Did you know that if you don't pay your trash bill not only do they not pick up your trash, but they take the real cool bin, too??? I never had a real cool bin until I moved here to the burbs of STL... in Detroit you had your own trash cans or bags. Anyway.. it's true. Yep, indeedy. No pay the bill; no trashy pick up.

So I showed them! Yes, I did! Not only did I pay what was owed, but I paid for most of the next six months as well! So there, Waste Management People! I showed you! Ha!

I only mention this because it explains why there were two trash bags sitting on our back deck the other morning. And the having of the trash bags on the back deck explains why I was greeted by a furry little fella on my way out the door Tuesday morning. Or maybe it was Monday. One of them. The important thing here is that when I opened the back door to leave, I thought I saw a cat scurry off. I was wrong. The furry little creature came back through the gate and just waltzed across the deck like he had every right to be there.

I said: "Go away. You're supposed to be scared of me! Shoo!" But I didn't yell or anything because I didn't want to get bit. I understand rabies shots hurt. He looked at me like I should be inviting him in... in fact, I thought he was gonna try to walk in. He looked kinda like this:

I repeated: "Go away. I have to go to work." So, he obliged by retrieving a hot wing bone from the bag and scurrying off. The only problem then was that I had to go behind him to get to the truck and I was a bit afeared he'd be hanging around under the truck and would get a little annoyed that I had the audacity to follow him.

So, I showed him! I went out the front door. And I used the key bob to make the truck honk a couple times. Then I hurried in and quickly shut the door behind. me.

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What else is going on? My wonderful sister is still here. Hasn't started packing or cleaning "her" room.

Hey, if you're diabetic and your doctor puts you on a 1800 calorie diet... do ya think it's a good thing to eat 2 - 3 bags of butter microwave popcorn and candy and chips every day? And to have your only form of exercise getting up to let the dog out once a day and walking five feet from the sofa to "your" bedroom to get soda? Okay, okay.. sometimes she does a wee bit more than that, but not much.

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And, can I have a drum roll please? By this time tomorrow night or Sunday night at the latest, the afghan will be finished! I have only one panel left to cross stitch; weave two rows together, then weave them to what is already weaved; then crochet a border around the whole thing. Done. Ahhh...  feels good.

Then I can start on another. But one far easier. I think the next one will be a patchwork design. Maybe. Not sure yet.

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Y'all have a great day and a better tomorrow!

Sometimes, I swear, I don't know myself at all. I really thought that knowing she's leaving, that it's a matter of days now, I'd be able to cope with having her here a little better. I was wrong.  If anything, it's worse. Because I want her gone TODAY. Right now.

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It's the end of February. That means it's time for my annual feeling of being trapped inside. Just like every year before, I know I'm not literally trapped. I get out. But I can't work in the yard and I just really need to do that.

Working in the yard is soothing and relaxing. Hard work. And there are so many things I want to do with our yard, both in the front and in the back. When we moved in here last August I couldn't really do much because, if you recall, it was over 100 degrees every single day in August. Here. Then, in September it was too late to plant flowers for spring and summer....duh.

So I - we- have pretty much decided what we - I - am going to do. It's going to be "our" yard... I want it to look absolutely nothing like what it looked like when The Storm lived here. I've done that on the inside... amazing what a little paint, different furnishings and artwork, and adding you're "flavor" to something can do to transform it. I'm just tired of pulling in the drive and seeing the house the way it's looked for over a decade... time for some sprucing up...and I can do it.

I can do it as soon as I can get outside and work on it, that is. Throw a little paint on the front door and porch trim;  re-arrange some landscaping; get rid of a couple things I don't like (okay, Bryan...we'll move them to the back patio and give 'em a new color and flavor); and it'll be almost like a new house.

The one thing I absolutely HATE are these vases... The Storm asked for one of them, I suggested to Bryan that he take them all to her.  However, they hold some weird sentimental value to him... something about them being the only thing he picked out that she didn't bitch about. To me, they're hideously ugly and represent a life that is no longer. They need to be gone. Especially the ugly plastic flowers that are in them.  HOWEVER, if he insists they be kept, I will just change their appearance.  And get rid of the horrid plastic flowers (seriously... no one should have plastic flowers anywhere).

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Found a great lotion for dry, chapped, cracked skin. Walgreen's Shea Butter Creamy Petroleum Jelly. It's a little over three bucks for a 4.5 oz bottle, but it's working better than anything else I've tried. And my hands are awful! When I was weaving the afghan pieces together, the yarn would snag on my fingers because they're so dry. The best thing is that just a little dab goes a long way.

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Y'all have a great day and a better tomorrow!

This is for Caroldee, who asked this, concerning the fact that I work in the kitchen of a school: "Guess your boss lady kinda knew school would be called off. SAy what happens to all the food you throw it away. GOOD LORD.. what a waste of money.. Some damn superintendent should think of that fact.. do they just write it off or what?? "

As a starter, Andre, the kitchen manager had been sick Tuesday and Wednesday, as well as the previous weekend. She had mentioned that if the weather was turning bad, she wasn't going to work Thursday. Well, the weather went bad. First time since Big Boss has been there (3+ years) that Andre has ever called off. It just turned out that because school was called off she didn't really have a "sick" day.

Now.. about the food and waste. I don't work for the school directly. Meaning, I work AT the school, but my paycheck comes from a company that has contracted with the school. So the superintendent has nothing to do with us. We are not employees of the school district (if we were, we would probably get paid more but without the unemployment being paid over holidays and breaks). Our company is a catering company that specializes in doing school breakfast/lunch programs.

As for anything left over and whether we toss it: every day we fill out paperwork based on reports generated from the program we use in the computer. Our most important paper is a "production analysis".  This paper has listed on it every food item used for the day.  Then, to the right, there are columns where we write in : amount prepared; students served; adult servings; ala carte; amount left; and then there are spaces where we write in what the temps of the food items were, what time the temp was taken, and who took it...twice.

