and randomness that I just had to get rid of. I wonder how long her closet will look the way it does now, all nice, neat and organized? She was ill, yesterday, so I worked from home and tended to her needs as best I could. Two Albuterol treatments and several ibuprofen later, she was raring to go for school this morning.

I can't believe Easter is nearly here! I suppose next week will be filled with doing hair and glamorizing my children. I don't know if I'll do pictures, but I'm considering it. I always take pictures of my own at the park. Beautiful spring photos of my girls prancing around with the ducks (wearing their Easter dresses) is sort of a tradition, now. Guess I won't be able to pull that off when they're teenagers.

I don't really have plans for the weekend, aside from taking the girls to Easter program practice at church. They haven't even looked at their speeches yet. Oh, well. I guess we'll go over them a couple of times tonight. Hopefully, they're short and sweet. Indy has never spoken in front of a large group before. I'm hoping she sees her big sister as a stellar example of how to do so.

And the Winner is...

My hubby! He took his weight class for the Utah NPC TopForm Classic Bodybuilding show this past weekend. I was so proud of him! Earlier in the evening, I was cheering on our eldest at her dance competition. I don't have her scores yet but, they were working it out on the dance floor. I'm sure they did well.

My sister's all psyched up by my husband's win. He proved Saturday that you can be a natural bodybuilder and compete with those who use steroids. It is totally unnecessary to supplement your workout with those products. Again, I was beaming from ear to ear (if you want to see video, shoot me an email or leave a comment and I will send you the links). Sis feels like she wants to try getting into shape again. I hope she's serious about it. The benefits for her would be astounding.

His next show is this weekend in Vancouver. He's never been and is very excited about going...or at least, I thought he was. We went for a walk in the park on Sunday and he told me the next competition would be a bitter sweet event. He knows he'll have fun but he's going to miss me being there; an adventure we can't share together, as he put it. What a sentimental, sappy guy.

The babe performs on the 30th and competes again on the 2nd. It's going to be a busy spring for both of them. I'll be lugging video equipment from place to place, capturing all the moments. That part is fun and doing her make up is a blast (she had false eyelashes this time that she absolutely loved). I just wish someone else would pay for my gas. :)

Heavy , Wet Snow

Most of the time, the snow around here is like sand. You could pretty much blow it off your driveway with your own breath. This morning? Oh, no. We got the "lake effect" stuff and it was heavy as hell! My body was aching after I shoveled our driveway and sidewalk. If felt like I was lifting sand bags.

The drive wasn't too terrible, but I kept thinking about that lovely weather we just experienced. I suppose everyone will get sick, now. Ugh! Spring, I'm ready now please.; placing my order for lovely flowers, beautiful blue skies and full on sun. Hubby and I are considering moving again...much more seriously. We're both done with winters and snow and shoveling. For some reason, I can't seem to have snow on Christmas eve and Christmas day only. Yeesh! Is that so much to ask for?

This would be our home through retirement (the one hubby is constantly looking for). It's certainly becoming more and more appealing. How old am I again? Well, it never hurts to plan ahead. ;)

Oh, Hints of Spring

I see you sneaking up on us. Fifty-seven degree weather on the way home, yesterday. It gave me so much hope. I'll be so grateful when the frigid temps and crazy snow have left this continent for a while (I see you East coast!). There are tulips and irises trying to peak through my yard. The other indication would have been the buds on my aspens, but hubby had those taken out last year. Ah, well. I still have this lovely, mild weather to enjoy.

I set up Indy's appointment for the specialist. The clinic is located at the local, University hospital. It just so happens that my mother works at the local University, so she has offered to come with us. Hubby is also off that day. Little Indy will have tons of support (and a pretty assertive grammy on her side). This will be towards the middle of the month (March 19th).

This whole thyroid thing has me wondering if her all-of-a-sudden flaky scalp is a side effect. I normally don't weigh my girls hair down in greases and oils but, lately I've had to with Indy. It's incredibly flaky and dry. We've shampooed with sulfur, which also helps, but I can't help wondering if her gland is really off. If so, perhaps whatever the doctor recommends will take care of that situation as well.

