Sunday, October 31, 2010

Happy Halloween!

We are taking Katie to the 2nd Annual Pumpkin Festival at the Sarasota Fairgrounds.  It will be a safe trick or treating experience for her and we get to have fun as well. 

Carnival food, games, live bands, rides and even a petting zoo.  Can't beat it

Have a safe Halloween everyone!

Saturday, October 30, 2010

I am not Picasso, nor do I want to be.

Today was a day that I wish I spent my time doing something more enjoyable rather than painting the stupid house.  We got a lot done but there is still more to do and it might take next weekend to completely finish it.   I have to admit that the color that we picked out looks a whole lot better than the cream color it was.  Chris took a before picture and I will post it once we have an after picture. 

Painting is something that neither Chris nor I enjoy but somehow we are becoming pros at it.  Jeff was a big help.  He painstakingly did the trimming work and was on the ladder most of the time.  However he is not a very neat painter. He mostly wore the paint in his hair. He gets tomorrow off for his hard work while Chris and I will finish the detailed work on the front of the house.  Next weekend will be reserved for the entire backside of the house. 

What I found most tedious was painting the stucco patterns on the front side.  I was so wishing for a paint sprayer and Chris did roll most of it but I had to brush in the cracks.  I have no idea why the house is both wood and stucco it just looks stupid.  When it was the cream color it didn't look pleasing at all but the green is looking so much more professional and cleaner looking. 

Our neighbors on both sides of us came out to watch us paint, and give us their opinions on how much better it looked. We even had people walking by and stopping to watch us.  Chris says it was because I was rocking out to my music which nobody could hear because I had my headphones on.  LOL!  I have to have some motivation to stand out in the hot sun and sweat my butt off and if it entertained people than so be it.  I am just hoping that no one videoed my feeble attempt at rocking out.  I mean it really wouldn't be all that entertaining if you couldn't hear Freddie Mercury belting  out "Fat Bottom Girls." 

Friday, October 29, 2010

Katie is in her Glory...

Katie is gone for the weekend.  She is with her girl scout troop and they will be camping in tree houses.  The campground, that is officially for Girl Scout use only, is way cooler than I remember camping with my troop.  This year they have added stables and horses.  When Katie found this out I thought she was going to have a heart attack. She absolutely LOVES horses. 

She was first introduced to horses her first year as a Daisy.  I was so apprehensive about her going to ride horses for the first time because she was such a small girl and the horses were huge. Not only did the girls get to ride a horse, they were taught equestrian etiquette, which I found very interesting myself.  Before this I never knew that horse riding equipment is called a horse tack.  The girls were very attentive and Katie was just smitten with the horses.  How I wish I could afford to give Katie horse back riding lessons and for that matter a horse of her own because I know she would be in her element.  She has a way with horses.  She has no fear but neither does the horse she lays her eyes on.  Every single horse that she has ever ridden has taken to Katie.  She rides like a pro and she so enjoys it. 

You open up your home only to get spit on...

I didn't get to bed last night until way after 1am.  I went to bed pissed, upset and very hurt. 



A few days ago is when it started. For clarification, Chris has noticed lately that certain things have been moved on his dresser and that something may have been taken, but not 100 percent sure.  He puts his change there every evening before bed.  He is very meticulous and anal about having things in their own spots and when there is a disturbance in the Force he knows. 

Last night as I left to take Jeff to work just as Chris and Britt were ready to head out to drive and hour and a half to have dinner with Britts mom ( a birthday request by Britt, to have both her parents take her out to dinner together)  Chris set up his dresser.  I was only gone for maybe 30 minutes and I never went into the bedroom.  I didn't have a clue that Chris even did that until I left to go pick up Jeff four hours later and on the way home, Chris called me to ask if I had been in his dresser.  It would not have been a big deal if I had been in his dresser but he wanted to make sure it wasn't me.  Things were out of place and he thinks something was taken.

When he and Britt got home they went back out with Robbie in tow (Britts boyfriend and currently lives with us) They decided to go to the bar where Chris' best friend just recently got a bar tending job.  They were gone for about two hours.  Just as I was about to turn in for the night. I got a tingling feeling to check my jewelry box.  I found out that my necklace that Chris got for me last Christmas is gone!

I restrained myself from calling Chris while they were out because I did not want to ruin Britts birthday drink but I was mortified.  It's not that it is an expensive piece of jewelry but it means something to me.  If you were to pawn it you probably wouldn't get over $20 for it but that is besides the point. 

I quickly told Chris as soon as he walked into the door and we literally tore my dresser up thinking that maybe I may have put it somewhere other than my jewelry box.  Nothing was said to anyone because Chris did not want to upset Britt by accusing her boyfriend of being a thief... because he would have been the only one that the both of us would even consider taking things.  However the very next morning Chris made the comment about getting the police involved while at the table eating breakfast.  He mentioned it as a ploy because he was hoping that maybe the necklace would turn up. 