At our school there are just over 500 students. Because of the production reports, we know that on average we serve between 50-60 students breakfast every morning and between 420-440 students lunch every day. We also know that on average, one or two teachers will have breakfast and around a dozen will have lunch.

Every day there's a choice of either a "hot" breakfast or individual cereal, and juice. At lunch there are always at least three choices; two main entrees or a chef salad. Janie takes a list of students requesting a chef salad for the next day, then adds a couple more to determine how many to make each day. As for the other entrees, it's mostly knowing what the students like the most that determines how much of each to make. For instance: every Wednesday we have chicken patties, mashed potatoes, gravy, a vegetable, and hot rolls, plus another hot meat (either turkey, meatloaf, or salisbury steak, usually). We know that 80% of the students are going to eat the chicken patties, so we prepare accordingly.

The elementary schools do it slightly different. Every morning the teachers write down which student wants which choice and it's sent to the office. Someone from the office then brings down a list of how many students have ordered which entree. At my old school, let's say 200 students wanted the #1 and 75 wanted the #2 and 10 wanted the #3: we would make 210-215 of the #1 (for students who came in tardy and missed the count, and for any teachers), 75, and 10, plus a few peanut and butter sandwiches to serve the kids who owe too much to qualify for the other choices. It was very rare to have anything left over...most days, if anything was needed, it was to make more of something before the last classes came in).

The high school is done even more different, although I'm not sure exactly how. They have an ala carte menu, where the students can have different "side items". Instead of having what's on the menu, they can have a side of wings or fries or whatever else is served...or they can have the menu item plus whatever sides they choose.

What do we do with anything that's left over? Usually we wrap it, date it, and either put it in the freezer to use the next time it's served, or put  it in the cooler and use it the next day.  It's rare that we actually ever toss anything out. Food costs to consider and all, although I did actually just have to toss a dozen strawberry milks out Thursday morning because they were outdated, and I'll have nearly a case to toss out when I get back to school Monday for the same reason (I cancelled getting that particular flavor from our order on Wednesday).

And that is the 411 on the school lunch program, because I'm sure all kitchens work pretty much the same, even those that are employed directly by the school district.

Anyway, it's a whole lot different from when I was in school. Hardly any kids bring in "sack lunches" anymore; it's not a stigma to have "free lunch"; the lunch ladies are sometimes men; and nobody just slops down what looks like canned dog food on a tray and slides it to you. The truth is that most of the food we serve is restaurant quality.

Y'all have a great day and a better tomorrow.  

I am exhausted! It's 3 am, I need to be sleeping...

No school Friday. That means I worked a whopping 2 days this week. Well, almost 2 1/2 since I did go in Thursday morning only to be sent back home again. Anyway,  not to let the day be a waste, I worked on my afghan. Finally. From around 10 am until 2:30 am....with the exception of when I watched a movie  (Blind Dating... pretty contrived and predictable) and a couple hours total for eating and just giving my eyes a break. And now, except for weaving the top two rows together, it's half finished. Yay me!  Three more panels to cross stitch, two more rows to weave, then weave it all together and put a border on it... DONE.  Yeah, that probably won't happen for another month, lol.

Anyway, just wanted y'all to know I haven't been a total slacker.

Bryan just got home from one of his jobs a few minutes ago, so I'm gonna visit with my Big Sexy and get some sleep.

Y'all have a great day and a better tomorrow!

The house phone rings at 4:45 this morning. I'm deep in dreamland and think it's something else. Then I hear a voice saying: "KIm, it's Andre. Call me back at 555-1212". So, I wake up, listen to the message again, then go across the hall to listen yet again (gotta love a phone that lets you listen to your answer machine messages on the handset) so I can write the number down and call her. I call her back and she tells me she's not going in to work, can I come by her house and pick up the keys? Okay, I write down the directions and go back to bed for a few minutes.

I get up, get dressed, go start the truck, thinking it's going to be real cold outside. Surprisingly, it didn't feel as cold as it has the previous mornings. It's 5:30 and no bad weather yet. In fact, it was pretty decent while I drove toward work, then looked for Andre's house. I pull into her drive-way and it's starting to snow, but nothing serious at all. I get the keys, go the rest of the way to work.

Almost as soon as I park the truck, Big Boss pulls in behind me to let me in, not knowing that I've got a set of keys. We chit chat, I get the latest on what's going on at my old school... Lillie is trying to stir up some shit. No surprise. We get stuff out I need for breakfast, she leaves. I get everything going, Gladys shows up at quarter 'til seven and starts cooking what we'll need for lunch. I pop my head out the back door to get a couple puffs and am amazed by what's happened since I got there, forty-five minutes earlier. The ground is covered in a sleet/snow mixture. The truck is already iced over!

By seven-fifteen, everything is in place and a couple kids are actually in line (usually I have to make a big announcement and cajole the kids into having breakfast that soon... most like to wait until 7:30). I put three or four kids through the line and Gladys comes to the window and announces that Big Boss just called: school has been called off.

There were about 20 kids in the cafeteria. I looked at them and said: "School's called off, y'all can go home." I have never seen a room empty so fast!

About ten minutes later, while Gladys and I are cleaning up and putting everything away, the 7th grade principal makes the announcement. Anyhow, we were out of there by 7:30. Even after stopping at the store, I was home by 8:15.

I am pleased to announce it was a productive morning. I cleaned my kitchen, got my bedsheets in the washer and dryer, cleaned our bedroom and the den. All by nine-thirty!

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Good news: my sister went to look at the group home and liked it! Her paperwork is being processed and she told me that it could take 2 weeks to a month, but she's moving out! Yay!

