It's a Wonderful Life!!

The Saturday Evening Post that Turned Into Sunday

At long last I have a contract on my house that is to close on July 2 - that date is right around the corner and I am thankful. This business of paying 2 house notes will break the bank quickly and my bank is about broke......but all is well with the world and whatever happens is in the stars.

I think God sits on one of those stars out there. Have you ever had to explain where God is to a child. Mr. Man is asking all sorts of questions these days, and he is wearing my pea brain out. He seems to think that the Blessed Mother Mary is sitting on the other side of God, but Jesus is on His right side. You know how those Catholics feel about the Blessed Mother Mary?? Well let me tell you she is way up there on the sainthood list. Then out of nowhere he asks stupid shit like, "Mama, can you still live if you don't have a head??" That kind of thing makes me crazy. You wonder where in the world they get this stuff (i.e. TV, video games??).

My Saturday post has now lingered into Sunday. Mr. Man is with the A.F. this weekend. I really wish he would get on a more regular visitation. As it is now, Mr. Man sees the A.F. once a month. There was some talk about Mr. Man going to Binghamton, NY to see Grandma Manning and Aunt Ruth and the other multitudes of Aunts, Uncles and cousins that live there. The problem herewith, is we go to court the end of July and the A.F. is so freaked out that he won't commit to going to New York - or at least taking Mr. Man. I can't figure the whole scenario out, but let's just leave it in the mysterious phenomenon category.

I went on a shopping spree yesterday to Kohl's. I swear they have the cutest clothes. Since moving downtown, I have lost a little weight and my current clothes are about 2 sizes too big - not a bad problem to have, but that means I have to go shopping, and I HATE to shop. I realize that is unusual for a female, but clothes shopping is just not my gig. I found this really hot dress I just had to have. Plus a few other things. I even bought a bra and underware - OMG!! I used to refuse to wear either one, but the more I think about it, maybe I should start, just a little at a time. Now don't get me wrong, you wouldn't catch me hanging out around the house wearing a bra, but going out, I think the twins need a little shape and uplift, and that is all I think a bra is worth.

I am in withdrawls. I have no pool to go to this summer. I usually go to Allen's to swim, but his house is rented (thank you God). I could go to Andrew's apartment pool, but my vision of that is lots of lanky, curvy young USM girls walking around sipping Shaefer Beer (that's the cheap stuff!) I don't even know if they make Shaefer Beer anymore, but that is what we did around a apartment complex pool. We used to pronounce is SHA - FE - A, just to make it sound more glamorous.

Our July is busy, what with VBS, trip to Gulf Shores and then to Dallas. July will be my travel month. I need a vacation so it comes at a most wonderful time.

Life is Good these days. Life has calmed down for me. Allen is happy in Missoula, Andrew is settled in a job and apartment, the M.U. is relatively healthy with the exception of a knee replacement looming for the fall. Allen's house is rented, mine has a contract to close July 2, I am settled in the Condo and we are happy to be here.

It's a Wonderful Life!

Peace

The Saturday Evening Post - And the Winner Is....

This was a hard one, because there were some good ones, like Marye's son "I don't know when I will get my dignity back??" to "Scat cat, get your tail out of my gravy" by Sallie's mother. But the one that made me laugh out loud (again and again) was Keith's "Tight as Dick's Hatband".  I know I had already mentioned that as one of my mother's sayings, but I figure that anyone who had to grow up and listen to that every time he wore tight jeans out, deserves a couple of coffees from Starbucks. So, Congratulations Keith, the gift card will be in the mail next week.

Not to mention Sid's diatribe about the origin of the phrase. Now that we all are sufficiently versed in the origin, we can rest easy tonight.....It really was fascinating. Thanks Sid for your research prowessness (is that a word?).

On to other worthy tales......

My Mr. Man scored the only points for his team in the hilarious, yet entertaining basketball game. He is on the blue team, but the white team pulled out the victory in a tight 4 to 2 game. He is, along with his team mates, need a little practice in shooting. It was a fine way to spend 45 minutes on a Friday night.

