Is it gonna RAIN or NOT!!??? I hate this cloudy/sunny/cloudy weather!!!!

I have to finish painting a shelf for my bathroom. It has been unfinished for the past couple years. No need to rush these things, eh?

Mmmm - leftovers for lunch!

Jennifer aka The Working Mom said this: I've been having trouble sleeping the past few nights... maybe its because of our upcoming move. Or because of my job. or...??? Last night I was stuck thinking about Rachel. So much, that I had to really fight the urge to go in and wake her up just so I could hold her. (Figured she'd be kinda pissed at me if I did that) ;-) Right before we went to bed, I stumbled across a book my sister-in-law had made for her. It was a picture book - pictures of Rachel with everyone in our family... Each of my parents, Sam's parents, our siblings, her cousins, etc. The book is about 1 year old(?) and the pictures of Rachel... my heart dropped... she doesn't look anything like that anymore. I realized looking at her picture time is just zooming by me. I know you've probably heard the same story from many parents. But until you see how quickly these kids grow... You don't notice a day. or a week. but when you look at a picture... maybe it was taken only a month ago... and you realize your child has changed so much... it scares the hell out of you. It hits you over the head like a ton of bricks, every minute that has passed. And every minute means this child growing away from you. Your measure of time suddenly becomes so detailed... Every second... every instant... So fast. Her accomplishments amaze me. All the things she can do now. All the things she understands. Half the time I don't even know where or how she learned something. I'm in awe watching her grow... but the other half of me only wishes the days were longer... if only you could stop time...just for a little while... I can't wait to hug Moira when she gets off the bus today.

Had a relatively easy morning with Moira. We made it to the bus stop with plenty of time to spare. We have soccer tonight so I am sure she will be grumpy when she gets off the bus this afternoon ::sigh::

Urgh! I am pooped! Off to bed I go... G'night!

I talked to my Mom around 530pm. She had just gotten home from her treatment today. Ugh. She sounded pretty woozy - they give her a lot of Benedryl during the treatment in case of an allergic reaction. So poor Mom was pretty doped up. I am sure she just went to bed and is probably still sleeping. Love you Mommy! ::smooch::

Just got off the phone with Mary. We talked for at least 90 minutes! She is SO cool! She is definitely coming down on Saturday - YAY! We are going to have so much fun!

Tonight's menu: Crockpot Roast with baby carrots and potatoes with homemade bread. It was goooooood!

I got a chance to sit in the recliner and doze for an hour. As Reading Rainbow ran it's closing credits, I look over at Olivia. She's curled up in a chair, fast asleep. The crappy part - I have to wake her up in 15 minutes so we can pick up Moira at the bus stop. Poor kid.

Does anyone else love the smell of freshly dried towels? Olivia is all wrapped up in the warm towels that I just took out of the dryer. She loves them!

Mom has her 3rd chemo treatment today - Go Mom. Kick ASS!

I can't believe I forgot to mention this last night but was anyone else just stunned that ABC, CBS and NBC did NOT air the President's speech last night? Holy crap. Damn liberal media. They would have aired Clinton's speech. I didn't ever think I would see such a deliberate snub like that. By the way, I did email all three stations about that. What a disgrace.

Does anyone watch Monk? God - it is so funny! I have seen 2 of the new episodes and I think Tony Shalhoub is hysterical.

I am *so* mad I missed the 2nd Trading Spaces show this weekend. I really wanted to see what Vern did to create the new bedroom for that little boy!

A great day today! After I got Moira to school (we overslept), I had to drive to my inlaws place to pick up my cell phone. I had left it up in Hoboken Saturday night. Oops. When we got back home, I ran some more laundry, baked some bread and just relaxed. I finally finished "The Two Mrs Grenvilles" by Dominick Dunn. Not bad - it was entertaining. Dinner tonight was chicken breasts, rice and corn. I brought Moira to soccer. Her team lost. Again. But - they have a great time so who the hell cares? When we got home, around 715pm, Paul and Olivia were walking back up the street. They had stopped to chat with a neighbor and Paul ended up helping him fix some things with their computer. Olivia was thrilled - she got to play with their boys, ages 5 and 9. We had the usual nighttime routine, baths, meds, books, BEDS! Watched President Bush tonight. Man - I hate the thought of war. BUT - there is a HUGE threat with chemical warfare and nuclear weapons. We have got to do something or there might not be a USA in the future. Hell - did anyone ever think that anyone would have the balls to fly planes into buildings? What would stop a terrorist from leaving a briefcase on the subway?

I have been making bread for the past 6 days. Ya know, sandwiches taste much better on homemade bread Yummy!

Warning - Sopranos discussion ahead! I wanted to talk about last night's show in a little more detail. Is anyone one else thinking that Furio is adorable? When Carmela visited him while he was working in the yard.. oh MAN! Hubba hubba! And - what the hell is going on with Elliot? Why is he suddenly "bumping" into Tony? What was the deal with driving his BMW practically on Tony's heels? Really weird! I also have to comment on Ralph - I was so grossed out watching him lounge out at the pool.. ew. He's such a freakin' weasel! DeMaggio up in Rhode Island.. oh my GAWD! I damn near died laughing watching Christopher's and Silvio's reaction to the family. The woman that opened the door totally freaked me out! And when she walked up behind them and asked, "Do you want some cake?", Christopher damn near jumped out of his skin. LOLOL! WIll Tony call off the hit? Hmmm...

