2013 Day Five

Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Tell us about your writing space. Where do you write your blog posts?

I would say that 99% of my posts are written right here, at my kitchen table.  Sadly, it's usually a cluttered mess.  If I wasn't afraid that the producers of Hoarders would be banging on my door, I would show you a picture.

~~~*~~~

Twenty years ago, at this exact moment, I was getting settled into a hospital bed.  I was LIVID because my doctor lied to me to get me to come to the hospital.  I was told I would be able to walk around until my labor progressed.  Instead, I was immediately stripped down, given an oh-so-attractive hospital gown, jabbed with an IV needle, thrown on a bed, given an internal exam by the nurse (causing my water bag to rupture and flood the bed!) and then told I had to stay in bed because she also attached a monitor to the baby's scalp.  Oh, yeah, and that also meant I had to be catheterized, since I wasn't allowed to get off the freakin' bed.  Good times, good times....  And those were just the highlights!!

Eesh, ok, that's all the thought I want to give to that right now.  I'd rather focus on the end result....

This was taken the same day as the picture I posted yesterday.  Like I said, Stud was a couple months old here.  I think I was still on maternity leave, which would make him around 2 months?  And, yes, that's a cloth diaper. =)  UGH!  He was such a beautiful baby!!!

2013 Day Four

Monday, November 4, 2013
Who is your favourite character of all time?

Ok, I don't like this prompt at all.  But, I'm going to go out on a limb here, and say Stud.  He's definitely a character!!  Nobody makes me laugh as hard as he does.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Stud and Magnum.  Stud was only a couple of months old here. 

 (Jeez, how dated is that bathroom!?  That was our our first (and only) apartment, where we lived until right before Stud's first birthday.  I LOVED that apartment, bad decor and all.)

I was looking through old pictures because someone is going to have a birthday on Wednesday.  I will no longer be the mother of a teenager. =(  Ok, I'll hold off on the breakdown until Wednesday....

2013 Day Three

Not a lot to say today. 

Did you remember to "fall back?"  I put my "extra" hour to good use, and went to the gym before church this morning.  I'm trying to get back on track with that, but I won't bore you with it here.  If you're interested, you can click on that cute little penguin over there. ======>

We went to dinner with my parents last night for an early birthday dinner for Stud.  Then, we all headed to beautiful downtown Whiting, IN to meet a BIG group of my family.  One of my cousins is starring in Spamalot, being put on by the community theater there.  It was really great!!  Last night was opening night, so I'm sure the next 5 performances will be even better, as they work the bugs out of the show.  My sister and her girls couldn't make it last night, so they're going next Sunday.  I'm thinking about joining them.

Ok, that's about all I have for now.  I hope you're all enjoying your Sunday!

2013 Day Two

Ok, so I forgot Jimmy Kimmel airs repeats on Friday nights, so clearly there wasn't a new "I Ate Your Halloween Candy" video played yet.  But, that's ok, since it gives his staff a little extra time to put a great one together.  I can't wait for Monday night!

So, since I can't share the cuteness of random children I don't know, I guess I'll just have to share the AMAZEBALLS CUTENESS of my favorite Monkey!!!  (Oh, come on now, I haven't made you sit through this in a LONG time, so quit rolling your eyes!)

Guess who's been trying to make the switch to Big Girl Panties!!

It's a work in progress.  The last couple of weeks have really been good, so I'm hoping by Christmas, she'll be ready for Santa to bring her some cute panties.


As has been our tradition for nearly two decades, we went to the pumpkin farm on Columbus Day.  It was Monkey's first time, and she LOVED it!

My sister and I have a picture of our kids standing in front of this gauge just about every year of their lives.  It was so cool to finally take one of Monkey.  (And, yes Jo, I threw in plenty of pictures of my brother for you.  But, you have to share them with Mark!)

I wish I had a clue what we were all looking at here.  It wasn't until about the 4th time I looked at this that I noticed my sister and I are both in the background, and all four of us are looking at the same thing, but I have no clue what it was.

This cracked me up!

My oldest niece and her friend joined us at the farm.  Naturally, she had to get her annual photo!

One day, we were playing dress-up at Nona's house, and she put on her Snow White outfit, along with a tiara.  I know it's a blurry picture, but her adorable face still shines through!

 

Actually, all these pictures are crappy, I know, but 1) my iPhone sucks, 2) She's still cute as hell!! and 3) No, she STILL doesn't have any hair. =(

Yay!  Day 2 - over and out!

Email of the Day

Ok, I know this is old, but my dad sent me the link in an email today, and I just had to share.  The last three snippets made me literally tear up.