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As you may have noticed, yesterday was Bryan's birthday. A not so great day for him... some big disappointments from his co-workers and family. His stupid ex-wife called him, bitching about the fact my kids were here at Christmas... she seems hellbent on believing whoever told her that Bryan bought their train tickets and it bugs the shit out of her. I bought their tickets, like I always do. She just can't let go and face the fact that he has a life that doesn't include her, so she's grasping on to anything, no matter how far-fetched, and using it as an excuse to gain some control over him. She'd left a voicemail, so he called her back..  yelled at her and hung up on her. Then he looked at me and said "It feels good to yell at someone." She called him back.

We went out to dinner and to see "Jumper". I was slightly disappointed in the movie... only because it wasn't as action packed as I had thought it would be. The action in the previews is pretty much what there is. It was still a good movie, just not exactly what I thought. Here's my quick review: it's a love story about a guy who can teleport; he's being chased by a group (mostly one guy doing the chasing, though) who are fanatics about killing "Jumpers". There's a couple twists, but nothing where you go "OH!".

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Just took a peek out the window. If this keeps up, like it's being predicted, then I probably won't be back to work until Monday. The storm warning is in effect right now until 6pm tomorrow evening, but with the crazy weather we've all been experiencing this winter, it could take a turn and go around us here before this afternoon. So, I'm not gonna plan on another 'snow day'. I am, however, going to make me some banana bread today.

Y'all have a good day, be safe, and have a better tomorrow!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY!  I LOVE YOU

I think this one will be short, sweet, and to the point. My sister may give Bryan the bestest birthday present he's gotten in a real long time: she's going to look at a group home tomorrow with her case worker. There's a bed available right now. If all her paperwork goes through, she could be outta here by this weekend!

I don't wanna get my hopes up too high just yet, but lordy... it would be so nice!

Then again, every penny we have spent on her... kiss it good bye. Well, we pretty much have, anyway. And just having her out of here will be payment enough.

How sweet it will be to not seeing her camped out on my sofa when I come home. To not have the smell of microwave popcorn permeating the house. To not hear her voice! No more interruptions when I'm writing (except from Bryan, but that's okay.. I can bop him upside the head). No more worrying that she's listening to every single damn word spoken in this house.

Bryan will be able to sit around in his underwear again... as a man should be able to do in his home. We can leave the doors open again.

************  I sometimes refer to Mac as "retard"... when he's done something stupid or pissed me off, he's Bryan's "retard".... so he's started referring to my sister as mine. Yes, it's mean... but it's also pretty damn funny. Whenever I have to go let Mac in or out, I remind Bryan that at least "my retard" can open and close doors by herself...  unfortunately, that's one of her few talents.

Okay, that's it for the first entry tonight. I think.

We're under a winter storm watch until 5am Wednesday...then again from Thursday thru Friday. S'posed to git purty dern cold in dese here parts tonight, though. Yippy Skippy.

Y'all have a great day and a better tomorrow.

Bryan's birthday is Wednesday, the 20th, so this week my blog is gonna be decorated for him.

Some little odds and ends things...

Before Big Boss could tell Lillie she was being offered a demotion, Lillie told her she had a doctors excuse and would be off for the next two weeks. Big Boss told her fine, but when she comes back she will no longer be the kitchen manager...anywhere. Guess Lillie told her that she was "over-qualified" to be a baker at the high school, to which she was told "either accept the position or I'll accept your resignation". It's not going to be pretty.

Bought a new kitchen faucet. It's one of those with the arc neck - goose neck, whichever you'd like to call it. Brushed nickel. Very nice. Bryan put it in today. Yay. No more water spitting and sputtering out of the faucet now. And it adds a new look to the kitchen.

This summer  I'm gonna do something with the backsplash to make it pretty. Had considered putting up stone tiles, but decided they wouldn't look right with the counters because the countertop has a short built on backsplash. I'll probably just paint it a neutral color. So, after that's done and I decide what kind of window treatments I'm putting up, the kitchen will be complete!

It's weird, almost. I have a sense of permanency here that I've never had before in all my adult life. Not just here in St. Louis, but here, in this house. Before, even with a 30 year mortgage on a house I liked, I always knew it wasn't forever, so anything I wanted done to it I always felt a sense of urgency to get done. Now, we can talk about things we'd like to do... the garage, a "florida/ 3-season room" in the back, landscaping projects... and I can see it all getting done, provided we don't change our minds before we get around to it. I don't feel like anything has to be done RIGHT NOW or I won't get to enjoy it.

Same thing with Bryan. Total foreverness, until one of us drops dead. That's right, honey- you are stuck with me forever. Who knows... if I drop dead first, I know I'll stick around even dead, and I'd like to think he'd do the same. Anyhow, when I was married I knew going in that it wasn't going to last ten years...then I was surprised I stuck around five. With Bryan, I can see us being old and decrepit together, bitching and whining about "the good old days", and reminiscing about the good times. I can see us with the grandkids  (the ones not born yet)... at least, I can see us with my biological grandkids, because Bryan will be their grandpa as much as I'll be their grandma...with his, I think I'll always be "grandpa's wife".

So, how many more days until Spring? This crappy cold, rainy, rain/snow stuff is getting on my nerves.

Ah well, it's past the middle of February already, so I can hang in there.

Y'all have a good day and a better tomorrow!

Today I met the case worker. She's a nice young woman.

I knew she was coming over today,  and I hoped I'd be here when she arrived. Had I not had a half day I would have missed this golden opportunity that presented itself. Had that been the case, well... better to not think about it.

