Rain on my tents

If you camp during a torrential downpour, you'll get wet.
The rain is that fast and furious.
And it will be during the night; never during the day.

If you drag all the wet sleeping bags and clothes and stuff to the nearest laundromat with dryers - yea, that would be any laundromat, huh? -- remember to
1) check the pockets and the inside of sleeping bags for laffee taffee.
2) check ALL the dryers before leaving the laundromat.

If you forget #1, some things are going to be sticky-icky.
If you forget #2, grousing at the kids that the sweatshirts must be SOMEWHERE won't change the fact that you umm, sorta forgot a load at the laundromat. So while they are somewhere, it's nowhere nearby.

When you realize #2, your 2 yr old DD will cry and forever have abandoment issues because you slam yourself into the car and race to the laundromat, reaching the door with one minute to closing. With an all teen-aged crew, you know that door was almost locked.

just sayin'. Five wet tents, two semi-dry ones, and 20+ 9 - 12 yr old girls. Oh, and one freaked out 2 yr old. Twenty years ago.

RTA: reason to argue

Well, RTA really means 'ready-to-assemble', but it might as well mean 'reason to argue'. How many pieces of RTA furniture have you and your SO assembled? And how many times have you argued over some part of the instructions - or argued about even reading the instructions? Those numbers are the same, aren't they? I thought so.

We've had a 50" plasma TV since Circuit City announced their stores were closing. (THAT was a fiasco! DH spent oh, six-hundred dollars more at CC than he would have spent at Best Buy for the SAME TV.) The box - unopened - has been hanging out in the DR ever since.

We finally settled on a TV stand. BTW - try not to get a TV bigger than 48". The price jump for TV stands is huge once the TV exceeds 48"; just sayin'.

The TV stand arrived. RTA, by Sauder. We have a long pallet with three or four packages w/ long wood pieces, all wrapped up with that plastic stuff that reminds me of Glad Wrap. Just needs a bow to complete the ‘present’ illusion. NOW the fun will begin.

I'll provide a yell-by-yell report once we're done arguing. Well, putting the beast together.
Adding to the frustration will be: moving all the VHS tapes and DVDs, running the tangle of wires from point to point, and my DH's perfectionist habits. The ultimate argument may occur when he realizes the current entertainment center is headed for the basement.

I don't think I'll tell him that ultimately, the two will swap. Nope, that tidbit of info can wait.
How much ready to assemble {RTA} do you have? We’ve got four desks, bookcases, loft bed, small armoire, filing cabinet, dresser, credenza, two TV entertainment centers [plus the new one], a table for my craft studio that still needs to be assembled, and a standalone closet. I’m probably missing something. Yup, the tall hall bench with baskets in cubbies at top, and bench is storage.

This is what we'll be assembling this weekend:

SWAPs and photos

I've participated in two complete Circle Journals.

What are Circle Journals? Check out this link: http://www.pagesoftheheart.net/artman/publish/article_923.shtml
Themed Albums - A Closer Look At Circle Journals

By Charity Hassel

We're taking a breather - or really, we're waiting for someone to make a color copy of each CJ for everyone, and get the copies bound at Staples. But that someone was out of work for 18 weeks, nursing her post-surgery shoulder back to health. Yeah, that someone would be *me*.

Anyway, someone suggested we do monthly SWAPs. We had several people too timid to do the CJs join us, which is fun. So far, we've completed four. Here are mine:

#1 Funny quote

#2 Favorite Wizard of Oz quote

#3 Halloween ghostie

#4 Thanksgiving gratitude bookmark

Introducing the BOXWOOD girls...

Take three girls, two 9 yrs old and one 6 yrs old.

Ask them to be flower girls in their aunt's wedding.

Send the dress to each 9 yr old to verify the size.

It's a frothy candlight white confection, with the requisite full skirt, slightly puffy sleeves, tiny bit of ruffles - and an added magenta sash to match the big girls' sashes.

So, yes, it's a real PRINCESS dress!

(Enjoy the oohs and ahhs as each declares she feels just like a princess)

Now, these girls are flower girls.

You know what a flower is.

I know what a flower is.

The moms know what a flower is.

And the girls know what a flower is.

And we know the job of every flower girl:

STEAL THE SHOW.

Oh, no? Ok.

To walk down the aisle with some flowers dangling awkwardly.

Yup, flowers for flower girls.

So - what did my Dlilsis the bride choose for the walking floral arrangements?

The big girls will have round ball-shaped bouquets, each one a single different magenta flower with the same filler greens and berries.

(Roses, gerber daisies, astoemeria, carnations, hydrangeas)

The little girls?

The FLOWER girls?

Oh, why give them flowers?