Whistle While You Work

We are either incredibly efficient or OCD. I haven't quite decided which. The truth is, whenever we get ready to leave for vacation, we clean. And, I'm not just talking about a little dusting or some glass cleaner, I'm talking rent-the-rug-doctor-and-scrub-the-oven-range-hood clean. Last night, hubby was steam cleaning like a crazy man. The day before, I was dusting, wiping and sucking up dust bunnies that had never seen the light of day. Today, we will divide and conquer the remaining work (laundry, mopping, bathroom cleaning/scrubbing, and packing). We'll need a vacation, just to get away from all the cleaning! The idea, really, is to leave a clean house and come back to one. Who wants to come back to a junky pig-stye after resting and relaxing for a week. It would be utterly depressing (that's why it has never happened in this family).

My mother is away right now, jaunting around Vegas with my sister in her rented, luxury sedan. She hasn't been since the 70's, so I know it was a total eye-opener for her, driving down the strip for the first time (in decades) Monday evening. Surprisingly, she hasn't really toured/visited the resorts. She's simply decided to go brain-dead in the condo and just relax. I can appreciate that. Tonight, they're supposed to see Way.ne Brady at the Venetian. I hope she has a good time. She really deserves it.

Hubby and I had a little evening spat last night over money. It wasn't even over the lack of money, it was just talking about the money that pushed me over the edge. It was 11:00 (way past my bedtime) and we were talking about how much cash to carry on us. We have our budget, so we subtracted all of the money we've spent thus far for the trip. The problem arose when hubby couldn't find the exact amount for the airline tickets. I was trying to pull up the site and do a quick check, but he took my over-assertiveness as a, "You think you're the only one who has ideas," idea. Great! We tried to work through the issue, last night but I was just too tired. I remember telling him that I didn't mean for my actions to be taken that way and that all I wanted to do was just get it done (I really, really hate talking about money). He seemed better this morning, but you never can tell.

So, where are we going? This family is making an east-coast trek to Florida. While there for fun in the sun, we'll also stop over and see my grandmother. My hubby's best friend lives there as well. My hope is to work on some control issues I have, while I'm away. The control is internal and I have a hard time letting go. I really want to let go, have fun, and not stress about every little thing. Can I do it? It will be a better vacation overall for everyone if I can.

I'm hoping the weather cooperates a little better there than what's going on here. I know Florida has had a bit of rain, but when it's 90 degrees, does anyone really notice? We've been getting dumped for what seems like weeks here. So out of the ordinary for this time of year. A coworker told me that a front usually in place over Arizona (I think) is not there this year, so all the weather that typically gets blocked is hitting us full on. Would someone please turn off the spicket up there? Surely, we've gotten enough water.

Post PRK Day Four (Sort of here...)

Phew! Things are mighty blurry. I'm typing in the dark and I've got my doctor-prescribed pseudo blue-blockers on (remember those?) trying to create this post and I don't think I'm going to get very far. Basically, this is the best day yet since surgery (yesterday was the worse). I'll do a day by day, once I feel a little more confident in my typing.

Thanks to you all for the extra prayers and thoughts. I couldn't have made it through without them. This was the single most bizarre experience of my life, but I am beginning to see the benefits. I hope by tomorrow, I can document what I've experienced and learned right here for your reading pleasure (as if I'm oh, so exciting). Lol!

It's the last day of May. Can you believe it? Spring is nearly gone and summer is knocking at the proverbial door. It also means we're about six months away from the new year. Even freakier! Where does the time go?

Spring Pics!

As promised, from my post a few days ago:

Spring has Sprung

We had the wettest April on record, but now the sun is out and the flowers are gorgeous! We've got a row of tulips on our front strip that have an alternating pattern of color (hubby and the Babe planted them last year). I'll try and post a picture soon because they really are lovely.

Before hubby came back from his hiking adventure, I took a look at our yard (wild kingdom) and did something I've never done before in my life; I mowed the lawn. Holy crap was I tired afterwards! The back yard is the worse, being on a rocky slope with uneven terrain. I felt lucky just to get it done. My arms and back certainly got a work out (didn't need to add the extra one in the evening after this project). The yard looked pretty good when I was done and hubby was ecstatic. I thought he might wet himself in the excitement.