Anyway, I was in the den when I heard my sister let someone in. I stayed back here for a few minutes, letting them talk. And yes, I was straining a bit to hear... not because I'm nosy, it's just that with all the bullshit she's put us through, I desperately needed to hear what she told other people. She must have suspected I was trying to listen because although I could hear everything the case worker said, my sisters responses were muted. After about twenty or twenty-five minutes of sitting back here, debating on whether to do what I knew I had to do, and figuring out how I was going to say it, I heard the session coming to an end and knew it was do-or-die time.

I got up, walked out of the room and up the hall, where the case worker introduced herself and I did the same. Then I announced that I had a question: what are her other possible housing options?  I stood at the end of the hall, leaning against the wall, my sister only a foot away from my side. And I knew the question probably caught her completely off guard because she didn't have a clue that she's wearing her welcome out.

I made it clear to her that I wasn't kicking her out... at least not yet. I did, however, explain to Case Worker that I had let Sister move down because she said she wanted to find a job and it was supposed to be temporary. After Case Worker explained that there were group homes available in the area  that could be a viable option, we both went on to explain to Sister the advantages of living in one. I didn't really hold anything back... how all she does here is sit on the couch all day, that she wants to talk and I don't (I do love to talk, but not to her... I need conversation with a little more depth and intelligence... yes, that sounds snobby and bitchy, but have you ever tried to have a conversation with her? That's what I thought. So quit judging me.)

Anyhow, from the tid bits I picked up after I left the room, Case Worker is going to check into one of the homes and get back with Sister about it.

There was one thing that disturbed me - Case Worker kept saying "when her SSI kicks in"... as if she's a shoe-in for disability. Why??? She's physically capable of doing work.  It just pisses me off to no end when people who have "mental issues" can sit back and collect SSI with no hassles and other people, like Bryan's cousin who is incapable of physical labor anymore because he actually HAS a disability, have to fight for it.  I have a cousin who has been collecting it for years... she has Crohn's Disease and has had surgeries.... gee - I, too, have Crohn's and I've  had surgery and was given a zero weight restriction, but I still manage somehow to work. Hmm. Something just doesn't add up here. I guess, if you know the right doctors and have figured out how to play the system, you can get whatever you want from the government. Oh, as long as you've suckered someone in to taking care of all your needs while you wait.... and sit on the couch eating popcorn all day. Argh!

Okay, over it. I have to concentrate on the fact that hopefully within a couple weeks she'll be out of here. Maybe a month... but no longer. If she's still here by this time next month she's going to be kicked out. I've passed my limit on how much bullshit I'll put up with from her. She's even pushing Bryan's threshold, and it's a lot higher than mine.

A certain someone that I used to work with was supposed to have been offered a demotion today. Still waiting for that outcome. It matters mostly because it will result in more shake-ups and people getting moved around... and I hope I'm not one of them.

Staying on topic of work: I had to get finger printed. I think it was supposed to have been done not long after I started..or maybe even BEFORE I started...but I never got the cards until a month ago. Then I kept putting it off until I got my Missouri license so I'd have proper ID with my real address on it. Anyway, got it done today.

I called for information about it last night and was told to call before going in, to make sure the jailer wasn't too busy. So as I was leaving work today I called and was told it was a good time to come in. Took me fifteen or twenty minutes to get there from work and by that time there was a criminal being booked so I was asked to wait "about twenty minutes"... which was closer to an hour. Ever been fingerprinted? It's not easy giving up control of where your hands go and what they do... and that's what you have to do... let someone else smash your fingers on an ink pad then smash them on a card.... six times per hand, per card. And it leaves a mess on your hands that doesn't come all the way off even with the super-duper-hand scrubbing stuff they give you.

And that about sums up today's edition. Y'all have a great day and a better tomorrow.

First things first: HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! Yeah, it only doesn't suck when you're with someone you love who loves you back and you're both into the sappy happy crap. Otherwise, Sucksville. Thankfully, I'm with someone I love who loves me back, yadda yadda, blah blah. In fact, I would like you all to take a look at what he made me for me... it's on his blog and can be found here. You might not have the same exact reaction to it I did, and if not, you need to get your humor button recharged.

Okay, now that that's out of the way, onto other stuff of much less importance and/or interest. To you. To me, it's obviously of some importance and some interest. I refuse to believe I could possibly be as boring as I might be.

I've noticed that many of us have been talking about the weather lately. This is gonna be another one. So, Monday we were under a winter weather watch/advisory thing. Thankfully, the crappiest of it only barely glided in...just enough to make the afternoon and evening a bit hazardous. By nightfall it was better...at least for me, you know...because by then I was inside and not driving anywhere. Actually, by the time Bryan finally got home, the advisory had been lifted. For the rest of you, who got a full dose of it...  sorry.

Tuesday was just really really cold. Took a good five minutes to scrape a peep hole in my windshield with the motor running and the defrost on for five or ten minutes before I started scraping.

Today was much better. The sun was out and it was pretty and except for where the sun didn't hit directly, the little bit of snow we had is all gone again. You couldn't tell at all that the roads were super slick Monday afternoon.

Not much of anything else  going on. We have half day of school Friday and are off Monday. Yay.  Oh, and staying on topic of work, I had to go to the high school today to pick something up and I saw one of my ex-co-workers there. She'd been the part timer at the other school, but had been off since the end of October... she came back to work Monday and was sent to the high school. Lillie has lost everyone who started there in August.

Unless I go into a diatribe about how much I hate having my sister here, and I'm tired of doing that, that's it for today's edition.

Y'all have a great day and a better tomorrow!

 It's official now: I'm a resident of the state of Missouri. After living here nearly a year and a half and having 3 different addresses and 2 different zip codes, I'm official. I'm even registered to vote now! Yeehaw, yahoo, zippidy doo da! I'd been putting it off mostly because I was petrified that I'd either have my license taken away or go to jail over that speeding ticket I got in Indiana nearly 2 years ago that I never paid. That's right folks, I'm an outlaw...I'm a rebel and I'm never gonna change.

