Good Evening, Flowers! It's been another day in paradise . . . sunny, windy, and cold! I finally sent an email to the headquarters of the business where we bought our tub. We are into week #5 and I am tired of waiting! Within 15 min. I had an email back asking for phone #s and dates. When I got home after school there was a message on the answering machine saying that the work order was held up because there is a # missing in the serial # we gave them 5 weeks ago! So I stood on my head, wrote it down again (Bob did it the first time), and called it in. I did mention that it seemed rather strange that it took 5 weeks and an email for them to figure out they were missing a #! I'm sure the salesman got the gist of my attitude from my tone of voice. I ended the conversation saying I wondered how much longer we would have waited until they called us to ask for the missing #. GRRRRRRRRRR!
"Gma" -- It is much too soon to be having summer weather, that's for sure! The last few days have been chilly here -- the furnace is running again. It was nice of the district manager to contact you and get your credit card bill straightened out. Hopefully the paperwork will go through without a hitch. So, has Jack started on the desk disassembling/assembling project yet?
I need to make a couple of phone calls so had better get moving. Have a terrific Thursday tomorrow!
Good morning gals and hope your day is starting out well. Allergies have my eyes swollen so I almost can't see and my adenoids so I keep choking. My tummy is upset from it a little too so I hope as the morning rolls along I "right" myself and feel better. It is so very very humid here.
Jean: Hope you finally get someone in to do that tub. I told Jack this morning, companies sell you something and then wash their hands of you and it is almost impossible to get satisfaction from anybody. As for the desk, that is going to probably have to wait until next weekend as I need him to go with me shopping this weekend. I am putting us back on a diet and I need him to pick out cereal and stuff for his lunches. I am going on a very strigent program for about a month and have to buy everything for it. I just want to get a really good jump start on a program again and this will do what I think WW calls their Quick Start program.
Not much happening here. Went out to lunch with dd yesterday and got a call from the sister with family problem and the division of the company her husband works for is closing (I think I mentioned a couple months ago he was afraid he was going to lose his job, well it is a fact now) If their idiot son hadn't gotten into trouble, my bil had applied for a good position in Chicago, which would take them close to back home and he pulled out when their grown son got into major drug trouble (which they have sort of put their heads in the sand about.)
Well, I need to get going and clean up dishes this morning. I made Jack sausage gravy and biscuits and it is always a mess to clean up.
Good Afternoon, Flowers! It's another windy, sunny, and cold day in my corner of the world. We have no heat at school so it is pretty chilly in some of the rooms where the windows don't fit tight.
The plan for next year's math is to have all special ed. students in pre-algebra classes with a special ed. teacher co-teaching with the regular math teacher. We just got the scores from the 8th graders and several are at 1st and 2nd grade level for math. There is no way they will be able to handle a class of 25 to 30 students let alone pre-algebra when they can't even do the basics. I hope someone will see the light before the schedule is set in stone for next year. The special ed. director says there will be a low level basic math class and the principal says no way. We'll see who wins on that one.
"Gma' -- I hope your allergies have settled down for you and you are feeling better. Good luck with starting the new diet . . . keep us posted on how it is working. I get enthused and then get unenthused in a few days! We need to start walking again, but it has been so cold and windy that I don't want to be outside any longer than I have to. That is too bad about your sister and bil -- I hope he is able to find another job. It is hard when you get older that is for sure. Maybe moving away from their kid wouldn't be such a bad idea unless he is still in high school and they have to take him along.
Well, I should get off the computer just in case the tub man might call yet this afternoon. Have a fantastic Friday tomorrow!
Good morning gals and boy is it ever wet here this morning. It started thunder and lightening around 4 and now it is raining to beat 60. I guess I will be staying indoors today!
Jean: I sent you an email explaining some "stuff." It irritates me that people coddle their kids so much and don't make them responsible for their own actions, especially once they become adults for heaven's sake. Be interesting to see kids at your school who can barely add and subtract do algebra calculations. No way would they ever be able to get their minds around it. Be like trying to teach my grandson algebra and he would probably grasp it better then they would if he could.
