And this is why I hate weekends....

I have not gotten a single thing I planned done today. I got up around 9am with the intention of starting right in on the cleaning when Chris told me that he was bored and wanted to get out of the house.
Me - Why don't you go to that Octoberfest that your mom called you about?
Him - Don't you want to go to?
Me - Nope, got shit to do.
Him - Really? What?
Me - Cleaning and laundry.
Him - Can't you do that tomorrow?
Me - *sigh* Fine, we will go do something.

It took 3 hours to plan on something because he found out that Octoberfest was being held at a meat market where the only thing going on was lunch which consisted of sausage, sauer kraut and beans for only $3.50 and a Oompa band. What the hell kind of band is that? I did not want to find out. Also Brittany took forever to get moving. If she wouldn't stay up so late talking on the phone she wouldn't be sleeping in till 11:30. My mom came over around 12:30 to learn how to put the products up on our website, which by the way, we never got around to doing.

We ended up taking my mom out to lunch at the China Buffet, visiting my dad at work on his lunch break, going into Walmart so Brittany could search for a Bluetooth for her phone and coming back home so my mom could search for jobs online and basically blowing my day to hell. We didn't even make it to the grocery store. So tomorrow will be another damn day wasted because not only will I still have the cleaning and laundry to do but also the grocery shopping. Although my mom is coming back over and she offered to help me clean. I so love my mom:)

Escape to NC: Win a Free Raleigh NC Getaway

Would you like to experience a fall getaway in Raleigh, NC or better yet a Free Raleigh Getaway? You heard me right and yes I did say free.

This free getaway includes:

*One night accommodations for two at the Courtyard by Marriott Raleigh Crabtree Valley.

*$25 gift certificate to Bloomsbury Bistro

*Free VIP admission for two to Rum Runners

*2 tickets to the North Carolina Theatre

*2 tickets to the N.C. Museum of Art’s Landscapes from the Age of Impressionism

*2 tickets to Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences.

I know I am entering and there should be no reason you don't as well. Just drop on over the their site and fill out the registration form online. That's all.

There are so many upcoming events in Raleigh that there is something for everyone to enjoy. The N.C. State fair is being held in October and of course we all know what that means. Attractions galore, great rides and awesome food! They have an awesome entertainment venue that includes operas to ballets.
If you are like me and enjoy music then the concerts alone will strike your fancy.
Spending a weekend in Raleigh, NC would be the getaway I need. Especially with the seasons changing. How I ache to see some climate changes.

Watching the trees change into beautiful hues of reds, yellows and oranges. Comfortable climate during the day with just a hint of cool brisk in the evening. I can almost feel the breeze.

I have no life....

seriously. I work from 8am to 4:30pm. Which means I usually get out of bed around 6:45 sometimes I will drag my ass out of bed at 6:15. It all depends on whether I got sleep the night before.

Jeff usually takes a bus from school to my work, provided that he is not babysitting. After work I will pick up both the girls. Britt gets picked up at Grandma's and Katie gets picked up from after school care. Then it's off to home to cook dinner. Occasionally I will get a reprieve from making dinner if Chris feels up to cooking. Normally I will get on the computer after dinner since I do not do the dishes. This is why having kids is a perk:). On Fridays as you can see I will post on my blog, spend time at my favorites blogs or watch a night of t.v. with Chris. Chris has now taken to attend "safety meetings" with colleagues after work. This consists of hanging out at their favorite bar and "chat" about work. It's cool that he gets out. I on the other hand have to ponder what needs to be done this weekend because I know no fun for me is in store.

The highlight of my Saturday so far will be to teach my mom how to input items onto our Regalo Boutique site. She is begging for stuff to do so she can get out of the house. I so know that feeling:) and of course laundry. While laundry always flow into Sunday. I get started on it early enough but I always end up finishing it the next day. That's probably because I get interrupted like a million times to other things. One day a month I would like to be completely alone and allowed to just slum that day off. I would love to be able to read an entire book in one day. That is my bliss.

Delivered as promised

Here we have Leo (on the left) and Baby.

