A New Year's Eve Story.

Two years ago I spent New Year's Eve at my MIL's house, although at that time she was just Jenn's mom.

I got all dressed up & did my hair for the party -  but not for DJ.  It was another "fancy day" with the bestie.



Aren't we adorable?

Bestie was in the middle of his tour in Iraq, & so I outlawed military talk while he was home.  I told him if he needed to talk he could, but I didn't want anyone else to do it.  So naturally, that's all that anyone at the party wanted to talk about.

FML.

But, there is a point to my story.  It was during all that military talk when DJ noticed it was making me cringe & tried his hardest to distract me from it.  It didn't work, but it was a very sweet gesture on his part.

It was after that night that DJ & I started talking amongst ourselves, not just when I was with Jenn.  That lead to our "first date."  I use the quotes because it wasn't a real date.  We made pizza at his house, & then his mother got lost somewhere on the road so we to babysit his little sister while BIL & SIL went to save MIL.

Regardless of how unorthodox it was, we've been together ever since & we'll celebrate two years together in January We have a beautiful home, a herd of furry babies & an all around happy life together.  Even though I make fun of our "first date" to this day, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way - just don't tell him that.

Happy New Year everyone!  I hope that 2011 is everything you hope it will be!

Executions for everyone!

As I was reading the news this morning I stumbled across this little gem, courtesy of Tucker Carlson at Fox News.

In case you don't feel like reading it, Tucker says that NFL quaterback Michael Vick should have received the death penalty instead of time in jail for dog fighting charges from a few years ago.

Where, oh where, do I begin?

Let's say first & foremost, I am one of the biggest animal lovers you will ever meet in your life.  I have a page on my blog dedicated to my pets.  I have to change the channel when the sad SPCA commercials come on.  I have to shield my eyes when I see an animal that's been hit by a car.  And growing up with a dad who hunted constantly was a challenge for me.

I'll also cop to the fact that when the Eagles signed Michael Vick I wasn't all warm & fuzzy about him getting a second chance at being a millionaire.  I said, on more than one occasion, that he should have had to work a 9-5 everyday like the rest of us instead of living a lavish life.  However, as time has gone on, I've realized that he's paid his debt for his actions & 19 months of confinement from his family & his freedom was enough of a punishment.

But for as angry as I was (& trust me, I can get pretty angry), I never would have suggested that he deserved to die for that behavior - and that is because I am a rational person.  What normal person would come to the conclusion that animal abuse warrants death, even when there's such debate about whether or not it's fair punishment for murdering a person?  And even if you think it, who goes on TV & says it to the world?

Again, please understand that I am not excusing Michael Vick's actions at all.  What he did was totally unacceptable, & there is no excuse for his behavior.

But let's call this what it is, Fox News.  This is not about Michael Vick.  This is one more reason to disagree with the president.

"I'm a Christian. I've made mistakes myself. I believe fervently in second chances," Carlson said. "But Michael Vick killed dogs, and he did in a heartless and cruel way. And I think, personally, he should've been executed for that. He wasn't, but the idea that the president of the United States would be getting behind someone who murdered dogs? Kind of beyond the pale."


It's hard for you to believe the president would stand behind someone who killed dogs?  The president - the most powerful man in the free world, who at times has to make decisions that mean innocent people will be killed. 

My question to Tucker is this:  where do we draw the line on second chances?  Who decides what is forgivable, & what is punishable by death?  You?  I surely hope not, because it's obvious that your judgement is somewhat lacking.

I guess if I have to.

It's 9:30 in the morning.  I had to set the dreaded alarm to wake up this morning, which I never have to do (thank you 2nd shift!).  I'm currently blogging getting ready because I have to leave the house in an hour.

Why?

Because I'm going to a freaking crappy buffet with my freaking coworkers to exchange gifts.

Why did I ever agree to this?

Actually, I didn't.  The coworkers I'm not all warm & fuzzy about decided on this plan - because none of them have anything to do.

Look fellow bloggers, I know I watch a lot of Maury & Springer before work, but I do actually get a lot of things done.  I have to cook a meal, tend to the animals, help DJ get up & dress, etc..

I do not have time to drive to sed crappy buffet, pretend to like the people I'm there with & then turn around & come back home so I can rush to get DJ & I ready. 

Oh right, did I mention I have to go to work later?  That's right.  So I should be eating crappy buffet, & then  going to work at my very physical job for 8 hours tonight.  Good plan!

Again, the people who planned this adventure have no clue - one is on medical leave, one is on a month long vacation & the other is a charge nurse who never leaves the damn desk all night.

Wanna know what the icing on the cake is too?  I decided not to go last week, & then one of the coworkers I do like says, "You're the only reason I'm going."  Guilt trip much?

So, I agreed...& now she's not sure if she's going.  Her BF has to get a drug test for his new job, which is actually very important...but how could she leave me with these sucky people that we can't stand?  Who will sit with me & judge them?  Sniffles.

Who am I kidding?  I don't need help with the judging part.

But I will feel lonely, so think of me.  Wish me a speedy lunch with no traffic on the way back!

Only 363 more days!

I had a wonderful (but hectic) Christmas, & I hope it went well for all of you too!

We had DJ's family over for lunch on Christmas Eve.  I made chicken parm & spaghetti.  Yum!  Afterwards we exchanged gifts.  DJ's mom got us a Wii!  And DJ's little sister loved the iPod touch we got her.

That night I went to my mom's house for our annual Christmas Eve party.  I was exhausted by that time, & I swore I wasn't going to stay very late at all - so naturally I drove my aunt home at 10:00.  Just for the record, she was also "not staying very late."  You can see how well that worked out for us.  But, it was a great party.

On Christmas morning I headed back to my mom's to open gifts with our immediate family - & by immediately family I mean14 of us.  It was chaos as usual, but I wouldn't trade it for anything - except maybe a venue that wasn't 45 minutes away.

And to top it off, my mom, stepdad & sister came over for lunch yesterday so we could exchange gifts with DJ. My mom got us a ton of cute stuff for the house, my favorite of which is zebra accessories for my bathroom. It looks so good with the teal paint!

DJ & I got my sister her very first guitar.  She's taking lessons at school this year & she loves it.  DJ is a  fantastic  guitar player, so he was really excited to give it to her - & she loved it, although she was a little too shy to play for us.

My family left in the early afternoon, & DJ & I spent the rest of the day hidden from the outside world.  I gotta tell you, after all that crazyness, being alone was the best part.

