I have been making scarves like crazy as Christmas gifts and then today the coolest thing happened... I took 3 orders for 3 more scarves... So, it looks like I am in business...Cool...

Last night Kelly and the kids came over for pizza and to get a key since they will be checking in on the house and the hamster while we are on vacation... Sean was so cute... he always wants the play with the hamster but Samantha won't let him... I told him he could play with her all he wants while we are gone because Samantha won't be there to say anything to him... Well, he is all set to come over the second we leave to get the hamster out... Her name is Hally but it was too cute how he kept calling her Holly...

While Kelly was over Tammy called... I saw it was her on the caller ID and didn't answer, I'd call her back later... then she called again and again I didn't answer... by the third time I figured something must be wrong so I answered... She wanted John to come over until the police arrived because someone tried to break into her house... They threw a rock through her sliding glass door!

We had a lovely Christmas and pictures will be posted soon. After work on Christmas Eve I went to to buy some yarn to make Samantha a blanket. That should be a good project to do on our trip. Then we all went in to Rose's house to do our gift exchange.

Rose had a little Santa hat for Rocco the dog but he wouldn't wear it... He did however wear his monkey on his back... I so wish I had gotten a picture because it is the funniest thing... He has one of those stuffed monkeys with the long arms and legs that have velcro on the paws... Rose raps it around his neck and is body so that the monkey part is on his back and he will walk around with it like that for hours... it is too cute!

Once it got dark on Christmas Eve we went to Gahanna to walk along the creek and look at the lights... It was freezing cold but lovely... the ducks were on the creek and one swan... The swan was as big as Samantha... I knew they were big but this one was on steroids or something because it was freakin huge! Then we drove downtown to look at the Nativity Scene they have every year... It shows not only the manger scene but Mary and Joseph going to Bethlehem and the wise men's journey... It is beautiful... They hadn't put the baby Jesus in the manger yet and we joked that it was probably in the trunk of the security guards car...

Samantha didn't want to take a bath with me like we do every year on Christmas Eve... Instead she played with her 2 new Webkinz on the computer... Before bed she left Hershey Kisses and a glass of milk for Santa... she signed the note she wrote: "Your Friend, Samantha"... And, she was asleep around 9pm...

On Christmas morning Samantha and John were up around 6am but I slept in until 8am... Samantha made me coffee while I was in the shower and then we opened presents... John and I had agreed not to get each other gifts since we are about to leave on vacation but he and Samantha went to Nordstroms and got me earrings... I love them but I feel like a dope for not getting John anything... I told him the slippers I got him last week are his present... Samantha loved the doll house furniture Santa brought her... We moved her doll house out into the living room in front of the tree so she could set everything up... Her favorite gift is the digital camera Santa brought her with the cute carrying case... she clipped the carrying case to her purse and brought it to dinner at Rose's house and took pictures all day...

We had Christmas dinner at Rose's house with Linda, Ray and their kids... John and I commented how we can't get over how the boys are all adults now... And, how Shawn and his girlfriend Gia remind us of how we were when we were dating... We had a lovely time, dinner was yummy and afterward we all played bingo... Everyone won at least one game but Samantha was the champ winning 5 games...

Samantha got Littlest Pet Shop Monopoly... we had the best time playing it with her... we played in the living room with the tree lights on and a fire in the fire place... John and I both ended up broke, Samantha won with tons of properties, pet carriers (their version of houses) and money...

It was a beautiful Christmas and I am thankful for all our family and friends...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

These are some of the girls in Samantha's class. Samantha has her hands on Olivia's shoulders. Olivia is one of her good friends who is in her class.

Samantha and Tara with their reindeer at Skyline Kid's Night...

This is the blanket I made Mom for Christmas. It is a super soft green wool with a rust colored border...

And this is the blanket I mad Dad. His is brown yarn with a center stripe of a jewel toned yarn and the matching border.

Thursday was our work holiday party. I didn't take any pictures. It was very nice. Everyone was there, even Chris who was sick and Racheal who lives over 2 hours away. Oops, Jeff wasn't there but he was in Puerto Rico for work... Carla made her artichoke dip and Kim made her meatballs. Both are my favorites. Arlene made cookies and her marzipan macaroons are definitely on the list of favorites. We ate and then did our gift exchange. We gathered in Carla's living room where she had a fire in the fire place. Her house is great, she has the greatest colors, teal in the living room, gold in the entry way and rust orange in the kitchen. Anyway, Cary liked the scarf I made her. Lisa commented on how she'd like one of those so I will have to find out when her birthday is and make her one. Sue drew my name and gave me a gift card to STARBUCKS and some CHOCOLATE... my favorites. I left a little before 8pm. And, it was just in time too, I guess Stacey got really drunk and made a spectacle of herself.

On Friday I only worked a couple of hours, just enough time to hear all the stories from the party, and then I went to Samantha's class holiday party. On the way I stopped off at Starbucks for a peppermint mocha, yummy! Her Party was fun. They combined her 2 classes and there were all kinds of game and craft stations manned by the parents. I did the "pin the ornament on the tree" game which was a version of pin the tail on the donkey. There was one girl who hung around a talked to me a lot... remember these are third graders... and when we were leaving I wanted to make a point to say good by to her. I gave her a hug and she picked me up! It was the funniest thing, I was stunned... She picked me up! Samantha gave her teachers a candle we made and some cinnamon sugar pretzels she made. She was cute giving them her gifts. It was a really nice party.

Oh... and here is a Polly Pocket hotel turned Littlest Pet Shop house... I love the roof top pool and Christmas tree...

Last night we went to kid's night at Skyline. The girls made reindeer puppets. Tacey wasn't there this week but she had left a gift for Kelly and me, the prettiest pair of earrings that she made. I still can't believe it is Christmas next week! So, for 3 years I have ordered the exact same thing every single week at Skyline: a small 3 way and cheese fries... But, last night I changed my order and have found a new favorite thing. When we got there I passed by a table where a woman had a chili burrito with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream. It looked so good and I told Ciera that is what I wanted. She was so surprised to see me change my order after all this time.

Samantha had told me that she hasn't ever been the star student in her music class and it seemed like everyone else had. I sort of felt bad for her but didn't want to jump in and solve something that a) wasn't a problem and b) that I didn't have all the information about. I really want Samantha to learn to get all the information, process it and then be able to solve the issue herself or ask for specific help if she can't solve it herself. Anyway, she told me she is finally star student! She was very excited and the wait made finally being star student that much more special.

Tonight is our holiday party for work. We draw names for a gift exchange every year and this year I drew Cary's name. I finished her scarf last night. It is out of some super soft rust colored wool and I can't wait to give it to her. I also am giving her one of the candles we made.

The candles are a whole other story... We made them over the weekend and when they dried all the way they had big dips / holes in the middle. So, yesterday I heated up more wax and set about pouring it in to fill the holes... But, the wicks then sank into the new, hot wax. I had to pull them out and try to prop them up so they wouldn't fall back into the wax. They were already cut though which made it really difficult. But they are finally done and ready to be wrapped up!

How horribly embarrassing... I got up from my desk at work and fell down. My shoe got caught in my long skirt and I went down. I skinned my knee and twisted my ankle. We all laughed but it was rather embarrassing.