As you can see, Chris is their master and they worship the ground he walks on. Chris will have these cuties out on his shoulder for awhile before I get home from work. They spend more time outside the cage than in it. I was told that on Sunday morning while I was still sleeping, mind you I was awake by 8a.m, that Chris was eating breakfast at the table and he had the birds walking around on the table and Baby stole a cheerio right out of Chris' bowl. So... he thinks they rock! Now I am not exactly sure what sex they are but we are just assuming that they are male and female. Generally the male bird is "prettier" than the female. I will laugh my ass off if they start to produce eggs in the next year.

Here we have Katie and her baby, Bear. Can you see how huge this boy is? He is the size of a small rat and typically they are not small. Of course my Katie being the ham that she is all for picture taking with her best bud. Bear is not your average hamster. He likes to cuddle and he is so content on just sitting in your lap and watch cartoons. I went to get him out of the cage and I noticed that he barely makes it through the tunnels. Poor little fellow. I think we need to find him another cage. The dogs have taken a liking to him and no I do not mean snack wise. Reese and Bentley are pretty calm around him and even Scooter just sniffs him and walks away. Hmm..

I know this may be a little difficult to see but those are the baby mice. This is only one of the three cages though. They have hair but their eyes are still not open.

You can see the mice better in this picture. They are cute and it is a shame that their lives are for one purpose only. I try not to think about the outcome. See them all huddled in the corner. And just so you know these little things are FAST and they hop too. They can't see yet but they hop.

Of course here are the troublemakers, Reese (left) and Bentley(right). They are so in need of a haircut. I have tried to do it myself but these stinkers just won't sit still. They are going in this weekend.

They were playing with the orange toy in the background before I snapped this but as soon as they noticed what I had in my hand this is what they do.

And this of course is Scooter, our Rot/Shep mix. I hate the way camera's always make her eyes all spooky like that. She is my big baby. Loves just about everyone. If she doesn't like you then there is a damn good reason for it. She is the protector of the household and her family.

The only ones I did not capture where Doc and Cody the snakes. It's kind of hard to get a good picture when they will not come out of their log and they are wrapped around each other.

Stupid Migraine!!!

I cannot get rid of this migraine. I have had it off and on since Saturday. I give up trying to find the cause. I am sure it's a multitude of things and my life is so hectic right now I do not have the time to dissect it.

I am at work ( feeling like crap) not getting much more than what is absolutely necessary. Hey I have covered everyone else's butt, it's about time they covered mine.

A better way to do business

Chris and I have not been very happy with our business website provider in a while now. We have been shopping around for a company that is not only economical but also meets our needs as well as our customers.

I would like to see more shopping cart software or rather ecommerce software companies compete for my business. I don't want to have to take a chance on every little company that comes along.

I have come across this one company that looks from their site to be pretty competitive. They also allow you to create your own site. You can design it the way you want it not just pick from a few available templates. You can so much as manipulate the html's if you so incline.

This ecommerce software also provides a way of keeping track of inventory and warnings when inventory is running low. It allows to categorize and sub categorize product lines and items. We could set up discounts for everyone or individual customers. Create gift certificates the way we want them. The possibilities are endless

Another thing that is important to me is giving our customers a choice on how to purchase from us. We do accept credit cards and paypal but with shopping cart software we could be able to accept many more. This might be what our company needs. I am checking this out.

I need a mini vacation..

cause I am burning the candle at both ends and I am running out of gas at the same time. I want to be able to take some time off but with "Season" (busy time in Florida, due to all the snowbirds coming down for the winter) I will be lucky to take a day off without getting the "how dare you abandon us" look.

I have been getting so "bitchy" lately because all I ever do is work. Whether at work or home. I need some me time. I wouldn't mind if Chris and I took a day or two off together so we can spend some quality time alone, but with Brittany not having to take anymore GED classes, we wouldn't even be able to do that.

So maybe I should just concentrate on me. I need a haircut in the worse way but I am so damn picky on people cutting my hair I am hardly ever satisfied with the outcome. I would like to get some new clothes but the kids grow so damn fast that by the time I want to get something for me.... one or two or all three of them need something. I need bras so badly that I am waiting for one to break at the strap completely... and my luck that would happen while at work. I have lost three bras because the underwire comes completely out of it.. I got tired of stuffing the damn things back in.

