Mindy's Soap Box

So many doors have opened.

2011-07-15T12:54:00.000-04:00

Yes, I know it has been months, since I last posted anything. There are several reasons why.

*Business is picking up and I am so grateful for that. You have no idea how worried I was about the lack of work.
* On top of work picking up, Chris was offered a job out of state and he would have been a fool not to take it. The money is good and we are rapidly clawing our way out of poorville. Although this job is only temporary, we both have a feeling that this will lead to other jobs in the near future. He may put off finishing school for a year or two or he may just finish online.
* We are finally moving from this hell hole. I can not stress enough how elated I am to being mold free and in a home that actually feels like a home and not a thrown together jumble of walls and decay. We will be moving to another city but will stay in the same county so we will not need the assistance of Branson real estate at the moment unless we decide to move their permanently.
* My oldest has decided to join the military. I am very proud and very scared for him but he is 20 years old and is adamant about his decision. I will support him all the way!
* We have decided to home school our youngest. She has not been getting the education that she needs and it is up to us, her parents, to make sure she excels in the best possible way that she can. This was not an easy decision but it is the right one.

Although my life is one big chaotic mess at the moment. It is all proving to be the most positive direction we have had to take in a very long time. I am relishing the packing (believe me that is something that I have never liked). I am embraced by the madness of having to have everything ready so that when Chris comes home to help with the actual move, that is all we have to do and then we can enjoy his short stay with us until he goes back. This is going to be a turning point and it is one that has been too long in coming. Wish us luck.

If you see the city dump, I live right next door to it!

2011-04-05T10:59:00.002-04:00

Our next door neighbors are proving to be pack rats. Within in a few weeks of moving in, their backyard looks like a city dump. The back lanai has three sets of mattresses and a filthy run down sofa. Honestly, who likes living like that? If you have no use for it then throw the garbage away. Why hoard it?

They remind me of a family that used to live next door to me when I was a small child. Their name was Dirtack. Pronounced Dirt Ak. They lived up to their name. The parents headboard was solely made of empty beer cans. They had a coffee table that was a semi tire. Their pool was a cess pool. The water was black! They never cut the grass in the backyard and the grass was almost as tall as my dad's waist. I don't know how they could find anything back there. Their front yard looked like a mechanics shop with all the torn apart cars.

We lived next door to this family for five years. The city took their house away for non payment of taxes and when the city came in to clean everything up, they were all dressed in hazmat suites. They found three dead dogs in the backyard along with car parts and lawn equipment that had rusted during the winters. Oh, I am sure there was more but that is all that I remembered. Even a five year old child like myself knew that wasn't a way to live.

I have now officially named our new neighbors the "new" Dirtack's. Yesterday, the man of the house, brought home a rv. This rv looks like it has been sitting in a backyard for decades with no maintenance done to it at all. Chris talked to him about what he was going to do with it. Apparently he is going to restore it and have the rv repair guy over tomorrow to look at the mechanics of it. Meanwhile, it will sit in the backyard like it looks like it has always done. The guy was telling Chris that he and his family would like to start camping and the rv is big enough to accommodate his entire family. I am guessing that the rv will sit until they move again. I don't see that rv going anywhere anytime soon.

This morning, while Katie and I were leaving, I saw the guy bring home and park in the front yard a food trailer. The kind that you see at carnivals and get elephant ears from. I can't wait to find out what he plans to do with that. Chris will have a fit if the guy tries to feed people from his front yard. Our yard will look like a parking lot and Chris will not tolerate that one bit.

Out with the old, In with the new (sort of)

2011-04-05T10:26:00.001-04:00

Chris has sold the truck that we were given by my parents.Well, not really given to us, I have exchanged car payments for cleaning their home twice a month for three years. Still, that isn't a bad thing. We might not have the truck anymore but my parents still have another year on their cleaning contract. Which is all good. People are starting to take heed of my services in the mobile home park that my parents live in.

It was important that Chris had the truck earlier because he was working. Now that he is unemployed and going back to school, the truck wasn't an economically sound vehicle to have. We are not down to one vehicle, we were given Chris' parents Exterra. Chris' mom bought a new vehicle ( I can't remember the name of it right now) and they had no need for the Exterra so it was passed onto us.

Exactly like the one we now have

It is a lot better on gas than the F250 and I will be the one driving it mostly since all my cleaning supplies will fit much better in it than my Malibu, which was also given to us by Chris' parents 4 years ago. The Malibu is a 2001 and only has 82,000 miles on it. The Exterra has less than 53,000 and it is a 2004.

.
Surprisingly the Malibu's trunk is deep enough to store most of my equipment in but it made unpacking and repacking the equipment a time consuming chore. Not that I wouldn't keep doing it if I didn't have the Exterra. The Malibu will be the car that Chris drives back and forth to school in. A lot less money wasted in gas, that is for sure.

I am extremely grateful to have the kind of parents that we do. They have saved us from the headache of having car payments and/or allowing us to barter other services so that we could have safe and sound running vehicles. That is what family should do for each other. That is what we have always been taught and learned by example. If our kids ever need that kind of help, I am hoping that we will be financially sound to be able to do help just as our parents have helped us.

I love her but she is driving me insane.

2011-03-31T10:16:00.000-04:00

My grandmother has been on a paranoia trip lately. She keeps insisting that people are breaking into her home at least once a week. She has called the cops on every one of those paranoia occasions. The police force know her well now. Yet, every time she calls, they are required to respond. Nothing like wasting tax payers dollars right? I am really hoping that the visit with the psychiatrist pans out and that they officially diagnose her with Alzheimer's, otherwise the police are only going to get busier with her constantly calling about men dressed in ninja costumes threatening her life.

She is now insisting that my grandfather buy and install home security cameras for her well being. She is very adamant about it. She told my grandfather that unless he wants to find another place to live, he will do as she asked. Her demands are getting increasingly over the top and when she doesn't get her way she pouts and throws tantrums like a toddler. Her emotional state is so high, that she will cry at a memory of her older sister dying over 80 years ago. She remembers those details so vividly like it just happened, but she can't remember what she ate five minutes ago.

I just can't understand why it is taking so long to get the ball rolling on her behalf. Diagnose her already so we can make the arrangements of putting her in a facility equipped to handle her. My grandfather, mom, aunt, me and the rest of the family can not provide what she needs, no matter how much we want to be able to.

Talk about having your own pharmacy..

2011-03-31T10:00:00.001-04:00

I cleaned for my grandmother (the one with Alzheimer's) recently, and I could not get over the fact that she has so many pill bottles in her medicine cabinet, and it has overflowed to her cabinet under the bathroom sink. Very few are prescribed medications. Most of the bottles she has are supplements of one kind or another. She has five different kinds of daily vitamins, vitamin b complex, black kohash (used mainly for women in menopause, which she is well over it by now), ephedrine pills (seriously) and the list just goes on and on.

The thing with my grandmother, is that she doesn't take any of it anymore. She just doesn't like to throw things away. She grew up in the depression and most people that lived in that era, do not let go of anything. She has clothes from when she was first married that she still wears. Fortunately for her it never went out of style either that or old people can wear what they want and no one notices. She has bed sheets so thin you can see right through them. Yet, she still washes and irons them and puts them on her bed. Her freezer, up until a few days ago, contained food that had been in there for years. When my mom decided to clean out the fridge, my grandmother actually argued with her that the frozen food was still good. Never mind the fact that pork chops from 2000 were grey, it was still good because it had been frozen. My grandmother at times can be quite comical in her thinking. Not necessarily funny, just odd in the way that she perceive things.

While I was cleaning her bathroom, I somehow kneeled wrong and my knee was killing me the rest of the time I was there. She lovingly went into her cabinet and took out a bottle of pain killers and she attempted to hand me one. The bottle had an expiration date of 1989. I graciously took the pill from her but never consumed it. I nonchalantly threw it in the waste basket. Nothing like your own grandmother trying to kill you with outdated narcotics.

Enough already with this stupid economy!

2011-03-31T09:39:00.000-04:00

Generating new business is proving to be a difficult goal right now. Everyone is wanting you to come down on your prices. However, my prices reflect not only me as your house cleaner but also the products and the equipment that I use. I own a Green cleaning company and all my cleaning supplies follow that mantra as well as my equipment. So giving a discount just to give a discount is not going to happen. My prices are lower than most larger companies to begin with. However, I have given my customers an incentive to save on their own house cleaning bill by giving them coupons to pass out to their friends. If their friends use my service just once, they receive a $20.00 discount off their next cleaning. I think that is a pretty good deal. It is a way to market/advertise without me having to spend the money to do so and in return my prices do not increase. I also customize a cleaning plan to fit any budget. Although if your budget is so tight, then hiring a cleaning service should probably be the last thing on your mind. Not everyone can afford to have their house cleaned professionally. I understand that. However, there is still a need for this service and as long as the need is still there, I am going to fight for that business.

What I think would benefit people the most would be a price reduction in the basic staples of food. The food in most of the grocery stores that I have shopped at are steadily rising. Pretty soon no one will be able to afford the necessities, however, I am seeing a lot of cigarettes and black and mild cigars discount signs popping up in most gas stations and convenience stores. Hmmm.. such priorities we have right?

With all the disasters of this year so far, our food prices are going to jump. The hard winter up north will ensure that. Many farmers will have a total loss on their crops and we the people will suffer greatly for it. Bananas are at an all time high, can't wait to see how tomatoes and potatoes will fair. Bread is ridiculous and meats are inching up in price.

Food pantries and soup kitchens are going to be very busy in the next several months and I am sure that most of them will run out of supplies a lot faster than usual. People receiving food stamps are going to have to do a better job budgeting and making meals stretch farther than they already do, because their food stamps won't be increased just because the cost of food has risen. This is crazy.

Another MM Warrior has fallen

2011-03-31T08:50:00.002-04:00

Geraldine Ferraro died a few days ago from complications of Multiple Myeloma. She battled this cancer for twelve years. It breaks my heart every time I hear of someone succumbing to this awful disease, and I have a very dear friend fighting it right now. I have mentioned Phil before, and because of him, I have taken up the cause to start a non profit for all MM(Multiple Myeloma) Warriors in need. We call them Warriors because they are fighting a battle of their lives.
Starting a non profit is no easy feat. To raise money you need money. Same old, same old. I have entered a contest in hopes of winning a $2,000 dollar grant in order to get this non profit off the ground. The contest is via facebook and offered by MomCentral. If you have a facebook account, I urge you to seek this contest out and vote for my submission: Starting a Multiple Myeloma non profit. There are so many people suffering with this cancer that would benefit greatly from a non profit like this.
Also, I am accepting donations for this cause. If you have ever wanted to be apart of something great, this is it. This non profit foundation would strictly be utilized for helping victims of MM and their families that are struggling financially.
Phil and his wife are the perfect example. He gets $1400/month in disability benefits because the disease has rendered him incapable of working. His wife, Jen, is a nurse but their combined wages do not cover all the necessities. Phil's disability covers his medication and services that their insurance doesn't cover.
You see how important a non profit is here? Imagine struggling with a disease so debilitating and relentless. Now imagine trying to battle this disease, while trying to make ends meet every month, not knowing if you will even have enough gas to make it to your next Chemo appointment, that is so detrimental in your fighting this cancer. I want to alleviate that stress and allow the Warriors to concentrate on their battle.

Please take a few moments to either vote (you can vote daily on a 24 hour cycle until April 15th) or donate. Your time and/or money will be the key to someones life that is struggling just to be able to live.

You may donate via paypal though the donation button located to the top left of the side bar. Located under the Vote for Me badge.

Anticipating the Day

2011-03-31T08:15:00.000-04:00

I just realized that it has been six years since my family and I actually took a vacation. SIX years! When I say vacation, I don't mean a week off from work to do stay home and get the things that I have been neglecting done.
The last place that we went was to Walt Disney World. Heck, we didn't even leave the state, just went two hours northeast. I wish we would have made the effort to plan trips outside the state. We could have saved our money to make it possible, but life got in the way and of course the economy has made it very difficult.

I would love to travel to different states and see what makes them so great. I wouldn't mind visiting the Outer Banks or Las Vegas ( I have heard that it is more family friendly now) or I wouldn't mind going back to my birth state, Ohio, to see friends.

The next really big thing that I am so looking forward to is my friends coming down to Orlando for a few days. It will only be one day that we will get to spend some time together but I am really, really anticipating their arrival. I have been hoarding money to be able to afford gas, food and whatever it is we decide to do for the day. Chris and I have thought of spending the day with them at the Old Town park in Kissimmee. We took the kids there on our last vacation and we had a great time.

I am waiting patiently for that day to arrive, for now I will just mark off the days on my calendar like a school kid waiting for her big field trip day to hurry up and get here already!

What is your name again?

2011-03-29T18:56:00.000-04:00

This is what my grandmother keeps asking me everytime I go to visit her.
Family issues with my grandmother are getting relatively serious. She did go in for her memory test and now she will have to meet with a psychologist to evaluate her before they will diagnose her with Alzeihmers. She has it, she has all but a few signs of it and it is only getting worse.
What bothers me is that my mom and her sister are not on the same page. My mom took my grandmother's car keys to keep her from driving. My mom has been reading a book that was given to her by the Alzeihmer's Foundation which highlights some key points. Like, if you would not want your children and grandchildren riding in the car of a loved one suspected of Alzheimers than take away the keys. My aunt thinks that her mom is faking it. That she is intentionally putting on an act to get attention. It is really starting to wear thin with me.
The last doctors appointment that my grandfather had, the doctor got in his face and told him that if he wants to live longer, than he needs to move out of the house. My grandfather was taking up to 4 nitro pills for his heart a day. He moved in with my aunt and that lasted all of two weeks. My grandmother was visiting my grandfather one day. She got upset and said she was going for a walk. Two hours later, my mom found her at her home. My aunt lives 17 miles from my grandmother. We have no clue how she got home. Futhermore, my aunt never looked for her after an hour had passed. She just assumed she was pouting and she would return after she calmed down.
The whole thing with my grandparents is that we know that my grandfather does not have much more time with us. I will be surprised if he is still here this Christmas. Once he is gone, my grandmother will have to put into an assisted living facility. My mom doesn't think that there will be any money left to pay for the kind of care she needs. I think my grandmother will qualify for a Medicare plan that will pay her arrangements. I am trying to help my mom work out the details and research the next plan of action.
My grandfather just recently changed his will so that when he does pass, my mom will have power of attorney and control so that my grandmother can't spend all the money or sign away the title to the house. This happens more than people think.
Not to long ago, my grandmother opened up her own bank account and withdrew a thousand dollars but does not remember doing it and/or where she put or spent the money. This is not typical of a person with a sound mind. Yet my aunt thinks she may have hidden it in a shoebox or something and actually wanted my mom and I to go through her things when we cleaned her house last week.
My grandmother's memory are from her childhood. That is all she talks about but if you ask her what she did five minutes ago, she will just give you a blank stare and tell you she doesn't remember. It is heartbreaking to see her decline like this.

Surviving... at least it is better than the alternative.

2011-03-10T18:34:00.001-05:00

It's been a whirlwind week for me. Since last weekend, I have not been feeling like myself and seriously thinking that something was really wrong. I would feel so weighted, like a ton of bricks were on top of me, plus compound that with no energy and constantly being dizzy. I don't know how, but I managed to work despite feeling like this. It took me longer but I still did it.

My mood has been up and down like a insane roller coaster. There were times when I didn't like my own attitude and I would go into my bedroom and pout until I could calm down. I hate when I get like that. It is usually when I feel so stressed out that I can't bottle my emotions any longer and they explode right out of me. Needless to say, that I have learned to realize when I am about to lose it and I just walk away so to avoid any hurt feelings or pissing Chris off with my extreme bitchiness.

I know that I may suffer from a little depression. I am so trying to snap myself out of it, but geez, it is tough. I am a worrier. I worry about everything, even things that I have absolutely no fricking control over, I worry.
Financially, we are struggling. Not desperate but still struggling. If it weren't for Chris' unemployment and the help of our son Jeff, we would most likely be staying with family. Yes, I bring money in with the cleaning business but after all the expenses that get paid out monthly, there is not much left to live on. It hurt drastically when I lost the condo account due to them going in house for the cleaning. The business is surviving by a thread and so are we. I am feverishly marketing myself out to generate more business. It does take time.. A LOT of time to pitch to people why you are better than all the rest out there. But, I still do it. In hopes that at least a few of them will give me a chance to prove that I am the best.

Chris got a call yesterday from some stupid telemarketer wanting him to take out a personal loan. Even when Chris explained that he was not working and in fact was going to school, the man on the other line said that he could still hook Chris up with a loan. No income verification needed just a steady checking account. It got me to thinking how many unfortunate people out there would get sucked into this? Sink deeper into debt just to be able to survive. Isn't that what most of us are doing? Surviving?

Vote For Me Please!

2011-03-01T08:53:00.000-05:00

Ok, I didn't have all the information yesterday, therefore I could not post it. Voting for my submission to the MoMCentral Contest begins today at Noon (EST). One catch though, it is through MomCentral's Facebook page. You must have a facebook account to be able to vote. Sorry if this is an inconvenience.
Each person can vote once a day up until April 15th.

I can't express in words how truly important the $2000.00 grant money awarded in this contest would be. Other than so many people suffering with Multiple Myeloma would have a helping hand with necessities.

If you haven't read the background story of why I want to start a non profit organization for Multiple Myeloma there are a few entries that explain it all.

Spread the word like wild fire and let's make this happen folks! There are many out there that are counting on it!

Landlords beware, you just might be the next recipient for Section 8.

2011-02-27T23:21:00.000-05:00

There a lot of pros and cons to Section 8. For those of you that are not familiar with this housing program, it is basically a government subsidised rental assistance. If you qualify for Section 8 than all or a portion of your rent is covered. There are way more people on this program than you may realize and it is heart breaking.

It used to be that there was at least a two year waiting program. However, since there are too many people out of work things have heated up very quickly and most of the renters have to rely on this assistance. Some have been lucky with their landlords to allow for section 8 because when the program is accepted the landlords have to make very sure that the dwelling is within their standards. So if a landlord keeps up with maintaining the home, then Section 8 is likely to be given. Yes, sometimes it will cost the landlord a sizable amount to get it government issued ready, but you know what? Landlords should be taking care of their homes anyway. It really is a no brainer, wouldn't you think?

The houses on either side of us are participants of Section 8. That is why the slumlord worked so hard on getting house repairs that he neglected done, so he could allow tenants to live there that already had the assistance. Otherwise, I think he would have had a heck of time renting out his home. Chris and I are fortunate enough that we are not needing that assistance. There may come a time in the future that we may need to have this,but hopefully not. Our landlord made a comment to us before we made February's rent payment that if we ever had to go on Section 8 that we should consider getting cash advances rather than go on Section 8 assistance. Chris made the comment that should we ever have to go on that program we could no longer live in his house anyway because there would be no way that Section 8 would deem this house safe. I am not kidding. Our landlord is under the assumption that his tenants should invest their own money to improve the home. He is a frickin' idiot. Chris told him that under no circumstances are we responsible for the things that should have been done before we moved in. We have documented everything and taken pictures and for the most part the landlord has not said one word more to us. We will have certainly left this house in better condition and that is all the landlord will get from us.

