Just a question........

Why can't I copy and paste onto this blog? I'm sure I can, but I can';t figure it out right now.

I hope everyone's New Year's Eve is going well. I am nursing a sick husband and kid, but anyone with kids knows that someone is bound to be ill as the holidays roll around. As long as I don't get it too, it's ok. And right now, I'm not so sure that I won't get sick--not feeling great.

Just want to wish everyone a very happy new year! God Bless!

Time Warner again.....

Well, TW is at it again. Now supposedly on Monday, we are going to lose our ABC and FOX affiliates, due to corporate greed---whose depends on which side of the negotiating table you are on, I guess. It just strengthens my resolve to get Dish or Directv; I just have to number crunch to check their prices against what I can afford--and check their fine print very carefully.

I have found a number of cross stitch websites--how's that for a transition?--that I really like. One is called The Scarlet Quince. Very cool. I would like 4 or 5 of their designs but they would take me a lifetime to complete. No topstitching or partial stitches or beads, etc, just pure cross stitch. And the designs are as detailed as the original art pieces.

I wish I had the talent to design my own pieces, but since I can't draw a straight line even with a ruler, much less transfer my idea to graph paper without barfing at the result, I'll settle for stitching other people's designs. God put my talent somewhere else, I suppose.

I hope everyone's New Year is wonderful. Here is to a great 2007!!!!

new pet peeve....

Ok, so it's not like it' searth sahttering or anything, but I would really like A&E to get some new CSI:Miami shows. Or at least run them in order, instead of skipping season to season. I swear they have a contract with CBS or something to keep us from taping the darn things so we have to buy the pricey DVD sets to get what we want. My kids are at their dad's in CT right now for Christmas break and they got gift cards to Barnes and Noble--where they saw the DVD sets for upwards of $90. Ouch. Double ouch. Sorry guys I have to wait until they are released to Wally World so I might have a chance of affording them.
I paid $60 a year or so ago for the DVD set of the North and South mini-series that ran in the mid to late '80's. Sorry y'all, I am a Civil War nut, sort of, and a big John Jakes fan, ever since reading his Kent Family Chronicles years ago. So therefore, since no one will re-run the series, I had to buy it.
My kids want all the Family guy and Simpsons episodes. I don't know. At least they are not asking for South Park or Jackass---both of which are banned at my house. We don't currently have Comedy Central on our crappy cable (see prior posts!!!!) and I have MTV blocked, as well as E!, much to the dismay of the 16 yr old stepdaughter who apparently is a Laguna Beach fan. I'm getting ready to block Noggin (or the "N") when she is here, because I'm a little concerned about the Degrassi show. But at least there doesn;t seem to be the language and flesh on it.

I am tired of Christmas--I am waiting until my boys come home Monday before I take the decorations down---seems to be a tradition that if they are here for the holiday, then the tree is down long before New Year's, but when they are not, due to visitation, it waits until they go back to school after the break. I don't honestly know how Shel is going to react when she no longer has the lights in her window to leave on while she goes to sleep each night.

She went to the dr today--upper respiratory infection (Ron has the flu!!), but then she went birthday shopping for my niece and grocery shopping. We hit Wally World for food and got some wrapping paper and bows and stuff half price for next year. I used part of the gift card money my MIL gave me to get one of those huge cosmetic kits at half price and got Shel a kiddie one with makeup---eye shadow, blush, lipgloss, nail polish----for the girly girl in her, with the understanding that should she have the stuff on when we have to go somewhere, her face gets washed before we go. She is only 5 after all----no JonBenet here. My older girls and other assorted relatives have all been informed that she does not wear the real stuff out until she is a teenager, and then only in graduated steps. She's happy just to be able to "play" with it---and the scary thing is she is pretty good at putting the stuff on. LOL!!!!

I have found some really good blogs about stitching---I cross stitch and knit and sometimes hit a sewing jag. One was through a link from the DMC site's message board, to a blogger who lists a challenge-----I think I am going to do it to clear out some of my stock. And I think one of the first projects I will work at clearing is all the hand and fingertip and kitchen towels--I have a big plastic tote full of these x-stitchables, and tons of patterns to do on them, so there we go! I also need to find Shellie's 1st Christmas stocking and finish it-----she's 5!!