The babe has to perform at a high school tonight for the director's drill team's performance (the director of the dance school, that is, is a coach for this high school). She picked her three, favorite groups to perform. What an honor! My little one has certainly received a lot of attention this year. So, where's the agent from Disney, begging me to move to California? (lol!)

Did you use your KFC coupon? We did. We printed off four and all received dinner on Oprah, last night. I hope people are sharing these coupons with homeless folks and such. This is an amazing opportunity for everyone (and the chicken is pretty good, too). I kept mine "light fare" by ordering sweet corn and a dry-side salad, along with a corn muffin instead of a biscuit. The coupon lasts until mid-May, so there's still time. Heck, you could print that sucker everyday if you wanted to. I imagine chicken would get pretty tiring for some (my hubby, however, is probably in hog-heaven) .

Spring Break, but not a break for me

The oldest is home on spring break and she's already driving me nutty. How is it that the oldest child doesn't assist in the care, but makes for more drama? She tries and tries to help, but it completely backfires. It's usually just a matter of her not thinking before she acts. We try to impress this upon her, but it doesn't seem to "stick". Wow, it makes my head spin to think the brilliance that would spill forth if she only thought before she acted.

No dance and no gymnastics this week, either. Both places acknowledge the school districts time off and take the same time off. Of course, that leaves her with no way to exert that extra energy. Too bad the dance competition is next week instead of this week. She wouldn't have to miss school. Anyway, I took them to the park at lunch time and will most likely do the same on Wednesday and Friday (assuming the weather holds out). Thank goodness my hubby will be home on Friday to help run interference with the munchkins. I love them, but my kids may get put out before the week is out.

P.S. We have our sectional in the house and all squared away. You'd never know the boys destroyed the door frame. It looks pretty much the same. Sweet!

"He Danced with Me"

The past few weekends have been really busy for us and this last one was no exception. I got up, got the girls fed and began work on the eldest's hair (washing and hot combing). It was not pretty with the crying and screaming. I hate to do it, but I can't perm her hair anymore. Her eczema just won't allow those chemicals on her scalp. It's so drying, the parts turn flaky and snow white. I won't put her through that again. Of course, burnt ears and necks are no fun either...although, I don't burn nearly as much as my mother burned me. The comb I have is electric and doesn't get nearly as hot.

Hair straight and fabulous, we left to run many errands (white tennis shoes for the babe's dance costume pictures, Kiwi inserts for fabulous high heeled sandals, Loreal Super Blue from Sally Beauty and lunch pick up for kiddlings and mom). We came home, ate and I promptly sent the kids off to bed. Indy was not ready. She jumped and talked for an hour in her bed while her sister slipped off to sleep and I colored my hair. By the time I awakened the babe to put on her costume and get ready for pictures, Indy had tired herself out. We left and she whined the entire way in the car.

I think the pictures are going to turn out terrific (the babe is extremely photogenic). She would strike her pose and then...magic. I love working with her as my subject and she's always so eager to take them. Thirty or so minutes later, we headed back home and Indy was put straight back to bed. This time, she slept.

After I finished my nails, hubby arrived and we began to dress. I had a choice between two dresses and he had already decided a few weeks prior that the floor length was his favorite. To be certain, I tried on both dresses again and that day, he was feeling the knee length with the asymmetrical hem (looks similar to the picture, but mine is not a halter). So, that it is what I wore with my rhinestone silver sandals and my rhinestone shoulder duster earrings. Not too shabby. Hubby said I looked great. We left and dropped the kiddlings off at their grandmother's.

The ball was wonderful and the dinner was amazing. Unfortunately, hubby has another show and couldn't eat the rice or the fabulous chocolate cake for the desert (he was starving by the evening's end). The presentation of the chapter's history was nice, then the dancing began. It's amazing the sort of personality that appears from people when they get out on the floor to "shake their grove things". Hubby is super silly, but a great dancer. Others had obviously had too much to drink and would probably get talked about at church the next day. I wasn't concerned about any of it. I just had fun and with hubby. It was certainly a great time.