For Da Goddess:

Forgive me Blogger for I have sinned...Almost 2 days of not blogging... Holy Crap! Oh geez - where do I begin? Friday night - Stayed up too late watching Tango and Cash. God - I love that movie! Stallone and Russell - great combination.. and Jack Palance as the drug czar, well, he just rocks!!! So - I didn't get to bed until 1-130am. Paul stayed up and watched the rest of the movie. He didn't come in to bed until 2-230. Olivia woke up, coughing and wheezing around 4am. He got back up and took care of her nebulizer and tucked her back in bed. Saturday - I woke up around 8-ish. The girls were also awake. I fed them breakfast and started packing for our jaunt into Hoboken. I sent the girls in a couple times to wake Paul. He was pooped! We got all packed and hit the road by 1015am. The ride in was smooth sailing.. no problems at all. We took the NJ Turnpike to 14C - heading to the Holland Tunnel. Paul and I finally saw the NYC skyline. We've seen pictures of it since 9/11 but this was the first time we viewed it ourselves. I cried - I couldn't help it. We finally got to my sis in law's place around 1230pm. I love her neighborhood. I have never been to Hoboken. Full of yuppie-ish type people (kids) and everyone had a phone stuck to their ear ::grin:: We decided to head into Manhattan by bus. I don't do subways. Period. ::shiver:: While waiting for the bus, we listened to a couple guys plaing music. One was playing the acoustic guitar and the other was playing the mandolin. Olivia was fascinated with them.The kids LOVED the bus ride in. No car seats. Olivia was so excited she practically bouncing up and down! The ride was only 20 minutes long - piece of cake. We got dropped off at the Port Authority around 330pm and we headed off to 42nd street to check out the Toys R Us mega store. On our way there, we saw some awesome street dancers - just unbelieveably good. Moira gave them a dollar - she was pretty impressed. We walked by The Naked Cowboy. I have never seen this guy. Moira was giggling since he was standing in his underwear.

We finally make it to Toys R Us. Holy crap! It is freakin' humongous! I found this write up online: With more than 110,000 square feet to play with, the store has added truly amazing stuff, from a 10,000-pound, 20 foot-tall, animatronic T Rex that looms over shoppers, to a two-story Barbie playhouse, to (gasp) a working 60-foot high Ferris Wheel with 14 individually themed cars. Each of the 14 cars features a well-known toy icon so riders can take in the sights of the 3-level toy store with one of their favorite characters or toys riding with them! More than 20 other major attractions are in the works as well. When Moira and I walked in to the Barbie playhouse, Moira cried out "I just want to LIVE here forever Mommy!" LOL! Paul took a couple pictures of Moira and I, peeking out of the windows, when we were upstairs in the Barbie playhouse. By this time, it was almost 5pm. We decided to head back to Hoboken since we had to feed the kidlets. Finally get back around 6pm. Sis in law and I head BACK out to go to the market to get stuff for dinner. She lives near the waterfront so we walked over for a quick view of the city. Fabulous. I was stunned at the beauty of the city. I know that seems so cliche but it's true. We also watched a cruise ship sail down the waterway. It was the Golden Princess and boy did I wish to be there on that ship!

We hung out there for a little while then headed over to the market to get some food. My sis in law works like a maniac so her fridge was stocked with the basics.. VERY basics. Ketchup, mustard, salad dressing... basically, condiments! We cooked burgers and fries and made a salad. We all stuffed ourselves - all that walking certainly does good for ones appetite! We finally got home by 1030. The kids had passed out 1/2 way home - exhausted. We just carried them into bed. After we unloaded the rest of the car, we finally sat down just in time to watch Trading Spaces. I managed to get through the first episode with Doug and Frank. I didn't like either room.. Frank's room was just awful - the worst I have ever seen him do. I decided that I was going to watch the 2nd episode in the bedroom. Big mistake. I passed out before Vern and Edward even got started on the paint! I wanted to see the rooms too! Paul fell asleep in the living room too. He woke up around 230am, turned everything off and came into the bedroom to find me zonked out with lights on and TV going. ::grin:: Mom came down today for a visit and lunch and I have to say that I was pretty damn nervous about seeing her with no hair. See, my Mom used to have waist length hair. Yes, it was a long time ago but I will always remember Mom, wearing her hair up in a knot or with a bandana covering her hair when she cleaned the house on the weekend. It was shoulder length for over 10 years and now she is bald. I did good - I caught a look before she came inside. She was wearing a soft cap to keep her head covered. Moira was all execited about Mom being bald. Goofy kid. After she left, we did stuff around the house. I took the kids up front to ride their bikes. It was gorgeous today! Sunny and cool. After dinner - the kids played and I folded a ton of laundry ::ick:: Kids got a bath, book and hustled into bed. We watched the Sopranos - wooooohoo! Are things heating up over there or WHAT!!?! WHEW! I am exhausted! All this writing! I am gonna check out a few blog and then hit the rack!