Bunco was, well, a barrel of laughter as usual. I generally leave Bunco shaking my head and saying in my head, "THOSE GIRLS, THOSE GIRLS". I really must start wearing a bra to Bunco, and that's all I have to say about that.....We had the damn best red beans and rice in the whole world. The crown was tight as dicks hatband, meaning it did not make its way to my head. I am on a loosing streak, I couldn't win a block of ice in Alaska right now. But good fortune is smiling on me nevertheless. My arena of gaming is on the fritz........I recently lost 3 games of legitimate Backgammon to Mr. Man, and he narrowly lost at a legitimate game of Scrabble. My friends, that is a sad state when your almost 7 year old almost beats you in Scrabble. I was wrecked.

I have a big green plastic pouch, and two new hand crafted pens I now possess, along with the keys to the condo. Yes, it is officially mine, closing went without a hitch. I am very blessed to be able to live here and I am looking forward to a new beginning. My friend, Leisa, said I was starry eyed when I saw it at the Christmas open house. I have been purging my belongings and deciding what to keep and what to part with. It is kind of sad in a way, parting with things. But I strive to lead a more uncluttered life. I think this will help tremendously. I even made a vow to myself to say NO when asked to do something for a while. There is way too much on my plate right now, and tasks need to be completed before taking on anything else.

Our Lord is good and provides beyond our expectations.

I feel like a lucky and grateful girl tonight!

It is a Wonderful Life!

Peace......

The Saturday Evening Post - The Big Mess, Politics and a little Football

Things are a big mess around here. My office is being painted and there are drop cloths on all my office equipment. I uncovered my computer, because, well, I enjoy my computer. Mr. Man's room is all covered up as well.

The Preacher Paul and son, Brad, my contractors, worked some today - arriving at 10:30 - just 30 minutes after I woke up. Some work was started, but nothing completed. Brad has gone from "I'll have you finished up by the end of the day on Friday" to "I think I'll come in on Sunday if you don't mind, to get your office finished - I know you will need to be there for Monday morning". Ya think????? Yes, Monday's are the big day around here. I set production for the plant and take orders from my vendors. I am on the computer and phone most of the day. I am grateful Brad is willing to go the extra mile for me.....

Just for the sake of Preacher Paul, I announced I was going outside to pray over St. Joseph, but I would be right back. It makes him crazy, so I like to get in the nudge. He told me today that if someone came by in the next couple of days, and offered me full price for my house, it would make a believer out of him. My expectations are not that high, but it would be nice, just to get a jab in for Preacher Paul. Older folk are sometimes set in their ways and thoughts, it would be nice to make an old dog see some new tricks. But I prayed over my buried 6 inches deep, in a plastic burial bag, upside down, facing the street, St.Joseph Statue. Preacher Paul said it was idolatry and he would be bringing me a zodiac calender soon.  He likes to jab too.

I am wrecked over the Pittsburgh Steelers loss tonight. It was a brutal game, hard hits, lots of squabbling on the field, the whole enchilada. It is the playoffs, and I would have loved to see the Steelers go a little further. They have this fellow named Davenport on their team, but we are no relation. Mr. Man would love to boast about being related to some of those athletic Manning boys, but he isn't.

Have you been following the latest on the political scene?? I am really shocked that Obama won the Iowa Caucus. Hillary came in 3rd, but remember, she was only .2% behind John Edwards, so I consider that a tie. I had predicted John Edwards would win, but what do I know?