Jack just called and said he got gas and they didn't have receipts and so he wanted to let me know it was $42 to fill up! YIKES! I guess gas is up to $2.75 a gallon here. If we don't use the car for anything but Jack going back and forth to work, we use a tank a week, which at today's prices is $124 a month just to go to work and come back. Jack says if it gets much worse he is going to look into get a motor scooter though he will have to take city streets instead of the interstate.
Well, I guess I better get hopping and get the day going. Everyone have a good day and a good weekend. I am hoping for rain tomorrow so they call off the soccer games. If not, the fields are going to be mud pits because this is the second straight day of heavy rain.
Good Evening and Happy Friday! I left a huge pile on my desk today; it seemed like every time I would start on something I would get interrupted. I hate starting next week off with a pile, but I didn't feel like staying late today either.
My mil has decided she doesn't want to live alone at the lake this summer. So that means selling a house in Tucson, packing up what she wants to bring back to Iowa, and finding a place for her to live in back here then shopping for furniture. We are going to visit an assisted living facility tomorrow in Sioux City. She still has some college friends as well as her little hometown friends in the area. They would be more likely to visit her there than if we move her here where we live. Our kids will also be close and can visit her. Lots of decisions to be made in a short amount of time.
"Gma" -- We were supposed to get some rain today but so far none has happened. It was pretty dark to the north of us this afternoon so I suppose they got the rain. Gas was $2.89 this afternoon. Tonight on the news the reporter said it could hit $4.00 this summer. I'll bet that will hurt the travel/vacation industry. I'm hoping I will still be able to go into one of the 3 semester algebra classes next year. We are getting new math books and the teacher has said the new ones will be totally different than what we have now. I did the assignments last year and it's been nice working with the students this year because I knew what I was doing. You are a nice grandma to sit through soccer practices!
I need to wrap Kolby's birthday gifts. We are going to party tomorrow afternoon! It's hard to believe he is a year old already. Babies grow up way too fast!
Good morning everyone! Looks a little dreary outside this morning so don't know if we will get more rain or not. They canceled the soccer matches for today because the field is way too wet to play. It becomes a real mud pit. I remember it from rains we had last year and played in and I think parents complained about it.
Jean: I think your mil might just like assisted living if you can find a nice place for her. I have seen a lot of really nice upscale ones where the folks living there have a great time. It is always nice to get new schoolbooks and have a better advantage teaching than from stuff that is antiquated. I had an Algebra book that was probably 15 years old when I went to school. Not that math concepts change that much, but you wonder if kids who see beat up books everyday don't internalize that a bit subconsciously and not try as hard than if they had bright new shiny textbooks. That would be a good thesis for someone! As for soccer, both sets of grandparents go to all his practices and game. His aunt comes also, so he has the biggest cheering section of anyone!
Today is the dreaded....commissary day....ugh! Jack is going with me though as he needs to pick out food to get us both back to dieting come Monday.
I bought the cutest pants outfit from QVC on Thursday. I have a pantsuit in the same fabric and adore it. The stuff won't wrinkle no matter what you do and it is so comfortable. It stretches with you. I bought a pants and long vest thingy you can wear alone or with a tshirt in a beautiful purple. Can't wait to get it. I am tempted to order this cute pair of thong sandals that are Rockports and purple suede but I guess I shouldn't order more stuff. I have been spending a lot of money lately and really need to get started on Jack's office for him.
Good Evening! It's been a long day and I am heading off to bed shortly. We started the day early by visiting the assisted living facility in Sioux City. The head nurse is going to Tucson for a meeting next week so will stop by and visit mil to make an evaluation. We put a deposit down so she is on the list!
We did some shopping at the mall. I was looking for a dress/outfit for a wedding in June. I've decided the buyers are buying for someone other than my age bracket! Everything was low cut, tiny straps, slinky material, and with beads of some sort. Guess I will wear something I've had in my closet for years! I did buy jammies for the grandkids and shirts for Bob!
The birthday celebration was a big success! The energy of 4 little ones wanting to go outside keeps everyone on their toes!
"Gma" -- I've seen some really cute clothes on QVC, but I am not sure what size to order. I know you've said you have good luck ordering from them. I'd say that T is lucky to have such a great cheering group come to watch him! Did you find anything new or different for diet food? I need to get serious again! I've played around with the same few pounds much too long. Bob was impressed with the assisted living facility. We also visited the independent living apartments which are bigger and in a different building. They get two meals instead of three and have stoves in the apts. where the assisted living apts. only have refrigerators and microwaves. There are lots of planned activities for the residents; you only have to be 55 to live there and I think I could do that!