Anyway, need to go surf for some low carb/low fat recipes that might actually taste good---I am determined to shed major weight this year, but my family still has to eat too!!And I refuse to eat cardboard tasting foods, or do the diet drink thing until I have to stay in the bathroom all the time.......work is cut out for me----my goal is 25 pounds by next Christmas. I gues I need to find the scale too. Now that job might work come weight off me!!!!!

Here we go.....

My daughter--the 5 yr old---got a great gift from Santa and his elf----her first boombox. As well as her first two cd's. Now as she is 5, I monitor what she listens to--right now she has WorshipJamz2 and Faith Hill "Fireflies". She wants every Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban, plus Sugarland. I guess that tells you she is most exposed to country and contemporary Christian. No Mom she is not going to get any Gretchen Wilson "All Jacked up" and etc. What does worry me to a degree is that with her dad, she is exposed to a whole different set of music--I.e. hard rock and metal/alternative. He is a lot more conscious of song lyrics she hears, ever since she quoted a song called "Crazy Bitch" to my mom. I thought we were all gonna get our butts whipped on that one. So I showed her how to work the machine, but I sat her down seriously and told her that she could listen to any station she wanted, but I and Daddy had final say on what songs were ok or not. She's huge into music, so I hate to keep any type from her, but I won't have filthy lyrics or vulgar innuendos that I have to explain to her on the radio. Which cuts out most rap/hiphop that the local station airs (not that I can take that stuff anyway), and quite a number of rock and country songs, too. Fortunately, Christian music has evolved over the years from the old time gospel songs (No, I am NOT knocking those down!) to songs in every genre of music, from pop to rock to rap to country, etc. so at least she will have all the styles, if not a number of individual tunes.
Headphones are not an option at her age either, as I think that's half the reason Ron and I have trouble hearing sometimes. So far she has done real well on the volume control--I've only had to tell her once to turn it down.
And to think when I was 5 I don;t honestly think I had a record player (I know--what's that?).
I was 16 before I got my first boombox----I was hot stuff with dual cassettes. Hey we are talking early '80's!!!!!

Pretty girl......

Well, if the image will actually upload, you should see my baby opening gifts at her mom-maw's on Christmas Eve. If not, then you will jsut have to imagine the bright eyes and pleased smile as she gets yet another Polly Pocket gift.

I'm trying to stay positive and upbeat and out of politics, etc., right now. Just enjoying my kid. My boys are at their dad's over break and we assume the girls are at their mom's so we just have our baby to enjoy. Poor thing hasn't felt good all day--this cold has hit her hard. Still no sign of infection, so treating symptoms at this point. No sense wasting my time and money to have the dr tell me to treat syptoms and force fluids down her. I know that much. She's only the third I birthed. Of course she may wake up in horrible shape tomorrow and I'll have to take her in, but one day at a time---she could also wake up super hungry and feeling great. I hope for the second option!

I found a great blog through a cross stitch message board---the lady writing it has a challenge to fellow stitchers to not buy any more cross stitch stuff until you have finished x number of works in progress---pick a number based on your on hand unfinished objects. I may take her up on it, as I have oodles and oodles--just ask my darling husband who is so patient with me on this, even though it may end up scattered from room to room at times. So different from my ex, who resented every penny I squeezed from the budget to do this hobby--as well as being jealous of the time I spent on it, never mind that his hobby (fantasy sports) was very expensive and time consuming and not something I had any interest in either. Of course he also resented my using coupons and shopping at discount stores too. Oh well. He's gone and I am better off for it. Of course, my husband now will tell you that I am high maintenance, but he married me knowing that! And he is in awe of the stitching I do, as I am in awe of his musical ability.

Mutual admiration society? Why not?!

Another Christmas survived.......

And actually, it wasn't too bad this year---no one fought or griped. The only bad spot was my niece was really sick the first half of the day--threw up in her parent's car coming down here and just miserable after that, and my little Shellie was on the verge of a serious cold all day. She's been trying not to succumb for the past couple of days, but I'll probably be at the dr.'s before the week is out. (My niece was much better by the evening so thank God for that--nothing serious.) Dinner at Mom's was great as always, and the company and presents were also. Then to my MIL's for a while (we do Christmas on Christmas Eve there, so the big do was over with, just being mom and kids for a while.)Then home, where the 5 yr old can't decide what to play with first, of course. So we limited her her a few smaller things, as we have no idea where to put the PlayDough table and the kid's fort and the Barbie house, etc. You get the picture. My boys are with their dad this Christmas and hubby's girls are at their mom's--we got them for the weekend until after the do at my MIL's.
I just finished cleaning Shellie's room so we can try to work at least the smaller stuff in there, and now am going to give her a bath so her hair will dry before bed. Hubby went to the shop to work tonight, but he was off from the church today and tomorrow, so maybe tomorrow we will get some time together--today we just couch-potato'ed it--him on the couch and me in bed watching different tv stations and dozing between "mommy..."'s and "daddy.."'s from our precious child as she listened to her Faith Hill "Fireflies" cd on her new boom box that Santa brought her.
And.........news flash.......stop the presses.....our trash actually got picked up today and I didn't have to call anyone to fight with them!!!!!!!!!My blood pressure thanks them......LOL.