It's going to be a busy  week, & I can't promise I'll be back before then.  If I don't get a chance to say it, Happy New Year to you & yours from me & mine!

Wordless Thursday?

This totally should have been my Wordless Wednesday picture.


see more Lol Celebs


So awesome.

Wordless Wednesday: Santa's (Un)Happy Helper.

I don't know if it was the antlers, or me...probably me.

No, I won't wear the antlers!

DJ has a very large extended family.  My MIL is one of 6 children, all of whom who have children & grandchildren - lots of 'em.  Every year they get the whole family together shortly before Christmas because everyone is doing their own thing on the actual day.

Our Sunday afternoon was at the party.  It's loud & chaotic, but I think that's the way family is supposed to be.

Every household is asked to bring a covered dish, a dessert item & drinks to share.  I planned on taking pot roast in the crockpot - but the roast wasn't  defrosted in the morning, even though it had been sitting out overtnight. FML.  As a last minute substitute, I made pasta with sausage & cheese instead.  It was yummy.

A few weeks ago another blogger shared a recipe for pummkin pie dip.  You essentially make the guts of the pie, & use ginger snaps or apple slices for dipping.  It was super easy to make, & turned out really well - but no one but BIL touched it.  I don't think anyone knew what it was honestly.  Sigh.

They have a raffle to raise money for the next big party, Easter.  We also played some games & a whole lot of bingo.  By the end of the party, DJ & I both had our fill of the togetherness - but all-in-all, it was a really fun day.

Meet me on Monday

Meet me on Monday is a weekly blog hop hosted by Java at Never Growing Old.  Just answer the questions & link up!



Questions:




1. What will your Christmas dinner consist of?

We're having a Christmas Eve lunch with the boyfriend's family.  I'm planning on chicken parm & spaghetti, salad, beer bread & who knows what else.  My family will have more traditional food (ham, turkey, etc), but we don't have a sit down meal.  We just have sandwiches, potato/macaroni salad & other finger foods.  And we never forget the Polish food!   It's nice, because extended family & friends come & go throughout the night, & every eats what they want when they want.

2. Do you watch commercials or flip through the channels?

I do a little of both.  Sometimes I'm too impatient to wait, & other times I just have to watch because the commercials are so funny.  Did anyone else see the Penelope Cruz commercial for Kahluah??  Love it!

3. How long will you leave your Christmas decorations up?

My family will be here on New Year's Day for pork & sauerkraut, so I'll keep them up until then.

4. What movie makes you cry every time you watch it?

Steel Magnolias.  No matter how many times I see it, it gets me everytime.  You would think I'd learn my lesson after a while.



The armadillo cake is one of the funnier points in the movie.  If you haven't seen it, you must!  Total chick flick, but I love it.

5. Do you have a Facebook?


Yes - & I'm an addict.

On tap for today.

• Late lunch at the Middle Eastern restaurant to deliver Scentsy stuff to a friend
• Stopping at my mom's (ughhh...) to drop of pictures of sister & I
• Picking up  the last gift for the boyfriend
• Buying gift cards for the people who are too hard to buy for
• Finding a mega roll of wrapping paper for the ridiculous box sister's gift came in
• Trip to the grocery store for pot roast & pumpkin pie dip supplies.  Christmas party on Sunday!
• (Try to) Figure out what the hell is wrong with the vacuumm
• Laundry, housework, blah, blah, blah, etc.

What is everyone else up to this weekend?

Our first tradition.

This is the first Christmas DJ & I are spending in our house, & now we have a tradition to go along with it.

I participated in an ornament swap organized by lovely Brittany at Unexpected Surprises,  I was paired with the equally lovely Becky from The Details are in the Fabric.. 



The pacakge arrived a few days ago & I was so excited to see my ornament.

It was a pickle.

It's a tradition in Becky's family, & she decided to pass it on to my family.  I LOVE it!

For those of you who don't know, the pickle ornament gets hidden in the tree.  The first person who finds the tree has good luck for the entire new year!  If a little one finds the pickle, he or she gets something extra special from Santa.

My stepdad's parents always had a pickle on their tree...and I never found it.

Now I'm going to be the one who hides the pickle somewhere deep in the tree!

So Becky - thank you, thank you, thank you!!  I love it, & I only hope that you like your ornament just as much!

Coming soon...

I participated in an ornament swap, & I got my package in the mail yesterday!

I've got a special post planned - now I just have to find the time to work on it.

Oh, Christmas Tree

With a capital "G."

As you probably know I'm a transplant to the rural area where I live.  I was born in raised in the city, & I embraced my ghetto roots this morning.

I should probably be ashamed of what I did, but instead I'm going to share it with you.

Here goes...

I used a box of generic Tuna Helper to make tuna noodle casserole for dinner.

It doesn't get much more ghetto than that.

The fact is, I need to go grocery shopping.  As I was looking through the cabinets last night deciding what to defrost, I saw the Walmart "tuna skillet" dinner staring back at me & thought, "I've got bread crumbs & frozen peas.  Hrmmm..."

So dinner was born - no defrosting necessary!

I just ate a few spoonfuls after it came out of the oven, & I have to say that it was pretty friggin' tasty.

You can take the girl out of the city,  but you'll never take the city out of the girl.

What are you waiting for?

Please, please, please stop by my cousin's new blog Through the River and Over the Woods.

She's got lots of tales about college life - everything from finals to Quidditch.

I know you'll love it, so follow her!

She's a very sweet girl, & I'm sure she'd be glad to follow you back.

Is it foul smelling?

The first few times a nurse asked me that question I was a little surprised.

I mean, isn't the answer obvious?

For those of you who may be new here -  I'm talking about poo...not the honey-loving bear, either.

But, I quickly learned that not all of it is foul smelling...at least not to a health care employee.  So, as you might imagine, if one of us thinks it's foul smelling, it means there's likely some kind of problem.

I'm going to stop talking about stinky stuff, at least for now.  Hope I haven't lost everyone or the rest of this post is going to be rather lonely.

The point of all this was to say that I've learned a host of icky interesting things since becomming a CNA.  I decided to look for some buttons or stickers or other little doo-dads with CNA humor to get to my co-workers for Christmas.

In my search I came across all kinds of jokes about bedpans, incontinent pads & "sweatin' with the oldies."  Trust me, we love us some toilet humor.

But then there was something a little more grown-up, which really resonated with me.