I am heading off to bed! Hope you all have a relaxing Sunday!
Good morning everyone! I woke up with a little backache and think I just twisted in the night a little so I decided just to get up and start my morning early I guess.
I think we finally have a winner with regards to my dh's room! YAHOOOOO! While we were out shopping yesterday he found the desk he wanted and a little side table that has a drawer in it for all his geneology files and it cost $100 less than the one I have and even has a whole bedroom suite you can buy for it if we ever would make a bedroom out of that room. We did continue to have a "discussion" about paint though and I couldn't make him understand that I wasn't trying to force my opinion but that I thought he would not like the paint color he picked for trim as it looked orange (as it is was that color right there!) and he kept telling me he wanted butterscotch. I told him the little candies are yellow and he said, not those, butterscotch pudding! UGH, how was I to know I needed to buy pudding and make it to match the color! Anyhow, he finally got my goat about the shutter business again because I told him that they were very expensive and he would have to like them for years and years to make it worthwhile. Anyway, I went downstairs and he came down and said to stop the fighting I could paint it anyway and do whatever I wanted. I told him I didn't want it MY way, I just wanted him to be happy with something for awhile and reminded him that when we bought the red, I told him he wouldn't like it that it was the wrong color and that caused a big argument 4 years ago and he now says he never liked it because, "It wasn't the right red." DUH! After some discussion (nice discussion) he said something about he liked blue but didn't want to have another blue room (our guest bedroom is blue hot air balloon wallpaper, our living room and kitchen are both blue) I made some comment about Navy and Gray and he got all excited and said yes so there you go! He got all excited when I found a palette of cadet gray and enchanted navy (Naval colors are blue and gray btw) so he thought it was fate with the names! No, it is a woman who can match colors well! On top of that, because I think natural wood shutters (remember $800) would look funny with Navy trim, he relented to get the faux shutters in white, which he admitted would look really nice. Ahhhhhhh, peace at last! You have to remember that his room currently is an off white wall and RED trim that looks like squashed tomatoes!
As for the go round about the desk, because he wasn't listening to me, he thought I meant for like a month he would use the folding table and I told him NO, what I said was how was he going to take down the new one and still have his computer up and going when he couldn't put together the new one until the old one was out of the room. I told him he kept insisting it stay connected the whole time and I told him that was impossible the way we had to do it so I maybe got through the head this time. We are going to pick up the paint and desk, table today and get a price for the faux shutters while we are at Lowes. I did tell him to buy a quart of each color just to make sure he is going to like it and we will paint a swatch before we commit as I don't want to go round and round again.
Jean: A couple years ago, I interviewed for a front desk job at one assisted living place here in Memphis and it was just gorgeous. Had a huge open vestibule and winding stairs and it too had separate apartments for independent living. I looked at what the "cafeteria" provided and it was wonderful, but the place was horribly expensive. We have several of those type of places here even one just down the street about half a mile.
Good Morning! We skipped church today for two reasons: 1) we slept late after the long day yesterday (not a good excuse, I know) and 2) we weren't "up" for another 'rip and dip' Sunday (not a good excuse either, but I/we have an attitude where this is concerned). The congregation gets to voice their opinion about weekly communion next Sunday. I am thinking I will send a note through the mail. Bob is working on his tractor and I am doing laundry. I really could use a 3 day weekend during the school year! It will be an interesting (?) challenge once MIL has moved back into the picture. The sun is shining brightly and there is no wind for a nice change.
"Gma" -- Hurry up and buy the paint before Jack changes his mind again! I had to laugh at your description of the red looking like squashed tomatoes. To me, tomatoes are more of an orange red than apple red. I hate picking out colors! What I like in the store never looks the same when I get it home. My stepsister picked out some interesting colors when they built their new home. They did some combinations of doing one wall a different color which does look nice. My in-laws had half-shutters in their livingroom and dining room when I married into the family. I always thought they were dust collectors because every Saturday my sister-in-law had to dust them. I remember when she started decorating her own homes, she never had shutters. Jack's office will look nice when you are all finished. One of the teachers who just redid her whole house (no kids), mentioned that the decorator she used said that wallpaper borders are "out." I'm glad because the one in our bathroom is starting to come loose. I'm afraid to take it clear off because the wall underneath will be a different color and we will have to paint.
