I MUST HAVE SOME BLONDE IN ME...

I was pretty sure lastnight, that I would be up at the butt crack of dawn, but lo and behold I slept until I just didn't feel like sleeping anymore! Yay for me! (It's 9:43 in the morning, and I just woke up about 10 minutes ago.) Gotta love that.

Lastnight we went and hung out with some friends. Before leaving the house, I let the dog out in the backyard. We were due to be over there at 6, and I was running behind. Brian and the kids were already here and waiting on me to finish getting ready, so I was pretty much rushing around. We got there around 6 and had some pizza, watched the video from our trip, and then started playing some games.

Around 9:30, I got a call from my next door neighbor. I didn't pick it up, because we were right in the middle of our game and I didn't think it would be anything too earth shattering. At 10:30 or so, she called again, I couldn't get to the phone in time. I finally picked up the voice mail from earlier. She had left a message stating that I needed to let the dog in because that barking was making her crazy, and she was about to strangle my pooch! OMG! I FORGOT ABOUT MAX AND LEFT HIM OUTSIDE! What an idiot! Needles to say, we had to finish our game in a rush, and get home to let my poor dog in! When we got home, Max was already in the house, safe and sound, and all of the neighbors lights were off. I guess she finally realized that she had a key, and could let him in herself! Oops, I guess my roots really should be blonde.

Well, I'm off to clean, do some laundry, go get an oil change and some new windshied wipers. Hopefully, will make it to the grocery store as well. But first, I'm going to let my dog in from outside!

Have a great day!

What comes around, goes around???

WHAT COMES AROUND, GOES AROUND???

Do you really think that theory is true??? I'm thinking that it might be!

Remember that unfamiliar being that lives in my house???? You know, the one who has been getting into lots of trouble???? Yeah well, he started feeling really sick last night. Bad sore throat, uncontrollable runny nose, etc.

He woke up this morning feeling even worse. Even stayed home from school, which he never does, (well unless, this will become a new trend. Who knows, because I have no clue who this person even is!) Anyhow, he stayed home and looks, sounds, and feels awful. I ran home a while ago to dose him up with Tylenol and Benadryl Allergy.

I sure hope that he feels better soon, but can't keep myself from thinking that maybe there was a more divine reason he got sick....

I'M SORRY BUT WE ARE EXPERIENCING SOME TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES

I know that comments aren't enabled right now. Still working out the bugs on this template. Can only cut and paste the code while at work tho...dial-up takes way too long to show me what changes have been made.

Hope to get it straight soon!

New look!

Yes, I found a template that I like and decided to try it out. Still have a few bugs to work on, but I think I really like it. Hope everyone likes it as well!!!

Have a great day!

Where oh where has my little boy gone???

The pre-pubescent stage has hit my household with a vengeance. It almost feels as though someone has come in and stolen my mild-mannered son, and replaced him with this unfamiliar being that I've never met before.

Here are a few examples;
Just after my having surgery last month, this unfamiliar being decided that it might be fun to start a fire, (in a wooden box, no less), in the next door neighbors yard. Mind you, this was only 3 days after my surgery and I was still hazy from pain meds. Both of my sisters were also at the house that day, looking after me, cleaning the house, and looking after the boys. What great mommies and babysitters we are! We had no idea! Corey even walked in with what appeared to be soot on his face. That should have clued me in right there...especially when I asked what was on his face and he got all defensive. But no, stupid mommy that I am, I blow it off as he must have just been playing in the dirt. Later on that day, my next door neighbor comes over and says that one of the other neighbors saw them doing a rain dance around a large fire! When I talked to Corey (aka unfamiliar being), he said that "Alex (next door neighbor) lit the fire!" Upon further questioning, he admitted to supplying the matches from MY BASEMENT! I hobbled over and talked to Alex's mom, we got what facts we could and gave all the kids a good talking to. I also called the ex and let him in on what had happened. The next day, he came over, we again talked to the kids about what they had done and the ex actually bent Corey over his knee and spanked him (hard too). Finally, this made an impact on this creature. He was crying like a baby now. This was the first sign of any remorse. The first emotion that he showed about any of this, and that pissed me off.