And, this morning Samantha spilled an entire cup of coffee all over the Element. I wiped up most of it but the little cracks and crevasses will no doubt be sticky. So I guess it is just one of those days...

Over the weekend we finished up my parents Christmas presents and I got them off in the mail yesterday. Samantha finished her calendar complete with lots and lots of glitter. There was glitter everywhere... even in her peanut butter sandwich in her school lunch yesterday. Along with the glitter there is also wax everywhere from our family craft project: candle making. They came out great except for the few holes we have to go back and fill in with more wax. we will definitely do the candle making again.

last night I was in the bathtub and Samantha came in and asked if she could make the peanut butter cookies with the chocolate kisses in the center. I said yes and she made them all by herself. They were really good. i brought some to work today and everyone there liked them too.

Today is PJ day at school. The kids got to wear PJ's and slippers. Then this afternoon they are going to have hot chocolate and watch "The Polar Express". So, yesterday I realized Samantha does not have a pair of PJ's. She has PJ bottoms but not a whole set. I went by Target and got her a pair, really cute purple with snow men. She tried them on and said the medium pants were too big. (They really weren't but she's 9 and has strong opinions...) So, we went to Target, returned the mediums and she tried on the smalls. The small top was way too small but she said she liked the pants (which were kind of tight). We ended up finding a pair of bottoms only in small and we got those. This morning rolls around and Samantha comes into the bathroom while I was getting ready and says that her butt crack shows in the small bottoms when she sits down... Oh my God! So, she ended up wearing the old bottoms from the thrift store that she already had with the tee shirt I got her from the thrift store the other day and I think I will just stick to shopping at the thrift store! She also took her sock monkey slippers and her stuffed sock monkey, Holly, that grandma made her a few years ago for Christmas.

After we went to Target last night we went to Applebees for dinner where we saw Charlie from our days at City Center. It was really nice to see him but for the life of us neither John nor I can remember his last name. It is driving us crazy...

I am so glad that it's Friday! Kelly, Tim and the kids are coming over tonight for John's birthday. We are having pizza and cheesecake and will probably play charades. Then "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" is on at 8pm so we will probably watch that too. Then this weekend I have to finish the blanket I am making for my mom and then get all their presents ready to take to the post office on Monday. Since I am in a time crunch this year with all the blanket making I decided to not make any Christmas cookies... But, this morning while I was on the phone talking to Mom she said she wants me to make her cookies to send this year... so, I guess I will be making cookies this weekend too!

John's 40th birthday was yesterday. We took him to Old Bag of Nails for dinner. He loves Rubens and they have a great Ruben. I wouldn't know as I don't care for them but he says it's good. They are totally remodeling the down town Gahanna area so it took us forever to find a place to park. So, after dinner we were walking back to our car and we found the coolest display of Christmas lights along the creek. We were all tired and decided to come back another evening to walk along the wooded creek trail and look at them.

I've mentioned the annoying little girl at school who waits with us in the morning. Well, I've recently discovered that she has a really bad home life. (So, even though she is annoying I have to realize that it is not her fault...) The other day we were all waiting at school and Paul had on a pin that said: I am loved. Paul had gotten a few at church and he gave one to the annoying girl and I pinned it on her. She smiled and it was quite touching. I hope it really did make her feel loved... It's not her fault her family sucks...

The other day John said they had to go to the high school because there was a report of a kid who had brought a gun to school. He said it's pretty weird walking down the halls of your alma mater carrying a rifle.

Today we celebrated Cary's 10 year anniversary at work. We had lunch and Carla read a poem she, Kim and Ellen had written and then everyone told funny stories about Cary. It was really nice.

Icky Sick

The pictures are from Dad's trip to Ireland. They went to a bird sanctuary. I just think the eagle and the owl are amazing. And, I can't believe how close they got to the birds.

John is going to take Samantha to the doctor tomorrow, she is really sick... complete with green snot.

We decorated the tree last night. I felt bad for Samantha because she really didn't feel well so she wasn't quite into it. I didn't take pictures because she looked so pathetic.

We had our second snow day on Friday. So Samantha is having a 5 day weekend because she was home sick on Thursday. She is so congested that she is choking on it, gross, I know...

I am having a purse crises. I want a new one, a black one because the one I carry now is brown. It's actually more of a brown leather tote bag that is nice and wide on the bottom. Anyway, I got one at Target the other day but it wasn't quite right so I returned it. But, the second one isn't quite right either so it will go back on Monday. Maybe I should just stick with the old one...

Snow Girl

Samantha wanted to go out and play in the snow so we got her all bundled up...

You couldn't make snow balls as it wasn't packing snow but she didn't care...

I gave her Jello to mix in the snow like my mom did when I was a kid. She had watermelon flavored...

"Mommy, I'm done, my hands are frozen... Let me in!"

Snow Day

John woke me up this morning to say that school had a 2 hour delay but when we woke up around 8:30am they had decided on a snow day! And, there is a Law & Order: SVU marathon on all day today, what could be better.

Samantha had her class visit to the school's holiday shop yesterday. She went to school with her envelope of money and her list of who she wanted to get presents for and she came out of school with a big brown grocery bag. She showed me what she got: a pen for Grandpa, a Santa ornament for Grandma, an angel ornament for MaMa and a golf ball engraver for BaBa. I just love how big she is and how she puts thought into things.

It's been a while! Every free moment I have had has been spent working on our hand made Christmas presents. I am almost done with the throw I am making for my Dad and am about to start on the one for my Mom. Samantha is busy making calendars and John is going to make candles. Actually, the candle project is going to be a family activity. I went to the thrift store and got lots of cute containers for candle holders.

I have recently discovered that I have an addiction to yarn. I see beautiful yarn... I buy beautiful yarn. Oh my!

John got the bid sheet for his shift next year and for the first time there was an opportunity for him to go to day shift and he took it. It has been different having John home in the evenings but not as big an adjustment as we thought.

This past Friday Samantha and I went to see "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" at the Columbus Children's Theater. It was great. The Herdman children were perfect, exactly as I had imagined them in my mind after reading the book. Samantha loved the play and started reading the book over the weekend.

On Saturday we all set out for our town's Christmas in the village. It was sleeting a slight bit but it was still fun anyway. They had Santa ride in on an antique fire truck to light the Christmas tree. There was a bon fire and a guy carving ice sculptures and all of the shops were open with games and refreshments. We had fun even though we froze our little noeses off. Afterward we went to dinner and warmed up.

Samantha was looking at the things on John's dresser. She was asking about all the stuff that he puts on his uniform. The next morning John called me in to look at how she had lined everything up. Too cute...

Oh my God, I was so very very tired this morning after having been awake until after midnight. Even though I went in to bed around 11pm I couldn't really fall asleep until after Tammy left. Extra coffee for me today...



It was absolutely freezing when I dropped Samantha off at school this morning. I think it was something stupid like 28 degrees and there was a wind that made it worse.



Boy, I am Miss Complainer today. You'd think I was having a bad day but actually it's a quite pleasant day.