(And this is the part where I get all emotional & stuff.)

The quote I found was intended for recent Nursing Assistant graduates & read:

"Of all the skills you will ever learn, the greatest one you will ever hold is the caring touch of a loving heart."

When I think about this simple statement I'm reminded of all the smiles, laughter, & joy that go hand in hand with all the yucky stuff.

I am happy to pay attention to whether the BM is foul smelling, put ointment on someone's prolapsed uterus & all the other strange things I do in a "normal" work day, because my job is to love people.

How many of us are lucky enough to say that?

Close the curtains & lock the doors.

I have been really looking forward to this weekend, because it's my first full weekend off in a while.  When you do the kind of work I do, two consecutive days off is the best thing ever!

So there I was on Wednesday, praying for the week to move quickly toward my weekend off & cookie baking with Jill - and then a coworker asked me to switch Saturdays.  Tomorrow is her son's 2nd birthday, & she would have had to leave his party early for work.

Sigh.

Now I'm working Saturday.  No weekend off.  No cookie baking.

All I've got is Sunday.  And as such, I've cancelled all my plans for that day.  That day is going to be for DJ & I.  Because when I do have days off, I'm always running around - but not on Sunday.  We're going to shut out the world & have a whole day together, which I'm really, really looking foward to.

And there's other good news on the horizon too!  Since I'm working this Saturday, I have off next Saturday - which means a 3 day weekend for this girl!  Woot!

The family Christmas festivities begin next weekend too, which is also something I'm looking forward to.

There's just a few more gifts to pick up, & then all the work that goes into this holiday is done & it's time to just sit back & enjoy it.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Where, oh where?

I've decided I'm finally ready to get a tattoo.

I know what I want.  Someone whose work I trust is going to do it.  There's just one variable.

I don't know where to put it.

The tattoo is going to be a tribute to a few very important loved ones that are no longer with me, so I want people to see it.

But, I don't want a tattoo on my arm.

I don't hate tattoos on arms, I just don't think it's what I want for me.

Theoretically, I'd like it on my shoulder or my back, but no one will see it there.

And if being able to show it off is truly important to me, I guess I'm looking at arm or leg.

Any thoughts?

It's a family thing.

Good news!

Another beloved cousin started a blog!  Yay!

I'm so excited to have her.

Please visit her new blog Through the River & Over the Woods, & become a follower.

What do you do when you don't know what to do?

Yesterday I got a voicemail from a high school friend that I hadn't heard from in a while.

I sent her a message on Facebook a few weeks ago asking for her new address so  I could mail a Christmas card.  I never heard back from her.

I didn't listen to the message until this morning.

She's no longer living in Florida, the place that she moved to earlier this year.  She has been fired from her job.

She is deeply, deeply troubled.

I talked to her today, & it was like she wasn't even there.  It was a shell of the person I know.

She said things that made no sense at all, & other things that were very concerning.  Things that make me glad to know she is now not allowed to be alone.

Who would ever expect to be glad for something like that?

This is a person who has always had issues.  The kind that are taboo to discuss, even at this point in time.  The kind that have, at times, made it difficult for her to do everyday things.

Despite that, she has always been a great friend to me.  Even at a time in my life when I was making the worst possible decisions, she never looked at me with judgement.  She was nothing but supportive & understanding.

And now, when the little issues have piled into a mountain so big it seems she'll never be able to climb it, I want to do the same thing for her.

But I don't know how.  I don't know where to start.

17 again?

It seems as though when I go to work I travel back in time to high school.

The biggest pot stirrer is out on medical leave, so & expected a few peaceful weeks without her.

Wrong.

I work with a guy who's been there for 30 years.  He's almost 50 years old.

This guy has decades more experience than me...not to mention that he's almost twice my age.

So why, oh why, does he act like a teenage girl?

We were very short staffed last night, which can be a stressful situation.

We had extra help for the first part of our shift, so I took advantage of it - while this guy was standing around talking to the nurse about our Christmas party.

Then, when our help was gone, he started complaining that no one helped him & blah, blah, blah...

Are you kidding me?

Build a bridge, & get over it.

Taking a sick day.

From blogging, that is. 

I wish it was a sick day from work.  Ughhh...

I'm a little under the weather this weekend, which hasn't left me with much to say.

So, I'll be back soon.

I let him go because he didn't want to be my new best friend.

I came home from work Tuesday night to find my cat trying to dig through the sliding glass door to our deck.

This is not uncommon.  He does this if he sees the dogs lead laying out there, or if there's a leaf blowing around.  He'll just run back & forth chasing it around, & gets so disappointed if the leaf goes out of sight.

I assumed that was the case on Tuesday, but when I turned the porch light on to let the dog out I got a big surpprise.

This is what Scooter was so feverishly trying to get to:



Image from Google.

I've seen a lot of weird things since I've lived here, but that was my first toad.

He was headed toward the tall end of the deck, so I went outside to try to redirect him (& to decide if we wanted to keep him, because DJ & I were both thinkin about it).

The poor, little dude was definitely scared.  Everytime I tried to pick him up, he would dart in the other direction.  When  finally did pick him up his little legs were going like crazy to get away.  And the weird thing was, he was making a very unexpected noise.  No "ribbiting."  He was chirping like a little birdie.

In any event, he clearly wasn't interested in staying with us for a while, so I just took him back down into the grass safely & put him away from the dog's reach - just in case.

Finally!

Guess who's excited.

This girl!

Wanna know why?

Perhaps some of you remember me lamenting about my dryer issues here.

Well, I was out of the house for a few hours today, & when I got back I was asking the universe (Out loud, because I'm crazy!) to please give back my iPod cord which has been M.I.A. for at least a week - but that's another story.

At that point, the boyfriend chimes in & says, "I don't know about the iPod cord, but would you settle for a working dryer?"

Turns out, there was no major crisis.  The contractors who built the house didn't turn that outlet on because they knew we weren't moving in with a washer & dryer.  So, the electrician stopped by this afternoon & all is working well.

Woo-to-the-freaking-hoo!!!!!!!!

Have you ever known someone who was so excited to be able to do laundry?

It's ironic, because I was just complaining on Facebook today about spending my day off at the laundramat - but now I don't have that problem anymore.  Yay!

So, I'd like to give a shout out to the universe (And DJ, since he made the calls!) for getting that all worked out...but, I would still like my iPod cord when you have a minute.

Giveaway!

I'm sure most of you know I'm not big into the giveaways.  However, I really like this one, so I'm jumping on the bandwagon.