So.... tomorrow I will be turning in my time requested off form with sporadic dates to be able to take off. Katie's birthday is October 19th and it just so happens that there is no school on that day. So I may just take it off with her and do something just her and I. I haven't really done something with just Katie in a long time. I think a movie is a good start.

Jeff needs a computer.

Chris and I have discussed for several months now to get Jeff his very own computer for when he goes away to college. My thinking has been that since he will be in a dorm to start off in, a regular desktop is just going to be too much for his cramped area. So we have been searching for student laptops.

Since Jeff will not be graduating until May of 2009, we have decided that this coming March will be a good time to purchase his new laptop. I want Jeff to get familiar with his laptop and by the time he does go off to college he will have no problem with it. I know Dell computers are very reliable. Several friends have recommended Dell and even the computers where Chris and I both work are Dells.

Chris and I have been going through the the different models and figuring out which ones are right for Jeff. Right now the only thing Jeff is concerned with is if he will have enough memory for any software he will need. So we will need to take that into consideration also without breaking the bank. Although we are talking about Dell laptops and they are not really that expensive and even if you finance it they have very low monthly payments. Jeff also likes that fact that some of the models come in "cool" colors. I wouldn't have expected anything less from him.

The family is still growing....

Chris had made a trip to the pet store today to get mice to feed the snakes ( I know we have 27 baby mice but they are not big enough yet to feed to the snakes, however in the next 4-8 weeks they will be in the right range) and while he was up there he fell in love with an English Bulldog and wanted me to come back up with him to look. He told me that the store is under new ownership and that all dogs were $200.00 - $400.00 dollars off.

Chris, Katie and I went up there to look. Although I am not very fond of that type of dog I must admit she was cute. Although the price was frickin' outrageous. $3,700.00 for that puppy.

While we were there Katie wanted to look at all the animals. We saw a black bear hamster that is enormous. This hamster is the size of a small rat. Cute as hell though and very friendly. Chris was playing with the Cockatiels.

To make a long story short. We are the proud parents of Leo, Baby and Bear.
Leo and Baby are Cockatiels and Bear is our black bear hamster.

Are we done collecting? Something tells me NO:)
Tomorrow I will have a few pictures of our pride. Maybe I can get Chris to do a video.

I am still up

and the reason is clear.... no sex for me tonight... oh well.. like I expected tonight to be any different. Hmmm.. what to do.
I am seriously thinking of going outside the box. Maybe dabble in the senior citizen genre. Maybe the $$RICH$$ section of retirement central of Florida..
Hey, I wouldn't have to work, just screw some poor sap that hasn't been laid in over a century.. I could become the next Anna Nicole Smith BEFORE she lost her weight on drugs.... what! it could happen.

It's been a hard day...

and I think I am going to get drunk... I deserve it... my body needs to relax and who knows maybe I will get lucky. Nah... he'll be sleeping and that is WAY more important:) Whatever....

Another day

Just relaxing for a little while before the teens get home from work. Only two hours left until they get home. Katie is enjoying the peace and quiet in her room playing with her toys that she got out of my closet. I feel so bad that there is no room in the girls room to store her stuff.

Chris is watching his CSI show, I usually sit and watch it with him but I have been getting headaches at night for a few nights in a row and I am wondering if watching t.v. contributes to it or not... I am sure sitting in front of a computer doesn't help either, but at least I am being productive.

I am anxious for the weekend to get here but dreading it at the same time because of all the chores that need to be done. Laundry mainly. I think I am going to request some days off here and there to just get a chance to enjoy some time to myself.

I have been searching the net for grants and scholarships that Jeff can qualify for but man I just do not know where to start. Anyone have any advice on this subject? Please let me know I would really, really, really appreciate it

Dogs and diarrhea do not mix

When we first got Reese and Bentley they had a little case of diarrhea. We were told by the breeder that it is not unusual for puppies to get it after their first set of shots, similar to babies running a temp after they receive a shot.