Actually, it pissed me off and scared me at the same time. My son isn't like that. He is the one, that for his entire life, I can just give him and evil look and he'd be reduced to tears. He has always been very easy to deal with, he has always been mellow and laid back and was one to go with the flow. NOT ANYMORE!

This past weekend, this wonderful trend continued. I was getting the boys ready to take them to the lake on Saturday. When I went to get unfamiliar being his swimsuit, I noticed something sparkly in his dresser drawer. Upon further inspection, I realized that those were diamonds sparkling away...my diamonds! (2 rings from my mom...who isn't here anymore). I was crushed. There can't be any excuse for this one. At first, I didn't know what to do or say. He didn't act disturbed or guilty that I was in his drawer. I was trying to gauge his reaction to my being in there, but there was none. I scooped up my jewelry, so that he didn't realize what I was doing, and pulled out his swim trunks. I walked into the bathroom, just trying to decide how to approach him. He actually followed, and I just blurted out..."I would like to know what these are doing in your drawer????" At first, he said that he didn't know...and then it changed to him saying that he was just "looking at them". Now, these are things that are left in my jewelry box downstairs...if he was curious or just looking at them, they should have been put right back. But they weren't!

We went ahead and went to the lake, but it was definitely on my mind all day. It weighed heavily on me. I'm just so disappointed. I guess this is what all parents of teens or pre-teens were warning me about. I just never imagined that I would have to worry myself with these things. Pretty naive of me, I know.

For now, he is grounded. He is coming home, doing homework and spending some quiet time in his room to think. I've thought of having him write an essay on the importance of respecting other people's property...something like that. Hell, I don't know! This is totally out of the realm of things that come in the parenting handbook.

I do know that grounding really didn't teach me a whole heck of alot, when I was growing up, but taking away his priveledges, is all I can think of right now.

So, fellow bloggers, I'm asking for your words of wisdom here...I'm just at a loss. Can I expect my son to return to me anytime soon? Is this just a small dose of bigger and better things to come? Am I a complete failure in the parenting department? What? Help!

Oh yeah, and wish me luck, I think I'm gonna need it.

Some vaca pics.

Dale Hollow lake. The view from the rt side of the boat.



The view at the end of the cove where we parked our boat.



Sunrise on the first morning!

Grateful...

I was just doing some cleaning around the house. I opened my front curtains and caught a glimpse of my next door neighbor. While I know it isn't polite to stare, I just couldn't keep my eyes off him. He was diagnosed with Stage IV throat cancer in March of this year, (almost the same exact time, my dad was diagnosed). My neighbor was fortunate, in some respect, that they were able to offer him some very experimental and aggressive treatment, and prolong his life. While these past 6 months have been very hard on him, he at least has a little more time with his family. He has a wife and 13 and 11 year-old boys. I know I'm going around the point here, but just wanted to bring you all up to speed.

While openly gaping at him out my front window, I couldn't help but think that he truly looks like a dead man walking, and that brought me to my current state of sappiness. It made me feel grateful...

Grateful that....I have 2 little boys (well 1 "little" boy, and one, not so "little" boy), running around. Grateful that I have good friends and a family that would be there for me and stand beside me, no matter what might come my way. Grateful that I have a good hearted man, that can show me how much he loves me, just by looking in my eyes. Grateful that I have running water and electricity. Grateful that I have a house to clean, a lawn to mow, and all of the things that could be considered just "average", or nothing special. To me, they are all of the things that shape my life, and I'm happy with that!!

You see, I don't currently have a relative with cancer to take care of, or to worry about, but I've been there before and know how it feels to have someone you love fight to make it through each passing day. I don't usually think of each day as potentially being my last. Even though I know that anything can happen, you just never know. It's still not something I think about on a daily basis. I wonder what it feels like to be in his shoes...to be faced with something that it's just impossible for you to conquer...to be living on borrowed time...to see your kids walk out the door for school each morning, and wonder if it will be the last time you ever see them again, because you may be gone by the time they get back. I know this is a time to "catch up" and let feelings be known, I watched my dad do this. It's a time to get in every last thing that you want to before it's too late and there are regrets, when your time has come. It's a time of fear, and pain, and I'm sure, many many prayers. I wish him well in his battle, and will definitely have him in my prayers.

