Saturday, March 31, 2007

Busy Bee

Well, the weekend has been exciting so far! Friday night my JC Penney order came and I got to try on all my shirts and wear a new one to Ava's Birthday Party. It was a great time. The food was great, and we really enjoyed watching her eat her own little winnie the pooh cake and open presents. She LOVED the bubble generator and the sand and water set was also a big hit. Anya liked the dress and everyone said "awww" when it was opened. We stayed as late as I could stay awake, which was pretty good for me. You can see all the photos from Ava's Party HERE.

Friday night when we got home after 11, I started a load of laundry and submitted all of Ava's birthday photos and many of my baby belly photos so far to the Wal-Mart photo center online so that I could pick them up in the morning. Then I gathered and packed all the scrapbooking supplies that I would need in the morning and collapsed into bed sometime after midnight, which was WAYYY Late as far as I am accustomed to (since being pregnant!)

Saturday morning I got up and got showered and ready, and loaded my things in the car. I had to run to Wal-Mart to pick up photos and toilet paper.... and then on to Lake Thunderbird for a scrapbook day. It was a nice day. It's hard for me to sit that long, and I only went from 11 till 5, with a break for a quick lunch and an afternoon snack of brownie and vanilla ice cream. At the scrapbook day I got the cover for the baby album done, and 5 pages, which included all my belly photos and all the ultrasound photos we have gathered so far. I also started on Ava's Birthday and got the first page done. I bought a new set of pastel pens (good for journaling on baby pages!) and two sets of letters in pistachio green and some green and blue combo letters... and a "eraser" of sorts that removes adhesive and pencil lines from pages and photos. When I left I had such a headache I couldn't wait to get home to my Tylenol. You can see the pages I made today HERE.

Tonight I thought I would probably lay down I was sooo tired. But instead I cleaned the scrapbook table and put away all my supplies. Then I uploaded some photos to Wal-Mart to make some wallets for my new portfolio in pink that keeps wallet photos in my purse. (got that at the scrapbook party too!) Then I picked up a small veggie pizza which I DEVOURED by myself and then I made three handmade Items for the April Coloriffic Swaporama and then packaged all of the things up along with the other Lavendar and Cream and Black things that I had to send. I addressed the package, took photos, and uploaded those to Flickr along with all the scrapbook pages that I made today. See the April Swap Package HERE.

So I have accomplished more this weekend than I expected to ever get done. And now, I don't know what else to do. Surprisingly, I am not quite ready for bed. I could probably sleep.... but maybe I need to make a cup of tea. Chamomille Tea. Yes!

Well, everyone have a nice weekend!

Friday, March 30, 2007

Pregnant Brain!

Ahhhh weekend. Ahhhh yes.

Tonight is Ava's 1st Birthday party, and we are cooking out, and I am really looking forward to it. Evan was making fun of me last night when I was so exhausted but struggling to throw together the potato casserole for tonight and wrap Ava's gifts. I was trying to make them all look pretty and his thing was "why even bother! She's just one, she doesn't care! She will just rip the bows and paper off anyway." And I could see his point but I really enjoy making gifts look pretty. The presentation is half the gift, right?

And I was throwing it together with paper and bags and ribbons I already had at home, so I was pretty proud.

The rest of the weekend will be okay... I have plenty to do. I do have a scrapbook day to attend on Saturday but I have NOTHING Planned to work on, no photos developed, and nothing packed. Um. Yeah. Not sure how this will work out. And I just can not live by the creative memories motto that you just sit and crop photos without having any idea how you will lay them out or what theme you will use or what size album or what papers. Uh. No. I am much too particular. I do have a few ultrasound pics and some papers that are all in black and white so I think I will try to concentrate on those and other baby stuff if possible. But I dunno. It's looking more and more like I would rather just go for the food and maybe make a card for someone and read some magazines or something. I just can't decide and I will put myself into overdrive trying to get prepared. I meant to do it last night, but by the time we ate supper with my parents, chatted for an hour, drove home, and then I made the casserole and wrapped gifts... I was pooped and went right to bed. There just aren't enough hours in the day! Or should I say enough hours outside of my workday!

I saw a super cute cardigan pattern online, that I almost think I could follow and make! I am considering it, but first I must finish the baby blanket, so it might not ever happen. I did receive two hats that I got on ebay, I had the seller, Heidilynn Originals, make the bunny hat to fit next year around easter... but If it's a boy, I don't know about the pink ears. If it's a boy, I know he can't wear the flower one, but I bought them anyway. My hunch is girl, just based on dreams and such. We will know officially in just over a week! Yeah! We recently bought Julien the Dog, which is freakin' adorable, and holds especially more meaning because when I was little, my stuffed dog's name was Julie.

I have been waiting for 57 days on an appeal with my insurance company, for $225 that they owe me since 11/30/2006. They told me 60 days, all three times that I called to check on the status, and when I called today, knowing that Monday is 60 days, they can't find where the appeal was ever entered into the correct system. Um. Yeah. My head almost started spinning. Argh. So they are going to get back to me. I can just see where this is going. When do you suppose I will hear back? LOL.

Did I mention that this evening Evan called me at work because he nearly burned the house down?! LOL. It was my fault, when the cleaning people came, I stashed a bunch of stoneware and a wooden cutting board in the oven. Evan was going to put in the casserole for Ava's party and preheated the oven without looking inside. (uh-oh) he said he could smell it and he came into the kitchen and pure white smoke was rolling out of the oven and the smoke detectors started going off and that the whole house smells like a sauna thanks to the wooden cutting board. It didn't catch on fire but it was black and near combustion. LOL. Thank god his brother bought us a Fire Extinguisher for Christmas!

We had a good laugh. I learned me lesson about looking in the oven when I was a teenager. I was babysitting for a family and I preheated the oven for a pizza only to start smelling terrible burning plastic. I opened the door and to my horror found that the entire oven was full of melted loaves of bread and bags of buns, along with packages of cookies and bags of chips. And I mean FULL of them. And all the plastic was melted into one giant lump and was dripping down onto the bottom of the oven. The rack was covered and it smelled HORRIBLE. I spent most of the night scrubbing the oven and the rack. I felt so terrible but I thought WHO keeps bread and chips in their oven and DOESN'T tell the babysitter! LOL. So I ALWAYS look inside the oven before turning it on. Lesson Learned!

Earlier in the week I mailed an envelope and insert to the cell phone company (I hand addressed the envelope, and stamped it, and wrote the check number and the amount on the insert, and put it in the mail) and I never even wrote out the check to put in the envelope. So yeah. pregnant brain. LOOK OUT!