We maintained a watchful eye on them and made sure they had access to plenty of water because I knew dehydration can occur if the diarrhea is severe enough.
Of course as they got older and explored more they were getting into everything and I am sure on more than one occasion the reason they got it was because they ate something that wasn't intended to be digested and of course their bodies way of dealing with it is diarrhea. I have often wondered if a remedy existed for dogs to help alleviate or reduce the time it takes to get rid of the diarrhea.

I came across this a product for canine diarrhea treatment and I am so willing to try it. It's all natural, pleasant taste for the dogs with a finicky pallet and it helps to keep the dog's intestinal functions regular so that they get rid of the diarrhea quicker. It also boosts their immune system. I will try anything to insure they stay healthy and live a productive life.

No one likes is when they see their pet suffer from this and of course no one including myself likes to clean up after. I have done this several times between them and Scooter, our rot/shepherd mix. The puppies also like to get into things that peek their interest and the first thing they like to do is chew on it. They chew on just about anything they can get their teeth on. I can't count the times I have found wrappers, hair ties and erasers in their stool. We have been very careful about making sure that when we throw something in the trash that it stays in the trash. Our home is once again "baby proofed" even though our youngest child is 7.

So much info, my brain cannot take it.

The meeting at Katie's school lasted about an hour and by the time we left my head was reeling.

Katie scored average in the IQ section but the other test that they gave her she fell way below the standard. They have determined that her long term memory is an area of concern. This is why she does not retain anything she has learned in the past. With our consent she has started special individual classes. She is not being taken out of her class entirely just 45 minutes a day. Our hopes is to retrain her way of processing the information she receives. Of course she will get reinforcement at home as well. We have talked to the teens to let them know that Katie's "annoying" behavior is justified and that we will not tolerated them down talking to her like they have tried to do in the past. Our house is a zero policy for bullshit.

Although I do not like the fact that Katie is being labeled with a learning disability I have resigned to the fact that she has it and it can be corrected. Her ears may have played a part in the beginning but her speech and language skills are where they should be. Her "lost in translation" or processing skills are the problem. I am confident that once Katie learns in the way that is best for her she will take of running at the gate once the light bulb goes on.

My mother and I attended the College Night Seminar last night. We got a few brochures from schools specializing in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. I have yet to sit down with Jeff to look them over. We intended to do that tonight but we will have to wait until my mom, Katie and Jeff to get back from mid week service at the church.

Off to relax, I hope.

I have been running

since I got out of bed this morning. Brittany did not have her class today, so she got to sleep in. That was fine with me because waiting for her I tend to be pushing the limit on getting to work in time. Teenagers are a breed all their own. I don't take Jeff to school that is on Chris' way to work so he gets that pleasure and I am sure it's not much better for Chris either.

Work is hectic, but I would rather be busy than slow any day. I have a semi short work day today and that is due to meeting with the Liaison teachers at Katie's school.

Chris and I are meeting with her 1st grade teacher, the school psychiatrist, and a few other "specialist" to go over Katie's results from the test she took over the summer. Katie has had difficulty learning, hence repeating kindergarten, so they wanted to do everything possible to get to the root of the problem early on. She is in first grade now and seems to be doing better. I 100% truly believe it's her hearing loss that has caused this poor child all this strife. So who knows we'll see at 3:30 today when we go.

Jeff has to work tonight from 6-close. He had asked for today off three weeks ago so he could go to the college seminar being held tonight. Dumbass Aunti Anne's Pretzle retards!!!! He wants to see what all the colleges have to offer and a rep from all the schools in Florida will be there. So... my mom and I will go and search it out for him.

My co worker's nephew has started his own site. He is a talented artist that is trying to take off with one of his characters. Check it out. I just wanted to leave on a happy note.

Living Abroad

My friends, Alana and Phil, reside in England at the moment. Phil is currently going to college earning a bachelor degree in "gaming" and Alana has already graduated. They have been married just over a year and currently reside with her father. Phil works full time while attending classes but Alana has yet to find a job. She would like to go back to school to earn her Doctorate degree in the Literary arts.