We left around 10:30 and picked up our overly tired kids from their grandmother's, stopping a couple of times for hubby to check the grocery store for protein sources. He ended up purchasing some party wings to nibble on before bed (poor guy). We talked about what a great time we'd had and how we have to make sure to do things like it again. Normally when we go somewhere, I ask what his favorite part was. This time, he asked me. I thought the whole evening was great. His favorite part? Our slow dance at the end. Yeah, that was pretty good. A slow dance with your sweetheart is always good.

Mother's Day Weekend '08

Thursday, hubby brought home flowers (which was really sweet) and the babe brought one of her own home on Friday. This one is alive and will need to be planted (it's sitting on the kitchen sink and yesterday, the babe and dad were in the yard...a perfect time to plant, but I forgot about it). The weekend was mostly pleasant. I'm in the market for a new car and, although we made the road trip to hang out as a family, we also did a lot of car shopping.

First, we went to a lone dealership in the Brigham City (and we weren't even sure where we were at the time) after seeing a couple of the cars I liked. This really became the start of it all, since hubby got to get into the cars and see why I was so smitten. The dealer was like any other, promising us the world if we stayed and purchased with him. We've already been pre-approved for an amount by our credit union, so we weren't really able to spend what he was asking. One of the cars, a cute little red PT Cruiser (rated a "best buy" by Consumer Reports, believe it or not) was newer and had more miles than my little Sentra! (about 147,000 for a 2003. The previous owner must have gone everywhere!)

After our stop, we continued to Logan. It was a nice drive, accept for the babe asking every few minutes, "Where are we going?" Hubby wanted to see the quaint college town, since he'd never been there in the entire time we've lived in Utah. I told him it would remind him of Clarksville (where we went to school) and it does. After driving down the main drag, we saw the Cache Valley Mall and saw that several dealerships were renting mall parking spaces for a big sale. We looked at a lot of cars. These are the two that I love (again, Consumer Reports Best Buys):





Hubby and I are convinced that something happens to the wiring in your head, after you've had kids. We would never have thought twice about a wagon as a possible vehicle choice before having them. Anyway, I thought both were cute and after he had me researching best buys at the library, I was convinced that I'd have one of these.

We stopped to buy an auto trader and made a call to a guy who had an HHR. Turns out, he was not a private seller so much as a small dealer. We got his information and headed back in the direction of our city. Making a few more calls, I discovered that rental places were selling the cars but again, out of our price range. We found the small dealer and noted that he had a few PT Cruisers on his lot, but took his HHR for a test drive. Oh, so cute on first appearance...oh so crappy on test drive. My little Sentra is a '99 with a smaller engine and has way more "get up and go" than the HHR. True, the Chevy has space and cargo room for days, lots of little extras and touches, but it just wasn't a very smooth ride. It handles big and heavy for a not-so heavy vehicle. When going up a hill, I had visions of The Little Engine that Could. This engine just couldn't. Hubby was messing around with all the controls and was not impressed. He indicated that the children seemed "lost" in the back with no way to reach them (not good if you have to play sheriff to out-of-control kiddlings). He also remarked about the sucky sound system; not important to some, very important to someone with a commute like mine.

Back at the lot, I asked to take the PT Cruiser out (since we'd only seem them on the surface and hadn't taken any on an actual drive yet.) We took a silver, Touring-Signature Series edition. As soon as I sat down...I knew. Lots of pep, great traction in the breaks, the air and engine were seamless without any tugging (something I've never experienced), a great sound system, power everything and space, space, space. Hubby and I were happy. The price was good, the mileage wasn't as super as we would have liked, but it wasn't horrible either. We told the dealer we had one more to look at, but we would call and let him know our decision either way.

Off to a different city to see a private seller's base-model PT Cruiser. It was silver as well with lower miles and a lower price. You'd think hubby and I would have been all about it, but our hearts just weren't there. We knew where our car was; on a small lot with two other cruisers, a couple of trucks and an HHR. We phoned the dealer at dinner to let him know of our decision.

~SUNDAY~

We headed to church and enjoyed a fairly short service. After which, we headed to what we thought would be a nice breakfast in the canyons. Not so, unless you don't mind an hour and a half wait with a two-year old and seven-year old. Off to Wendy's - cheap, but decent. After which, we journeyed to Red Butte gardens and enjoyed the flowers, trees and sun. I was out of sorts, and so was hubby after a bit of a spiff in the car. We didn't say much, but I did enjoy my time there with the girls, taking a few shots and shooting some video of them playing.