On that note, I'm going to give my kids a little hug and to tell them that I love 'em.

Must be blooper day!

Lastnight, Brian, his mother and I, all made the 1 1/2 hour trek to Timbuktu, where his children live, to go to their new school's open house. On the way there...I was trying to tell Brian something, when he interrupted me...I put my hand up and said, "Can I finish you?" To which his 68 year old mother replies, "I'll close my eyes if you want me to!" Oh, it was definitely another classic moment!

Most embarassing work moment ever!

So today is my first day back to work in almost a month. I got here at 8 am sharp. I was well rested and ready to start my day. Getting the kids off to their first day of school, went off without a hitch, and all seemed good.

It was about 9-9:30, I answered the phone here at work. A patient was calling and asking for directions. Here is what I said...."From the Lodge Freeway, you can take I-94 to Southfield, and you want to make a rt. at the second street...take that past the next main "intercourse", and we will be 3 blocks down on the left." Now, as soon as the word came out of my mouth, I was just appalled! I couldn't believe that I had said that, of all things. I look over at the nurse, who is just crying by now. I'm cracking up, can barely get any words out...oh my goodness, I just wanna crawl under my desk and die! LOL Of course, it doesn't get by the patient either, she busts out laughing. I said, "oh my goodness, I'm so sorry, this is my first day back to work after almost a month, and apparently I wasn't quite ready to come back, after all!" LMAO

How do you even excuse yourself for that one???? The patient came in about 45 minutes later, and not a word was said about it. I still wanted to crawl under my desk but, oh well, shit happens!!!!

That had to be my biggest embarassing moment at work! I'm sure we will have many laughs over this for weeks to come! So, hopefully this will brighten your day as well.

Home sweet home.

Hi everyone! Hope this finds you all doing well, and enjoying your Labor Day Weekend. I just got in last night, around midnight. Still trying to recoup. I missed my kids desperately...had never been away from them for this long, but it was very sad to leave, at the same time. It was honestly the best vacation I've ever had! As I told Peanutt, I couldn't have been happier had I been vacationing in the tropics...this was truly paradise!

The first day was lots of work, with loading the boat full of enough rafts, life jackets, clothing and food for 6 couples for 9 days on the water. We also had to drive the 16x80 foot boat to our first location which, at 6 miles an hour, takes a really long time. LOL We finally found a nice cove and parked it, tied up, unpacked, and got in some time for some wonderful food. We played some euchre and watched some movies and then it was off to bed. The next morning we all got up really early and I actually caught a beautiful sunrise, right over the mountains. (Pictures to come later today or tomorrow). The weather was a little iffy for a while there, but we got a few hours of sunshine each day, for the first few. I was also pretty sore from the long drive, but I did make my way to the waverunner after a day or so of recouping.

The lake is just miles and miles of unspoiled beauty. You are surrounded by mountains, beautiful coves, beaches, and a ton of slate. There were blue herrons and cranes everywhere, and Brian and Terry even spotted a bald eagle, right at the end of our cove. There were also many many islands, some with sandy beaches, others strictly made of slate with a few trees on top. There were no houses down near the lake, only a few scattered way up on top of the mountains. It was so tranquil.

The houseboat itself had a living room and kitchen, 2 full bathrooms and 6 bedrooms. Not all of the bedrooms were of the same size, and we actually lucked out getting one with a closet and drawers, and one that you could actually stand upright in. (Well Brian could almost stand upright...LOL) The front of the boat has a large deck where we barbequed and had all of our coolers. The back was where we stowed all of the life jackets and rafts. The upper level had a slide and a 6-8 person jacuzzi. It was wonderful.