They have been doing home improvements to make their own living area spacious and not so cramped. The home they share with her dad is not very big to begin with so doing anything they possibly can to make it more habitable for three adults is their primary focus.

They have many "projects" going right now and one of the them is to renovate the garage. I know Phil needs a place to study and to also work on his computers. Alana needs an office area to accommodate her computer and do some freelancing side work for a few magazines she is involved with.

One of the cool things they are thinking about adding on is what they call Conservatories. These remind me of what Americans call Florida rooms or Sun rooms. They sort of remind me of an internal green house the way they are constructed.

Alana's dad from what I hear is a superb chef and spends a lot of time in his kitchen. For Christmas they plan on revamping his kitchen for him. I know one of the items to be replaced is the kitchen "worktops". They have also decided to give him additional storage space in the kitchen.

I can not wait to see pictures after they are done. They do not plan on living there forever but while Phil is attending college they will be there.

I love this man!

Mr. Fabulous is by far the best off the wall blogger I have had the honor to come across. He is the author of Pointless Drivel and Pointless Directives (his whore site for blogging for money) There is never a post written by him that does not make me laugh and on more than one occasion he has made me laugh so hard that I have actually tinkled a little!
Let me explain why I have chosen to dedicate an entire post to this crazy and wildly funny man. His blog, Pointless Drivel, has been nominated for Best Humor Blog. The awards are sponsored by PayperPost which both he and I participate in. Come this November, PayPerPost will be hosting a Postie convention in Las Vegas and at that time they will be announcing the winners from several categories. I would very much like to see my favorite of course take home the prize. So if you love me, you will at least go and check him out. If you agree with me and would like to cast your vote for him then do not hesitate to go here and submit your vote.




















Here is an example of his genius and demented mind.
His humor is off the charts and you never know which direction he is going to take. He entertains with a wide area of talents. He has done several Sculpey posts which are amazing. Take for example the sculpey above. This is a title of a song. Go on guess the name. I know you can do it. He will also from time to time run contest with this idea. He offers prizes from straight cash via Paypal, goofy prizes (cologne that offer unique fragrances: Weed, playdoh etc...) and if you are really lucky he might just make a Sculpey figure of you!

He will do Vlogs (Videos) that will make you blush or spit coffee out onto your computer screen. My advice is that you never drink or eat while visiting his site.

Seriously check him out!
***UPDATE***
Mr. Fab is now holding a contest to generate more votes for the best humor blog. All you have to do is write a post to help him generate more votes. Visit here to get the details and Good Luck to all!

Our family is growing still...

We have 20 additional mouth's to feed... well their mamas do anyways. I told you about our mice before if not see this post and catch up.

All three of the female mice are/were pregnant. Wednesday night before retiring of to slumberland, I went to the kitchen to get some Ibuprofen and notice little pink critters crawling around one of the cages. So immediately we had to take that Mama out along with her pups and put them into their own cage. We had to use the tank that we normally feed the snakes in to temporarily house them.

Chris and I discussed having to get two additional small cages to allow the other two mice to quietly take care of their litters. We decided to go the very next day to do just that.

When we woke up the next morning we found that another of the prego's gave birth to her brood. 8 little pink and blind critters squirmed around and we hesitantly left them in their with the other female hoping that would be ok.

We finally did get two other cages for them and all three Mamas/Mamas to be are content. We are not sure when the last one will give birth but I am sure it will be before the weekend is over.
In order to be fair each person in the family is caring for a cage of critters:

Jeff has the cage with all three males (the one that used to house Potter)

Britt and Katie get two small cages: one with the mama and 8 pups and one that is expecting.

Chris and I have "Big mama" with her twelve pups.

I know.... we are crazy:)

***UPDATE*** We know have 27 total! The third mouse delivered her pups sometime this morning!!!

9-11-2007

You say you will never forget where you were when you heard the news On September 11, 2001. Neither will I.

I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room with a man who called his wife to say "Good-Bye." I held his fingers steady as he dialed. I gave him the peace to say, "Honey, I am not going to make it, but it is OK...I am ready to go."

I was with his wife when he called as she fed breakfast to their children. I held her up as she tried to understand his words and as she realized he wasn't coming home that night.