Finally sitting down to write for a little while.. thank goodness it's Friday. We are going up to Hoboken to visit my sis in law tomorrow. We will be stopping at the mega Toys R Us in Times Square, if the weather holds out for us. I haven't been to the city in a long time. I will have to bring my camera and take lots of pictures. Paul was at Mom's place today. He set up her new 15" LCD monitor and we got her 17" CRT - a bonus since Moira's monitor died about 2 months ago. She has been nagging us for a new one. Woohoo! Thanks Mom! Well - off to finish the laundry and the bread.. I'll catch ya'll sometime soon! TTFN!

::whimper:: I am so tired! Thank goodness for McDonalds.

Gotta get ready. Moira has a school assembly today at 145pm and then there is a Brownie meeting at 3pm. BUH-bye!

(link snagged from Joan who snagged it from Melly) Love Test 1. You are attracted to those who have split personality, like cold as ice on the outside, but hot as fire in the heart. (That's very much like Paul) 2. In the process of courtship, the approach that would make you feel irresistable is moods-swing, blow hot and cold in love, vacillate. 3. The impression you would like to give to your lover is stylish. 4. You don't like it when your partner is emotional and/or too moody; and you don't know how to please him/her.(I just don't like when he is pissy! LOL!) 5. The kind of relationship you would like to build with your partner is one that you care not only about the present but also the future with your partner, a long-lasting relationship that you can grow with. (Absolutely) 6. You care about the society and morality, you won't do anything wrong after marriage. (Bahahahahahahaha!) 7. You think of marriage as a precious thing. Once you get married, you'll treasure it and your partner very much. (Always have and always will) 8. At this moment, you don't want to be tied down by a steady relationship, you just want to flirt around. (guess I had better let Paul know about this one - LOL!)

I just caught Justin Timberlake's new video. Hmm.. the song is ok but there is a TON of sexual innuendo. In the video too. The next video was Christine Aguilera's "Dirrty". It was like MadMax meets Mary J Blige meets Alcatraz. 'Dirrty" does not being to describe it. Sad to say, I think she has one helluva voice.. much better than Twittney's. She was just barely dressed in the video. I saw her thong (from every angle.. and I mean EVERY) more than I would care to admit. I wonder if I can raise Moira in a box?

It's time for the Friday Five! 1. What size shoe do you wear? 9 or 9.5 depending on the shoe 2. How many pairs of shoes do you own? Hehehe. Wait.. gotta go count them. ::3 minutes later:: only 37. I actually cleaned out my closet about a month ago and donated 10-12 pairs that I hardly wore or didn't like anymore 3. What type of shoe do you prefer (boots, sneakers, pumps, etc.)? Loafers - they go with everything. I want red suede ones ::drool:: 4. Describe your favorite pair of shoes. Why are they your favorite? Hmm - well, my favorite summer shoes were my red slides. I have my eye out for a new pair of clogs for fall. 5. What's the most you've spent on one pair of shoes? I spend $145 for a pair of black Frye boots. I also spend $125 for red cowboy boots. God - they were cool!

Brooke! I cannot get to your blog! Please email me! : - )

From Christine - "Blurker (BLUR-kur): n. 1. One who reads many blogs but leaves no evidence of themselves such as comments behind; a silent observer of blogs. 2. One who reads many blogs but has no blog of their own; a blog-watcher or blog voyeur." So - how many Blurkers are out there?? Hmmm??

Rachel has started a StateSwap group. I love doing things like this. Great idea Rachel!

Rosie O'Donnell will be on The O'Reilly Factor tonight. Heehee! Go get her Bill!

I have been busy organizing papers for all of my "girls" (Brownies), including printing out copies of the Girl Scout promise and law. I have a ton of stuff here!

Geez - my stats are down big time! I guess I am getting boring - LOL!

After Moira got off the bus, we had to zoom home and get her dressed in her soccer gear and hustle her over to the soccer fields. When she had her pictures taken a couple weeks ago, it was 730pm by the time they were taken! It was DARK! Needless to say, her pictures didn't turn out. The photographers called me last week to reschedule. That was pretty decent of them. Paul had the day off today. He had to drive his parents so they could get some medical procedures done. My sis in law (who was in the hospital) was supposed to take them. My sis in law is home now. She had her gall bladder removed. Ick.

Olivia and I are eating the last of my home grown tomatoes. Delicious!

I am beat - just a long day. I cut up all the foam sheets into 4" widths. They will be door knob hangers, decorated for Halloween. I think I might be heading into bed soon. Wow - in bed before midnight!!

Olivia still has that weird bumpy rash around her mouth. Dammit - I don't know what else I can do for her. She's had more Benedryl and I have wiped her down as much as she could stand.

I'm back. We hit WallyWorld, the butcher shop and Debbie's house (to pick up Brownie stuff). I had to give Olivia a dose of Benedryl before we left the house. She had some wacky looking rash all around her mouth. Poor kid. I think it's from the cat. ::sigh:: I emailed a local animal rescue to see if they would take Darla. Of course, I would also give a hefty donation too. Anyway, by the time we got back home, Olivia was all woozy so I carried her in to her bed. She curled right up and went back to sleep. Poor baby.

