Feeling like a semi normal human...

I am watching or rather listening to the news. It's all bad so I am going to counter it with an all good news blog post.
Natalie is learning to communicate.
My friend in Calif. is moving into her beautiful new house.
Bob's cousin is getting married soon.
The sun is shining.
I have been reconnecting with really "old" friends from way back in elementary and junior high days on Facebook.
I won $400 in play money on online poker.(only if it were real)
I slept thru the night, coughing only 8 or 9 times.
God is good.

I might actually B-B-Q this weekend if it stays dry tomorrow. That rocks.
Girls are glad it's Friday. They are two tired chicks.
My bird feeder is filled up again and the little finches are going crazy, in turn my cat is going crazy.
Speaking of my cat... When I had my really bad coughing/no sleep extravaganza he never left me. He sleeps with us every night but usually leaves eventually to prowl and when Bob gets up at 3:45-4:00 he always follows him around til he leaves at 5:00 but when I was having a hard time he never budged. He curls up in the crook of your knees. It is comforting and adorable.


I can hear our president talking to U.S. Marines about our withdrawal from Iraq by the year end 2011. Blah blah blah... I am loving that our troops will come home but hope that the sustaining of democracy continues in Iraq so that the hard work and lives lost was not in vain. President Obama says that the U.S. and Iraq will always share a blood bond, and that it will continue for ages. He is comparing our civil war and hatred toward our country to the problems that Iraq faces. It's full of fluff and perhaps illogical camaraderie. Hopefully I am wrong. I really want to be wrong about this whole political, economic thing. I would gladly welcome being wrong...
All right that is enough, I am and always continue to pray for the soldiers and their families. I wonder if Oprah's show yesterday was purely a coincidence? She was at Walter Reed Army Medical Center...hmm....It's not the message I am against but perhaps the messenger? I don't know... Okay, now he's done it, he had made me cry... damn it, tell me a soldier's story and I am humbled and beyond consolation.


The cats are loving the sunshine, they are usually sprawled out on Riley's bed asleep by now but are running up and down the hallway like a herd of buffalo.

Hoping everyone has a fun, restful weekend. Hug hug kiss kiss ...

Ouch, it hurts to breath...

The last 12-14 hours are foggy to me. I picked the girls up from school yesterday and I when I got home I took one of Bob's "sleepy" pills. They are a muscle relaxer and can knock me out. I took a half and still woke up coughing about 20 times so I took another half. All that ended up happening was that I was coughing and tired and today I feel like I am hung over. I did get about four hours in with the help of my airplane neck pillow. That way I could sleep sitting up!
It started snowing at about 7:30 last night so I turned the news on this morning to see if the girls had school or late start. They ended up with a two hour late start and they were still late getting there. If I am not on top of my game and pushing them to get ready they just wont. So they were late and they can suffer the consequences! I got a tea at Starbucks and hoping that helps to perk me up. I dread coughing now as my whole body is so sore. I live in fear of sneezing, burping and coughing! Ouch!
My sweet, cute little cousin, Natalie is quite the busy girl. We just celebrated her 7th birthday this past weekend. She is learning some cool new things that could change the way she communicates with the world and help everyone around her understand her wants and needs. She is learning to use a computer that works with her eyes. People like Nat with physical disabilities can do many things with their eyes that they would otherwise do with their hands. This is from the website Eyegaze... "By looking at control keys on a computer monitor screen, the user can perform a broad variety of functions including speech synthesis, environmental control, sending emails, browsing the Internet, playing games, typing, and controlling most PC and MAC computers.
Eyetracking systems can enhance the quality of life of a disabled person, his family and his community by broadening his communication, entertainment, learning and productive capacities. "
She is also learning to use a wheelchair that is motorized, hopefully giving her independence and mobility. You feel so helpless when you are with her in that you move her around in her chair where you hope or think she might want to be. Anyway that she can communicate more efficiently and move around independently would be such an awesome blessing. When she is out of her chair and my uncle is helping her "walk" around, you see this tall beautiful seven year old who also happens to be missing a couple front teeth and she is just like any other 1st grader. We already know how smart and funny she is and if she can communicate that to the world that would be the best!
The sun came out early and began the task of melting the snow. I am so glad! It is a pain in the ass in the morning. Thankfully Bob had put a large sheet of cardboard across my windshield this morning before he left for work. All Sid and I had to do was lift it up off of the windshield and TA DA a clean windshield! Isn't he just the smartest man?
I am off to pick up child #1 and then child #2 already. It does seem like I just took them to school... Oh yeah, I did just take them to school.