I just don't get how these people will buy up all these properties and not do a thing to improve upon them but they will expect the tenants to put their own hard earned money into something that is not theirs. What really boggles my mind is that there are some tenants that are so afraid of being evicted if they don't do repairs or improvements. Tenants, wise up and read the tenant/landlord laws in your state. Educate yourselves and know your rights. You will be surprised at what you could demand from your landlord.

Don't ignore the girl with the cookies.

2011-02-25T22:16:00.001-05:00

It is Girl Scout Cookie time once again and please show your support for the girls that work so hard standing in front of store fronts selling their hearts out.

My daughter, Katie, is a real saleswoman, she always has a big smile on her face and is very polite when people tell her no thank you. She always responds to that by saying "Thank you and have a great day". More times than not, just her polite response has changed the peoples minds and they will come back to buy a box or two. However, if you ignore her completely she will call you out on it. Although she is still very polite she will tell them that "it is rude to ignore someone that is talking to you and how could the youth of America learn politeness and manners by such rude people? She said that the other day to an older man and he was so dumb founded that he came over to her and gave her a twenty dollar bill. He apologized and told her she was correct and that the twenty dollars was for her and not the cookies. In turn she told him that she would donate the twenty dollars to the Mints for Military to provide our soldiers with cookies for their dedication to our country. I kid you not, my girl is something else.

Any other girl besides a select few would have pocketed that twenty dollars as a reward to themselves. I am more proud of the fact that Katie is always thinking of others before herself. So dear readers, remember when you encounter the cute little girl asking you if you want to buy some girl scout cookies that you may in fact be seeing the face of my Katie and please do not ignore her, she doesn't like that.

Spelling like a two year old is a major pet peeve...

2011-02-25T21:55:00.001-05:00

I mean really? Anus Burger? WTF? Where do these companies get these uneducated idiots? Never mind I don't want to know.

WalMart is a big offender, especially with their display signs. Chris, Katie and I had to go there today to do some light grocery shopping. While browsing through the isles, Chris pointed out the diet section where apparently they were trying to let you know that they had certain diet pills on sale. However, that is not exactly how the display add read. It read "Diet Spills Sale" and I just about lost it. You would think a manager with brains would catch this. It was written by someone and the happy smiley face was drawn on it. There is hardly a day when shopping there, that I find something spelled correctly. I have seen cookies spelled coookies. Ok. so somebody got a little too excited with the o's. I have seen Shampoo spelled Shampou. I don't know why, but I thought of Shamu when I saw that. Anyway, it's just mind boggling to see how many people can't spell, or maybe, its just that one person in charge of the display signs. No telling.

I think that I may just dedicate a blog from the misspellings of Wal-Mart ads. Y'know it would fit right in with the People of WalMart.

Hey Fatty... work harder, you still have ass back there.

2011-02-25T21:18:00.000-05:00

Although this cartoon may be funny it is so true. However, what about people that do exercise an hour a day with little or no results? I know that just because you exercise, it does not mean that you can go right out afterwards and eat for four people. I know some people actually do that and I have to stifle a laugh because of how ridiculous that is.

I have many pounds to lose and I am embarrassed by how I look, but I do know that I have not done a single thing to contribute to this. I work hard cleaning houses every dang day, to the point where my customers will turn their a/c down when I come to clean, because I sweat like a damn pig. Which to me should be a good sign that I am raising my heart rate. That is supposed to imply that my cardio is kicking into overdrive and my metabolism should be working like it is supposed to. My customers do not have to turn down their a/c's, I am not sweating because I am hot. I have told them that, but I think they are afraid that I will faint or something. I feel bad that many of them are that concerned or maybe they feel like others do about me. I am too fat and chances are I could have a heart attack if I proceed to sweat like that.

There are a lot of diets out there, but I am getting to the point where I don't think a single one will help me. I mean, how does one discern which diet is going to work for them if they have no clue on how their bodies react? I more interested in finding things that are natural and work with the body to promote metabolism health rather than trying the next fad. How many times have you come across alli reviews or "actual true statements" from people that have done this diet or that diet? To me it's not about dieting anyway, it's about balancing particular foods and exercise that promotes healthy weight. Fast food is called that because well... it's fast. It is also so unhealthy that it makes me cringe to know the calorie and fat that is inside a simple cheeseburger and fries.

I am lumped into the category of "I must be fat because I do not take care of myself". I find that so stinking demeaning. You have no idea what caused me to gain weight so I don't need your snide remarks and criticism. I was loading my cleaning equipment into the trunk of my car the other day and some smart ass shouted out to me "Hey Fatty, work harder, you still have ass back there". Wow... I was speechless because although I am sure people would think things like that of me, I just never heard anyone actually say that to me. I felt defeated and hurt. My cleaning has nothing to do with my weight. My weight should say nothing about me as a person. I am me no matter what size I may be.

His Bliss...

2011-02-24T22:58:00.001-05:00

It's amazing what a little thing like a lift chair can do to keep you in close proximity to your family. Jen, his wife, took this picture while Phil took one of his daily naps. The pups are his protectors when Phil does not feel well and today happened to be one of those days. Whether you believe it or not, canines are extremely sensitive to their humans when they are not feeling well. Rocky and Moose are no exception.

Just seeing Phil snooze in his new awesome chair makes me want one for myself. Although, I think I could do without the heavy sweatshirt and lap blanket, but then again I am in Florida and he is up in the nosebleed and snow belt area of Ohio. But, I am hoping to change that too. After all, who wouldn't want to be here in Florida, with the warm breeze, sunshine and beaches?

This is why I want the non profit in the worse way. Just look how content he is. This brings a huge smile to my face.

Always misjudging a book by its cover... unfortunately

2011-02-24T22:40:00.001-05:00

While I was cleaning for a fairly new client today, she introduced me to her neighbor, hoping to get them to hire my services. Typically, I am somewhat reserved when meeting new people. I was terribly shy as a kid and some of that lingers in me, even today. However, if you happen to know me well enough you don't get that shyness, unfortunately you get the complete unedited version of Mindy, who is mostly sarcastic with a hint of dark humor. Some of my clients bring me out of my shell and let me be myself and there others that I keep strictly on a professional level.

My new client is one of those people that bring me out of my shell. It doesn't hurt that she and her partner live in the same Mobile Home park as my parents and they socialize regularly. So I am more comfortable around them. However, the neighbor she introduced me to was a little off. Something about him just oozed abnormal. It could have been his enzyte smile (you know the commercial where they are smiling like it hurts) or maybe it was the fact that for whatever reason, eye contact was taboo with him. He made me a little self conscious, like I might be to hideous to look at. He was pleasant enough and well mannered but I just got this uneasy feeling about him. Like maybe he isn't at all what he appears to be. Of course my imagination could be working overtime, after all I do indulge in Dean Koontz and Stephen King books. This guy could very well pass as one of their characters in their books. I kid you not.

I have to admit that more times than not I am a bad judge of character. Its a fault of mine that I have been trying to work on, but fail miserably at often. Chris makes fun of me for it, but in a loving way, or at least that what he tells me. Here's hoping that I totally misjudged this man and he turns out to be a very normal human after all, otherwise I am in deep doo doo.

May I Have Your Attention Please?

2011-02-23T20:46:00.000-05:00

If you have been reading up on my friend, Phil, who happens to be battling Multiple Myeloma. Then you know that I am committed to helping him and I am also making a commitment to help others like him. For several months now, I have been contemplating whether or not to start a foundation, that will help people diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma and their families by making it easier on them with day to day struggles.

We all know that there are dozen of foundations for just about every type of cancer that is strictly set up for funding research to not only find the cure, but to also find new treatments that are proven to help fight the disease. These foundations are vital and are very important. However, there are little to no resources for people who have a need because of the disease they have been dealt with leaves them financially broken or destitute.

As I have mentioned previously, Phil was in desperate need of a lift chair. I am happy to say that he does in fact have his chair, and from what I have been told it is being put to good use. Let me just give you a run down on how he spent his days prior to receiving this chair. Due to the fact that the disease attacks bone marrow, his hips and shoulders are now plagued with dead bone. Which is extremely painful and makes it very difficult to stand, sit, and walk for very long periods of time. Most days he would just lay in bed because the sofa was too hard and painful to get in and out of. He will eventually have surgery for hip and shoulder replacements and the chair will indeed be useful to him. For now it makes it easier for him to spend time with his family instead of just laying in bed all the time. I had the privilege to see him enjoying the comfort of his chair while chatting with his wife, Jen, via skype. You have no idea how seeing him enjoying his chair made me realize that the money that was raised for this purpose was instrumental in solidifying my decision.

There are others that need this very thing. Insurances do not cover such necessities even with a doctors order, which Phil did have. There are others that also need help with making a mortgage payment, utility payment, gas for going back and forth to the doctors, groceries, etc... A non profit organization would open so many doors for these people. Give them breathing room and all around make it easier to cope.

I have entered a contest sponsored by MomCentral that will be open for the public to vote for the top five contestants to be able to receive $2000.00 in grant money to use for whatever they want. My submission was based on my non profit organization. The voting will start on March 1st. I am hoping that anyone that reads this will take the time and visit the site and vote for me. I will post a reminder on February 28th with the link.
Let me just say that with or without the grant, I will do whatever it takes to make The Phil Kenderes Multiple Myeloma Legacy Foundation a reality. If you want to contribute to this need, please feel free to donate here and rest assured that it will go to a much needed cause.

Getting new neighbors.

2011-02-23T19:51:00.001-05:00

Well the slumlords have finally rented the house next door. They have actually been working over there the last few days getting the place ready for the new tenants. My guess is that they realized that they were not going to get away with renting the house as it was. They even planted some nice plants around the front of the house, which in my opinion made the front of the house look 100 times better. They also got rid of the rotting stick tree that Chris and I made fun of all the time because it just looked so darn pitiful leaning in one direction with not a leaf on it.

They planted two crape myrtle trees to replace the one that they dug up and I have never seen such vibrant colors. One of them is a real deep purple. Just gorgeous. But I have a feeling that those things are going to make Chris miserable. He is allergic to anything that pollinates. Hence the reason why we don't really landscape our yard. I am not sure I could even get away with planting a small vegetable garden in the backyard without aggravating his allergies. I think Chris may need a mask just to walk outside our house LOL!

One of the guys came over while I was working today and asked Chris how much I would charge to clean the place so the tenants could just move right in this weekend. Let me just say that their idea of cleaning is taking out all the furniture that was left behind plus all the trash(which isn't even in trash bags or put in a pile yet, I am assuming they would want me to do that too) and then give it a good scrub down. Keep in mind that today is Wednesday and I have a booked Thursday and Friday and the tenants are expecting to move in Friday night through the weekend. No way can I do this, but Chris told them $500.00 and the guys is actually considering it. To me $500 is not enough for everything. I have a feeling that I will go through a lot of my cleaning products to get it really clean. Besides, the placed is trashed, it would take me most of the time to just get the garbage and furniture out of the house. If that guy agrees then Chris will be my ~~bitch~~ helper. I am not kidding.

There has to be an off switch to my brain.

2011-02-19T20:27:00.000-05:00

I have been contemplating about a lot of things lately. So much so that I have been getting migraines consistently for a week now. It is stressed induced, that I am sure of.
I have been thinking about whether or not to restructure my cleaning business. Should I really concentrate on the commercial side of it or just stick with my extremely loyal customers on the residential side? I have a lot of seasonal customers, but that is just it, they are SEASONAL. They aren't here year round. I have just a few here that are. It's going to be an extremely slow off season for me (which will not be good for me financially) and I am probably going to have to consider spending money on advertising which I really do not want to do. It is so dang expensive. Some people may say that this is a no brainer. Not really the case though. Commercial cleaning is extremely non lucrative. Unless that is what your business is based on, you won't make a great living at. Smaller pay scale on a larger employee scale. Really doesn't make sense. Unless you don't mind paying your employees scraps for wages. I believe that this kind of work demands quality performance but you are not going to get that from your employees if you pay them next to nothing for it.
My weight is driving me crazy. I can not lose for the life of me. I have been forcing myself to take walks with the dogs, keeping track of what I eat, getting at least 8 hours of sleep, the whole nine yards. It just will not come off. I don't want to have to do a full on fat burner review by trying all those pills and energy drinks that are on the market. I just don't think they work. The ones that may work are extremely expensive and I probably would spend just as much as being on nutrisystem or the equivalent and that really is not what I need right now. I may just need my thyroid checked but I lack the funds to have those tests done. Although I have noticed in the last several months that something is not right in my throat. It is getting extremely hard to swallow minimal amounts of food. Hence the reason that I do not eat much in the first place. I gag on water here people. There must be something else going on here. I think a trip to the county health department will be the best thing to do. If I can't qualify for free health care then I may be able to pay on a sliding scale. I will have to call on Monday to find out what their procedures are. It's time I get the throat checked out.
I have been thinking of starting a non profit organization to help people with Multiple Myeloma financially. It's not something that I am weighing lightly in my mind. I will do this, it will just depend on how fast I can get it going. I know that there is a need for this. Just seeing my close friend dealing with the financial struggles is enough for me to understand that many others might be struggling too. There are many organizations that raise money strictly for the research side of things, but hardly anyone is helping the actual people themselves dealing with this cancer. How can you effectively concentrate on winning the battle, if you are so stressed out as to where the money is coming from to help pay for the basic necessities, like the mortgage, car payments, utilities bills, groceries or for medical needs that are not all covered under your health care insurance? People typically diagnosed with this cancer can not work anymore. Of course trying to get disability is a joke. It can take years to win your case. Even if you do have disability, it doesn't mean that it will pay for everything. I know quite a few people that are on this program and I could just spit nails as to how little they do receive. It's ridiculous.

She's earned this... you have no idea.

2011-02-17T07:40:00.000-05:00

Katie has always had a very hard time remembering things. It has made school very difficult for her. She was held back in Kindergarten because of her memory retaining issue. She has been wanting a computer of her own in the worst way.

While we were browsing Walmart yesterday, Katie was looking at hp desktops in the electronics section. She was reading the labels and comparing several computers. She was READING! We have always gotten a hard time from her to get her to read labels, signs, books whatever but she was doing this on her own.

She is independently reading. She is finally figuring things out on her own and I think it's time she gets her own computer. She has worked hard for it. I am very proud of her.

Slumlords Beware!

2011-02-14T22:21:00.001-05:00

The house next door to us has been for rent three times since we have been here. That is not saying much because we have been here maybe seven months.

The problem? The company (which is just two men) that owns that miserable looking house doesn't want to have to fix anything that goes wrong. The man that just left with his wife, two daughters and a grand baby left when the roof started to leak for the third time in a third spot. There is no heat (which by Florida tenant/landlord law, the landlord must provide heat) the tenant had to go out and purchase space heaters to keep his family warm and the landlord refused to reimburse him or let him take it off the rent, Also, the front door was coming off of its hinges, plus numerous other problems that he could not fix himself because he is disabled. Chris took a look at the door for the tenant and there was no way that it could be repaired. It needed a new door period. The screws were stripped and the door itself was cracked and warped. The company refused to put any money into their house and told the tenant to fix it or live with it. How safe and secure is that? There were numerous complaints from the tenant about the house and he did document everything and sent more than three certified letters to the company to either fix it or they would be terminating the lease since it would be deemed inhabitable. Knowing that the company would lose if it were taken to court they allowed the tenants to leave without any repercussions.

One of the landlords had the gall to toss out a bunny (that the first tenants left behind) into the backyard without any regard to the bunny's well being. Luckily we spotted it when we were out with our pups and brought the little one in. It had been raining and he was soaked and shivering. Needless to say both Chris and I were beyond livid. Sure the tenants were morons for leaving it behind, but the landlord should have taken it to a shelter. Two wrongs do not make a right. There was no excuse for what he did and Chris let him have it the next day when he saw him preparing the house to be rented. The landlord didn't seem to think what he did was wrong and ignored us from that day on, until... he came to our house today wanting to know if he could set up some kind of bullet security cameras surveillance thingy onto our house so it could look directly onto their house for surveillance purposes. Chris told him no and he did warn the jerk that setting up spy equipment without the knowledge of his tenants is against the law. The man told Chris that what they didn't know would not hurt them. Really?!

I looked up the advertisement on Craigslist for the house next door and about rolled off my chair laughing. They have it listed as a large affordable home with 4 bedrooms (I looked at the property info online and it is listed as a 2 bedroom, the other two rooms used to be a utility room and a walk in closet, they are not bedrooms by any stretch of the imagination) it also states it has new kitchen counter tops and so many upgrades. They are so full of it. The house is less than 1100 square feet. Not large by any means and they want $865.oo for it but the for rent sign on the front lawn says $850. For that amount of many is in not an affordable house for the house they are getting. The "new" kitchen counter tops are not new. They came from a salvage yard that the previous tenants had put in because the old counter tops were falling apart. The balls that these two men have are humongous. Their screened in lanai has no screen at all. It has posts and the door is hanging by one hinge. You would think that they would at least do something about that but nope.

So for the last two weeks we have watched families look at the house. We tried to make ourselves visible by being outside with the dogs or just hanging around the front yard, in case the prospective tenants wanted to ask us questions about the house and so forth. We did not hold anything back. We filled them in on why the previous tenants left, the problems that the house currently has and what kind of landlords they would be dealing with. Chris actually talked with one family while one of the landlords was there. The landlord could not deny problems and when the people told them that they would want all the problems fixed before they would consider renting the house, the landlord actually told them to leave. That gentlemen that actually considered renting it then told the landlord that he would be publishing an advertisement of his own rebuking the landlords advertisement as a scam. And he would be right to do so. They are scammers but more importantly they are the epitome of slumlords. We don't need that kind of filth in our community and more of us should look out for one another. That's my goal at least.

Helping Phil Battle Multiple Myeloma

2011-02-02T14:06:00.000-05:00

Back at the end of December I wrote an important post on my friend, Phil.

I am reattempting to spread the word in hopes that it gains some much needed attention. You see, he is struggling not only with this stupid cancer but he is in desperate financial need. His wife, Jen, is a RN and works limited shifts to help support their family. She is Phil's caretaker first and foremost, so when he is struggling she stays home to care for him.

I can not find the words that express how important it is to be able to raise the money in an effort to help him and his family. I see the need, but apparently many do not.

I know the economy plays a part for some people not being able to help, I understand their situation. However, there are people out there that can help and that is what I am striving for. If you can not personally help them with a donation, then please spread the word. I have started this small snowball in hopes that others will help it roll along to get bigger and bigger.

Even a simple one dollar donation will help. That is one dollar more towards the goal. I have a donation button (Helping Phil Battle with Multiple Myeloma) already in place and there is also a donation button on Jen's blog. Both buttons are linked to her paypal account.

If you are moved by their need, please post this on your blog and most definitely link the first post so that people can get an idea with what he struggles with.

Still choosing to be my own boss.

2011-02-01T20:10:00.000-05:00

I know, I have been MIA for a while. Been extremely busy, which I am in no way complaining because me being busy is a great thing. I have been sending several letters to various real estate and property management companies to try and get my foot in the door for their cleaning of rentals and foreclosures. Surprisingly there are not many companies that are competing for that business. On the other hand, the money is not like cleaning for residential customers. Banks are hesitant to pay to have a home presentable for viewing and property management companies try and have their own crew. Although I have been told by several property managers that it may change here soon. It all boils down to good pay for good work or you get what you pay for. So we shall see how this pans out.