We left the gardens, stopped only once for slurpees and arrived home. Hubby and I talked at length about the day, trying to figure out why it is we always seem to scuffle on days that should be momentous and wonderful. I chalked it up to stress and a serious case of OCD; you can't be a perfectionist about moments, Enchantress. It just doesn't happen that way. Hubby said that I take too much of the blame on myself, but I know that he's not a raving OCD-head like me. I used to take many more things with stride and I've got to start doing that again.

Later, to distract my mind and pass the time, I started cleaning my Sentra like a maniac! Vacuuming, destickying, polishing, freshening every aspect of that car. Knowing that it won't be in the garage and a storm was coming, I didn't wash the outside (I'll do that later). Hubby laid sod down (also to distract the mind) and did a bit of landscaping with the babe. We ate a late dinner and went to bed, still not in the best of moods (but we were, at least, productive).

April Showers Bring May Snow?!

Our forecast today:

Current Conditions

Salt Lake City

34° F

Light Snow

High so far:

37° F

Low so far:

32° F

Visibility:

8 miles

Wind:

Variable 3 mph

Humidity:

67%

Dewpoint:

24° F

Outlook

Ah May... Flowers blooming, trees budding, and snow on the ground! A very cold start to the month as a low pressure passes to the east. North winds should make it feel colder. Partly cloudy with scattered snow showers most of the day- then tapering off. Warmer tomorrow. -Grant Weyman, Live 5 Weather HD

What happened to the sun? Of course, this has nothing to do with global warming. No, not at all...

Living with Oldsters

My patience is wearing very thin. This whole, "being off carbs" is like being with someone who is in the freaking twilight zone, while you're in the real world watching him roam around aimlessly trying to find the door to your world. It's beyond crazy and I'm ready to just start shoving cookies, or crackers or a loaf of bread down his throat. I suppose this is similar to what deprogrammers deal with, when they pick up cultists...accept, I'm not trying to feed mine steaks and burgers (he's getting plenty of protein). Thank goodness this thing is only two more days away. He says that as early as Friday, he can start downing the carbs again. Please, Friday...just get here!

On a different note, the winds of change are here. What the heck happened to my lovely spring weather? Yesterday was breezy but pleasant. By the time I got gas (after dropping the oldest off at dance class), I was in need of a gortex coat! It was freaking freezing and my hands were like ice. As I type this, I can hear the wind banging at the windows and racing up and down my street (with helpless branches in tow). It's supposed to be 30 something today with possible snow. Snow? The heck you say! I was in a sun dress only two days ago. Yeah, this weather is like my hubby right now; inconsistent and all over the place. It's like living with old people.

I've decided I'm hard on my oldest. Not so hard that she can't handle it, but I am. I love her and I nurture her, and make sure that she's loved but I also know what she's capable of and I don't put up with her slacking off (like some parents around here do with their kids). If she starts giving me attitude like one of her friends, I don't calmly say, "Okay now, babe, you need to calm down." Hell no! It's, "You better watch how you're talking to me cause I'm not one of your little friends." This usually straightens the situation up quick and in a hurry.

Sometimes, she blows my mind with the things she thinks about or says. Other times, she has me ready to pull out my hair and spit teeth. "Did she honestly think logically when she asked me that?!" I've decided a big part of the stress she initiates is her age. We've got a couple in her age group in the neighborhood and a couple who are two years older than she is. The difference in cognitive reasoning skills, conversation and interpersonal skills (just in the two year age difference) is astounding. I hope that I'm of a stable enough mind to enjoy it when she gets to that point.

Old-Man Feet

This is what I call my hubby's feet because that is exactly what they look like. To be more specific, the toes are crusty, the nails discolored and the skin appears to be fleeing from the bottoms in some kind of a white-cheddar, popcorn frenzy. It's all in fun that I tease him, but I know he'd like to have beautiful feet to match his beautiful body.