Little Miss Can't Be Wrong at How I met your father is giving away an adorable Key to Your Heart necklace!

I get an extra entry for this post, & for each one of you lovely ladies that leaves Little Miss a comment saying I referred you to the post.

So, if you have a spare moment, I'd appreciate it...& I know you'll love her blog too!

Is it just me?

I think I finally figured out why I hate Christmas music so much.

Normally, when radio stations start to play Christmas songs in mid-November, I'm over it after the first three songs.  My mom says I'm a scrooge, but I always thought it has something to do with working in a retail Call Center.  My hours were horrendous, & the customers were worse at this time of year.  It was enough to make anyone a little bitter about the holidays.

So far this year I'm all about Christmas.  And, much to my own surprise, I've been enjoying Christmas music in the car on the way to work just about everyday.  Until yesterday...

That's when it hit me.  The reason I hate Christmas songs is all because of one terrible, horrible, no good, very bad Christmas song; the cheesiest Christmas song of all time:  "Christmas Shoes."

Now, I know there are a lot of people who treasure that song for it's message.  Don't get me wrong, I understand the message of Christmas too...but that song is a steaming pile of crap.

From the overly dramatic poor-man's-Bruce-Springsteen narrating, all the way to the sad little boy's voice that comes in later, this song makes me crazy.

And as if it wasn't bad enough, THEY MADE A FREAKING HALLMARK MOVIE ABOUT IT!  Has anyone ever seen that?

I should let you know that I tend to cry at movies - all the time.  But that movie - that Hallmark made to tug at my hear strings movie starring Rob Lowe - didn't make me shed a single tear...because it's so ridiculous.

So for the last week or so I've done really well at avoiding this song.  Then, the other day when I wasn't paying attention, it crept up on me.  There I was, rocking out to my all time favorite Christmas song "Feliz Navidad" (don't hate), & before I had a chance to change the station it started.  And now, they've been playing it all day, everyday on every radio station.

Kill.Me.Now.

I know that this probably does make me kind of a Scrooge, and I'm ok with that.

I'm just wondering if it's just me, or if there's anyone else with me.  So if you're a "Christmas Shoes" hater, hit a sistah up!

Meet me on Monday

Meet me on Monday is a weekly blog hop hosted by Java at Never Growing Old.  It's a great way to meet new bloggers & get to know eachother a little better by answering a few questions.

Questions:



1. What is your favorite way to eat chicken?

I would have to say chicken parm with spaghetti...although there are a million other ways that chicken is declicious.

2. Have you decorated for Christmas yet?

I'm half-way there.  The tree is up, & I'm decorated inside.  I'm off on Wednesday, so I'm hoping to hang the outside lights then.

3. What is your favorite article of clothing?

I don't have just one, but I'd have to say my collection of sweaters.


4. Do you pay your bills online or write checks the old way?

For the most part, I pay online. Let's save some trees, people!


5. Do you make Christmas cookies?

When I was little my family used to get together to make cut out cookies, but we don't do that anymore.  I think this year I'm going to make some cookies for myself.  Not a whole lot, just a few batches of the kinds DJ & I like best.

Haute chocolate anyone?

I am now officially a Black Friday shopper - but only a half-assed one.

My cousin & I met at our grandparents house around noon-ish for pizza, so we didn't leave there until shortly after 1:00 to get started.

Our aunt & two other cousins (little ones, 7 & 4) were meeting us.  She didn't want to go to the mall with the kids, so we went to an up & coming neighborhood with lots of really great, privately owned shops.

Our first stop was a little cafe that specializes in very decadent, very fancy chocolate treats.  The store is called Haute Chocolate.  How freaking cute is that?  Anyway, they were having fee cupcakes for Black Friday.  The kids had their cupcakes, & I had a hot chocolate milkshake.  It was hot chocolate flavored ice cream, tons of whipped cream on top & chocolate shavings too.  Yum-to-the-O.

It was at this point that my littlest cousin became possessed by some sort of demon spirit, & my aunt had to make her exit from this shopping day.  I don't think it was too much chocolate, he just does that sometimes.  Fun!

We hit up some really interesting little stores after that, where I proceeded to shop for me instead of people on my Christmas list. 

After that we put on our brave faces & ventured to the mall.  It wasn't that bad actually.  We found some really interesting gag gifts in Five Below, were slightly disturbed by the adult section in Spencer's & all the people standing there with their small children  & contemplating whether $5 was too much to spend on Zombie Blood at Hot Topic.

It was a long day, but it was so much fun!  I think I like the buzz about Black Friday.

Let it stop. Let it stop. Let it stop.

I woke up this morning only to find it snowing sleeting weathering outside.

Umm...that seriously effs up the Turkey Day plans.

If it's slippery outside, DJ can't transfer in & out of the car because he can't keep his balance.

We're supposed to be going to his mom's house at noon to eat, but if the weathering continues we may be feasting on TV dinners & Chef Boyardee this year.

Wordless Wednesday

I know it's early, but...

 I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving, however you choose to spend it!

Tomorrow is going to be a crazy kind of day.  We're eating at lunchtime because I have to be at work by 3, so there won't be time for blogging.

But I should have some good stories for Friday!  The women folk in my family are going to brave the Black Friday crowds for some silly reason.  I can't wait!

Put your big girl panties on & deal with it.

Last night my sister & I got our pictures taken for a Christmas present for our mother.  The photo place was not overly crowded, but it was filled with crazy people.

There were several families with young children.  And you know what?  All of them were really well behaved.
The kids couldn't have been better.

The parents - well now that's another story.

Let's start with the pregnant woman.  This woman was very, very pregnant.  And yet, there she was with her two little ones all dressed to the nines; hair done & everything.  They looked really nice.  By the time they got to selecting pictures, Mommy to Be was in tears.  One of her little ones didn't smile the way she wanted her to...but she was smiling, & the pictures were beautiful.  So suddenly, the not so crowded photo studio gets a half hour behind schedule because the walking hormone wants her children to perform on command.  You should have bought a dog.

Little sister & I had an appointment at 7.  We were there entirely too early, so we just waited.  At 7 on the dot the Khaki Family showed up.  Their appointment was also at 7 - & Mama Khaki expected to be taken back right away.  The poor woman working at the photo studio saw that they had a little one with them, & was up front about the 15-20 minute wait.  Maybe Baby Khaki would be happier walking around than she would sitting in the waiting room. 

