Slug Bug

I didn't do that much today.
Blonde Girl was on a sleepover and we were happy to see her go.
Miss Brunette and I watched "The Closer" and then a Masterpiece Contemporary movie called
"The Curator".
I think that is what is was called.
It was great.
Then, we watched "Bell, Book and Candle".
I love DVRs.
Neighbor Meggan called us and we walked through the park with the dogs and kids.
I made dinner and am now looking for a book to read.
Winter Break has its perks.

Christmas Cheer

On Christmas Eve,
Love Man drove around the neighborhood.
He nearly got mobbed at the park.
We went to our friend's house and she BELIEVED.
It was hilarious.



















We followed Santa in the car.
Too funny.

Merry Christmas

We attended the children's service

late yesterday afternoon. Blonde Girl and all of the other Sunday School kids sang and did a lot of the service.

After dinner, we drove around and looked at the lights. Our neighborhood is known for the Christmas lights.

Home Improvement

Did I tell you that Love Man is

making a patio in our backyard?

It is where the Adirondack chairs sit.

Fruity

Our fruit is ready.

I have lots of lemons.

The oranges are good.

Look at the one on the far left bottom,

a lot of our fruit is dented from the hail.



These lemons are the first fruits of this tree, which is always exciting.

In the Air Today

We are getting all of the rain from California.

It rained yesterday and is going to rain for the next two days.

The moisture in the air feels good.

Miss B and Blonde Girl keep saying,

"it smells like Iowa."

That is what they say everytime it rains.

Half Baked

Do you bake and make candy around Christmas?
I do.
So far I have made chocolate peppermint cookies,
yum!
Caramel Corn, OMG.
Chex Mix, which is always great.
Fudge, which is one of my faves.
And, Lasagna for Christmas Day.
DO NOT SEND ME EMAILS ABOUT HOW WE SHOULD HAVE TURKEY.
My English friend thinks it is barking mad that I have lasagna.
Lots of folks of Italian descent serve this for Christmas dinner.
Okay, I am not Italian but have some Mediterranean blood in me.
I have filled my tins and we are going to be delivering them in the next couple of days.
I am sorry to say Neighbor John will not be getting anything.
He is still on the naughty list.
He will miss my cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning.
I always made extra for him.

This and That

Love Man just drove Blonde Girl to a rehearsal for the church Christmas Eve Children's Service.
She was not delighted.
Her friend, the Little Blonde Haired Girl, is still here waiting for her to come home.
Then, I believe to two of them are going back to Amy's house.
That is my plan.

Hello???

Not the best day.
The kids at school were more naughty than nice.
I am helping Miss Brunette finish this huge heritage project.
TTYL.

Hummus Among Us

I made hummus for tonight's party for my work.
It is so easy.
Take two cans of chick peas,
otherwise known as garbanzo beans.
Drain and keep the juices.
Put the chick peas in a blender or food processor.
Add minced (three cloves) of garlic.
Add a heaping tablespoon of tahini.
Squeeze one lemon into the mix.
Pour in some olive oil.
Blend and add some of the reserved bean juice to make it creamy.
It should be able to blend with no problem.
I make my hummus in the blender,
so I am basing this all on blending.
Cover with olive oil.
Put it in a covered container.
Refrigerate.
Serve in a few hours or whenever with pita chips.
Yum.
Tell your children it is bean dip and NOT hummus.
It will be a hit.

Red Alert, Red Alert

You know my beloved Circle K?

Guess what???

They have a RED BOX vending machine.

It is truly a Christmas miracle.

Look at my youngest baby.

This was taken a few years ago,

when Red Box came to Arizona.

I love Red Box.

Love it.

Love it.

Church Chat

I was so late for church this morning.

Blonde Girl had a wardrobe crisis when I thought she was ready to go.

We did make it.

Later than my usual late.

My friend, Mrs. Wright holds my seat until 9:03.

I had to scooch some people over to claim my spot.

I did not know them as it is the season.

It was all good.

There were a lot of new sightings of those awful Christmas sweaters.

Many of those said sweaters were worn with accompanying silver bell or reindeer earrings.

One lady wore a snowman sweater,

complete with jaunty red hat.

We quietly amused overselves during all of the songs associated with communion.

Mrs. Wright also thinks we need to add to our "What Not To Wear" list.

This year, we are adding the Christmas ties.

In particular, the ones that play music.

I told her, I may show up to church wearing my Christmas tree skirt.

It is very cute and made of various shades of burgundy and green.

It is not an actual skirt,

but the one for my former, second large tree.

I need to fit in.

Now, that would be festive.

The Rest is History

We have been a smidge busy.


MONDAY - Was Santa's Workshop for me and later that night a concert at the Junior High.

It was good. It was outside with those lovely white lights I love.



TUESDAY - School for me and Santa's Workshop. I also drove Blonde Girl to soccer and attended the bunco Christmas party. We play that game where you open a gift and others can take it away so many times. I was sadly, number one, and did not get a gift others stole.



WEDNESDAY - School. Blonde Girl had to finish her project on Napoleon, complete with a poster board and diorama.



THURSDAY - The last day of Santa's Workshop. Whew! The children had a great time and it really wasn't so bad this year as we had a head elf. Miss Brunette has to do map tonight.