At Christmas time, I bought him a gift certificate to our local spa for a "sports pedicure". It's the kind of fru fru pedicure we ladies get, but with a guy twist. He's there now getting his feet indulged and I have a feeling that this won't be the last time he does this. To my surprise, as we sat chatting last night about the day's events, he said that I was to go to our spa this afternoon myself for my "surprise appointment". Well, isn't that a nice turn of events? Wonder if I'm getting my toesies ready for spring...or perhaps a back rub, or maybe a facial? Woohoo! I am too excited!

My neighbors want to die eggs together on Friday. This should be interesting with our toddlers in the mix (her son is 18 months old). Dyed walls anyone?

Speaking of dye, it's time for my hair to undergo some serious color drenching again. Last time, I switched up and used a Loreal product. I think the pigments are better and the color lasts longer (just a personal opinion, of course). I will still continue to use Clairol's "lifting" products because of how gentle they are, but I won't go blond again until later this spring. Anyway, the color to the right is what I used last time and it was beautiful! I need more, but the money situation is weird and I'll probably have to wait until next week to color again. My girlfriend at work asked me just yesterday, "Did you color your hair again, or is it just fading?" Being a color girl herself, she knew how reds fade super fast. She said she liked it's coppery hue; however, when hubby mentioned how the color is looking last night, I could tell he was not feeling the "fade". If he's willing to fork over the dough, I'm happy to help the situation with a good, solid drench.

TOM is approaching and water-weight is the enemy. Why must you vex me, water-weight? It's not due to show up until the first of April. I'm sort of hoping it comes early so that the water will leave. I guess I'll see it soon enough.

Dance Recital

The babe will be performing to the song that's hopefully appearing on this blog today. She is so excited and I'm too excited for her. She'll have a small posse supporting her in the audience.

My brother-in-law is here and got here a week ago today. He's a different kid since the last time he was here. It's amazing what a couple of years will do to the maturity level of a young man. He's been keeping the babe for us until we can get her summer care arranged and he's been doing a great job. She loves hanging out with her uncle, although I'm sure she'll be bored before the week's end. She needs lots of stimulation and an outlet for all that energy she has. I don't think daily visits to the park are going to be enough. Thankfully, her summer care will begin next Monday as will her first, official gymnastic class. My kid; the human string of puddy.

Hubby and I are okay, but we're still talking about couples counseling. I think we need it for the sanity of ourselves and our marriage. Every vehicle needs a tune up now and again, right? I hope he can find something soon before this idea falls off the radar. We don't want anymore episodes like our last vacation and the blow up a few weeks ago.

I hope to have a nice date planned for hubby and I this weekend. He says he's waiting to hear back from the guy who's going to give him the information on how to build our deck this Friday. That's also the evening of our date, but that may not happen if this guy comes over. Oh, well. I guess I could use the money to buy a quick gift. Truth be told? I'd much rather have the date. My mother is already keeping Indy over night and the "uncle" has agreed to watch the babe if me and hubby go out.

It's 44 degrees today and not expected to get much warmer. Crazy! We went from 90 degree days to this in just two days? Global warming...hmm....

I've Got Air, but the Heat is On...

We had a cool down (it should have been called a frost down) the night before last that pulled our 80 degree temps back into the 50s. Crazy! The air conditioner gets all installed and lovely and now we've got the heat back on. I'm okay with it, though. Eighty in April was a bit much and I do love the rain (which we never seem to see enough of here). The clouds hanging low over the mountains like fluffy, white blankets...misting over the city in soft, warm sprays. It was really very pretty to watch. I should take some pictures (dang it! If I only had a flash). I guess digital will do. (the picture to the left is one I found online. It's not Utah, but this is a great representation of what I could see out of my work window, yesterday).

The babe has a "Share and Teach" today at school and she's very excited about it. She'll be making and talking about Guatemalan Worry Dolls. I spent about ten dollars on the supplies, making sure there was enough for everyone to make one while she performed her demonstration. I truly wish I could be there to guide her, but she presented her spiel (including each step) to me last night before bed. She was so good! I have a real orator on my hands! Unfortunately, she wasn't feeling so confident about her dancing rehearsal, last night. She told me, after she got in the car, "I'm not a good dancer," which is totally false because her teachers have both said she's got great rhythm and displays so much natural talent. I told her, "Sometimes we can have an "off" day, where we don't feel like we're doing as well as we'd like." She seemed to understand this, but I reiterated that she was, indeed, a great dancer. Recital time is coming and I think the perfectionist in her has kicked into overdrive.