Now, maybe it's just me, but I think when you have appointments like this there's a little bit of a wait to be expected.  No?  Wanna know what Mama Khaki said?  "Well it can't be too long because she gets tired at this time of night."

Why the fuck did you schedule your appointment for that time then?

While we were waiting to select our pictures, the Khaki Family came out of the photo room.  Rather than waiting 10 minutes, they rescheduled another appointment to come back & pick their pictures because they just couldn't wait anymore. It was too late, & the poor photo studio employee should have known that Mama Khaki was coming & scheduled more people to work that evening.

By the way, Baby Khaki (who was probably 2-years-old) couldn't have been more pleasant.  She & Daddy Khaki were amusing themselves while Mama Khaki was being a bitch rescheduling the appointment.

After all that, we finally picked our pictures out.  They looked great & were not nearly as expensive as I expected them to be.  Score!

I've got a confession to make.

I feel like this post may mean some of my followers go running for the hills.  I'll be sad to see you go, & I don't mean to offend anyone, but this is my blog & I'll always be honest & true to myself here.  So there's the disclaimer.

Most of you know that I work in a nursing home.  Not too long ago I was standing outside of one of the resident's rooms gathering supplies before I went in.  My linen cart was up against a wall, & I could not see into the room.  However, I suddenly knew there was a man in her room.  He was sitting in a chair that's there for visitors, & he was just watching her sleep.  I quickly went around the corner into her room, & of course no one was there.

This isn't the first time something like this has happened, & it's kind of hard to explain.  I typically do not see things that aren't there - which I guess is a good thing, because that would make my crazy.  What happens to me is that I "see" things in my mind - sometimes images, sometimes what I call "mini-movies."  Although there was no one physically sitting in that chair, I know he was there.


Ever since I was small I've had the feeling that there were spirits in this world.  I think everyone has had the sense that someone was watching them when they know they're alone or has believed that they've received a message from a loved one that's no longer living.  And that was pretty much the extent of my experiences with this sort of thing up until a few years ago.

In the last few years I've met some people that I've come to love & trust very deeply.  I've discovered that I have what I believe is a gift, & I'm beginning to nurture that more than I have in the past.

I talked about the man in the chair to one of the people who is closest to me.  The experience happened so fast & it kind of caught me off guard at the time.  It was a brief image, so I didn't have a lot of detail about how the man looked - but it was definitely a male, non-threatening presence.  Although it certainly could have been her husband, I didn't get the sense that this person was just visiting. 

The conclusion we came to is this:  since I am sensitive to other worldly things to begin with, working in a nursing home is certainly going to open some doors for experiences. 

I'm not saying that I can predict someone's death, & I don't want to.  There have been resident's who have passed away completely unexpectedly.  And yet, I feel I have gotten other "messages" in my time there that I wasn't fully able to understand at the time.

In the last few days I feel like I've gotten confirmation of what I experienced that night. 

The resident who was visited has cancer.  She can no longer walk, & so she is in bed all the time.  Her family lives out of state, so she doesn't get visitors very often.  It is obvious that she is not happy.

Her family came to visit a few days ago, & this resident told them that she is ready to die.  She has begun to refuse medication, & is eating less & less by the day.  She is now in what we call the terminal stage of her life, & we are instructed to do the best we can to keep her comfortable.  It is now only a matter of time.

This was not meant to be another of my sad stories about work.  I haven't mentioned this type of thing before because I wasn't really sure how to approach it.  But after this has unfolded, I felt compelled to get it off my chest.  It's something I do plan to continue to write about in the future, but it certainly won't be an everyday topic.  I'm not the the business of shoving my beliefs down someone else's throat.

That being said, I welcome your feedback - whether you agree or disagree.  The only thing I would ask is that you be kind.  You may not agree with the beliefs of me or someone else who comments about it, & that's fine.  But that doesn't warrant attacks on that person.

Who wants to play?

Brittany of Unexpected Surprises is hosting an ornament swap, which you can read about here.

Super fun, right?

The deadline to sign up is November 24th.  Just add a comment to her Ornament Swap post & include your email address.  Britt is going to work out all the swap partners after Turkey Day.

And so it begins.

Just when I thought my cats were turning over a new leaf, I realized these are my cats we're talking about.

The cats who eat lettuce.

The cats who cry when doors are closed, only to turn & walk away when the door is opened.

The cats who try to dig through my sliding glass door because there are leaves blowing around on the deck.

I went to bed thinking, "You know, they've been pretty good with the Christmas tree so far."

And then I woke up this morning, to the tree leaning against the front window & the tree skirt mangled into a pile of red fabric.

Apparently, Wrestlemania was located right under the tree sometime during the night.

Sigh.

On a completely unrelated note, one of my lovely cousins went to see the new Harry Potter movie last night, & this was her reaction:

Before -> :DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
During -> :'( :) >:| :/ O.O D: :(
After -> :''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''(
Wow. Just wow.
Dobby ♥

 I love her.

 

Christmas with the weatherman.

After my busy thrift store adventures yesterday I came home & had a sudden burst of energy around 7:30.

I went grocery shopping, cleaned my house & then...I broke out the Christmas decorations.

Of course, I've got a story about the decorations.  It all started with my mom, who just can't accept the truth about her beloved front porch Santa decoration.  See, my mom's Santa is special.  By day he's one thing, & by night he's something different.  Allow me to demonstrate.

Day

Night

Anyone else notice anything?

Look, I'm not saying it's wrong for her to display the Santa.  And I'm not saying it's Santa's fault.  It's probably just the crappy paint used to manufacture him.  But the fact remains - she's got an ethnic Santa.

To this day my mother vehemently denies that there is anything out of the ordinary with her Santa.  While I know my mother is not a racist, this is not some abstract comment on how "color blind" she is.  She simply chooses not to accept the truth.

And of course, I find this to be hilarious (As do my bi-racial friend of 15 years & my gay bestie.  Please don't send me any hate mail.  I'm not a biggot, I'm just easily amused).

Anyway, after many years of my relentless jokes at her Santa's expense, my mom made her comeback last Christmas.  On Christmas Day she, my sister & my stepdad came over to our house to open presents.  After everything was opened my mom gave me my "special" present.

And yes, he is displayed as part of my holiday decor this year.

One person's trash.

Today was a beloved day off, which I welcomed with open arms after last night at work.  Super stressful!  But, I have a hilarious story about it to share quickly.