I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a woman cried out to Me for help. "I have been knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!" I said. "Of course I will show you the way home - only believe in Me now."

I was at the base of the building with the Priest ministering to the injured and devastated souls. I took him home to tend to his Flock in Heaven. He heard my voice and answered.

I was on all four of those planes, in every seat, with every prayer. I was with the crew as they were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the believers there, comforting and assuring them that their faith has saved them.

I was in Texas, Kansas, London. I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news. Did you sense Me?

I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew every name - though not all know Me. Some met Me for the first time on the 86th floor.

Some sought Me with their last breath. Some couldn't hear Me calling to them through the smoke and flames; "Come to Me... this way... take my hand." Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me. But, I was there.

I did not place you in the Tower that day. You may not know why, but I do. However, if you were there in that explosive moment in time, would you have reached for Me?

September 11, 2001 was not the end of the journey for you. But someday your journey will end. And I will be there for you as well. Seek Me now while I may be found. Then, at any moment, you know you are "ready to go."

I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.

Remember...I love you.

Original Title: Meet Me In The Stairwell Author: Ms. Stacey Randall

Reader: Bob Holiday of KFSH/KKLA/KRLA

Music Performance: Mannehiem Steamroller

So it begins...

Yesterday until about 3:30pm I had forgotten that Katie's Brownie meeting was at 5:30. So I frantically called Chris to see if he could possibly pick Katie up from After School Care and take her to her meeting while I hurry up and make dinner for everyone. I get home from work about 4:45.

Jeff of course has to be at work at 6:00. So as soon as I get home I immediately start work on dinner. I made the easiest possible meal which everyone loves, Enchiladas.
I make it with time to spare and Jeff hurries and eats his meal and then goes to get ready for work. Chris and Brittany walk in the door and Brittany proceeds upstairs stating she is not hungry because she had a late lunch. She is the one that requested the meal in the morning. But whatever, teenagers. Chris eats his dinner and leaves to pick up Katie and take her to Brownies while I take Jeff to work.

I drop Jeff off at 10 minutes to 6 and decide to head over the the Girl Scout headquarters to wait for Katie. I get there about 6:15 and decide to call Chris while I have time to wait to see what homework Katie has to do when we get home and after she has her dinner. After our short conversation I go inside to pick up Katie and we head home. Come to find out that we have our first Brownie outing on Saturday at Oscar Shearer park for the Clean up patch. Which starts at 8am. Chris tells me that Brittany has to be at work at 8 so I can drop Brittany off a few minutes early and then go to the park with Katie.

Hmmm.. wonder what Chris will be doing? NOTHING.. except for sitting on his ass watching t.v.

Tired of moron employers..

Jeff was ill on Saturday and had to call off from work. He has never called off in the 11 months he has been there. So the assistant manager gets a wild hair up his ass and starts giving Jeff a hard time about not giving him the required 7 hours notice. First of all Jeff woke up at 9:30 with a raging fever and since his shift started at 4 he called as soon as he could. Stupid Jerks... just because they cannot hold onto to workers and they have a turn style business doesn't mean that all their employees screw them over.

Jeff has been begging for additional hours at work. He gets a measly 7 hours a week. The other days he babysits for the Gen. Mgr's son. Jeff told off the asst. manager (while sick mind you) and when he went into work yesterday, Jeff found out that he was given additional hours this week because a few people had quit. You may think well good for Jeff, but it won't last long because instead of splitting up the hours between the employees that are still there the dumb Gen Mgr will hire more people! Does that make any frickin sense people?

I am beginning to feel that Jeff is a babysitter first and then an employee of Auntie Anne's Pretzel Company. It's so frustrating!

She wants everything she sees...

My daughterKatie, That is. She is turning 8 on October 19th which of course she asks me daily how many days are left until her birthday.
While I was doing my routine cleaning this weekend and updating of the Regalo Boutique site. Katie wanted to help me. So she started to look over the products I had waiting to be uploaded to the site. As she was looking through the products she came across a section that I have been working on for awhile now. "For the Family" has a section for girls and she just salivated over the "Princess collection".