Love Man is enlisted to help her.



So that is what we have been up to. Blonde Girl is finishing up her homework. She is a tad behind due to Napoleon. But, tomorrow is Friday and her last soccer practice until mid-January.

Saturday is her last game of this season.



NEXT WEEK - Tryouts for activities for both girls. Oh God, I can not talk about it.

I have another gift exchange party for my school. Miss Brunette has many projects due.

We are looking forward to beginning of Winter Break, which begins next Friday.

Weekend Update

We had our usual weekend of stuff.
I drove Blonde Girl to soccer and her friend Molly came home with us to spend the night.
Friday night, we drove around and looked at the Christmas lights in our neighborhood.
We then had hot chocolate.
The next day, I served the girls homemade waffles.
Have I mentioned my very old waffle maker is on its way out?
I think the plug looks pretty rickety.
Love Man drove Molly and Blonde Girl to their soccer game.
I stayed home to run some errands and get us ready to go to Payson.
We went to Payson for the Electric Light Parade.
In fact, we marched in the hospital kazoo and bedpan band.
But, before that, the girls and I saw "Tangled".
We had a couple of hours to kill before the parade.
"Tangled" was really good.
Yesterday, I finished putting the ornaments on our tree and Love Man put up the lights.
I also wrapped some presents and finished the laundry.
This morning, I have already been to the orthodontist with Miss Brunette and am
getting ready to go to work for the Santa's Workshop.
TTYL, I need to finish some things before I go to school.

Love Man Strikes Again

Love and Other Drugs

Saw "Love and Other Drugs",

vg.

Do you know where vg is from?

"Bridget Jones's Diary".

Very good.

And So it Begins. . . .

All of the stuff of the holidays are beginning.
Tonight is Blonde Girl's band concert.
I made it through the first week of the Christmas workshop.
I almost had to take a nap before I came home from work.
But, thanks to a 44 ounce Diet Dr. Depper from the Circle K,
I am good to go.

Christmas is Coming a Bit Early

Nothing is fitting Blonde Girl.
We are heading to the Old Navy as soon as the homework is done.

TTYL.

Help Me Santa!

Christmas Kapers have begun at my preschool.

It is with about 50 or so children, who attend on different days, some on Monday and Wednesday and others on Tuesday and Thursday.

They rotate through and make Christmas stuff.

It is a tad nutty. But, apparently so much fun that even the Jewish and Hindu students take the class. . . . . . . . .

In Other Fish Business

I should update my profile.
As I have previously reported, Miss B's fish died a tragic death,
but has now been replaced with Violet.
We welcomed Violet into the family.

I also falled to report that Blonde Girl won a goldfish at a birthday party.
Actually, she one two.
One, obviously traumatized by the party and subsequent move to our house,
died.
But, the other one, Goldie is doing great.

So the pet total is three dogs, two beta fish, one molly fish, one snail and one goldfish.

Stick a Fork in Me

I am done.

Back to the Black

Okay, we did do Black Friday....

The girls really wanted to go.
I went through the ads,

made my list and we headed out
around 9:00.

We missed the early insanity, but I didn't want any of that stuff.


We got everything we wanted.
The girls sometimes had to go to another part of the store,

while I purchased stuff.


Joining us was Aunt Lawrel.

I think we may have worn her out.

In all, we
went to 11 stores.

She had to take a nap.

Later we went to the movies.

Miss B,
Aunt Lawrel and I saw "Morning Glory".

It was great.

About the nap part,
she takes a 30 minute nap everyday and thinks everyone should.

Love Man, Uncle Chris and Blonde Girl saw "Megaminds".

Blonde Girl loved it and she was the only one.

I think Uncle Chris fell asleep as he missed his nap.
He is a weekend napper.

I woke up so early today,

because I realized I forgot to buy my stuff for this family NCL is buying for.

Miss B and I will have to head back to the Old Navy.
They have great deals on kid's clothing.

And speaking of naps,

I will have to take a nap today.

I am exhausted and have what I believe to be "dishpan hands."

I have barely stopped cooking and cleaning up the kitchen.

No rest for the wicked. . . . . . . . . . .

One for the Money

As many of you know,

I am an ardent fan and avid reader of the Stephanie Plum series.

The 16th book has come and gone, and the first book is being made into a movie.
"One for the Money" is out next year.

I always felt that Sandra Bullock was made to play Stephanie.

I am just not too sure about Katherine Heigl.

Thanksgiving Update

It is cold here.

The second coldest Thanksgiving on record.

High of 59, the record low is 56.

That was set in 1933.

I am wearing my bathrobe as I write this.

Brrrrr!!!!

I do wonder how I would have lived in Idaho had all of that worked out.

I guess I will never know.

Of course, we have not turned on the heat.

So, there you have it.

The food was great.
I started cooking on Saturday,

We did dine al fresco,

which is always nice.

Dying to Get In

I just returned from the elementary school's Fall Festival.
I worked in the hair dying booth.
I sprayed children's hair orange, green and blue.
Some of them my former students,
who waited in line JUST for moi.
Blonde Girl ran around like a maniac.
Miss Brunette won a cake in the Cake Walk and refuses to share it.
Blonde Girl came home with cotton candy and refused to share it.
Miss B one upped her.
I guess that means no cake for me.