Thursday, March 29, 2007

IYAMSOBORED

Boring. Boring. Boring. Cloudy. Overcast. Rainy.
So they released the cover for the final Harry Potter. In which he DIES.
hmm. Still not excited.
My belly is sticking out far today. I ate TWO hot dogs at the employee picnic today! he he.

Evan and I are trying to determine if we should take a weekend and go to Milwaukee. My doctor says I need to get away. Her actual advice was to take 3 weeks off work and I just can't, I can't afford it and I have no PTO. She said my stress is affecting my sleep and making me all cranky... which I agree with. She agreed that a weekend away would be a good idea. So I looked at Milwaukee and found some great hotel rates right on the lake and thought of the Botanical Gardens and the Aquarium, and the Museum of Art, and I found a spa right around the corner from the hotel that does prenatal massages and pedicures. But then I started to feel guilty. Even though it's doctor's orders to go, it will likely cost a decent chunk, and our plan was really to put all our money on loans, credit cards, etc and get everything paid off before the baby comes.... although if I really look at it, I might still be able to do that and take a little babymoon too. We haven't had any vacation (no vacation from work even for me) since we got married in August of 2005. Ugh. Decisions.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Friends Don't Let Friends Wear Crocs

Okay. So Crocs. I have to say I am not a fan. I don't (usually) look down on someone for wearing them. I work in healthcare so I see lots of them. But this one time, when I saw this chick at Wal-mart with orange crocs, pink sweatpants, and a red t-shirt, I cringed mightily. I just. can't. do it. But then people everywhere say "they are SOOO comfortable." and "pregnant feet love them!" and I am like NO NO NO. And Every time I see them in the store I think "I should try them on." and then I force myself to turn away. "Do not look directly at the crocs." They will suck you in. I can't try them on. What if I DO love them? I will turn into one of those sloppy croc wearing folks. they are like only a half notch up from those sloppy birkenstock with white sock wearing folks.

But then I am searching Zapos and Kohls and Payless online for stupid shoes and they have NOTHING! What the? I might as well wear crocs. They actually look BETTER than all the other shoes they are selling. Good God! What is this world coming to?

Ta-Da!

To ponder: Why did the town of Princeton smell like Onions this morning?

So. It's Tuesday. It was an okay day. Yesterday was very busy, like last week. My feet hurt so bad when I got home. Ugh. I need to get new dress shoes for work because all of mine are busted ass. The soles are wearing off and the insides are peeling apart. I also need to order some more shirts, since it's getting warmer and my belly is getting bigger and apparently all my shirts are shrinking (I mean that literally, cotton t-shirts that fit me last month just aren't coverin' the belly anymore... and because I am tall, this really bugs me. So I heard of some promotion codes through Penney's and ordered a few (8!) new shirts, some basic colored t-shirts and a couple of tank tops and a couple of prettier tops. That will be good.

Also on the good side, I paid off our wedding loan! Yea! Yesterday. Thank God. Only 1.5 years after we got married, and also after we put every single dime of our wedding gift money on it after the reception. It's very ironic that all of the people who gave us money as a gift were really paying me to pay for them to eat, drink, and be merry. (which I really enjoyed and would never take back) It really sucks that without even having a "wedding" complete with dress, flowers, bridesmaids, church, etc., we STILL had to take out a loan, AND use all of our wedding gift money towards it (which only cut the loan in half) AND then had to make payments for 1.5 years until we could put the wedding part behind us. Just in time to try to buy a crib and armoire for the baby room. I am really working hard to pay off all credit cards, medical bills, and loans (including my car) BEFORE the baby comes. Whew.

On the side of progress, we have *fingers*crossed* found a registered daycare provider (in-home) that we are excited to meet and hope will be the place for our baby to go when I do return to work. This is especially important because around here, the waiting lists are over a year long for infants. Yeah. No daycare has any openings. Most in home daycares have no openings. So that is good. I need to call and setup a time for Evan and I to meet her.

This weekend I became the cleaning organizing whirlwind. Late Sunday I decided that I needed to ORGANIZE the back porch and went to the mart and got a few little clear totes (I even took my tape measure) and then went home and organized. Must be nesting! And My brain has a clear path of things that I need to attack next.

I also found the COOLEST website. First, it's free. Yep. Free. No catch. Ta-Da. That's the name. tadalists.com allows you to make lists. LOTS of lists. Like my lists right now "To Do this week" and "Before the Baby Comes" and "This Spring/Summer" - and what's super cool you can share them with someone(s) and allow someone(s) to edit them (add and remove items, check items off.) It's like a virtual checklist of everything in your brain. You can keep the lists private or public, and can email yourself updates of the lists, or subscribe via RSS Feed to your lists.

This weekend should be eventful. Ava's First Birthday party... So I am making Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole (yum comfort food) for the occasion since we are potlucking/cooking out. I am planning a Bead Retreat party in April, and I am not worried about sales... I just want people to come and all of us to hang out and make bracelets and have a good time. Seems like there is lots of interest. I love the soothing feeling that I get when doing things like beading or basketweaving. I have to be in the right frame of mind to do those things though. It's strange. I love to craft.

But there is this state of mind that I get into now and again, where I am restless and cranky and nothing makes me happy and I just want to be left alone and I get so agitated that I can't be relaxed and I can't be productive. Recently I get this way in the middle of the night. If I get woken up any time after like 2:30 or 3am, I seem to have a hard time getting back to sleep. My mind starts going and I get cranky and the more I try to relax the worse it gets. I am trying relaxation music and instructional relaxation.... nothing. I get so agitated that I can't sleep... until about 1.5 to 2 hours later when I wear myself out from the frustration. So on most recent nights, right in the middle of my sleep, I am awake for about 1.5 to 2 hours straight. Once I ate my cereal at 3am and I went back to sleep fairly soon. I don't know what the deal is.

Hmmm... what else is new? I dunno. I just keep thinking if I can just get through this STUPID week things will be better. I am just not satisfied this week. It's kinda like spring fever. Who wants to be inside a stupid office wearing stupid pantyhose and looking at a stupid computer when you could be outside enjoying the sunshine and fresh air and walking your dogs and stretching your tired pregnant body and growing a baby which is SO much more important than anything everyone else is making me do.