I have toyed with the idea of maybe looking for a second job. However, seeing the classifieds recently, I have to come to a conclusion that unless you are scouting through the health care job listings, you are not going to find employment anytime soon. I actually laughed out loud when I opened up the classifieds and literally just looked through not even half of page for general labor or administrative and that was in Sunday's paper.

Now if you have any type of medical experience, there was a slew of those. I don't have the patience for nursing. I would be an awful nurse. Yes, I am a compassionate person but I have many buttons that many people have pushed and well.... nope I would make a terrible nurse. Now I could be a billing code specialist but realistically how well does that pay? I have heard horror stories in that field. Same with a medical transcriptions. Besides, I don't have the time nor money to go back to school right now for a career change. There is already two in this household that is working on furthering their education in hopes of securing some kind of job in the future.

Nope, I will just stay the course and persevere in my business. I like being my own boss and interacting with the customers and I like the freedom to schedule or not to schedule on certain days, its liberating.

Cleaning for my own Oscar and Felix.

2011-01-18T23:31:00.000-05:00

I cleaned today for a long time customer. The renter's are actually the ones responsible in me securing this twice a month gig. The owner pays me monthly since she lives out of state and if the renter's want something additionally done than they pay me the extra. It has worked out very well over the past year.

Today, I did a spring clean for the two bachelors. They had me clean out all their cabinets and cupboards. They wanted everything wiped down and all the expired products thrown away. No problem, I actually like things out of my normal routine. It makes the day go by faster really. Although I was there for five hours. Made more money but boy was my back sore.

Cleaning for the two bachelors is sometimes amusing. They remind me of the Odd Couple. One is older, just for giggles I will call him Oscar, and he could be the other's father but they click in a very amusing way. They complete each other but not in a romantic way, just in a live together way. The older gentleman works for himself. His company is more of a management company for other companies. He comes in and tells you what to do differently to make your own company prosper. More like an advisor.

The younger gentleman, just for giggles again, I will call him Felix, is my age, but he is very successful. He is a professor at the nearest university. He teaches classes online. He also helps the older bachelor with the financials of his business. Felix has a son a few years younger than my Katie. The little boy spends every other weekend with his dad and his dad's room is busting at the seams with all the little boys toys and video games. Sometimes just walking into his room is like walking through a landmine field. I normally just put the son's toys into the closet so at least you can see the floor. They are both clean but Felix is by far the most cluttered. His desk is the epitome of organized chaos. It is very difficult to get to everything but I do it.

They both have amazingly beautiful girlfriends. I sometimes wonder if they are in the relationship just because the men have more money than they know what to do with. Seriously... these guys are not hurting for anything. They may live together when they could easily afford places of their own but I think they also like living together. Oscar if more serious and Felix has his quirks but when they are both home there is always humor.

While I was cleaning out Felix's medicine cabinet I could not believe all the acne products he had stuffed in there. None of it was beyond it's expiration date but I had to be able to organize it differently so I made room under the bathroom sink for all of it. Felix actually likes that arrangement better. None of it was actually his but his girlfriend's and seeing her plenty of times, I am a firm believer that the stuff she uses works because I have never seen a blemish on her. She is one of the socialite types. Always looks pristine but she is also very down to earth and sweet. When I cleaned for them a few days before Christmas, on top of getting a bonus from the guys ( money) she also gave me a basket of chocolates and Bath and Body Works lotions and pampering goodies. I remember she told me that although money is always nice, getting things to make you feel more like a woman is better. I have to admit that I did enjoy the basket.

Oscar's girlfriend is a little different. Maybe it's because she is Norwegian and not all that familiar with our culture in the states. She is used to being pampered and taken care of. Apparently her ex husband bought her a house on the Keys so that she would be as far away from him as possible. Her statement exactly. She kids about needing a man to take care of her but she has never demanded anything like that from Oscar. In fact when she has been there in the mornings that I have cleaned, she has always made him breakfast and laid out his clothes and then has taken him shopping. She bought me a Coach purse with wallet and money inside for Christmas. I still don't have a clue as to what I will use it for. It's not an every day type purse. I still thought it was sweet but she seems to be the type that gives people things in order to win your friendship over. Not that she is a mean person but maybe she thinks she has to.

Oscar and Felix are one of my favorite customers to clean for. They treat me with respect and are always going out of their way to make me comfortable. They may have money but they do not fit the "I am far better than you are" mold. I wish I could have taken a picture of their Christmas tree. It was a white one with huge themed ornaments. Star Wars, Wizard of Oz, Star Trek, Roger Rabbit. I have never seen anything like it. It was definitly a bachelor Christmas Tree.

In the shadow of Alzheimer's.

2011-01-18T22:52:00.000-05:00

When I was a young girl, about 10 years old or so, my great grandmother on my mother's side of the family was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. My great grandmother, Bubba, the name is a Czech term meaning old woman, who was my grandfather's mother was always a busy woman. The most vivid memories I have of her, were of when she had to move in with my great aunt and her daughter. My cousin, Theresa, mainly took care of her while my great aunt worked. And then my great aunt would take over so so that my cousin could go to school. One Christmas they had given her a My Buddy doll. Bubba treated that doll like a real baby. She never went anywhere without it. When she could no longer walk on her own was the day they had to put her into a nursing home. She died less than six months later. Her My Buddy doll laid next to her in her casket. I was 16.

Fast forward to today. My mom's mother has Alzheimer's. She denies it. She throws out any prescriptions she thinks she doesn't need. Doesn't help that she is a retired R.N. because she will go through her medical dictionary for drugs to look up her newly acquired prescription. If she sees that it is for depression she will throw the prescription out. It is common for anti depressants to be prescribed for individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer's. She won't take what she needs to and she is always missing her medications but you can't stop her from her vitamins and supplements. She has more bottles of l-carnitine fumarate then she knows what to do with and it's not like she needs the protein and fat burning qualities of it. She has hypothyroidism and even though having that makes it difficult for you to lose weight, she is not overweight by any means. And on top of that she has been screwing up my grandfather's medications.

My grandfather has heart disease and he also keeps his nitro necklace on him at all times. Ever since my grandmother has been descending the depths of reality, he has been taking at least one everyday. We found out shortly after he was admitted to the hospital that she was overdosing my grandfather. He has gotten so bad that no surgery will help and it's all about borrowed time. The meds are just prolonging his life. He is very frail and I will bet that he doesn't weigh more than 120 pounds soaking wet. Every time I see him I am reminded of how little time he has left. He will probably not see this Christmas. I try and spend as much time as I can with them and cleaning for them every two weeks gives me some alone time with them. They are just a fraction of the grandparents that I remember in my youth.

My mom and her two siblings have been talking a lot lately about what to do with my grandmother when my grandfather passes away. It is very clear that she will need to go into some type of retirement home. They don't really want to put her in a nursing home and the appeals of a ALF (assisted living facility) is far too independent for her. She needs her privacy but also needs the structure of getting the meds she requires at the proper time. My aunt and uncle have tossed around the idea of having her move in with them, but they know that it is going to be a living hell while she is there. You can only be in the room with her for a short period of time before your patience runs out. It's devastating to say that but 100% true.

Keeping a cork on Mt. Vesuvius.

2011-01-17T23:36:00.002-05:00

It has been a long while since I have had to deal with an ulcer of any type. Decades really... then all of a sudden... WHAM! Right out of left field it hit!

It was so bad this afternoon that while we were out shopping, I had Chris go to CVS to get some Gaviscon. As soon as we came out of the store I was ripping into the bottle like a crack fiend looking for their next hit. After popping four of those puppies into my mouth and chewing like there was not tomorrow the burning pain stopped. Oh how I love Gaviscon. Nothing else can stop the pain. Not Tums, Rolaids, Mylanta...nothing! I won't be needing any appetite suppressants since I won't be eating much for the next few days. When my ulcer is aggravated there is only so much I can eat that will not set off Mt. Vesuvius. I have stress to blame this episode on. When I get severely stressed the production of acid in my stomach grows by leaps and bounds. I just have to reset my mind into letting things go and stop worrying and stressing on things that I can not control. I have to remember that God has this and leave it in his hands.

The first time I was diagnosed with a peptic ulcer, I was fed intravenously for over a week. Nothing was allowed to enter my stomach . The ulcer was the size of a half dollar and it was almost through my stomach lining. If it had been any bigger, surgery would have been needed. When I was allowed to eat, the only diet I could go on, consisted of foods that wouldn't take much acid to break down. I was on nothing but baby food for two months. Then gradually I could eat soft palate foods, like mashed potatoes and cottage cheese. Once it completely healed I found out that I could no longer tolerate spicy foods. Even mild salsa will bring a twinge of discomfort, so, I eat all that in moderation and limit it to a few times a year.

I have eaten cottage cheese with a few pears today to keep the acid from eating away at my stomach and I have been chewing Gaviscon on and off to help settle the too much acid that has already invaded my stomach. I may just be able to sleep tonight without too much discomfort and the Gaviscon will be on my nightstand in case I need it. I sure hope not.

Fresh Start and Fresh House.

2011-01-15T00:14:00.001-05:00

Although I may not have the Condo Complex anymore, I am still staying active. I cleaned today for a long time customer. Jeannie and her husband, Bob, have been so instrumental in passing out my cards to just about everyone they know. I have cleaned for some of their friends and do get repeat calls for cleaning but several of them, like Jeannie and Bob, are snowbirds. My business has been profitable during the busy season which typically starts in November and runs until June. So I am searching different avenues to keep the business thriving during the off season.

I was approached yesterday by a real estate agent that deals with rental properties. I gave her my card and she is calling me next week to meet with her to discuss pricing and availability. This weekend I will have to sit down and really think about how to price this out. I just wouldn't be cleaning a house but going through it with a fine tooth comb to make sure it is ready for the next renters. I have also been asked to look into new construction clean outs. That is a hefty job but if I can get my foot into that door, well I would have to hire help. Which I think would be a positive step in helping out in employing desperate individuals in dire need of a job. So, I am open to that.

Also, Chris has been asked to replace a kitchen/hallway tile floor. So that is more money in our pockets. He would have to do the job on the weekend since he has school during the week but they know that and they would prefer that anyway. The only thing holding them back is whether to replace tile with tile or have a wood floor instead. Chris is pricing the difference as I type this and will visit them tomorrow to show them their options. Chris's dad has had several neighbors inquire about Chris' painting prices. Last summer, Chris painted their neighbors house. So now everyone in their neighborhood is aware that Chris paints. Funny thing is that Chris really doesn't want to be a painter. He is a good handy man but painting is not one of his favorite things to do. So maybe while I figure out which direction my company goes, Chris may be the one bringing in the money on the weekends. Which is fine with the both of us, just in case it takes awhile for mine to push forward. Not that I am going to slack off in pushing mine forward, but it will take that stress of having to have something yesterday anxiety looming over my head.

Besides cleaning today, I have also started to organize the house. I figure since it is a new year and everything is going to get overhauled. I might as well include my house in that too. Katie and I went through all her clothes and I just could not believe how much stuff she has outgrown. We had two kitchen bags full of clothes for the Salvation Army. I have also found a half dozen of those skinny ties that were on the top shelf of her closet. I know they don't belong to her so I assume that they were here when we moved in. However, I am positive that we got rid of most of the previous tenants belongings when moved here. In any case, they went into the bag for the Salvation Army, because neither Chris nor Jeff would wear them. Tomorrow we will finish Katie's room and then tackle my office. I don't have a lot of space but I have a ton of stuff that I can not get rid of so, my next project is going to be putting up more shelves to accommodate everything. Good thing Chris is handy, because I can't be trusted with a drill or a hammer.

Fool me once.. shame on you.

2011-01-13T11:06:00.000-05:00

I am glad that yesterday is done.   Today is a new day, one with many opportunities and decisions.
From now on I will make the rules and if you do not like it then, Hats Off to you! As in nice seeing ya, Adios and Sayounara!

For too long I have been a people pleaser. I have done whatever it takes, to make other people happy, especially in my business. I don't mean that I don't like what I do anymore, but there is a line that people should not cross. I am NOT a maid. I AM a house cleaner. There is absolutely a difference and it's about time people figure that out. Most of my long time customers knows this. They treat me wonderfully and with respect. Others that have not lasted, due to my choice, had this air about them that stank so bad I had to cut them off. The entitlement syndrome is what I like to call it. They may have money so they think they are ENTITLED to special treatment. Special Treatment is not free! My service is not expensive to begin with, even with providing all my own equipment and cleaning supplies, I am fairly priced. However, there are services that are not included in a standard cleaning and if you want additional services then there is an extra fee period!

Which leads me to the subject of what happened yesterday. For six months I have bent over backwards to make the people in the condominium complex happy with my work, to insure that I kept the contract going. After all, it was the bread and butter that held my family together. For four of those months, I did not get one single complaint. I went above and beyond to make them happy and even did things that a normal cleaner does not do. Granted commercial cleaning is a whole different ball of wax but, I prided myself by going two steps beyond any hum drum commercial cleaning company. I really don't think it was the people so much as the managing office of the complex. In fact the people always complented me and thanked me for doing a wonderul job.

The general manager was ok but his assistant? We have found a new wicked witch of the west in her. She was never in a good mood and never smiled. I always thought that she must have been born with a frown or a scowl. I avoided having any contact with her because it reminded me of nails running down a chalkboard. There were times though that I had to speak to her because the general manager was off on vacations or personal days. I now understand why he was rarely in the office.

She tried so hard to get me to do things above and beyond what was stated in the agreement. I told her I would have no problem doing it but I would have to charge them extra for it. My perogative and your choice. Although when the invoice was done and turned over they would always manage to not pay the extra, stating that things that were included in the agreement were not done to their standards. Which I would reply,  "No they weren't done to YOUR standards but ABOVE your standards". I also told her flat out that she must not have read the agreement because it clearly states that anything performed above and beyond the agreement would be subject to additional charges. If she chose not to pay it would just keep racking up interest and eventually going to collections. That was her choice.

It got to the point that they went and hired a supervisor for the maintenance staff specifically to try and boss me around. Instead of her coming to me with the extra stuff that they wanted done, she sent him. After the first week of him being on the job, I brang in my copy of the agreement, I wasn't going to have some drone try and tell me what I have to be doing without him knowing any better. So I educated the man on my responsibilities as a vendor and not an employee. I told him if he wanted to be personally responsible for the extra charges than I would be happy to comply. I told him that I would need a credit card on file to be able to charge accordingly. I was kidding of course, but I really think he thought I was serious.

I think the light bulb went on with him and he backed down. The maintenance staff in general were very nice people. I have been told often by all of them how much they hated working there and if they could get another job some place else they would leave in a heartbeat. I finally got fed up with the association not paying what was due and went into the office. When I inquired about unpaid balances on their account the witch told me that they no longer required my services, becasuse the board of directors have decided to have the cleaning go in-house. Which meant that they would be hiring people on their payroll to clean. She then told me to track down the supervisor to get my last months check. My mother was with me and I know it took everything in her to not go off on this woman. I felt bad for my mom because the general manager is actually a friend of my parents. He knew I cleaned for a living, and he wasn't happy with the company that they have had for two years, and he was the one that came to me and asked me to put a bid in. I even went and obtained general liability insurance because without it I could not clean for the complex.  He was there when the confrontation took place and he was the one that broke it up. My mother and I went to his office and we talked behind closed doors. I think that pissed off the witch even more and intensified her hatred of me when she was told the conversation was private.

Apparenlty, this year will be his last year with the company. He is retiring. The witch has put in a bid for his position and to prove to the board how valuable she can be she has taken some of the general managers duties. That includes the budget for the entire complex. She was the one that instructed the board to go with in house cleaning, stating that she could save them more than half of what they were paying to outsource the cleaning. Yes, she can do that but only by under paying the employees. Which of course is what they will do. The one person that they will be hiring will make about $300.00 before taxes a week. She will be part time which means she will not be entitled to benefits.   He was not aware that the board had voted on it so soon because he was in the middle of doing a rebuttal to show the board that in house cleaning is not going to be beneficial for them in the end. The meeting was supposed to take place this past Monday. He left early last Friday as he always does and the board met and voted on Friday afternoon. By the time he came into the office on Monday, the witch had already cut my last check and typed up a letter to explain their decision to cut ties with me. Instead of needing his signarture the witch and the board president had already signed it. He felt betrayed and was angry but he could do nothing. His hands were tied and that was that. He apologized to me and he asked my mother to forgive him. He did not want to this come between their friendship. He attempted to pay the outstanding balance out of his own pocket. I told him no. I have legal recourse and I am choosing to use it. He understood. I felt bad for him but the respect has dwindled. I think he could have least warned me of what was about to happen. I wouldn't have been so blinded otherwise.

Now with this behind me, I will NOT let another soul try and swindle me again. My contracts have been revised and clearly worded so that something like this will never, ever happen to me again. Even if they try, the contracts are so binding that the only way of termintating my service for any reason will come with financial consequences. I am done being a door mat.

Now I am off to start a whole new campaign and to drum up more business so that my family will have roof over thier heads and food in the tummies. I am a firm believer in one door closing many more will open!

Meme Time....

2011-01-11T18:45:00.000-05:00

I haven't participated in Memes for a while now.. but this looked fun. Stole it from Amy.
If you are wanting to do this too, here are the rules.. no cheating!

1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc. on shuffle

2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.

3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?

Fat Bottomed Girls - Queen I can’t even begin to describe how eerie this was LOL!

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?

Should I Stay Or Should I Go – The Clash

WHAT IS LIFE’S PURPOSE?

Until The Whole World Hears – Casting Crowns

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?

Prince’s Of The Universe - Queen

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?

Pictures Of You – The Cure

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?

One Thing Leads To Another – The Fixx

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?

Puttin’ On The Ritz - Taco

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?

What If I Stumble – DC Talk

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?

Opportunities – The Pet Shop Boys

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?

Roxanne – The Police - LOL... Chris liked this one!

WHAT SONG WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR WEDDING?

Say It Isn’t So – The Outfield

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?

Come Sail Away - Styx

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST??

I Wanna Be With You Everywhere – Fleetwood Mac

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?

All I Ever Wanted – Depeche Mode

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?

I Am On The Rock - Petra

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?

What I Like About You – The Ramons

Answered Prayer...

2011-01-11T00:06:00.000-05:00

For a long time, I have been denied myself from the truth. A truth that has both hindered me and made me one of the most negative thinking person that I have known in my life.

For over twenty years, I have harbored resentment and mistrust. I not only built a wall around myself, but a barricade upon barricade, upon barricade. Refusing, even the people that I care about, entry into my safe place. Right up until two weeks ago.

Chris and I have been together for over 12 years.   A rocky relationship, at its best, from the start. I can't even begin to understand how we lasted so long. Until two weeks ago.

Besides our daughter, Katie, there really wasn't anything that connected us to each other. Going through the motions, day by day ruts, and wondering really how long our "relationship" was going to last. I was always looking for the "other shoe to drop" and anticipating that day for a very long time. Until two weeks ago.