In the Republican arena, Huckabee handily won the caucus vote in Iowa. The Motherly Unit has been glued to CNN, well, when not watching Law and Order or  CSI.  This Huckabee fellow was a Baptist minister in Arkansas. He is articulate and I like his agenda. Check out his issues, see where he stands and judge for yourself. He was Governor in Arkansas for 10 1/2 years and when he left, Arkansas had a huge surplus in the budget. I like his tax ideas and immigration plan - he says, put a dang camera on the borders - now that is a novel idea!! But Mitt Romney is ahead in some polls. Now my Mormon Boyfriend, Starling, is about as good a guy as they come, but I just don't see a Mormon being elected as President, do you??? Of course, I don't agree with every little Huckabee thing - but that is just the way it is! Enough about politics.........the M.U. taught me well - in some instances, it is better not to talk about politics or religion with some folks. Once again, this is MY blog and I can talk about anything I want!

It is late and I am tired, so I will just sign off in my usual way:

It's a Wonderful Life!

Peace.

The Saturday Evening Post - Bunko Chicks

It has been a busy week at the office! The M.U. went with my cousin Sally and Nick to North Carolina. They said the leaves were at their peak and spectacular. I got a call on Wednesday that my dear cousin, Robert, passed away. He had stage 4 lung cancer and had opted not to continue with Chemo. Robert was such a likable fellow - and he and his wife would always stay at my house when they visited Swan City for family reunions. You see, the M.U. has a large family both on her mothers and fathers side of the family. When the A.F. and I were picking out names for Mr. Man, we had several Samuels and Roberts on both sides. Of course the A.F. wanted to name him Schrader Ray after his hero, the race car driver, Kenny Schrader, but I was not having that....Anyway, I called Sally and Mama to tell them about Robert's passing. With family coming into town, we had to get food together. I ordered sandwich trays from my favorite local sub shop down the street and Mama asked sweet Leisa to make a cake and a breakfast casserole. So everything was set for the crowds coming in.

Friday's are so busy at the office. So, unfortunately, they had planned a 11am visitation and 1:30 graveside - and I was not able to attend. I did take a sandwich tray out to the M.U.'s after the service and visited with everyone for a while. It was good to see everyone!

I hosted Bunko this month and we had a wonderful time. This group of chick-a-dees is too much fun. We laugh, cut up and basically act like a bunch of teenagers. I asked Kim, my wonderful, best in the business, Massage Therapist friend, to sub for Leisa - so we had no ghost playing this time.

The food Tu prepared was simply divine. Mr. Man made the dessert. It is an easy dessert that is simply death by chocolate. You take 2 boxes of brownie mix and prepare according to directions. Pour half the mix into a 13 X 9 pyrex dish and lay on top any type candy bar you like. He put the plain Hershey bars - but when I had this, it was Symphony bars and I think that was better. Cook till done and serve hot with ice cream.

Here are some pics of the Bunko Queens......

I was not on my toes as a photographer, because I know I missed pics of several queens. I know this because pretty Paige chased me around the table to steal my crown.

So, we had alot of fun!

We had an unusual turn of events when a MAN showed up for Bunko. Yes, a real live MAN. We all gasped......

THE MAN left quickly enough and we didn't miss a beat with our rolls.

Here are a few other pics of the evening.

It was a glorious end of a good week!

Peace!

The Saturday Evening Post - Reincarnation and The Snaggletooth 1st Grader

If I were of the persuasion to embrace re-incarnation, I would either come back as my dog, Ginger, or a 1st Grade Teacher. Now, I say this with a little reservation, but let's just take this one step at a time.

Ginger, my beloved rescue dog, has a wandering spirit, much like myself in my younger days. What with all the kids in and out of the gate and door, we have found it quite difficult to keep her gated in. She is the neighborhood watchdog. She not only barks at people, but she barks at the wind, squirrels, birds, and stalkers. I am thankful she is a barker. But some of my neighbors may beg to differ. One night not in the too distant past, she had "treed a cat" (is that how you spell it?). Now bear in mind this was 3am and I was in a dead sleep. The barking aroused the attention of my neighbor Sid. He walked down and tried to persuade Ginger to settle down.