Monday, March 26, 2007

Target "Customer Service"

Target Customer Service:

I am writing this letter in regards to two orders:

Order Date: Feb 17, 2007
Order #: 601-8351151-7649708
Recipient: Meagan Johnson

And

Order Date: Feb 11, 2007
Order #: 601-0002394-7452104
Recipient: Meagan Johnson

On Februaury 11th, I ordered a sleigh glider and ottoman. When it arrived, it had damaged cushions, including stains, velcro sewn on backwards, and deep indentations in the seat cushions. It was also missing an allen wrench to assemble the glider. I called Target customer service immediately and was told that the parts order would take upwards of two months so they wanted to send me another glider, and have me remove the pieces that I need and then have a UPS pickup done on the remaining glider pieces.

I waited for the box to arrive, and when it didn’t I received a call from my local POST OFFICE saying that the box had been left there. Being pregnant, I am not able to lift the box myself. On top of that, it won’t fit in a car, and my husband and I had to arrange to borrow a truck from a relative and then go to the post office, after hours, and he had to load it by himself into the back of the truck off their loading dock. This never should have happened. The glider should have been delivered to our home.

We removed the glider cushions and the allen wrench and called Target to schedule a UPS pickup. We left the box outside the back door (which is where ALL of our UPS packages are picked up and delivered) and there must have been a new driver on Friday because there was a notice left on our front door, and the box was not picked up. RIGHT NEXT to the notice that he left on the door was a large print note that we had written asking that all packages be picked up or dropped off at the BACK DOOR. This was very frustrating. He was scheduled to pickup the box again on Monday. On Monday it was raining. We left the box in the garage and the large overhead door to the garage OPEN so that the driver could access the package. He walked right past the garage and left another notice on the BACK DOOR this time that he had been there for pickup and would be back on Tuesday. Tuesday, the weather did not call for rain until that night. Because the driver walked right past the box in the open garage- and because it wasn’t scheduled to rain until that NIGHT… we left it OUTSIDE right in front of the back door. We had things to do that night and didn’t get home until almost 10pm. Of course, we found the glider and ottoman and the box in the rain, completely soaked and falling apart, and the UPS driver didn’t come by at all that day, as his notice said he would.

For the remainder of the week and the beginning of this week, we left the notice on the back door saying the package to be picked up was in the garage. No one ever came.

I had also called Target last Wednesday and spoke to a representative. I explained that this glider has been nothing but trouble and that the package had been rained on, to the extent that the box has broken at the seams and fallen apart, and the contents were soaked. There is no way that UPS could even pick up or carry the box as it isn’t even in the shape of a box anymore. I asked her what Target wanted me to do about it. She told me that she was forwarding this issue and that I would receive an email from Target within 24 hours with instructions. I have received no communications from Target or UPS and it has been a week tomorrow.

I am sick of this box at my home, in my garage, etc. I am pregnant, and I can’t lift it. It is damaged and not worth anything to anyone anymore. If I do not hear from Target with directions to get this taken care of by this Friday, the box and it’s contents will be going out with our trash.

I am very upset with the customer service we have received (or should I say the lack of customer service we have received) over this package. I have plenty to worry about without the addition of this mess. This makes me reconsider having my baby registery with Target, and purchasing my crib and mattress.changing table from Target. Your customer service needs improvement.

Thank you for your time.

Meagan Johnson

Sunday, March 25, 2007

SPRING has SPRUNG!

Slacker. Sorry.

I have been either busy or not feeling good for the past week. We installed a new software release at work that we spent MONTHS preparing for, and so it was an insanely busy week. I was crashed at home each night and didn't accomplish much besides staying sane. Towards the end of the week I started to have back problems and ended up needing an emergency back crack (whew!) and then being very dizzy and faint for an entire day/night and just lying down as much as possible.

Yesterday I just started to feel better and had the whole house picked up and myself cleaned up by 10:30am... which was amazing. We had a guy come from the Quad Cities to give us an estimate on new Windows, and that was successful and exciting. It was warm and humid and then it started to rain again and cooled off. We ate leftover Spaghetti Pizza for lunch and then I watched "O Brother Where Art Thou" and a few episodes of "Myth Busters" on Discovery Channel. It was a pretty relaxing afternoon.

Last Tuesday we had our March OB appointment and Evan got to hear the heartbeat. For the first time I was sure that I was feeling baby movement because the midwife felt the baby pushing back on the doppler when I felt the movement. Since then I can put my hand just right on my belly and feel pushing or kicking back, and Evan can feel it too, which is exciting. We scheduled our "big" ultrasound for April 9th, so we can hopefully find out girl or boy and get our first look at the baby in 8 weeks. Can't wait for that! I also got my Quad Marker bloodwork drawn and it was sent away for testing.

It is BEAUTIFUL and 70 degrees today, very sunny with a nice breeze. This afternoon we plan on walking the dogs, and I am going to take a bath and shave all nice so I can wear shorts! Yeah! The grass turned green yesterday and Evan said the tulips are coming up. I hope everything dries out this week so we can clear out flower beds, and Evan promised me that he would put the pond back in the ground this year, I missed it last year! We have big plans for easter weekend and this weekend I have a scrapbook day to attend and Ava's First Birthday party. I am so glad it's getting nice out! I know I will love being pregnant in the spring. We need to take belly pictures at the end of this month, because the belly is popping out now!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend and is enjoying their weather... if it's as nice or nicer than ours!

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

OB Appointment!

Today we had another OB Appointment. We got to schedule the "Big" Ultrasound when we find out if it's a girl or boy. It's on April 9th in the morning. Yee! I can't wait! I thought I wanted to have a boy first but I am recently freaked out because it's like boy=penis and I am not sure I am ready for that. When he's small, no big deal, right? But when he starts peeing on things and waving it around, I am not sure that I will be ready. So deep down I can feel myself chanting "girl, girl girl!" but I know that Evan wants a boy something FIERCE and although he will be happy with a healthy baby either way, I would like to make him proud, even though it is HIS sperm that made the decision! LOL.

So the Midwife said "perfect" a few times. Perfect Belly size, Perfect Uterus Size, Perfect little heartbeat, Great blood pressure, etc. She said I have a wonderful laid back attitude and she is very pleased that I am not stressing out and that I am enjoying my pregnancy. She is also pleased with my weight gain.... or should I say WEIGHT LOSS! Haven't gained any yet! Actually lost some!

Friday, March 16, 2007

What in the WORLD?!