I need to keep moving. Have a nice day and remember to do something nice for yourself!
Good morning gals! Hope your day is starting out well. My allergies have my eyes all puffy so I feel like I am seeing out of slits, but they will go down at the morning progresses so no biggy. The pollen is really bad this year and I went out and cleaned the patio furniture so we could sit out there awhile and I guess between it and being outside my sinuses, etc didn't like it! I am also having female issues this month, which haven't happened in awhile, so I don't feel my chipper self, but this too shall pass.
Jean: When we went to paint Jack's office the first time, I picked out a nice red like mr. mad here, but he insisted this other color was what he wanted. I have ALWAYS hated the stuff, but.... He did paint a test strip of the blue and one of the gray right next to it and it looks really nice. I reminded him that the gray and navy will make his room look smaller so be prepared when the whole thing is done. We also picked up the side table and computer desk yesterday, which are still in the trunk, and priced shutters. When he saw that even fake wood ones were going to cost us between 500-600$ he compromised and I found him something that wasn't a blind (he says the cat will tear up even wooden blinds trying to climb between the slats to sit at the window, which is probably true.) Friday we are going in and ordering pleated fabric shades. We found a cerulean blue that almost matched the Navy paint chip on the can of paint we bought, they are solid, no one can see through them, B boy can't tear them up and I tried to see if they would tear and they don't so that battle has been settled too! The great thing is they are only about $65 apiece! I am wondering about cleaning them and didn't find that info anywhere on the catalogue or in their ordering book. I may be able to take them down and spray them off like you do slat blinds, since they are fabric. I am sure going to ask. There were absolutely no sales people around and he and I didn't feel like running all over the store trying to find someone to help us so we are waiting until Friday. Now comes the job of getting the thing done, but a lot of that is on his shoulders I am afraid. All in all, I think it will look really nice in there and give him a lot more room too. Gosh I must be in the out then as I have borders as chair rails in my downstairs bathroom, my upstairs hall and have one wall in my dining room wallpapered and then a border. Out shmout, I think it is whatever you enjoy looking at. It is YOUR home so you should have what makes you happy and poo on your decorator. I enjoy decorating myself, have a really good sense of color and combinations and have fun with it. I only have one thing I really dislike besides my awful floors and that is the upstairs bathroom, but I will get to that sooner or later. I want to rip down the wallpaper and paint and repaint the trim and doors because I don't like what I have on them at all.
Well, I need to get going. Jack will be up any minute.
Good Afternoon, Flowers! It is cloudy and looks like it might rain at any moment. It was a typical Monday at school . . . four more Mondays to go before this school year is history. Bob is at a church meeting and I just finished sending an email about the "no-show tub guy." I am getting a little torked to say the least.
Last night Bob talked to his mom and she's thinking maybe she will stay in the assisted living place for a couple weeks until she feels better, then go back up to the lake for the rest of the summer. She tells one brother she's not going to drive any more and she tells us she needs a garage. ARGHHHHHHHHH! I have the feeling the fun is just beginning.
Today is Beth's 28th birthday and it was snowing big time! Where have the years gone?
"Gma" -- We put plant shelves in our windows so the cats would have a spot to sit on and look outside. Maggie was the only one skinny enough to fit on the window sill without a shelf. 'Mom' isn't a jumper (she's bottom heavy and knocked a vase of flowers off the kitchen counter several years ago -- hasn't tried to jump anywhere since) so she prefers the back of the couch that sits in front of the picture window. I like borders and wall paper, but we just took the border down in the livingroom/family room/kitchen area. Bob wanted to paint and we just decided to take the border down since it had been up for 10 years. At $50 an hour I'm not inviting someone in to tell me what to put where . . . this local gal used to do in-home consultations for a shop downtown and they had some weird looking stuff in the store.
I need to do another load of laundry that I didn't finish last night. Have a nice evening and a terrific Tuesday tomorrow.