How about:

Balls of boxwood, with ribbon loops to hold them?

Nary a flower to hold.

So, I've been calling them boxwood girls.

- My sons heard me and have been threatened with an early demise if they dare say that to anyone!

I'm betting with myself:

Which boxwood girl comments or complains first?

(Really -- How can you be a flower girl without flowers??)

Which son will say 'boxwood girl' outloud first - and who will hear him?

The Pandemonium du Wedding Begins

My Dlilsis is getting married Friday evening. Everyone except my family and my parents live out of state. We've got people flying in by plane and by car. Mayhem is to be avoided, but pandemonium is a certainty.

My schedule through Sunday:

Thursday:

• Make Sat dinner reservations
• Order sheet cake for Sat dessert
• Go out w/ DB2, 16 yr old nephew, my DSs and possibly 2 yr old nephew. Tasks: get tuxes, buy khaki pants for the 16 yrolds.
• Do some cleaning - giggle. straightening and 2 yr old proofing MAY get done.
• Get DD to nail place; maybe DSIL will be going.
• Get ring, etc cleaned.
• Try to find my reading for wedding one last time.
• Figure out rehearsal attire, make sure wedding outfit fits.
• DH has to pick up suit - 3rd attempt. Turns out he can't wear double vented jackets so they're removig the vents tomorrow.
• Find time to visit with friend {lilsis' boss}
• Rehearsal is 6:30 IIRC.
• Dinner is 7:30.
• Set VCR for CSI!
• Come home whenever dinner is over.

Friday:

• Be at hair salon by 12:15 with DSILs for hair care.
  (Hopefully check out DD's marcel waves if our paths cross.)
• GET GAS at the cheapo place near the salon.
• Home ~2pm.
• Feed the gang: 7 of 8 grands, 3 moms, 1 DH.
• Get everyone dressed - DH gets to tie four ties!
• Put clips in boxwood girls' hair.
• Get moms moving; as DS1 said, we're the slow ones.
• Take photos of the three ushers and three boxwood girls and three moms - oh and one 2 yr old and one DH too.
• Leave by 3:45 for church; family photos.
• Wedding at 5pm.
• MORE photos - why?
• Reception until 11 pm.
• If someone wants to gather afterwards, it isn't going to be HERE.

Saturday:

• DD has dentist appt at 8:45am; she must have a really sore tooth!
• Brunch at my parents' starts at 10am. {MORE people than their 50th anniv party last year!}
• DD thought she had to dress nicely. I told her I was wearing jeans. she was aghast - until I told her the next agenda item:
• Wander a local downtown Autumn Day and make a scarecrow with the kids.
• Car show there and at a local airport.
• Find time to pick up cake.
• five of us - out to dinner for our anniv
• Everyone - immediate family, sibs, etc - at our house for cake, for anniversary.

Sunday:

• recover?!

Gas, Flag Football, and Migraines

Sunday...
I planned to run a loop of errands
But the 94 F temperature and high humidity changed my mind.Monday...I planned to stop at the cheap gas place after physical therapy.
But I forgot, was in the wrong lane, and whizzed past.
Monday evening...

DH coaches and DSs play flag football; games are on Monday nights. Last week's game was a slaughter - our team won by some awfully lopsided score. I hoped they wouldn't repeat the same thing this week.

The phone rang about 30 mins into the game. [You didn't think *I* watched flag football, did you? You'd be mistaken.] It was DS2 asking me to pick him up; he was getting a migraine.

Strangely DH AKA Coach didn't have motrin with him. I swear the man ALWAYS has OTC drugs in his pocket...

Can you guess where this is headed?

I grabbed my keys, purse, motrin, water, and empty plastic bag and jumped in the Edge.

That would be the Edge I intended to fill with gas.

On Sunday.

On Monday.

Almost to the field, I realized the handy-dandy OMG display read "6 miles to E".

... where is the nearest gas station?

... will I make it from the field to the station?

... what will DS2 say when I announce our stop?

... why didn't I take the Mustang - the car with a full tank?

... now I'm going to have to switch vehicles. (Do you get migraines? The smell of gas is totally to be avoided. Trust me.)

DS2 was waiting at the parking lot.

DH? He was the width of four football fields away.

Coaching.

On the opposite side of the field.

DEAF.

He finally heard me.

Umm, dear, I need your keys. Here are my keys.

I could see the brain s-l-o-w-l-y move from football strategy to "keys??"

Yea, umm, I haven't gotten gas in the Edge.

It's oh, maybe 4 miles to empty.

Would you get some gas in it on your way home?

I'm taking DS2 home.

Bye!