Off to WalMart again. I think I should have my own freakin section. I have to pick up stuff for Brownies. We will be making Halloween door hangers - foam hangers with foam ghosts, pumpkins, witches, etc.. Should be cute! Oh, Moira will be participating in the troop nut sale (had to be nuts ::sigh::) so if anyone would like to purchase a can or two, feel free to email me an order. : - )

We actuallly made it out of the house today without any problems. Moira has this thing about brushing her teeth. Like, she doesn't want to do it. ::sigh::

From Television Without Pity: The Sopranos - last season. "Cut back to the Pine Barrens, with Paulie answering his cell phone once again. Tony explains that he's going to talk fast, and relates that Drunk Guy once killed sixteen Chechens with his bare hands. He was some sort of Russian "Green Beret" commando with the Interior Ministry (read: KGB, or FSB, or whatever they're calling it these days). Tony is emphatic: "This guy cannot come back to tell his story, okay?" That much Paulie did hear. The connection gets broken, and just like in every game of telephone you ever played as a child, the story gets a little twisted when Paulie passes it along to Christopher. "You’re not going to believe this. The guy killed sixteen Czechoslovakians. He was an interior decorator." Chris is more than a little confused by this, saying, "His house looked like shit." This was my favorite episode. I laughed SO freakin hard. I watched it every time it was aired on HBO that week.

Mom's chemo was postponed until tomorrow morning. Her appointment was too late in the day - treatment can take at least 4 hours. We had a great night. The girls got all silly at the table tonight and were just laughing hysterically.. God - I love listening to their laughter.

She liked the nuggets! YAY! Thank you Lord! Thank you Weaver!

Olivia and I had a great day today. Just lots of fun and tickling! We also accepted another girl in our troop. We are now officially at 17 girls. NO MORE! Anyway - I am so excited that I found chicken nuggets for Olivia to eat! YAY!

::sigh:: All you people need to stop having birthdays! LOL! Happy belated birthday to Allan! ::Smooch::

I'm here! I'm here! Sorry for the 1 day absence! Yesterday was just SO Monday. I had to bake a pie for Bonkos, bake bread, clean the house, run laundry and I still had to run out to pick up more stuff for Bonkos. I forgot drinks and cups! DUH. I had to bring Olivia with me to Bonkos because Paul had taken Moira to soccer. He stopped by later to pick her up. Both girls wanted to stay and play! It was fun hosting the game (at Tracy's house) but I am glad I won't have to do this again for a year! I did have fun shopping for the prizes. Candles, picture frames, cute little pillows, fall decorations... a good time was had by all. AND - my pie was demolished! None left over at all. I am going to have another cup of coffe and surf for a little while longer. I need to catch up on ya'll!

Coool! Hunter has a blog! Go on and give him a nice blogger welcome. : - )

Happy Belated Birthday Andrea! You must have been loving The Sopranos this week. It was Silvio heaven!

Gotta love those Sopranos... another great episode. Poor Bobby. I was in tears. Had a good day today. Paul and I managed to get a lot of yard work done, including pruning back quite a few tree branches. The township is gonna freak when they see all the crap down at the street! HA! Paul got called into work for a couple hours.. that sucked but he made it back home before the girls went to bed. Olivia is feeling better but now Paul is sick. Arrggghh! My sis in law (the one who just had a baby) is back in the hospital. It was thought there were some gall bladder problems but turns out it could be liver related. Jesus - can anyone in my family catch a freakin break? Well - I am off to bed! I am pooped!

I had such an awful night last night.. I didn't want to post about it. I still don't because it would probably make my life a living hell. But, let me just say this: My inlaws were down yesterday afternoon and stayed for dinner. A rather heated discussion about food allergies took place. I was (and still am) furious. I felt like I was being attacked about the decisions (and possible future ones) that Paul and I have BOTH made regarding Olivia and her health. I believe I handled it well. The "discussion" ended with my mother in law waving her arms about and stating that "she didn't want to discuss this anymore. It makes her too upset". Ya know what lady.. FUCK you. How dare you come into MY house and tell me that I am "too" involved in the allergy information. What the hell does that mean? That I am a fucking nut? She argued with me about Olivia's allergy tests scores. ARGUED with me! "Well, she's never HAD anaphylaxis. How do you KNOW she is anaphylatic?" Uhh - well maybe because her DOCTOR thinks so. Hell - I have WATCHED Olivia get huge hives from milk just touching her skin. Does that seem "normal" to you? Her own son can DIE from eating peanuts and she just dismisses it like it's no big deal. There was more. Some zips like "So, when are you going back to work?" and "What are you going to do when Olivia's in school?". I can't get into any more of it.... I have to get ready for church.

I forgot to mention that 10 girls in my troop were able to attend an ice cream party tonight. There was about 150 girls attending the event. They had SO much fun! After ice cream, they played Bingo! Woohoo! Whatta way to spend a Friday night!!