So, while I am complaining I will tell you that my fingers are numb from all the crocheting I've been doing. I finished Kelly scarf for her birthday and will post a picture soon. And, my Dad's blanket is sort of close to about half way done. I am planning on embellishing it with felt cutouts when it's finished and Ellen had a great idea, hand prints. Mine and Samantha's. That's a beautiful idea, I love it and that is exactly what I am going to do.

Monday was Kelly's Birthday but I didn't finish her scarf until today. I wrapped it up and took it to Skyline Kid's Night for her. I had the perfect card too... it was about how she is such a good friend that I consider her family. It was funny because Kelly told me a story: Sean asked if he could take to new dog, Grady, to his friend's house. Kelly told him no, that you don't just show up at someones house with a big dog who wasn't invited. Sean said something about them bringing Grady to our house uninvited. Kelly told him that was different and he said:"that's because they are like family."

I think I've mentioned the little girl who sometimes waits with our little group at school, the girl who is quite annoying. Anyway, I was thinking about her today and how much younger she seems than all the other 3rd graders. It made me reflect on how thankful I am that we didn't start Samantha too early.

After work I cashed my Birthday check from my parents. I put half in our saving account and then bought the Jessica Seinfeld Cookbook and a really cool map with part of the rest. I can't wait to read through the cookbook and make some of the recipes.

This evening Lee and Tammy came over for dinner. (Police department Tammy, not neighbor Tammy...) Tammy had never been over before. John had been talking about her a lot so we decided to have her over. I'm glad we did, she is really nice. We invited her partner, PJ but she was out of town with work so she will come over next time. Tammy brought us flowers, yellow roses. It was so nice.

It was nice to get to know Tammy better. She spent 14 months in Iraq, I did not know that. It was really interesting learning about what it's like over there.

Lee left around 10pm and Tammy stayed until 12am! I went to bed about 11pm and then she and John went down to the man cave to talk about work.

This is Samantha's Meat Eating Plant called a Speckled Spider Plant that she made for her science project. She got an A+! They were to create a meat eating plant out of recycled things from around the house. Samantha used a milk carton, lasagna pan and a dryer sheet.

These are the beautiful flowers Tammy brought when she came to our house for dinner tonight.

Samantha did not want to go to school today after having 5 days off for Thanksgiving break. She tried to tell us she had a stomach ache but neither John nor I bought it. Once she figured out that she had to go to school anyway she was fine.

After work I picked up John and we went to the grocery. John was sulking... I hate it when he is sulking. And, he wouldn't tell me what it was about. He'll get over it I suppose.

Kelly and Tim met us at school and we waited together for the girls to come out. Today is Kelly's Birthday. (I'm almost done with her present...) They have pretty much decided to keep the dog that's been visiting from the rescue group. And, they have decided that his name will be Grady. I got to meet him on Thanksgiving when Kelly and the kids came by. He is a great dog.

I fell asleep on the couch. I was so very tired when we got home and John made tacos for dinner. This evening Samantha took a bath, John straightened the basement storage area and I worked on the blanket I am making my dad for Christmas.

Not only is today Thanksgiving but it is also my 39th Birthday. Thanksgiving is my 2nd favorite holiday, my favorite being the 4th of July. Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy is the absolute best meal there is. And pie, I can't forget about pie!

John worked today, 7am to 3pm so Samantha and I were still asleep when he left. We got up to make coffee in time for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. We love, absolutely love parades. After the parade there was a Law & Order marathon on in honor of my Birthday. (Oh ok, maybe it was in honor of Thanksgiving...)

Kelly and the kids came over to drop off my birthday present. She got me the cutest pig tin from Fern's Attic, one of our favorite stores in town. She said she knew she wanted to get me the pig tin because of the pig I have hanging in my kitchen. The kitchen pig is a rustic wood pig that says Hog Inn. I love my pig tin.

For Thanksgiving dinner we went to Deana's house. She lives right behind the police station and every year she and her sister, Amy, cook for their family and the officers. Her family is involved in town politics and her sister is a teacher in town so all the officers know her family so it's like a huge family gathering.

Before Deana's we went by the station to get John but he had to work overtime so we went on without him. He had 2 kids who stole a bike that he had to deal with. We were working on dessert by the time he got there. And guess what, he had a cake for me and everyone sang Happy Birthday. Yum, cake and pie!

We left about 6pm. We'd been home a few hours when we all decided we were hungry again. We seriously considered driving back in to Deana's for another round.

John and Samantha gave me a 2008 Get Fuzzy calendar. They give it to me every year and it is the best! They also gave me a food processor. I have been wanting one along with Jessica Seinfeld's cook book which I am going to go get next week. Tasey has it and brought it to Skyline one week so I could look through it and it's awesome. I want to make the brownies with spinach in them.

It was a great Birthday and Thanksgiving and I am thankful for such an amazing family and such great friends.

We looked out the window into the back yard this morning and saw that we had mushrooms! Naturally we had to go out an play with them.

Well, we've done something and I am worried that we have made some sort of major parenting mess up.

Last year Samantha played basketball. She was really good and she enjoyed it but, she cried at the beginning of every single practice and game and had to be dragged out on to the court. But by the end of the practice or game she would be perfectly fine and having a great time.

So, this year when she said she wanted to play basketball again we were totally surprised. We must have said, "are you sure?!?" a thousand times before we signed her up. Each time she said she was sure that yes, she wanted to play basketball. We explained that once she signed up that she would be part of the team and she could not change her mind. She said she was sure.

She has had 3 practices that have all been the same as last year. She cried had the coach had to drag her out onto the court.

So, John and I decided that if it is that terrible for her that she could quit. We had a really long talk about how you finish what you start and all that. She explained to us that she is so worried that she is going to make a mistake and everyone is going to laugh at her. This has never happened to her but for some reason she is fraught with worry that it's going to happen.

It's not just basketball either, it's pretty much everything that she is unfamiliar with. And, it makes me terribly sad because I don't want her to feel icky and I don't want her to be afraid to try something she might enjoy because she is too scared.

So, we told her she could quit but that she would have to pay us back the $75* sign up fee and that she would need to find another activity. The activity doesn't need to be a live long passion but I want her to do something.

After some thought she decided that she wants to learn to crochet and she wants to take up hiking.

I am pleased with her decisions as far as the new activities go. We decided that we are more the kind of people who like to watch the sports rather than play them and that is ok. I am just so worried (like mother, like daughter) that we have done some sort of damage by letting her quit.

*Note: paying back the money sounds harsh but not for Samantha. She could fund a small army with the money she has squirreled away.

So, I started the scarf for my mom for Christmas and I discovered half way through that I don't have enough yarn. The yarn I got was on clearance and I got the last 2 rolls. So, my plan is to get some different yarn for mom and use the really short scarf for one of my bears.

I talk to Mom everyday on the way to work I talk to my mom. This morning she wasn't home so I called my dad at his office and talked to him instead. Usually dad is not all that talkative but today he was. I told him about the show I watched on the History Channel about cities of the underworld. This one was on Hitler's Germany and the bunkers he built under Berlin. Dad said that during the war they had delivered a carrier of aircraft to France and they got to see one of the bunkers built by the Germans. He said it was so creepy that he went out that night and got so drunk that the guys had to carry him back to the ship and he missed going to Paris the next day. I love stories that put a personal face to history.