Yea, that's how his seat unreclined, his rearview mirror moved - and the same happened to mine. That's a big annoyance in our marriage. Rather trivial to be big, huh?

If I still kept keys for every vehicle on my key ring, I wouldn't have had to speed-walk.

I would have simply called him and told him I tossed the Edge keys in the console and DS1 knows the lock combo.

But I put my purse on a diet.

So I got a bit of exercise.

The migraine child?

He took motrin, stayed downstairs until DH and DS1 came home, heard the score and went to his room when DH grabbed the TV remote. He must be ok; he went to school.

The game?

Slaughtered. Same lopsided score as last week. This time, our team lost.

The weather?

Changed.

Yesterday it was high 80s, humid, and oppressive.
Today, it's 67 F, dry, and light.
I should have known; DS2's migraines are turning into weather predictors, poor child.

The Edge?
Got $20 worth of gas.
Still needs more.
And gas has gone up ~$0.25/gal since the gauge hit E.

Procrastination.
Never pays.

I Crave...Supplies

I am doing paper, glue etc scrapbooking.
And playing with my alcohol ink.
And craving some spray walnut ink and Glimmer Mist.

I spent two hours wandering a local scrapbooking store yesterday. I found two more sets of Ranger Adirondack alcohol ink! Now I have 18 colors and 4 metallic mixatives.
I may have to play with my ink some more.

I've got EIGHT pages planned around my shoulder surgery; 4 are already done.
One - sniff - I don't have the photos I thought I had. I think I focused the shots but failed to take the shots! I had - so I thought - a sequence of DH asleep on the couch, something he rarely does. The only one I have is of him awake, w/ his hand across his face. oh well.

Do you do this?
I plan scrapbook pages all the time.
Sometimes I write down my thoughts; other times, no record.
I have so many albums completed --
Wow, you do?
Well, in my mind's eye I do!
In reality - not so many.

Yea. I think I'm going to go play scrapper - after I do another set of shoulder exercises.

The Shore - with the kiddos

I have the vivid red back to prove where I was today. It stings, though the spray blue gel does kill the pain.

The kids woke ME up! Think they wanted to go?
We gathered the required supplies. Very little compared to the younger years. We stopped at WaWa and stocked up on hoagies, Doritos and sodas.

And a bag of ice to keep things cold. I'm not sure we NEEDED ice.
The water was very cold - it reminded me of a mid-May dip many years ago.
I even walked barefoot on the sand; I don't think I've ever done that before.
I KNOW I have never done it in AUGUST.

The kids had a deck of cards, which occupied them for quite awhile.
I *think* they spent more time annoying each other, and trying to fit on one large towel.
They looked like a litter of puppies, with legs and arms going every which way.
I laughed, and took pics so I will always remember.

The high at home was 79; it's 62 right now.
I told you it was not a real August day.
Oops - I just looked again and it's now 61.

I should check a few calendars and make sure it really is August. In NJ.

So many times..

I wrote posts - in my brain. When I tried to get here, I couldn't access the site, or most blogspot sites. I've been unsuccessfully fighting a trojan my dear sweet husband let in. Well, the trojan didn't hide fast enough when Microsoft Malware Removal Tool {MRT} went on the hunt. Woo-hoo, trojan GONE.

And I can post again.
Various thoughts to expand later -

• How many Olympian medal winners train in the US?
• How many US Olympian coaches or medal winners started in another country?
• How long would Michael Phelps' legs be were they in proportion to his upper body?
• Why do men eat heavy hot meals when it's summer?

Hmm... there are more....

My surgery was nine weeks ago this week, Thursday to be exact.
TODAY for the first time since surgery I:

• slept for more than 5.5 hours straight - and did it w/out drugs
• shaved each underarm with the other hand
• twirled the towel around my wet hair my normal way
• put on blue jeans; more importantly: pants with a ZIPPER
• drove to three different stores in three towns in one trip
• signed a credit receipt with my left hand - and my signature was normal

Banner day, I tell you.

We've been watching the Olympics. Just how many hours of 'prime time' coverage are on?? DH hasn't lasted past 11pm during the week; work interferes. Last night, I didn't last past midnight - but I have an excuse: I got a migraine. Hmm... maybe that's why I slept so long.

The boys stayed up to watch the rest. Another first! They're almost 16, so they are capable of getting themselves into bed after turning off all the lights. Another milestone checked off the list. "What list?" Ya know, I think there should be a list beyond 'first smile', 'first tooth', and all those other first year ones.

Watching Michael Phelps is quite an adrenaline rush. Especially when even his mother thinks he wins Silver. Then the board lights up: GOLD. Like, what? She sank to the floor! Our jaws dropped. When the underwater under the swimmers camera angle was shown, we finally believed Phelps really did win. By 0.01 second.