After the first few days of limited sunshine, we did have lots of rain. It was mostly at night, but it drizzled and was gloomy for about 3 days. The last 4 days or so were just picture perfect. We took the jetskis about 30 miles away, to the dam and basically just did some exploring. We also got to see the Kentucky/Tennessee border, which was awesome. There were cables and markers above the water, red on one side, green on the other to indicate which state was which.

One of the couples also brought their boat and we took a ride at sunset one of the nights we were there. We had our hearts set on dinner at one of the marinas, but we hit 2 of them and they were actually closed, due to preparations for the holiday weekend. The third marina had really good pizza, so we settled for that. On the last night there, we also hit one of the marina's for dinner. It was pretty good. However, the best part of it was the little trick that they played on me, telling the waitstaff that it was my birthday. I had my back facing the kitchen and waitresses, so at the end of dinner, someone comes and throws a hat on my head (little did I know at the time, that it was a Dr. Seuss type of hat, only with purple and white stripes), and they all start singing "Happy Birthday", to me! I could have died of embarassment, but it gave us all a good laugh and I got my meal and dessert for free! LOL

It was a wonderful escape, and one that I needed desperately. I'm glad to be back home in alot of ways, but I still miss Dale Hollow Lake. Counting the days until we go again next year!

Pictures to come soon...just downloaded them!! =)

Good morning.

Good morning everyone! Today, I actually feel like I might be able to do some productive stuff. Feeling more like myself than I have in a few months now. What a relief.

The kids spent the weekend with their dad and are now back home. We need to get to the store for some ingredients for dinner, and I was thinking about maybe taking them to the show and for a haircut. Have to play it all by ear, don't wanna overdo and wind back up in bed again.

Well, that's it...was just saying hello! Hope everyone is having a good day!!!

Update as requested.

Well, I've made it through the surgery. I can't say with flying colors, but I've made it through. The first day was Vicoden filled and I really can't remember too much of anything. I don't even remember being rolled into the operating room. All I do remember is the doctor telling Brian that it was a "very bad gallbladder", and that it was filled with infection. I also remember trying to wake up from the anesthesia and just feeling like I'd never be able to, but I just kept saying that I wanted to go home. The nurse told me that I had to drink something and get dressed, then I could go. I got dressed and took a few swigs and I was out of there. Don't remember the ride home, or much of that night.

The next few days were not that great, but I felt a little better with each passing day. My stomach muscles have been very sore and getting up has proved to be one of the biggest challenges. Here I thought that this being done laparascopically would make it very easy...I don't think so. It's still surgery, and your body still pays the price for it.

Today is Sunday, 6 days after the surgery and it hasn't been a great day. I almost passed out in the shower, and had to call Brian out of church to come home and tend to me. I'm feeling a whole lot better, as the day goes on, but I think today will be another day of sitting around not doing much.

We only have a few days left until we leave on our boat trip, and I haven't started packing or even prepared, at all. I'm hoping tomorrow and Tuesday find me feeling up to it. If not, I guess Brian will have to pick up the slack for me. I just might be spending the entire 10 days sitting on the houseboat, just soaking up the sun. There could be worse ways to spend a vacation, I guess. LOL I'm sure that the next few days will find me feeling much better though.

So, all in all it's been a little bit of a rough ride, but I am making little strides each day.

I'm also ready to blog again, if that tells you anything! I must be a tad bit better! LOL Hope everyone has had a decent week. On my way to try and catch up with what's been happening, right now.

Now you knew I'd find a way! LOL

Yes, I managed to get the computer upstairs! LOL It was no easy task either, just so you know. This crap is heavy, and made me swear that I would start saving now for a laptop! My kitchen was the only choice I had...there is just no room anywhere else. It took a while, and rearrangement of the entire kitchen, but it's here. I'm grateful too, because I really don't wanna lay around just watching tv all week.

