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Monday, January 31, 2011

January Recap...

Well, we made it to the end of the first month of 2011.
January hasn't been as spectacular as I'd hoped, but I'm not willing to toss it, or this year, out yet. The month went very fast, or was that just me?
So let's see how January went...
Stink bugs, stink bugs, and more stink bugs.
Adjusting to the new job and a 40 hour work week.
Starting the zombie book and making progress.
Kids back at college.
Kid moving out.
Transmissions teetering on the edge of failure.
Dead dryers.
Snow. Ice. And more snow in the forecast.
In all, it's been an okay month. There have been some disappointments and surprises (not good ones) and other things we're still trying to work through that I hope will be okay, but like I said, I'm still hopeful. Except for the stink bugs. I don't think they're ever going away.
So...bring it February - with your short month and birthdays and packed weekends.
That is all.
Behave!

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Sunday Stink Bugs...

So the temperature rises over 20 degrees and the stink bugs come back out?
One flew right into K4's forehead (Or her "Ford Head" as she used to call it.) earlier. There was much screaming and complaining about that, though she did give it the viking funeral it deserved. I found three in the bathroom after my shower. B sucked at least six up while he was cleaning the living room (most of them where I sit on the couch). There were several at my mom's and we just dropped another one in the living room.
We told our stories about them. And I didn't even get the disbelieving stare I usually get when I tell people I got bit. Mom found one in the fridge. My brother threw one out in the snow and watched as the snow around it turned brown. My sister's cat plays with them and instead of getting rid of them, they flick them at each other. We all agreed that they are the most annoying and disgusting things ever.
Though we discussed a theory that only one of the sexes sprays the stink.
That makes sense because sometimes there is no smell no matter how much you mess with them. And sometimes all you have to do is look at one and it stinks.
I also think it's bunk that they don't lay their eggs inside homes. I'm seeing little ones and huge ones around here.
So there's the Sunday Stink Bug news...
Behave!

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Chickens...

Yes, those are chickens.
And yes, they are in my dining room. In a cage, with old (very terribly bad) manuscript pages to use as a bathroom. The chickens were our overnight guests last night - on layover between homes. They accompanied B from work, and had a sleepover in our bathroom.
They were noisy, smelly, and caused chaos with the dog and cat.
And they were really cool. (until he started crowing at 4:45 am)
The kids had a blast watching them, feeding them, and keeping the cat away. The cat was very interested, which is why we had to put them in the bathroom with the door closed last night. (and let me tell you, going to pee at 2am and forgetting there are chickens in the bathroom is quite a shock. Plus I'm not sure I appreciated them seeing me with my pants down.) And did I mention the crowing? At 4:45am? And then all through the morning?
They're gone now. With some other chicken friends. And B and the kids are sad. They were cool, and I'm glad we were able to put them up overnight, but it just doesn't make good sense to have chickens in the house. (especially with the stink and the crowing thing), though if we lived somewhere we could, I'd definitely have some chickens of my own.
Someone told me chickens like to eat stink bugs. Of course, there were no stink bugs sightings while "Fred and Wilma" were in residence. (they were unnamed chickens and K4 thought they really should have names). I wanted to check it out, but the opportunity is gone. *Sigh*
And there you go...I really should save some of this stuff for Tall Tale Tuesday...
Behave!

Friday, January 28, 2011

Snow Day at College....



This is what my daughter does at college....
Behave!

Feel Good Friday

Made it to another weekend! Whoot!
Here's the list:
1. Sleeping in tomorrow!
2. The snow! Yeah, it messed up a few days, but in all, it was good. (Note to Mother Nature: Big huge storm, please! Lots of snow, please! Like...20 inches!)
3. My friend not getting hurt when the car went through her house.
4. Not running out of gas.
5. Looking forward to Sunday's family day with my 'rents and siblings.
6. Not seeing too many stink bugs this week. (Less than ten - all viking funeraled.)
7. Funny movies.
8. Knowing I will have writing time this weekend.
9. Sleeping in...wait...I said that already.
10. I know it's sick...but...getting laundry caught up. Our dryer is broken and we are absolutely running on zero clean clothes around here. Maybe I'm just looking forward to having clean socks again. Ha!
Okay...I think that's enough!
Behave!