I have never fully given my heart to a man. Some were able to penetrate into the thick, overgrown thorn patches that I considered the entry to my fortress of solitude. They, however, have never earned my trust nor my heart but, there were some that I wanted so badly to work out.  In the end, it was never meant to be and even though I would always get hurt, I bounced back faster each time.

When I met Chris, I was actually running away from a roller coaster of a relationship. A relationship so toxic and clearly unhealthy, that I had to move 1200 miles to break free of him. A relationship that had me so distraught and unstable, that for the first and only time in my life, I was given anti depressants to cope. That man wasn't a bad person. We just weren't compatible for one another. We were the very reason why oil and water do not mix.

When I met Chris it was months after I moved to Florida the first time. In fact when I first met him, I thought he was a jerk to the nth degree. So cocky and arrogant. But, he was also very manipulative and smooth... two things that at the time were my weaknesses. He never lied to me about who he was. A player like no other. Never deceitful, just full of himself. He embodied a confidence of epic proportions. And I fell hard. I got pregnant and then I left Florida during my third trimester. I left because I figured he was like all the rest. And up until two weeks ago, I still felt that way.

I am not sure how it happened but even after I moved to Ohio, we still kept in contact. He even called me at the hospital the day after I gave birth to our daughter. We became friends, and then parents, that shared an interest in our daughters welfare together. The first year of our daughters life, he visited us twice. Then a short time after Katie turned a year old, he moved to Ohio. Looking back at the first years, I can't explain how we stayed together. They were very hard years that were full of resentment and based on no trust. At the beginning, Chris stayed for our daughter. He wanted to make sure that this time, he was involved in her life, that this time she had both of her parents living under the same roof. We played happy but deep down we knew we were on borrowed time. Chris made the decision to move back to Florida after living in Ohio for three years. He was miserable and hated every aspect of Ohio and its weather. I remember the night he broke the news to me. Whether I wished to follow or not, he was going back to his home. I made the choice to follow him four months later.

Chris and I have both done things to hurt one another. Maybe not intentionally but hurtful all the same. I lied to him constantly about what really affected me and he...well... it doesn't really need to be said. Up until two weeks ago, I felt as if we were just coexisting. And the truth of the matter is that is exactly what we were doing. We were affectionate towards one another but affectionate or not, without trust, it just doesn't matter. I will say that the three years in Ohio changed Chris. He became a different person. One with more tolerance, patience and a new understanding of what true love is. I on the other hand, wallowed in misery. I loathed the very idea of love. I just did not have any room in my heart and life for it. I refused to let another man hurt me. And I blocked Chris out.

Over the years, Chris had tried repeatedly to get me to confide in him on why I was the way I was. It always failed because I didn't see that I had a problem. I was stubborn and obstinate and there was no way I was going to tear down my walls. But, I did try on several occasions. I was not honest with myself and therefore it always failed.

Then, two weeks ago, exactly two days before Chris' 40th birthday, I snapped, and as always something so trivial and stupid started the avalanche of hurt feelings. Then the truth came out. I did not trust him. Even after years of telling him that trust had nothing to do with it, it finally burst through my wall. For hours we talked, cried, screamed and cried some more. I don't know if it was the possibility of losing him or if I just was too tired of lying to myself, but I finally poured out my heart to him. We brought up past issues and like a big magic eraser all the hurt feelings, hatred, and resentment went away. I can't even describe how in one night, everything that I held on so tightly to, just disappeared. For the first time I looked into Chris eyes and I saw his love. He loved me even though I did not deserve it, he stuck around because he believed that this was not how it was going to end. He loved me because he wanted to. He loves me today because I finally told the truth. He and I both know that our prayers were answered two weeks ago. We may not fully understand why it took over twelve years but it is never in our time, but Gods time.

My Own Little World - Matthew West

2011-01-06T16:37:00.000-05:00

Very moving song isn't it? Speaks volumes and whether you like it or not.. it reaches inside your heart and tugs more than a little.

God has been pulling on my heart for many, many years. Sometimes I would stop and listen and other times I would pretend I didn't feel a thing. I won't pretend anymore.

I started a campaign to raise awareness and donations for a dear friend that is battling with cancer, known as Multiple Myeloma. If you are able to, please donate whatever you can. Just click the donation button under the heading: Help Phil Battle Multiple Myeloma in the top right hand side of the tool bar.
If you are among the many who are struggling financially yourself, You can still help by spreading the word.

And I thank you from the bottom of my heart!

My parents memorable trip to Germany.

2011-01-02T21:36:00.000-05:00

My parents had a good time in Germany. I won't say great, because as my mom put it, "It was a comedy of errors." Nothing went as planned, but that doesn't make it a bad trip, just a more memorable one.

My dad became ill the first two days of the trip as well as a handful of others. He spent the first two days sleeping in the hotel room. Others in the performance started to come down with the sickness as the days progressed. My mom on the other hand didn't get sick until Christmas evening.

Out of the 1,800 troops that were supposed to be entertained by the Singing Christmas Tree performances, there were only 15 soldiers and their families. Apparently the other 1785 were transplanted elsewhere. The biggest recipient of the Churches generosity and kindness turned out to be the locals of Weisbaden, Germany. Many of them came to more than one performance. It wasn't a total loss. They had fun with the locals and my parents enjoyed mingling with the kind and generous locals.

One of the women in the choir, fell and broke her shoulder bone. She was immediately sent back home to have surgery. While the crew was in Weisbaden, they were treated to the worst snow storms in over 100 years. This made coming back home a nightmare. My parents flight was due in Detroit on the Tuesday before Christmas, they never left Germany until Wednesday evening. They finally made it home on Thursday. Twelve people were stranded until Christmas eve. They finally got home Christmas night. My parents and 160 others flew Delta. The 12? They flew American. Goes to show ya who really took care of their passengers.

My dad told me about a gentleman there that came to all five performances. Always with what looked to be a one of those nikon spotting scopes, turns out he was legally blind and used it to see the people in the performance. The man was so grateful to be able to see the performance for free, all five times, that he treated the whole crew to dinner on their last night. Turns out he owned one of the most prominent restaurants in the village. Go figure.

My parents really enjoyed shopping in the open Christmas market, which is a tradition through out Germany. My mom, bought my sisters and I, an ornament that says Frohe Weihnachten, wish is Merry Christmas in German and my dad bragged about tasting every local brewed beer and loving it. He would since he is of German nationality. He brought back several beer steins, one for my grandfather and the rest for himself. He now has over 100 steins. Who needs that many steins? And who, I wonder, will be the lucky one to inherited them?

Back to Normal..somewhat....

2011-01-02T20:52:00.001-05:00

I have been dealing with some kind of bug for the last few weeks. Working when I shouldn't have been probably didn't help and on Saturday morning I woke up feeling like crap. I am still not up to par but again, I have to work tomorrow so... this may take awhile to feel human again.

Kids are well. Katie starts back to school tomorrow. Chris and Jeff have another week before they start. So it's back to the grind for most of us. My mom is well enough to help me clean tomorrow so that will help me and business is slowly starting to pick up. Hopefully, 2011 will be a good year for my household.

We have had to return a lot of clothes in the last week. Katie is growing like a weed and the sizes that I thought would fit her are now two sizes too small. We even had to get some bras for her. She is not happy about that but she is going to have to deal with it. Jeff has been buying his own clothes for awhile now. He prefers rocawear jeans and mall brand clothing stores. They may be a little more in cost but the quality of the clothes more than make up for it. They last a lot longer than retail store brands. Jeff justifies this as you may pay more upfront but you won't have to pay more often because he could buy retail store brand three times more than what he buys now. So cost wise it's about the same.

Katie is growing so much that spending that kind of money on clothes would not be worth it. She is almost as tall as I am (not saying much, since I am a shorty at 5'2") but she is going to be taller than I am, that is a given. She hasn't quite hit full on puberty yet, but it's close. She is already getting the "tude" so, we are just waiting for the other shoe to drop. I keep kidding Chris that he is going to have to hurry up and get his man cave all set up, because he is pretty much going to be spending a lot of time in it.

Phil's Battle with Multiple Myeloma

2010-12-28T14:11:00.005-05:00

Where do I begin? I have known Phil since the 7th grade. All through out high school he was a constant presence in my life. He is the brother that I never had, and because he is family to me, I am going to do whatever it takes to help him.

His wife, Jen, wrote an account of what Phil has had to endure and what he still is facing.

"Phil was diagnosed in January of 2005 with Multiple Myeloma. He had a tumor in his sacral bone (see diagram below). He received chemo and radiation at that time. The radiation expanded the tumor in his sacrum and cracked the left side of that bone. So they went in and did a sacral (the bone at the end of your spine/ass) reconstruction. He has a titanium rod, nuts, and bolts. The also took one of his ribs and put it there. He had kyphoplasty to vertebrae T12 (middle of back) because the cancer ate away at that bone and it collapsed. So they filled it with cement. C2 on the spine at the bottom of skull also was eaten by cancer and collapsed so he had a spine fusion surgery. They took titanium and a part of his rib again and fused C1 to C3 in which he cannot look to the left to far.
He has had radiation to C2, T10, T12, Sacral, Femur, Foot. He had a bone marrow transplant in November of 2009. Which he spent a month in hospital for, and the transplant was suppose to last a few years. It lasted one year. Then the cancer came back. He has several "spots" all over. During this time he has taken dexamethasone (a steroid) in combination with the chemo meds. A side effect of it is called avascular necrosis. Which means dead bone. So the balls of the hips and shoulders have dead bone on top. This causes him terrible pain, inability to walk distance, which he will need bilateral hips and shoulder replacements. At this time they are stable, but in the future it will require surgery.He has tried injections there but with little relief. He has had numerous MRI's, Xrays, bone marrow biopsies, PET scans, lab work, and medications he takes. He lives in constant pain, and suffers with depression. He has been unable to work for the last 3 years. He was without a pay check for a year and a few months before disability approved him. I work weekends but take time off to care for him sometimes. He has a spine surgeon, orthopedic Dr, neuro surgeon, pain management Dr, oncologist Dr, and oncologist nurse practitioner. He can't sit, stand, walk or stay in one position for very long due to pain. He currently is on Revlimid and Cytotoxin chemotherapy medications."

Post Surgery for Sacral Reconstruction

If I am correct, this is after his bone marrow transplant

What is Multiple Myeloma?
Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells, a type of white blood cell present in your bone marrow. Plasma cells normally make proteins called antibodies to help you fight infections. In multiple myeloma, a group of abnormal plasma cells (myeloma cells) multiplies, raising the number of plasma cells to a higher than normal level. Since these cells normally make proteins, the level of abnormal proteins in your blood also may go up. Health problems caused by multiple myeloma can affect your bones, immune system, kidneys and red blood cell count.

Phil is going on his sixth year (including his short time in remission) in battling this cancer. He is considered terminal because as of yet, there is no cure. He was 33 years old when he was diagnosed. He will turn 40 in June. He is a rare cancer patient for this type of disease being one of the youngest diagnosed with it.
Phil has not been able to work for three years. Phil has worked since he was 15 and through out most of his adult life he has held down two jobs at the same time to support his family. He has always prided himself in being the provider for his family. His generosity has known no bounds. He has helped people around him by being Mr. fix-it and in general would help out anyone in need. Now HE is the one with the greatest need. It hurts me to know that he is so frustrated and depressed because he HATES not being the one to support his family.

He has an amazing family. A nurturing and kind hearted wife, that has done everything within her power for him. Jen is a registered nurse and only works on the weekends because, during the week she is busy with taking him to his chemo treatments and doctors appointments and taking care of him. He does receive disability but most, if not all, of that money goes towards his medical care. Jen's paychecks go towards everything else. There is simply not enough each month.

He has two amazing and beautiful daughters, Heather is in her last year of college and will soon be a teacher, Given her generosity and gentle quality much like her mother, I am confident any school will be lucky to have her on board. Megan is in her junior year of high school. She is a lot like her dad. She was just a little younger than my own Katie when her dad was diagnosed with this horrible cancer. That breaks my heart. No child should have to witness such cruelty. I know from experience, my own father was battling cancer (Hodgkin's) when I was five. Even being that young, I have vivid memories of watching him struggle.

Receiving Chemo - On Megan's 16th Birthday

Which is why I am making a plea on their behalf. I have had Jen set up a paypal donation account so that anyone can help them out. I know that Phil is in need of a lift chair, because his hips make it difficult for him to be able to get up from a sitting position, and that is not covered under their insurance. They have to come up with $1000.00 out of pocket for this chair. Those funds are just not accessible to them. This chair is a must!

I am asking you for help. If you are able to, please donate to Phil's battle with Multiple Myeloma. Whatever you can spare will help. Anyone willing to donate financially is just the first step. I am also in need of businesses and/or individuals willing to donate their services or products for a silent auction fundraiser. If you are interested please contact me at mnetsrek@yahoo.com . Please put fundraiser in the subject line.

If you live in Ohio, preferably in or near Medina, Cuyahoga or Geauga County and would like to donate your product or services for more fundraising events being planned in the near future, please do not hesitate to contact me. My goal is to make 2011 an easier year financially for my brother and his family. Reducing the stress for him is a priority so that he only has to concentrate on beating this cancer and not stress about his family needs financially.

**** If inclinded to donate. Please use the donation button on the top right hand side of tool bar.*** Thank you so much!

He is the Reason for the Season!

2010-12-25T00:03:00.000-05:00

For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.'"

Christmas Cards with a personal touch...

2010-12-15T23:26:00.000-05:00

For a while now I have been contemplating about starting a family tradition of sending out personalized Christmas Cards. Something that I can include the whole family in, including our pets. My parents did this one year and they included their dog, Peanut, in on it and it turned out beautiful.

The selection of pictures you see are done so beautifully and professionally. My favorite style resembles the postcards. The postcard style in my opinion would be easy to display and would take up less room, when combined with all the cards one receives over the holidays. My mom has always hung our cards around the front door and windows, so that our tables were spared the clutter. I have done that in my own house through out the years.

Over the years, I have been so disappointed in the selection of Holiday cards in the stores. Even card shops. To me spending just a little bit more for something so personal is well worth it. You know you are going to like what you are buying, and not having to settle for the most decent ones out of a limited selection, and mumbling to yourself how much better you could have done on your own, as you walk out the store with the mediocre run of the barrel selection.

I could always make my own but the cost of getting the software and selecting the right paper and the hassle of cutting. Never mind, it would be to time consuming and time is the one thing that I do not have enough of. I think leaving it the professionals is the best choice. Let the experts do what they are good at right?

So, next year will be the year that I will have my priorities in order, and get the family together for that perfect picture or maybe just select a few rare family moments, and treat my friends and family to a professional and perfect Holiday card.

The Best Christmas Song

2010-12-09T08:43:00.001-05:00

How Many Kings - Down Here

The Singing Christmas Tree...

2010-12-04T11:29:00.001-05:00

Has become my birthday tradition for the last 4 years. My mom has been buying my family's tickets and she always picks my birthday for us to come and enjoy. My mom is also apart of the Choir that is the singing Christmas Tree.

"The Singing Christmas Tree is an annual music and drama production written & directed by church members, and accompanied by an orchestra. The performance features a multi-story tree, adorned with talented choir members. With the various musical pieces, the tree comes to life in an awe-inspiring light show. In addition, each year's drama performance is new and spectacular, but with a special message." As quoted in the News Herald.

My mom is in the first row, 8th head from the right.

Our tickets are for 3pm today which is good since I don't have any evening dresses that fit right now. Normally the matinee performance is a casual dress code and besides, Katie's Christmas Parade with her Junior troop is this evening and we don't want to have to change at the church and stow our formal clothes in the car. Both events are in Downtown Sarasota so once the performance is over at the church, we will probably get something to eat before heading over to the meeting spot with the rest of the troop. Sarasota's Christmas Parade is an annual event and the girls enjoy handing candy out to the kids that come down to see the parade.
What is so special about the Singing Christmas Tree this year is that in two weeks, they will be traveling to Germany, to put on the performance for our troops that are stationed over there. There are about 10,000 of our soldiers that will be seeing this performance along with their families. None of this would not have been possible if it weren't for so many people donating their time for fundraisers and donating money to help with this cause. Both of my parents are going although, my dad is not in the choir, he will be helping with setting up the Christmas tree. Wish I could go but that is not an option.

All this and only 5 hours of sleep...

2010-12-01T21:02:00.000-05:00

My day started at 4 a.m. this morning. Woke up to Chris yelling, "What the hell is that?" He immediately jumped out of bed and ran toward the sliding glass door in our bedroom. As he was opening up the blinds I saw what looked to be fireworks going off in our backyard. It wasn't fireworks. The enormous tree in our backyard was swaying so violently, because of the storm, that it was literally smacking the power lines. Every time it would hit the power lines sparks were flying and the popping sound the sparks were making were so frickin' loud that it was making our dogs go bananas. The only person to sleep through the commotion was Jeff. That kid can sleep through anything.

Our power kept shutting off and then coming on and it was so freaky how the only light in the house that would stay on during the light show was the hallway light. Apparently that was all the power we were getting until it finally just went black. Chris called the power company to report the outage and we were told that it only affected 12 houses. When Chris got an update at 7 a.m. it was up to 150 houses. All because of the stupid tree. The power company had to send tree trimmers out this morning to cut back the branches before they could repair the lines. I think we got the power back on around 9a.m.

So, being up before the crack of dawn, I decided to get an early start on my day. I had the Clubhouse at the condo association to do and also one of the residents and then I had to meet a new client and clean her house. My new client actually purchased a package that I had submitted to our Church's silent auction to benefit the Singing Christmas Tree's trip to Germany in two weeks. The Silent Auction was in May and since she and her husband are snowbirds they just got in about a week ago. It was so nice to actually clean a house instead of a condo. She has a magnificent house on Bird Key. Very upscale. I remember what she bid on my package and it took every bit of that bid to clean her house. Of course I don't get that money since it went to the Germany trip but she did give me a tip (which I rarely get) because she loved the way I washed her floors. I use the "Steam It" by Oreck. That thing is a blessing. So easy to use. The amount of steam it generates would make the perfect wrinkle treatment, I kid you not. She wants me to clean bi-weekly starting in two weeks. I am so excited to have yet another client even if she is only here for six months. But that is most of my clientele. If it weren't for the Condos I don't know what I would do for income for the rest of the year. I do have to submit another bid for a bar, but I am not sure I will get the contract seeing as how they are paying less for $30.00 a cleaning now. I would charge at least double. The place is huge and it's a bar. Imagine how dirty at the end of the night the place is. The cleaning company they have a contract now doesn't get the bathrooms clean and they skip things all the time. Well... you get what you pay for right? Right! So I am going to be firm on my pricing. After all I have overhead expenses, like Liability insurance, which is not cheap, and I have to pay at least 15% self employment tax and I supply everything that I need to clean. My price is fair and worth it, in my opinion.

Can you hear me?