I got this from kd and Joan. You have to read it. You cannot be drinking anything unless you enjoy fluids coming out of your nose! Sex with Dr Phil

Let's see - how should I describe my day? Hectic. Yes, definitely hectic. My Mom is doing ok - not feeling to well. She had a slight fever yesterday so she was staying close to home. I can't go up to visit her until she (and Olivia) is better. Olivia is still sounding pretty gross. I am having a hard time determining whether her lungs are congested or if it's all from the post nasal drip. She sounds just awful - the poor kid. I didn't go to Target today. I didn't think she would be comfortable in the car and she has a habit of coughing (sometimes hard enough to make her gag) and then throwing up. Yuck. I don't like cleaning barf. We went to Walmart (again!) and I picked up some really cute gifts for my Bonkos group. It is my turn to host it on Monday night. I don't have the room to have 12 women at my house so my neighbor Tracy graciously volunteered her house. I just have to provide the food. I was going to make an apple pie and perhaps banana bread or pumpkin bread. I was also going to have fresh veggies and dip. Maybe some fruit too.. I am trying to stick with a fall theme and I am just doing appetizers and desserts. ANY suggestions?? I am looking for quick and easy recipes!

Friday Five! 1. What are your favorite ways to relax and unwind? Either reading or sitting at the computer. 2. What do you do the moment you get home from work/school/errands? Kick off my shoes 3. What are your favorite aromatherapeutic smells? Vanilla or Mandarin Orange 4. Do you feel more relaxed with a group of friends or hanging out by yourself? Tough one - depends on my mood. 5. What is something that you feel is relaxing but most people don't? I like to roll change. Weird, huh?

Morning everyone! I am feeling a little bit better. Olivia is still pretty oogy.. she's got a pretty gross sounding cough, now with a slight whistle to it. She got another neb treatment with Pulmicort and Albuterol. Oh - bonus - she also has a fever. Poor damn kid. She got some ibuprofen too. She is mooning over her breakfast but she is drinking. She only wants the clear orange flavored Gatorade. Ick. Mom had her MRI yesterday but I haven't talked to her since yesterday morning. I'll give her a call soon. Paul is off today - thank goodness. I have a bunch of errands to do, including picking up party prizes for the Bonkos game I will be hosting on Monday. Target here I come!

I am feeling a bit out of sorts tonight. I think I am catching Olivia's cold. Crap.

Never got a chance to post last night.. I got back home last night around 830. It didn't look like things were going that well either. So, I helped the finish up the nighttime routine, then headed them off to bed. Olivia was still hacking and her nose was running BIG time. Paul brought her back into the kitchen to give her some nose spray while I propped up her mattress. Olivia starts freaking out - she hates nose spray. He managed to get one dose in one nostril but was having a hard time with the other. I suggested that he just stop - she's way too upset. One thing leads to another.. and now we are arguing. ::sigh:: I just picked up Olivia and walked away from him. Whatever. Moira is already in bed at this point. I tucked Miss O in bed, kissed her good night and closed the door. Went back to give Moira a kiss and another tucking into bed. I went back into the living room and started sorting the kids dirty laundry. Paul apologized and I answered with a curt "Thank you". I stayed in the bedroom all night, watching "Singin' in the Rain" again. One of my favorites! Olivia was quite restless last night. I hate post-nasal drip. The poor kid. Apparently, she woke up around 2am this morning and Paul gave her a breathing treatment and got her back to bed. She woke again after he left for work. She usually just crawls into bed with me for a little while before I have to drag Moira out of bed. But, she was pretty good this morning. Dressed and ate breakfast in her usual slow fashion. It took her a few minutes to get her to brush her teeth. What IS it with little kids and not wanting to brush their teeth!?!? Argh! I have done a few errands this morning. Poor Olivia is still really boogery and coughing but no fever. She's fussing so I must end now.. Later!

I will be attending a meeting tonight for all of my church's Sunday School teachers. It's at 7pm tonight. So - Moira gets to miss soccer tonight. She hates it. Well, maybe not hates it, she has a great time ONCE she is there. Getting her prepped and there is another story. Moira hates to be rushed. In fact, the more she is hurried along, the slower she becomes. Grr! You can imagine how much fun the mornings can be in this house. Olivia is getting sick. Yay - I love school - the hotbed of diseases. I hope it's just a cold. I know she is getting sick when she falls asleep on me. She gets all cranky so I usually pick her up and cuddle her. She conked right out for about 45 minutes. Thank goodness the meeting tonight is an hour. This way, I get to hustle back home and help Paul tuck the munchkins into bed. He's stuck with bath duty tonight. Lucky him! Chat atcha later! OH - Shelley! My Mom sends a BIG "Thank You!" for giving me the link to the hat website. She bought a few and LOVES them!

Stephen King quits It's been a great run man...

A big Happy Birthday to Jennifer - a hard working Mom! Go give her some birthday comments!

I let Moira sleep in an extra half hour this morning so I have to drive her into school. She was all upset about not taking the bus ::sigh:: Some days ya just can't win! BUT - I did say she could wear her pink Hello Kitty boots so she got over her crabby ass mood quickly. Turns out we have another little girl in our troop - she was supposed to transfer out due to schedule conflicts. Turns out she is staying with the troop. Now - we are up to 16 girls! ARRGGHH!

Oh - Paul wants to be on the PTA! Woohoo! Go Paulie! Go Paulie!

Back to School night went smoothly tonight. Moira's teacher is pretty nice.. older woman who has been teaching for 18 years in the district. She said that Moira was a good student and does participate in class. She also said that Moira is doing very well in class! YAY! We got back home around 820pm. The kids were all pumped up, watching tv, not even in pj's. ::sigh:: But, I figured that might happen. Hey - Grandpa is a sucker : - ) We finally got them into bed by 915.. ugh. Tomorrow morning will be a bitch. Moira is SO SO cranky - she doesn't wake up too well. Gee, I have no idea where she could have picked that up! ::looking innocent::

Oh no - I missed another TWO! Happy belated birthday to Lynn! and Lisanne!