I'm getting a resident ready for bed.  I have my back to her because I'm setting up her bed.  As I turn back around to get her changed, she's dancing in her wheelchair; toes tapping, fingers waving.  It was the cutest thing ever!  And if that wasn't enough, she must have seen the surprised look on my face & asked, "Aren't you going to dance with me?"  So we did - we danced, right there in the middle of my jam-packed, stressful night.  And I'm so glad we did!

Ok, I'm done.  Now, back to my beloved day off...

I woke up early this morning, which was pretty terrible.  I hate waking up early.  (For those of you who get up at the ass crack of dawn on a daily basis for 1st shift, please know that these days "early" is classified as anything prior to 10:00 AM.  Today, "early" was 8:00.)

But, I woke up early with a purpose:  thrift store shopping!  And not just any old thrift store shopping - it was 50% off day!  On a side note, is it really sad that I go to the thrift store on a day when there's a sale?  It probably is, right?  I'm not poverty stricken like I might seem...I just like good deals!

MIL & Auntie-in-law came along for the ride.  Auntie & I shared a cart that wasn't nearly full, while MIL filled a separate cart...almost completely with turtlenecks.  She just kept saying, "I live in turtlenecks, you know."  She really does, too.

I was happy with my finds.  I got an adorable dress that I don't need but had to have because it was $3, a few sweaters/long sleeve shirts for the impending frigid PA winter, a bed skirt because we've needed one for the last 2 years but I've been too cheap to buy one (Again, I'm not struggling to survive.  What is my deal?) & the most adorable Christmas/winter snowman decoration.

It's hard to see in the picture, but he's glittery!  It's not really something I needed, but he was adorable (& only $4), so why not?

And you know, all my crap was only $25!!  So after that, I was in the shopping mood, & we just had to stop by another thrift store that we passed on the way home.  That was wasn't as successful, but it was a hilarious stop anyway.  MIL & auntie had an ugly coat & boot fashion show that, thankfully, didn't end in any purchases.

MIL also found a latch hook kit for $1.50.  Being a crafty lady, she couldn't pass it up.  Not to keep going on tangents, but do you know how expensive those things are?  I looked at them at Michael's once & they were like thirty freaking dollars!  What the hell is that about?

Anyway, since I expressed an interest I learned to do latch hook this afternoon.  It's a cute Christmas pattern, so I'm hoping to have it done in time to hang up this year.  It seems pretty easy, so I don't think that will be a problem....unless my ADD gets the best of me.

Rainy Tuesday

It's chilly & rainy here today, & I would love nothing more than to stay in bed all day watching movies with the boyfriend. 

Unfortunately, I have to work.

And I wouldn't mind so much, except I work on a floor that's overstaffed - which means that when other floors are short handed, I get pulled.  That was the case last night, & probably will be again tonight.

Getting pulled to another floor isn't really the problem either.  The disorganization of the supervisors & the fact that most of the nurses are inconsiderate is really the issue.

My shift starts at 3:00, but the supervisors are putting final touches on the staffing sometime around 3:10.  That's when I found out I had to go to another floor.  When I got to that floor, I had to make a linen cart for the night, which takes about 10 minutes.  After I did that, I walked out to the nurse's station, only to find out they were sending me somewhere else - & no one bothered to poke their head in the linen room & tell me.

A-holes.

That was quite a tangent from staying in bed & watching movies all day, wasn't it?

Anyway, wish me a speedy, easy night at work!

Meet me on Monday

I haven't done this one for a while, but it's always fun!  Meet me on Monday is a blog hop hosted by Java at Never Growing Old.  Just answer this weeks questions & link up.  It's a great way to meet new bloggers.

Here are this week's questions:


1.  Do you eat Sushi?

I only started in the last year & a half.  DJ is a sushi lover, & he's slowly getting me to try some things.  I love rolls that have avacado & salmon in them.  My absolute favorite is a Philly roll though.  You can't go wrong with cream cheese.  Mmm...




2.  What kind of bath soap do you use?

I like Dove for sensitive skin.  My skin is troublesome at times. I use that to wash my make-up off because it doesn't dry my skin out.



3.  How often do you talk to your Mom?

I'd say 3-5 times a week, mostly via email when she's bored at work.  That's a lot more often then we used to talk when I lived at home.  Our relationship is rocky, & my mom has her own set of issues.  But it's getting better as I'm getting older.



4.  What TV shows do you watch on a regular basis?

This is a long list, but here goes:  True Blood, Boardwalk Empire, Eastbound & Down, Paranormal State, Psychic Kids, House, Raising Hope, Modern Family, Cougar Town & The Big Bang Theory.  I'm addicted to all of them.  If you haven't seen them, I highly recommend checking them out!




5.  Did you start Christmas shopping yet?

Yes!  I officially started the shopping part this past Saturday.  Prior to that,  I only ordered a gift for my MIL...but I guess that still counts, right?

They don't make them anymore because everyone who wanted one is dead now.

I went to an open house at the nursing school I'll be applying to.  I got some really good information to help  me along the application process. Then came the bad news.

The school accepts only 50 people into their part time program.  Fantastic! 

Not to mention, I'm not a math person.  I didn't do so well in math in high school.  I'm sure that I can do what I need to do to be a nurse.  But back then, that wasn't my life plan, & so I didn't care how I did.  I was too busy worrying about English & Art History & all the other stuff that was infinitely more fun.

Long story short:  I may not make the cut.  I may have to take a college Algebra course & defer my application until 2012. 

F. M. L.

After that, there was nothing to do but spend some money.  I went shopping with my cousin & aunt.  I got a super cute scarf, a puffy vest & a few Christmas presents.

We had yummy salads for lunch, met a fellow shopper who drinks shots of tequila & fish bowl size margaritas at noon, held lessons in using a debit card, searched high & low for a toaster cover & shared a million laughs.

It was just what I needed to decide that I can't give up.   I have to just try.

No time like the present

I'm getting up bright & early tomorrow to go to an open house at a nursing school in my area.  There's going to be presentations on admissions, financial aid & that sort of thing, followed by presentations in each of the areas of study offered at the school.

That'll be over at 1, & after that I plan on getting some serious shopping done this weekend.  I have exactly one Christmas present purchased.  One.  And I didn't even have to shop for that.  It's a present for my MIL, which I ordered out of a catalog.  She's gonna LOVE it though, so I'm really excited!!

However, that's one gift on a long list of people to buy for.  Ughh...