So, it was with bated breath that I walked into the license office and awaited my number to be called. Then, when I was at the counter and visiting with a very friendly clerk (we bonded. I swear we did! Her best friend lives in Ypsilanti and I got to hear how they met and everything), my nerves were all a tingly. She kept putting information into the computer and re-entering the exact information ("if I put even one number in wrong, it will make me start all over again. Guess it's all about identity theft.") and I kept waiting for her to tell me that my license had been revoked months ago or something just as awful. She didn't. I signed and dated a paper then went to sit down to wait to have my  picture taken; then after that I waited for my license to print out.

One of the nice things about a Missouri license as opposed to a Michigan license, at least compared to the last time I got a Michigan license, is that this one is good for six years. It expires on my birthday in 2014. By then I'll be a member of AARP, or at least old enough to be. Wow. Anyway, in Michigan, licenses are only good for 4 years. License plates are different here, too... you can buy a 1 year or a 2 year, depending on the year you get the plate (ie: your car is an even numbered year - you buy your plate in an even numbered year and you can buy it for 2 years;  buy it in an odd numbered year, you can only get it for one). Oh.. another thing that's different... here, when you change your address, it costs 12.50 and you get a whole new license; in Michigan, they just put a sticker on the back of your license and it's free.

Anyway, it feels odd. Not odd in a bad way or anything... just odd. All my life, nearly 47 years, all my official stuff has been from the state of Michigan. No more. This was the first thing. The next official paper from the state of Missouri should be my divorce decree.

I meant to go get the papers for that last Wednesday, but shit happened and I couldn't. If you read Bryan's blog you'd know what went on and why that was way more important. It's not like I was going to file the papers this week or anything... but soon. From what I've read, I'll file the papers with the court and Mr. Wonderful will be served either at home or at work. Then he has 30 days to sign them and send them back. Should he not sign and return them within the 30 days, there's a 30 day grace period following. However, if the papers are not returned in 60 days, that's it. I get divorced without his signing and the divorce becomes final when the judge says so. Whether he signs them or not, the whole process should take between 60-90 days from the date they're filed with the court. Hmm.... maybe I should have gotten them and filed - 3 months from today is my birthday, and what a great present that would have been! However, secretly, I would just get a giant kick out of it all if the divorce became final on June 8th, which was our anniversary. That would be completely fitting. Or, how cool would it be if the divorce became final on July 17th, which was when Bryan's divorce was final last year.

Enough on those subjects. After we left the license office, we went to lunch/brunch. One very important thing came out of a statement I said... "She has to go," I said after making a remark about my sister, and for the first time since she's been here, Bryan shook his head in agreement when I said that. So, now I have to have a sit down with her and explain that although she'll always be welcome to come back to visit, she needs to seriously find a new place to call home. And I need to give her a time table in which to do it. The good thing is that I know my parents won't be upset that I'm putting her out... they know it hasn't been easy; they know what she's like.

Her birthday is this coming Wednesday. Because Bryan has to work Thursday, Valentine's Day, he wants to take me out that evening instead. This will be her 40th birthday. I don't want to completely blow it off or anything, but I'm not about to throw her a big party, either. Bryan suggested we take her out someplace... and ... wait for it.... we both, at the same exact moment said "and leave her there." Anyway, now I'm torn between wanting to spend the evening with my perfect man (which will win, hands down) and doing something out of the ordinary (ordinary: ignoring her)for my sister. Can't bake her a cake because she's diabetic and isn't supposed to have it...but she'd eat it anyway. Maybe I'll just get her a box of microwave popcorn (which I never want in the house again after she leaves because I am sick and tired of hearing her shake the bag after it pops and I'm sick of the smell of it in the house) and put a bow on it. Argh.

Another conversation we had while we were eating concerned the names of the kids at my school. They're doozies, that's for sure. Not a lot of weird stupid names, just stupid names. Precious Hart. No kidding. In fact, there are two girls with the name "Precious". There's also a girl named Realiti. Diamonique. At least a couple dozen boys named Marcus... spelled that way and also as Marquess, Marquise, and some other odd spelling. There's a couple boys named Tyree. A few Kevin's and one Kevon. Kendravian (a really cool little chubby boy). Kenny Loggins. Johnny Johnson. Demeco and Deneco, brothers (if they're actually twins, they're definitely not paternal).Then there's Kali, which she pronounces Kayla. Like I told Bryan, I usually just ask the kids how to pronounce their names.. even the ones that look normal. Then there's my favorite kids: the ones who are "special"... Eulandice and Gene and Latisha.

At the risk of sounding racist, what surprises me the most is that most of the kids have every day normal  names. I think it's just that in the past it seemed the black community was so into naming their kids "tribal" names and trying to make them unique by at least making their names unique, that to see this trend back toward mainstream names is ... refreshing. Or, maybe it all goes back to years ago, when I had a black boyfriend and we were talking about names for kids... I told him what I wanted to name my first son and he said "that sounds like such a 'white' name." What I find most amusing about that statement is that at least two of the boys in my school have that name, and their skin is way too dark to be called white by any standard of the definition.

And on that note, y'all have a great day and a better tomorrow.

Ahhh.... got my federal refund today. What a nice feeling. It's not huge, not enough to jump around and have a party or anything, but enough that we'll get caught up on the bills, put a little aside for the trip to Michigan at graduation, send some to the boy for his Prom, and splurge a little.

I feel like I splurged A LOT today. And yet - not really. Bought some essentials we needed for the house, some small essentials Bryan and I needed (why do men like to wear underwear that's full of holes where there shouldn't be?), and then a couple things I have been putting off for a while.