It did.  When I went to take off my shoes to take a nap that afternoon I felt something underneath my dresser (which is where I put my shoes when I take them off) I got on my knees and there was the box opened just lying on the floor.  My necklace was hanging out.  Chris has since gone out and bought a new door handle that requires a key for our bedroom door. I can't prove that anyone took it but I damn well know it wasn't there the night before otherwise I would have felt it when I took off my shoes. 

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

It's that time of year again...

Katie and her Girl Scout Troop will be camping this weekend.  Instead of only sleeping out one night they will be staying two nights.  Katie is so excited about this weekend that she has been going over and over her list of what to bring and making sure she has everything. 

I need to find protective clothing  for her. She is so clumsy and even though she knows the rules about how far away she should be from campfires she still forgets at that time.  She makes me so nervous.  Maybe I am just a little over protective of her but I swear she worries me.  I hope that this clumsy stage is a phase and she will soon grow out of it.  Until then I am going to constantly worry.

This is the second year that I have not gone with the troop.  The first two times I went because they girls were younger and it helped the troop leaders out.  Now that the girls are older the troop leaders have a better handle on things.  Yes, they do a great job keeping on eye on Katie. Otherwise I would insist on going even if it meant that the camp rules were broken. 

Watch out World...

My step daughter is 21 years old today.  That means that the girl is of legal age to drink.  She and her dad are about an hour and a half away having dinner with her mother.  Her one birthday request was to have both her parents take her out for her first (LEGAL) drink together.  Since her mom lives about 2 and half hours away they decided to meet somewhere in the middle. 

This weekend she plans on going back to that neck of the woods to go club hopping with some of her friends.  I am fine with that and it is a "right of passage" thing to do but she doesn't seem to understand that she should not be driving if they are going club hopping.  Her father and I have repeatedly told her that she needs to either have a designated driver or call a cab.  She casually threw in that her one friend MAY be able to be the designated driver since he is kinda not the club scene kind of person and because of the fact  that he may just be ok with not drinking.  Uhm... you might want to inform him first.. dontcha think?

Chris mentioned something about renting an RV or party bus and chauffeur them around.  Nope... not in the budget especially since rv insurance is required and we don't have that kind of stipulation on our insurance. So we will hope that she uses common sense and does the right thing. 

She is a smart girl when she applies herself but that doesn't happen very often.  I keep waiting for her to mature and it is painful to watch her make such stupid and completely out there mistakes but I know that in order to learn there are mistakes that need to be made.  I truly hope that my son doesn't act this way... I will kill him!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

An Oldie but a goodie Maxineism!


My family knows how much I love Maxine... its not about the character perse but how much she reminds me of my late Grandma.  Everyone including my parents think that I will be just like her.  A smart mouth with a wicked sense of scarcasm. Hmmm... I think I will take that as a compliment.

The weather will be changing...

 Although summer is slowly creeping away and the humidty will become tolerable again with the colder temperatures, there will be days this winter that will call for a dehumidifier.  So while the prices of summer items come down,  I think we will invest in one.  I wish we had one for this past summer because I can't tell you how many times it was just miserable.  Not to mention our health suffered.  I hated waking up every morning all congested and blah. 

I am so looking forward to cooler temps and I couldn't have asked for a more perfect weekend for Katie's Girl Scout camping outing this weekend.  Night temperatures will be in the 50's.  To me that is just about perfect sleeping weather.  Although I won't be tagging along this year like I usually do, because the girls are older and the Troop leaders can better manage the girls on their own now.  I will miss it but I am glad that Katie is becoming more independent. 

Anyway I am so looking forward to cooler temps and the opportunity to snuggle up to Chris on those cold nights.  As long as I am not having hot flashes he won't mind cuddling with me :0)

Stop this crazy ride... I want to get off!

I can't believe how long it has been since I last posted.  The months have just flown right by me and to be honest,  I have not had any time to myself.  I have to slow down and start taking breathers because if I don't I will end up sick and I cannot afford to be ill not with season just around the corner. 

November through May is when all the snowbirds come back to Florida and it will be during this time that I will be extremely busy with all the house cleanings on top of the condo buildings.  I will have to schedule every cleaning very carefully because I do not want to bog myself down. Plus I do not want to have to hire anyone right now.  My family depends on my income alone and I can't afford to share it, not just yet anyway, unless I get completely blown away with new people wanting my services but I really do not see that happening this year.

So, I will make every effort to update more because I will make it a priority to take some "me" time.  I like the comfort of my computer and this blog.