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Strange Thursday

Weird day around here.
First, a car went through a very good friend's house this morning. She and her son are lucky to be alive. The damage to their home and their feelings of lost safety are intense. Yes, the weather was bad, but it's more likely the driver was drunk.
I cannot imagine waking up to find a vehicle just feet away from my bedroom wall. Or how I would feel to see the destroyed crib of my granddaughter under the tires (luckily her granddaughter wasn't there). The bathroom is gone and so is the kitchen. If the driver had hit a few feet over, her son might not have lived.
Second, a bare foot young woman dressed in white was running around inside of B's work this morning. She was dripping wet and obvioulsy under some kind of chemical influence. They found her hiding under one of the desks, begging to go home. When they pulled up the security cameras to figure out how she got inside the building, it went from her not being there in one frame to her being in the center of the warehouse in the next. The system records with a few seconds lag time, but she would have to be bionic to cross the distance in the short amount of time. They did all sorts of experiments this afternoon to see if they could reinact her appearance to no avail. 
One nearly tragic and frightening.
One sad and puzzling.
Both the stuff that makes you scratch your head and wonder why and how.
Behave!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Answer!

1. Snow. Picture taken at last year's beach retreat with the bff's. This particular pattern of snow is a result of someone rolling around in the fluffy white stuff. I'm not saying who, but you can guess. Nah. There was plenty of other weird in the snow though!


2. Whipped cream. Close up picture of one of the pies B took in the face after the Scout's annual pie selling contest. He had whipped cream in his ears, nose, and eyes. And I'm not lying when I say it smelled horribly. Yes!! And I swear to you, it smelled for days...Gross!

3. The inside of my freezer after "someone" left the door open all night long. There's some ice cream under all of that ice, and maybe a roast and a package of chicken. I might never know for sure though. *Sigh* Nah, but highly possible!
 
That's it. I now have to go help shovel snow and my back is already screaming at me!
Behave!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Tall Tale Tuesday

What is this:












1. Snow. Picture taken at last year's beach retreat with the bff's. This particular pattern of snow is a result of someone rolling around in the fluffy white stuff. I'm not saying who, but you can guess.
2. Whipped cream. Close up picture of one of the pies B took in the face after the Scout's annual pie selling contest. He had whipped cream in his ears, nose, and eyes. And I'm not lying when I say it smelled horribly.
3. The inside of my freezer after "someone" left the door open all night long. There's some ice cream under all of that ice, and maybe a roast and a package of chicken. I might never know for sure though. *Sigh*
Which one is the truth...
Behave!

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Weekend Recap

First off, let me apologize for yesterday's picture. I've been told by more than one person that it was disturbingly shocking. Ha! Okay, so maybe I'm not as apologetic as I need to be.
I can't believe the weekend's coming to an end. It went way to fast, didn't it? I feel like all I've done is flip and rearrange the laundry constantly drying in my dining room. I did get to sleep in a little this morning, which was nice, but considering how late we stayed up last night I'm not sure it made much difference.
It's way too cold out. Way too cold. And apparently there's snow in the forecast. I'm not thinking about that right now, since it's due to hit on the night I'm looking forward to. But we'll see...I've heard everything from 50% chance to a really major snowstorm.
Today we had an Eagle Scout ceremony. It was B's first scout since he's been Scout Master. It's always a cool experience, but this time it was even more so. I think that's because we've known this family since K2 was in first grade and they're really awesome people. Only now there are about twelve balloons in my living room - K4's parting gift from the ceremony.
I have also written and am feeling positive about my progress. My writing chapter is at the beginning of an online class on worldbuilding, which is really helping the pieces fall into place for me. I'm eager to get back to it and might get a few more words written before bedtime.
And that's it, I think...
Behave!

Friday, January 21, 2011

Feel Good Friday

Just under the wire!
Here's the list:
1. Friday! Oh, how I have longed for you!
2. Making progress on the wip - loosely titled "Tattered".
3. Upcoming plans with the bff's for milestone birthday celebrating.
4. Getting to talk to one of my oldest bff's tonight. It's been too long.
5. The snow not being what they said.
6. A husband that does laundry, despite the dryer being broken. (and despite his attempts to fix it!)
7. Last week of the Supernatural Hellatus. Whoot!
8. Tacos for dinner.
9. Easy and mostly relaxed weekend plans.
10. Snowstorms in the forecast. (better go get your milk, bread, and toilet paper now!) Ha!
That is all.
I may or may not be here tomorrow. It just depends on how the day goes...
Behave!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Random Happenstance...