Today I decided that I need a world map. Not just any world map. A Large, wall sized, Laminated World Map. I am ashamed to say that lots of time I am mailing swaps and things overseas and the postage is SO expensive and it takes SO long and I get SO frustrated and occasionally I think "well, I know it's over the OCEAN but JEEZ!" and then I start to feel like I should be watching it on a map. And there are maps online. BORING. I want a map on my wall. A big giant map that I can write on with a wipe off marker and circle the place my package is going and draw myself a big dotted line in red across the ocean and erase it when the package arrives. I want my kids to be as fascinated by other countries, their religions, customs, cultures, geography, etc. as my husband and I are. That said, the only place in the house with wall space left for a world map is either the baby room or the master bedroom. Uh. I really want it in the office- hellooooo!? I dunno. So I shopped online and found that the same $44 map at staples is like $20 everywhere else. WTF Staples? So I am wondering if they have them in store because I wouldn't have shipping... but anyway. Might just be a hair up my ass. Might go away. Might not. Think about the world map.

Ohhh.... maybe I could put it on my wall at WORK! Aha! But then my kids wouldn't be growing up seeing it all the time. But then I have like 4 or 5 years before they can understand it anyway. HMMMM.... Yes.... the wheels are turning.

But- If I had $240, I would buy this world map that's about 40x30 inches and have it framed and matted as I have chosen below, and then would hang it in the dining room or the bedroom and watch my packages travel the country.

Awesomeness Everywhere

Yee!!! Flickr has just implemented a new feature that I had ASKED for, and that was one of their top requests for enhancements. There are Now "Collections" which allow for essentially "sets within a set" A collection can be a group of photosets, which I am loving, because I can create a collection called "Vacation" and then fill it with sets, each one from a different trip. I can create a collection "wedding" and fill it with all my wedding related sets. I can create a collection "She's Crafty" and fill it with all my craft related sets. AND when I have the baby, I can create a collection with the "Baby Name" and then add sets of various age groups and events, such as "1month", "2month", "Birth", "Baby Shower", "Baby Room", and on and on and on till "First Birthday", "First Day of Kindergarten" etc. AWESOMENESS. And of course I have created 6 collections! Yeah! Check them out!~ Also completely AWESOME is the way that you can create Mosaics for the Collections.... as you see in the screen shot below.


And THEN, because Flickr is so freaking cool like that, they allow us to choose how our initial photo pages is viewed, and the option I chose was to show my COLLECTIONS on the right, instead of the sets that I always HAD to have on the right before. Flickr peeps, you are my heroes, thanks for doing such awesome work and making me enjoy photography and photo sharing all the more!

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Twin Sisters

Tonight I watched a movie called Twin Sisters. It is based on a Dutch novel that was read all over holland and Germany. Dutch and German with English Subtitles, this movie was excellent, about two twin dutch girls whose parents died when they were very young and their family members separated them and they were raised in separate parts of Germany. They were raised completely differently, one as a farm hand for her family, with one change of clothes and beaten until she was unable to have children, and the other with rich relatives who nursed her back to health from TB and educated her and encouraged her musically. They were told that the other was dead, or that she didn't want to see her sister anymore.

Because of their different locations in Germany and their circumstances, One sister fell in love and became engaged to a Jewish boy, and the other fell in love with a boy who enlisted in the German Army and became part of Hitler's SS. When one sister saw a photo of the other sister's fiance and commented that she "almost thought he was a Jew" the sisters didn't speak for some time. The sister who married the SS soldier was notified of his death in the war, and the other sister's fiance was abducted on the street for being Jewish, put through concentration camps and gassed at Auschwitz. She married his brother in the end, and had a baby... and the sisters had a falling out that lasted their entire lives. The movie was excellent. I highly recommend it.

Good Things Come in Small Packages!

Today has actually been a fairly productive sick day. This morning when I woke up, I let the dogs out, fed them, gave them their medicine, and then lay down to read. I am currently reading Frank McCourt's "Teacher Man." I love his books. He writes so realistically. I also read a new memory makers magazine and then felt bad about the state of my scrapbook table and my lack of recent projects, including my wedding album and the start of a baby album. I can feel myself slipping behind!!

When I finally got motivated I took a bath and got dressed. I ate peanut butter toast and a banana at the recommendation of my OB (since I have been feeling sick) and then I took the dogs for a little walk around town, which is something to walk both of them by myself, but it can be done, especially when they are used to walks now since we have been walking every day since the weekend. I wanted to get a walk in before I got too tired and before it started to rain, since it is already looking overcast this afternoon.

When I got home I rested. I watched a little Tivo, checked my email, and checked the status of the weavette loom... I bought one from a wonderful company on ebay, along with the weavette pattern book, and the loom appears to be manufacturer defective... missing a peg. I emailed pics to the seller this morning to get his take on it. I tried on 6 nursing bras, a maternity swimsuit, 2 pair of nursing/maternity pajamas and a robe, 2 nursing sports bras, and 3 nursing tank tops. I left auction feedback for the various items I tried on, and then I started to feel sleepy.

I ran the dishwasher, picked up the kitchen dishes and garbage, let the dogs outside, cooked a chicken pot pie for lunch, and called 3 daycare facilities to request packets of information so that we can make a decision for this December and get on a waiting list.

I started to feel like a nap, so I went to the post office and grabbed the mail, which included a package- My Coloriffic swap-o-rama package for March- themed in Green and Blue. There were lots of goodies inside, including a hand knit sweater for the baby that is a kimono style that ties on the side. It is so freaking adorable I just want to show it to EVERYONE. Evan loved it when he saw it. He had to untie and re-tie it. It was made and sent by Katie in New Hampshire and I just can't thank her enough!!

So now it's 3:30 and I am wondering what the rest of the day brings. I am pleased that I got some things accomplished that weren't tiring or stressful, and was this productive when I was sick. :)

The Best Things in Life Are Not Free!

Today I am filled with pet peeves. For example, WHY Does a newspaper automatically think that if they print something, I want to read it? Why do they assume that if they print a free newspaper, that I want it tossed out in my yard amidst the dog shit so that I can fish it out and peruse it? I am the new generation. I don't give a shit about news that's two days old and media prejiduced. I can get more news, more unbiased facts, more interesting opinions, from the internet. From Blogs. Not to mention that I can read said newspapers online and save all that paper and those tiptoed steps through the dog shit to get the damn paper. The News Tribune prints a free paper called the Shopper. After the first 2 years of picking the damn thing up off the yard, we called them and asked them to please stop delivering. Well. That would work. Until we got a new paper delivery person (aka child labor) and then it would start all over again. Until the one day that we had my friend Carrie's dog Molly Brown and she went out after that paper boy (of course she has never really BITTEN, she was just defending her poopy yard) and he never came back. It was a miracle. So then, after the Shopper Incident, the Sheffield Bulletin went out of business andbecame "The Prairie Review" which, THANK GOD wasn't thrown on the lawn but delivered for free in a precise and civilized manner via the US Postal Service. This, I appreciated. A clean paper that has small town news and was free. Without the "our town is so wonderful we only print the BEST news and the quaintest of stories" bias that you get elsewhere. And then of course that paper became a "purchase me" paper and then next thing you know there is another free paper, The FOCUS printed out of the same town, with similar news and more typos, and still, miraculously, they manage to deliver it TO MY POST OFFICE BOX for free. I love it. But between these two free papers, the Bureau County Republican decides that they need to make a free paper. And toss it in the yard. Yes. In the Snow. In the rain. In the poop. Does a person who works full time want to spend their precious free hours picking up soiled newspapers from their yard that they didn't even ASK for? Apparently not, as the 34 free papers have piled up in the yard and on the steps. So today I called the Republican to get them to STOP tossing it in my yard. I was polite, until the lady said "We will put in that request and SEE if we can stop the delivery.... (argh) and then got all cranky with me "You're Breaking Up I can't hear you" (from my home phone) and I said very clearly