The weekend is here, but I'm really not feeling it yet. I'll make the cookies with the babe tomorrow and my Baja beans, as I said in an earlier post. I may venture to the mall, since they're having a bunch of drawings and give-a-ways. Got to get in on those. I win stuff! If the weather is a bit kinder, I may take the girls to the park (the babe has asked about going almost everyday this week). She makes a new friend every time we go. Such the social butterfly...

Hair

So, here are a couple of shots of the hair and the unique color I'm sporting. Again, it's called F503 (whatever that means) and it's twisted, rather than braided at the top. It's left loose about midway and falls into body curls around my shoulders. I've gotten lots of compliments on the color from friends and strangers. I've tried to guess the tones as have my coworkers and I've listed those on my previous post. The "F" in the color name is almost assuredly a reference to frosting, but the color number alludes me, since it isn't one I've seen in the typical number scheme.

The photo below is of the babe and of the haircut I gave her. Initially, it was cascading down her back in a river of curls, which later made a huge mess. She's just not conscientious enough to run her fingers through it daily to keep it from getting mussed and tangled. So, I brought out the shears and took off about 6 or 7 inches. It's cute at this length, I think and easy for her to manage. The color is 4 (a number I see everywhere in color schemes) which comes out looking like a bronzey brown. This has been her color for spring and I don't intend to go any brighter than this. She's just a little girl, after all. She can go wild color hopping all she wants, once she's a teenager.

There really isn't a lot happening in my life right now and I have no complaints. Everyone is relatively healthy and I'm finally done with the steroids (thank God!). Last night, as a reward to my super, dutiful eldest, I took her roller skating. She had a good time, but did a fair share of falling because she rented skates rather than wearing her own. I've been worried because her skates are a size 12 and her feet are a size 1. She rented a pair of 13s, but they were too big, so she traded them for 12s and was much happier. Unfortunately, they aren't Roller Derby brand and I don't think her feet were comfortable, so she kept falling. She made quite a spectacle of herself, towards the end and many parents were looking for me, saying things like, "Do you have a little girl? She's fallen and is bawling her eyes out over there." Thanks. I know my daughter is a drama-queen. She'll be okay.

We left and I purchased her second surprise; a cheeseburger happy meal. She was elated! We don't do those often and being lactose intolerant, we even more rarely order cheeseburgers. She was on cloud nine, eating that thing in about five seconds time. Overall, it was a good evening and I got some good exercise too, rolling around the rink myself with Indy in her stroller. She loved that!

I begin my Detox 7 cleanse again today, which I'm actually looking forward to. I hope that it gets all the yuck out of me and helps me drop this unwanted poundage I picked up from taking the prednisone. Last time, it made me feel really rejuvenated, so I'm hoping for the same effects. Hubby's already started his.

The drink portion of the system is really grainy and isn't the easiest to suck down, but the benefits are well worth it. Unlike other detox systems, this doesn't make you have a mad, passionate love affair with the bathroom everyday. It's much more subtle in it's approach, cleaning you out (I believe) section by section so that by the end of the process, you have one moment of passion with the bathroom and then your done. I felt the difference it made in just the first couple of days and, if it were easy and cheap to find, I would do it the recommended once a month.

Today is the day for the installation. It's going to be a bit tricky, I think, because the guy didn't say when he was coming. All he said is that it would take all day. "Well, that's super, dude but...when are you coming?" I have to take the babe to school and I have a feeling he'll pick that exact moment to appear at my door. I think I'll tape a note on the front door or something saying that I'll be back in ten minutes. I guess that's the best thing to do.

Tomorrow, Indy has her well-baby visit and here's yet one more week where I'm out of a co-pay. It seems I pay hospitals and doctors more than I do anyone else, these days. My questions for the visit? How are her ears (are the infections truly gone?) and should I be worried about her legs. She's quite bow-legged, which is so cute but I don't want it to be the cause of trauma for her later. She's so busy now and I want to make sure she's walking and balancing the way she should.