Bailey

Miss Brunette's fish died.
I think, he may have swam into a shell and gotten stuck.
Poor little guy,
it must have been horrible.
We put shells,
from Mexico,
into their bowls for deco and a place for them to hide.
Love Man went to clean the bowl and the fish was gone.
I had just checked and fed him a day or two prior.
We had to do a little CSI investigating to find out what the problem was.
Miss Brunette is traumatized.
Maybe we need to have a warning label on shells from the ocean.

Welcome to My Dream, What's Your Dream?

I had a dream last night and I was wearing this coat throughout the enitre dream.

LOL.

In the Pink

This little gem was 50% off a few weeks ago.

Lucky for me, it did not fit.

Large was too tight and Extra Large was way too big.

I do wonder if Large Tall would fit????

The color is now sold out.

It was cute.

I told Love Man what I was doing.

He said, "maybe you want to move back to Iowa."

I am thinking, no.

Another Coat

I tried on a few more coats, while I was out. Lucky for me, coats are the hardest thing for me to find. They almost never fit. Too short in the arms, too tight in the shoulders and too big in the body. I believe I am a Large Tall, but sometimes that is not even true. Who knows???

True Confession

I want this Old Navy coat.

I want it very badly.

Here is the deal,

we don't need coats like this in Phoenix.

A down vest, a leather jacket, a trench coat or a

a sweater coat will do.

I have all of these.

I also have a parka,

which I never wear.

I keep coats for years and years.

I, finally, no longer have any coats from when I lived in Iowa nearly 23 years ago.

Wait, I do have a trench coat, that is very long by today's styles.

I saved it.

It was purchased when I was in college.

It still fits.

I do not know what is wrong with me.

Everywhere we go, I try on coats.

While I am waiting for my girls to try on shorts,

I am trying on a stack of coats.

Ever hear about those deranged never-to-be brides

that go to bridal stores and try on dresses?

That is me.

It is all about the coat.

A Bit of a Break

We have today and tomorrow off.
OMG.
Thank you!!
Tomorrow I am off to Tucson for a conference about preschool stuff.
Yadda, yadda, yadda.
It is about the impact of technology on children.
You know, being exposed to stuff that they can't handle yet.
There is a lot of that going around.
TTYL.

That is About It

I guess the damage to our roof and property was around $15,000.
Shocking.
Seriously, I am no Bob Vila, but the roof looks okay to me.

TTYL.

Weekend Update

Overall, it was a good weekend.
Love Man stayed in Payson on Friday night.
Blonde Girl had a soccer game early on Saturday.
We went over to Neighbor Meggan's for dinner on Saturday night.
Miss Brunette got her "good grades" pedicure.
Blonde Girl, who also had good grades opted for an aluminum water bottle with her name.
Seriously, we found one with her name on it.
I told her, "you can have this or get a manicure or a pedicure."
"Mom, I can stay home and drink from my water bottle and paint my own fingers or toes."
There you go.

I'm On It

Okay, after telling you all everything,
I've got nothing.
The car has been repaired.
The tire replaced.
The insurance agent has been alerted about the towing fee.
I went to work,
begged a ride home and then found out the car was ready to be picked up.
I begged another ride to the auto.
Then, drove over and had the "real" tire put on.
I would have made the first child's pick up time at school,
but had arranged for the long-suffering Neighbor Meggan to collect Blonde Girl.
That is really it.
My new best friend, Stephen, our catastrophic claims adjuster came by to take more pictures.
I gave him some sweet tea.
The girls are finishing the "Mommy Multiplication Test" that I give them.
They hate me for it.
All I can say is, get in line.

What is Next?

Things have been really wild at our house.
It started last week with my car.
It has escalated to girls coming in and out of our house.
You heard about the dog's escape?
We have also had a guest get cactus needles in her finger while tick or treating.
And, Miss Brunette completed a science project worth most of her grade.
To her credit, she did the entire thing herself.
But, I had to drive her around for the supplies.
Science project invaluable,
cost of supplies $23.




We did have a great Halloween and the girls attended a birthday party.
We found out that our roof is nearly totalled from the hail storm on October 5.
That was shocking.
We have more than 100 broken or cracked clay tiles.
There was also damage to our heat pumps, cool decking by the pool and the two shingled areas that hold the heat pumps.
The list goes on and on.
Actually, the shingled areas were totalled.
There was more, something about the house trim.
Who knows.
The list goes on and on.
I am glad I had the insurance adjustor inspect all of this.





Did I mention that Neighbor John is really not being very nice?
He is threatening to call the police IF he hears our dogs bark.
So, when the dogs go out - they have a chaperon.
Seriously, if they do bark, it is for less than 5 minutes during the day.
Love Man did go over there and speak to Un-Neighbor John and his wife.
It was a bit heated.
Love Man mentioned something about this all being a "conditioned response" because John used to cluck like a duck or growl at our dogs.
We have asked them to stop spraying the dogs with water, repeatedly.
John threw a bucket of water on the dogs on Monday.
That is how this whole thing got started.
It is a bit of a mess,
but if he takes us to court on a noise infraction. . . . . . . .