Good morning ladies! Well, I had a good day with the diet yesterday except I found I can't do the quick start type of stuff. It is too radical for me and I am afraid I would try and snack too much so I am going back to my original plan. I took the dog for a walk yesterday and boy am I out of shape. I was huffing and puffing the whole time. Just have to get back to a routine and the pool opens in about a month, which is good.
Jack came home last night totally sunburned so no work on his office for several days. I think he will probably just wait until the weekend and then tackle it, which is fine with me. If I get in the mood, I may do some of the painting for him this week. We shall see.
Jean: Only four weeks then freedom, huh? Parents can be a real trial sometimes when they get into their later years. Our parents all died young (in their early 50's) except for my mother who was 72 so we didn't really have any of that. I hope everything works out and she can decide what she wants to do.
We had someone move in on the left side of us over the weekend (not the scummy condo, the other one) and it looked like they had little kids, but it has been really quiet over there so far. There hasn't been anyone even looking at the condo on the other side and I don't expect them to anytime soon. It is in pretty bad shape and is being sold as is so I am hoping it will stay vacant a LONGGGGG time!
I guess I better go and get my day started. Everyone have a great Tuesday
It's a pretty good Spring day in this neighborhood. It was about 70 outside but inside it is still pretty cool....65.
JEAN: Wow! Only 5 more weeks of school. I know, for you that must not be a WoW but an Ugh! It will be here before you know it. You are going to be a busy woman this Summer with mil without wheels and being closer. I hope things work out so everyone can take turns taking her around. Maybe she will like the assisted living envirement and want to stay there. Most assisted living facilities have vans that will take their people shopping and also to fun places in the vacinity. DH is on the Board of Directors for a local assisted living facility and that is what they do. They also have hot meals that the people can go to the big dining room and eat and socialize. They have decided it is better that they require the residents attend 2 meals a day. It was found that some residents were not eating properly.
Faye: That office is going to be quite nice. I like the color selection. Some men do not have any sense of color coordination. I am not the one to talk as I have discovered that I am color blind. Blues & greens and yellows and pinks are the worst offenders. I have had this for the last 20 years and now if I have to shop for clothing either I ask the sales person or take DH with me. Lots of fun. Once I know what the color is I am OK.
We will be going to Bedford for the old Commissary run tomorrow so I guess I had better sit down and make a list.
Good Evening, Flowers! We finally got heat, at school, about 2:00 this afternoon . . . most of the teachers were wearing their jackets and even some of the students were complaining. I must admit there were a few students dressed in shorts, short sleeves, and sandals . . . DUMB! It was 37 degrees when I left for school and my furnace has been running for the past few days. I asked the custodian for heat before school started and she didn't think it was THAT cold in the building!
"Gma" -- I hope you get some nice neighbors this time! I'm convinced I am further ahead to eat what I would normally eat, just not as much. I hate measuring stuff out, but the portion sizes tend to grrooowwww when I get lazy and don't measure or journal! Do you count calories, food groups, or what?
Gloria -- It's nice to see you today! The end of the year (May) usually flies by. We have different assemblies plus so many kids are involved in the different athletic teams and are gone the last part of the day for their games. Prom was this weekend and the DJ didn't show up! It just so happened a freshman is interested in being a DJ and has the equipment plus lots of different kinds of music. The principal called him and he agreed to come and play the music so saved the evening. This week we have a Sudanese student who is trying to raise money for medical supplies to send back to Sudan. In between classes they are playing the most awful, obnoxious music in hopes that staff and students will contribute $1 a piece to get rid of it . . . that would be about $700. Different student organizations are having fund raisers throughout the week. The independent living apartments, where Bob is on the board, provides one meal a day. The one we visited for MIL provides two while the assisted living provides all three. It sure smelled good when we were there. Right now we are waiting so find out how her evaluation with the nurse came out. I'm hoping she will go the assisted living route because I think she will eventually end up there anyway, and I can't see moving her twice if we don't have to.
I need to keep moving. . .the tub man is supposed to come tomorrow. He called tonight and set the appointment for 10:00 with Bob.
Good morning gals! We had tornadoes come through last night so it messed up our server and it keeps going in and out. I had it up and running, did a nice long post and then lost it when the server when down! UGRRRRR!