There's a vertical blind in the living room window. I think it's the same one Bryan and The Storm put in when they first moved in many years ago. It's ugly. And I think the only windows vertical blinds should be on is sliding glass doors and business windows... like doctors' offices. It's also very dirty. And there are missing slats. I think when it was new it was blue. But now it's a dirty gray. It's going down tomorrow. I bought curtains and a new curtain rod! Yay!!

The window is 80" wide. Everything I've read says you need to double the size of the window to get curtains that will fall nicely. So... I found one panel that was 54" wide and I thought: wonderful! I finally find something I like and it's not enough. Then, looking around some more, I found one more. I was okay with that. Two panels, each 54", that's wider than the window. But... I wasn't thrilled. I thought to myself that I'd pick up a couple panels of sheers to put in the middle. So, while looking for two panels that were identical and would go with the curtains, I happened upon another panel like the first two. Then, luck staying with me, I found a fourth. Can you tell I wasn't shopping at a specialty store??? There's this store called Old Time Pottery not far from us; it's a big store with a lot of stuff in it - 60% is crap (that, not so surprisingly, my sister liked. She has incredibly tacky taste). However, some of their prices are pretty good. I bought the curtains, curtain rod, and a set of four glasses for less than a hundred bucks.

This means: one window down, two to go. The kitchen windows. They have nothing at them right now. Just two bare windows. The one window I had to tack heavy towels over in August because the sun shining through made the kitchen unbearably hot. Here's the problem I'm having with the windows: the side window is going to be covered after we build the garage..or it's just going to look out into the garage. I've been toying with the idea of painting it with stain glass paint (like I did the window in the back door and nearly every door window everywhere I've lived for the past ten + years), but then I don't know if I want the same design and colors as in the door or something different. Or, do I want to put some sun filtering tint on it and just go with a regular pair of kitchen curtains that will match the valance I want to put on the window over the sink? The only thing I do know, beyond a doubt, is that there has to be something on that window before the sun starts making things hot around here. And besides that, the kitchen just looks and feels unfinished with the windows left bare. The other problem I'm having with this issue is that I just can't find curtains I like... I don't want "kitchen" curtains - with sunflowers or cherries or apples or roosters or whatnot. Nor do I want plain solid color curtains. And I'm not so sure I want anything plaid or striped. See? I just don't know what I want... except that when I find them I'll know.

Okay... and the other thing I splurged on was a vacuum cleaner. Desperately needed a new one, which bothered me because Bryan had just bought me a perfectly fine one our first Christmas together. That one just wouldn't make a dent in this carpet, though.

I love my dog, wouldn't give him up or trade him for anything. I do not love the fur he leaves behind everywhere. And our carpet had a very thick layer of dog fur over it. I was forced to use a straw broom to sweep as much off as I could, then do a one foot area at a time with the vacuum cleaner and it would still look nearly as bad when I finished as it did when I started.

Let's back up for a couple minutes, though... when we moved into the house last August, the carpet was horrible. The ex-renter had left 2 vacuum cleaners behind. They both worked, but not on this carpet. I've already established that my little Dirt Devil couldn't handle it, either. I used the Hoover that was at his dad's house and it did okay, but not great. Then Bryan's friend Kim (not me, the other one...Bunny) said we could borrow her Dyson. Of all of them, it did the best job. There is no way I would ever spend that much on a vacuum cleaner, though. I hate carpet.

Okay, back to present. Went to Target because when I was looking at the cleaners at K-Mart, a woman told me she'd just bought one at Target yesterday for under 50 bucks, liked it, worked great. I thought, okay, I'll go have a look. Didn't like the one that was on sale, it looked very similar to my little Dirt Devil.

Found a Bissell I really liked... mostly because it was called "the pet hair erasure". Just what I was looking for! Let's face it - if you have a dog that sheds, you can burn the motor out of a vacuum cleaner pretty darn fast. However... they were out of stock. So... I looked at the other models. There was another Bissell that specked out okay and it was on sale so I picked it up. Before I left the store, I asked a manager if I could bring it back if it didn't clean the way I needed it to and he said yep, so I was okay.

Our "den" is actually a bedroom. It has the worst carpet of the three bedrooms...worn down, paint spill (not from me, thank you..it was there when we moved in), and it looked like the nap was never coming up again. Even the Dyson couldn't raise it. It was also the room with the most hair on it. Perfect room to test the new cleaner.

People, let me tell you this: Bissell is getting a letter from me! I paid $75 for this cleaner ($84 when not on sale, so not a great sale price, but a savings is a savings)...and it worked better on this crappy carpet than Kim's $400+ Dyson! In the den alone, I had to empty the container twice, but the carpet looks so good it's amazing. I was positive I was going to have to rent a commercial cleaner to have it looking decent again, if even then. The nap is up again and it's almost a pretty blue as opposed to the gray/blue I thought it was. It even feels better under bare feet. "Bissell Clearview". Works great.

Big Boss came in to our kitchen today to give us our evaluations. Mine was exactly what I expected. She asked me if I'd checked my e mail last night. I hadn't. However, when I got home today I did. Basically, it was pretty much what she told me during my evaluation: there's an investigation going on and I'm going to be asked some questions by our HR manager; I'm to be "brutally honest" in my answers. I am not, however, supposed to mention any of it at work. So don't tell anyone, okay?

I have, I believe, rambled enough for one evening. Y'all have a great day and a better tomorrow.

We've had no fights at the school, but the kids have been exceptionally heathenistic lately. Some groups from the high school came over during 8th grade lunches Tuesday and Wednesday. Last lunch on Tuesday half the kids left their plates and mess on the tables and me and the janitor had to clean it up. I complained to the 8th grade principal and it wasn't so bad Wednesday.