It's hard to explain to her that I would love to decorate her room the way she wants to, however, she has to share her room with her sister, Brittany, that in just 8 days after Katie turns 8, will be turning 18! No way does Brittany want to have anymore pink stuff in the room
doesn't matter that they are supposed to be sharing.

There is no room for toys in the room. Katie has pretty much been pushed out of the room except for her dresser, which is getting to small to hold most of her clothes. I would hang her clothes in the closet but there is no room there either. I have resorted to utilizing my closet for Katie's toys and clothes. Now it looks like I will have to empty some of my drawers to accommodate her clothes as well.

Christmas will consist of nothing more than clothes, per Chris, because there is simply no where to put the toys that Katie wants. I am not saying it is fair but there is not much else I can do.

In Mourning....

Potter, Katie's hamster of 4 1/2 years, passed last night. I went to make sure that he had water and food before tucking Katie in bed and I saw him laying right next to his food dish, which had plenty of food in it. I knew the moment I saw him that he was gone. I picked up his limp body, rigor mortis had not set in yet so I knew he just expired, and I tried to discreetly take him downstairs in hopes that Katie would not notice, but she did and the tears just streamed down her face.

Chris and I both explained to her that Potter lived a very happy and long life and most hamsters do not live more than 3 years, but because she loved him so much and took very good care of him she added to his life. When she calmed down and realized that, she took Potter and lovingly wrapped him in tissue and put him in the shoebox we got for him.

Then she suggested that since we have 6 mice (don't ask, miscalculation on Chris part for feeding the snakes) that they need a bigger home so she wanted to clean it out and let the mice live in the cage. When all was said and done and I finally tucked her in she whispered in my ear that she would like to have another pet. OY!

I need a bigger house...

either that or more storage. Chris and I have been steadily working on the girls room to accommodate both of the girls and their "rightful" space. Not easy when the age difference is 10 years. We have been packing up some of Brittany's stuff that she doesn't use on an every day bases and storing them in the garage but trying to make it readily accessible in case she would like to get something out of one of of her totes. Poor Katie has been reduced to storing her toys in my closet for the time being until we can come up with a better system. Most of her clothes are hanging in my closet because her sister has bigger clothes and is taking a large amount of the decent size closet.
I have been contemplating creating a better way of storing "stuff" in our garage so it doesn't look so damn cluttered. I think since we have "necessities" stored in the garage that it should look as neat and orderly as possible. I am thinking of putting in garage storage cabinets that would allow "stuff" to be accessible but out of the public eye or even better out of the way. I envision cabinets all along the wall, preferably top and bottom cabinets with some counter space as well. I like the UltiMATE Garage line because it looks so versatile and would suit our needs just fine. It just looks so easy to arrange and organize all our necessities. It certainly would benefit Chris. With all the tools Chris has he should also have his own work area as well. He has so many "toys" that you can barely walk through the garage to the door.
Eventually I want to see that vision a reality but until my parents find their own home we are currently storing their stuff as well. So my garage has become a self storage until they do find the house they want. Maybe we can arrange the garage better and still be able to put in the cabinets that I want. Hmmm.....

I need to be smacked....

or jump started or something.... my motivation is quickly evaporating by the second. I spent my whole weekend cleaning and laundry and still did not get it all done. The kids have their chores and they did it without incident (otherwise they don't do crap the entire weekend).

Britt and her boyfriend went to Busch Gardens on Saturday, Jeff worked his measly 7 hours on Sat/Sun and Katie pretty much kept to herself. She did help clean with me but nothing to strenuous. She is only 7. Chris was his usual self. If he is not doing anything entertaining he gets bored. So he made any excuse to go to Wal Mart to get out of the house while I "slaved" away at home:)

We had both mine and Chris' parents over on Labor Day for dinner. Not the usual cook out. Chris made corn beef and cabbage and I made hamburgers for those that don't like corn beef. It's the FIRST time that both sets of parents got together. My parents have already met Chris' mom for the first time last October... Chris' dad was out of town or not feeling well.. I can't really remember. But they hit it off and I was so happy how well they did hit if off.