Ricola, Top Chef and Idol

I am in the midst of a cough. A REALLY bad cough. I am sleep deprived because I get about 20-30 minutes of sleep and then a coughing fit. My eyeballs feel like they are going to pop outta my head, my ribs hurt, my chest is sore, I have thrown up three times because of this cough and I am so over it. I don't feel bad in the sense of being sick. This cough is the result of last weeks congestion, etc. But now I do feel bad because of the cough. It makes my whole body sore and the throwing up thing? Yuck...
I stayed in bed all day except to get the girls to and from school. Again, not because I am sick but I was trying to make up for some lost sleep. I have watched Top Chef, was not happy with the outcome but the chef that won is a far cry better than one of the other chefs. We are now watching American Idol. It is still early in the season so it can be sketchy at best, people's song choices and arrangements are so very strange. Like I said, early in the season.
Pretty much a good day to stay in the house. Rained all day and was cold. Hopefully, tomorrow is a better day and I can get some things accomplished around this dump. I am still trying to get my laundry from AZ done.
Sid seems to be doing okay with her skin biopsy thing. It was giving her fits last night but much better this morning. She needs to take some Tylenol as it gives her some pain.
This week flew by, tomorrow is already Thursday. I will seriously work on the house and laundry this weekend and get the house back to some normal state. My parents will be here in a couple of weeks so want to make it nice for them. Looking forward to that.
Damn there are some weirdos on Idol tonight!

It Sneaks up on You

The news is on and the weather report is that is gradually getting colder and the snow level is lower. It was a near record high yesterday, even tho it rained. Windy today a little bit tho, nothing like a high desert kind of wind.
Sid and I just finished up at the Dermatologist. She was good, nice, etc. like her. Sid had two things removed, one required stitches that get taken out next week.
She has issues with skin things and has since she was a very little girl. I have her checked out fairly often. She was brave which is not her usual way of handling things medical involving shots. I did okay too, just some small stuff.
Riley and her friend Dustin walked to school today, so grown up. She had her field trip to Boeing Field yesterday. They have the Museum of Flight there. She took over 50 photos with her cool pink camera. I must say, she did a great job. She told us that she tried to take pictures with us in mind. Since we weren't there, she wanted us to feel as though we were. Her homework assignment was to design a plane and she did a fantastic job. I think things are finally starting to gel.
She brought home cool souvenirs too!
Had a nice dinner for my uncle's birthday on Sunday. Just Sid and I went, Bob ended up working over time at Costco and Riley was beat. I think my between my niece and our little cousin's party, she was worn out. The photos are from my aunt's house on the lake. It was really neat, kinda cloudy, warm and very still... I could have stayed out there for hours but some big fat raindrops started to land on me and it's just not good for the camera...
Made homemade chicken noodle soup for dinner last night, and making some kind of soup or stew tonight too,it's just that kind of weather.

Unexpected Guests

Woke up early to rain and darkness. The sun just broke through about an hour ago. Bob is gone, off to his weekend gig. Riley ran off to the neighbor's to play. It is just Sid and I... Nice... Made us some blueberry Belgian waffles, having some coffee, planning my next move.
Yesterday was my cousin's daughter, Natalie's 7th birthday party. It was a "Barbie" party. There were about 10 1st grade girls there. Natalie's excitement at seeing all of her friends at her house was contagious. My aunt had her dressed in all of her finest and she looked gorgeous. Just like the party girl should look. She had her hair down instead of up in her signature pony tail and looked fabulous. The girls and I were there to help. Jill had two stations. The first was decorate your own picture frame. Jill took pictures of each guest with her favorite party. My aunt printed them out lickety split with her photo printer and they were in there freshly decorated frame in no time. I made Natalie's with her. I made sure I did each embellishment with her approval. Her classmates helped me interpret Natalie's choices. I am amazed at how these 6-7 year olds are so in tune to Natalie and understand her language, her disability, etc. They just treat her like another kid in their group and that is exactly as it should be. The other station was beading. Riley handled the frame decorating and Sid managed the bead/bracelet/necklace thing. I was proud of them both. My cousin and aunt thanked us many times over and I was quick to tell them that my girls and myself have been to many birthday parties and know the drill. Jill made it easy by having everything set up perfectly plus it helped to have such a great crowd of little girls. Rambunctious? Yes, but sweet and cute and cracked me up.
One of the funniest parts of the evening started out at the beginning. I was helping girls with Barbies as more guests were arriving. One mom & daughter came in the front door with a large Golden Retriever. Myself, my aunt and cousin all thought "hmm... kinda weird..." the dog was quite friendly, letting girls pet it, sniffing Barbies, and then over to the party food. That is when my aunt asked the mom if it was her dog. The mom said "no, I thought it was your dog or another guest's dog". The dog was quickly shown the door and shooed out! We are thinking it was a neighborhood dog, saw a bunch of people, smelled a party and thought "why not?" Hilarious...
This afternoon we are going to the beach house. It is high time that we all get together again and we have some more birthdays too. It's always good to see everyone and hang out, reconnect... It looks as though the sun is going to play hide and seek all day. It's out, it's gone... It's kind of out... sheesh...
Tomorrow starts a new week. I have lots of grocery shopping to do, the fridge looks like a hollow cave. Girls have a normal week of school, Riley has a field trip to the Museum of Flight. Excited for her.
The T.V. is on behind me and it is Will Farrell playing George W. Bush, sorry but it's freakin' funny. I do love me some Will. He kills me.
Tonight is Oscar night, I am setting the TIVO so that I wont miss the red carpet and the beginning. That's the best part.

