they always call with bad news--that is how we made them----good news and good times are things they share with friends---REALLY good news we ususally get,but whiny bad news we always get.Did ds get a student loan?? all 4 of the dd's are carrying student lines of credit from local banks---they are responsible for paying them back. dd22 has worked all through school,dd20 has scholarships to make up the slack and the step dd's are subsidized by parents although they still have loanss---SCHOOL IS UNBELIEVABLY PRICEY!!!!-------------- now i will make some chicken soup and maybe even 'sticky date pudding'--------it's scrumptious! BY THE WAY '''AKELIA AND THE BEE' was a sweet movie.{ i probably spelled her name incorrectly!}

I saw that movie, too. I really liked it and wanted it to be true.

Ds is supposed to have enough schoarship $ to get him through. He doesn't want loans so I guess he can work that out for himself. He's complaining now that he has a lot of homework (he sent me a list) and no one else on his floor has ANY. They're all chemical engineering majors and he's math so he's thinking their courses get harder next year. This is the kind of communication i get from him.

Go to my blog and see Taffy's sock. She is so sweet to accept it.

I am worried right now that I'll be in trouble at work. My first day without a babysitting teacher was yesterday. The FBI approved me or something. So at the end of the day, only one kid and the assistant-of-the-week (a sweetie) and I were left. In walks this young man who hands me a cell phone and a woman starts in thinking I'm the prior teacher and she needs this guy to pick up the kid and she should've sent something in writing but .....

The assistant said she knew him and I let him go AND I'M SURE I BROKE MAJOR RULESSSSS.

School is way too expensive considering it's for people who don't have jobs yet. Have I told you my dream job for DS is to be a college professor. His snippy aunt and ex-uncle are that and I think they have a good life. Beautiful working setting, etc. I really like my job because it's creative. I get to think of stuff and do it. We've been "cooking" every week. Look at these recipes. Yummyish.

Since no one else has anything to say, I will talk to myself. It is so neat that Bagz's doctor makes house calls at the shoppe. Did he buy anything? I would have. I would have filled a bag with puffin odds and ends and decorated my doctor office.

There is this endless football on and I only get one channel. Is everyone else enjoying it? Just had a commercial with a puny-ish guy looking at a huge jock strap and an announcer saying, "You wouldn't make it in pro-football but you can get Horizon wireless." Does that make sense?

If you think you're gonna mail something heavy and then someone (ds) says he doesn't have any interest in that heavy stuff, how do you get the stamps off the envelope and use them for real?

I am going to sit here and wait til someone answers me.

It's the name of a lake, although it's usually spelled Schoodic. I think the owner was trying to make a pun, because the restaurant's full name was Scootic In
We finagled financial aid last year so that all of DD's scholarships offset the loan amounts they were offering her for aid. We had to do a lot of negotiating to get it the way we wanted (schools actually want the kids' scholarships from outside sources to lower the amount of aid money they offer instead of actually benefitting the student). So she has no loans, but we kept in all the work study money they offered. She earned even more from work study last semester than the amount they said she was entitled to. We still paid a huge chunk out of savings.

Unfortunately next year, she won't be getting hardly any scholarship money; a lot of them are only for freshman. So our chunk will be even chunkier probably. At least it's all money we saved for her for college, so it's not like we're going broke or anything. My feeling is that as long as we can swing it, we'd rather she didn't have big loans hanging over her after she graduates -- she's contributing by working and by applying for scholarship money.
I have some chopped dates I need to use up, should I make sticky date pudding?
Scary. That is entirely unfair of that mother to do that to you. You should speak to her and remind her that she needs to have any changes in writing or you won't be able to release the kid to anyone else. We had that happen to us when DH and I chaperoned a band trip last year. A cop of all people came and got his kid without prior permission (how do you say no to a cop?), and another kid left with his parents without permission or even telling us he was leaving. Fortunately other kids saw him go and knew him and his parents, otherwise we would have had to call the police and shut down the entire Civic Center for an Amber Alert!!! I couldn't believe parents would be so ignorant of the rules. Would have served them right if we had raised the alarm and had them hauled in and embarrassed at the very least.
Makes no sense, but I'm pretty sure it makes men laugh...

I don't know if you can still steam postage off of envelopes anymore. I would probably just cut around them carefully and glue them on another envelope. Should be fine, right?

DD is doing Irish Dance again this semester. She said, maybe 3x a week, if she doesn't have too much homework. Before you know it she'll be a rockette or something.

More PT today. Hoopdedoo. But I think it's helping.

I'm mad. I cut out Meow Mix points and went to www.meowmix.com for the CATalog of Fun Meow Mix Stuff and there is no catalog. I feel gypped.

Kiwi

Kiwi ... write your congressmen. And the company.