All I heard was a man's voice outside my bedroom window. And being the cautious and scared individual that I am, I called 911. The police came out, walked around the house and didn't see anything. They said "we must have scared him off". The Stalker must have scampered home before blue came. So they left and I had a sleepless remainder of the night. The next morning I called Julie to tell her about my stalker and the police drama. She in turn called her beloved only to discover he was my stalker. So, a belated thanks to Sid for watching out for my well-being. But scarring me to death. I am just glad to know who it was.

The other event with Ginger was when my back-yard neighbor, Steve, called at 2:15 AM to say that he was gonna KILL my beloved Ginger if I did not shut her up. I still have that taped conversation saved on my answering machine, just in case.

You see, I sleep very peacefully on my C-Pap machine, and I don't know there is a world going on out there. It takes alot to stir me to arousal (please get you mind out of the gutter!). I have been sleeping like a baby lately - which is a much needed reprieve from the days before C-Pap.

And thanks to Ginger for keeping the neighborhood a safer place.

The other reincarnated force I would be is a 1st grade teacher. I had the pleasure of participating in Mr. Man's "workshops" on Wednesday. My "job" as the guest teacher was to listen to the children read. There were 4-5 in a group and the children would take turns reading short stories. I so enjoyed this - just the pure delight in the eyes of a child when he has sounded out a word and got it right. They were so eager to learn to read. As for my home, I place reading a priority and Mr. Man and I read every night - without fail. It is our time to unwind and calm the day and spend time together. He will read aloud for 15 minutes or so, then we read silently our separate books. Mr. Man is like me, he has several books going at one time. His reading has dramatically improved in the last 3 months or so. I would not say he is way ahead of the other children in his class, but he is in the top 3. Proud, Proud Mama, I am.

Mr. Man has been fiddling with his front tooth for some time now. He wouldn't let me touch it. But at school, he bit into something and it made his loose tooth bleed. He went to his teacher, which she promptly referred him to the assistant, Ms. Wade. She took a Kleenex and pulled that sucker right out. So in Mr. Man's backpack was a sweet note along with the tooth in a container.

That was last Friday. We were spending the night at the hotel in Gulfport Friday night and Mr. Man was worried that the Tooth Fairy would not be able to find him at the Fairfield Inn. But lo and behold, she not only found him, but left him a personal note and $5. Inflation, it is killing me.

So here is my snaggle-tooth 1st grader in all his glory.

Now is there anything cuter that a boy missing a tooth? I think not. It is a segway to adulthood. It has generated conversation about the importance of taking care of those permanent teeth. My dentist would be so proud! I loved to ask Nellie Boone to smile when she was snaggle-tooth - she lost both her front teeth about the same time, so she was extra special cute.

So all is well with the world and we are one tooth less, with several more to go - I am excited! I love my son!

It IS a Wonderful Life!

Peace!

The Saturday Evening Post - The Bucket!

I love Saturday Evenings. One thing I would change is the early morning worship moved to the late worship! My soul is fed with that service. The problem herein, is I am not an early riser. Even Mr. Man is much like me. But he, like my self loves the early service.

After the Bitch Column, I found it comforting to give this over to Our Lord, he is much better able to deal with this stress than myself. My nature is to love and help people when I can. I try to live by the Golden Rule!

I read an amazing column in our local newspaper this morning. I went to get my nails done, so I always take something to read to pass the time. That nail shop is busy - but I like the owners. It was in the Religion and Faith section. The columnist is a weekly writer and I usually enjoy and can relate to her subject matter. Today it was about ANGER. She was a teacher and one day she discussed this with her glass. She said Anger was like a drip into a bucket. It may be traffic woes, folks that are irritating to you, etc. But all this adds up into the drip bucket, till one day, the bucket becomes full and spills out. I believe stress can be much like anger - the anger being rooted in the loss of your serenity. An interuption to your otherwise normal existance. We all like things to go smoothly in our life, but is life really 'NORMAL AND SMOOTH"?? I say not.