Yesterday we had a plumber come out to fix one of the toilets and something quite perplexing happened. to preface the story though I must say that someone coming into our house would probably be able to guess John's profession but not exactly where he works. So, the plumber comes in the house and says, "are you a police office for the city of ______?" John didn't remember him and the "dealings with the law" that he told John about didn't involve John so we are totally wondering how he knew. If I had been there I would have asked him but I wasn't home yet. John of course didn't ask...

I've started making several Christmas / Birthday presents. It seems like every one's birthday is around Christmas. Mine is is November, John's and my dad's are right before Christmas and my mom's is right after Christmas. Mom says she has the worst one because all the decorations are down and everyone is quite done with the holidays. Anyway, I have begun crocheting a scarf for mom with a green and blue fuzzy kind of yarn... so, back to crocheting now...

Tonight was home made pizza night. We had the best time loading them up with our toppings. No one wanted my spinach though... but little do they know that same spinach is going to get chopped up and added to their dinners next week. They will never even know it.

No matter how rich you become, how famous or powerful, when you die the size of your funeral will still pretty much depend on the weather. - Michael Pritchard

John is still sick and I'm glad it is almost Friday. I am so very tired today. I didn't sleep very well last night. John was snoring so LOUDLY that it was even too loud out on the couch so I had to go in Samantha's room.

John stayed home from work again today but he did want to get out of the house for a bit so I picked him up on my way to get Samantha from school. Then when we got home I got on the couch and stayed there for the rest of the day.

This evening John and Samantha played Battleship. I think it's so cute how Samantha knows all the names of the ships. She said she is going to take her Life game to school tomorrow for Fantastic Friday. Tomorrow they are going to play games the kids bring in from home.

Samantha has a big reading project due on Friday so she's in the big bed finishing up the book. She is reading a book called "Stone Fox" about a sled dog. I started reading it and told her I wanted to finish it up when she was done tonight. She told me that Brianna cried at the end. I cry at almost anything so I told her to forget it, I didn't want to read it anymore. So, she comes out and asks me about a sentence she doesn't understand: She died instantly. Oh my God, the freakin dog dies just as it crosses the finish line of the big race! I cried of course and so did Samantha.

I am so very thankful that she enjoys doing her homework and takes doing her work seriously.

Flurries were spotted in Columbus today. It's cold but I seem to be getting used to it even after only two days of cold.

John stayed home from work sick today. He thinks he is going to die. I told him to take some Airborne but he says he won't take anything "hokey" like that. I said, "what's the difference if you are going to die anyway."

Kelly and I took the kids to Skyline for kids night. We have a new friend who meets us there every Wednesday. Her name is Tasey. (Like Tasty but without the second "t".) We have the best time chatting while the kids do their thing.

Samantha had her first basketball practice of the season, voting was today, errands and dinner at Bob Evans so not much time to post...

Well, the curio fit. It fit after they took some of it apart. Once they got it down there and put back together Ryan said: "It's a good thing Aunt Kate took those pictures to document our greatness." um, yeah, that's why I took them... Anyway, the above picture is not of the curio fiasco nor is it of John and Ryan... I am waiting to post those pictures until I am able to get an after picture. It's going to take John a while to get his cars in there. I stand corrected, he has 400 cars, not what ever piddly number I said yesterday.

The above picture is of Andy and Amber. They go to school with Samantha and live in her back pack. Sometimes they line in the doll house or My Little Pony land. First there was Andy and then one day I was at the thrift store and I saw Amber. She was so cute I had to get her because she just looked like the perfect girlfriend for Andy. They dated briefly and then there was a wedding. Pathetic aren't I...

John and Ryan are attempting to move our HUGE curio cabinet from our hallway upstairs to the man cave downstairs. Upstairs it had all of John's police figurines in it but he wants to put it downstairs with all his Road Champs police car collection. He has about 300 of the little cars and he wants to put more shelves in the cabinet to display them all. I asked why he couldn't do the police cars upstairs but he said he really really wanted them downstairs and he really really wanted them in said curio cabinet. The problem is it doesn't fit. They already took the door frame off and the hand railing on the stairs off. Now they are trying to take the really well made cabinet apart. Not only is it nailed but it is also glued together. I absolutely hate watching people move furniture so I went in to take a bath when they first started. But when my hands and feet got all prune like I had to get out. Plus I was all dizzy from being in hot water for so long. When I came out they were in the middle of taking it apart. Samantha had been downstairs but she had to get them to let her up because she had to poop. (That's my girl!) As I sit typing this I hear hammering and drilling and I am scared. If they put a hole n the wall I will kill them both. Tune in tomorrow to see what happened. I hope to have before and after pictures.

This is the beautiful recipe card holder Samantha made me in school. They are doing a whole unit on reading a recipe, following directions and measurements. I don't know if you can see the recipe at all but it is for pumpkin bread.

Last night I broke a light bulb while I was getting an extra blanket down. I had to call for John to come clean it up because I was in my bare feet. He said in exchange for waking him up I had to get up with him this morning while he was getting ready for work at 5:45am. I said, "oh, yes honey, of course I will get up with you!"

Funny, I actually did get up with him this morning. I stayed in bed so it was more like I was awake than really "up" but it's the thought that counts. After he left for work I went back to sleep and then spent the rest of the day doing absolutely nothing on the couch.

Fall is finally here. It seems as though the trees are finally changing. There are two amazing reddish yellow mixed with orange-y trees outside my office and the Birch trees in our back yard have turned yellow. I think this weekend, on Sunday, John's day off, that we will do something outdoors. Maybe we'll go hiking. Hiking is the perfect fall activity and then we'll have hot cider.

After work I stopped by the farm market to pick up some of my favorite cheese, Guggisburg Swiss. The market smelled amazing, a mixture of apples and straw. I got a bunch of apples and they filled the car with their sweet scent.

Kelly and I picked the girls up and we took them up to the school library for the fall book fair. Samantha had a $5 coupon for completing her reading challenge. That plus the $15 we gave her allowed her to get four cool books. She and Tara had the best time making their selections.

Tonight is "Ghost Whisperer", "Women's Murder Club" and "Numbers". I getting all ready to curl up on the couch with a mug of hot cider.

I have never really stressed the whole "family dinner" thing partly because John has worked 2nd shift for Samantha's entire life and because well, Samantha and I are sort of grazers. But after tonight's dinner I am a huge fan. We had ham, stuffing, mixed vegetables and some really good French bread. We played guess the state... Samantha formed the shape of various US states out of ham! It was great, a ham Texas, a ham New York, a ham West Virginia. And the funny thing is John and I could actually recognize the states! Then John wanted to play too but he'd eaten all his ham so he formed Michigan out of his stuffing. John's on day shift for 2 more months, I wonder what's next?

Grandma Rose gave Samantha a coloring kit for Trick - or -Treat. As soon as we got home she opened it up and started coloring with it. It made me so happy that her grandmother's gift made her so happy.

Senator Barack Obama, Governor Bill Richardson, Senator Hillary Clinton and Ruth Harkin stand during the national anthem.