So...the dryer we haven't had too long is broken. Let me tell you how frustratingly fantastic that is! I have laundry draped over every available surface. B's working on it, but as of right now, the danged thing is an enigma.
So...the other morning I crawled out of bed and made my way to the facilities. No lights. Not awake enough to get a clue that something might be wrong when I stepped in water. Sat to do my business and discovered that the toilet was so clogged the water was touching my fleshy parts. Gross! I'm not going to go into more details - I think you've had enough of that - but just imagine how awful that was.
So...it's snowing here. And I still love snow. I really do. But it's kind of a nuisance for me at the moment. What I want is a major snowstorm that starts Friday night and doesn't end until Sunday. That would be nice! Very nice!
So...When I got into the shower yesterday morning there were two dead stink bugs in there. This morning there were four. I'm thinking leaving them in there is good. 
So...Speaking of stink bugs. The other night on my way to bed, I flushed four of them in rapid succession. Every time I turned around there was another one. Creepy little buggers.
That's enough. If you can't tell, I'm exhausted. Thursday's are a pretty long and chaotic around here. But tomorrow is Friday!
Behave!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Answers!

Okay here we go with the answers....

How many stink bugs did I eliminate over the weekend?
1. None. (ha ha ha)
2. Six.
3. Twenty.
2. Would be the closest. I tend to lose count.

What is my preferred method of getting rid of them?

1. Vacuum.
2. Viking funeral - only without the fire...though that does give me an idea.
3. Squash and hold my nose.
2. Again. Though, honestly, I don't care how I get rid of them as long as they're gone.

I watched one divebomb the light in my room last night. And found him on the shelf right next to my head this morning. They are not very smart. At all. I kept thinking he would fall down, and then I'd get rid of him, but I was too tired to actively pursue and eliminate.
1. True.
2. False.
Believe it or not, that's true. Now you know how tired I was.

How many times did K4 call on me over the weekend for stink bug removal?
1. Three.
2. Two.
3. Eight.
1. Three times. Once there were two on her pillow. Gross!


People do not believe me when I tell them I got bit and have swallowed a stink bug?
1. True.
2. False.
1. Of course they don't believe me.

What color are a stink bugs guts?
1. Brown.
2. Red.
3. Green.
4. It depends. Sometimes they're different.
4. It does seem to depend. Every time I've squished one, the guts seem to be different. The most recent was a brownish-green.

Thanks for playing!!
Behave!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Tall Tale Tuesday

How about a stink bug version?

How many stink bugs did I eliminate over the weekend?
1. None.
2. Six.
3. Twenty.

What is my preferred method of getting rid of them?
1. Vacuum.
2. Viking funeral - only without the fire...though that does give me an idea.
3. Squash and hold my nose.

I watched one divebomb the light in my room last night. And found him on the shelf right next to my head this morning. They are not very smart. At all. I kept thinking he would fall down, and then I'd get rid of him, but I was too tired to actively pursue and eliminate.
1. True.
2. False.

How many times did K4 call on me over the weekend for stink bug removal?
1. Three.
2. Two.
3. Eight.

People do not believe me when I tell them I got bit and have swallowed a stink bug?
1. True.
2. False.

What color are a stink bugs guts?
1. Brown.
2. Red.
3. Green.
4. It depends. Sometimes they're different.

Okay. Now that you're all grossed out...I'll stop.

Behave!

Monday, January 17, 2011

Want...

..... Coolness...
Behave!

Sunday, January 16, 2011

True...

..... I have nothing else to say...
Behave!

Saturday, January 15, 2011

What I Did Today...

The short and weird list:
1. Trekked about a quarter-mile through the snow to use the bathroom in a cabin full of strangers because I was warned to stay away from the outhouse with the urinal filled (and I mean to the top) with slushy pee.
2. Walked through a store with a ton of good sales without buying a darned thing.
3. Bought socks with skulls on them. (at a different store)
4. Had a fabulous day shopping and having lunch with my baby girl.
5. Slept in, but not long enough to offset the crappy night's sleep.
6. Tried new and different foods.
7. Held a pig's eyeball in my hand.
8. Offered to eat the pigs eyeball if someone ponied up a hundred. No one did. Thank goodness. But, yeah, I would have done it for the money, though I probably would have coated it with hot sauce and just swallowed it.
...And now it's time for Season 2 Supernatural watching and plotting the zombie book...oh, and I get to sleep in again tomorrow...
It's been a good day.
Behave!