Anyhow, it's 9 am and the boys are still sleeping. We all went to bed rather early lastnight, but I haven't heard a peep coming from their rooms as of yet. I worked alot around the house yesterday, and I enlisted their help. Three people folding clothes, really gets the job done in a hurry! Brian came over last night and we took all the kids to ride the 4-wheeler for a while and then went and got an ice cream. Was a good productive day, all in all, but by the time we got home, I was pooped. Pain kinda sucked yesterday too, but I can't even take a Motrin until after the surgery. Nice!

And yes, I'm aware that I'm rambling...I know. Today, as much as I look forward to having this surgery done, a little trepidation has worked it's way in there. I suppose it's all normal, but I did wake up in a sweat this morning. I've never been cut before, except a few years back, when I had some dental surgery (but for some reason that seems vastly different than this). I really think that is what's creeping me out the most. I asked at the surgeon's office, if I would have to come in for suture removal and they said, "no, you won't have stitches". Ok, that REALLY gives me the willies. So, let me get this straight, I will have 4, approximately 1 inch long incisions, and no sutures???? Give me sutures....close me back up...please! I'm sure they know what they are doing, but that just doesn't seem right to me. I know, I need to chill out. My visions of my innerds creeping out...well, it isn't pretty though. The surgeon also said that I should be good to go for the boat trip...did I neglect to tell him that the vast majority of this trip will entail jetskiing? Oops, my bad! Yeah, I didn't mention that. I've already decided that I won't even be going out on them, unless it's a very calm day! No jumping, or throwing myself off, no riding in wakes of other boats or skis. None of that! Hope everyone will be kind enough to chill and wait for me, when traveling! If not, hell, I might not ever find my way back from Dale Hollow Lake. LOL My vacation just might become permanent.

Well, one child has made his way out here now. I should run, have lots of stuff to do today!

Be back soon as I can!! Have a great day!

Last day!

Today is my last day of work until September 6th. I have no idea how much I will even be able to get on the computer, considering it's located in my basement, and I don't know how long it will be before I can climb stairs. Plus, I'm leaving on 8-24 for that houseboat trip. So, this is probably it, for a while. I don't really know how I'm gonna manage...I am quite the addict here! (Might be finding a way to move my computer upstairs this weekend...LOL) What a loser, eh?

Hopefully, I can catch up with everyone soon! Will see!

The verdict is....

I have finally found out why I'm having so much pain! I have gotten a true diagnosis! It's about time! (doing a happy dance!)

I have gallstones, kidney stones and also a cyst on my left kidney. I saw a surgeon today, and will be having surgery on Monday to remove my gallbladder. He said that we will deal with the kidneys after this gets done.

It's relieving to at least know what is wrong and to actually have a plan to make it better. The pain has been sometimes unbearable, for the past 2 months. After working all day, I just wanna crawl into bed and sleep...it's the only time I'm really comfortable. Even though, at night now, I can't sleep too well anymore. Could that be because of all the napping? I don't know, but it's a possibility! Could it also be the nagging ache under my right rib, that just refuses to leave me? Maybe! Regardless, it should be taken care of by next Monday!

The surgeon also had some concerns about the cyst and fluid in my left kidney and the stone in the right, but says we will deal with that after the gallbladder is done. He says my kidney's are still functioning good for now, so we'll leave it be.

I'm actually excited to have the surgery, if you can believe it! I know I probably sound like a crazy woman, but living in pain for months on end, just isn't right! I'm tired of wigging out because the pain gets so intense that I just can't stand it and start taking it out on whoever is closest to me. Not fair to the kids, Brian, or the patient's that call or come in the office. I've been doing my best to keep it under control, but sometimes I just can't take the pain and lash out.

So, hopefully, all will go well and I can be happy and pain free very soon! Will keep you posted, when I can. Have to run and fill out a bunch of papers for work. Hope everyone is having a great day!

Game time!

This was taken from Cy's Blog (see sidebar).

1) Reply with your name, and I'll respond with something random about you.
2) I'll tell you what song/or movie reminds me of you.
3) I'll pick a color/flavor of jello to wrestle with you in. (Maybe)
4) I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me.
5) I'll tell you my first memory of you.
6) I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
7) I'll ask you something I've always wondered about you.
8) If I do this for you, you must post this on your blog. You MUST. It is written.