"THERE ARE THIRTY-FOUR OF YOUR DIRTY PAPERS IN MY YARD AND I BELIEVE IT IS ONLY COMMON SENSE THAT YOUR DELIVERY PERSON STOP THROWING OUT PAPERS ONCE IT BECOMES OBVIOUS THAT NO ONE IS READING THEM. PLEASE MENTION THIS REQUEST BECAUSE IT'S JUST COMMON COURTESY"

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Ack

Man I do not feel well today. Sunday night I barely slept. Seriously. Then when I did wake up on Monday I had a headache, and a stuffy nose, and a sore throat. I called into work and went back to bed, I slept till 11:30 and felt better once I got up. Last night I slept well, but woke up at 5am and couldn't get back to sleep. At 6:40 I finally decided to just get up and shower. Now I have the runny nose and the queasy stomach, and what I will refer to as "intestinal stress." Yuk. I am chewing gum and swallowing gallons of water in an attempt to calm myself and my stomach. Yuk. The normal smells of the workplace, which aren't always pleasant, are downright nauseating today. Twice I had to go outside to get some fresh air to stop gagging. Any votes on whether I make it through the day?

Friday, March 09, 2007

A Trip to the Vet

I. Am. So. Lazy.

This morning we took the dogs to the vet. Hadley has been having electric yellow urine and frequent accidents in the house, even when he has just been outside. It's like he can't hold it. They decided to do some bloodwork for potential liver or kidney issues, and Hadley had a spot on his leg shaved (although he has short hair as it is) so that the vet could see his vein and draw blood. Hadley didn't like it but It was pretty cool to see the vet do a blood draw. They got their booster shots and new rabies tags for this year. They were so super psyched to be going for a ride this morning... it was funny how much they barked and Hadley "talked" all the way to Walnut.

On the way home they were so exhausted from all the excitement that they just sat or lay down in the back seat, and we had only been at the vet for 30 minutes. LOL.

Although I had showered in the morning, I changed my clothes again because I was covered in dog hair. Evan fed the beasts so I could go to work. Hadley's blood work should be done in about 24 hours so we will know what we are looking at.

This weekend is looking to be a pretty quiet, around home weekend. Probably some cleaning and some dishes and laundry, and hopefully some good sleep and relaxing will happen.

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Happiness Is....

8 boxes of girl scout cookies under my desk!
Did I mention that I was a girl scout for over 10 years? My mom was a leader for years and as a high school student I was a leader's helper and ran a brownie troop, and they eventually became juniors.

Thursday. And I am not Half Nekkid.

This morning when I arrived at work, there was a sesame seed lingering on my chair and it made me hungry. I resisted eating it. LOL. Husband brought me a BIG Roast beef sandwich from Arby's last night for my supper, since I had gotten so busy teaching classes yesterday that I hadn't been able to grab lunch. Luckily I had eaten a late breakfast around 10am or I would have been sick.

Last night I pretty much accomplished nothing. Watched Crossing Jordan and a couple of TLC Specials, the one on Primordial Dwarfism that I have seen three times now, and then the special on the people eating 33,000 calories a day. Yeah. Good TV.

Then of course as is my usual custom, I got super tired until I couldn't prop my eyes open anymore and husband made the bed and I went to sleep. I am really enjoying that I have been able to wake up naturally several times this week, because I go to bed early enough to actually wake up on my own with plenty of time to get ready and go to work. This morning I actually DID my hair for the first time this week and am wearing jewelry. I must be feeling more normal! LOL. I had one OB nurse ask me how I am doing and tell me that I look great. That was nice.

My girl scout cookies are in today, and I keep telling myself that I won't eat an entire box at once. Or even in one day. We will see how that goes. I bought a bunch of them on account of I am pregnant and I want to eat them. LOL.

Have I mentioned here what my FAVORITE Food is now? Burger King Breakfast. The Hamlette Sandwich and Cheesy Tots. I have had it twice now, about once every week and a half. Otherwise it's usually cereal with skim milk. Like Cheerios or Chex or Strawberry Frosted Min Wheats (good fiber; no sodium.) Eating that BK Breafkast is like HEAVEN! But I am trying to watch my salt content (not sure how good I am doing since I ate a Culvers melt with soup once this week and an Arby Roast Beef last night) but I am trying. This weekend I need to total up the amount of food that we lost in the power outages and get insurance reimbursement so that we can refill the fridge and freezers.

Tomorrow is payday THANK GOD because I have lots to pay for and a few ebay auctions that I won. I did buy a weavette loom and a nice instruction and pattern book from a weaving company. I want to start making baby blankets. I can crochet but not follow the pattern, and I can't knit to save my soul because I tighten it up so badly that I break the yarn a few rows in. So the weavette allows you to weave squares that can have patterns and colors and then you attach them together to make a blanket or whatever you want. There are many sizes, and I ordered the 6x6 because it covers more ground. Lots of people have plastic weavette's from the 50's and 60's that they find at thrift shops or garage sales, but they are now making brand new wooden ones with metal pegs. Martha Stewart did a segment in her magazine last year about weaving with the weavette.

I also got seven nursing bras and three nursing tank tops for fairly cheap, and am bidding on a maternity swimsuit that I am going to pay WAYYY too much for, but it's not available anymore and It's the only cute one that I have ever seen that will fit me, and because I plan to be pregnant all summer, and my OB plans to make me swim to fight of Toxemia and get exercise, I figured be prepared and buy one in the winter is probably cheaper than when EVERYONE is looking for them. It's like a tankini but the top is longer and swing style so it covers your belly nicely and looks like a little short dress. It's blue and white gingham with white trim and daisies in the cleavage area. I also bought a pair of NWT Motherhood yoga pants (lounge pants) for $6, so that makes three pair of pants I have that are all comfy.