Friday, January 14, 2011

Feel Good Friday

Well, I lived through another week. Yay, me!
Here's the list:
1. The zombie book is coming together. Maybe just in my head right now, but the plot's going down on paper this weekend come hell or high water. I know who my characters are, and what they're doing, and I know most of what's going on with the zombie outbreak. I'm excited to start writing once I get the book "officially" outlined.
2. Chinese food with chop sticks - even though I mostly just used my chop sticks to stab the chicken before finally giving up. I blame the cut on my finger for the chop stick inadequacy. (It hurts to type, too, but I'm ignoring that.)
3. Sleeping in tomorrow. Oh, how I am looking forward to that.
4. Girl's weekend in all it's glory.
6. Hawaiian feasts at camp.
7. Being warm.
8. Finding one of my favorite movies on TV, even if they cut one of the best tear jerking scenes.
9. Tomorrow's plans with my girlie.
10. Not running out of gas this morning. And let me tell you, it was close.
I think that's enough for now...My eyelids are begging to close.
Behave!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Dear...

Dear E-mail Spammers,
Stop it already. Having my inbox constantly flooded is getting old. I do not need a bigger penis. I do not need cheap prescriptions. I also don't need a job. Or coupons.

Dear Stink Bugs,
Are you really still here? Why? It's too cold. I wish you would go away and never come back. You smell bad and you creep around and I don't like you.

Dear Snow,
I do love you, but how about you start Friday afternoon and snow through Saturday? That would be sweet. Thank you.

Dear Supernatural,
Hurry up and come back. I miss you. I feel bereft without you.

Dear Sleep Cycle,
Why do you have to be so messed up? Why am I wide awake at 2 am and 3am and 4am, but then so asleep I don't hear my alarms (yes, alarms) at 6? Why do I fall right asleep one night and then glare at the clock the next?

Dear Dog,
Me being gone all day doesn't mean I don't love you. K2 being back at school doesn't mean the world has ended. Everything is fine. You can stop whining and pacing and chewing your paw now. You can stop doing things you know you're not supposed to. And you really should stay off the couch when we're not home. You're a good dog, but if you don't settle soon I'm going to have to get you some doggie Valium.

Behave!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Answer...

I'm too lazy to copy the pictures again, so if you want to see what I'm talking about, scroll down to yesterday's post. :)

Picture 1:
1. Pomegranate seeds. K2 decided she had to have one during her break and she made a huge mess with it. Yes. It was a huge mess. And guess what else? Pomegranate juice stains.
2. Ice cubes in a glass of juice. Nah.
3. Stink bug guts. Unfortunately, no...Though I did flush three yesterday.
 
Picture 2:
1. The scratches in my hard wood floor from a tragic accident that included broken furniture and a little bit of blood. Nah. Never happened.
2. Snow that just happened to kind of make a face after being brushed off something B took out of the neighbor's trash. True. It was a flat screen computer monitor and since our desktop is on the fritz, he thought he'd check it out and see if it works. Don't know yet. We're giving it a few days to totally dry out before plugging it in.
3. Fettuccine Alfredo. Or what was it. The final stages of clean up after dropping a full plate of dinner. Nope. The dog would have licked the floor clean.
 
So there you have it.
Behave!

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Tall Tale Tuesday

A twofer.
What is this?

1. Pomegranate seeds. K2 decided she had to have one during her break and she made a huge mess with it.
2. Ice cubes in a glass of juice.
3. Stink bug guts.






And what is this?

1. The scratches in my hard wood floor from a tragic accident that included broken furniture and a little bit of blood.
2. Snow that just happened to kind of make a face after being brushed off something B took out of the neighbor's trash.
3. Fettuccine Alfredo. Or what was it. The final stages of clean up after dropping a full plate of dinner.



So, give me your guesses!
And, hey, it's snowing here! It's coming down nicely. We have about a half an inch so far and K4 is already bugging me to check the school website to see if they have a delay. Ha!
Behave!

Monday, January 10, 2011

Exactly...

... There is nothing else to say...
Behave!

Awww....

I was trying to convince B that we need a kitten. His answer...NO!
But look how cute:
..... Oh well...
Behave!