Weekends are Good

Sid just informed us that her snake is starting to shed. Yipee... Riley has already unpacked her suitcase and cleaned her room. The girls are going to Natalie's b-day party this afternoon. I am hoping to get rid of the head congestion that I am dealing with, unpleasant.
Bob is trying to go to a gun show but he is having a hard time leaving the house, as we haven't had a chance to chat in a while.
Unpacking my suitcases, laundry, etc. today. Checking out my haul from the malls and shopping expiditions. Yummy candles, clothes, lotions, perfume, etc. Sigh...
Sunny day again today, a bit breezy, tomorrow begins the typical western WA weather pattern.

Home from Arizona

The girls and I got home last night at about 8:00. Bob picked us up with no problems and was so glad to see his girls.
This morning the girls did remarkably well getting ready for school. I was impressed. Slept like the dead, and feel pretty good this A.M. The sun is shining brightly and that helps my mood. It was hard to say goodbye to my little girl yesterday. Knowing how much she will miss her cousins is the hardest part. I sat next to her in my parent's van yesterday and could not keep my hands to myself. I was petting her little cute head, soft cheek and maybe a tickle or two. I was trying to store it all up til I see her again.
The girls have a birthday party to work at tomorrow for their cousin Natalie. She will be seven and is having a party. She is having other 6-7 year old girls only. Such a big girl... I hear that she is learning to work a motorized wheelchair which is awesome news. That would be a huge move toward independence for her.
I am listening to GMA and the Oscar predictions. I am going to do a blog post on the Oscars only. This is the show that I look forward to every year. Sunday night, I only take phone calls during the commercials, I start watching early for the Red Carpet and watch all the way to the end. So if anyone is wondering what I am doing Sunday night, I will be glued to the T.V.
Sunshine today and tomorrow, then next week it will be back to typical Seattle weather, cloudy, rainy and cold. I am not going to think ahead about it, just going to enjoy the next two days.

Boo Hoo and Sniff Sniff

I am so sad to leave Phoenix today. As I expected, it was way too short of a trip.
Had lots of fun and will blog about it for days to come but am short on time. I am packed up but the girls are not. We had to borrow a suitcase from my mom for all of our shopping purchases. That's scary. Weather ended up being good and sunny. I enjoyed every minute of it. Girls of course have already begun to shed tears and are just a load of fun to be around right now. My parents will be in here in a couple of hours to pick us up and lug us to the airport to head back to WA. We have a direct flight this time, no changing planes in San Jose. That is such a dumpy airport. Bob will be there to retrieve us at around 7:00 this evening. Can't wait to see him. I have slept like a log at my sisters and been very comfortable but I cannot wait to lay on my Tempurpedic again. My parents will be up to WA in about 2 1/2 weeks so that is helping. I am just going to miss my sister, brother in law and niece soooo much. That's the really difficult part of all of this. I hate that we are so far away. Calif. was good in that we were a 5 hour drive or a 45 minute flight. Oh well, we have our webcam, cell phones, email and Facebook. Had such a great time yesterday in Scottsdale. More on all of that later. Gotta go sit on someone's suitcase so that she can close it...

Happy Birthday Presidents

Thanks for having your birthdays in February so we can have some days off and come to Arizona. Mighty thoughtful of you.
I am watching Kenzie and Riley eat breakfast and watch "Olivia". Kenzie can barely keep her eyes on it or us. She has to watch her cousins and keep and eye on them. We adults do not factor into her world at all unless it is to eat or go potty. This behavior is highly encouraged since she doesn't get to see them much. It takes me back a few years to have cartoons playing in the background. Sheri 7 Kev are outside with the landscaper working on plans for the backyard. Kevin has to go to work today. He seems to be feeling better. Sheri and I are going to get pedicures and go to Lowes to look at paint. When you have a house built, you get to check out the builder's models. Those models are all painted, papered, decorated, etc. When you get to finally move into your own home guess what? It comes with a lot of white walls. While Kenzie's room has been painted(very adorable) the rest of the house is a daunting task. Many of the walls are two stories tall and it is more than just slapping some paint on. Can you say scaffolding? Also, that is a lot of color to splash onto a very large area so you better like it.
Our Calif had lots of paint and colors so hopefully I can help out here. Sheri has chips pinned up to walls already and the her color choices are excellent. I am more the tone person, does it have a red base? A blue base? Will it look purple instead of brown? I guess this is from my hairdresser background. Kind of an important talent to have when some one's hair color is at stake.
Sid spent the night at my parent's house. My mom and Sid will come over later to stay with Kenz and Ri. Tonight we will go out for dinner for a Mexican feast, can't wait. Talked to Bob this morning and got my updates. He is good, glad to have a day to himself and getting paid for it to boot. He has lots of chores to work on. I also had to get my cat update and make sure my spoiled little man is being taken care of. Bob takes better care of him than I do. The sun is kind of out, high clouds again, and I am sitting here in a t-shirt and shorts. I will finish up my cup of coffee get ready for my day with my favorite sister. Hope some of you are off today, enjoying the holiday and perhaps a three or four day weekend.