This morning Samantha said she had to have a Halloween shirt to wear to school today. So, off to the store at 8am. I am so thankful we found one! She was so cute changing into it in the car... Here we are in the Wal Mart parking lot.

I don't know how well you can see them but this morning there were 2 Robins sitting at the very top of our birch trees in the back yard. It was in the low 40's and they looked cold. Fly south Robins, fly, fly!

Small towns are just the best. I love driving down our Main Street on my way to pick Samantha up from school. Some of the leaves did not turn this fall though so there are lots of green still but what trees did turn are absolutely beautiful.

John so wants Samantha to become interested in shooting and gun collecting but she just has no interest what so ever...

We went to see "The Hobo and the Miracle" at the Columbus Children's Theater. It was quite good and Samantha enjoyed meeting the characters afterward. And, no parking tickets this time either!

The moments when Samantha doesn't know I'm watching her are the best. We played on the playground at Slate Run and here she is inspecting the blisters from the monkey bars. She amazes me how her hands can be full of blisters yet she'll go right back to the monkey bars. She has blisters on top of her blisters but she never complains.

John started day shift yesterday. About 8pm he comes into the living room where I was watching TV and says: "I'm bored!" He repeated it about 20 times. He needs a hobby. After a while one of the guys from work called him and they talked about what they had done at work that day so that kept him busy for a while.

Dinner last night was good and I wish there had been left overs to bring in my lunch today... We had ham, stuffing and pasta.

Today is raining as it did all day yesterday and it is dark and grey out. I want to curl up on the couch and take a nap... Or I want to take a bath and then curl up on the couch...

Sometimes a grey rainy day is the best thing. I love to draw all the curtains, turn on a few lights and snuggle up on the couch with a good book or TV show... like a "Law & Order" marathon. Today is a rainy day. I can't wait to finish work, pick Samantha up from school and hurry home.

John is going to work day shift for about 6 or 7 weeks. His hours will be 7am - 3pm and this means that he will be home in the evenings... every evening. This also means that I will have to cook dinner for him every night, not just 2 nights a week as I do now. Don't get me wrong, I do make Samantha dinner every night but it's different. She eats small things that can be made in the microwave or sometimes we eat cereal for dinner or a plate of fruit. The problem is: John likes his dinners in a particular way. He like a meat dish and 2 sides and the 2 sides have to "go with" the meat dish. He won't eat any type of breakfast food for dinner and he would laugh at a fruit plate and then ask where the rest of the meal was. I should note that he will cook his own dinner so it is not like he is standing there all "woman, where's my dinner". I've been making a list of meal ideas so that I can have a variety for him. He is not like Samantha and I who can eat macaroni and cheese 12 nights in a row. You know, I am actually kind of looking forward to cooking. I do enjoy it even though I don't do it all that often.

It is quite warm out but there is a breeze. I am sitting out on the deck in a corner on an Adirondack chair. When I tip my head back to look up at the sky I can see a nail sticking out of the trim on the house. Last summer or so I pounded it in up there to hang wind chimes on. I remember being precariously perched up there hoping I wouldn't fall over the side and into the gravel behind the shed. The wind chimes looked nice but they fell down the first time it was windy and I never got around to putting them back up. I don't even know where they are now.

Kelly has been talking about the movie, "Open Water" for years now. She has some sort of fascination with sharks. Anyway, it was on TV this afternoon. Samantha and I watched it. It was awful. I can't believe I watched the whole thing! When I call a movie awful or stupid it doesn't necessarily mean it is bad. For example, in this case it means I cried a lot and will be thinking about the whole stupid thing all night. I can't imagine being out in the ocean like that where which ever direction you looked you saw nothing but water and sky. Samantha cried too but she won't admit it. She asked for a Kleenex but made it perfectly clear it was only because her nose was running... yeah, that happens when you cry... Ugh! Stupid movie, I can't stop thinking about it!

My child is strange... John is doing some sort of traffic stop training with the 2 new guys and gets off at 8pm tonight instead of his usual 11pm which is way after Samantha has gone to bed on a school night... so, he called and asked if we wanted to come into the hood around 8pm when he gets off and we can all go get ice cream... We said yes... but then, a few minutes later Samantha says to me, "you know Mommy, I might want to take a bath instead of going to get ice cream." WHAT?!? Is this my child, the one who puts labels on the ice cream in the freezer forbidding anyone to eat it or bad things will happen to them... It was hot today so she must not feel well...

After school today I wanted to do something... so did Samantha but we couldn't figure out exactly what we wanted to do... We went home and I helped Samantha with her math homework... yes, you heard that correctly, I HELPED SAMANTHA WITH HER MATH... (Remember, I chose a college based on the fact that math was not required.) So, I must have had some momentary brain swelling that caused some area of math clarity to open up... It was rather hot out today... So, when we were done we decided to go to the park... the one with the living historical farm because they have a play area that is in the shade... We played for a while but then decided that we really didn't feel like doing much of anything after all... We came home and here we sit... waiting to go have ice cream... Plus, John says he has some juicy gossip about something that is going on at his work and I can't wait to hear...

Surprisingly I am way less stressed at work even though I have 3 shows coming up and they have trained another guy to do technical work out in the field which adds to what I already have to do... but I am calm, serene, at peace with it all... Something happened last week at work that should have really shaken me but again surprisingly, nothing but calm... Last week Ron came back from a show and he was really cranky and he yelled at me... He said some really mean things to me in front of everyone... Now, I have gotten into shouting matches before at work but they were 2 way conversations... er, I mean, shouting matches and I never detected hostility in their voices they way I did when Ron said the things he did. It was almost scary how angry he was... I was so stunned I just picked up my things and left...It was time for me to leave anyway... but still, I did not respond at all to Ron... That is very unlike me, I always have to put my two cents in and I have to have the last word... Usually when something like this happens at work I cry but not this time... And, even later on when I re-played it over in my mind, I could not cry... That really shows me that Ron means absolutely nothing to me...

Like I said here we sit, I am on the front porch and Samantha is playing with chalk on the driveway and something with her hula hoop... Anyway, a guy just rode by on his bike with a wiener dog on a leash running alongside him... Boy did that look ridiculous... Enough for now... we are off to get ice cream...

B-2 Bomber Flyover

We had the coolest weekend! First of all, the weather was beautiful, totally fall like with cool mornings and warm afternoons. And once again I just have to say how much I love fall.



On Friday John took the day off. He picked me up after work. We had a little over an hour until it was time to pick Samantha up from school so we took a drive out to the air show local to scope everything out. John brought his camera to catch some of the planes flying over. We pulled off on the side of Rhor Rd. and were able to see the Thunderbirds flying by as close as if we had been at the air show! I have been excited about the air show for a few weeks but now my excitement has peaked, I CAN'T WAIT!



The air show is the Final Gathering of Mustangs and Legends. There are about 150 P-51 Mustangs left in existence and there will be 100 of them at the air show along with some of the legends who flew them including members of the Tuskegee Airmen and the WASPS.

On Saturday morning we got to the air show about 8:30am and boy was the line long... it moved fairly quickly and once inside the gates we met Kelly, Tim and the kids. Kelly borrowed a wheelchair from her school. There was no way she would have made it just on her crutches. We got a great spot to sit and watch everything. After we got set up John and Tim went to check out all the static displays. It was amazing to be so close to all those planes from WWII! We watched Mustangs, bombers, various fighters, the B-2 stealth bomber (freaky), the Thunderbirds and some bi-planes.