2010-11-30T22:30:00.001-05:00

Every time I hear this song, it brings me to tears. While the song is about a father praying for his son (based on a true story of a young boy fighting cancer and winning) This song is my feelings exactly for one of the best guys I have ever had the pleasure to call my friend.
His name is Phil (I think of him as a brother, always have) and he is fighting his own battle with cancer.
Terminal cancer known as Multiple Myeloma. As I type this, he is in the ER dealing with what is possibly the flu. As his wife said, Cancer, Chemo and the flu are not friends. He can't even keep down his meds.
What we healthy people go through to get better will be worse for him. That hurts me deeply.

I sat and prayed for and shed tears for him, because I do not want him to be hurting and he puts up such a tough guy front sometimes. He is weak and tired and he needs a break.

His wife, Jen, is tired and sometimes she gets angry, because of what this cancer is doing to her husband, but for the most part she is strong (she has to be) she is his nurse, caretaker but most of all his rock. I couldn't have asked for anyone better for him. I love her like a sister, and my heart hurts for her, and I wish I could make everything all right. But I can't. And that makes me angry.

They are about the only reason that I would ever consider moving back to Ohio for. I want to help them in any way that I can and it is just so hard to be sitting on the sidelines not being able to do much.

In the near future I will be doing something. In the mean time, would you please pray for him, her, the family? There can never be too many prayers.

Something I don't need right now.

2010-11-30T20:57:00.000-05:00

I am going to have to make a doctors appointment soon. I have putting this off for many, many months. The only thing that has really been keeping me from doing so in the first place, is no insurance. Sure I could go to the ER like every other person in the world that doesn't have medical insurance but it is not an immediate danger scenario. I know that our county has a health department that allows you to pay on a sliding scale depending on what you can afford. The only problem with that is the enrolling times do not fit within my availability hours. However, I can't wait no more. The symptoms are getting worse and eventually I won't be able to clean and that is not good.

What grabbed my attention that I can no longer go on like this... was the simple task of cleaning out my linen closet. I went to grab a bottle of tan lotion and I couldn't even hold it. The pain was so severe that it just slipped through my hand. Every joint in my body and my back ache and crack all the time. The simple task of flipping burgers, draining pasta, carrying a pan is getting to be too much for me. I rely on someone else to do that stuff now. That isn't the only thing that concerns me.

For months now I have noticed that my scalp is so dry and itchy and no matter how I treated for it (Tea Tree oil and Head and Shoulders), it is not getting better and I am losing my hair because of it. I had full, thick hair and now it is about half of what I had. No bald spots but it could definitely get there. I have been writing down everything that I have noticed is not normal for me.

I can't tolerate cold things. I try and mix a meatloaf with all the cold ingredients and by the time I am finished my hands burn and itch like crazy. I can't grab bags out of the freezer without experiencing the same thing. The best way I can describe that feeling is like coming out of the bitter cold blizzard and thawing out near a fire. You get the burning sensation before you completely thaw. It's unreal.

My face is puffy. Looks like I have been going a few rounds with a boxer and I am pale. Itchy dry skin everywhere and no amount of lotion helps. I don't live up north anymore and the weather here has been gorgeous so I am at a complete loss.

Consistent weight gain. This is beyond frustrating for me. You have no idea how angry I am about this. I clean for a living. I work up a sweat every single day and I haven't lost an ounce let alone pounds. I have been relying on fruits and yogurt to curtail hunger pains when I work and in hopes that it will help with the energy level. Nothing.

Fatigue up the butt and so sluggish, I don't even know how I pull through my cleaning jobs. By the time I come home I have to take a nap. I take naps every single day even when I am not working. I am tired all the time. Tired even after sleeping all night. This is not me. I absolutely hate that I am falling apart like this. I turn 40 on Saturday this shouldn't be a sign of that.

Here we go again!

2010-11-30T10:02:00.000-05:00

You know when the snowbirds are here. It takes you 45 minutes to get to a place that should only take 15!

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T00:48:00.000-05:00

Kids and Finances

2010-11-23T23:01:00.000-05:00

My parents taught me a lot growing up, but they neglected to teach me the basics of financing my money. Fortunately for me I was and have always been very conscious of how I spent or saved my money. I made mistakes but I never repeated them.

I had Jeff starting on chores as early as three years old. Nothing major just what he could do like, make his bed, feed the dog and keep his room tidy. He got two dollars a week for allowance. Being that he was only three years old he really didn't have any interest in money or what it was used for. Not until he was around five did he understand the basis for money. I taught him how to put money aside for a rainy day and to set goals for saving. When he started working and wanted a cell phone we set a plan that he could afford and he knew how much from each paycheck to put aside to be able to pay his bill when it was due. Just recently he was offered a credit card for a jewelery store at the mall. He applied to help the kid make his quota and consequently was accepted and given the credit card. I told him that credit cards can be a good way to build credit but they can also be a way of destroying credit.

Jeff has a major credit card. He has never had any finance charges because he pays it in full every month. His goal is to be able to buy a house a year after he gets his first job in his field. He is hoping to have purchased his first home by the time he is 24. That is a big goal but I think that Jeff is ready for that kind of commitment. He sure has money saved in the bank and he rarely splurges on himself. He bought his scooter on his own and eventually he will look into buying his first car.

If I would have know that American Express Pass card for teens years ago I probably would have set Jeff up with one. This is a good way for parents and teens to keep track of how the money is spent.
You can simply load their allowance onto the card and when it runs out that is it. It is much like a debit card and parents can use the online tools to see how their kids spend the money. It is a prepaid reloadable card so you can set the limit of how much your child is allocated each month. For the time being there is no monthly fee until October of 2011. Then it is only $3.95 a month. Not bad considering other cards charge more. It is safer for teens to carry than cash and let's face it. They will think they are cooler for carrying a "credit card." Although I am a big advocate of saving money and have taught that to my son, I do understand that teens will be teens and sometimes you just need to trust that your kids will make the right choices.

I think maybe when Katie turns thirteen, that I will try this Pass card on her. The American Express Pass card is only applicable for teens 13-18 so she is too young right now. She already understands the idea around the debit/credit card scenario so I don't think it will be a hard lesson for her. She is my saver. She has been collecting pennies since she was four. She has roughly collected about $400.00 worth. Half of which she has donated to the charity at her school. Katie gets an allowance until she starts her first job. But she has at least 4 more years to go before we worry about that. Right now she is content on saving her pennies and for that I am grateful.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of American Express and received a gift code to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Why am I surprised?!

2010-11-18T19:27:00.002-05:00

Britt has decided to quit college. Not even halfway through the first semester and she is claiming that she couldn't handle school and a job. Well, she was fired from her job before she quit school, so I don't know what she was trying to pull. Plus she will be required to repay the pell grant back for not even finishing the semester. Even after warning her about that she still made the choice to cop out. Her pop pop suggest that he could try and pull some favors and get her into a program so that she could can work at a daycare. You have to be licensed and apparently this is the place to go. She is thinking about it. She was also referred to The Meadows, which is a Country/Golf Club as a waitress where she could make serious amounts of money during the season and she blew the interview. I mean she blew it by not showing up!

Where was she? How about where is she. She has been staying with her boyfriend at his dad's run down home. This house has no working well, no a/c because it died this summer and it is being foreclosed on.  His own father isn't even living there. He moved in with his parents.

I just do not understand how this girl thinks. It's almost as if she doesn't know how to. She has never been stable minded and she is so damn impulsive that it makes your head spin.  She texted her dad the other day wanting to know if Robbie's last check from his previous employer showed up at our house.  He got something which has been put on our fridge from a week ago. She wants us to mail it to him. Um... we need an address?!  Chris won't call her, if he wants his check he needs to call us and give us an address. He has to do that anyway if he wants his last paycheck from me. But nope, nothing. So the check will just stay where it is.

This whole thing with her is like a stupid soap opera. What is she doing now? Who is she with now? What Woe is me situation is she going to get herself into. It's comical really. I hate to be like this with her but I can't take anymore of her shit. And that says a lot because I take a lot before I boil over.

Every time I hear Chris' text chime go off, I start to cringe because it is usually her wanting or needing something. Chris has told her that if it is so damn important pick up the phone and call because he will not respond to texts anymore. Yet, she keeps doing it and, he still ignores it. It's almost a game to her.   She is trying to see how far she can push her dad before he breaks down and replies.  She is going to be sorely disappointed because when Chris put his mind to something that is it. It's too bad she never realized that about her dad. Everyone else may cave but Chris is not everyone else.

One of these days we are going to find an abandoned baby at our doorstep. It's no joke. Chris and I have actually talked about the possibility. She will probably get pregnant and have the child and then realize that there is no way she can support herself and a child. Her mentality is by no means strong enough for that. She is not mature enough for that and even a baby won't mature her fast enough. I was nineteen when I had Jeff and I grew up fast. Not only because I had to but I wanted to because I wanted to be a good mother for Jeff.

Britt on the other hand would see it has a burden and a life crusher. But, if you heard her talking about kids, you would think what a wonderful mother she will be. She can fool a lot of people and even fool herself, but the way she carries on is a whole different ball of wax. That is how she is and that is what she is capable of.

I really wish it wasn't like this but I have no control over anything when it comes to her and being that she is 21 now it all falls on her shoulders now. Maybe one day she will wake up, but, to be honest given the family tree and all, it will be a long time from now. So for now we just go about our own business and hope that the next time she shows up she is willing to straighten up and do the right things for once. If not she has no place in this home.

Assualted by a Psycho!

2010-11-12T11:00:00.000-05:00

I had a real upsetting morning. Not even 10:30 yet and I want this day to be over. I get to my first cleaning job of the day at 6:00 a.m. I clean the clubhouse at the condo association that early because they have women that come in at 8:00 to do their aerobic workouts and then they will then get into the pool for more aquatic workouts. By the time I am finished cleaning there, I usually pop into the office to make an appearance and go over any issues and then I start at one of the midrises and take care of trash and wipe down the laundry rooms. Wednesdays and Fridays is the "light" cleaning for the complex. Monday is the thorough cleaning.

Needless to say, I won't be needing the best fat burner after the ordeal that I went through because when I am this upset, I don't eat.

While I was in one of the midrises. One of the residents, an older woman, had asked me to clean her furniture that was in the corridor. I politely told her that because it is not the common area furniture, therefore is not under the contract that I hold with the Condo Association.
She was not happy and she started to yell at me! I tried to explain to her that my liability insurance would not cover any damage done to her furniture and therefore I will not touch her furniture. She then accused me of moving her furniture yesterday to clean the window behind it. I told her that is was impossible for me to do since I am not there on Thursdays. I also have been instructed by the managing office to not bother with the window because of her furniture being in the way. Apparently she thought I was calling her a liar because she grabbed me by the shoulder and started to shake me.

I blew up on her. I was shouting at her to take her hands off of me or I would call the police. An older man came to my rescue, apparently this woman feuds with everyone on her floor, he yanked her off of me and started to scream at her. The older man's wife made me sit in their unit to calm down and she had already called the office. I thought that was it... I figured they would end my contract because I lost it. I tried so hard not to shed one single tear, I failed miserably.

The General Manager came immediately. He called the police before he left the office by the way, because within minutes they were there also. My heart was racing so fast that I could not breathe. Before I could even get a chance to speak, the General Manager, had informed the crazy old woman that he had one of his maintenance men move her furniture to clean the window yesterday and before he could finish the sentence, the woman slapped him hard and called him a liar. When the police tried to handcuff her she kicked one and tried to bite the other. I could not believe it.

After the police put her in one of their squad cars, they came back to take statements. Apparently she is going to be charged with four counts of aggravated assault with two being against the police officers and resisting arrest. The General Manager told me that I did everything right and not to worry about defending myself ever again in that kind of situation. Apparently she has been a thorn in their sides for many, many years. The older couple that came to my rescue will be filing a grievance to have the woman evicted from the premises. I was told that she has been there for 19 years but the majority of them have been awful. The General Manager told me that she was borderline psycho and this was the last straw. I felt better when it was over but I was still shaking and rattled. I came home after all the other midrises were finished but I was on pins and needles until I left the property.

Normally I would go on to my residential clients but both of them are out of town. So this was supposed to be an easier day for me. There was nothing easy about it at all.

"TENJOOBERRYMUDS"...

2010-11-11T23:10:00.000-05:00

This is a hoot .... Sad, because it is TRUE ..... But a hoot!!!!

By the time you read through this YOU WILL UNDERSTAND

In order to continue getting-by in America (our home land), we all need to learn the NEW English language! Practice by reading the following conversation until you are able to understand the term "TENJOOBERRYMUDS".

With a little patience, you'll be able to fit right in.

Now, here goes...

The following is a telephone exchange between maybe you as a hotel guest and call room-service somewhere in the good old U S A today.......

Room Service : "Morrin. Roon sirbees."

Guest : "Sorry, I thought I dialed room-service."

Room Service: " Rye . Roon sirbees...morrin! Joowish to oddor sunteen???"

Guest: "Uh..... Yes, I'd like to order bacon and eggs.."

Room Service: "Ow July den?"

Guest: ".....What??"

Room Service: "Ow July den?!?... Pryed, boyud, poochd?"

Guest: "Oh, the eggs! How do I like them? Sorry.. Scrambled, please."

Room Service: "Ow July dee baykem? Crease?"

Guest: "Crisp will be fine."

Room Service: "Hokay. An Sahn toes?"

Guest: "What?"

Room Service: "An toes. July Sahn toes?"

Guest: "I... Don't think so."

RoomService: "No? Judo wan sahn toes???"

Guest: "I feel really bad about this, but I don't know what 'judo wan sahn toes' means."

RoomService: "Toes! Toes!...Why Joo don Juan toes? Ow bow Anglish moppin we bodder?"

Guest: "Oh, English muffin!!! I've got it! You were saying 'toast'... Fine...Yes, an English muffin will be fine."

RoomService: "We bodder?"

Guest: "No, just put the bodder on the side."

RoomService: "Wad?!?"

Guest: "I mean butter... Just put the butter on the side."

RoomService: "Copy?"

Guest: "Excuse me?"

RoomService: "Copy...tea..meel?"

Guest: "Yes. Coffee, please... And that' s everything."

RoomService: "One Minnie. Scramah egg, crease baykem, Anglish moppin, we bodder on sigh and copy .... Rye ??"

Guest: "Whatever you say.."

RoomService: "Tenjooberrymuds."

Guest: "You're welcome"

Remember I said "By the time you read through this YOU WILL UNDERSTAND 'TENJOOBERRYMUDS' ".......and you do, don't you!

I'd rather use Saran Wrap

2010-11-11T20:55:00.000-05:00

Jeff's boss, who happened to be a friend, and co-worker when we worked for the plumbing company together, would laugh at a lot of things in the office. One of the favorite topics of our mundane day was different ways to lose weight. We both have had weight issues ( little did I know then that mine was stemming from the tumor growing in my neck) and she went ahead and tried the nutri - system plan. On top of that she would go to this spa/weight loss place to try the slimming wrap technique.

When she told me how they would wrap you up and let you sweat for a period of time, I just about lost it. It took me back to my high school years when I thought my body needed to lose a few extra pounds and one of my friends told me to wrap Saran Wrap around my "problem areas". Imagine how someone took that simple technique, which by the way, did not work and start a business to con overweight women into shelling out money to make you think you were losing weight. Yes, the inches would decrease (because of your body losing water) but in an hour or so after being wrapped up you would spring back. She paid close to $60.00 dollars to have a sophisticated wrap put on her when she could have bought a few tubes of Saran Wrap. When she realized that I had a point she just gave me this blank expression that made me laugh even harder. If I knew that it was an sure fire way of losing weight, I would have been right along side of her getting wrapped myself. I am a skeptic by nature, so in order for me to believe in a product. I would have to see the results on someone else that I trusted first.

The nutri- system plan worked for her, but was utterly too expensive for me to justify spending that kind of money on pre-packaged foods, and on top of that you still had to buy fruits and vegetables to go with your meals. She would spend about $600.00 a month just on herself. Crap, I could feed my whole family for a month for that amount of money. I just don't know why companies have to charge out the butt for programs like this.

Shopping with a mission.

2010-11-11T10:41:00.000-05:00

It's time to print the online coupons and go grocery shopping. Growing up, one of my chores was to clip the coupons from the Sunday newspaper. My parents would involve my sisters and I in planning the menu for the coming weeks dinners and such. It is a lot more efficient to plan ahead than to go to the store all willy nilly with no direction or plan. Cost a lot more to not have a plan, that's for sure!

For the last year or so I have scanned the Sunday paper here for realistic coupons. Realistic meaning, that I would actually use them, but out of all the coupons I would only find an average of two that I would actually use. The coupons in the newspaper have dwindled down to barely enough food products but have doubled in the crap you would never buy in the first place. If you are listening food manufacturers, we need MORE food coupons. Support the people that pay your bills and cut us a break would you?

I scout everywhere for deals. Chris actually takes the time at the grocery store to read the price per unit to make sure we are getting the best possible deal. In this tough economy you have to do anything to save money but also get your moneys worth. Which is a hard thing to do. Prices may have dropped on certain products but the quantity has also gone down. I have gone to many blogs and sites that deal directly with saving. Some work and others don't, it's time consuming to do so but when you are faced with a limited income, you have no other choice.

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat.

2010-11-11T08:35:00.000-05:00

We have begun our Christmas shopping. We will not be spending a lot but there are few things that the kids asked for that I think we can swing. Katie was given a Nintendo DSi for her birthday along with two games. Katie absolutely adores any Sims game. She has one for her Nintendo DSi and she plays it every chance she gets.

While Chris and I were browsing through the electronics department, we looked at all the games that are available for her system. They have Sims 3 for the DSi but I am not sure if it will be like the computer version or not. I know that Sims 3 is available for the Wii and I think I would rather get that for her and some other games for the DSi.

Both kids want games for Christmas and I am thinking about adding to their movie collection but I really want to get them that one big gift. Jeff's will most likely be something useful. Maybe some accessories for his Scooter and Katie is wanting in the worst way an American Girl Doll. Those things are expensive but I remember when my parents bought my little sister an original Cabbage Patch Doll. That was about $100.00 and the American Girl Doll is roughly the same price. If I could find it cheaper that would be a bonus. But I doubt it.

I have had it....

2010-11-07T21:23:00.000-05:00

This is day 4 of Britt avoiding her responsibilities and going back to her boyfriends because she is pissed at her dad . She won't answer her phone but she did text her grandfather on Saturday stating that she is still angry. Really? You want to see angry? Come see me.. I dare you!

She has nothing to be angry about. Well, not entirely true, if she has to be angry with anyone it should be her boyfriend, not her family. Meanwhile, everyone is letting her stew and "calm down."

WTF?! Let her calm down? How about not letting her act like a spoiled rotten child.
She may be 21 but she is far from those years maturity wise.
What about the fact the she may too also not have a job waiting for her to "calm down"?
How about the fact that she may not have the money to make her next car payment? The car that her grandparents co-signed for and have no means of making the payments for her. I guess that means that I will have to pick that up too?! If so, the car is fucking mine!
Here's the kicker. How about her having blown her chances at school. You are only allowed to miss three days in a semester. She has missed 8. I don't know what bullshit she fed her professors but I am sure that she may have reached her limit with them. She lies so much even she believes half the shit that comes out of her mouth .
She hasn't been to school since Tuesday. She hasn't been to work since Wednesday.