Live from Arizona

Today is Sunday and I am on my sister's laptop. My darling niece is having a blast with her cousins. She is in hog heaven. The girls love being with her too. They have been playing doll house, kitchen, computer games and Wii. She doesn't even realize that any adults exist. My sister and I ran some errands this morning, came back to her house, my parents have come over too. We played some poker and now are eating some great home made bbq burgers. One bonus about hanging out with my sister is that she is an awesome cook. It never gets dull. Bob is holding down the fort, he did his Costco job today and when I spoke to him tonight he was pooped out. He is off tomorrow from both jobs and is going to get some things done. Hopefully he enjoys his day and gets some rest. I am going to be calling him and hounding him about getting the mail. I am waiting for that letter from the school that we want Riley to go to. I still haven't recieved my WA license either so I need the mail box to start coming thru for me. We are going to eat now, sister and I are getting pedicures tomorrow and going to look at paint colors for her house. Fun stuff. Weather is okay, feels so warm here. Kind of nice to not be wearing four layers all of the time. High clouds, kinda over cast but warmish. It's all good. I will post again soon, have a great day tomorrow even if you are not off from work.

Up Up and Away

I think I am getting some things accomplished. I just need to check on the girl's progress. It's hard with bothing of them having a lot of homework this week and Ri's Valentine party today. I am relieved to report that while my brother in law does have pancreatitis, it is not due to gall stones. He should be fine a few days.
Bob's been working up north in Edmonds. Beautiful city. He has been right on the water all week and loving that.
I am off to finish my chores and get ready for tomorrow. It is supposed to rain in Phoenix tomorrow and then get better as the days go by. We shall see...

Valentine thoughts, octuplets and seasoned travelers

Just the usual morning frenzy. "Where is my backpack? Have you seen my lunch money?" Blah blah blah. My sister called and was taking my brother in law to the emergency room. He went to the doctor yesterday and was told one thing but now is in pain again and will find out more as the day goes on. Glad I will be there Saturday if I can help out.
Sunny yesterday, just beautiful. Sun is emerging again now as well and it is so pretty. As soon as I finish my coffee and this post I am going downstairs to pack. The girls are understandably beyond excited. I am having no problems getting them to do what I want right now. Bob is says he is starting to miss us already. Poor guy. He leaves by 5:00 am every morning, gets home about 5:00 in the evening, does a few chores, eats and goes to bed. Doubt there will be a lot of time for him to miss us. We will be home before we or he even knows it.
I now see that Nadya Suleman, the mother of the new octuplets and six more at home, has a website. On the website you can make donations for the children. I am conflicted about this. I hate that she is doing that, showing the world that she indeed CAN NOT take care of her children financially. But then I think that the children did not ask for this kind of life and should not suffer at the hands of their crazy mother. Dr. Phil had Kate Gosselin on his show yesterday. She is the mom of twins and sextuplets and has the show "John & Kate plus Eight". When the news of these octuplets birth was announced I wondered what her take on this was. She basically said she was very afraid for the mom and the children for lots of different reasons. I figured as much and that she of all people was an expert.
Valentine's day is Saturday. Since I am leaving early that morning that put the kabosh on Bob's plans for our special day. I am sure he was planning an expensive romantic dinner for two and probably going to lavish me with diamonds, gift cards and wine. BAAAAAHHHAAAAAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAH!!!! We have never had a V-day like that. Ever. He is good about the card and that is about it. It would be lovely to have all of that but my honest and true feelings are this. Be a good spouse ALL year long and give me a card. DON'T be a shitty, crappy, a-hole of a husband all year and then think you can make up for it one day a year with a dumb diamond heart necklace that was on sale at the mall for $99.00, a greeting card with sexual overtones and a splendid dinner at T.G.I. Fridays. I know some husbands like this and some that are crappy all year and don't even get their wives a card. Hell, I would be happy with a card he made himself, letter or poem. So I got no complaints in that department. How about a great husband all year long and awesome gifts for V-day? Cha Ching.
I am going to download some more tunes to my Ipod for the plane ride. If I even stay awake on the plane ride. I usually sleep. The girls are collecting things to do, Ipod, Nintendo, reading material, solitaire game, sudoku game, I think they will be fine. They are so excited they wont be bored. They are also very seasoned travelers. They know the procedures well and get the job done. They make me proud.

Quick note and pictures

We put bird food out in our back yard and the they are going nuts out there. Our little man "Boone" the cat is just in cat heaven. He makes all of these noises as he stares out at them. I tried to capture some pictures of the birds yesterday and one in particular that is soooo bright. Here is a small sampling as they could be better and I need to practice. I have lots too overcome, swinging bird feeder with birds that are constantly moving. Sheesh...