Mom's doctor sent her to the ER this morning because of her femur/knee. She also couldn't receive chemo (Rituxan) today because she had no white blood cells. None. At the ER, they did an Xray and found nothing visible. She is getting an MRI tomorrow. The doctor at the ER also pulled out fluids from her knee which, according to my Mom, "hurt like a sonofabitch! I had to do deep breathing techniques to keep from tearing off his face." End quote. The fluids were the same color of the chemo drugs from last week. Kool-Aid red. Ew. Anyways, she is back home and resting her leg. She has to go back to the oncologist's tomorrow for Nupigen shots. In fact, the long lasting Nupigen doesn't work for her so she will need to go daily. Joy. My father in law is coming down in a little while to watch the girls for us again. It's Back to School night at Moira's school and we both want to attend. I am so excited! I hope the teacher isn't a dork and she's cool like Mary! ::grin::

Went for a nice 1 mile powerwalk with Tracy (my neighbor) after the kids got on the bus. I feel pumped! : - ) Olivia will be practicing the potty today. ::thinking happy potty thoughts:: God help me!

Howdy hi buckaroos! ::snicker:: Ok - I thought I could type that without laughing.. We all had a good night. Paul drove Moira to soccer tonight while Olivia and I visited WalMart. Geez - I feel like I freakin live there! I found 2 pairs of cute jeans for Moira - they don't fit (of course) so I have to go back and exchange them. Moira was a bit of a booger tonight upon returning home from soccer. Lord - she is so hormonal! Auugghh! I talked to Mom.. she is doing ok - she's in good spirits. I talked to her tonight. She has been doing too many things (errands, etc) and has hurt her leg (the femur, where there are tumors) rather badly ::sigh:: I think she is really having a hard time with the idea of slowing down. She has another round of Rituxan (chemo) tomorrow... Paul will be stopping at her place on Thursday to help her shave her head again. Mentally - I am exhausted. I am worried about my Mom, about Olivia.. heck - I am being a first class worrywart! I had better get some sleep!

I forgot to mention that the house next door must have sold (or is being rented) and our new neighbors officially moved in yesterday. An 18 wheeler truck pulled up on front of the house and even managed to back into their driveway. We were all outside while they were moving furniture, etc into the house. Oh - we were not being nosy.. we were outside BEFORE the truck got there! LOL! I think it's an older couple (50's-60's) who is now living there. They also have a big shaggy looking dog (ick). Sorry folks, not a dog fan here! When I was loading the kids into the car this morning (we were running a little late), I noticed the husband looking in our direction so I waved a hello. He waved back so hopefully we are off to a good start! ::grin:: I will probably stop over today or tomorrow just to introduce myself. Should I bring cookies? Or, maybe a small plant? So far this morning I have: gotten Moira up and out the door for school washed and dried 3 loads of laundry called Debbie about Girl Scout stuff called Lynn about Girl Scout stuff planned out the next 3-4 Girl Scout meetings picked out 7 crafts projects from Oriental Trading for Girl Scouts and Sunday School set up a 3 month trial of digital cable (box hook-up on Thursday) called my friend Chris called my bestest friend whom I haven't spoken with since the Spring signed up Olivia for preschool (on the waiting list) Ugh - still have more laundry to do. Ick

Ok - last quiz! (link snagged from Hooked on Blogging)

Quiz created by Polly Snodgrass.

WATER OF EARTH. Mommy! Well, you could be. You are good with plants and small creatures such as children. You're very generous and basically great hearted. You probably make mad whack cookies and are good at managing the household; also businesses. You'd make a good tax person, book keeper, gardener, massage therapist, etc. The ever domestic and practical one, you can stretch a penny and make ramen noodles go a long way.

(link snagged via Shelley) Your pirate name is: Red Anne Flint Passion is a big part of your life, which makes sense for a pirate. Like the rock flint, you're hard and sharp. But, also like flint, you're easily chipped, and sparky. Arr! Whoa! I like this one!

Ohhhhhhhhhh - what a great episode! When Adriana barfed all over the table and the federal agents, I busted out laughing! We got some stuff done today. I taught Sunday School again and it went very well. The older kids did a little skit about God's house and they needed the younger kids (my class) to help. Cool! Moira loved being with the "big kids" ::smile:: Paul woked on the Saturn - had a helluva time putting one of the belts back in the engine. It's really a 2 person job. So, I helped him out and it slipped right back into place. Dinenr tonight was roast chicken, rice and veggies. I made biscuits and the kids LOVED them. Scarfed them right up. Yay - dinner was a hit! The girls had a terrible case of the giggles. ::grin:: It got to the point where I couldn't stop laughing. After dinner, I actually had some time to work on my Girl Scout papers, organizing them from Friday's meeting. The girls were still in giggle mode and played nicely for almost an hour. Then, it was the usual nighttime flurry of bath/teeth/book/bed. I am pooped!

Wooo! The Sopranos!

Well - the pool is closed until next year.