Gloria: WooHoo, the commissary, my favorite place to go! Not in this life time! It is a good thing I don't need help with my clothing colors because I would look like Bozo the clown if Jack helped me out. He has terrible taste, bless his heart!
Jean: I am just back on fat and calorie counting. Since I stay home all the time, it isn't such a big deal for me like it would be for people who work. I can see where it would be a hassle for them. I have bought some good snack bars that are for the South Beach diet and I like the Ritz 100 calorie snacks that taste like Chex mix. I also bought Hunt's Snack Pack ff puddings in vanilla and tapioca and they are really good and Jello ff pudding in chocolate/vanilla mix. I then have oatmeal with sugar free syrup in it for breakfast, soup and sandwich for lunch and meat, veggies and a starch (sometimes) for dinner.
It is cool here today. We had a cold front move in with the storm last night. I need to get a couple outside things done, but they are going to have to wait until it dries out. I should get off my duff and get my vacuuming done as I have spent all morning with these two computers trying to get them up and running again.
Steel Magnolias -- #11
It was nice of the district manager to contact you and get your credit card bill straightened out. Hopefully the paperwork will go through without a hitch. So, has Jack started on the desk disassembling/assembling project yet? 
from Iowa!
I hate starting next week off with a pile, but I didn't feel like staying late today either. 
We started the day early by visiting the assisted living facility in Sioux City. The head nurse is going to Tucson for a meeting next week so will stop by and visit mil to make an evaluation. We put a deposit down so she is on the list!
Did you find anything new or different for diet food? I need to get serious again! I've played around with the same few pounds much too long. Bob was impressed with the assisted living facility. We also visited the independent living apartments which are bigger and in a different building. They get two meals instead of three and have stoves in the apts. where the assisted living apts. only have refrigerators and microwaves. There are lots of planned activities for the residents; you only have to be 55 to live there and I think I could do that! 
The sun is shining brightly and there is no wind for a nice change.
I had to laugh at your description of the red looking like squashed tomatoes. To me, tomatoes are more of an orange red than apple red. I hate picking out colors! What I like in the store never looks the same when I get it home. My stepsister picked out some interesting colors when they built their new home. They did some combinations of doing one wall a different color which does look nice. My in-laws had half-shutters in their livingroom and dining room when I married into the family. I always thought they were dust collectors because every Saturday my sister-in-law had to dust them. I remember when she started decorating her own homes, she never had shutters. 
Jack's office will look nice when you are all finished. One of the teachers who just redid her whole house (no kids), mentioned that the decorator she used said that wallpaper borders are "out." I'm glad because the one in our bathroom is starting to come loose. I'm afraid to take it clear off because the wall underneath will be a different color and we will have to paint. 
in Iowa!
I reminded him that the gray and navy will make his room look smaller so be prepared when the whole thing is done. We also picked up the side table and computer desk yesterday, which are still in the trunk, and priced shutters. When he saw that even fake wood ones were going to cost us between 500-600$ he compromised and I found him something that wasn't a blind (he says the cat will tear up even wooden blinds trying to climb between the slats to sit at the window, which is probably true.) Friday we are going in and ordering pleated fabric shades. We found a cerulean blue that almost matched the Navy paint chip on the can of paint we bought, they are solid, no one can see through them, B boy can't tear them up and I tried to see if they would tear and they don't so that battle has been settled too! 
'Mom' isn't a jumper (she's bottom heavy and knocked a vase of flowers off the kitchen counter several years ago -- hasn't tried to jump anywhere since) so she prefers the back of the couch that sits in front of the picture window. I like borders and wall paper, but we just took the border down in the livingroom/family room/kitchen area. Bob wanted to paint and we just decided to take the border down since it had been up for 10 years. At $50 an hour I'm not inviting someone in to tell me what to put where . . . this local gal used to do in-home consultations for a shop downtown and they had some weird looking stuff in the store. 
I'm convinced I am further ahead to eat what I would normally eat, just not as much. I hate measuring stuff out, but the portion sizes tend to grrooowwww when I get lazy and don't measure or journal! Do you count calories, food groups, or what?
Right now we are waiting so find out how her evaluation with the nurse came out. I'm hoping she will go the assisted living route because I think she will eventually end up there anyway, and I can't see moving her twice if we don't have to.