She commented that some students had funny comments when this analogy was discussed at home. One child came back and told his wise teacher that his mothers bucket spilled last night! Yes, we all do that, our bucket sometimes is filled, and oversflows. But rather, shouldn't we be getting along with the work of Our Lord. Should this really be our distraction? Does the other party really spend time thinking about how we react/are affected?? The columnist concludes by saying : "In my secret place of silent prayer I tell my self and those who drip in my bucket, ""I've got to get on about my Fathers business of caring for the ones he has chosen for me to make a difference in their angry lives.""

I have to know that no matter what happens in any given situation, that things will work out how they are supposed to. I can worry myself to a frenzy in about one second flat. Things go from a drip in my bucket to a steady stream of stress. Yes I grow very weary sometimes and think to myself - WHY ME??

This is where I must be very careful. My first line of defense if the ask for help. Some folks hold in details about life. Not me, I will share with my close friends if they are willing to listen. They loving tell me I am in their prayers, and to do what I feel is RIGHT. You know, basically, all I desire is to be normal, make enough money so that I can pay bills, tithe to my church, and help where help is needed. Thank our good Lord for friends in my life that truly love me and I am reminded of this everyday. (See I am working on gratitude!!). What a lucky girl I am!

This week has been testy - there are drips in my bucket - but I punched alot of holes for drainage.

Peace!

The Saturday Evening Post

As Saturday's go, this has been quite average. Not much would I change today with the exception of getting alot of much needed money in the bank.

Business is OK. Other than one important aspect. The A.F. was told by the manufacturer he couldn't represent one of the products I sell to him. This did not make him happy, me either. This goes into the red zone with him, considering over the past recent months our agreed upon support has not been met. He was already in arrears with me as far as his business commitments. This is not good. I am not pleased! At this point I have no leverage with him to hold his freight. I am on a wing and a prayer.

This was to be Mr. Man's weekend with the A.F. That did not happen. But we have had a blast this weekend and we have been productive. I like these weekends. I have done about 6 loads of clothes and put everything away nice and neat. Mr. Man has helped, he likes to help. I want to raise him to be a helper and not one of those men that thinks the woman should do IT ALL.

We worked in the yard some, here are some pics of my yard:

   

Ms. Leisa and Wild Walker came over and the boys played baseball outside. Then a little card game with the neighbor, Bennie.

And then, I had to intervene:

So, this is a product of being too competitive. This is what we call a time out at our house. It generally works. As I have said before, Wild Walker and Mr. Man sometimes mix like oil and water. I told Ms. Leisa one time that we should just stand by and let them duke it out. They would end up scratching each others eyes out. So, instead, we limit their time together to about once a week.

Mr. Man lately has been saying words like: crap, idiot, freak, freakin - well those are just not acceptable words at my house. I had to give him a small dose of soap today. I told him I was washing that garbage out of his mouth. Now some may find this extreme, myself included. When nothing else works, and the behavior continues, I take extreme measures. Lord, forgive me.

He spat and sputtered for about 30 minutes. He lived thru it and survived. I haven't heard another raunchy word.

Mr. Man has been on his best behavior since. We went for an afternoon swim and cookout at my smart and funny bookkeeper's Trish and Mr. Tom's. It was fun and Mr. Man was in rare form. He danced just like a white boy and shot basketball, well, like an African American boy.

So, it has been a day of fun! And accomplishments! And discipline!

It's a Wonderful Life - Grace under fire!

Peace!

The Saturday Evening Post - YeeHaa

It has been on of those weeks that I will not soon forget. I have been thinking alot about my sweet Andrew, and the predicament he has nestled himself with. I just can't seem to get my arms around this.

He text messaged me yesterday morning from work and said he needed to "borrow" a little money till he gets paid on Monday. When I saw him, I told him I didn't have any money, that I was hoping the A.F. would give me some child support when he picked up Mr. Man.