I do this every year, & yet I never seem to learn my lesson.  Why do I not just start Christmas shopping early?  Why must I wait until mid-November to start when I know I'm going to have to fight crowds to get anything done?

Although I will confess one thing I am pretty excited about:  Black Friday.  Never in my adult life have I been shopping on Black Friday.  I started working in a retail Call Center when I was 19, & so Black Friday was a mandatory 10 hour day every year.  When you work in retail, the holidays are nothing but a giant pain in the ass - & Black Friday was the worst day of the year.

But now things are different.  I have an opportunity to use Black Friday for it's intended purpose, & I'm finally going to.  Plus, my cousin will be home from college for Thanksgiving break & we're going to make a day of it.  We're rational people, so we're not going to line up at 3 AM to try to get the doorbuster deals.  We're going to start at lunchtime...with lunch.  Shopping is going to be secondary to our love of Mexican food.

Is anyone else a last minute shopper?

Kevin Smith, Grant from Ghost Hunters & some guy that looks like DJ's stepdad

So, like I mentioned yesterday, my favorite part of my weekend away was the "celebrity" stalking!  There were some look-alikes at the tournament, so I spent my weekend trying to take a good picture without being noticed.

Tell me what you think...

Kevin Smith?

Is there a ghost in the Grand Ballroom?

Then there was this random guy who looks like someone I know. 

Rewind

Hello, lovelies!  I've been gone for a while, but I have lots to tell you.  Let's work backwards.

Yesterday

The day started off with a rendezvous with my arch nemesis, 6:00 AM.  I had to be at the Red Cross at 8:30 to take my test for my CNA certificate.  I'm official now!  I passed on the first try, which is such a relief.  But, the day wasn't without drama...thankfully for us.

The letter I received said to be there at 8:30 for registration & the test would begin at 9:00.  It's a state run test, so they're not lenient about being absent or late.  Well, 9:00 rolled around & someone still wasn't there.  His coworkers were, & were in contact with him.  He was from a nursing home about an hour away & had gotten lost because Mapquest sucks ass.  The evaluator waited for a few extra minutes, but we had to get started to she shut the door & started passing out our test materials.

And that's when it happened - the lost guy arrived, & started pounding on the door.  When the evaluator opened the door he tried to push his way in, & the screaming match started.  Although he was late, he didn't accept her answer that these were the rules & she couldn't just let him in.  He assured her that the rules didn't matter & she could.  This escalated to the point where she threatened to call security, & he called her a horrible person before stomping away.

After the written exam I went back to the waiting room only to find irrational guy still there.  Turns out, he was still able to take the skills exam that day...and he was my partner.  FML.

But, in the end, it didn't matter.  I passed! 

The weekend

DJ & I were in West Chester this weekend for Mechanicon a dork tournament he was participating in.  Now that I have my jab in, I'll admit - it was a lot of fun.  It was a tournament for a tabletop game called Warhammer that DJ plays.  It's kind of like Risk, but not really.  The back story of the game is this:  it's 40,000 years in the future, & Earth is gone.  The universe is populated with what I can only describe as "leftovers," who all hate each other.

So, the boys all pick an army & then spend months (& sometimes years) collecting everything they need, assembling the models & painting them.  This is the result:

In addition to the armies themselves, the boys make intricate terrain to put on their play tables.  The game itself is all strategy.  They roll dice to move their armies & attack the other person's army until only one person is left.

There were 50 total people playing in the tournament.  DJ didn't win (nor did he expect to) but he had a great time with his friends & meeting new people.  However, the gaming club that he & his friends are a part of had a separate, smaller tournament during the weekend & DJ was the overall winner! 

I enjoyed  "celebrity" stalking, which I'll talk more about in a later post.

Friday

DJ left for Mechanicon Friday morning, & I met him there after work that night.  My Friday night at work is what there is to talk about it.  The day I have been dreading finally arrived.  One of the residents on my unit passed away during my shift.

This guy was, in no uncertain terms, a pain in the ass.  He usually wouldn't eat anything expect vanilla ice cream, or sometimes strawberry if he was slumming it.  There were behavior issues, & at times he was violent when a nurse or aide was giving care - so people started bribing him with ice cream, & he caught on pretty quickly to how things worked.  After they created the bad behavior, the nurses tried to correct it...which didn't go so well. 

After seeing that his ice cream was being limited, he would sit in his room for hours on end just saying, "Help," over & over & over & ov.....you get the picture.  This was mild, actually.  He used to throw himself out of bed, so he had bed alarms.  After that, he graduated to ripping the alarms out of the wall & throwing them out into the hallway.

But the point of my story was not to complain.  Sometimes working with him was so frustrating, but when he passed away the silence coming from his room was deafening.  In the instant he was gone, he was already missed. 

He has very little family, & they were not able to make it that evening.  There was so much going on that day that I didn't have time to go in & talk with him before he passed away, which I regret very much.

And so, I'm sharing this sad story with you ladies hoping that my words will find him wherever he is.  There's also some closure in saying the things that I didn't have a chance to that night.  Here goes:

Dear D,


You were loved.


xoxo

You have got to be kidding me.

So you know my weekend away I've been looking forward to for over a month?  You know, the one that I had to jump through hoops to get time off for?  Yeah, that one.  Well, it's this weekend.

...and I'm sick today.

I didn't fall asleep last night until sometime after 4:00, & then I woke up around 8:00 this morning.  I couldn't even keep my eyes open, so I just laid there until 9:30.  Then, I tried to get up & couldn't.  I just physically couldn't get up from the end of the bed.  I feel like I got hit by a bus.

I cannot breath out of my nose because I'm not congested.  My throat is a little scratchy.  I am just physically drained.  Crap.

This better be something that just passes by, or I am going to be very, very angry.  I'm so looking forward to this weekend, & I don't want to have to spend it in the hotel room.

In order to help this cold/plague/whatever the hell this is along, I took a sick day today.  I'm just going to relax & hopefully feel better tomorrow morning.

I'm not saying you're old, but you're not getting any younger.

I was doing some paperwork last night, & a resident wheeled up next to me to update me on the elections & ask for some hot tea.  All of a sudden, the conversation turns from absentee ballots to my future.

Let me give you some background...

She is very demanding.  When a new nurse or CNA comes onto the floor she likes to test the water.  Once she feels you out, she sees how far she can push your relationship.  Even though there are 59 other residents that all need to go to the bathroom & get their pajamas on, she believes her needs are top priority. 