I wonder....

Seriously, I think there is a conspiracy at the local trash company to screw up my account every time I turn around. Our bill was paid up to date--I personally take it into the local office to ensure they get it---and pick up day in my area is Mondays. So Monday, I have a sick 12 yr old at home and I had to go to PT for my back. When I came home, I passed the trash truck about a mile from my house, going back to pick up some of the "hollers" off the main road. So I pull into my road, past my trash bin, and notice that while everyone else's had been picked up, ours was still full. Hmmm........
So just to double check, I called my husband and asked if he had his checkbook and could he check to see when the last bill was paid, and in what amount. He told me, we're up to date, so I called the local office and asked what was up. After giving them the account info, I am informed we have no account at this address, that it is located at another address, which happened to be our former residence that my sister in law is moving into. So I said, "Nope, we've been here since April--that was our old place." After about 15 minutes, the lady finally, supposedly, gets the computer right and says that they will get in touch with the driver and have him come back.
That was at 10:30 in the morning. At 3 pm, son and I are both awake from naps and I look out and notice the trash is still there, 5 1/2 hours later. Ok so I call again and ask why. The same lady tells me they were unable to reach the driver and we would be picked up on Tuesday. I thing she is blowing smoke up my rear, but fine, Tuesday will work.
So yesterday I go to PT at 9:00 and I am home just after 10:30. Trash is still there. At 2:30 it is still there, so I call yet again. And am told the driver has already come back in. Now I get pissed--not just irritated like Monday, but out and out pissed. To my credit, I didn;t yell at her or cuss at her, but she was very firmly told I wanted that trash gone NOW. She said she would try to get a supervisor out here last evening or today. She got told it would be done last evening, as this whole fiasco was not my fault, it was theirs, and they needed to correct it now. She said, "well I'm doing what I can--I'm requesting a supervisor to pick it up." I told her, still firmly and bluntly, that her best would be to make sure that someone was out here to get my trash sometime in the next 1 1/2 hrs or so (so their office would still be open to take another call), or they would come in on Wednesday to find my trash on their doorstep. They made the mistake, I gave them time to correct it--within the time frame they promised originally---sorry about their luck.
45 minutes later, I got a call back from them telling me that they had a supervisor coming in from Logan Co--about 1 hr or so south of me----and he would be here probably just after dark to pick it up. I thanked them and sure enough, as I was leaving for my 14 yr olds concert at 6 pm, lo and behold, the trash guy was picking up the trash.
Again, sometimes it pays to let 'em know just what is what.

By the way, the Christmas concert was most excellent!!

here you go again....

Would someone please tell Dennis Kucinich of Ohio that no one gives a rat's rear end whether or not he runs for President---again? He's a complete nut job, like that bozo out in California who was governor when I lived there in the late '70's. Jerry Brown, was that it? Prop 13 and the whole shebang. Please.
Is there anyone with intelligence and common sense who will take the leap? God knows, no one who is currently in the arena has it.

update on Time Warner.....

Thanks Mike, for your comment---Dad said the same thing pretty much.

For anyone else out there who read the prior post, I had to call TW AGAIN on Saturday after I got home from the store. I decided to check and see if the channel had come on yet, and of course it hadn't. So I called yet again and asked what the deal was. The girl told me that yes a deal had been reached so I should have the channel. My reply was "well I don't and I want it fixed now." She said that they would put in a work order with the local office (this is a call center in Florida--ask me what that has to do with WV, and I know everything is going that direction). I told her that the guy the night before was supposed to have done that, and I wanted my station back on now, and how long was it going to take to get someone to take care of it. She said that once the order was put in it was up to the local office to do it. Again I asked her how long, and she said she didn't know. So I put it to her like this: I have been completely without this station since Thursday night. I have talked to 4 different people since Thursday night at that call center and have been given 4 different answers. I pay $50 plus dollars a month for their crappy cable and service, and I demand that my station be back on my tv by end of that day or they were going to reduce my bill for my inconvenience. Even if I have to stage a fight all the way to the corporate office in NY NY. Ya dig? (to quote my husband when he is trying to get a point across to a dimwit.) Then I hung up.
2 hours later my station was back on.
Sometimes it pays to get pissed, doesn't it?
HEE HEE.

cable sucks.....