The next morning,
Sadie threw up the next day all over Blonde Girl's down comforter.
I phoned Love Man who was on his way to work.
"Can you come home?"
Pause.
"Why?"
"You know the potato soup that I told you NOT to let that dog have?"
"Yes."
"She has vomited it all over the purple comforter."
I had no sooner dealt with all of that,
when Miss B started yelling for me to come out to the patio.
One of the hummingbirds that has lived in our yard forever was attacking another one.
The poor other one was on the ground with a hurt wing.
It took a bowl, a broom and a scooper to save the bird.
It later died in our garage.
Nature is violent.



Yesterday, Love Man called me on my mobile phone.
I was at soccer regaling my friend Marla with the week's events.
"My tire is shredded."
"I put the spare on and now the wheel won't turn."
He called the tow truck and got to ride with.
Guess how much the tow bill was?
$425.
Yes, we have towing insurance.
I think it is covered to the nearest dealership,
so most of it will be largely paid by State Farm.
When Love Man shredded the tire,
it broke some spring.
So, I am without a car.
He needs mine.
It is a funny thing,
when you pretty much know everyone,
it is easy to get a ride to and from work.




If you don't hear from me again.
Assume our roof has collapsed or that I have moved to the country.

In the Dog House

We also had a busy weekend.
Girls in and out of the house.
We had one spend the night, another visit and another trick or treat with us.
One of these girls allegedly left our front door open and our dogs escaped.
They ran up the sidewalk sniffing and poking around.
Miss Brunette discovered them.
Love Man alerted me.
I told Blonde Girl.
All of us headed up the street.
I yelled for Love Man to get the leashes.
He drove up the street.
The girls ran and I walked.
Abby immediately ran to Miss B.
Sam and Sadie ignored her.
Sam was captured next.
A nice lady riding a bicycle helped Miss B get Sadie.
I arrived just as Sadie had been picked up.
By the time Love Man,
all of the dogs were caught.
Blonde Girl carried Abby home.
I carried Sam home and helped Miss B walk.
Her legs were like noodles,
but she would not let Sadie go.
She was so upset and is still traumatized by this.
The dogs were put in the bedroom,
but I don't think they are the least bit sorry.
I am pretty sure Sadie went out first and Sam followed.
Abby went to keep the other two out of trouble.
They did remain on the sidewalk.
And, went the opposite way that we walk to school.

The Rest of the Saga

Car Story III

So, the car goes off to the shop.
My friend comes to pick me up for work.
We schelped Miss Brunette to school and hit Circle K for a nice sodie and went to our school.
Love Man called me after class had dismissed.
I was up on a chair hanging spiders and bats.
"Your car is done."
"Really?"
"It was some hose."
"How much?"
"What difference does it make."
So, I got another ride to the shop and collected my car.
End of story.

The Sequel

Car Story #2
Naturally, I got on the phone and arranged a ride to work and bunco.
It was the buncoween and you do not miss that event.
Love Man was actually super nice about the said vehicle.
He said he'd call our mechanics and arrange the appointment for the next day.
He also said he would phone AAA on his way to work in the morning.
He did all of that.
The next morning,
I send Miss Brunette to walk Blonde Girl to school.
She said, "I can't handle three dogs."
I told her, "take two."
Abby, who is the worst of the three, stayed home.
I am sorry to say that, but it is true.
She hates other dogs, men, and men who wear hats.
Off they went and they caught up with Neighbor Meggan,
who phoned me from the walk for the "True Phoenix Story."
The Triple A guy came early,
which is why I didn't walk to school.
He wanted to her the TPS (get it, true Phoenix story) and I told him.
He opened up the hood and saw the broken hose.
I had already heard this from LM,
so I was unfazed by this revolution.
Then, he started pulling out all of this confetti that used to be other hoses.
He told me,
"this is really going to cost you" and told me I should have pulled over when the battery light went on.
He started the car and it started right up.
He said, "I'm driving it onto the truck because it won't over heat in that amount of time."
Fine.
And, away they went

Happy Halloween

Okay

Car Story #1
Blonde Girl had soccer practice and I was to pick up her friend, Molly.
Molly's mom had parent/teacher conferences,
she is a teacher like almost ALL of my friends.
I picked up Molly and drove them to practice.
Love Man was to pick them up and deliver Molly home, as I had Bunco.
I was driving home.
All of a sudden my battery light went out.
I thought, "oh, I must be needing a new battery."
The heat in Arizona is very hard on batteries and they must be replaced often.
Batteries either die and refuse to start on a hot summer morning
or keel over in the fall when it is cooler.
Then, it another light went on - one I had never seen before, a water pitcher inside a battery.
I tried to get over, but there was too much traffic on Greenway Parkway.
By this time, I am up the the stop light closer to my house.
Naturally, I had to wait at the light.
I noticed my temperature gauge was rising.
By the time I could turn it was around 100 degrees, but not in the red.
My power steering was no longer working.
This really didn't faze me as I drove a 1969 Buick LeSabre in high school and college,
I was used to cars that didn't steer well.
I turned and suddenly pop, water exploded out of my hood.
That really startled me!
The temperature gauge returned to 80 degrees.
I am now at the turn for my house.
I decide to drive to my house.
I was going to make it.
I was at the last stop sign and my car starting smoking.
I think it was steam, but who knows.
I practically cut off a car so I could go and pulled in the driveway.
I got out of the car.
I phoned Love Man.
He said, "don't park in the garage"
You think?