El Sol

Buenos dias. This picture is of our "El Sol" he used to hang outside at our house in Calif. and he belongs to Bob. He loves Mexican "el sols". He had to hang this one up at our WA house too. The neighbors across the street have the same on hanging up on their house too. I don't think he goes with the house very well but I conceded. He asks for so little in the decor department. Okay, back to the subject of sunshine. There is plenty of it here this morning. It is a blessed sight after yesterday. It snowed all day, dark gray day. It never ended up sticking which was fabulous and it was pretty icy this morning. I went out a bit early to thaw out my car so we could get the doors open and get the windshield into some visible shape. Girls get out early on Wednesdays so today they will come home and get their suitcases ready for Saturday. My AZ family assures me that the weather will get better while I am there. Hoping that is the case. Before I sign off, I wanted to vent about some T.V. watching that I did last night. I wasn't going to watch Dateline about the mom of 8 who already had 6 kids but there was nothing else on. I figured I could half listen/watch while I played online poker with my dad and sister(which was really fun). Anyway, I got sucked in to the inane stupidity of this woman. The doctor who did the IVF is a moron and should be investigated for his part in this. She is a wack job. I was cruising along with her rationalization and had some misgivings but those quickly turned into me ranting at the television. She is on food stamps, no income, no help except for her mom, three of her children are on state disability, one has autism, and she is bringing eight more home. It made me nauseous. Oh, and she is going to get her master's degree so she can get a better job to support her 14 kids. Who's going to watch them and take care of them and spend time with them? Not her! Can you say child neglect??? I think that higher governing positions like state welfare, medical mal practice and who ever else I can lump into this needs to step in. She obviously can't make rational decisions on her own and needs to have them made for her by more sane individuals! Oh and then she denies having plastic surgery. I am no medical professional but even I could tell she had stuff done, they showed past photos of her and you can obviously tell. What a crack pot, she is trying to be Angelina Jolie! If I had a life outside of my home I wouldn't care too much. No, that is not true, I just would have ranted at work instead of blogging about it. The poor souls at the salon would all be my audience. We would all join in on lively debate and banter. It just makes me sad for kids. People have more children than they can care for and who suffers? Children are not like objects to be collected, set on a shelf and dusted off once a month. Her adorable kids will be the victims in her weird and twisted obsession.
Thanks, I needed that! Whew! Where's the Tylenol?

9th Graders Get Embarrassed

I have no photo that pertains to my theme today so am going with Valentine decor. I love the colors of Valentine's Day, those and Easter colors. My brother in law is having some health issues, possible gall bladder removal? He will be one of many in my family including his wife, my sister and myself. We have been where he is at and feel for him. My sister and I agreed that we would rather give birth than ever go through the pain of gall stone and pancreatitis. He goes to the doctor tomorrow morning for tests so we shall see. Meanwhile she is keeping him doped up.
Had a meeting last night at Sid's soon to be high school. It started out kind of scary. Right before we left we heard a really loud noise and Sid informed us she also saw a flash of bright light. Lightning and thunder. Then all hell broke loose with hail and frozen rain shooting down. Bob, Sid and I trudge out to the car and on the way to the high school, more hail and frozen rain, more lightning and thunder. Riley calls to tell us she is fine. We make the decision to keep going and not turn around and go home. Lucky for Riley there was no more thunder. When we arrived at the school, they ushered us into the performing arts theater and had a quartet(students)that played for us as we found seats and settled in. When the quartet finished they introduced two girls that were to play the flute. Man, they were good. All of these students had won awards. The principal, counselors and teachers spoke to us as well as the A.S.B. and activities director. So far so good. Sid saw a few of her friends/boys and was self conscious and embarrassed the whole time(9th graders). I was just happy that we got to sit in real seats and not on bleachers. Next we were escorted into the school's library to talk with the department heads of each subject. Sid did look at some of the books for some of her classes and we got a list of clubs, etc. We impressed upon her that she needs to join a club or two and get involved that way. It looks really good on college apps.,etc. I asked her if she would like to continue her mom and aunt's legacy and become a stat girl. She said she didn't know or didn't think so or some other flimsy excuse so I let it go. She and I are milling around and looking for Bob. I see he is talking with two gentlemen. I could tell right away that they are football coaches and or athletic directors. He leaves them after chatting for a while and we meet to leave. Bob tells us that he asked them if they need a sophomore stat girl. Without my prompting or us even talking about it before hand. Bob starts questioning Sid and in typical Bob fashion, does not take her hesitance as a no. I suggest that we go back and speak to the coach and have Sid introduce herself. We did just that and he was so enthused about it. Sid didn't get too excited til we got into the car, she is just nervous about the daunting task of high school. Today she goes back up there with all of the 9th graders so we will talk to her about it tonight.
Snowing lightly, but no late start for school. Today is supposed to be the last day of that and turn to more normal weather. Errands and housework and will start my packing for AZ. Listening to the news and Mr. President is in Florida talking up his stimulus package.
Have a fabulous Tuesday and stay warm and dry.

It's time for a RANT!