Evan has been doing a little more belly rubbing lately and often gets good baby ideas. He went to Target last night and when he got home he said "You should see all the cool baby stuff at Target" and I know that he wandered through the aisles. What is amazing is that he didn't buy anything in there. He did buy t-shirts for him and one for me with Mr Rogers on it, but no baby stuff.

I am gearing up for the April Coloriffic swap, the colors are lavender and cream and black. I have a *couple* of things bought already, that I saw and thought were so adorable and fitting. I got my partner's name and I have to say this is the most picky partner I have ever had and I am nervous about meeting her requests. She is very specific about what you don't send to her. She has limited a few crafty things because she already has enough of them. I feel stressed a bit but I am sure I will do fine, and I have a whole month to gather and send. I am thankful that she is in the USA because shipping is KILLER to other countries, for a box that is tiny and costs $3 -4 in the USA, it costs $20 to send to Portugal. And my swap in November cost me an arm and a leg to put together, and to ship, and then it got Lost? I think Customs from the other country stole it. You have to be very careful to not make it look too appealing or sending to another country it will often be stolen in customs. Argh. There should be LAWS or CONSEQUENCES for that! I hope that it will someday turn up, but fittingly enough, I never received my November swap either.

I am on ANOTHER Antibiotic for high White Blood Cells in my urine AGAIN. I would be willing to bet that I just have them all the time. LOL. Maybe it's because I work in healthcare and I am fighting off germs every day.

Well, that's enough literary magic for now. Have a great Thursday.

Sunday, March 04, 2007

Tidbits

My tummy hurts. Its my own fault. For supper I had a slice of veggie pizza, chips and dip, and cookie dough ice cream. Um yeah. It seemed like a good idea when I cried at the end of Extreme Home Makeover (when I only caught 8 minutes of it) and almost cried when I saw a baby at the Christmas Eve celebration on Girls Next Door.

I loved the season premiere of the Girls Next Door. They brought in a snow machine for the mansion lawn. Bridget got a pink Vaio. My favorite part was when they bought and wrapped bunches of gifts for a family who lost everything in a fire.

This evening I took a two hour nap to get rid of my daily headache.

I made my handmade item for the Color-iffic Swap-o-rama March Swap (blue and green) and packaged it all up to send out. After I sealed the package, I was sitting here and I suddenly remembered that I had a blue bunny that I forgot to include in the package, and some blue rick rack. So I opened the package and added them.

I am currently bidding on a maternity swimsuit that I adore but I am about to pay WAY more than retail for it because it's not available anymore and the ones that you can buy now are UGLY and this one is super cute. And my OB Warned me that I will be SWIMMING and the in-laws have a pool.... and I will be super hot and super pregnant.

Friday night mom and I found baskets that fit the changing table. I also got a down alternative comforter to fit the new bed for $49 (originally $120) and a cute onesie just in case I have a girl.

eBay Newbies SUCK

and ANOTHER Thing! I keep getting outbid on ebay by newbies who sit there as the auction is ending and bid fifteen times in 2 cent increments until they beat me by one penny. it's a good thing eBay keeps identities secret because I would hunt them down in person and do something I can't say on here. That is so frustrating and annoying. There should be an ebay law about it. When I go on to an action that had 2 or 4 bids and at the end there are 18 bids and 13 of them are all the same person bidding 50 cents at a time, I want to hurt them.

Nice Dream

I just had to write this down. I know that I had lots of dreams last night (Thank you new bed and pregnant hormones) but my last one before I woke up was just awesome. In my dream, my midwife did something amazing. At her home, she converted an old red barn into a home birthing room. A large room that was all open. Everything inside was whitewashed. There was a giant bed with a fluffy down comforter and everything was white and lavendar. There were rocking chairs that reclined and birthing balls, and everything was lavendar. It was like going to a spa to give birth. There were roses in a vase that made the whole room perfumed. There were hydrangeas and pillows and flower petals. Wow. There were high small windows around the room so that you could see the trees swaying outside. There was a gazebo outside for the nervous smoking husband and a birth tub in the center of the room that was like a child's swimming pool, with lots of room. It was warm and quiet and darkened. It was amazing.

Of course nowadays I suppose there are some regulations as to what a certified midwife could do without approval, but it was like home birth only perhaps better... because everything was there, including the midwife, and it was so comfortable and shabby chic and you just felt at home, or even better, at a spa.

Saturday, March 03, 2007

Where oh where......

Can someone PLEASE tell me where I put the cord that connects my iPod to my computer? It's been WEEKS since I have seen it and I think the evil electronics faeries have stolen it forever. I really really want to sync so I can have my new music and podcasts AND my Deepak Chopra 3 Disc Set to listen to. This is KILLING me! We have looked EVERYWHERE and can't find it.

The History of Sex

What a weekend! It's only Saturday night and I feel like I have accomplished SO MUCH! I am waiting for my pizza and breadsticks to be done, and watching "The History of Sex" on the History Channel. Wow. I am learning ALOT. For example, that male homesexuality traces way back and can be identified in ancient greece and rome. The Sacred Band of Thebes were 150 homesexual couples. They died so that they wouldn't look badly in the eyes of their lovers. What I find amazing is that the homosexual relationship between an older male and a pubescent boy was embraced and considered a rite of passage. And that penetration of the young boy was NOT a part of the experience. The most fascinating is how candidly and normal sex was in their society. It's so interesting. In Egypt, there literally WERE no virgin women. There wasn't even an Egyptian word for virgin. There was no reason to abstain from sex, but they did believe in monogomy and marraige in Egypt, which was not the case in may other cultures. The number of prostitutes and slaves that were used for sex were amazing. But WIVES were not allowed to cheat in most cultures, because they were the property of their husbands, and their reproductive capabilities were also the property of their husbands. Anyone man would have sex with a married woman and got caught, was accused of "theivery" and punished. Augustus of Rome was the first person to make Adultery a Crime. This preluded the rise of Christianity.

What amazes me is that in our culture, we are taught about Greek Gods and Egyptian Culture but all of the sexual details are left out, but sexuality was a HUGE and MAJOR piece of their culture and everyday life. How can you tell the story of Helen of Troy and leave out sexuality and adultery? It's all this jaded storybook tale that we make up to tell our kids and if we don't see specials like this or read on the subject as adults, we don't know any better. I am also amazed by the number of carvings and stone tablets that show sexual acts or genitals. And the fact that we never see any of them. They even say that all the Egyptian chiselings that show a man holding a spear are a metaphor for penetration, because the word for spear is the root of the word that means impregnation. When sexual images were not used, metaphors for sex were used.