Maybe she should get herself a finance job to see what real responsibility is. Because so far, she has no clue. She will go on a spending spree and then when it comes time to pay her car insurance she is flat broke. She thinks if she acts all sorrowful and "promises" to do better next time is going to get her out of hot water with me, I hope she is ready to get real pissed, because I. AM. DONE.

When Chris kicked her boyfriend out of our home, we didn't fire him from his employment with me. We figured he would suck up his pride and go to the Salvation Army. Hell, we even told him to do just that. Sure he would probably hate it there (not my problem.. don't fucking care) but they do work with people to get their lives back on track. Something he definitely needs. Instead he chose the easy way out and went back home where there are NO JOBS! With no regards to his employment with me he upped and left. I did get a text later that evening stating he would no longer be working for me. How absolutely fucking nice of him. If it weren't for my own mother willing to help me out for the one day, I would be pulling almost 12 hours myself.

I am done. I don't care what the rest of the family does.

My Honey Do List keeps getting bigger.

2010-11-05T09:11:00.000-04:00

Not only are we in the middle of painting our house, but we are also doing some work on the inside as well. This house is very old and needs a lot of attention. We started out by painting all the rooms when we moved in. Chris had to replace the kitchen faucet because it was old, wobbly and wouldn't stop dripping. The most recent addition was a new water saver toilet. It had to be done. The old one was cracked and leaking. Also it was well over a six gallon tank. So yeah, out of date too.

I have created a list of things that should be done and in what order of priority they fall.

1. Install a new a/c unit in the living room. - It gets the heat from the setting sun and it is real hot at the end of the day. Not good for all our electronics. Maybe now that the weather will start to get cooler. We might put if off until after the first of the year. The prices should be cheaper too.
2. Install bathroom fans. - Not having any ventilation in the bathroom makes it uncomfortable walking in when someone has been occupying it for over 20 minutes (if you know what I mean).
3. Put down laminate flooring in the living room. When we first moved in they had carpeting which stank to high heaven because it was stained and mildewy. Turns out that the wall leaked when it would rain hard. Chris has already repaired and patched the wall so no more leaks but the floor is now just a concrete slab so yeah, definitely need to lay something down.
4. Install a garbage disposal. Although we scrape our plates, with all the animals we have it is just a temptation for one of them to try and get into the garbage.
5. Retro fit a dishwasher into a limited space kitchen. Chris would eventually love to redo the kitchen. I have no problem with that because as it stands now my kitchen is three rooms in one. Kitchen, dining room and my office. Would like to have boundaries.

You may think that all this will cost and arm and a leg, but with the Habitat for Humanity store right downtown, it won't even cost a fraction of what others would pay. They have everything you would need for any home project and all the proceeds go into building their next house. They have brand new appliances, doors, roofing material etc.. and also gently used items. All items are donated.

Chris has taken me there a few times. We have gotten new interior doors and a stand alone pantry. They also have complete room furniture. When I am ready to upgrade my dining room table we are going there. It is far better than any thrift store.

My life is drama free, for the moment anyway.

2010-11-04T23:27:00.000-04:00

Chris had no choice but to kick Robbie out today.

It was a storm that has been brewing for several months now actually.   It all stems from an incident that landed Robbie in court at the beginning of October. I won't go into the actual details but we know that he will have to serve at least one year of probation and his license will be suspended for a minimum of two years.

Chris had three rules to abide by while living under our roof.
1. No trouble with the law.
2. No stealing.
3. No hanky panky between him and Britt under our roof. For the record, Britt lives with Chris' parents. She would never abide by our rules.

Needless to say he broke two of those rules that we know of.    When we found out about the court incident, Chris informed Robbie that he needed to find another place to stay. He had to be out before his next court date because we did not want to be burdened with keeping him while on probation. It is very difficult to get permission to move while on probation and it has to be approved by the courts. We did not want to take the chance of him not being able to move.

Allowing him to stay with us was only a temporary agreement in the first place, and it was to help him get back on his feet so that he could get out on his own. It has been seven months. We never intended for him to mooch off us forever. We did have him pay $100.00 a month to help with utilities and he was on food stamps so that helped with keeping him fed. Other than his car insurance and his cell phone bill he had no other responsibilities. We found out that his boss at his primary job had offered a room in her house for $300.00 a month but he kept insisting that he could find an efficiency apartment cheaper. Well he not only screwed himself out of a place to live but also out of a job because of the shenanigans that he and Britt pulled on Tuesday night.

Robbie was scheduled to work in the evening. He badgered Jeff to take his shift because apparently the 6-10p.m. shift is harder to fill than the 4-8p.m. shift. He claimed that he was not feeling well. Right after he got off the phone with their boss, he walked out the door and left. We had absolutely no idea that he and Britt went back to his home 2 hours away because "their friend was rushed to the hospital because of his diabetes". Chris and I both know that was bullshit. The icing on the cake was that he pulled a no call/no show for work on Wednesday. Jeff got a call from their boss asking if he could come in because of Robbie. Jeff would normally go in to help out but yesterday he and his girlfriend were at church. I got a call from their boss this morning letting me know that she had to fire Robbie and that the offer to move into her home was off the table. Y'see the boss and I are friends and I went to bat for Robbie to get the job in the first place and I feel like a heel for even doing that. It won't affect our friendship but I feel horrible anyway.

Robbie never came home until after midnight on Wednesday and left before I got up for work. He had a court date this morning. After receiving the call from my friend and me having to inform Chris that he lost his job and a place to stay, Chris made his decision and went out and bought all new door locks. When Britt and Robbie showed up at the house, Chris reminded him of the rules and that breaking not only one of them but two is official grounds for getting kicked out. Chris let Robbie know that he knows that he has been stealing and Robbie did not deny it. He acted like he didn't care at all.

Robbie did complain about having to go back to his family because he wouldn't have a place here, but Chris told him that the Salvation Army has a program for single men and yes, it would be like living in an institution but it would be the best thing for him because they would help him. He would have to swallow his pride and fly right but the program was there. He decided to move back to his family. So much for that. I have no clue what consequences he will face for leaving the county. I don't believe they will allow him to move his probation to his hometown but I am not sure.

Britt on the other hand is fuming mad at her dad. She won't speak to him and she had her grandma inform me that she will not need a ride to school tomorrow. She prefers to be far away as possible from her dad. I feel bad for Chris but he knew that Britt would be mad but he did what he felt was the right thing to do for our household.

Decorating for Christmas already?

2010-11-04T22:50:00.000-04:00

I am used to seeing certain retail stores displaying Christmas decorations before Halloween was over but now business are getting into the act? On my way to work, I pass through a high end business district. They had garland going up around the lamp posts. Seriously?

The individual stores around the corner were in the middle of changing their display windows with Christmas themed decorations and I wanted to scream. Don't get me wrong I love Christmas time and all the festiveness it brings, but what reason do these people have to start so early? I hate having my favorite holiday bastardized and commercialized like this. People have to understand that shoving it down my throat so soon in the ball game is really petty and unnecessary. I will get into the spirit, I promise you, just not on the 4th of November!

The clock is ticking...

2010-11-04T21:12:00.000-04:00

Chris' best friend, Phil, has been living with us since the end of August. He came over from Europe first to pave the way for his wife, Alana and their son, Drake. The goal was to secure a job and buy a vehicle. He is now looking for that family car. His wife and son will be arriving from Scotland on Tuesday. All three of them will then shack up with her best friend in North Port. Although I would have loved to have all three of them here with us, Phil didn't want to impose on us any longer, besides, Alana's best friend has a daughter that is eighteen months old and her own house. The living situation would be a lot better for them. All I would have to offer is the family room pull out sofa. Not the best environment for a baby.

They are hoping to find a house in Sarasota within the next six months. Phil has a great job bartending and Alana has a degree in Event Planning. At her last job, she was head of the Event Planning division at one of the high end hotels in London. She is hoping to start her own wedding and/or event planning business within the the next few years. Right now she is concentrating on her son, Drake, who will be turning one on Thanksgiving. She was the bread winner in London, now it is Phil's turn to bring in the dough. He constantly jokes about being fine with the Mr. Mom role but Alana is not playing that game.

Phil and Alana talk daily via the computer. Today he was teasing her about coming to work for me. She knows that I know that she would never clean for a living. She kids me all the time about doing the manual labor and women should be pampered and not to be coming home all sweaty. She really means it for herself but she understands my position. She is a little on the quirky side but for the most part we get along.

Phil did make a comment about her getting a degree from a massage therapy program online because she loves going to the spa and getting pampered all the time. He told her since she knows the ins and outs of the spa life that she would fit right in as the one giving the treatment and not receiving it. The look she gave him was priceless.

I just don't understand

2010-11-04T20:08:00.000-04:00

Can anyone please tell me exactly what are hgh supplements? I haven't the foggiest clue as to what this is supposed to do for your body. I have read that athletes will use it to boost their performance levels (legally) and that certain people have used it to fight aging. So is it like a steroid product or an anti aging product? And what is with all these "supplements" to begin with? Every time I hit the interweb intending to look up what certain vitamins do for your body I am always amazed at all the different pills out there for everything. Has America become a pill popping nation? Do we not do anything the old fashion way anymore? Whatever happened to the Food Pyramid and how many servings of each food group to have daily?

Don't get me wrong, I understand innovation and technology better than you think I do. I know that science has come along way developing "short cuts" to make our lives easier. I know there is potential there, but should there be? Maybe I am just being pessimistic because I haven't found the wonder pill for my dilemmas and I may be a tad jealous that I am one of the many that can't really be helped scientifically. Or... maybe I am right, and we all should be doing things differently to be in better health, rather than relying on pharmaceutical companies that are getting richer by the second, because we are so lazy. This is a "things that make you hmmm" moment. Right?!

There has got to be a way.. I just know it.

2010-11-04T09:21:00.000-04:00

I know that I have been ranting and complaining about my weight, but hey, I have the right to do so here. I have not found a sure fire way of losing weight yet. I am not looking for the fastest way to lose weight because those "diets" really don't work and you end up putting more back on than you lost. What I want is a sure fire way of losing the weight and is easily managed with my hectic schedule.

I have hypothyroidism, and it is really dragging me down. I was diagnosed shortly after my last visit to the Moffit Cancer Center. Thanks to the Quasimodo size tumor they took out which in fact contributed to the thyroid disease. I don't have health insurance (because it is simply unaffordable) and I can't afford to pay out of pocket for the prescriptions. So I am hoping to find an alternative way to treat and deal with this.

I clean for a living and you would think that would be a work out all on its own. I watch what I eat and I don't mean that I watch as I eat either. I try and stay as active as I can even though my energy levels are almost non existent, I force myself to do things. Painting the house last weekend almost killed me but I did it. I am always wanting to take walks but I only get so far and I am ready for a nap. It kills me that I am constantly feeling this way. I have never, ever been this heavy and I would be so flippin joyful if I could manage to lose 50 pounds. I just don't know how to jump start my metabolism on my own.

Gong on 40 feels like 80 to me.

2010-11-04T09:03:00.000-04:00

I have been cleaning houses on a regular basis for over two years now. I was hoping that my body would be used to it. However, that is not the case. I get severe joint pain by the end of my work day. So severe that when I rub or even touch the area, it feels bruised and it stays that way for weeks. The joints in my fingers crack and every joint in my body hurts and is stiff. I am sure there are many factors as to why I have this. Being overweight contributes greatly and the fact that arthritis runs in the family.

I have tried many things to help alleviate the pain, which most products do temporarily, but not long term. I have tried all kinds of treatments for arthritis but nothing is long lasting. I have been making sure to drink plenty of water, I am talking about by the gallons, and I take vitamins which also includes glucosamine, religiously, and yet I am still feeling this way.

Chris' mother told me about MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) supplements that are specifically for joint cartilage and although I haven't tried it yet. I have done a ton of research on it. I am thinking that may be my next step and if that doesn't work then I don't know where else to go. It is so tough getting older and I won't be 40 until December. I have to find a way to reverse this or I won't be able to clean for much longer, and that is not an option right now.

Not wanting to go through this again...

2010-11-03T20:30:00.000-04:00

It has taken years to find the best acne treatment for Jeff. Mainly because his acne was more of an hormonal unbalance than the typical teenage break outs.

Katie on the other hand has fairly good skin. She is only eleven and will have one or two little zits but I have gotten her started on taking care of her skin very quickly. She uses a mild soap and occasionally will use benzoyl peroxide pads. Fingers crossed that she will not have Jeff's skin condition. Boys seem to handle problem skin way better than girls.

As much of a drama queen that Katie is, I really do not want to have to go through problem skin with her. She doesn't need another low esteem agent in her life. She has enough already. Which we are working on to correct her self image. It is just taking time. I am hoping by the time she reaches her teens she will have a different outlook on herself.

I have no clue where in the family tree that was handed down to him from, but I do not wish it on any child. I never had that kind of a problem as a teen or an adult. Yes, I still break out from time to time but it is manageable. To be honest it happens once a month but they get less and less not that my old butt is already going through the "change". Ok... pre-change but still its there reminding me that in not so many years I will officially be over the hill.

Wait.. Christmas is how many days away?

2010-11-03T20:15:00.000-04:00

Ok... Christmas is just around the corner and of course Thanksgiving is just weeks away. Have I completed all my Christmas shopping? That would be a BIG. FAT. NO. I am also not one for waking up at the butt crack of dawn on the morning after Thanksgiving to try and get the best deals on items that my kids really don't frickin need. Hey, I love my kids but lets face it, times are tough, the economy stinks and I work hard just to be able to keep a roof over their heads and food in their bellies.

No, I am not going to be a Scrooge this Christmas, just a little more practical. My kids have each requested one major gift and we will do our very best to fulfill their wish. But lets face it, what they want, requires more dough than I want to shell out to be honest. I have been scanning for deals online. Maybe I will get lucky and find the perfect cyber Monday present rather than having to go out on the dreaded Black Friday. I don't know how people do that anyway. I mean, having to fight tooth and nail just to get into the store let alone racing to the isle that has the ONE gift you are looking for only to get there and you were seconds too late. I have many family members that are die hard Black Friday shoppers. Yes, they may get great deals but rarely have they gotten what they went to the store in first place for. Besides, I like my beauty sleep.

Now she loves to brush.

2010-11-03T19:36:00.000-04:00

My daughter is the most difficult when it comes to taking care of her teeth. The hardest thing about getting her to do a good job brushing her teeth is the time factor. She will begrudgingly go in for a minute and then come back out stating she is all done. Yes, there may be evidence of toothpaste foam around her mouth but her teeth are still crying out for a good scrub.

I was fortunate enough to receive a dental care package that contained many products to care for kids teeth as well as adults. Listerine makes a pre rinse product called Agent CoolBlue that makes the plaque visible on you teeth and the children will be able to see where they need to brush. I had Katie brush her teeth first and then use the Agent CoolBlue. She was shocked at how much plaque was still on her teeth and mostly around her gum line. Since she has seen what a poor job she was doing, the Agent CoolBlue has become her favorite part of the brushing experience. It reminded me of the days when I was in elementary school, when the local dentist would show up, and pass out the red dye tablets, toothbrushes and trial size toothpaste. Everyone would laugh at each other because we all had stained teeth.

Before I couldn't get her to stay in the bathroom long enough to brush her teeth and now I have to set a time limit, because she will brush her teeth for ten minutes or more. She also likes the Listerine Smart Rinse. It is an anti cavity fluoride rinse that you use after you brush your teeth. Not only does it help to prevent cavities it also strengthens teeth. She prefers the Mint flavor but they also make berry flavor as well.

I also tried out the Reach toothbrush that was sent to me. I have to admit I have never used Reach before. I was always swayed to use Oral B (all the hype about being dentist preferred) but I have to be honest about the Reach toothbrush. It is easier to get at the hard to "reach" places. I was also given Listerine mouthwash to try and I was a little hesitant. I remember my father's Listerine and it wasn't appealing back then but the CoolMint wasn't bad. My husband claimed the Listerine Zero mouthwash which has no alcohol. He prefers the less intense sensation.

Along with our package, we received an opportunity to collect money for the Trick or Treat for the America's Toothfairy. This is a campaign to help raise awareness of pediatric dental disease and it also provides care to the children that cannot get regular dental care. We did take our donation box around with us but unfortunately we didn't receive many donations.

I am glad we were given this opportunity. If nothing else my own daughter is more aware of her dental hygiene habits and she is taking it more seriously. She proudly shows off her pearly whites after each brushing.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of LISTERINE and REACH and received products to take the Oral Care Challenge. Mom Central Consulting also sent me a Global Giving gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

If you don't vote then you forfeit your right to complain later!

2010-11-02T09:46:00.000-04:00

I voted. Did you?

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T17:42:00.000-04:00

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!

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

2010-10-30T20:51:00.000-04:00

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."

Katie is in her Glory...

2010-10-29T19:54:00.000-04:00

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...

2010-10-29T13:23:00.000-04:00

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.

It's that time of year again...

2010-10-27T21:02:00.000-04:00

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...

2010-10-27T20:50:00.000-04:00

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!

An Oldie but a goodie Maxineism!

2010-10-26T22:39:00.000-04:00

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...

2010-10-26T22:31:00.000-04:00

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!

2010-10-26T21:31:00.000-04:00

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.

The Administration did WHAT?!?!

2010-08-30T22:31:00.000-04:00

Did you know that the Obama administration has included the Arizona law in its UPR (Universal Periodic Review ) to the United Nations? My question is why?
I am going to include a portion of the article here but you are more than welcome to research this further on your own, in fact I encourage you to do just that.

"A recent Arizona law, S.B. 1070, has generated significant attention and debate at home and around the world," the report says. "The issue is being addressed in a court action that argues that the federal government has the authority to set and enforce immigration law. That action is ongoing; parts of the law are currently enjoined."

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer on Friday demanded that a reference to the law be removed from the State Department report on ways the federal government is protecting human rights.

It is "downright offensive" that a state law would be included in the report, Brewer, a Republican nearly guaranteed re-election as a result of the legal dispute, wrote to Clinton.

"The idea of our own American government submitting the duly enacted laws of a state of the United States to 'review' by the United Nations is internationalism run amok and unconstitutional," she said.

Arizona Republican state Sen. Frank Antenorri told Fox News on Monday that he thinks it is an insult to the American people, who overwhelmingly support the state's right to enforce the law, to include Arizona in the report.

He added that nothing in the lawsuit makes any mention of human rights or the 14th Amendment guaranteeing equal justice. The Justice Department argued the 10th Amendment in its suit, claiming that the state does not have the authority to enforce federal laws.

"Name a human rights violation. Name it," Antenorri demanded of the Obama administration.

"Tell the people of this country where in this U.N. report you are defining a human rights
violation occurring in the state of Arizona. It's garbage," he said, adding, "I find it comical to kowtow to dictators in this global effort to demonize the United States.

"The federal government, the president should be ashamed of himself for putting this on an international stage with a commission that is put together by countries that commit actual genocide and atrocities," he added.

So are we now going to answer to the World on how we are dealing with ILLEGAL immigrants?
This is so asinine! We already have these laws in place, but the Federal Government does not want to enforce them, which is why individual states are doing something about it.