I am beginning to get stuff together to pack for Phoenix. I had the brilliant idea that I would check the weather for that area. I wish I hadn't. Here is the forecast for Phoenix from Feb. 14-17th, RAIN. That's about it, RAIN. The temperature? Mid to high 50's. Crap, only about 10-15 degrees warmer than here. NOT what I was hoping for. Of course I am excited to spend time with my family but the weather was pretty much up there on the list of priorities. What the hell? Christmas sucked due to weather, the coldest, snowiest winter in 20 years, rain and clouds, c'mon... Complaining about the weather is like spitting in the wind. Useless. Maybe things will change, who knows. With my luck lately, doubtful. It rains about 4 days a year in Phoenix, what were the odds? I was planning on packing my flip flop collection, pedicures, short sleeved shirts, now I don't know what to pack. Ugh. Was hoping to lay by my parents pool and soak up the rays. I can still lay by the pool with my rain jacket and umbrella. Thank goodness it doesn't matter what the weather is when you are inside the Scottsdale Mall!

Sun and Snow

What a combo! Bob woke me up to tell me goodbye like he does every morning but this morning he had an added surprise(get your mind out of the gutter). He said that it had snowed overnight and to be careful, he was going to scrape off my windows, etc. what a good man. I turned on the local news and they said school would have a 2 hour late start. I told the girls and turned off their alarms and we all went back to sleep. We were so happy to be snuggled in our warm beds with the knowledge that we would be sleeping in past 8:00. Took Sid to school by 10:00 and most of the streets were just a brown slushy mushy mixture. The blue sky and sunshine mixed with snow laden pines is gorgeous. I shot a few pics from my house to show off. If it had been like this during Christmas, we would have been in holiday bliss.
I was pooped out yesterday, three haircuts and two weaves. Actually three weaves as Sid's was a double process. My little family sure looks awesome though. I did my color too so I guess that is four colors and three cuts, whoa nelly. I can tell that I am not used to it anymore, my back was aching and I have a sore spot on each hand where I used to have calluses. It didn't help my back working with a kitchen chair that has no pump to go up or down as needed. You have to bend at weird angles for long periods of time and the kitchen table is your work station, ugh. I gotta get back into the groove.
Bob, Sid and I have to attend her future High School's "Welcome Night" tonight. It is just informational for parents and future 10th graders. There have been counselors at her Jr. High already last week. She has most of her classes lined up already and knows what she needs to do for the most part. We will learn more tonight I am sure. My how time flies. I swear I was just at her Kindergarten parent information meeting not that long ago. We will find out about our lottery standing with Riley sometime early next week. Lots going on.

A few retouched photos

I took some pics with my phone, some are from yesterday and some are from a few weeks back. I know that I said it was sunny but these are all cloudy. Sunny in Seattle means you get a cloud break every now and then and no rain. I took artistic license and retouched some of these as they were with my phone's camera so not the greatest color or lighting, they look 10 times better retouched, plus it's fun to do.
I am pretending to be a hairdresser today, my hair, Sid, Riley and Bob. Busy.
Riley has a job. She has to take care of the neighbor's dog. It is her friend from school, the one who came over for her b-day. They have a pug named Daisy. She is walking her also. Besides having a dog they have also have a Wii. That has been a large attraction to both girls and now they are begging us to buy them one. I do believe that they are the only kids on the block let alone the city, state or country that do not have a Wii yet. Can you hear my sobs and see my tears? Poor lil babies. It's not like they don't have Play Station, Nintendo DS and each has their own computer. Lordy....

A Different Kind of Day

Bob and I ended up going downtown by ourselves. The girls just did not want to go. I rewarded them by giving them a list of chores to do. The more I thought about it and in retrospect, it was good they didn't go.
We had to be at the State of WA Convention/Trade Center by 11:00. We made it but ended up being a few minutes late because of parking. The whole bottom floor of the convention center is retail and restaurants. I wish that the convention center's that I had to go to for hair shows were as nice as this one. The coin dealer is really more than that his place is called the Numismatic Gallery. The "principal" of the gallery was very interesting to listen to. We knew when we walked in and met with him that he knew his stuff. Well, Bob knew more than I did that this guy was way up there in the expert category. He had many interesting stories and lots to look at in his store. I have never been a big coin person or stamps but to see the art on these stamps and coins and the history was cool. To listen to Bob talk with him made me so proud. I was so impressed with my husband's knowledge and this had been a childhood hobby. He hasn't looked at these coins for years and years. He wanted to sell them because he has been lugging around this 150 pound case of coins for 30 years. It isn't something that he would ever pick up again and he has new interests as far as collecting goes. For those of you that know him, his collection now is quite respectable for being just a regular guy. It has also made him money through the years and been a better investment than coins ever would be. One interesting thing that we both learned about coins is this. The value goes in cycles, like monthly even. Then, there are coins that were worth $200.00 back in the 60's and that same coin is worth maybe $20.00 now, weird. Some of these American coins are beautiful to look at and some collectors just collect for their art. I happened to look at my phone to see what time it was and was shocked that we had been there for two and a half hours. I was not bored at all. I have a new appreciation for the art of collecting.
We finished off our day by going to lunch in a little hole in the wall pub that we like in Bellevue. We found it when we came up here last year to look for a rental. A couple of beers and burgers to make a good day into a great day.
The girls ended up getting about one third of the their chores done but not to worry they will pay dearly tomorrow. Bob has his Costco job until 2:00. I am going to be a hairdresser tomorrow. Sid bought purple hair color and wants some streaks underneath in the back, Bob wants a haircut and beard trim and I need color so so so bad. I have been coloring it pretty dark and that makes the lovely white stuff show up like a searchlight. Disgusting.
So, didn't really have an opportunity to shoot and photos today, unless you really wanted some of a coin dealer or a pub. So I threw in a pic off of the internet to show you where we were today. Downtown was busy too, the sun was out and so were the tourists. Cruise ships are all of the rage now and they either start or start here in Seattle, you could tell who the cruise ship tourists were from a mile away. My parents are taking an Alaskan Cruise but theirs begins in British Columbia.
We would like to take the girls up to B.C. but we all have to get passports first. Riley has a friend that has invited her to go up there this summer so maybe she will be the first in our family to obtain a passport.

