SIGNS OF MICHIGAN WEATHER/AND RANDOM THOUGHTS

The side of my house towards the rear of the house...These are hanging everywhere..Darin gets excited to pull them off...just to see if he can keep them intact.















Going to the backyard..the puppies have a kinda path going to the back because the snow is so deep.











front yard...yeh i get the bright idea to take pictures in the dark..I thought it would look cooler.











Just to show you how deep it is so far, and guess what, there is more coming. I honestly have not seen this much snow since i was a kid in the 1970's and early 1980's. Our winters here have been really weird. For the longest time the minute that we got any good snow storm it would rain and take it all away...I don't think that i have seen grass the whole month of January!




I have not been posting so much lately because you know how it is when you get in a funk...i'm trying to get out of it....
Thank God January is on it's way out.
more things to list
1. We finally (after a year) recieved the bill for Frank's hospital stay...our deductible part that we are responsible for. A whopping $2411.60! Yep, i flipped...then did the logical thing...went to work(cause that is where the bill came from) and worked out a payment plan.

2. Amber brought home 2 D's on her report card/ had to pull her off the Washington trip....But that just gives us more money towards the Florida trip tht I am planning.

3. Kids went to the dentist...Amber was told that she was cleaning her teeth pretty well..it's been 5 years since the last time they were at the dentist. The lady said she barely had to do anything to her teeth, she has 4 small cavities and 2 baby teeth need to come out.

4. Darin's teeth got the opposite! His were bad...so bad they prescribed him Flouride toothpaste. And according to my husband, Darin has about 7 to 8 cavities...I am going to call the dentist and find out for sure what needs to be done..Husband's are useless to get important information out of....lol..

Well I think that is about it on the bad luck train

One more thing i have to tell you, Both my kids at different times said they could swear that they saw "Mini" walking the hallway the other night, it sure is comforting to know she is still watching over us.

Now for something a bit fun...thanks to Stacy over at Order of Disarray


1. What is your occupation right now? Food Service Worker at a hospital

2. What color are your socks right now? white with a pink ring

3. What are you listening to right now? The refrigerator hum

4. What was the last thing that you ate? a bowl or sugar smacks

5. Can you drive a stick shift? Yep, my best friend Barb taught me.

6. Last person you spoke to on the phone? my mom

7. Do you like the person who sent this to you? I stole it from Stacy, I like her, and her talent!

8. How old are you today?38

9. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? None...I could care less about sports.

10. What is your favorite drink? Strawberry Daquiri's!

11. Have you ever dyed your hair? Yep, just recently and that's another dissappointment for January, I bought the wrong color! Oh well always a next time. Actually it's my natural color but I like it a little lighter than my natural.

12. Favorite food? Mom's stuffed cabbage.

13. What is the last movie you watch on Tv? Flashpoint

14. Favorite day of the year? June 8th! My birthday!

15. How do you vent anger?I rarely get angry, but usually vent on here or to my husband or my mom

16. What was your favorite toy as a child? Must have been my barbies..I played with those till i was 15 years old.

17. What is your favorite season? Spring, and Fall not too hot and not too cold.

18. Cherries or Blueberries? Cherries, I was eating them left and right last summer.

19. Living arrangements? In a house with my husband and 2 kids, 2 dogs (one spirit), 2 turtles, fish, guinea pig.

20. When was the last time you cried? Not sure.

21. What is on the floor of your closet?everything somehow gets tossed into my closet! I am going to make a plan to clean that thing out...just as soon has i have a day off and feel like it..lol

22. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending to? My friend Barb, we have been friends for 23 years or more..But i am not sending this to anyone.

23. What did you do last night? worked! folded laundry and went to bed.

24. What are you most afraid of? Losing the house

25. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers?Yes please

26. Favorite dog breed? Great Pyrenees

27. Favorite day of the week? Whatever is my day off!

28. How many states have you lived in? Only ever lived in Michigan

29. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds are always a girls best friend!

30. What is your favorite flower? I love the smell of Lilacs!


Ya'll have a great weekend!

What The!

Everything was going fine till I pulled out of my driveway to notice that my husband's back windshield on his van was blown out! He had his van filled with stuff for work, nothing was stolen thank God! He went out during the light to notice a golf ball not far from his van, so someone thought it would be "cool" to throw a golf ball and shatter his window. He is getting it repaired as we speak, a $189.00 dollars later that we don't have, he can't drive without a window. Sucks! I hope this was just a one shot random thing or we are in trouble!