The Thunderbirds were awesome. Originally I had been more excited about the older planes but now I totally get the attraction to the Thunderbirds. They fly 6 planes, 4 together and then 2 solos. One of the solo pilots is a woman, Major Samantha Weeks. When we were in line waiting to get in Samantha and I were talking about how cool it is that now women can do everything in the military. John told her that they can be fighter pilots and bomber pilots, everything. I said,"that's right, girls can do everything and we do it better." To which Samantha replied: "and in high heels." Several people in line chuckled.

We stayed until after the Thunderbirds which was about 7 hours. Kelly & Tim had to leave because they had to pick Kelly's sister up at the airport & Sean had a birthday party to go to. We decided to leave as well because Samantha had a really bad headache from being out in the sun and all the noise. I felt bad for her because the walk to the car was really long. We had wanted to stay longer but she was really miserable. It took us about 45 minutes to get to the car and along the way we got to see quite a bit more. They had a bunch of bombers flying and a they made it look like they were dropping bombs. There was tons on fire and black smoke. The noise was terrific but not for Samantha though. When we got to the car she climbed in the back seat and was sound asleep by the time John got the wagon loaded in the back.

I hope Samantha is not developing migraines. She seems to get headaches when she is outside for an extended period of time and it doesn't matter how much water we have her drink either. But, when she gets one she falls asleep for an hour or two and when she wakes up she is completely fine.

Last night was kids night at Skyline. Samantha brings her purse every week and she and Tara get stickers and gum out of the machines in the lobby. It's like slot machines for kids. She keeps her quarters in the urine specimen container my dad gave her! It makes me laugh every week.



The other night Samantha was being disagreeable. I told her she just lost an 1/2 hour and would have to go to bed at 8:30pm instead of 9pm. She stared wailing and flailing... she begged me to give her back her 9pm. I told her I would consider it if she would stop wailing and flailing. She stopped and asked again. I told her I would decide after she took a shower... that if her attitude stayed good she could have her 9pm back. She demanded to know NOW!... and said that not knowing would devastate her... I tried so hard not to laugh. I even tried to hide my face so she wouldn't be able to tell that I was about to laugh but it didn't work and I busted out laughing. She got mad an stomped off into the shower.

We had the most wonderful family evening last night. We made our own sidewalk chalk and painted with it on the driveway. Paint? With Chalk? Yes!

You mix 1/4 cup of corn starch with 1/4 cup of water and add some food coloring.

It makes a paste that you paint on with a paint brush and when it dries it makes chalk. Samantha loved it and John and I even painted a little too. Jess, Mark and the kids came by when we were almost done but there was still enough left for them to make a few pictures. It was a perfect evening, warm but not hot and there was a harvest moon out. That's where the moon has a red cast to it right?

This morning Samantha and I talked about something that happened last night: While we were all outside Jess said something to Hannah that sort of took me aback.... She said, "Shut up Hannah". And then she said it again, "Shut your big fat mouth Hannah". I asked Samantha if she had noticed and she said yes. She said she thought it looked like Hannah felt uncomfortable and she said she felt bad for her. We talked about how sometimes I say shut up but you can tell by the conversation that I am joking around. She said she understood the difference. I am proud of her for noticing things like that and having feelings like that for other kids. She used to be the kid that didn't care if her best friend was standing there sobbing. She would go right on playing and when you asked her about it she would say she noticed but didn't really care. She's a strange child...

On Friday Samantha and I went to the play: "Junie B Jones and a Little Monkey Business". It was our first play of the season and we had a great time. Afterward it was still quite warm so we went for a walk in the Short North and went to Jenie's for ice cream.

Work has been stressing me out the past two days. The owner has been questioning things I do, and have done for the past 8 years. This is fine, after all he is the owner of the company and it is his money I am spending. I just feel like he does not trust my judgement. I also feel like sometimes he does not listen to the entire explanation on why something is done the way it is and he jumps to a conclusion that is not always exactly correct. The muscles in my neck have tightened up right away upon arriving at work the past 2 days. But, all in all I love my job and the company I work for... really, I do.



On Sunday Samantha and I went in and met John for dinner. He is training a new officer named Tom. We went to Mad Greek for dinner. The owner stopped by our table and told us we needed dessert. He brought us out the most amazing custard. Samantha and I were so full we thought we would explode on the way home. When we got home I sat outside and talked to Jess while Samantha played with Hannah. I asked her if she knew how Tammy's open house went and she said she wasn't sure but that she had told the kids they had to stay inside that night. Then she said Mark had gone out to mow the lawn before her open house but Nick had poured water in the gas tank and it blew up half way through. Jess said she was horrified that anyone going to Tammy's house would see their yard next door looking like that. I laughed and laughed over that.

Yesterday Samantha and I cooked dinner. Samantha made an apple strudel from scratch all by herself. She even used the apple-peeler-corer-slicer contraption all by herself. I made Greek chicken with rice and vegetables, zucchini, carrots and green beans. After dinner John fixed our bed. The wheel piece in the middle had broken off from me moving the bed around so much rearranging the furniture in the bed room. It was fun to watch all the faces he made every time he hit his fingers with the hammer or drill. Then Tammy called to see if we wanted to go to Chestnut Ridge with her. It was about 7pm so the sun was down and we had a really nice walk through the woods. We saw 3 deer who paused so we were able to get a good look at them. Their little white tails look so cute as they bounded away. We also saw a snake. I picked it up and everyone squealed like a bunch of little girls. John thinks its funny that I am terrified of birds but will pick a snake up. When we got home Tammy came over and had apple strudel with us. Yum, it was really good.

It has been quite hot here, in the 90's today and yesterday. But the weather forecast looks more like fall by the end of the week.

This afternoon while on my way to pick Samantha up from school Tammy called. She said that she had just talked to John but that he had not been all that receptive to the conversation and she went on to talk about her relationship with the Irish guy and what does all their phone sex and web cam sex mean.... what do I think he is thinking... etc... Well, no wonder John was not very receptive... I just think it's sad that she thinks there is a relationship... he's there... she's here... he has a girlfriend whom he lives with... um, no relationship...

My neck is killing me, right around my shoulders too. I know it is stress because I can feel it when things flare up at work. Right before I left there was a whole other crises... one where the cost of something isn't what we are willing to pay but there really isn't any other option... I know there is nothing I can do about it but it still gets to me.

Oh boy am I cranky today. Last night there I was sound asleep when I awoke to a beeping noise. Bucky Katt, from my favorite comic strip "Get Fuzzy", spent the last week beeping every time someone tried to speak. So, I think, oh my God, he's real and he's here in my house, cool. After all it was 2am. But sadly, no Bucky Katt, just our alarm beeping. I had a momentary freak out where I thought someone was in the house and going to take my baby. I yelled for John but he wasn't home from work yet. He had a crash at the end of the night and didn't get home until 3:30am. I had to get up and fix the alarm myself. I wasn't sure how to make it stop beeping but something I did, don't recall what, made it stop. I tried to go back to sleep but couldn't because John wasn't home yet. See, this is the reason I take sleeping pills, I don't like falling asleep when my hubby is not here. That sounds nice doesn't it... but really I just don't like being woken up when he comes home. So, John gets home and I'm still awake. I think I sort of fell asleep for a brief while but then I woke up at 5am as I do everyday because the neighbor's neurotic, poop eating dog is barking. UGH, I am cranky.