Tune in soon for the rest of the story.

An Issue

My car was in the shop today.
Yesterday was a nightmare because of it.
I will tell you about it tomorrow.
I need to go to BG's conference.

Trick

Miss Brunette HID her Trunk or Treat candy from me.
ME!!!!
Don't ask me how I found out.
I just did, that's all.

Trunk or Treat

We went last night to Trunk or Treat.
I almost asked this guy where in the world he got his costume.
His back hair was all over his arms, shoulders and neck.
Then I realized it was NOT a costume.
OMG.
One word, WAX.

Parrotheads Unite

Last night Love Man and I went to the best birthday party. It was for one of my former teaching partner's (aka "Mother", which is what Mrs. A. and I call her) husband.

They had a band on the driveway. It was awesome. I found two you tube videos featuring the David Dodt Band.

They really were great. I am ready to go see them again. The party was sort of Parrothead themed, as Mother and the birthday boy are in the Jimmy Buffet Parrothead Club. That may not be the proper name, but you know - they are Parrotheads.

Wheels are Turning. . . . .

I didn't get called to sub today.
Thank God!
You all do know I sub on Mondays and Fridays at my preschool?
Anyway,
I had to take my vehicle back to the repair shop.
I had an oil change and since that time,
the car has leaked and makes a funny sound when I start it.
Turns out, an "O ring" was pinched and this was causing all of the trouble.
The best part of all,
NO CHARGE.

Will it Ever End?

It has been a bit of a long week.
And, today it rained.
It rained yesterday and Monday.
Yesterday, I had to walk this girl I work with to her car.
I had an umbrella.
Actually, I walked her to my car and drove her to her car.
Seriously, I did.
This is something only an Arizona native would have someone do.

Ta Da

Off to the doctor for routine exams.
We are fine.
Nothing much to report.

Pirates Among Us

Today was the first day of my pirate enrichment class.
Aye, it was a hit!

Back into the Swing

We are back in the swing of things.
I subbed today.
The girls are back in school.

All Good

Love Man and I hiked today.
It was pretty good.
I wouldn't recommend pumpkin bread and Diet Dr. Pepper before such an undertaking.

I've Got Mail

I got a wedding invitation yesterday from my cousin.
I used to call him Step Hen.
In fact, I still do sometimes.
When I was first learning to write,
he spelled his name out for me.
STEP HEN.
I was astonished.
The spelling made absolutely no sense to me.
I hadn't had phonics yet.
He is getting married to a nice lady in a couple of weeks.
I am happy for them.
Guess how the invitation was addressed?
Well, it had our names on it and then Miss Brunette and Blonde Girl!
The actual names "Miss Brunette" and "Blonde Girl".
Hee, hee.

Green is the New Blue

We are still having pool issues.

I have been to the pool store three times.

Love Man has done everything that they told us to do.

This week, I purchased liquid chlorine and that seemed to help.

I do think it is finally getting better.

Oh and Yeah

Did I mention that my mom is visiting.
Today, we did a bit of shopping and errands.
It was fun.
Mom likes the Ross.

Don't you just love Fall.

I am a huge fan of Halloween.

I love it.

I love the colors and that wonderful smell in the candy aisle.

That might be the best part.

At this time of year, I start craving Almond Joy.

The girls don't love them and give them to me

after they have rifled through their Halloween haul.

A Ghost of A Chance

We made this ghost by using a sheet from

Miss Brunette's Greek and Roman Days costume and putting it over our Scare Crow.

We used a motrin lid to trace the eyes and

Miss B. colored them in with a Sharpie.

We bought the birds at the Dollar Tree after being inspired by the $29.95 birds in the Pottery Barn catalog. We have four birds and one spider in total, in addition to the ghost.

So in all:

1 scary ghost

4 birds (and I still hate them, that is why they are scary)

1 spider

1 "Trick or Treat" sign

1 house flag of a haunted house

2 happy girls who like this stuff

Just Like A Spider

We have got this Fall thing down and
thank God it is Fall Break. I am so done.
I really am. The girls seem a bit tired.
Blonde Girl has recovered from her illness,
but is exhausted at night.

As the Pool Turns

Our pool is now this color.

In fact, this is an actual photo of our pool water.

We have been back and forth to the pool store

THREE different times. I hope we have the

right recipe now.

We normally never have any trouble with our water.

A Full Recovery

Sadie is fine from her apparent leg injury.

In fact, she went to the shot clinic last weekend and has a grooming appointment this Friday.

Don't ask, I have wanted too long and she is a mess. She needs a twice yearly "strip".

Caesar Milan was on "Sunday Morning"

last Sunday and said, "when I die, I want to come back as a dog in America."

LOL.

Hail

Hail.

Leaves ripped from the trees.

Nice.

A lot of rain.

Perfect Storm

It stormed and hailed like you would not believe today. All of that white stuff is hail.

Hail! Trees are down and our yard is a mess.

Photos of that disaster tomorrow.

The desert smells fantastic after a rain.

OMG.

See all of that water? It is headed for our the

Rainbow room.

Busy, Busy

I had a busy day running around doing errands and meeting up with a friend.
It was great!
I do not do this enough.

More tomorrow.