The kids are especially getting on Andre's nerves. Whenever they don't do what I ask them to do (and most do), I say "You don't want Andre coming out here, do you?" Some take that warning, others just have to push their luck. We sell big chocolate chip cookies during lunch (when we have them... they make the dough at the high school and bring it over for us to bake and bag), and the kids have been bugging Andre so much she's all "I'll teach them! No cookies today!" for whichever class it is the particular kid is in who pissed her off. One kid ruins it for all of them.

Actually, it's a pain in the ass selling the cookies. It's great profit, but there really should be a separate line for cookie sales because it slows down the line big time. Or maybe the cookies shouldn't be sold until everyone has gone through the line... I might make that suggestion. Hmm... thanks for that suggestion, guys. It would make sense in several ways: make it more fair for everyone because right now the cookies are usually sold out before the last two tables are allowed up AND it would make the lines go smoother for lunch. Yeah. Great idea.

My sister's case worker is supposed to come to the house tomorrow. I told her - my sister, not her case worker - that she needs to make sure the house is cleaned up. Not that it's a mess or anything, but it wouldn't hurt for her to make sure the dog hair is swept up in the living room.

Since her little excursion with the truck without permission, I've been making sure the keys are with me at all times. What a shame I can't leave them on the table like I used to.

A little note about the previous post: it says something about this blog being all about me. Well, why wouldn't it be? Isn't this MY blog? Not like it's a web page that's supposed to be full of information or anything.  Jeesh.

Okay, and that wraps up today's edition. Y'all have a great day and a better tomorrow.

When I first looked at the extended forecast, back before the snow hit, it said it was supposed to hit 52 today for the high. I was happy. Then it said 53; and shortly thereafter, 60. Wow. Cool. But they were way off.

We were burning up in the cafeteria today. Not literally. That would be not cool. Figuratively. But my face was red from the heat if that means anything. Anyway, between lunches, I decided I needed to step outside real quick-like, to cool off. Damn thing was, it was just as hot outside as it was inside. There was no "cooling off". Sure didn't feel like 60 degrees.

It wasn't. When I passed one of the banks that has the reader sign thingy outside - time, temp thing-a-ma-jig... It was 75. Seventy-five! Holy mackerel.

It was amazingly foggy this morning. I knew it would be. I'm not psychic. My weather channel flashy temp icon told me when I clicked on it. It said: "Hey, Kim...it's gonna be really foggy in the morning." And I said "Okay. I'll be extra careful." Then it said, "Cool."

So, not a drop of snow left. Well, I'm lying. Of course there's some snow left... where it was piled from the snow plows. But where it just fell and was left...all gone.

And staying on the topic of the weather channel icon thingy... that little bugger has been alternately flashing blue/red at me since way back last Monday. It's almost as bad as it was last summer when it flashed constantly to let me know it was REALLY hot outside and we were under heat warnings every day. That's not why it's flashing this time. This time it's letting me know another front is headed our way, there's gonna be thunderstorms and since the ground is already saturated from all the snow that melted, there could be flash flooding. Oh, yeah... and after it rains, it's gonna snow again.

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As you know, if you read anything earlier, we had a "snow day" Friday. I took advantage of the extra day off and kicked my butt in gear. Figuratively. I can't kick myself in the butt. And I probably wouldn't if I could. That would be stupid. And might hurt. However, in a strictly figuratively manner, after kicking myself in gear I got most of my afghan panels finished. Finally. I finished them up today. Go me!

So, twelve panels complete with border. Now all I have to do is cross-stitch five more and finish the one I've almost completed, then weave them all together. Before I can do that, I have to 'separate the four-strand yarn into lengths of two-strand. That's not fun. And I have to buy the color I forgot.

I'll take a couple pictures when it's done and post them here so y'all can tell me how great it is, okay? Not that I'm begging for compliments or anything. Well, okay, I am.

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And we feel pretty darn special... but not as special as a couple women I work with. Anyhow, we've got messages on our answering machine from McCain's wife, and the governor, and a couple senators! Of course, the women I work with got calls from Obama and Hillary. We didn't. I'm wondering if our phone is registered Republican.

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That's it for today's edition. Y'all have a great day and a better tomorrow.

The snow is still here, but otherwise it's like the storm never happened. The roads are clear and people are out and about as usual. Including us.

Bryan and I decided to check out The St. Louis Writers Guild, so we went to a workshop this morning. It was pretty good. The guest speaker was a local best selling author, Bobbi Smith; she writes primarily western romances. Her books remind me of the Harlequin stuff my grandma used to read. Anyhow, she gave some great advice and some very useful tips.

She also was inadvertently pessimistic when she announced that only 1 in 10,000 manuscripts ever get published; that of those that actually get published there is so little money involved that it's not worth mentioning and that most royalty checks are sent out twice a year. Not to be discouraged, there are other venues for getting things published.

I wasn't sure what to expect at this workshop thing. What would the people be like? Turns out they're all just You and Me. Some seem like they'd be fun to know, others not so. But this is definitely something I'm very interested in pursuing.

So, the little rodent in PA saw his shadow today. Big whip. Last time I looked at the calendar, Spring was six weeks away anyhow. And it seems to me, but I could be very wrong, but it seems that every year on February 2nd Spring is Always six weeks away.

Considering that this winter hasn't really felt very wintery most days, I'm not going to sweat another six weeks of it. Seriously, this storm we just got was the first snowfall of any significance we've gotten all season here in the metro area. And actually, it was only the second time we've gotten any snow. Since this is February and Spring is next month, and with the way the Earth rotates and spins, the days of getting bone chilling cold are pretty limited now; especially since we're in a global warming trend right now.

A note of interest: nobody, not even the city, bothered to clear any sidewalks anywhere. This is so foreign to me. Every city or town I lived in in Michigan, it was pretty much the law that the walks in front of  your property had to be cleaned within like 24 hours of a snowfall. You would be fined if the city had to come out and clear them for you. Evidently, not so here.