Am I the only person in the entire world who has never seen an episode of "Survivor"?

I hate that John has hutt his back and is in pain. I hate that I can't do anything to make it better. And, I hate that he is stubborn and insists on going to work which consists on putting on about 50 pounds of gear supported by his back.



Every year we go apple picking at the best orchard. It is set on a hillside and the trees are not is such rigid rows like some orchards. Nor is is overly comercial. There is a pond and a barn with home made apple treats. This year we called to see when picking was to start and the woman told us they have no fruit at all this year due to the really severe frost we had this spring. What? No apples! This is not good. I spent the rest of the day thinking about how sad it is for the family who owns the orchard.



Last night Samantha and I met Kelly and the kids at Skyline for kids night. Samantha and Tara actually did the craft this time. Usually they say it's more for little kids. But tonight it was a coloring contest for which the winner receives 2 tickets to King's Island. I think the girls mostly did it because Danny couldn't and he really wanted to but it was for kids 10 and under. One of the mom's from Kelly's preschool has started coming to kids night. Her name is Tasey. I remember it because it is like tastey without the second t. Anyway, she sits at the table next to us and we all chat while the kids eat, play, or do what ever it is they do while we are trying to pretend they don't exist. Even though Skyline is fast food and all I really enjoy going each week and chatting with everyone. This week Ciera, our regular waitress was not there and Whitney thought my drink order was strange. Ciera always makes me some sort of really good concoction of lemondade and iced tea. She gets just the right amounts of lemonade, sweet tea and unsweet tea... but I just felt like a dork trying to explain it to Whitney. She said it reminded her of Jeff Lewis from the show "Flipping Out" on Bravo! Oh my God! I can't believe I've been compared to him, not sure whether to take it as a compliment or not. Whitnery did come up with a great drink though! At least I'm quite easily satisfied.



After Skyline we went over to Kelly's for a while. Last week Sean had been upset about something and I had promised him a ride, by himself, in my car. The kid never forgets a thing so this week I gave him his ride. Now that he is in kindergarten he seems so grown up. We had the most lovely conversation. He's such a cute kid. Samantha and Tara played for a while and Kelly, Tim and I sat outside on the fron patio and talked:

• They had never heard the story about John being left in the Georgia room at his interview for the police department...


• We talked about how Kelly never cries... you know, now that she said it I realize that I have never seen her cry...


• We talked about nature vs nurture and the whole "no child left behind" topic...


• We talked about all the news we read in the local paper...

And, I just have to write about, again how much I love Samantha's teachers and the school in general. Both of her teachers have the best senses of humor. I think it adds so much to the learning experience when it is fun.

Sunday was our 12 year anniversary. John had to work but that's okay. I met him for dinner. The rookie he is training was there too but that's okay too.

On Monday John and I went up to Samantha's classroom so that John could meet her teachers. He loved them as do I. We talked and laughed for about 45 minutes. Samantha said that's how they are in class as well, that they laugh a lot. We went up a little early and stood out in the hall and watched Samantha when she didn't know we were there. The desks are pushed into groups of 6 and Samantha is surrounded by boys. She said they are nice though. While we watched her she was siting at her desk chewing on the sleeve of her jacket. (She said she was listening to the story her teacher was reading.) Then one of the little boys leaned across the desks to talk to her, it was sweet. Oh, John got invited to come in for career day too. Samantha will enjoy that.

The Waffle House down the street on the way to school opened up yesterday. Yeah! On our way to school the sign still said: Opening Soon but on the way home it said: NOW OPEN. I got an email from Linda and she said my nephew is working there with his girlfriend. (I've never met the girlfriend.)

This evening we were outside with our neighbor, Skip. Samantha got a bean bag stuck in a tree and the guys set about o get it down for her. They tossed the level, the really long one, up there but that got stuck in the tree too. I ran in the house to get my camera but they wouldn't let me take a picture of it. Then Skip brought over a pole for painting and they got it down with that. We also have had an old Kroger bag up in that tree for about 2 years. John got out the ladder and Skip climbed up with the pole and got it down too. At first they had suggested I climb the tree... you're little, climb on up there... It so doesn't work that way. There is no way, short of being chased by a wiener dog, that I could get up that tree.

John had school today so he left before Samantha and I got up. But, yeah, he will be home this evening.



It was another nice fall morning, crisp and cool, whenI dropped Samantha at school. I am so very greatful that Samantha does not cry anymore at drop off.5 years of that was plenty! She really seems to be enjoying 3rd grade, her teacher and her class.



Since it was the Jewish new year no one was in the office today. Ellen, Carla, Susie and Patricia were all off. That's only 4 people but it seemed like more. And, out T1 line was down all day so that made things interesting. I had been putting off doing PO's for over a month and today was a good day to work on them.


After work I got to school early so I could sit and read a book and enjoy the beautiful weather. Oh, it was gross, this guy pulls up to the curb in from of the school to pick up his kid from the mentally challenged program wearing no short! With these kids the teacher walks each kid out to their ride home and makes sure the get in okay. So... there he is chatting away with the teacher with no shirt and he was definitely a hottie dad. Kelly and I commented that the girls would just die if their dads did that.



Then it was time for pick up and I chatted with another mom. Well, I don't know if chat is the right word because what sh told me was pretty heavy. We started out commenting on this years drop off and pick up routine and she commented that she was glad her kids do not have to ride the bus. I agreed and told her I was glad that I am able to work only part time and am able to adjust my schedule around Samantha. Then she said she has been a stay at home mom for the last 9 years and how lucky she has been to be able to be there for her kids but... she said she didn't know what she was going to do because her husband is in stage 4 liver cancer. She said he has just months and she is trying to adjust to the fact that she will not have him around. How the heck do you adjust to something like that! She said she would have to get a job and then what would she do with the kids. My heart ached for her and I could not stop thinking about her all night.

I can feel autumn in the air. This morning Samantha and I had a lovely walk up to school. The air was cool and crisp and we enjoyed watching the steam rise up from our steaming mug of coffee that we share each morning. I love fall!

Conversation on the way to school this morning:

Samantha: We had a substitute yesterday... her name was Mrs. Bitler.
Me: I wonder if she is related to Mrs. Bruney... Mrs. Bruney the kindergarten teacher not Mrs Bruney the 2nd grade teacher... because her maiden name was Bitler.
Samantha: But Mrs. Bitler's maiden name is Smith (Totally surprised she knew that!) so how could she be related to Mrs. Bruney?
Me: But if Mrs. Bruney has a brother and her brother married Miss Smith then they would be related because Mrs. Bruney's brother will always be a Bitler.
Samantha: Huh?
Me: See, Mrs. Bruney was Miss Bitler until she married Mr. Bruney... and Mrs. Bitler was Miss Smith until she married Mr. Bitler... so, Mr. Bitler, is possibly Mrs. Bruney's brother because Mrs. Bruney used to be Miss Bitler which would make Mrs Bitler Mrs Bruney's sister-in-law... get it?
Samantha: Well I know that they are related because Mrs. Bitler told us so... I wonder if they are related to the principle, Dr. Bruney?