I am just waiting for the day when the American citizens are going to be retro fitted with some kind of device that will be read by a barcode scanner or something of the like to be able to anything in this country. Tell us what jobs we can do, what cars to drive, how we can dress, who we can socialize with and so on. We are not going to be the land of the free any longer not when the UNITED NATIONS can start to sanction what we can or cannot do. I am so wanting this administration to end!

In other news...

2010-08-25T19:12:00.000-04:00

Chris, Jeff and Katie have made it through their third day of school with no incidences. Well with the exception of new policies at Katie's school. This is the third day that I have had to track down my daughter when picking her up, because she was not at the designated spot that I was told she would be at and in the middle of a torrential downpour to boot. I was not a happy camper by no means.

My stepdaughter and her boyfriend are still having communication problems. Strictly her fault of course. She doesn't want to fully admit that she was in the wrong and actually though that by taking him out to dinner was a good enough remedy to the solution. He kind of made a joke saying that she would go broke by having to buy him dinner every time she lies to him. She didn't find it funny. She has not officially apologized either. I think that she thinks that in two weeks or so he is going to forget about all this.

I have been doing a lot of eye rolling when it comes to her. It is really starting to wear thin on me. Her boyfriend has been calling her out on a lot of stuff and unfortunately he has been the only to ever to do this. Her father, mother and grandparents have always tiptoed around upsetting her because they all thought she was fragile. Since her teen years anyway. When she was Katie's age she was a normal child.

She goes to live with her mom and she totally changed. Chris has accepted that he needs to start calling her out as well. Her grandparents are just defending her by saying "she's just a little mixed up right now" and her mother won't do anything because she is exactly the same way. She won't even look at me anymore and I believe it is the guilt and/or shame she feels because she knows that I know everything she has done. Of course I am just assuming that and I could be wrong.

City of Brotherly Love indeed!

2010-08-25T18:42:00.001-04:00

I cannot believe what I have been reading lately. Philadelphia is now wanting bloggers in their city to pay a $300.00 for a business license. To me that is just insanity. The economy is already in the dumps and people are doing what is absolutely necessary to survive.

This is just so stupid. I mean it is not like there are tons of money to be made in this genre. Running Google ads or accepting paid assignments here and there doesn't justify paying for a business license. Most bloggers don't even make $300.00 in one year. So now they are forced to find other ways of making money and hoping that the greedy county government don't catch onto the next "big" money maker.

I don't personally know any Philadelphia bloggers but I know a lot of bloggers that do strictly reviews and make a decent living but that is all they do. I don't even think you would be able to any type of reviews not even cell phone, business phone or cordless phone reviews without waving a red flag. So what if this goes country wide? Bloggers that are supporting their families by blogging for a living are going to get screwed. A lot of us are struggling as it is and I am sure there may be some that will take on any type of work.

I am so glad that I don't live there.

Germany bound hopefully.

2010-08-24T19:41:00.000-04:00

It is a good thing that my mom retired in May of this year and started to collect her social security benefits. She wouldn't have been able to take the time off at the start of Florida's season. My dad is scheduled for knee replacement surgery on September 2nd, and with the rehab and the need for my mom's help, there would have been no way her boss or the condo association that she worked for would have allowed time off.

My dad is a little nervous and apprehensive about the surgery but there have been many friends of my parents that have gone thought it themselves. Surgery isn't what it used to be. Recovery is a lot faster now then it was even ten years ago. My own surgery recovery was a complete surprise to me. I remember the difficulty that I had when I had a cesarean section back in 1991. It took months before the pain and discomfort went away completely. When I had surgery last November, I was so shocked at the minimal pain that I had and how fast I healed. It was like night and day.

My dad almost cancelled his trip with my mom and the church choir in December to Germany because he thought he wouldn't be up to par. His surgeon assured him that he would be a new man and walking without pain at least a month prior to the trip.

I am hoping that it all goes well and in December my parents are able to go to Germany. My dad has relatives in Munich that he hasn't seen since he was stationed there back in 1967 while he served time in the Army. He would visit the family on the weekends. He has so many fond memories of hanging out with our relatives and he would like to be able to go back and visit and also show my mom around.

Knowledge is the Key

2010-08-21T19:54:00.000-04:00

I don't talk much about my political beliefs or issues on this blog. I am thinking that maybe I should start voicing my concerns. After all, I have that right.

I am a Republican. Whether you want to call me a conservatist, right winger, Grand Old Party participant or what have you, I stand by what my party fights and stands for.

Preserving the integrity of our country by upholding the Constitution.
Our fore fathers painstakingly worked through what would be considered now our mission statement. What America stands for. What we will and will not tolerate and what is most important above all is that Americans have the right to have a government that will do the WILL of the people.

Do you honestly think that our government is doing its job right now? I have heard so many people complain that WE THE PEOPLE are getting ignored. Well it's because WE THE PEOPLE put the wrong politicians in office. Plain and simple as that.

We Americans need to get our country back on the right track. Which means we need to do our research and get to know and understand the politicians that are running for offices this November.

Take for example my state.
We have a new batch of politicians and non politicians running for Governor.
Rick Scott is a businessman.
Bill McCollum is a career politician.
Both are republican but both have different ideas and views on how they want to deal with things and get Florida on the right track.

Who am I voting for? Bill McCollum. He closely relates to my expectations of a governor.
I agree with most of his views and his plans and to me it makes him a legitimate contender.

Rick Scott is a business man. With questionable integrity. He was a CEO of a company that was convicted of fraud against the government. He claims to not have known what his own company was doing and he may have accepted responsibility and resigned but even that does not sit well with me.
I look at this with one of two scenarios playing out:
He really didn't know what was happening which therefore deems him incompetent and therefore does not deserve the right to represent me or he did know all along which makes him a criminal and therefore does not deserve the right to represent me.

Regardless of the mud slinging that both campaigns are doing. I took the initiative to find out more about these men. It wasn't hard. Just a little research and voila I know who I am voting for.

We Americans must do our part to insure that our country gets back on the right track period.

What can be done?

2010-08-20T20:06:00.000-04:00

There is never ending drama in this household lately.  Just when I think I can take a deep breath, I get punched in the gut. For privacy reasons I can't go much into detail because this isn't my personal battle. But I would really like input as how to approach this sensitive issue.

What can one do when they are being blackmailed? Do you go directly to the authorities? Get an attorney? Do you take care of the matter yourself?  What is one supposed to do?

I wish I could divulge more information but I just can't right now. Maybe once this ordeal is over, but not now.

In the business mind frame today.

2010-08-19T12:28:00.001-04:00

Normally I am swamped on Thursdays with bi-weekly cleanings, however, today both my clients are out of town. So I am going to take advantage of this to work on things that have been neglected and dire need of my full attention.

I have been balancing my business check book and although I am making enough money to sustain the business and myself, I am need to add to my equipment inventory. When I work at the condominiums there are two of us. Usually one does the vacuuming and steam cleaning of the floors while the other does the more detailed dusting and wiping down of all the furniture, laundry rooms, baseboards etc... Normally it works out but like yesterday, the vacuum belt popped off. No problem, I got it working again but then it got me thinking. I need backups in case something fails and I can't fix it. I can't leave a job unfinished. So I tried brainstorming on how I can acquire enough cash to be able to do this.

I can't rely on a purchase order finance method or a line of credit. My business is too young to qualify. I don't have large sums of cash in reserves in the business but I am starting to save up for such purchases. I was just hoping that my equipment would last until it was feasible to go out and buy backups or replacements. I do not want to ask for a loan from either parents but if it came down to that, I probably would be forced to. They would not let me go without, if it meant the business would cease because I no longer can provide the service. Right now, the condos have their own vacuums and I can use them if need be. Although I much rather prefer to use my own because they work a lot better. So I am finger crossing here. The season for snowbirds will be here before I know it and I will have a lot of my customers back on a regular basis. Hopefully I can start stock piling the cash to be able to restock on equipment and have a few backups.

Another thing that will need to be considered is a purchase of a new/newer to me vehicle. I own a Chevy Malibu. It is 9 years old. Although it has low mileage, it is definitely starting to show its age. It has been a challenge to use it to cart around all my supplies and cleaning equipment. I really need a minivan or a SUV. I am not sure if I want to have the company own it or just purchase it myself. My dad is really wanting me to look into the Ford Escape. It's a nice SUV but I am not sure if I could afford the payments. I think my company needs to get a little bigger for that to happen. Eventually, my vision for the company is to have a small fleet of company vehicles. That won't be happening anytime soon. Probably not for at least another five years or so.

Since I am the bigger bread winner in the family, all my decisions are bounced off my husband, who has been extremely helpful and is more willing than I am to just do what needs to be done. The economy isn't bouncing back and actually we may be headed for a double dip recession. Working for the condo association and the clients that I have are not going anywhere, but I would be hard pressed to acquire more clients. I am just looking to get through another year with my head above water.

Step daughter Dilemna

2010-08-18T19:06:00.000-04:00

I don't know how many of you know the history behind my stepdaugther, but she is something else. The last time she lived with us was back in 2007. She was supposed to get her GED and then start community college. On her 18th birthday she up'd and left with her boyfriend of 2 months.

It is now 2010 and she came back to live with her grandparents (because she knows she would not get away with shit here) while her fiance completed his basic training in Kentucky. Within one week of coming here she turned around and went back to finish moving their belongings and to clean the apartment. She was supposed to come back two days later. That two days turned into six weeks. All of a sudden she has broken off with her fiance because she claims he cheated on her when they separated a few months back and without telling him it was over she just stopped communicating with him and his family. She had the nerve to be pissed at the fiance and his family because they wanted to take the car back. It may have been bought for her to use but the parents were still making payments and it was still in his name. So she had no choice but to come back to the grandparents. And on top of that while she was away she had been living with her friend and her family and sleeping with her friends brother, who by the way is her boyfriend now.

Now, I happen to like her boyfriend. Smart kid and very responsible and very, very sensitive. The sad thing is he is starting to realize that the girl he fell in love with is a fake. Chris invited him to come live with us because 1. He thought it would give his daughter a reason to stay instead of flip flopping and 2. There are no jobs in the area where his family lives. I have had him help me several times with the condos and he works at the same place as Jeff.  We have told him numerous times that he is welcomed to stay with us as long as he needs to and even if they break up we will not kick him out. He has become like family.

She is the most irresponsible and self centered person I have come across in a very long time. She is registered to start college next Monday. Chris and Jeff have already gotten their books, i.d. and parking decals. She was supposed to go with them but she cancelled because she had a stomach ache.  I really don't think she is even going to start college. I don't even think she will be staying here through the weekend. I have a feeling that she will be leaving town as of this weekend. Why?

She has been communicating with her ex and now that the grandparents have co-signed for a brand new Chevy Cobalt, she thinks it is her ticket to do whatever it is that she wants. I won't be surprised in the least if she tells her boyfriend that she has decided to go back without any regards to his feelings. He will be stuck here. Sure he could go back home but there is nothing else to go back to but his family.  I am hoping like hell that the grandparents step up and take that car away from her because I guarantee you she will not be able to pay for it and they can't afford it either.  She has a job here. She can't get a job there.

I want so much to step in and make her see what an ass she is. Chris on the other hand feels that she needs to fall flat on her face first. The boyfriend has already told her that if he catches her in one more lie than they are over and to be honest I don't think she cares about him. It is so frustrating to see all this going down and not knowing what to do.

Could it be finally coming off?

2010-08-04T19:11:00.000-04:00

Starting to feel like normal. Still have some swelling issues with the ear but nowhere near the severity it was. I noticed today that I have dropped a few pounds. Nothing visually noticeable but my pants fit a little looser. I think I am finally starting to lose weight the right way. I was contemplating on whether or not to buy diet pills to help start the process. I don't want to have to rely on anything other than regular exercise and sensible eating but I have been this size for far too long now. I know that my thyroid has been compromised but it shouldn't make it totally impossible to lose weight. After all, I have noticed a difference and I hope it continues.
One of these days, I will be brave and post a before and after picture, once I have lost the weight that I am comfortable with. But as of right now, I just don't like myself and I am so self conscious.

Been in denial...

2010-07-31T23:32:00.000-04:00

but I can't stay that way forever. My little girl is growing up and before long she will be a young woman with all the drama and woes of being a teenage girl and all that jazz. Her father chooses to stay in that denial for now but pretty soon he is going to get the smack of reality. I will revel in that by the way.

I have been teaching Katie about proper hygiene for awhile now. Getting on her to take showers and brushing her hair every day and whatnot. For the most part she is on top of keeping herself clean and presentable but she has been experiencing break outs that normal cleansing products aren't cutting it anymore. She is only ten and I really don't want to introduce her to the stronger stuff yet so is there any acne treatments out there that maybe you have tried that is gentle on young skin? With all the changes she is going through I really would hate for her to be so self conscious about the pimples.

She is already begrudgingly resigned to having to wear training bras and to use deodorant that I would really like to ease the rest of the growing pains for now. I have tried the white tooth paste but all that does is make her skin all red the next morning and her skin is so sensitive that even the gentle cleansing soaps that I have gotten for her dry out her skin. I am stumped. Any suggestions or helpful hints would be greatly appreciated.

Dealing with an Ear Infection at 39 years old.

2010-07-31T23:13:00.000-04:00

It really boggles my mind that me, an adult, battles every few years with ear infections. I have no clue as to why or how I keep getting them. I have even taken precautions so I don't get them and yet here I am dealing and battling with one.
I have has this stupid infection since Tuesday. I have drugged myself silly with alternating between Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen to battle both the pain and the swelling. My poor hubby has been nursing me with occasional pouring of the hydrogen peroxide to kill any infection inside the ear and has been wiping out the disgusting ooze that has been leaking for the last few days. He even took my place on Wednesday and cleaned for me at the condo association.
I think I may need to go to the hospital tomorrow though. I know I need antibiotics to get rid of it but to tell you the truth it really isn't all that pain full anymore and the swelling has gone down significantly but the ooze is driving me nuts and well the only way it is really going to go away is with antibiotics. I don't have health insurance so the ER is the only route for me at this moment. Hopefully I won't be there for hours upon hours. It's the only reason why I hesitated in the first place. Believe me though if my kids or Chris were in my situation, my ass would be kicking their butts to the car to drive them right off the bat, but when it's me, I could really care less.
The last time I personally went to the ER was when they admitted me for the Quasimodo sized lump in my throat. I didn't have to wait that long, in fact I don't think I even waited five minutes to be rushed to the actual waiting area. Katie was with me because there was no one available to take her right away so she got to see them hooking me up to all the monitors and inserting the IV. She was so interested in all that they were doing and asking questions and they were so polite and told her the whys and hows of everything that they were doing. By the time my parents showed up, she was the one that told them what they were going to do to me next. Smart Cookie that one! I remember for awhile after my family left some dumbass doctor was looking all over the ER for his cell phone. He kept insisting that he knew he had brought it with him and how he had just bought the damn thing and the nurses were teasing him about maybe dropping it while in the bathroom and did he have insurance on it and he just got very frustrated and testy and told them that he didn't get the iphone warranty because he has never had the need for it before and was very careful with his things. I thought for sure I would be hearing about how they found it in the toilet or a wash basin (which would have made me laugh because he was just driving me crazy with his frantic searching) turns out that he left it home because his wife came in with it with a HUGE smirk on her face. And that is when the real teasing began for him. Apparently the nurses and some of the doctors to that to him a lot because it affects him the most. I was glad that he wasn't my doctor that day. I probably would have been sent home with the diagnosis of having the Mumps.

Wanting to go from Shamu to Bow Chicka Bow Wow!

2010-07-15T22:56:00.000-04:00

I have seen so many more weight loss product commercials in the last three days than I have seen in months. What is up with that? The funny thing about it is most of the commercials were around a two hour time frame centered around this show called Most Daring which went with the theme about fat people doing stupid things. As I was watching the shows I felt more and more self conscious about my own weight problem. I was initially told by my doctor that after the surgery to remove Quasimodo from my neck that I would have no problem shedding thirty pounds within a few months. She believed the tumor was obstructing my thyroids ability to function properly. Since I have not dropped the pounds like expected she is now convinced that my thyroid has been compromised and will need some assistance to work like it is supposed to. Blood work has shown a significant problem before and after the surgery.
I will have to find a primary physician and get the ball rolling on that once I have health insurance. Which should be in the near future since I now have to have health insurance through my company since I am not eligible for workman's comp insurance. I am still hoping to drop the weight with all the cleaning jobs that I have taken on. When I clean for the condo association I come home like I am coming back from a wet T-shirt contest. It is a work out in itself and sweating so much has to be doing something, other than dehydrating me, which I don't think it is doing since I am constantly sucking down the water. I just hope that I can shed the excess weight without having to spend money at the doctor's and prescriptions.

Still Organizing

2010-07-15T22:13:00.000-04:00

I am learning that I am not Superman by any means, and there is no ability to leap steel buildings in a single bound on my end. I have been trying to do it all and I am failing miserably at it. Today, I realized that I need to start delegating the small stuff and just relax and not worry so much.
So, I have taken a day off from work (by not scheduling any cleanings for today) and just relax. Now, I have done a few things around my house, such as, getting things in the proper places so it does not look like we are still moving in.

As far as everyone else though, they have had jobs appointed to them. My husband, took care of the minor handyman work. He put up a curtain underneath my kitchen sink to hide the area where there are no cabinets and to hide the exposed kitchen sink pipes. He also got my washer and dryer all hooked up and he also cleared most of the storage from the bonus room and found places for everything.

Katie has rearranged her room several times already but I think she has finally found the exact way she wants it... hopefully. She has more stuff than I know what to do with and she is going to need the under the bed storage.

Jeff is still trying to come up with an organizing system. As he would say, It is an Epic Fail Mom! We just don't have a clue as where to start with his room. He doesn't have a closet so most of his clothes are getting folded and put in his dresser, which is busting at the seams because he has a lot of clothes. His shoes, skateboard, and miscellaneous items are getting stored under the bed. I would like to put up shelves for a lot of his baseball memorabilia but that will not be anytime soon.

Two weeks into the move and we are still trying to find areas to store important things in. I hope that by the time we are here a month it will be a lot better.

Landed another contract!

2010-07-09T22:37:00.001-04:00

I am rocking the cleaning business thingy... I just landed a new contract at the same condominium complex. This time it will be for the Clubhouse and Office. YES!!!! Finally all my hard work is starting to pay off.

The down side to cleaning the common areas of the condos is that there is no ventilation. Yes there are windows that are opened in the hallways during the days, but unless there is a breeze it is stifling in there. I sweated my ass off this past week and I am hoping beyond all hope that maybe this will be the kick start to me finally dropping the pounds and if not, than I will be needing some kind of magic weight loss wand. Seriously, I have not worked so hard as I did this past week. I sure hope a few more weeks of this and I will start seeing my waist line shrink.

On top of that more and more of my clients are calling for cleanings and I will definitely be needing to hire one individual to help me. At least help me clean for the condo association so I can get at least one client in per day. Many of my clients prefer just me to clean. There are a few exceptions but they are few a far between. My husband helped me last week and he will help again this week coming up, but it will be to train someone to take over for him. I have a person in mind and he has previous cleaning experience. He cleaned a chocolate factory for a few years before they cut their staff to a skeleton crew.