Child Support - now that is something he may be all too familiar with over the coming years. Oh, my Lord, he can't even make it from week to week for his own needs and pleasure. One problem with all this - his pleasures are getting in the way of his needs. That is where I come in, ya know, stuff like gas and food.

Than we move on to "his bethrothed". She is a sweet girl, I'll say. I like her just fine. She is a waitress and she will be going into the 12th grade next year. The "little one" will arrive sometime in March if my calculations are correct. I'm sorry, but I just can't even imagine being 7, 8, 9 months along in my senior year. Today she called me looking for her work pants and shirt. She couldn't find them anywhere. So as the story goes, she "had" to go to the mall and buy a pair of jeans to make it to work. So, the caretaking dude that my nephew is, he gave her my credit card to go buy a pair. I had given it to him to buy the parts ($65) for a new water pump that went out in his car. This was a "need" that "I helped him with".

Now, how all this will play out if still being determined.

There is always Medicaid.

There is always government help for food for lower income folks.

There is low income housing.

Dadgum, they will make it somehow, by the skin of their teeth.

That is not how I imagined he would start out his life. I wanted him to have a better life than he has had. Believe me, sports fans, he has seen alot in his short 17 years of living. What with his dad's problems, not to mention his deceased mother's problems (she was a drug addict also - and came to her demise six years ago - one week before Mr. Man was born).

My sweet Andrew has been living with me since he was in the second grade. This has been an off and on situation, but for the most part more on than off. I love him like my child. I was there when he was born.

For pete's sake, I have made him a hundred hamburger patties (with a sinful amount of Tony's sprinkled on - this is the way he likes his patty!) when everyone else was having meatloaf or chicken spaghetti.

I was thinking back on the time when I found out I was with child, some seven years ago. My circumstances were somewhat similar. I was not married. Good Grief, I was freaking out. Here I was 39 years old - the biological clock had been ticking for years. It was now or never. It was a very strange mix of emotions for me. On one front I was elated, joyful, full of wonderful promise and a bright future. Me and my little one traversing the tapestry of life together. On the other side, I felt embarressed that the A.F. and I made a mutual decision to NOT get married. Best decision I ever made! I like the A.F. OK, I even thought I loved him back then. You know what they say about love - IT IS DEAF, DUMB AND BLIND. My Dad, God rest his Soul, didn't like the A.F. as much as I did.

But when all is said and done, Mr. Man and I are doing just fine traversing our tapestry. We even went on a date last night. We went to see the newly released Harry Potter movie. It was amazing - Mr. Man and I love Harry, Hermione, and Ron. Check out this clip. I personally love Severus Snape (the potions teacher) and Sirius Black (Harry's God Father).

I knew Harry Potter was a hit with Mr. Man when, after the first movie came out, he walked around with a stick shouting "EXPECTO PATRUNUM". For all of you that are not Potter fans, that is a spell that is cast to protect yourself when the evil forces were attacking you.

After the movie, I gave him a choice of where to eat. He said Sonic, I said NO. He said McDonalds, I said NO. He said Wendy's, I said NO. So we settled on Guthries. Well I found out they have 2 items on the menu. You can either order a Chicken Tender Sandwich (Fried) OR a Chicken Tender Box - it has FF, Slaw and Texas Toast. You get 1 container of that wonderful sauce, but an extra one will cost you 25 cents. I settled on the Sandwich and he got the box. He ate every smidgen in that dang box, along with about a cup of ketchup (and one extra sauce).

Then we went to Wal-Mart and bought his school supplies - a long list, some 25 specific items or so. Plus a ball. I can't seem to get out of Wal-Mart with Mr. Man without a ball. I can hardly turn down a ball that cost .98, not to mention the sheer joy he derives from a dadgum ball.