I need a hero

It's an 80's song from a movie. "I need a Hero". I don't need one, I lost one and got a new one. The one I lost is Michael Phelps. I probably don't need to go into why he was my hero and now is not. It's only my PERSONAL opinion, but I still really like him and I am in no way in a position to judge what he did. But I am a mom and have to impress on my girls that what Michael did was so not cool. I'll bet some of you think this sounds bad but I tend to think his biggest errors in judgement were that he didn't check to see who had camera phones and that he got caught. A little bong hit is not like serious steroid or enhancement drugs. That is just my opinion on my blog. My new hero you ask? Well, he was my hero before but now that we have all heard the voice recorder on the news, Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger is my hero. The pilot from 1649 that landed in the Hudson. His composure and calm demeanor during what was going to be a plane crash is amazing. What a pro. It gives me goosebumps when I hear the dialog between him and the air traffic controllers who are also to be praised. When he says "We are going to be in the Hudson"... Lord... it just amazes me. He so deserved to be at the inauguration and the Super Bowl and more. This is from a media blog that I read this morning... "God Bless Chesley Sullenberger. We need more heroes just like him! Our prayers and thanks go out to all the other crew members, brave passengers and rescuers who made this “America’s Story!” at a time when we really need it!"

A little cold front coming through with just a soft drizzle. Dry tomorrow and early Sunday and then more rain. From what everyone is saying we are in a more typical weather pattern for February. Today's rain isn't too bad considering how long it's been since it has rained.
Had to make an appointment with the coin dealer for tomorrow. The girls and I will be out and about down town. I will take my camera for sure, hopefully I will get some decent shots.
Trying to stay calm when I think about next weekend. I am getting super excited to go to Phoenix. It goes without saying that the girls are pretty happy about it too.
I am dusting off my collection of flip flops and short sleeved shirts to pack in my suitcase.
Happy Friday to everyone, if you are in the desert and reading this, I know you got some fierce winds yesterday. Hopefully today will be better. I am sorry to have to tell you this but I do NOT miss the wind AT ALL. I don't care if it is sunny there, I'll take the rain. Give me a break, over 40 years of wind AND a living room window blown in, I did my time with the wind.

Shots, Songs and Coins

Trying to squeeze in one more sunny or should I say semi sunny day today. The forecast says clouds but no rain until the weekend. I am seeing pink sunrise and clear sky right now so we will see. Sid did fine at her Dr.'s appointment yesterday. She hates getting shots. It is weird to see a girl so composed all of the time, move into a heightened state of panic. The sound of her voice changes and she gets very distressed. I hate shots too but have always sucked it up. Anyway, the medical offices were very nice and very close to home(we have a major medical center very close by) the new nurse was great and so was the new doctor. We have always had the same insurance and provider. I think it was 1992 or 93 when we first started. Two babies, rhinoplasty, arterial leg surgery, gall bladder removal, thousands of pediatrician visits, dermatology, you name it, we have been there for it and now it is all new and starting over. Weird but so relieved it went well. It will be my turn next and then dermatology for Sid and I.
Riley auditioned for a play at school and got the part. She will be playing Susan B. Anthony. She also has a singing part. Sid and I started working with her last night on pitch and tone. Let's just say we have our work cut out for us. Her heart is in the right place so now we gotta get her sound in the right place. Bob has been going through his coin collection downstairs and gave her one of his Susan B. Anthony dollars. Riley got on the computer right away and started doing research on her. She wanted to know things like, what color her hair was, did she look old, who was she married to, what kind of clothes did she wear. All the really important questions. She was not too pleased at the results. I told her that it was hard for women in that time to look as glamorous as women today. The song she is singing is called "Manifest Destiny". I am hoping it is like the 5th grade version of Oklahoma or similar. I will be sure to keep you updated on that subject.
Back to Bob's coin collection. That is the reason we are going to downtown Seattle this weekend. He has had this collection since he was a kid. He was very in to it and knows quite a bit about coins. The letters next to the date, etc. stuff I had now idea about until he told me. We are going to a coin store to get some idea as to the value of some of his better coins. They are sitting in a wooden box that weighs over 50 pounds and has followed us to every location we have moved too. He is tired of lugging it around and never really looks at it anymore, so he is going to get some idea of what the worth is and perhaps sell some of it off. He has saved some of the better coins for his daughters but the rest is hopefully going to get sold. If the process takes too long on Saturday Riley suggested that we ditch him and head over to Starbucks. I like her style...