The Brownie meeting went well yesterday. We now have 15 girls, between the ages of 6 and 7. They made friendship bracelets during the meeting, 1 to keep and 1 to exchange. One of the girls in the troop is Moira's buddy. She's known her for a couple years now and they get along great. Her mom asked if Moira could spend the night - of course I said YES! Olivia and I had a somewhat quiet night. I was exhausted after the meeting. We had leftovers for dinner and watched Monsters Inc again. PAul was at my Mom's place, helping her out with things that needed to be completed. He also worked on her computer as she was having problems with her browser. He got home last night in time to watch 48 Hours. I wish they spent more time on the food allergy issues but I am not disappointed with the way it was presented. I am so proud of Adrienne (the Mom of Drew, the 3 yr old). Only people who are in this type of situation really understand just how much work it can be for 1 person. I know food allergies have completely changed the way we (family) do anything. I cannot assume that we can just catch a bite to eat anywhere. It takes me 20-30 minutes to prepare what I might need when we go to the mall. I bought a large cooler and we eat a LOT of sandwiches. Car Picnics. The kids love it. It makes my life so much easier! Anyway - I digress... After Olivia went to bed, Paul and I watched the out takes and special features for Monsters. I love the short film "For the Birds" and "Mike's New Car". The outtakes weren't that great. I liked the ones from Toy Story 2 MUCH better. We woke up early today, got cleaned up, ran some laundry and then hit the road. We had to buy some winterizer stuff for the pool. We also stopped at Target and picked up a Fisher Price trike for Olivia. She has one already but she since she is so petite, she can't really reach the pedals. The new trike seems to be a better fit for her. We managed to pick up Moira by 1230 and then it was back home to eat lunch, get her cleaned up and BACK out to a birthday party by 2pm. I am exhausted! Paul is passed out on the couch. Well -Olivia is looking for a snack - will catch up later!

Allergy Show on 48 Hours tonight at 8pm. I will blog later.. what a day..

FINALLY! It's a ........boy?????. He was supposed to be a she! So much for ultrasound! Congratulations Janna!

We met up with the architect at 530. Let me go on the record and say that this man was odd looking (sorry Goddess) He looked like he didn't get out much - very pale. He was quite tall and thin. An image of a praying mantis came right to mind. Very thin, delicate hands. He was certainly a man of few words. While sitting in his office, I felt like I was going to be sent to detention. Very surreal. He is good though - I have seen his work. It's excellent. Paul also felt awkward even though he did most of the talking. My father in law stayed for dinner and the girls had such a good time. I think he did too. He stayed until 9pm. He helped tuck the girls in bed and got smothered in hugs and kisses. It was sweet. ::smile:: Well - I am off to finish sewing patches and badges on Moira's Brownie vest. First meeting tomorrow!

I am so excited about the meeting with the architect! I have taken pictures of the house and I am burning them on a cd to bring with us. Last night, Paul and I measured some of the rooms. He also sketched out some of the ideas we have. He is great at doing stuff like that.

Did all my food shopping and was home by 10am. ACK! Kill me! LOL! My father in law is coming down to watch the girls for an hour while Paul and I meet with an architect. We want to build an addition on our house while the interest rates are low. This way, we can at least sit with the guy and see what we can afford to do and what we WANT to do - which could be pretty different! Well - off to clean and get dinner set up! Ta!

Finally a moment to sit down! WHEW! Hmm - let me recap my day.. After dropping Moira at school, Olivia and I made it to the mall. I managed to hit Macys, Old Navy, Kaybee Toys, Boscovs AND the Disney store within 2 hours. Woohoo! Nothing like a good morning of marathon shopping. BARGAIN marathon shopping, I might add. I got several nice deals today ::happy dance:: When we got back home, Olivia and I watched Monsters Inc. Oh My God. It is so cute. Boo is adorable - Olivia really does resemble her when her hair is up in ponytails! We met Moira at the bus, hustled home, hustled her into her soccer uniform, amidst much moaning, whining and crying, "I haaaaaaaaate soccer! I don't waaaaaaant to go." She went. I took her after dinner. They also had team photos. Her team was scheduled for 730pm pictures. Outside. ::eyeroll:: Needless to say, it was almost nightfall by the time they had them taken. Great. Can't wait to see these! LOL! Mom called earlier this afternoon. Remember I mentioned that she would lose her hair? Well - a LOT of it fell out last night, while she slept. So, she visited her hair dresser and had the rest of her hair shaved off. Completely. She is totally bald. ::sigh:: On the upswing, the hair dresser told Mom that she had a GREAT head. Very smooth. Mom doesn't want any wigs so she is wearing hats and do-rags. I suggested getting some temporary tattos. She loved that idea! Gonna cut it short tonight - I am pooped. I am gonna read a few blogs then head off to bed! G'night!

Driving the beast child to school this morning.. I have to bring books back to the library. Olivia and I will be going to the mall to pick up Monsters Inc. Yay!

From Anna - "So far Janna has not had the baby. I talked to her husband at 3:00 p.m. and she was 4 cent. dilated, had her epidural in and was sleeping. They didn't start pitocin until 5:30 this morning. She didn't sleep at all last night, so she's been catching up today. The nurses estimate that the baby will be born around 6:30 or so tonight. I'm so excited! R (her husband) will call me when she gets here."

