Friday, February 26, 2016

You Can Blame Bryan for the Lack of Video, TToT Week 141

Well, it finally happened.

Facebook, that egotistical entity that tells me which posts I should and should not see, that creepy being that finds people I haven't spoken to in 25 years simply by knowing I used to live in Ohio, has finally given me the power to like, love, be sad, be angry, be surprised, and laugh out loud with one little click of my mouse.

Because I didn't spend enough time scrolling through the lives and likes of other people, now I get to spend more time trying to figure out exactly how I feel about all those posts they share. While we used to stress over how many likes we did or did not get, now we get to stress over the people who rage (Is that what that emoji is called?) over what we share.

OK, so I don't analyze or stress over which emoji I choose or how many likes I get. BUT you know some people do.

In a world where Donald Trump is winning presidential primaries, you know there are people stressing over emojis.

Because this world has lost its mind.

That's all I'm gonna say about that.

You can thank the pain meds I've been on for that little intro.

There are still normal things going on for which I can be thankful.

1. I survived oral surgery. The pain has been managed quite well, and I'm able to eat way more than I thought I would.

2. The applesauce I spent so much time making last fall came in very handy. I've eaten over a quart all by myself this week.

3. Pudding has been helpful, too.

4. There are no videos of me being dumb after the surgery. While I did make the mistake of trying to email and comment on facebook while completely incoherent, there is no video embarrassment. (Seriously, when someone asked a simple question about an AP test being given, I replied, outschool is, but it'e llpr wtwtee". It didn't get better when she asked for clarification. (And that probably explains my lack of promised post this week.))

5. I had lots of people offer help, which we ended up not needing except for that first day when a friend picked the kids up from school for me.

6. Phoenix's tournament was cancelled last week, so Bryan was able to join me at our school's fund dinner. We had loads of laughs with the few other "old" parents in attendance.

7. Phoenix and Buttercup had fun and did very well at their Mock Trial competition last week. So well, in fact, that their team is moving on to state! They are working hard to perfect some things before the competition next week. (Bonus thankful: We live in the state capital, where the competition takes place, so there won't be any travel for it.)

8. While I was at home recovering, I did manage to have one productive day. I made some headway cleaning out the basement and stripping wallpaper, and I scheduled a painter and a chimney repair guy to come give us some estimates. I have given myself a little over one year to get everything we need done to be done. When Phoenix graduates, and we have to have an open house, this house will be ready!

9. One of our favorite people in the world (the dad of the family with whom we vacation every year) came through Indy on Thursday. He stopped in to play fuseball and football with the boys and have dinner with the rest of us.

10. The beautiful weather returns tomorrow. It's so nice to have it on a Saturday instead of being wasted on a school day.

How has your week been? Tell me all about those things for which you are thankful.

Have a lovely day!


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Monday, February 22, 2016

Fodder for My Own Blog

Four prescription bottles are waiting on the kitchen counter.

A vat of chocolate pudding is waiting in the refrigerator.

Bryan and the kids are waiting to capture all photographic and video evidence.

Mama's goin' on pain meds tomorrow, and they cannot wait.

Their memories of my post-surgery, drugged up behavior is fresh in their minds.

Almost like it happened yesterday.

They were woefully unprepared for the experience.

This time, Bryan has promised to get it all on video for them.

I'm guessing it won't be quite as much fun, though.

This time, I'm having oral surgery.

The periodontist will be cutting out some of my gums around two of my wisdom teeth.

Stitches will be involved.

Between the stitches and the swelling, I can't imagine I'll be doing much talking.

But there will be pain meds.

And when there are pain meds, there will be pudding.

And when there are pain meds and pudding, an embarrassing photo can't be far behind.

I'll keep you posted.

Have a lovely day!

Saturday, February 20, 2016

Happy, Springlike Thankfuls! TTot Week 140

I think I've figured out why I haven't been writing much lately, besides the fact I have been busy. I don't have anything funny to say. There's been all sorts of not devastating but not funny stuff happening around us lately. The only posts I have in my brain to write are not funny ones. They are just things I want to get off my chest. It's not nearly as fun to write those sorts of posts, and it certainly isn't any fun to read them. So I don't write. But then I can't get unstuck. So, I sat down and wrote a get-this-off-my chest post today. It's almost ready to publish. I'll post it next week. Then, I'm hoping my funny bone will be released, and I can get back to what I like to write the most. Thanks for hanging in with me.

On to the point of the post...

The Thankfuls!

1. Bryan and I had a nice, relaxing day and a half to ourselves last weekend. I felt bad that the view from our hotel was Bryan's office, but we didn't run into anyone we knew, and if we didn't look out the window, we could forget that we were in downtown Indy.

We went to the Eiteljorg (Museum of Native Americans and Western Art),


drove through the beautiful, historic Crown Hill Cemetery,





saw the musical Once at Butler University, had a delicious dinner at the boisterous Greek Island, and had a nice time trying out all sorts of wine at Tastings. The next morning we slept in, read the newspaper in bed, and didn't leave the hotel until they made us at checkout time.

All told, a lovely weekend with my darling husband.

2. My mom made it home safely. When she left our house on Sunday, it was snowing. Really, really snowing. We begged her to stay the night, but she had plans with her friends later in the day. Her normally 2 hour drive ended up being a 4 hour nightmare, with slide offs and accidents all the way home. She was fortunate to not be involved in any of the mishaps, especially since one car spun out right in front of her.