I can't wait to watch Jimmy tonight to see this year's collection of videos.  (I think this was last year's?)

*I think this NaBloPoMo thing must be working already.  TWO posts in one day?!?! ;-)

NaBloMoPo '13, Day One - Let the fun begin!

Friday, November 1, 2013
If you found one million dollars in the morning and had to spend it by nightfall, what would you do with the money?

In no particular order:

I would pay off my house.  And, no, not necessarily buy a newer, bigger one, but pay off the cracker box I already have.  We've been in this house 19 years now, as of Oct. 15.  We moved in right before Stud's 1st birthday.  I can't believe my "baby" is going to be 20 in five days!!!  But, I digress.  My point is, I don't know if I'm ready to leave this house, as there are so many memories connected to it.  Besides, a million dollars really isn't as much as it sounds like anymore. If anything, I would consider some remodeling and/or an addition.

I would set up a fund to pay for Stud's future education.  He could go to whatever college he wanted, and get as many degrees as he wanted.  Hello, Dr. Stud!

I would set up similar funds for my three nieces.  I want all three of them to be able to get the best education possible.

I would pay off my brother's condo.  It would be one less thing for him to worry about as a single dad.

I would give my sister an equivalent amount, to do with whatever she wanted.  Her place is paid for (she got lucky when she got divorced, and found a place she could buy outright with her divorce settlement) so she may want to get a new place, or save for her retirement.

I would give a good portion to my parents.  I know they set themselves up well for retirement, but I think I would call it their "Fun Fund."  They could use it for traveling, or whatever they wanted.

I would invest the rest, to ensure I would be comfortable during my Golden Years.  And, for me, those would start right now!!  I don't think Magnum is ready to stop working just yet, but this cushion would give him the freedom to find something that truly makes him happy.  Maybe start his own firm, so he can be his own boss.

Hmmm, I just reread that list, and I'm thinking I put too many things on it.  Like I said, a million dollars just isn't as much as we think.  I've been saying for years that, if I ever played the lottery, I'd want to just win a million.  Not the hundreds of millions that the jackpot sometimes reaches, but ONE million.  It wouldn't be enough to quit working, but it would be enough to make us comfortable, and hopefully, take us through retirement.  And, hell, if we're really lucky, leave a nice little chunk of change for Stud (and our grandchildren?!) when we're gone.

Ok, I made it through the first day.  Just 29 to go!

Suz, start rolling your eyes....

...cuz I'm doing this.  Again.

The first time I ever participated in NaBloPoMo was in November 2010.  Since then, I've done it several more times, sometimes several months in a row.

As you well know, I've been a bit absent from the Blogosphere for the past 7 months or so.  I miss my Bloggy Buddies.  I check in when I can, and/or when I feel up to it.  I lurk here and there, sometimes even dropping a comment or two.  But, I'm nowhere near the place I used to be when it comes to my blog.  There is just too much going on in my life, and I let this blog get pushed to the back burner, because I told myself it was the least of my concerns right now. 

But, I've had a change of heart recently.  One of the main reasons I STARTED this blog was to have an outlet, a place to vent and share the "crazy" before it made me implode.  I realize I need to start doing that again.  Yes, my life is crazier and more stressful than it's EVER been, but I can't let that keep my away anymore.  I need to start spewing some of it before I lose it. 

I probably won't be sharing every little detail, the way I have in the past, because now it's not just about me, and I have to respect the privacy of others. (Hi, Honey!)  But, I plan to share what I can.  One of the reasons I stopped sharing is because I did NOT want to be a Debbie Downer.  I didn't want to be "that" poster who only posted complaints and sob stories.  But, then I thought back on some of the posts I've done in the past when I had hit rough patches, and it was the love and support of my Bloggy Buddies that pulled me through those dark times.  I think I need that again.

So, I've committed to NaBloPoMo for November!  Yay!  I'm going to go on record right now and say that some days, I may just post a picture, or a silly ecard.  But, I WILL post something, anything, every day.  I'll also warn you that many of those posts will probably be about my beautiful little Monkey.  I mean, come on, I haven't bored you with pictures and stories about her in AGES!  You won't believe how big she's gotten.  She's not a baby anymore. =(  I have LOTS of cute stories saved up for you.  =)

I'll leave you with a bit of good news from today - Stud got a job this morning!!  Hallelujah!  He starts his new job under the Golden Arches on Wednesday.  (During my hiatus, he had, and then lost, a job at Culver's.  Maybe I'll post about it one day...)  Hopefully, I'll have more little nuggets of happy news to share this month.  Keep your fingers crossed....