I've been thinking about Bagz saying the kids whine to us and save the real info for friends. I told this to someone who said they feel safe with us and that's why they whine to us. But .... if all Bagz's girls whined at the same time, Bagz would be very depressed. I can't imagine a bunch of kids woe-is-me-ing because they have more homework than others or they can't eat lunch with the krishnas because of their class schedule or they had to get the car worked on or they have to get a letter-of-recommendation written and who-oh-who can they ask. When I grilled him once, I learned that he "had some fun." Grilled more and learned he had been to an improv show featuring a girl he went to high school with. Very minor, apparently, compared with the long list of homework!!!!

My day at work was frustrating. You know those days when you just want to walk out?

*learned I have to take an online class. Was told previously that maybe I wouldn't but they didn't check. They forgot. Their brains have holes in them. So I have to take this class on the pute in the boss's office while she talks to people and acts grouchy and makes me tense.

*learned I have to fill out THREE forms on these kids. "Ms. Lorna told you about this," I was told. "Ms. Lorna told me she never heard of this," I replied." "You just don't know them by these names. You know what I mean." she retorted. VERY FRUSTRATING.

*was told when hired that I get an hour a day for planning. Then it was ZERO planning as I was not officially a teacher. Now, I am offically and it's 30 MINUTES because I only have the kids 3 hours a day.

*the kids were terrible. Yelled across the room at each other.

*and I just realized I whine like DS.

I am way too boring to post. Boring, boring, boring me.

Our kitchen is being installed on Feb. 9 instead of end of Feb. So much to do. So not motivated to do it. Dh painted the radiator in the kitchen Sunday and I still feel like I've been poisoned. Itchy rash on my hands and stomach ache. Bleh. I hate chemicals.

I will just sit here and read about your exciting lives and try to think if something to make for dinner. Yaaaaaaawnnnn.

Hey cows. Just thought you might like to know that our namesakes are going to greener pastures today. Or maybe you didn't want to know. At least that gives me one less thing to worry about ---- and DH's horse went to go visit some friends down the road. He didn't even look back when he saw there were other horses in the trailer. Just hopped right in.

Did I mention that when DD moved back home she brought her boyfriend? In the past I would never have allowed it, but I was under some stress at the time to put it mildly. I think it may have been a mistake, as this BF lost his job the first week of December and hasn't looked for one since. I'm not used to a man who isn't self motivated. I've talked to him twice now, telling him that I don't care if he's getting unemployment or not, the people in this house are workers, and I expect the same from him. So far, nothing. He plays video games, watches tv and plays his guitar all day. He's a distraction to DD's school work. I can't give him the boot, or I lose my daughter. How did I get into this predicament?

I beat Peachez whining, no???

Sugar, new kitchens are always exciting.

• EARPLUGS!! Seriously. Wonderful things
• That's because you feel safe with us

Here's what I'm whining about today: Actually it's not whining, it's downright complaining, *****ing and ranting. DH did not get the job he applied for.

wabby!!!!!that is so difficult!!! i am impressed that you were able to tell him what you did!!! the fact that he is able to hang around doing nothing even though you have spoken to him means he is not good enough for your dd BUT we all know how that would play out!!!!!what a pain in the arse for you!---your dd probably does realize the problem but just can't deal with it at the moment--does he have any admirable qualities?????----I thought it was cute that dh's horse was so influenced by his peers that he pranced off like that!!!!-----kiwonkers---some pulp and paper facility from new york has been looking for engineers and workers up here in the maritimes---specifically here in my town----haven't they been asking you guys???? SEEMS LIKE THEY WOULD LIKE SOME YANKEES TO APPLY!!! want me to find out who they are---you probably already know about them???

We are livestock. The reality has hit me now. I will follow Wabby onto the truck as long as there's fresh hay.

About the bf ... it's hard enough having one you're not crazy about but living in the house is too much! In the back of my mind, I worry about that with lcp. I know she doesn't want to go home and I think about telling her she's welcome here anytime, with or without ds, buttttt what if she took me up on it and then was a pain. ? Wabby is more balanced than me and will let us know how to successfully deal with this couch potato kid.

There is this "southern" weather man on tv. Like many southerners around here, he doesn't open his mouth very much when he talks. Mr. Ventriloquist Weather Guy says, "There's a cold front glumba and we'll have to watch. And see bloom rak if we feel the impact of the weather."

Is Kiwi moving to Bagzland???? How cool. Kiwi would get a new kitchen ceiling. I would get more chicken bones.