She's also incredibly tortured, & it's very sad to watch.  So even when she's throwing a hissy fit, you've just got to grit your teeth & realize it's not her talking, it's the disease.  It's sad to someone laughing one minute & sobbing the next.

Despite all that, she's genuinely a good person & I love her.  So, to the funny part...

There we are, talking about the elections, how sad we are that the Phillies didn't win the World Series & what she wanted in her hot tea at 10 PM.  Then, out of nowhere, she say, "You know, you're 26 now.  If you want to be a nurse, you better go to school soon because it takes 3 years.  You'll be 30 when you're done...& then you need to get married & have a baby."

Ok then.

It's funny she mentioned the school part though, because I was thinking the same thing.  A few weeks ago I registered for a "discovery day" at a nursing school in the area.  It's on the 13th.  It'll be information about admissions, financial aid & the different programs they offer (paramedic, pharmacy, nursing, etc). 

I've got some questions, & this is the place for the answers.  After that, I'll be starting my application.  And I'll be honest, it scares the shit out of me. 

I'll keep you posted! 

I had my cake & (I'm ashamed to say) I ate it too.

I went to the grocery store yesterday for some last minute taco dip supplies, & happened upon the bakery section.  Well wouldn't you know, they have a freezer section in the bakery.  And there in the freezer, staring back at me, we ice cream cakes; cute, little baby ice cream cakes.  This is me we're talking about, so I couldn't resist.

When I got home from work last night the boyfriend & I watched the Paranormal State on the DVR & enjoyed some of the cute, little baby ice cream cake...at midnight.

And you know what?  We'll probably do the same thing again tonight.  We've still got Psychic Kids on the DVR!

Busy bee!

Despite having to work yesterday, all in all I had a good birthday.  The only thing missing was ice cream cake...but I'm sure my big, fat ass is glad I didn't have any.

The week ahead is jam packed.  I'm working today & tomorrow, & then I FINALLY have off on Wednesday.  Although I would love to relax on Wednesday, instead I have to:

• Go to the DMV & get a new picture for my license
• Wash the largest mound of laundry I've ever seen
• Take a trip to the laundromat to dry Mt. Dirty Clothes
• Clean my friggin' house.  It's bad - very, very bad - right now
• Start packing for this weekend!

Sometime today or tonight I need to try to find my voter registration card & my change of address card (because my license still has my old address) so I can be a responsible citizen & vote tomorrow morning.  I hope everyone else does the same!

Although, I can't make any promises about finding the things I need because I have to make 2 trays of taco dip when I'm done here.  Sigh.

Better get started.

Happy Halloween!

And Happy Birthday to me!  I'm 26 today.

DJ made sure to yell "Happy Birthday" as soon as the clock struck midnight on Halloween.  We watched 28 Days Later, which he insisted is the greatest zombie movie ever - but my money is still on Shaun of the Dead.

Since I'm working this weekend today will just be a typical day.  I've got laundry to dry this morning.  I have to run to the grocery store to pick up taco dip supplies for my charge nurse's birthday party tomorrow.

I made Halloween cupcakes & took them to work for this weekend.  You know, like you did for your birthday when you were in kindergarten. Lol!  And I'm picking up hoagies from the pizza shop around the corner for dinner.  We're having a makeshift party with four people, but that's ok with me.  Some of the other people I work with wouldn't even do that, & if I have to work on my b-day, I'm happy to at least be with people I like.

Until then, it's whatever horror movie I can find on TV.

Have a great Halloween everyone!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

This is my favorite time of year.  I love fall; the leaves changing, the smells, the cool air.  And I especially love Halloween & everything about it!

In order to get time off for my weekend away with DJ, I had to agree to work this weekend. : (

Last night was trick-or-treat night in the MIL's neighborhood that I would have loved to go to.  There are scary movie marathons I'm going to miss this weekend.  And I won't be home on Sunday night to watch the Ghost Hunters live on the Sci-Fi network.

So please, get out & trick-or-treat with your little ones, hand out lots of candy, watch a monster movie, tell some ghost stories & soak in all the fun this weekend has to offer!

And now, we've reached acceptance.

As I mentioned a few days ago my house is a train wreck.  The only thing I've managed do get done around here is litter boxes & dishes...both of which seem to regenerate overnight.  Sigh.

I can't seem to get motivated to do a ton of cleaning in the morning because I don't want to overdo it before I go to work.  My job is very physically demanding, & it would not be good for me to be run down by the time I start.  So I try to do light housework before I go (dishes, cooking, etc).

I tell myself that when I get home at night, I'll straighten up quickly & it will be taken care of.  As you might imagine, that has not been happening.  When I get home my ass gets planted in it's favorite spot while I catch up on what's been DVR'd for the night.

I've been telling myself all week that DJ is having company on Thursday, so I'll just need to be cleaned up by then.  Well, it's Thursday.  The cleaning didn't happen last night.  And I'll let you in on a little secret - it ain't happening anymore today.  I don't have time for it I've got daytime TV to watch.

Wordless Wednesday: It'll be here before you know it!

It's times like these I wish I was an electrician.

I have a confession to make.  My house is a little messy right now.  Okay, it looks like a bomb went off.  I really try to keep things tidy all the time, but it tends to get this way after my normal four day stretches at work.  I then do a big cleaning overhaul on my day off.

I mention this for several reasons.  First, yesterday was my day off, but I chose not to clean.  Secondly, I chose not to clean because yesterday was my last day off for 8 days.  Sigh.

So, I just inhaled a bagel while I was reading some blogs.  When I finish this post I'm going to peel myself off of the couch & get moving for the day.

Here's what I'm hoping to accomplish before work:

• Wash the mountain of dishes in the sink.
• Empty litter boxes.
• Take out the trash.
• Sweep & vacuum 

The one thing that's throwing a wrench in that plan is the laundry I need to dry.  It's gray outside & supposed to rain off & on for most of the week, so I can't hand laundry outside.  But we got a brand new washer & dryer delivered last week!  No problem, right?  Wrong.

Apparently there's something wrong with the line running to the dryer outlet.  When the very kind delivery man tried to turn it on, it kept turning itself back off.  So even though I own these brand new appliances, I have to find the time to go to the laundromat dry a few loads.  Great.

I'm trying to keep calm & just accept that it's not all going to get done today, because there's simply not enough time.  Unfortunately, in these situations my OCD gets the best of me.  Wish me luck!