The second hour of the show breaks down the EASTERN World and how their take on sex was so much different than the Christianity in the Western World. The Eastern world found a perfect balance between religion and sexuality and believed that one could not exist without the other. I have huge respect for that. The program goes on to discuss taoism and confuscism. Taoism beliefs are centered around longevity of life for men. They discuss having sex without ejaculating, all to prolong your life and become sharper in your senses (on edge, LOL) and if you could have sex with 10 women, or 10 times, and make the woman have an orgasm without ejaculating, you would acheive eternal life. Men chose women who were young, because they hadn't been "tainted" or ruined by giving birth (ouch!) Confuscism believed in prolonging the family. It believed in procreation and having a large family. Women who bore children were very valuable and were the choice of mates. Infant mortality rates were high, so men took to polygamy. Men had their legal wife, and their concubines. The men's job was to keep them from fighting and feeling slighted. Keep everyone happy. One king of ancient China had 121 wives and concubines. He had sexual secretaries that kept extensive records of which wife needed her "needs" addressed. This started the practice of chinese aphrodisiacs. Chinese sex manuals changed to give points on pleasuring women as well as men, because if the women enjoyed sex, they would want to have sex more and would create more children as a result.

Men did frequent brothels in China. Even men with many wives. (For R & R) Brothels were considered an escape from polygamy. Lots of business (not just sexual, but merchants, etc.) was conducted in brothels. Upscale brothels were forums for men to socialize. When men took to brothels, some women took on lovers. But adultery (by women) was punishable by death. They also discussed the eroticism of feet in Chinese Culture. Foot binding was the practice and Chinese men were not ever allowed to see their wives bare feet.

Japanese had their own unique beliefs regarding sex. No original sin. Sexual practices were never looked upon as sin. The Japanese believed that the family was the backbone of life. As long as Japanese men took care of their families and children, they could have as much extramarital sex as they wanted. Japanese women also had multiple lovers and husbands. FINALLY. LOL.

What I didn't know (and they didn't teach us, hell-o!) - Geishas were Prostitutes?!?! How did I miss that! Damn! Prostitution was licensed and regulated. "Licensed Prostitutes." Geishas were considered artists who sang, danced, and had sexual relations with their clients. They originated as the daughters of fallen aristocrats. The show explained that "when a woman wouldn't suffice" men would go to the theater. A Kabuki, where women's roles were played by men, were havens for male prostitutes. They often had affairs with high ranking males like Shoguns and Samauri. Customers who consorted with the boy prostitutes had no repurcussions and were not looked down upon. It was common practice. Prostitutes, Geishas, etc. were common everyday life. It was not hidden. People bought pornographic art and hung it in their homes without shame.

In India, sex and spirituality are tightly interwoven. Hindus used sexual love as a metaphor in their writing and art for their relationship with God. Indian gods are models for Human life. They have wives and pets and children and weapons. In Buddhism, the root of the religion resides in the yoni (vagina.) Therefore the root of enlightenment is in the vagina. This is something that I know something about from yoga and other meditation practices and music. I am fascinated by Buddhism. Many Buddhist Monks and Nuns chose celibacy, instead of enlightenment through the yoni. This is where the Kama Sutra comes into play. The book was written by someone who probably never had sex. It was written more for the men and the elites of society. The last book of the kama sutra deals strictly with penis enlargement and vaginal restriction. The show discusses how, instead of graphically explaining sexual positions in poetry, writers would indicate that the woman was on top by saying that her "garter bells were shaking" and indicates she was on the bottom by saying that her "ankle bells were ringing."

Indian men used parrots to seduce women. They would teach the bird how to say sexual phrases. Men sought women with large breasts, narrow waists, and large hips and thighs. But that didn't have much to do with who they would marry... there were arranged marraiges where child brides (under the age of 12) who moved in with her husband when she reached puberty. The brides lived with their in-laws and became young slaves. There was no sex on the first night of marriage. The longer you wait for the sex, the more potent it was supposed to be. Tantra was the breaking of taboos. It combined several religions and broke many religions laws of society. By eating meat, drinking alcohol, taking drugs, and having ritualized sex, Tantrists believed they could attain enlightenment. many Indian Temples display Tantric sex on their outer walls. Tantric Orgys looked like sexual games of twister. Tantric sex was considered dark and secretive and dangerous. It was often done in dark cemetaries. It was said that there is a Serpent coiled at the base of a persons spine. Tantric sex was supposed to release the serpent and it would slink up to a person's head and they would obtain enlightenment.

So, that's your lesson in sex for the day. Although that's probably enough to last a lifetime.

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Everybody Gets Naked

You know, one of the things that I was thinking of this morning while my brain was cranking away.... was posing for Playboy. Not as in "I, Meagan, plan to or want to pose for Playboy."

Let me expand.

I recently (okay a while ago) saw or read something about parents "these days" being especially concerned that their kids who blog or use MySpace will be googled by future employers and then will not be hired based on their internet or personal life activities.

Okay. That made me giggle. It's like "Whoa, we saw some sideboob on the internet and therefore we know that girl isn't (insert employer name here) material!" Um. Okay. Things amaze me.

Actors can be nude in movies. Nude Art is a widely recognized art form. Playboy is a nationally read and recognized magazine. People. Are. Naked. Everyday. Everyone gets undressed at night. Everyone is naked when they shower. People have sex. But if you even talk candidly about sex or nudity or show a little skin, you jeopardize your chance at getting a job? that bugs me.

That's like saying "You have kids. We know you had sex once. That means we can't hire you!" EVERYONE (except the pope) has Sex! Who CARES! People masturbate. People get naked. People wear bikinis. People have a drink or a smoke now and then. Unless you are interviewing for a job at the Vatican**, is there any reason for am employer to google you and look into your personal life to determine if they want to hire you? Isn't THAT Discrimination? You can't refuse to hire me because of my race or sex or marital status but you CAN refuse to hire me based on my personal views or sexual orientation? Hmmm. That bugs me.

What also bugs me is the hypocrisy that is involved. "Mr. Bossman" has sex. with his wife. MAYBE even with a mistress. Maybe he has illegitimate children. Maybe he watches porn. MAYBE He has a subscription to playboy. It's okay for him to do all these things because they are parts of his private life. So one day Mr. Bossman has an interview for a secretary. One candidate is beautiful. She is qualified. Problem is, Mr. Bossman saw her in the January 1999 issue of Playboy. Well. She can't be trusted. She's damn hot but she's not "insert employer name here" material. Hypocrite. He can look at her naked in a magazine but he can't hire her because "being naked in a magazine is wrong."