Or to be more accurate--Time Warner sucks. Big time. I love getting the run around. I swear I'm switching to DISH. For the last couple months or so, TW has blurbed on the Weather channel screen that they may be dropping our local NB affiliate, pending "ongoing negotiations." MMM..HMMMM. Anyway, as it got closer to the deadline this past couple of weeks, reception (and I have digital) has been getting worse and worse. So last night, I turned to the news on that channel and got...nothing. So I called TW and was told there was a local outage, nothing to due with the fact that tonight is the deadline. Ok, fine. Today after I got home from PT the channel still wasn't on, nor was it on this morning as my kids got ready for school (we had a dusitng of snow yesterday--you know kids). So I called again and was told it was off the air and to call my local station. I did, after giving TW a piece of my mind (like I can spare any), and was told to call the cable co.
I called Dad, who recommended the co. commission, as they license the cable franchise. They told me it wasn't their problem and to call the PSC for the state. Which I did, and they referred me back to the co. commission. This time I called them back and told them to find out who in the hell knew anything down there and to have them call me back. Well, you can guess, no phone call. That's fine. I will call back Monday and let that gentleman have it for not returning my call.
About 5:30 today I got online and went the the local station's homepage. Lo and behold, they said, in a post from about 4pm, that a deal had been reached. Oh goody. So I go to the TV and turn to that station and guess what--no feed. So I call TW again and say what the hell. They don;'t know and all that. So there is an order supposedly in to check the signal. Yeah, right.
That's ok, with DISH I'llget 3 times as many channels for about the same price.

You just watch me.

the warm fuzzies...

I've got the warm fuzzies right now---fire in the fireplace--which my husband got going before he left for his evening job, and I have actually managed to keep going for the last 6 hrs. Plus, the kids were bathed by 8pm and we watched "the Year without a Santa Claus." Cool. Plus our tree is up and decorated and the house deco is nearly done. Now all we need is gifts---anyone got $$$ to spare? Yeah I thought so. Oh well.
I'm thinking of making some gifts. I'm off work, so why not get the kids to haul out my sewing machine--at least I could make everyone sleep pants and stuff--thereby cutting down on expenses--they all need them, as for some strange reason, everyone decided to grow this past year!!!--and I already have the material for most of them--and at walmart, I can get more for a buck a yard. Never pay full price for this stuff--wait til the sales!!
About 10years ago I cross-stitched bookmarks for everyone--they went over really well with most people. I was with my ex at the time and we were on the verge of splitting up for good, and he was on the verge of losing his job too, so as I was a stay at home mom, I had the time and want to to do it. With the sleep pants, etc., if I can get them cut out, they are very quick to get stitched up, so I could theoretically turn out several pairs a day--depending on how my back is doing.
Hmmmm........could be a decent idea.......could be.....

Ah the joy of Christmas....

Just in case you think you have missed out on all the joy this season has to offer, just visit your local Wally World. Or probably any other major retailer--Meijer, Kmart, etc. I went to my local W tonight to get some more cup hooks to hang lights with, and oh the joy I feel from other people. Like the ones who just refuse to move out of the way even though you have politely said "excuse me" about half a dozen times. Or the boneheads who think that if they wait and block traffic in the parking lot aisle, they will get a much better spot than if they just parked in a space and walked--news flash most of us need the exercise!! There is no patience and no consideration at this holiest of holidays. And yes, I don;t have a lot of patience myself. But when I see someone with a loaded buggy and a gaggle of kids, I do move out of the way--been there done that still do it. I don;t hold up traffic waiting for the perfect spot--even with my back in the shape it is in, knowing I will be miserable before I even get inside the store, I go ahead and park so that I am not holding up progress.
And the foulness coming out of some people's mouths--directed at anyone else, including their own kids. Lordamercy.