Super Bowl is tomorrow. For the first time in years, I'm not stoked to watch it. I don't know what it is. I just have zero interest in it. Not even for the commercials. I just don't care.

Maybe it's because since the writers strike I've pretty much lost interest in watching any television. Or, maybe it's because my sister always has her ass smack down on the couch in front of the TV and that's making me want to stay away from it. Have no idea.

Oh, but speaking of the unwanted house guest: when we pulled into the drive way this afternoon she was just getting out of the truck. Seems she decided she can just take it whenever she wants. Need to speak to her about that. Yet another thing that pisses me off.

That's about it for today's edition of what's going on the woods. Y'all have a great day and a better tomorrow.

So, got up this morning to a nice white landscape. The official snowfall amount, according to NWS is 8" for the town a couple blocks over, but it looks more like 10" in our yard. Anyhow, it was nice of the school ppl to call it off last night instead of making us get up this morning to a phone call.

I was a nice girlfriend. Bryan kept ignoring his alarm clock  - every single freaking time it went off. For close to an hour. So, when I finally got him to be somewhat coherent and get up, I got up as well. Then I went to the back door and opened it... the screen door was pushing snow as it swung open, so I went to the front door to have a look-see. Then I went back to the bedroom and got dressed.

I bundled up in sweat pants, sweatshirt, heavy knit socks, scarf, jacket, snow boots, and gloves. I took the straw broom from the utility room...and ventured outside. Had to go get the shovel from the side of the house, then went back to the front door to shovel a path to the drive way. Then I used the broom to sweep the snow off his car, which looked like a big ol' snow drift. Then I shoveled around the car, because Bryan doesn't own a pair of snow boots...just these hiking boot things that don't fit him well and aren't really very useful in deep snow anyhow.

After I made a path around the car, while Bryan started it up to warm up and scrape the windows, I shoveled the end of the drive way so he could get the little car out...the I shoveled from behind his car to the end of the drive.

It sounds like a lot of work, but really, it wasn't so bad. The snow, for the most part, was pretty light and fluffy. Except  at the end of the drive, where it was piled from the snow plow and salt and whatnot. It was only in that area that my back started to hurt.

When I came inside again, after Bryan had left, I was actually sweating. How's that? Outside shoveling snow, and instead of coming inside all cold and in need of a hot shower, I came in sweaty. Put my jam-jams back on only because my sweat pants were snow covered... and I have no plans of leaving the house (the truck is still covered in snow and I didn't bother to shovel in front of it at all), why not be comfy?

Anyhow, writing this mostly for my benefit, so next winter I can look at this (you know...after experiencing 70 degree days, like this  year), and know what to expect. I looked at the archives from last year and discovered we got some nasty weather around Valentines Day last year, so I was preparing for that.... this is totally unexpected.

So, my friends to the north who are just now getting the start of this... have fun! I know y'all already have snow, and you're about to get even more. My condolences. .. unless you're looking for a reason to stay inside in your jammies.

Supposed to be in the 40s tomorrow and Sunday, and near mid 50s on Monday, so I'm not gonna rush out to shovel the sidewalk right away. People don't need to be walking around in this stuff, anyway... and if the mailman doesn't want to deliver our mail because of it, I can live with that... hey, he drives a cool little truck, he can just park it in front of the house and walk up the drive way. I truly doubt any of my neighbors are gonna be clearing their sidewalks either... they're at work.

Shit.. you know that in an hour or so I'm gonna bundle up again and go out there to clear the walk in front of our house, no matter how hard-ass I pretend to be about it. Hell, I'll probably do it as soon as I post this. Dammit anyhow. You've guilted me into doing it. Y'all are quite mean! I want to stay inside and veg!

update:

I did not go shovel anymore. So there!

Yay! School was called off for Friday!

I know! I know! This means I haven't worked a full week this year. I can live with it. I guess.

I really wasn't expecting it. Seriously. Even after the snow started at noon and the roads were starting to get a little slushy by 2 and all afternoon activities were called off and school was let out a few minutes early. Even after the principal, when making the announcement for the cancellations and early dismissal said: "You all have a great evening or maybe weekend." I still didn't really believe it would happen.

Our school district is the last to cancel school. Even when all the schools around it are canceled, ours will still be in session. Way to prove me wrong. Well, they did wait until ten this evening to make the announcement.

How bad is it? Well, I really couldn't tell you. I got home at roughly 2:45, backed the truck in the drive way and haven't been out since. However, there was only one road that was even a slight problem on my way home. Since then we've gotten a couple inches of snow. Last I heard, there was maybe 3 inches of snow outside.

If you go by just that, then it seems ridiculous to call off school. We are, however, slated to get another 6-8 inches by morning. And Bryan, who worked tonight at his second job, says the roads were terrible already - a 30 minute drive took nearly an hour getting home. I know our street is looking less than fun.

Okay, here's a "something weird" to add to your collection. When I come home from work every afternoon, pretty much the first thing I do is make the bed. That's not the weird part. When I came home today, that's what I did.

When Bryan came home, he took a nap. I went in the bedroom and he was laying on top of the comforter without a shirt on and I thought: brrr. When he left for his second job, the bed was still made. It was still made when he got home.

After a few minutes, I walked into the bedroom and the comforter was pulled down to the foot of the bed and the blankets on Bryan's side of the bed were turned down a little. He didn't do it. I didn't do it. Strange.

We're  passing it off as somehow the dog did it. Yeah, that's stretching it a bit, but otherwise it's just too weird to contemplate. And I don't want to.

So, y'all have a great day and a better tomorrow! And if you're going out, be real careful 'cause I don't think there's anywhere in the continental US that isn't gonna get some of this crap. Or hasn't already.