Same concept.... It's okay for "Ms. Boss" to have sex with younger men and frequent internet chat rooms- but she saw a potential employee's personal website and "we just can't hire someone like that here."

I hate how hypocritical it all is. And then you have the people who aren't internet savvy. "I can't believe you would have a blog, or write anything on the internet." Hmm. Well, "internet hating guy" I can't believe that you cheated on your wife, are raising a son who you THINK is yours, and got a DUI and lost your license in the 80's. Hypocrite. It's like you did your stupid things right out there in the public. And if you think this small town doesn't know 90% of your dirty little secrets, have another drink.

So it really pisses me off that if I have a photo on Flickr of me, 26 years old, On my honeymoon with a drink in my hand.... that might mean that in the future, an employer will google me, find that, and assume that I have a drinking problem. It pisses me off that I might choose to write a post in my blog about having a sex toy party, and that years later an employer might google me, find that on my blog, and decide that I am not worthy of a job with their company.

But, When I think about it, that's the kind of company I would NOT want to work for.

** I am not implying by any means that the Vatican has this strict of employment qualifications. Ahem.

Religion Quiz

Not taking this toooo terribly serious since some chick on the internet just randomly created it. But I wasn't surprised to see Buddhism so high on the list. Um, satanism (and islam) I was a little surprised to see. I don't believe the paganism card though. I think that's because I answered lots of things earth related but answered no to "I don't ever hurt any living creature" because unlike true Buddhists, I eat meat and will squash a bug in no time flat. SO I am gathering that's how Paganism got higher than Buddhism. Or hey, think I am a witch. Who knows. Like I said, Random Web Chick.

You scored as Paganism. Your beliefs are most closely
aligned with those of paganism, Wicca, or a similar
earth-based religion. You may also follow a Native
American religion.

Paganism


79%

Buddhism


75%

agnosticism


63%

Islam


58%

Satanism


54%

Hinduism


38%

atheism


29%

Christianity


25%

Judaism


21%

Which religion is the right one for you? (new version)
created with QuizFarm.com

In Like a Lion

March is here! I woke up at 2:30am to the sound of the dogs barking. It was thundering and lightening and by 2:45 we were in full-fledged storm mode with loud thunder and close lightening. At one point both Evan and I saw sparks come through the power outlet sockets in different rooms. But no breakers tripped and no appliances turned off or were damaged that we could see. Then he shut down all the computers. At 2:50 it was hailing and by 3:30 the ground and the road were solid ice chunks, all white like snow under the streetlights. I stayed awake until almost 4am. Then I slept clear till the alarm, which hasn't happened for weeks.

This morning I watched the Weather Channel while getting ready (per usual) and saw all the tornadoes and thunderstorms to the south and all the snow and blizzard warnings from Des Moines up to the Twin Cities. Amazing.

My mind was cranking all morning. Thinking about EVERYTHING. This and That. What Bills I need to pay. The Mattress arriving tomorrow. Things going on for the weekend.

Last night when I got home I had a HUGE Shopping bag of diaper samples, bottles, and Huggies Disposable washcloth samples, and Johnson and Johnson baby bath in tiny travel sized bottles. And Diaper coupons. Wow. It's good to have friends in certain places! Evan helped me to open all the individual newborn sized diaper packets and we put them in the little Longaberger Carry n Caddy Basket that I bought abuot a year ago to hold diapers. Adorable! I was pleased as punch. Then I made a Garlic Chicken Skillet for dinner. Evan had grabbed about $80 of groceries since we just has ketchup and mustard. And now it still looks so empty! But at least we have food to eat! Night before last he made salads and spaghetti with Garlic Bread, and he used whole wheat noodles that I like.

So on Tuesday night I cleaned the bathroom, vacuumed and mopped and cleaned the sink while Evan made supper. And we did laundry, especially towels and bathroom rugs, and re-stocked the linen closet with the towels and the freshly washed King Sheets for the new bed. Last night he carried the Christmas Tree out of the dining room (I know, February 28th and the Christmas Tree is still there. That's what being pregnant and tired does for you) and I packed up the rest of the Christmas Decor that was sitting on the dining room table, and he carried the totes to the attic. Then I cleaned the entire dining room, vacuumed, cleared the table off, and rearranged. Then I cleaned the bedroom. There were clothes and baskets of clothes everywhere. Lots of "I tried that on but since I am pregnant it didn't fit anymore" piles and some dirty clothes to be taken to the laundry room. We did more laundry and I folded and hang while Watching Shallow Hal on cable. Then Evan brought me home a King sized drumstick from Casey's and I went to sleep. Okay, maybe I ate some leftover spaghetti and then went to sleep.

When I woke up at 2:30, Evan was in the basement and he heard me padding around and came up. He said "Scared?" I said no, just edgy and frustrated that I can't get to sleep. The storm. The dogs all antsy on the porch, barking or whining or clicking around with their nails. So he let them out and then back in and Boyd came and lay in bed with me and Hadley tried to mold his body into the side of the bed from the floor. Boyd is used to being the protector and being near me in bed during a storm. It's always been that way. He was much more relaxed when in bed. But he isn't afraid, because he was an outside dog on the farm for the first 3 years of his life, so he's used to weather.

So eventually I just still couldn't sleep. I told Evan "I have heartburn" and he said "What did you eat?" I said "supper" and he said "and then?" and I said "a drumstick" and he said "and then" and I said "what do you mean? That's it" and he said "what else did you eat?" and I said "okay, maybe a little spaghetti?" and he said "when" and I said "before bed." and he said "And you wonder why you have heartburn." Ugh. Damn he can be so smart. I lay on the loveseat for a while and watched some Spartacus type movie from the 70's with him and then when the storm was over, he let the dogs out, trapped them on the porch, and gave me my ipod with the idog (not like you think, it's a dog pillow with speakers for ears) and I fell asleep before too much longer.

Tonight: Snow likely with areas of blowing snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28. Windy, with a west wind around 30 mph, with gusts as high as 46 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Friday: Snow likely. Cloudy, with a high near 32. Breezy, with a west wind between 25 and 29 mph, with gusts as high as 44 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of snow showers. Cloudy and breezy, with a low around 22.

Saturday: A 20 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, high near 32.

Can't WAIT For the weekend. But first, a new BED!!!
Related Posts with Thumbnails