Hope you play along.

Have a great day and will post something real tomorrow.

=)~~

Doesn't add up...

Yesterday when I got home, I did have a very long talk with Corey about what had happened the night before. I asked for as much detail as I possibly could. This is what he told me...

Apparently, Jody went to take a shower and when she got out she walked into the bedroom and basically collapsed on the bed. She wasn't unconcious, but was talking crazy and acting very strange. Al (the ex), called 911 and she was taken to the hospital. After arriving at the hospital, I guess they did check her out and then she couldn't find Al, so she left and walked home. He looked for her for 2 hours, before going back to the apartment and finding her there. When he got there, she was furious and kept saying, "you and the boys just need to go!" She was under the impression that he wasn't going to meet her at the hospital and since she had to walk home, she wasn't a happy camper. Corey did also say that she's very stressed out because she works ALOT! He says that she's usually gone from 6 am to 8 or 9 at night, and hardly ever has a day off. He went on to tell me that her oldest daughter also really has her stressed because she got into trouble with the law! (Ok, this girl is 14, red flags going up!) I asked what the heck a 14 year-old could do to get in trouble with the law, he tells me that she was going to illegal sites on the internet. (Don't think I even wanna know just what that entails.)

Right after talking to Corey about all of this, I get a call from Al. He says that he is still staying with Jody and that things are fine. He goes on to tell me that she feels very bad for what had happened and that the hospital told her this was a result of her not eating for a day and a half and just working too much. She wanted to make sure that the boys were okay and apologize for what had happened.

I relay the message to the boys, telling them that apparently her sugar had dropped to an extremely low level and that was the reason for her acting so strange. Corey's reply, "hmmmmm", with this strange look on his face. I ask him what he's "hmmm'ing" about, and he says, "that's odd!" "What's odd, Corey?" "It's odd that they are saying she had really low sugar from not eating, she ate a bunch that day!" I say, "really?" He's like, "Yeah! She had chinese for lunch and dinner...shrimp fried rice, sweet and sour chicken, and cookies!" (More red flags!)

Now I am absolutely stumped. I am inclined to believe my son, if he said that she ate, I'm sure she did. So, did she have a nervous breakdown after all? Is he just wanting to hide it from me, because it could come back to bite him in the ass??? Because I could say that my boys shouldn't be around her (and her punk daughter)??? Was she lying to Al, so she didn't have to admit to him that she's gone batty??? I DON'T KNOW!

It seems that none of this is adding up and I now have more questions than answers!

Who's going to the funny farm?

At 3 o'clock this morning, my phone was ringing. That always makes me jump right up and immediately start freaking out! It turned out to be the ex...who has the kids for the week. My heart was about to pop out of my chest. I answer the phone, barely able to choke out the word, "hello", with all these horrible visions running through my head. He says to me, "Stace, I need you to wake up!" That didn't help my anxiety, at all! I said, in this shrill voice, that hardly even sounded like my own, "what happened???" He finally assures me that the boys are okay, but VERY upset, and that he'd like to bring them home, so they can get to bed. I told him that was fine and proceeded to ask what was going on and why the heck, (at 3 am were they up), let alone upset! He says, "I had to take Jody (his g/f), to the hospital, and my best guess is that she's had a nervous breakdown". In my head, I'm now wondering what the heck my kids have seen and heard, and I'm not too happy. He then goes on to tell me that once arriving at the hospital, she left without anyone knowing, and that she couldn't be found for about 2 hours. To boot he also throws in that he will take the boys back in a few days, once he "makes new living arrangements". We hang up the phone, and I just have this stuff playing in my head over and over, I am wired.

I start trying to figure out the scenarios...did he make her freak out and get to that point? Is she just stressed from trying to do it almost all on her own? (His job pays very little, he gives me some child support, and she also has 2 kids of her own to take care of.) Did they get into some knock-down-drag-out argument just tonight? (And in front of the kids???)