So all I need to conquer now is getting the contract for the high rise buildings. The same company that had the mid rises and the clubhouse is still doing the high rises. I am hoping that changes here quickly. Than I will definitely be established.

Space: The final frontier. As in I need more space for my junk!

2010-07-08T21:13:00.000-04:00

It has been a very emotionally draining process with the move and the business that I just don't know where to start on getting the "new" house organized. Surfing the web for ideas that just leave you with the click here mentality to see all the different ways of hiding the clutter or storing away the junk that no one can seem to part with.

Many people have given me great ideas and I have been researching those ideas because for right now they seem to be the solution, and as we slowly and I do mean slowly as in snail doo doo, go through each box of what the heck is in there because no one remembered to label said boxes, I am more and more buried in the "where the hell are we going to put everything" mode.

The biggest culprit is my husbands tools and out door stuff. We really need some type of outdoor storage. He is wanting to get a nice big shed to put everything into but does anyone know how truly expensive those are? I could buy a few more Oreck vacuums for that kind of money.

Right now I think I will invest in a closet system, one that my husband can install, so that we can have an neat and organized area. All three closets need it. They don't even have doors on the closets. Something the last tenant decided they could not part without. Just like they took the a/c unit out of the master bedroom wall and my husband had to retro fit the one the landlord bought to replace it and is half the size of the hole in the wall. It's nice to walk into our room and see the big hole encompass the tiny a/c unit. NOT! The landlord seems to think it fits fine and we can just enclose the hole to surround the a/c. Ummm... not if you want the a/c to work. But that is another ball of wax all together right?

I figure within the next few months, we will be truly moved in established once all the crap is put in its place. I hope so, because I am tired of walking through a room as if it were a maze.

I am in business!

2010-07-08T20:49:00.000-04:00

Things are starting to look up for my business, now that I have officially become a L.L.C (Limited Liability Company). It has opened the door of opportunity with a Condominium complex that has already contracted me to clean their three midrise buildings. I have also submitted a proposal for the Clubhouse and their sales/management office. Although after speaking with the General Manager today, I will need to tweak it to fall in line with their 2010 budget which was done in January. He seems to really want me to get the job and will definitely up the budget with the board members for next year if I will accept their budget for the last 5 months of this year. I don't mind taking a cut if it means that next year will be better. You scratch my back and I will scratch yours type of deal.

I am just so happy to be given this chance to finally start making a decent living off my hard work. Don't get me wrong, I love cleaning for individuals but the money just isn't there for residential cleanings. Although I have picked up a few more residential, to me they are just the bread and butter. The condo however, is my lifeline. That will enable me to take care of my family once my husband goes back to school.

I am also faced with the possibility of having to hire an outsider to help me with the ever expanding work load. Something that I wasn't all that comfortable with. That means that either I add them on as an employee or possibly a sub contractor so that they alone are responsible for their own taxes and insurance. I am still tossing between the two choices. The pros and cons are very heavy on either side of the coin. I will need to get expert advice from my soon to be accountant. She was recommended to me by my husbands dad. She takes care of all his company's dealings and apparently is very aware of all the changes that are about to take place. Something that I am completely clueless on at this moment. It is all so scary to me right now, but at the same time very exhilarating.

Nevermind keeping up the with the Jones', he needs to stop keeping up with our parents...

2010-07-06T16:12:00.000-04:00

My parents are back from Ohio from a much needed break and visit with family. My niece graduated from high school and they wanted to catch up with everyone that is still in Ohio. My dad was supposed to be scheduled for knee replacement surgery once they got back, but that is postponed for now. Apparently his surgeon is very ill and they have to find a replacement surgeon for all of his patients. Not sure how long my dad will have to wait to be able to have the first knee done. They were hoping to have both his knees done in time for the trip to Germany. My mom is a part of the singing Christmas Tree performance that our church has put on every year for over thirty years. They were invited by the military to perform for our troops stationed in Germany. This will take place in December. Not sure if my dad is going to be able to go unless they get him in fast or he may opt to wait until after they get back. Not sure how that is going to happen though.

While they were in Ohio, my dad almost purchased a motor home. My mom was a little miffed at the idea because they live in a retirement community of manufactured homes with limited parking spaces for boats and motor homes. They already have to pay extra for their boat and my mom wasn't really wanting to have to pay more for another parking space and on top of that motorhome insurance. She isn't totally against the idea of owning a motor home but would rather utilize it on a daily basis, as in, traveling in it for most of the year. My dad on the other hand just wants to use it for road trips every now and then. Something my mom cannot wrap her mind around. Although they may both want one, I don't see them getting one in the near future if they can't agree on what to do with it. Every time my parents have an idea to do something, my husband seems to jump in on their bandwagon. He now wants a motor home. He thinks it would be a perfect family vacation vehicle. Although we will not be getting one anytime soon, he will talk about this idea for a least six months.

We haven't taken a vacation since we took the kids to Disney World in 2005. Not that we couldn't afford to take more but when Chris worked for his dad, he couldn't take more than three days at a time. Who can enjoy a vacation on three days? I would need a vacation just to recover from such a short vacation. So, we would just take the kids to Busch Gardens a few weekends during the Summer and once in the Winter. Now? Well... we just need to focus on maintaining my business and him returning to school. With only my income and the little income he gets from unemployment, we managed to pay all our bills and the necessities. I don't foresee a vacation until at least next summer. And that is if Chris takes the summer off from school otherwise it may be at least 3 years until we can manage one. Until then, I will just schedule little things for the weekends, that way Katie gets some quality out of her summer vacation from school.

Happy Independence Day!

2010-07-04T00:26:00.000-04:00

In Appreciation to our Forefathers! Thank you!

Needing a few ideas, please!

2010-07-03T15:08:00.001-04:00

I did my best to downsize our belongings before making the move. Needless to say, we still have way more crap than this house can hold. So... I am in dire need of some expert organizing advice.

The kitchen is, I think what most would call it an efficiency kitchen or maybe a utility kitchen. It has one wall of four cabinets and two cupboards. Barely enough to store dishes, glasses, Tupperware and casserole dishes. No real counter top space to prepare meals on, so I may have to start using the dining room table to do that. No biggie though, it reminds me of my grandmother's house and how no matter how tiny it was, she made use of it. But at least she had a defined kitchen area. Here there are no defining walls for the kitchen and it opens up to what we use as a dining room, small entertainment area for Katie, because she has no room in her bedroom for her t.v. and my office. This room is actually the main part of the house. The house was originally a two bedroom and one bath home. The carport was enclosed and out of that they utilized a laundry area and a third bedroom. On the other side of the house which used to be an enclosed lanai, they also build walls and extended the roof to make what they tried to call a fourth bedroom but it actually serves as a bonus/family room. They even had a fireplace installed with a chimney. I don't think it works though and I am not sure I really want to find out. That is the room that has the leaks in it and so far we have not been able to enjoy it and it is now serving more as a storage room than a family room. Don't worry we have kept the furniture away from the wall that has the leaks but boxes and storage containers are up against the wall because we have run out ideas for what to do with all that stuff. The house has no garage and no outside storage. Down the road, when we can afford to, we will be installing a shed and a few other outside secured areas for the outside stuff and my husband's tools. Right now they are all in the house. There is no fence surrounding the house otherwise I would keep my daughters bike outside too. But as we live on a very busy street there is not telling what thievery would go on. We have already had our mailbox flag ripped off by some punk after only moving in a few short days ago. The first day we moved in, two sheriffs used our yard to park their patrol cars, so they could go arrest some wife beater a few houses down. We had to wait until they left so we could resume moving our stuff here. We were prisoners in our "new" home for over two hours. What a welcoming committee that was!

My husband is going to "help" me later on today by going through and trying to find the perfect spot for everything and hang pictures to cover up some unsightly holes but I have this sinking feeling that I will be doing this on my own. Ever since he started playing that stupid computer game, Evony, I am pretty much on my own with things anyhow. Don't get me wrong, I think everyone should be allowed to enjoy a computer game or two. I am a huge Sims fan. What I don't think is right, is allowing that to overtake your responsibilities. That is something that both my husband and son do.

So again, if anyone has any ideas on how to organize and has creative ideas on utilizing storage, please drop me a line. I would be ecstatic to have any ideas at all.

Finally....

2010-06-30T21:22:00.000-04:00

I was away from the Internet for a short while because we had to move. Although we did it on very short notice, we accomplished what I thought was the unthinkable. Thank you all so much for your positive thoughts, well wishes, prayers and of course the funds that made it possible for me and my family to be able to find another home. Without your help this would not have happened. Words are not enough to express how I feel about each and every one of you. I have been truly blessed.

The last couple of days have been a whirl wind of craziness and exhaustion but well worth it. Although the home we are in now is in need of a lot of work, we are grateful for what we have and a part of us is looking forward to making this house a true home. We may not have a life insurance lead but we are looking into getting renter's insurance. My husband and I both think that insurance is imperative because my business office is from home. We are not wanting to take any chances with my computer getting damaged if the roof leaks. So far there is no leaks in the roof but there are a few where the foundation meets the outer wall in one of the rooms. My office is set up in the kitchen for now until that is remedied.

We are organizing and finding places for everything. I find that a whole lot easier to do than packing everything. I am hoping that we are here for at least a few years. I did a little researching before we made the decision to move to this house. There is no mortgage on this house. It was paid in full five years ago, so there will be no chance that this house gets foreclosed on. I made sure of that before we agreed to move in.
Score one for me.....

Getting ready for school early

2010-06-24T23:06:00.001-04:00

With College resuming at the end of August, the "boys", meaning Jeff and Chris, are brainstorming on what is needed for their classes. Jeff already has a laptop which has been convenient for his downtime during classes. Chris is thinking of getting a notebook computer to due assignments when he has to wait for either Jeff to finish his classes for the day. I am not sure if that will work though because I don't think you can run office or anything like that on it. I think I have heard that those kind of computers are only good for surfing the net but I may be wrong.

Both Chris and Jeff lucked out on their schedules. They attend classes pretty much the same time with a few classes that are an hour or two apart from each other, but that will just allow them to get their homework done while waiting for the other to finish their class. At least there will not be two vehicles needing gas on a regular basis and that alone will save money every month. I think the experience of a father and son attending the same college will make them both accountable for keeping up the grades. Knowing them they will make a competition out it.

Doing the necessary evil,

2010-06-22T12:52:00.001-04:00

And by that I mean getting the house ready to move. In the process of going through our belongings and deciding what we need, or what we can donate to either the Salvation Army or Goodwill, we are downsizing considerably. We could have had a garage sale but the last time we only made $20.00 for four hours of sitting in the hot sun. We are not going to go through that again considering that we need to be out by June 30th. We are however, using Craigslist to sell the more valuable items. There will be at least one sofa sleeper going up on Craigslist and a few other not needed items. It may not bring in much money but it will save us from having to drag it with us. I absolutely do not want to be taking the cumulative junk to the next house. I was very clear on that with the family.

When we cleaned our patio furniture, we discovered that our propane grill is rusting and falling apart. The grill plates themselves have corroded considerably and we had to come to terms with getting rid of it all together. Chris would like to invest in an electric grill in the far, far future. He thinks that maybe that would be far more economical in the long run and we wouldn't have to worry about the propane tanks running out in the middle of cooking. For now, we can survive not grilling anything or just borrow his parents portable grill.

I also wanted to update everyone that we have indeed secured a home, but we will still need to come up with last months rent before we can move in. Since we have to be out of the existing house by the 30th, it leaves only a few days to come up with the rest of the funds. So again, and I am sorry if I sound like a broken record, if you could spare at least $1, it would help more than you know.

For Dawg

2010-06-21T00:19:00.000-04:00

For Dawg

So Close but yet so far....

2010-06-19T17:56:00.000-04:00

We have been searching for a new place for almost a week and a half. When I am not working or packing up the house, we are driving all over to look at the next dwelling. We have spoken with many potential prospects which have all fallen short of obtaining the keys because of one problem. We do not have the full funds.
Every single one of the houses that we have looked at require security,first and last months rent. We are close but still fall short. A very kind person wrote to me to say that it is does not take a weak person to ask for help but a strong one, and with that I am going to keep on asking. So please, if you can, would you donate to help us out? If you are new to our situation then by all means please visit my post here which will bring you up to speed. If your heart is moved to our plight you may make a donation on my paypal account. I have a donation button set up in my sidebar.
I know that there may be people that do not agree with what I am doing and that is ok too, but, put yourself in my shoes and tell me if you wouldn't do anything you could to avoid what we are faced with. We are doing everything we can to take care of our family, even if it means we have to ask for others help.

Moffit Update.

2010-06-15T22:59:00.000-04:00

I had completely forgotten to update about the medical dilemma that I faced back in November of last year. A week ago, yesterday, I had my six month check up at the Moffit Cancer Center in Tampa. I was a little nervous going in, considering that I was experiencing the same symptoms, minus the noticeable lump in my throat. I figured that maybe another cyst was starting to form that hadn't gotten big enough to be visible. My appointment was for 9:45a.m. and I arrived at 9:30. The waiting room was packed. I had to wait about 5 minutes for a chair to become available. Not that it really mattered since I drove for an hour to get there, so sitting was not a priority.
What was annoying, was listening to this woman rant about how her husband, who was sitting right next to her, was a crybaby when it came to his Mesothelioma treatment and about how it was his own damn fault for getting the disease in the first place, because he worked for over thirty years as a school janitor in a school that oozed asbestos. Really lady? I mean do you honestly believe that your husband would willing put himself in danger? How ignorant could you possibly be? I felt so sorry for her husband who was just sitting there looking down at his feet not saying a word. How can you treat someone you supposedly love like a piece of crap? I will never understand that kind of mentality.

When I finally got in to see my doctor, she had nothing but good news. I am free from all cysts at this moment and I won't have to go in for another check up unless something noticeable happens. The only unfavorable part is that the numbness that I still have from my left ear down to my left shoulder will most likely be permanent and I will never get rid of the stiffness feeling in my neck. When I described to her that it still felt like a brick was inside my throat she told me that was part of the stiffness. So I guess I will just have to deal with it, which is way better than what could have been the alternative. Because then, I would most likely be the crybaby in the waiting room, but my husband would be my rock and love me through it anyway. Attitude, tears and all.

We have begun the search.

2010-06-14T21:01:00.000-04:00

I can't believe how sparse the Sunday Paper was for rentals. I mean there was barely anything we could afford and the ones that we could, were in a bad part of town. Searching through Craigslist for homes to rent has been a very interesting experience. We have come across a few houses where the owners are admitting to being in the process of foreclosure but if you just give them x amount of money you can stay until the bank makes you leave. Who does that? More importantly who would even consider "renting" a place with the impending doom looming just around the corner? Quite honestly that made me mad as hell, given our current situation.

We went and scoped out a few houses. We started out in the general area of where we would like to be, given that we want Katie to be kept in the same school she is in now for her special needs. We liked a particular house that fit well below our budget (which is what we are striving for) but the street is very busy, even for a well kept neighborhood. We saw at least 3 teenagers atv racing up and down the street. I don't even think they are allowed to have them on public streets, but there they were zooming along like they didn't have a care in the world.

There weren't too many houses that we looked at that we really jumped out at us. I know that beggars can't be choosers but I don't want to end up in some rat hole or undesirable neighborhood. Been there and done that. I don't think June is a very busy month for finding rentals anyway, but we will keep on looking because that is the only thing we can do at the moment.

Needing Help Please!

2010-06-12T16:31:00.001-04:00

Things have not been good recently around here. Chris and I just recently found out that our landlords must sell the house that we have been renting since October of 2008. It wouldn't be such a big deal because normally tenants are allowed to stay until the house does sell. Not in this case. They have asked us to leave by the end of this month.They are in the midst of a foreclosure and are wanting to sell asap and the easiest way to do that is get rid of the occupants so that it will be a smoother transaction for all parties involved. Except of course, US. We didn't have a lease renewal so we were on a month to month basis and either party can give 15-30 days notice. We have no deposit to look forward to because they only required a non refundable pet deposit. This leaves us with nothing to put down on any house we may find. We may have first months rent but nothing more. We have been looking and most renters now are required to pay security deposit, first and last months rent up front. That is a lot of money to come up with in just a few weeks. A goal that we will not be able to make on our own.
Our parents are all retired. They receive their social security and are budgeted to that alone. They are willing to help as much as they can but the reality is, it will not be enough. My biggest fear is that if we do not come up with enough funds that we need, we will be homeless. And that idea has been keeping me up at night worrying and crying because I feel like I have failed my family and it just doesn't sit well with me. I have never been faced with this kind of situation before and it's taking its toll on me.

I am physically, emotionally and mentally spent. Not only has this been a huge blow to us, but financially we have been struggling as well. Mind you that we always had the rent paid before anything else because that is the responsible thing to do right? I never dreamed that it would come down to this. With Chris' little unemployment check and whatever money I bring in and of course our son, Jeff, does help out a lot. We we're barely making ends meet. But, we were still doing it. There was always a way.

I have never been the one to ask for people's help but we are in desperate need. Please if your heart moves you to, would you please be willing to help us out? It doesn't have to be a large amount. Even if all you can spare is $1 than that is $1 closer. I have implemented a donation button from paypal that is directly linked to my account. It is located at the end of this post and also on my sidebar at the top right. I have never had to resort to asking people for money in this manner and even as I write this I feel like a total failure, but this is our last hope. As it stands now we won't be able to secure another home without outside help.

**UPDATE**

I just wanted to thank everyone that has either left encouraging comments, emails and of course for those of you that donated already. I can't grasp the support that has been shown to me and my family and it really shouldn't boggle my mind that there are people willing to give so effortlessly. If someone else was in my shoes and if I had the means, I would not hesitate. But still, it is a very humbling moment when it is me in those very shoes.

For those of you that I have not commented back on, please do not worry. I have read all my emails and even though I have teared up through every one of them, I will answer all of them here shortly.

Some of you came up with very good ideas and suggestions, but I think some of you have misunderstood our plight. It is not that we can't afford our rent, albeit it has been very tight some months, we have always managed to have the rent paid. Our plight is that we do not have any money in savings to be able to move and in such a short amount of time. My husband is unemployed and has been for quite some time. The sole requirement to continue receiving unemployment benefits is to show proof that he is seeking employment. We have a One Stop Center in our area that helps individuals seek employment and he has been utilizing that avenue already. He averages about 3 days a week actively searching for work in and around our area. He has also chosen to go back to school to get a degree in his field. Although he may have plenty of years of experience, most companies now are requiring that you have the degree behind it. I have a very small cleaning business that is slow due to it not being in season (meaning most of my customers live up north for the summer and come down here for the winter months) I have a very small customer base that I do on a regular basis. Our son works and contributes most of his paycheck to the household already. That has been by his own choosing and I can't be anymore proud of him than I am already.

I know many of you have given advice towards just staying beyond the notice we have been given. We have thought about doing that also. But, to do so, we would still have to pay rent otherwise it would be considered a means for the landlords to go ahead and file for eviction and we do not want that on our credit. It's bad enough that our credit has been affected already due to the economy. We have consulted with an attorney that understood our situation but had no positive solution in our favor. It is what it is and we have accepted that.

A Glimpse of the Future.

2010-04-13T22:08:00.003-04:00