Shiny Happy Wednesday

Wednesday. Minimum day for the girls. Sid has a doctor's appointment this afternoon. Nothing but two follow up vaccinations that were started in Calif. and need to be finished up. We are seeing a family medicine physician that hopefully be our family doctor. We have dermatology appointments when we return from Arizona.
It is going to be 54 degrees today. Sunny and nice but only for today and then the news warns us of rain and colder temps but hey, it is February so you get what you get.
I did so bad yesterday on my food intake. It was my own fault, I made the most killer pot roast. It was too hard to resist in any type of ration. I will have to make up for it for the rest of the week, but I am thinking it was worth it.
Bob is still going strong in Seattle at the RR job, good news.
We are going to go downtown on Saturday and do some errands and sightseeing. I am looking forward to it. There is so much to see and do downtown and we haven't covered much of it yet. Maybe the weather will cooperate.
The girls and I watched American Idol last night. It is to the point that we are starting to pick some of our favorites. It is a nice diversion in the evenings for us chicks.
I did not even make a dent in that laundry pile downstairs. I will go down there now and start. If I don't post on this blog for a few days, call 911. I probably will be pinned under an avalanche of dirty clothes, ewww.

Tuesday is a sunny day

Good morning all. I awoke to the sun shining. That makes today the official second day of sun in Kirkland. Who needs to hear Punxsutawney Phil's dismal forecast? It's just a German superstition and a Bill Murray movie anyway... Normal day in that it is school for girls, work for Bob and chores for me. I am getting the good end or the raw end of the deal, depending on how you look at it. I am also hoping that my e mail, telephone and snail mail are all good things. You know, because of my new phobia and all. As I plunk away I am watching that insane cat of mine. He finds crap laying around and turns it into a toy. Bob is right, who needs a dog when you have a cat that acts like one? When you call him, he comes to you and follows you around wherever you go. He is hilarious. The not so funny part of cat ownership can be heard downstairs as Riley cleans the cat box, ick...
Today, I will make every effort to tunnel through the laundry mountain. It just never ends. I am cleaning and doing chores in order to begin to get ready for our trip to AZ. We are getting very excited and anxious to say the least. Sun, heat, laughter, etc. wonderful...
I will be thinking of a friend today that has some heavy stuff she has to attend to. Wondering what the outcome will be and if it will be big or small. Maybe life changing is too much to hope for but one can only hope. I hope she knows that even though we are not in contact, that I am thinking of her and praying for her everyday.
Bob was busy yesterday at the RR job. He is taking on a new position and he says there is lots to learn. Of course I am proud of him, he can handle whatever comes his way.
Three more days until the school lottery for Riley. We will get a letter in the mail sometime after the 13th of Feb. so I will be on the phone with Bob every night asking him if he checked the mail. Oh the agony... I am very BAD at waiting. It is not one of my better traits. Patience? That is a word right up there with budget, restraint, limit, you get the idea.

Tell Your Brain to Land Somewhere

My mind is swirling around in all different directions. I can't sleep and have been awake since 5:15 this morning. Bob woke me up to tell me goodbye. Normally, I just fall back to sleep or turn on the news and fall asleep again. I had completely forgotten that he was going to the RR job today. It has been such a pain in the ass to keep track of that job. "bumped" or "furlowed" or "abolished" are words that they use regularly, a frenzy of faxes back and forth from Ft. Worth, phone calls to Seattle. No wonder I didn't remember. He did Costco yesterday.
Speaking of yesterday. Sid and I went and picked Riley up from her slumber party. I have to eat my words, she was actually good. Not crabby and really glad to see us. We stopped at Target and Cost Plus on the way home and got some Super Bowl snacks.
I am starting to have a phobia. I do not know the technical term for it but here it is. I am beginning to fear answering the phone, getting the mail and checking e mail or Facebook. It seems to me that in the last 6 months that the majority of time I am getting some form of bad news from these sources. I received word yesterday that a dear friend had passed away. She was a mom of a friend from High School and she and I had gotten to be friends as well as a client of mine. She had been battling cancer so I knew it was just a matter of time. I feel bad that I can't be in the H.D. for her memorial service but did leave a message in the online guest book which they will have at the service. While I feel bad for her son, I am so glad that she is not suffering anymore.
Okay, back to the Super Bowl(I told you my brain was jumping around)We totally loved watching it. The commercials were funny but could have been better. The Budweiser Clydesdales never disappoint. It was a great game. The 4th quarter was a nail biter at the end. I even did my share of screaming and yelling. I am sure my vocal expression was nothing compared to what went on at my sister's house in Arizona. She had my parents and her in laws there, all football fans.
Well, back to the routine today. I might just have a quick power nap today as I have clocked in about 4 hours of sleep and that might be a stretch. Luckily, I can do that.
Enough mind travel for now, hopefully when I post again, I will be more cohesive.