Back to me. I also had the love and support of my church family. That sweet church down the street loved me up and carried me on angel's wings. I felt accepted, although I knew deep down that I WAS NOT the usual run of the mill pregnant girl. There was not even a hint of judgement placed on me for my circumstance. My circle gave me a fabuluous shower, my handbell friends came to another shower (I had 4). They truly loved me up. And they loved Mr. Man. The A.F. and I even stood in front of the church on July 1, 2001 for Mr. Man's baptism.

But all this said. I think Andrew and "his bethrothed" are brave souls. God bless em.

YeeHaa!

Peace Out......

The Saturday Evening Post - The Agony Column

Today has been LAZY. I can't seem to get going. And it is midnight and I am wide awake. I hate these days. The only time I feel good is when I am productive. I have been thinking alot today. Thinking about what I need to do, about the direction in which I should go.

Mr. Man got another red light on Friday. I don't know any details, except the note said "Sam was acting out again and disrespectful to his teacher". He was gounded all last week for a red light. Obviously that did not work. We talked alot about his behavior (the slapping thing) and how it was inappropriate. And we talked alot about  being respectful. I just feel like ringing his neck, and I bet Ms. Phalen and Ms. Parvin want to as well. I asked him what happened and he played dumb. He would not tell me anything. I will find out Monday morning.

Friday was a day from hades. What with a delivery of my new bedding (that was the bright spot), then a meeting with Pam B., my accountant. I had to go into detail about the nature of my business and how money flows where and for what. Then the horrific details about Allen and how all that came to be. Then the bad news about having to make some changes (that will be beneficial to me in negotations for the sale) on my balance sheet. So Pam, and my smart and funny bookeeper, Trish, and I will have a pow wow on Monday night. Damn, will this ever end? Complete and total nightmare.......

Mr. Man had a ballgame on Friday. He played well, getting a 2 singles and 1 double. But the outfield thing, well I have decided he is just so agressive and wants to be a part of every play. He plays short fielder, which is just behind the pitcher. He is in a coach pitch league and there are 2 shortfielders. He is all over the field. He plays smart, and knows who is where and what to do. But good grief, this is a team, NOT THE MR. MAN SHOW. The coaches actually congratulate him, and say "good job, Sam", but I want to scream "let someone else get it"! They lost, 19-16. I was so proud of him, because after the game I heard Mr. Man tell the other players "good game, Heath - we tried our best". Not to just one kid, but several. Maybe he will be a leader.

Then we had Bunko. I was a little late, but didn't miss too much. We laughed and hooted and hollared. It was fun. The kid down the street babysat for Mr. Man. Before I left, I put them a pizza in the oven and gave him very direct instructions (listen for the buzzer, and then turn the oven off). About 45 minutes later I got a call from the babysitter, "Ms. Debi, how long do I cook this pizza?". I told him I already cooked it and all he had to do was turn off the oven and remove the pizza. He said uh oh, I think the pizza is burned. And it was. Hard as a rock. I told him to make themselves a ham sandwich. So my lesson in all this is never let the babysitter cook. I just didn't think it was rocket science.

I have been playing around with my blog this afternoon. I enjoy that, so changes may be in store. I hated my pic, but it was the only one I have right now. I still can't find my camera and we are leaving for Navarre Beach on next Monday, the day after Memorial Day. I have got to find it!

I have got to start exercising. I am just way too miserable in my skin.  I have talked to Mr. Man about having our house a "sugar free zone". He actually agreed. We will see. I have got to make some radical changes. I ordered this book from Prevention Magazine. It is about controlling your blood sugar, eating whole grains, fruit, and lean meat. That sounds pretty simple. But to put it in action will take a bit of will power, and I have none. Something to think about. It just seems like everything I try, I fail at. The Weight Watchers thing was a disaster. Why is the healthy way of eating so out of reach for me? Why can't I stick to anything? I dunno, but I know that I have to hold food to a higher level. I just can't let self will run riot, because then there are no boundaries. But that has been the case for a long time - I have to break old habits and change my behaviors.

The Agony Column..... 

After all, tomorrow is another day......

Patiently I wait.....