The kids got home around 3:50 this morning and appeared to be calm, cool and collected. They didn't seem distraught by any means, didn't look as though they had been crying. I talked to them for a few. I asked Tyler what had transpired and he just said that she had gone to take a shower and then dad had to take her to the hospital because she had a nervous breakdown. That bit of info really didn't help me out too much. I asked if they had been up all night, and had gone to the hospital too, which he said they had. That kind of pissed me off. I don't know exactly what happened, but he could have called me and I would have picked the boys up. I wouldn't have cared what time of night it was, they are more important, and I don't want them around anyone, who is so unstable that they "may have had a nervous breakdown!"

So, hopefully today the boys will catch up on some sleep in their own beds, and will give me some more answers when I get home. I feel it's my right to know exactly what they may have seen, heard, or been exposed to.

My other fear is that this might cause him to start harrassing me again, which scares the crap out of me! His g/f was my savior because once he met her, he finally stopped obsessing over me and the kids. I just have no idea what is in store...you never know with him!

Ugh ugh ugh!

Painting the town red, or maybe just the bathroom!

So, since I am all by my lonesome this week....I'm bored to frickin' tears here. On Monday I came home from work; took a nap, and then just got really sick of staring at the same 4 walls. I needed dishwashing detergent, so I decided I'd make the trek to Target. Big stinking mistake! LOL Yes, I got the detergent, and 40 other things. I found a bikini marked down to $6...and had to have it! I got 10 new pairs of underwear, some lingerie, new mascara, and a toy for Max. Ugh! I'm such a sucker!

Yesterday, I went home...pulled off my shoes, curled up in bed, and thought how great it would be to nap for a while, AGAIN. Instead I laid there for about an hour or more and finally decided, I was going to get my butt up and bleach the entire bathroom. I cleaned the bathroom from top to bottom! Literally. I scrubbed the ceiling, floors, toilet, sink, tub, walls. After I finished with this, I had this brilliant idea that I would paint. Right then! LOL I did not think this out or plan it, at all. I ran to Sears Hardware, picked up some paint, rollers, tape, and then headed home to start on my wonderful project. I taped and then painted the first coat of trim. Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you the color I picked, (though I'm sure you've already caught on, with the blog title), red! Yes, the color I picked for my bathroom was bright red! Don't know where I got the inspiration, but I just went with it. I have no clue what type of pictures and accessories I'm going to get, but hey, that's okay. I'm sure I will figure it out, and soon. I want it completely finished by the time Brian and the kids get home. So tonight, I get to go home and paint the second coat of trim and then start rolling it. I'm hoping to finish all of the painting of the walls tonight, and then start working on painting the cabinets! Fun fun. Tomorrow I think I will start looking at accessories. We shall see. When all is complete, I will post some pics for ya.

Wish me luck!

And the wild sunflowers grow!

Sunday the 31st was the 11th anniversary of my mom's death. On my way back from the family reunion I was going to be passing right by the cemetary and decided I wanted to stop off there and pay a visit to mom and dad.

I pull in and start walking over to their plots when I notice something odd...it looks like there are these big stalks right around my dad's headstone. As I get closer, I realize that they are sunflowers. There is one on each corner and it looks as though someone deliberately planted them. I made a note to myself to call my aunt, figuring that it had to be her! I busied myself for a while, cleaning off their stones, stuff like that, then I left.

On the way home, I did call my aunt. We talked for a few and then I asked her about the sunflowers. She told me that she didn't plant them, nor did anyone else. She's talked to her kids and all of my brothers and sisters and it is a mystery how they got there. To add to all of it, shortly after noticing them at the cemetary, she went home and went to weed her flowerbeds and noticed 2 stalks of her own...yes folks, she also has 2 mystery sunflowers that she did not plant...Hmmmm! Isn't that ironic???

My aunt happened to be the closest one to my dad before he passed and they both have sunflowers from unknown sources. The only thing I can think is that maybe one of my dad's floral arrangements that was left there after the funeral had some sunflowers in them and they seeded. That's my best guess. Still a little strange though!