While it was at the shop I asked how much to replace the front window...it has a long crack, seems this van has very expensive windows! $250.00 to replace that one, good to know if i get the money to have it fixed.
I can't wait to get past January! I hate January! It seems if anything bad is going to happen to me it happens in January.
This is just one example of a January that i had.

This January:
1. Mom in the hospital
2. Darin very sick, but had to go to school for exams or fail.
3. Frank's window being blown out.
4. I'm getting sick.
5. Computer monitor blew up.

Good things in January, I really have to look at a brighter side to this.
1. won the $500.00 at bingo
2. Wake up every morning.
3. Still have a job
4. Got a raise coming on the 30th.

Just get me out of January!

I got some catching up to do.

First thing:
I've decided that my family and I deserve a vacation, and I am going to do whatever I can to make that happen. It's been about 5 years since we have been anywhere! I have been totally inspired by Stacies Madness trip to Florida that I have decided that it's time to get down there.

For what reasons?
1. I need a vacation.
2. before I am too old to do some of the things i want to do with my kids.
3. Because I want to!!!!!!

When am I going?
Good question....I already put my time off request for April 11th thru April 19th off at work. Spring Break BABY!!! If I have my way I will be celebrating Easter Sunday on some kind of Florida Theme park!! wooohooo! Wish me Luck that nothing comes between our vacation from now until then!

Secondly:
As you know that in some of my free time I enjoy me some Bingo! I have been going on and off for 20 years now and never have won any major money....until....now! On Monday I won a jackpot worth $500.00! I tell ya...as fast as I won it, it was gone! I paid back my loan shark (mom) what I owed her for the computer monitor that blew up. Then with the rest I paid my car payment so that I won't be stressed out towards the end of the month. I was so excited I yelled bingo so loud that the whole strip mall could of heard me! I had to sign a piece of paper and I could barely write! I guess it will be another 20 years before I feel that kind of excitement again.

Thirdly:

I asked to participate in a Q&A from Liz from My Blog Doesn't Suck! I just recieved my questions, they are interesting to say the least..and I thought I was getting 5 but got 7....so here it goes:

1. How much wood could a wood chuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck would?

Well Liz, I think that would all depend on how hungry that wood chuck was. It could be anything from a twig size to the size of a whole tree, what kind of tree you may ask...maybe a redwood.

2. Why do you have a blog?

I have a blog because my mother started one, I thought it would be a good idea to have a place like a diary, or a place to vent when I needed one.. Blog therapy 101!

3. If pears could talk, what would they say?

I think they would say "give me a contract" a talking pear? I would pay to see that!

4. To bang or not to bang? (I don't mean Ricky Martin bangin')

I would bang Ricky Martin...LMAO! Not too....I have 2 kids..i don't see the point anymore..lol

5. Describe yourself in 10 words of less.

1. sweet 2. mother 3. wife 4. tired 5. overweight 6. overworked 7. hardworking 8. caring 9. curious 10. daughter.

I realize this is probably not what you had in mind...but it's my question and I will answer it the way i want..lol

6. What is a one-eyed one-horn flying purple people eater, and why is he a good friend of mine?

It is something you conjure up after a bad acid trip..lol and he is a good friend because that means your f***ed up...lol

7. Pickles. Explain.

Not sure about this question at all.
Do I like pickles? Sure.....To explain why i like pickles, I would have to explain why I like to eat at all! I just do..lol

Anyone wishing to participate must follow the directions below.

1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

That wasn't so bad and I actually had fun doing it. Thanks Liz!

Well, I think I am all caught up now...Goodnight

Miss Me?

Well I would love to be telling you that the reason I was gone was because I went on a nice long tropical vacation, but i would be lying like a rug. Something like Saturday the computer monitor started flashing and then it would just go black, then the next day it would come on then go directly to black. But if i kept shutting it off and then turn it back on I could see for just under 30 seconds what was on the screen. Long story short my monitor died. Sad.



It's replaced with an even bigger monitor and everything is working, and better yet it did not cost me an arm, leg and my first born to get it.