Oh Yeah

Blonde Girl is better.
She missed two days of school.
Her fever broke about noon yesterday.
Sadly, she could not attend the Fall Festival at my preschool.
She was super upset.
Given the 101 plus fever and vomiting,
there was no way she could go.
Her only outing yesterday was the pet store and she had to rest up before and after.
And, Sadie stopped limping after about a day.
They had a great time at the shot clinic.
LOL.

Dog Day Afternoon

We are off to a the shot clinic at this locally owned pet food store.
They also sell bunnies and chickens.
OMG.
Love Man and I sat around the kitchen table trying to figure out what dog needed what.
We did and new files were made for each canine.
Sadie and Sam are the lucky contestants.
Abby has a reprieve until December.
My friend, Amy is going with one of her dogs.
Blonde Girl and her little daughter can look at the chickens together.
I wonder if Blonde Girl is still afraid of them?

Daily Dose

Seriously, Nutella helps me get through the day. I love it. You ought to try it on

graham crackers. Add a toasted marshmallow and it is a better s'more.

If you could possibly improve a s'more.

Sick Day

Blonde Girl woke up this morning with a fever and a sore throat.
We did go see the doctor and it is a virus.
She is on about her fifth nap for the day.
I called in at work.
Then, went to work for the teacher picture,
because it is still PICTURE DAY at our school.
I also stuffed the cubbies and finished our weekly note.
I brought in the stuff to make our fried rice as we are talking about Asia this week.
I also brought the monthly calendar.
I am not even going to talk about how time is flying by.
I just told everyone that I was a hologram and to ignore me.
It works.

Picture Perfect

Today was picture day in our class room.
OMG.
One was afraid to have her photo taken.
Poor thing.
Another was afraid because we weren't doing what we usually do.
He did adapt.
This other character in our room was angry that she had to have her picture taken.
"I am not going to smile."
"I wouldn't."
"This is just horrible."
Then she banged her head on the wall to show me how angry she was.
I said, "don't do that, you will hurt yourself and that will make me cry."
"There is nothing in there but a bone."
"Well, that and your brain."
She stopped, but was thoroughly disgusted with me.
She did get her picture taken.
I think she may have smiled.
The photographer thought she needed her own TV show.
She does, and it would be funny.
Later in circle, she couldn't join us because she had a wedgie.
"I can't come to circle, I have a wedgie."
A wedgie is the only thing stopping her from world domination.

The Sad, Sad Truth

Blonde Girl is at the kitchen table doing homework.
Miss Brunette, whose legs might be 4 feet tall, is still at school.
A mom at my school commented today,
"her legs are as long if not longer than yours."
Miss B. is your basic nightmare, she wheres size 0 tall.

Church Chat

I got a text from Mrs. W. as to where she was sitting in church.
I was still home making my way to the door,
but, I do not get there THAT early.
She had bet her husband that I would arrive at 9:03 a.m.
Okay, so I did and she was sitting on the epistle side and was found right away.


Some of you, and I am not naming names, think you are so smart saying things like,
"I didn't think you knew the difference between the gospel and the epistle side."
Thank you VERY much.
I would like to point out that I READ.
I do.


So there.

Sore Leg

Sadie started limping on Friday.
The girls were very concerned.
Freaked out might be a better word.
They wanted me to do something.
I had her rest as much as possible and the next day the limp was gone.
We haven't walked her this weekend and are trying to keep her resting.
Sometimes dogs have their own ideas.

(I had a picture, but can't upload it.
I may need new batteries.)

Autumnal Thinking

The deco is out.
I am thinking about making pumpkin bread.
I burnt apple cider candles last night.
Maybe,
a bit too much.
I was sneezing this morning.

TGIF

I have been holding off on the Autumn decorations,
but I am thinking this weekend. . . . .

Ode to Thursday

Okay, this week is just racing by.
Today was picture day at Blonde Girl's school.
I only hope she doesn't sneeze when they snap her picture.

Do NOT Panic

My blender is broken.
I looked on ebay for another cobalt blue one
and discovered it is a broken coupler.
Evidently,
I can order the parts on ebay or take it to an authorized repair facility.
I am going to let someone else repair it.
It is a very important blender.

A Funny Thing

There have been some hilarious things happen during church over the years,
and Mrs. W. and I always have a good chuckle over it.
We seem to have the hardest time during communion.


One of the funniest things was the time our friend decided to drink from the common cup,
the associate pastor spilled the wine/blood down her front.
OMG.
We were nearly hysterical behind our programs.
I have accidentally dropped my wafer into the dipping cup a few too many times.
That is never good.
They have to get a new challis.


Once in the sermon and newsletter,
there was this whole thing about people sitting in the same spot every time.
We felt profiled,
but did not move.
There are worse things we could do.
Besides,
if I can't find my friend,
someone always points where she is.


When the head pastor announced that their would be glutten-free wafers available for those with wheat allergies,
we nearly cracked up.
What?
Glutten free!
The body and blood gluten free.
That amused us.
I remarked to Mrs. W.,
"for those persons taking communion,
please proceed to the perfume free section."
She chimed in,
"those of you wearing those annoying Christmas sweaters go to the following section."
All whispered,
of course.
We do know how to behave in public.