How many years has it been since we had the reliable precision to measure time in 0.01 second increments?? Yet there have been two ties for bronze in swimming alone. Two ties. wow.

No pandemonium; just s-l-o-w

My blog isn't off to an auspicious start, is it?? Not one word for two entire days! I haven't accomplished much -- I suffered through almost two hours of physical torture {AKA therapy} on Wednesday, then talked to my BFF for over an hour.

OH - before PT, in 90 mins, I got a gift card Visa to thanks my chauffeurs {Mom & Dad} for six weeks of getting me from home to PT and back. I asked the magic money machine for money and it spit some $20s out. I bought a grande mocha frappucino light, no whipped cream, and a pumpkin loaf slice; breakfast at 12:20 pm. I slipped into the no-appt nail place and had my polish changed. I love the color but forgot to check the name! THEN no - I didn't go to PT. I toured JoAnn's; I left w/ Archival Mist, which neutralizes acid in paper; TWO issues of Cloth, Paper, Scissors, someday I want to be published in a mag; and some odds, no ends though. Everything was on sale or I had a coupon. I love it when I don't pay full price. Once I left JoAnn's, I zipped to PT.


I noticed about a week ago that ever since i started one-handed typing seven weeks ago, i mispell words with double letters - mispell ends up mispeel, letter is leeter. I double the letter before the real double. totally odd. One handed typing is not enjoyable.


I take three Rx meds each day after I brush my teeth. I tired of opening five bottles every single morning, day after day, with no end in sight. So years ago I bought a weekly pill keeper. I only have to open bottles once every eight days.

Today started w/ a quick toss on of clothes and dropping off my DSs at the pool for swim practice. I only had ~90 mins so I visited two craft stores - Michael's and AC Moore. I only spent about $30 and paid full price for nothing. Then I hung out in Barnes & Noble, consuming a bagel and mocha light, no whipped cream.

Once we got home, I did my PT exercises, showered, etc. After brushing my teeth, I opened the cabinet to get Thurs' pills. UH OH; Friday's stash is gone - in addition to the days that should be gone. I have no idea when I took them.

I checked the 3 Rx drugs on line. I OD'd on two. But I didn't take all three doses together - well, I don't think so. The recommended action in both cases is to watch. I slept for 2 hrs and feel much better. I'm just hoping that I didn't Ambien-sleep take a day's dose. [Ambien-sleep-eating is a documented side effect; I've never had any problems.


It is time for me to get some sleep. Tomorrow is another pain & torture day. I PAY for this!

Like I don't spend enough time at a keyboard...

I'm plunging into a new world. As though I needed another thing to occupy my time. Well, I do since I am six weeks into an untold number of weeks rehabilitating my left {dominant of course} arm. I can't actively use my left deltoid muscle for another six weeks, among other restrictions.

What's a deltoid? Where is it? I know only because I asked; HS bio was many blue moons ago. The deltoid is located somewhere around/behind the collarbone. It's the primary muscle that makes arms move on command. The doc cut through mine when my 'just a few little holes' surgery turned into 'pinky length slice and two holes' surgery. So I type one handed though I cheat once in awhile now that I've been released from the dreaded sling. That took five weeks.

I lived on mega-doses of controlled narcotics for the first two weeks. I "slept" in a recliner positioned next to our bed for ~2.5 weeks, waking up at least every 2.5 hours. I wore the sling for five weeks - 24/7 except when bathing or showering. I needed help pulling up my underwear and washing my hair for ~2 weeks. It was 2.5 weeks before I was allowed to shower - that's how long the stitches stayed in, plus three extra days for the tiny thread holes to close.

Physical therapists have tortured me since 19 hours after I came out of 3 hr surgery. The torture started w/ 5x/week and now is 3x/week. I PAY $50 for each session; now that sessions take ~1.5 hrs instead of one hour, I get more pain for the buck. The first place rejected me when they realized my insurance wasn't acceptable; I rejected the second place because I has three therapists in as many days - and the place made me think of an old 1950s gym. The third place doesn't accept my insurance either, but I only pay $10 more than m y insurance co-pay. "Only" $10 - who am I kidding? The cost adds up!

I was given permission to drive! Only 6.5 weeks of being the passenger. You'll learn - I don't like always being the passenger. My parents moved here ten years ago when the last child graduated HS and Dad retired. They stated that grandparents make decent taxi drivers, and they've proven it over the years, shuttling three grands everywhere. Now they've added transporting their oldest daughter to the list. DH appreciates their willingness to haul me there and here; he doesn't have to take time off from work.

Oh - I tend to drone on and on and.....