I found a recipe for Snickerdoodles online, yesterday that isn't loaded in buckets of fat. I was thinking I'd make them with the babe this weekend. If they're good, I think I'll also make baskets of them for our three sets of neighbors who have been so nice to us, these past few weeks. Two sets have been picking up the babe from school and the neighbors across the street gave up many hours to help hubby put down tile. They've done an amazing job! (pictures to come soon). It's also a bit of bribery, since I'll probably need them to pick her up again in a couple of weeks. Hubby is going out of town on business and he won't be around to get her...in fact, he won't be around at all. This will truly be the longest period of time apart for us. The trip is back home in Nashville, so I don't think he'll miss me much. I think he'll spend his time connecting with old friends and seeing relatives. I'll miss him, though.

Spring or Summer?

This was a weekend of record breaking temps and boy did we feel every degree. Saturday, we awakened to temps in the low 50's, puttered around the house for a bit, then drove to my mother's at around 9:30am. By the time we got there, it was 75 degrees. Wow! By lunch time, it was over 80 and we were certainly feeling it at my house. All the fans were on, the blinds closed and the curtains drawn...all to keep any trickle of sun and heat out. Out of insanity or guilt, we went to the park later in the afternoon. The babe played while I walked (getting my second outdoor workout for the day). It made absolutely no difference to my weight. The steroids, unfortunately, have a very unpleasant side effect...weight gain. Thank God I'll be done with these suckers on Tuesday.

The weight gain was expected, but not expected was the the hefty amount in which it came; Seven pounds in a week? What the hell? Not cool. Not cool at all. Hubby was like, "Well, you lost it once, honey. You'll loose it again." All that work. It's like five steps forward, ten steps back. I'm so frustrated! As such, I'm not going to weigh this Wednesday. I don't want the emotional breakdown that would come with it. All I can hope for is that the trend to loose kicks back in, once I'm off the meds and this extra baggage leaves quickly. I was so close to my next goal, too but I digress.

To continue with the events of the weekend, Friday afternoon, I went to the salon and got my braids back. The color is quite unique, a sort of auburn/blond/bronze blend. Lots of highlights and, I think, very fun and flirty for the warmer months. The color chart is hard to see (even if you double-click for a larger view, the colors aren't very clear), but it is the only one that I can find online with the color I have (F503). Next time, I will do F505 for even more highlights and frost. I had her cut it to my shoulders because who wants pounds of hair all over their back in 80 degree weather. I'm really happy with both the length and color and have already received lots of compliments. I'll have to have hubby take a couple of photos, which I will post later on.

Sunday (another 80+ degree day), we went to church and to breakfast afterwards. It was nice, but rushed. My sister, being the self-consumed person that she is, thought it would be so great to ride with my mother to the restaurant. Neither my mother nor I were planning on going back to church after breakfast, but my sister had to because of previous obligations. It was because of her that we all rushed through our food because she was so worried about being late (not a worry she's ever had before, to my knowledge). Towards the end of the meal, she began to say things like, "I should have brought my own car," and "I probably shouldn't have ridden with mom." You think? Why didn't these things occur to you before we left? Oh, well. That's my sister. At least she's got a job again (but that's another story entirely).

Wednesday's the big day and I'm starting to get a little excited. Who gets excited about air conditioning installation, I ask you? Someone who's just survived 80 degree temps over the weekend without any sort of forced air besides fans, that's who. It brought back the horrible memories of summer and how miserable we all were. I guess I'm just happy that we will be basking in coolness this year without hubby having to get on top of the roof or any of that other horrible maintenance stuff he usually does and that it will be reliable coolness. Not cool for an hour and then sweltering for six hours. I hope that it's a smooth process too because I have no idea what kind of direction to give on this if it happens to be needed.

Spring and summer have me thinking about food changes, too. It's no longer the season for soups, roasts and comfort foods but things on a lighter fair. Hubby and I talked about my famous pasta salad, complete with artichoke hearts and grilled chicken. We were both sort of craving it, yesterday. It's definitely a standard in the house during these months and I'm looking forward to it. He also asked about Baja Beans, more a vegetarian option but very good nonetheless. I'll probably make those this Cinco de Mayo.

I seem to be babbling on so, I'll end with this: it's nearly 6:30am and 71 degrees. Do you think I'd get fired if I showed up in my bathing suit?