However,
just as she whispered the remark about the sweater,
a lady wearing the most annoying Valentine's sweater walked by.
OMG.
Peels of laughter. . . . . .
and you can't stop when you really get tickled.

Moving to the Gospel Side

Yesterday was the first day of Sunday School and Confirmation at our church.
We were there along with everyone else.


I normally sit in church with Mrs. W. and her husband.
Her husband attends fairly regularly.
Love Man does not attend church frequently.
Love Man is a CEO,
Christmas and Easter only.
And, as a devoted football fan,
he tries not to miss too much ESPN.


So, I sit in church with the W's or by myself.
It doesn't bother me,
I tend to socialize a lot.
My "stalker" also attends our church.
He really doesn't stalk me enough for me to call the police.
But, he is a freak and likes my skirts and I generally avoid him at all costs.
What would I tell the police, "he compliments me on my skirts and comments on when I wear a different color."

He is socially inappropriate.
I have been exceedingly rude to him,
so he now avoids me.
Good.


In the summer, the girls and I usually attend Saturday night church.
Love Man comes then as football is not in season.
I have the joy of not seeing that creep all summer long.
He is strictly a nine o'clock service guy.
The fool also sits in the front row.
Good.


Last year, he kept sitting closer and closer to me.
So, I had to move to another spot in church.
I am now sitting on the gospel side.
Mr. and Mrs. W. remain on the epistle side.
While sitting in the gospel side yesterday,
I wondered if Mrs. W was concerned where I was.
So, I sent her a text.
I did.


It was during the music part and church was not going on.
Do not judge ME.
She texted me back, "where are you?"
I pinpointed my location.
They had saved me a seat.
That man needs to find another church.

Although the church could probably be better served without us laughing hysterically about things.
I will tell you more about that later.

Still Hot

It is still hot.
Yesterday, was the hottest day recorded in September.
I think it was 107 or 108 degrees.
Who knows?
It is just hot.

kitchenaid blender with glass jar - Google Search

kitchenaid blender with glass jar - Google Search

Hotter than the 4th of July

Okay, it is not actually hotter than the 4th of July. . . . .

But, we are having a heat wave.

I am in the mood to totally put up the fall deco.

I mean, Halloween baby!

I think one of my scare crows has gone missing.

He may have been nabbed on Halloween evening.

I am not sure.

Sadly, I did not miss him right away.

Poor little guy.

I just hope he is happy.

Frantic Panic

Seriously, just kidding about the frantic panic thing.
I really have nothing to say.
Looking forward to relaxing this weekend.

Mad Housewife

This is the wine I served at bunco.

Seriously.

I love the label and it was a hit!

Bunco, The Day After, The True Phoenix Story

Bunco, which was at my house, went well.
The food all turned out.
The house was clean.
The girl's bathroom which morphs into a guest bathroom, was good.
I did have to ban the girl's from the said bathroom beginning with after school yesterday.
They get makeup, nail polish and stuff everywhere.
I am beginning to think they are pigs.
We needed a sub,
so I enlisted Neighbor Meggan.
Love Man bugged out to the Neighbor's Meggan's husband.
This was Blonde Girl's suggestion, who claimed to be invited by Meggan.
"She doesn't want me to be bored." was her comment.
Abby went with.
I hear she was well behaved.
I wonder what Kitty thought.
I didn't know they were taking her.
I just noticed that she was gone.
Abby does not like to be overwhelmed with people.
Miss Brunette, Sam and Sadie stayed.
Sam and Sadie were very popular.
Sam was held by most of the ladies.
Phoenix people LOVE dogs.
Miss B hung through the appetizers and came out again near the end.
She was fine.
Quiet.
Okay, here is what happened. . . .
I was busy.
I went to school and then taught my enrichment class, Princesspalooza.
I left as fast as I could and schelped to the Walmart for the lettuce, strawberries, etc.,
stuff that is best served fresh.
I got home and finished the work on my list.
I made most of the food Sunday and Monday.
After I rinsed off in the shower,
I was going to touch up my toes.
I dropped my nearly black nail polish.
I splattered all over my bathroom, the tile, the grout and even into my Romanish tub.
OMG.
I yelled for the girls to bring rags.
They did.
We used fingernail polish remover to get it off the tile and tile in the bathtub.
Love Man came home during all of this.
He was arrived home early to light the tiki torches and get the music going.
The walls are still splattered.
We are going to either have to repaint or touch up.
I told the girls, "just work on the tile and grout."
I am going to work on the walls this afternoon.
Don't ever let me stay at your house.
I can not be near carpet.
I am an accident waiting to happen.

Autumnal Forcast

It is almost fall.
Believe it or not, we have fall here.
Okay the leaves don't turn until January,
but, the air gets crisper and it gets down right gorgeous.
And, I do mean gorgeous.
Fall is an American word and used the the USA.
My English friends call it Autumn.
But, by now, they fully enjoy celebrating the American Pumpkin Holiday which is our Halloween.
They do have Halloween in England,
but it is just not as elaborate.
And, I love Halloween.
Love it.

This and That

I am trying to get stuff done today for bunco tomorrow.
A friend came over and helped me.
I am going to her house on Friday and being her helper.
It works.
More fun than slaving alone.

Yes, I Did

I seriously bought this at a garage sale a few months ago. I love it. I would love it even more if it were diet dr. pepper. But, it spins around and is wonderful. The nicest old man sold it to me.