Sunday, January 09, 2011

Sunday Funny

This is supposed to be me.
The girls spent hours playing with Play-Doh Friday night. There were dinosaurs, snowmen, eggs...you name it. And for some reason, they made me.
Sent K2 back to college this evening. I don't know why but saying goodbye was so much harder this time. I didn't even feel this emotional when we took her the first time. Maybe its because even though she's seriously considering changing her major and transferring to a school where she could live at home, she's going to be out on her own for real before I even realize. And maybe it's because it'll be months before she's back home again.
The house is quiet for the first time in nearly a month and we're all a little sad. Now we start the "real" routine. Which includes writing time. I'm going to start plotting as soon as I wrap this up.
Behave!

Saturday, January 08, 2011

Frozen Saturday...

Man, it's cold out there! But despite the frigid temps, it turned out to be a darned good day...
It snowed! RWA chapter meeting this morning. That's always a blast and there's nothing like it to jumpstart the writing year. The January meeting is always a good one. We've got a lot of fantastic stuff in the pipeline for the coming year, and I'm excited about it. I'm also ready to write. I made some logical and decent writing goals for the month, and I hope to blow my projected word count to smithereens by the next meeting.
I also had a really freaky experience in the bathroom at the library. I turned to grab the paper towels after washing my hands, and out of the corner of my eye, I swear something moved across the mirror. I looked behind me, though it's a one seater and I'd locked the door. Of course there was nothing there. That was exciting. And considering the building was used as a hospital during the Civil War, I'm sure it's highly probable. I wanted to hang out there, but...
Then there was lunch. I look forward to that as much as the meeting. Good food, lots of laughter, and excellent conversation. We hung out for a long time and it was very good. I came home feeling energized and ready to get to work. But, we had a birthday party to attend and we just got back. Oh, and did I mention how cold it is outside? 
I'm snuggled up on the couch with a blanket and the laptop.
And life is good.
Behave.

Friday, January 07, 2011

Feel Good Friday

I can't believe it's finally Friday! Whoot!
Here's the list:
1. Friday! Duh! Ha!
2. Sleeping in a little tomorrow!
3. My writing meeting tomorrow! It's been way too long!
4. No cooking.
5. My first paycheck!
6. Hearing that someone thinks I'm a brilliant writer.
7. Reasonably quiet evenings at home.
8. Being warm in my house.
9. Knowing that by this time tomorrow I'll have some decent writing goals in place.
10. 2011. Because so far we're doing pretty darned good. Keep up the good work, New Year!!!
And that's it for now! I'm looking forward to the weekend! I hope you are, too!
Behave!!!

Thursday, January 06, 2011

What I'm Thinking About...

At this late hour.
I'm ready for bed, but I'm determined to keep up with everything the best I can, plus I'm waiting to put a load of laundry into the dryer.
And, hey, guess what? Tomorrow is Friday!!! Woo Hoo to that!!!
So here's what I'm thinking about right now:
The snow in the forecast. For the first time in my life, I'm hoping it doesn't happen. Or if it does, it doesn't delay school. It can start snowing sometime tomorrow afternoon. That would be nice.
My writing meeting coming up on Saturday. I have organizing to do for that. And chocolate to buy.
How itchy my left forearm is. That's weird.
I'm hungry and it's too late to eat.
Zombies. Like usual.
Shrimp.
Electric cars.
Ham and cheese sandwiches with pineapple. I don't know why. I've never had one before, but it sounds good.
Bed.
Okay, I think the washer has to be done now. I'll save you from my rambling nonsense.
Behave!

Wednesday, January 05, 2011

General Chaos...

So, I boned on Tall Tale Tuesday. I had some good ideas over the weekend. I should have written them down because I completely forgot what they were and my brain could not manage to manufacture anything for a coherent blog post. Not that this one will actually be coherent, but....
I'm making good brain progress on the new story. I think. Little pieces are clicking into place as I struggle through this week of chaos and adjustment. I'm itching to get some words on the page and figure out where this story is going.
It's Wednesday already! Wow! The biggest chunk of the week is gone. Two more days until Friday. Thank goodness.
I'm looking forward to the weekend, not just for the extra sleep. As I'm sure you all are, too.
Behave!

Saturday, January 01, 2011

Well...Hello, 2011...

I'm glad you're finally here!
I've already kicked 2010 to the curb so let's get this new year started.
It's been a really nice day so far and we still have one more day until chaos descends upon us once more, though I'm ready to get into a routine.
I'm also ready to see what this year will bring. I have high hopes for not only myself, but for my friends and family.
Happy New Year!
Behave!