It's funny that Sugar says she's boring. I want to see pictures of the kitchen and hear stories about the butcher's wife. What happened to her? Do you meet any Americans traveling through? How do they behave?

kiwi is not moving to bagzland----yankees from new york are in bagzland trying to make millworkers and engineers come to yankeeland!!!!!i was just wondering if they had stopped by in kiwiwonderland---i assume they would look there first unless they are concerned with paying cheaper wages to canadians----don't invite lcp to live with you-----if iT BACKFIRES!!!!! |[if they break up} YOU ARE LEFT IN THE CROSSFIRE!!!!---- just let her stay there when he is with her----when dd22's man stayed at our house off and on{they were both going to university at the time,here in town} i didn't mind as long as she was there too--of course they had seperate sleeping quarters!!! ---let's face facts----KIDS WILL ALWAYS BE YANKING OUR CHAINS FOR SOME REASON OR OTHER~!!@!@@@

I don't know about the recruiters you're talking about, Bagz, but I'm not sure I'd want to move to NY anyway. Rather move to StJ. Don't really want to move anywhere. We have such a fun place. Today it looks like a crime scene. There's blood all over the yard.

Oh yeah, I didn't tell you what happened, did I? Poor Jet was running through the woods with me (okay, I wasn't running, I was snowshoeing) and she sliced her foot open on something. I didn't see it happen, so I don't know what. There was a horrible old rusty jagged can that I found on the way back that could easily have cut her. Anyway, she didn't really seem to mind it, but it was bleeding all over the place, so we went right home. She left big bloody footprints all over the yard before I could get her inside. We finally got the bleeding stopped and took a look at it, she has a big gash on the middle pad of her foot. I have it all wrapped up with a gauze pad and adhesive tape. She's been pretty good about it, but she's not putting weight on it. The vet's office says dogs don't get tetanus; I hope they're right.

Grossness:
At the moment Jet is outside lapping up all the blood spots. Apparently they're good eats.


Pretty mean of me to use adhesive tape directly on her dog hair, wasn't it? It's really not that bad, I changed it last night and all I had to do was cut through the tape and it peeled off pretty well. She's one tough doggie; I'd have been whining the whole time. She did "bite" me when I put pressure on the wound by mistake -- grabbed my hand with her teeth suddently and didn't chomp down on it. Reminded me of when she was a puppy and got caught in that trap and chomped me up good while I was trying to help her -- I'm impressed with how much she's learned since then.

Way to go, Wabby, on dealing with the "herd" -- good luck with the stray on your couch. I have no ideas; I can't seem to blast a certain someone out of the house either... Not that I'm trying to get rid of him, just get him a job.

Kiwi

Oh no, it's much worse than that --- remember that DD is 26, almost 27 years old. The BF had moved into her apartment with her, so he has also moved in here too and into DD's room not the couch. Big mistake and I would never have allowed it in the past, but right now, I just need my daughter to be with me. Tomorrow it will be one week since my last "talk" with him, so it's time to turn into the hag that's going to force him to look for work. No more Mrs. Nice Guy.

Kiwi, our place looks like a crime scene too, what with our relatives getting the axe (or whatever they use, I just made sure I wasn't home) and my goofy Golden Retriever being a total anxious mess since the accident ---- he's chewed his tail into a bloody mess. I'm going to have to get him one of those cone thingies for his head, and some tranquilizers for what's inside his head.

Peach, only let LCP in the house when accompanied by DS -- and make sure they have separate sleeping quarters. Do what I say and not what I do.

Good for you! Point out to him what happened to the cows. Just kidding...

Hope your sweet doggie gets better. My previous dog had licking problems, they tend to become a vicious cycle.

I was at the drug store today, buying new gauze bandage stuff (I'm getting pretty good at wrapping the dog's paw), and I had to buy a can of Pringles. It was "Loaded Baked Potato" flavor, doesn't that sound disgusting? It was, in fact, doesn't even taste like food. Not to worry, though, I'm almost done with the can, so no one else will have to suffer through it.

I'm all done with my "Iontophoresis" and "Phonophoresis" treatments. Next week they're going to give me stretching and ice massage.

Kiwi

Where DID the cows go? Jamaica maybe? I think cows would like an island paradise.

lcp isn't coming here without ds because she has no car. BUTTTT I have good advice to not invite her just in case.

I want to hear a lot about how Wabbo tells bf the-truth-about-life while not upsetting dd. Wabbo is tactful. I need to learn.

I did learn today that if you sing B I N G O and Bingo was his name-o to four-year-olds and ask "what does B I N G O spell" they answer "dog."

Kiwi can move to Bagzland if I want her to. Don't be so bossy. I think Lush left because you're bossy. I can't be responsible for everyone leaving. Muffie is my fault, Dusty is Sugar's, and Lush is yours. Kiwi offends no one hardly ever and Shots is not allowed to leave. Wabbo caused a whole herd to leave.