My neighbor and former teaching partner of my current teaching partner called me,

"Marce there are two great garage sales.

You need to come over here."

I did.

One was hers. There is nothing wrong with

tooting your own horn.

The other had a lot of great stuff. The couple was moving back to England to be near their grandchildren. I bought some

cloth napkins for 40 cents. OMG, there is no cents sign on my keyboard. Look at yours

do you have one? I went to my friend's sale. At her sale,

I got some clay pots and saucers. She

gave them to me for FREE.

The first sale had a ladder. Love Man just had mentioned that he needed a new ladder. This one was aluminum.

Yesterday we all went back. The original price of the ladder was $50. Too high. More like the first day price and the attitude of "let's see what I can get." Yesterday there was two signs, "if you see something you like,

make an offer." It was also in Spanish. I told Love Man, "I am going to offer $25." Love Man has learned not to talk at these things. He is too nice. He'd be like "you seem like such nice people, here's $60."

In a game time decision, I offered $20. Then we headed over to Mrs. B's sale and borrowed her vehicle to get the ladder home. Blonde Girl had me purchase her a tray. It is cute and lives now on her desk.

Mid Term Reports

See these two girls?

They both had good mid-term report cards.

I said to Blonde Girl, "if this is how your grades are on your 1st quarter report card, you can choose between a manicure or a pedicure to celebrate."

Her reply was:

"Daddy said if I had good grades,

I could have a pony."

I have left a message for Daddy.

Water Works

This was the girl's first trip to Las Vegas.

They got to drive down the strip in a convertible driven by their uncle.

They each got about 1 1/2 pounds of chocolate.

They got to see the fountains at Bellagio.

They had fun.

The Story

We went to M & M World.

It was pretty fun.

The girls loved it.

We let them go to the M & M wall.

They could fill a bag with all of the unusual colors of M & Ms.

Turns out, the candies were $12.95 a pound.

We spent $33.51 on M & Ms.

I made them put some back,

but we ended up with almost three pounds.

We are Back

We spent the weekend in Las Vegas.

It was fun.

We stayed with Love Man's brother

and wife.

We hit the strip twice.

The funny thing was that I have

never been in Las Vegas the city.

The grocery stores even have slot machines.

Weekend Update

Did you have a good weekend?

We did.

More tomorrow. . . . . . . .

Sun Sonnet

It is going to cool down.

It is going to cool down.

It is going to cool down.

A Cactus Among the Thorns

We have nice Rainbows in our class this year.
They also have the most unusual names.
Very old.
I am telling you soon children are going to come into our preschool with names like
Wretha, Buehla, Gladys, Hazel and Florence.
Seriously.
All of the old ladies in the future will be named Ashley and Tiffany.
Do you remember who said that?
The ladies of "Designing Women" said it.
And, they are right.

In the Pink

I used to totally love pink flamingos.

Then, I got so many pink flamingo things

I finally had to put a stop to it.

I had pink flamingo china (very cute), glasses, shower curtain, magazine rack, towels, bathing suit cover up, and the list goes on and on.

Now, all I have are my pink flamingo yard ornaments.

They live by the pool,

kind of like me.

Hard to Believe

It is hard believe that it is Labor Day Weekend.
OMG.
The end of summer.
The start of fall.
It has been warm here this week.
There is usually a last gasp and then it cools down.
Cooler weather is on its way.
Miss B has a project due.
Blonde Girl has a test on bones and a spelling test.

Arrested Development

Miss Brunette is a Teacher's Assistant.
I think you have to be a good student.
You have to apply for it.
And, be a good kid.
You have to get paperwork signed approving you as a TA by the former quarter's teachers.

Anyway,
she works in the Attendance Office every day.
I think she enjoys it.
Today a uniformed police office came in to collect daughter from school early.
Miss B raised her hands and said,
"I didn't do it."
I guess the staff got a good laugh out of it.
The police officer thought is was funny.
She said to me, "I knew he was Taryn's father and I was just messing with him."
Droll, very droll.

Okay

We are okay.

A bit tired, really.

The girls are keeping up with their homework.

I am trying to keep up with the house.

And,

the laundry keeps multiplying.

OMG, OMG

The girls are going on a month of being in school.
My enrichment class "Princesspalooza" starts next week.
I am not ready,
but will be.
Here is what BG said to me this weekend:
"Mom, will you show me how to make a margarita."
"Ummm, why do you need to know?"
"I want to be able to make them when the bunco ladies come over."
That's right folks, I host bunco in September.
I don't think Blonde Girl will be mixing the cocktails.
It is probably illegal.
It is definitely sick and wrong.

Back From Nothing

We did not do much this weekend.
I know.
It really is kind of nice.
We enjoyed watching the Emmy Awards.
We are huge fans of "Modern Family".
Huge.

Nightmare on Our Street

This one had a bad dream last night.

Bad enough to wake me up,

because she was afraid to sleep alone.

She usually crawls in bed with her sister.

It must have been bad.

She practically slept on top of me or held my hand.

When I got up,

she wanted to know,

"are you okay, Mom."

"What was your dream about?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

When Miss Brunette had a similiar thing happen,

she told me all about it.

Then,

I couldn't sleep. . . . .