We both laughed the rest of the way to school...


Every year I seem to go through an "I hate my job" phase. I hate these phases and am so glad mine is over for the year and I am back to loving the best job in the whole world.

And speaking of work... there is this cat that appeared on Monday and has been lurking outside our office. It's black and whit and has a little black mustache that makes it look like Hitler. And, it's a sneaky cat. Yesterday I went downstairs to use the rest room and it was lounging on the stairs. I picked it up and tossed it outside, went in to use the rest room, came out about 2 minutes later and did a double take... it was back lounging on the stairs. Sneaky little Hitler Kitty.

John was off yesterday. He made tacos for dinner and afterward we all went for a walk through the neighborhood. The house with the plethora of Pitt Bulls now has a sign out front stating: Warning Security Dogs. Yeah right, how's a dog in a cage going to provide security... I totally want to tack up a new sign that says: Warning Dog Fighting Dogs Locked in Cages on the Premises!

This evening we went to an antiques appraisal at the Town Hall. It was sort of like "Antique Road Show" on PBS. We took a French bayonet from 1881 and a gun we thought was from the Civil War. The appraiser said that the gun may or may not be from the Civil War. He said it is the right age but that a lot of men would just pick up their farm gun an go fight in the war so it is really hard to tell for sure. It was really interesting though. John and I were the youngest there by several decades. I sat next to a 91 year old retired veterinarian. He was awesome. He told me about a 27 caret star sapphire ring he has. He collects men's rings. I thoroughly enjoyed talking to him. The appraiser talked about how the demand for sterling silver flatware has diminished because the younger generation doesn't want to take the time to polish it. And, one of the woman said that she still enjoyed stirring her coffee with a special spoon though. I think that sounds lovely. I plan on digging out one of the silver spoons from John's grandma's set and will have fond memories whenever I stir my coffee with it. That is my favorite part about antiques... the stories behind them.

On Friday evening instead of the concert in the town square Samantha and I decided to go to the high school football game. We had the best time and stayed until the very end. I was pleasantly surprised that Samantha was really into the game. At one point I asked her if she wanted to walk around and she said no, maybe at half time. And when I would look over at her she was intently concentrating on the game. I thought she would rather watch the cheer leaders or people watch like I was but no, she just wanted to watch the game. Plus, it was a perfect evening, not too hot, not too cold. When we got home we settled down on the couch to watch TV and about 10 minuted later it started pouring down rain. How's that for timing!

Oh my... we live among crazy people. Between our neighbor having web cam sex with her European boyfriend and our other neighbor who is pregnant, in a custody battle with her ex and trying to get foster kids... wow, I feel normal. Maybe I'm not all that normal but just seem so in comparison... hhhmm.

This evening Ellen came over. She had never been to our house before so it was fun to show her around. When her youngest son goes away to college next year she ad her husband are going to buy a condo. So, I showed her a few places in town that would be nice. Then we went in to town and had dinner. Samantha had been so excited about going to dinner with Ellen. I thought it was sweet considering that Ellen is my friend and one would think she would find going out with grown ups boring. But, the last two mornings when she looked at the calendar she commented on how excited she was. She was also too sweet ordering from the regular menu. She looked at the kids menu and then seemed upset. When I asked her what was wrong she said she wanted chicken quisedillas and a salad.

This evening Samantha and I went for a walk. We saw Julie out with Cesar who is learning how to walk on a leash quite nicely. Julie said that Co-Cheese died on Saturday. That's sad. She also mentioned that the Shim is supposed to be out of the house soon. It's nice that they didn't get kicked out before Co-Cheese died. I wonder where the Shim will go.

Tomorrow night there is a concert in town that Samantha and I were planning on going to but Samantha said she would rather go to the football game. Maybe we can do both, we'll see.

Ah ha! I knew John would like the kitties! I caught him in the shower saying: "kitty say what"!

And I've figured out a way to get kids to stop saying things... just wait until they hear their parents saying it, case in point: John and I walking around the house all weekend... "kitty say what"... Now when Samantha hears it she rolls her eyes and begs us to stop.

This weekend, on Friday, John worked his regular shift and got home around midnight. Then he got a call at 3am to go in and work a crash. He was there until 4pm Saturday afternoon! I don't know how he works hours like that. I guess it might have something to do with him absolutely loving what he does. Mom always says Dad is happiest at work and I think the same thing about John.

I finished reading "Freedomland". It was a great book. Really well written. I love the way Price described things. So, I finished and then checked the guide for the movie channel and John and I watched it over the weekend. The movie was not good and I was disappointed.

On Sunday Tara came over and we went to the Labor Day Festival in town. It was a nice evening, not too hot and we found a great parking place right up close. They had a band playing Beatles songs. The girls asked what was with the bands outfits. When I explained that they were trying to look like the Beatles the girls said the girls said they totally missed the mark. The girls played a few games, darts and a mouse game where you put a quarter on a number and then this guy let a mouse out of a box and if it ran in the hole with your number then you won a prize. We felt bad for the mouse.

After the festival we all went back to Tara's house. The girls played and Kelly and I hung out and talked. Then when we got home Samantha and I settled in in the living room and watched TV. And, we could just see the fireworks from the festival. Samantha wanted to stay up until Daddy got home but we both fell asleep.

On Monday we went to the Labor Day parade. We got there early and laid out our blanket in a shady spot under a tree along the parade route. I sat and did some great people watching while John and Samantha went to play games at the Labor Day festival. Samantha played skee ball and won 5 stuffed snakes and a yellow stuffed dog. We had a BBQ beef sandwich and waited for the parade. We love parades but wimped out on this year's after 1 1/2 hours. Boy was it long!

We found a dead bird on our front walk. Gross. I wonder what that means... John said it meant someone was going to die but I made him take it back immediately. If it's something bad I totally don't want to know.

The new industrial sales rep starts tomorrow at work. I have this thing about not liking new people and have been trying to talk myself into not feeling this way. It's taken me about 4 months to stop not liking Mark because he was the new guy. It is just with in the last 2 weeks that I have come to the conclusion that he is a nice guy. Maybe this new guy will be different though because he is on the industrial side of things which I don't have much to do with. I wonder if Susan would be surprised that Carla hired someone so quickly...

The house next door, to the east, has been on the market for about 6 months and we noticed that there is a "sale pending sign" out. I am so curious. The people next door have been good neighbors. Actually we do not know them at all and have only spoken to them a handful of times. I suppose it's like that saying, good fences make good neighbors.

And speaking of neighbors... Jess came by this evening when we were out in the front yard. She said that they are having issues with custody. Her ex-husband's mother wants shared custody of the kids and even though she has no chance of getting it she is still causing all kinds of problem. And, her ex is not living up to their custody agreement. Listening to her tell all about things really made me thankful that we are "normal". She also told me something else but I can't write about it yet because I don't want to jeopardize it... but soon.