I want to thank everyone who has emailed or commented regarding my Mom. I am so very touched by all the kind thoughts and hugs for us. : - )

I'm back from Brownie training ::yawn:: very uneventful.. I spoke with Mom around 4pm. She has gotten back from chemo around 330. She was feeling ok when we talked but I think tomorrow will kick her ass. I feel so damn helpless. She will have lost all her hair by this time next week ::sigh:: I don't know if I am ready for this..

Ugh - I am so jumpy today. I am just trying to stay busy and think positive thoughts about my Mom.

Happy belated birthday to my favorite candlemaker! ::SMOOCH::

Mom is undergoing her new chemotherapy this morning. She will be there for 6-8 hours today.

Janna's having her baby! Woohoo! I got an email from her friend Anna letting me know what was going on. Here's an excerpt: "FYI- Janna is having the baby tonight or tomorrow. They decided to induce labor b/c her blood pressure was really high. No C-Sec b/c the baby turned and is now head down. I talked with her around 5:30 p.m. Central and they were going to start pitocin later this evening." Sending Janna easy labor vibes!

I made a roast in the crockpot today. I started it around 9am this morning, with an onion and 2 cups of brown gravy. By 130pm, I added 3 cut up potatoes and 1 couple big handfuls of baby carrots. Yummy! Olivia scarfed all the meat we served her! We did a quick WalMart run to pick up Moira's costume. It's practically identical to Olivia's costume. Some kind of "Malibu Kitty".. it's cute. Hey - what can I expect for $16? A neighbor up the street has 3 girls and she bought all their costumes from the Disney Store! 1 Alice in Wonderland and 2 Minnie Mouse costumes - talk about BIG bucks! That's easily $120.00 - for a COUPLE hours ::eyeroll:: Whatever. I have a lot of work to do in order to prepare for the meeting on Friday. My babysitter isn't available...until November! : - O Curse you field hockey for stealing my only baby-sitter! So, I have to bring Olivia with me ::sigh:: I hope she's not too out of hand. I have a training course to attend tomorrow evening for Girl Scouts - for 3 hours. Oy.

Our first Brownie troop meeting is this Friday! I am so excited!

I updated and added some links on my sidebar.. check 'em out!

Beware of food This family will also be portrayed Friday night on 48 Hours (CBS) 8pm. I am familiar with this family as I correspond with Adrianne (the Mom) through an online food allergy group (which has 1000+ members!) I hughly suggest everyone watch the show - I know that my daily routine is very similar to what this family goes through each day.

It's raining.. it's raining!

WHEW! I think I am all caught up on my reads. Oh - if anyone has some great craft links/ideas, please feel free to send them on over! Bonus points if I could use them for Sunday School. Besides, I can use the other ones for the Brownie troop.

OhmyGod! The Sopranos rocked tonight! The scene between Tony and Bobby in the diner.. PRICELESS! Paul and I laughed ourselves silly over that. I am not liking Paulie too much. I really liked Christopher but I hate the drug storyline he's doing. Shooting up between his toes??? EW EW EW! Just disgusting. The best episode from last season (#37) was when Pauli and Christopher disposed of a "body" in the Pine Barrens. Getting lost, half frozen, they have to spend the night in an abandoned van, eating ketchup packets. I watched that episode every time it was aired. When Bobby showed up in full camoflage....hahahahahaha! LOVED it!

Had a great morning at Sunday School. I have a helper, Gina, who is a sweetheart. She is in high school.. I think she is about 15-16. Jeff, who is 11, also stopped by to help. He was great. The kids (5-8 yrs old) really liked both of them.. Moira had a great time at Sunday School too. I have been trying to think up interesting things for the kids to do. I need to come up with a great craft idea... Other than that, it has been a dreary Sunday that has been filled with laundry and housekeeping. Ick! I'll try to wrote later as I have to finish up dinner, get everything cleaned up and ready for tomorrow and watch "The Sopranos". YEAH! I am SO SO happy it's finally back!

On the Long Island: Steuben Boulevard episode: The new designer, Edward, did a GREAT job in his room. WOW! Very hotel-ish but I really really liked it. Frank's room was .. well.. typical Frank! ::grin:: On the Long Island: Split Rock Road episode: I just LOVED the kitchen that Genevive designed tonight. The copper hood over the stove was gorgeous. I couldn't believe how much brighter the room looked when they were finished! Vern's kitchen - not so good. Very un-Vern.

8PM baby.. It's Trading Spaces time!

AND - A big 30th birthday shout out to Scott! Go on over and whisper sweet nothings in his comments!

Good morn...er... afternoon! Paul and I stayed up too late last night watching the "Soap" marathon that was airing on TV Land last night. We were just cracking up. God - what a funny show. Olivia woke me up at 545am ::groan:: so I just stuck her on my side of the bed and let her go back to sleep with Paul. I came out in the living room and promptly passed out in the recliner! When we all woke up, we did a quick cleaning/vacuuming around the house so we didn't freak out Dad and Millie. They came down around 1130 for a quick visit. The girls had a blast. Moira is at one of her little girlfriend's house this afternoon. I am hoping that they keep her for dinner! Bad, ain't I? Heehee! ***UPDATE*** She was invited for dinner and was brought home around 730pm!