But I do owe a really nasty money shark(mom) who will break my arms if I don't pay her back when I get my income tax money. lol With kids in high school, and middle school, you can't be without a computer for very long. Amber is having to work on a project this weekend.



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It is really cold here in Michigan, so much so that the kids did not have school today and already have cancelled school for tomorrow! I say WTF! I don't remember them cancelling school because it's too cold out when I was going to school...I remember walking to school with icicles hanging from nose. Being so cold that I could barely stand it. My kids have it made, they don't walk to school or walk home in this. I luckily drive them or my mother helps out where i can't. That's one good thing about living so close to your parents :) I'm glad that they close it now tho. Kids today wear the most inappropriate clothing for the weather. Shorts, Mini skirts, or just a hoodie during a blizzard, what is wrong with some of these parents. Then they wonder why their kids are sick!



Just the other day I saw a neighbor girl run outside in the snow without shoes! Stupid!

Anyhoo!

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I missed a few things and it took me a few hours to catch up with all of your blogs. I got another award thanks to Savanna I have no idea what kind of award it is. But thank you Savanna for offering it to me.
And I offer it to anyone that knows what this award is all about..lol








Also I was tagged by T at It Matters To Me to participate in a great picture entry that i plan on doing as soon as I put some pictures in my computer. She caught me at a time where I just cleaned up my computer of pictures. Don't worry it won't take me long knowing my daughter and her camera! lol



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Thanks for all the well wishes for my mother. She is home safe and sound and being taken care of by a home nurse everyday. She talks about it on her blog.


Anyways, I am tired now...take care.

Some good news

I visited mom in the hospital and she is doing well. Not in much pain other than all the needles she is getting from blood draws and insulin shots.

I saw the doctor today and he told me she had one nasty infection and that he wanted one more day of IV antibiotics, so maybe tomorrow she will be home. Buttttttt she will have a nurse coming everyday to check her wound and change her bandages at home. She is very happy with that decision, she doesn't like staying in the hospital.

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In other news....Today was my day off and I did absolutely nothing but cook dinner. We had ham and baked potatoes and corn, the kids were happy to eat a decent meal.

After dinner I dyed miss Amber's hair, first I dyed it all black which is better than having the red that fades to a brown after awhile. Then I thought some purple highlights would be cool but it did not take to well...what a bummer. So she just has to settle for black with "some" purple highlights...I apologized, and said I'm no cosmetologist. Amber does not seem to upset about it. I tried.

Life will go on...and who knows I may try again. but for now I am ok with it.

MOM

My mother is yet again in the hospital with another bad infection on her leg. They had to lance it and get most of the infection out of it. She will spend a couple days at the hospital receiving IV antibiotics. Hopefully things won't get worse..she seemed very relieved when I visited her last night.

Where can I find the Vodka Award

My friend Liz over at My Blog Doesn't Suck gave me this award. I get excited that someone out there thinks i'm award worthy.

ONCE YOU'VE BEEN AWARDED, THE RULES ARE:

1. Thank the person who was so thoughful for giving you this award by linking their blog to this post.

2. Put the logo on your blog or post.

3. Nominate 10 blogs which show great attitude/gratitude.

4. Link your nominee to your post.

5. Comment them to tell them about the award they've won

Since she says that I can bend the rules anyway I like, and since not much has changed in a few short weeks i nominate the same people that I did on my last award.

Thanks again Liz, I do appreciate every readers comments :) My life is not too exciting but since this is supposed to me diary it's my life.

My first post of "2009"

Just when you thought Christmas pics was no more..

Isn't he handsome?










Amber is truly a beauty.











Darin, hamming it up for the camera!













Are we an odd couple? But we Love each other.












We are family ...
I see a smile on Amber's face.











Darin is randomly hollering out the window at people walking by..















Look we have teeth on Amber!

This is a really nice pic of Amber and Grandma...I am going to get this one framed.














Amber has another smile...sure it's not toothy...but her lips are upward at least :)
They look so much alike, don't they?















Remember back in November when Frank and Darin were out doing some of that male bonding in the woods..well they took pics of themselves with the camera phone and I being the genious of technology that I am, I figured out how to get those pics out of the phone and on to my computer.... Be Jealous!






And here's Darin sporting his new rifle that he got for an early Christmas present.

Looks quiet out in the woods..and I don't see any deer!