3. The volleyball tournament Phoenix was supposed to play in this weekend was cancelled. It was a one-day tournament over three hours away in Illinois (requiring an overnight stay on Saturday). We get to save some money, and now Bryan can come to our school's dinner with me on Saturday night.

4. The weather has been warmer the last couple of days, so the little boys have been able to play outside while waiting for Giant to finish middle school musical practice. The school's playground is getting remodeled and is off limits, which is where the little boys would normally play with a gaggle of other kids. Instead, it was just Turken and Star on the blacktopped parking lot. Thankfully, they are perfectly happy simply kicking a ball back and forth to each other for an hour.

5. Ever since last year's high school volleyball season, everyone has been worried. Only one senior graduated, so there was the potential for a lot of kids to get cut. Thankfully, things worked out so almost all of the kids could stay, including Phoenix. He gets to keep playing, and he's happy.

6. For Lent, one thing I decided to do was attend at least one weekday Mass each week as well as the Lenten Bible study put on by our parish. The day just goes better when you start it with Jesus. As for the Bible study, it is a very interesting video series. I've already learned a lot in the first two weeks.

7. High school track practices have started in earnest, and I actually have a kid running!! Track was my sport in school. From 7th grade through college, the track was my place. Even now, when I smell a rubberized track, I want to break out into a sprint. But except for Star taking a short, one season stint in 4th grade, I haven't been able to enjoy any track meets. No longer! Star decided that freshman year is his chance to give it another try. They pulled him up to run with the upperclassmen at the last practice, and he is having a ball lifting weights and getting as buff as a 5'10", 110 pound kid can get.

8. I tried making something very outside my normal meal making last night using a recipe from the internet. Fish tacos with a cabbage slaw. It went over very well with the family.

9. Phoenix and Buttercup are competing in Mock Trial today. They've had fun preparing over the last many months, and I've had fun watching them become even better friends through the shared experience.

10. A robin flew by my car the other day!! As if that wasn't enough to get my IT'S SPRING excitement going, it is supposed to be 62 degrees and sunny today. Glorious, I tell you. Glorious.

Your turn! Tell me all about your thankfuls!

Have a lovely day!


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Friday, February 12, 2016

I'm Back! Ten Things of Thankful Week 139

Well hello, Everyone!!! Long time no talk.

Jumping right in...

1. Thank you to the folks who wrote/text/called to see if I was OK. Missing last week's thankful list without notice had people wondering. Absolutely nothing bad happened. Just lots and lots of life going on, leaving me without the time to write a post.

2. Thank you to the lovely lady who took the time to write the sweetest email, letting me know she found my blog and has enjoyed going through the posts.

3. I'm thankful for the principal and teachers and staff at our kids' schools that have helped Bryan and me raise our kids. As usual, I was tearing up at the all-school Mass last week, but I cried even worse, since it was Catholic Schools Week. Four alumni are asked to come back to the elementary/middle school (one from each grade in high school) to give a talk. Buttercup was one of the kids this year. She did a bang up job.

4. I'm thankful to Star who helped me make dozens and dozens of cookies last weekend. There is a group of elderly folks at church who get together to play cards every once in a while, and we made the cookies for this month's gathering. I would have been in serious trouble time-wise without his help.

5. I'm thankful that my book club was able to get together on Friday night. We are a group of vastly different people, but it works.

6. I'm thankful that I was able to attend a Euchre tournament last Saturday. Bryan was working all weekend, so I asked my friend Kris (some of you may remember her as Mrs. Always Random) to go with me. We had a great time and we raised a good chunk of money for a 7th grader to take to the Romanian orphanage where she will be working this summer.

7. I'm thankful for the vomit-free Super Bowl viewing. It's the one night each year Bryan and the kids buy and eat all sorts of boxed, processed crap to eat. I did manage to get some healthy things in them (by making deviled eggs, chocolate covered strawberries, and apples with caramel dip), too. Best part, though, is that all but two of the kids finally realized that the tradition of squirting canned Cheeze-whiz in their mouths when a team scores a touchdown is disgusting.

8. I discovered some seriously hard classes at the gym. I went to one on Monday, and parts of me are still sore on Friday. I'll now be going every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday that I'm able.

9. For Christmas, Bryan got me a Roomba. (It's a robot vacuum cleaner. (We don't need to talk about if this is a good gift for a husband to give. Just read this post about bad gifts he's given in the past. The poor guy is trying really, really hard to come up with thoughtful gifts.)) I didn't think I'd like it. And while it isn't the most efficient machine in the world, and I do have to use my standing vacuum to get some corners and hidden nooks, I love that I can be scrubbing the kitchen floor (or sitting on my butt reading a book) while the rest of the house gets vacuumed.

10. Saturday morning, Bryan and I are heading out for a weekend on our own. Yup, my mom is coming to stay with the kids, so Bryan and I can have a couple of days to ourselves. Sure, we're just going downtown, basically across the street from Bryan's office, but we're going. I'm so thankful my mom is willing and able to take care of things and that the kids love it when she comes to visit.

How have your last two weeks been? What has happened to make you want to yell, "Thank you!"

Link 'em up!

Have a lovely day!


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