Monday, June 30

iPod ready, and the Next Step

This weekend was very productive in one way:
I got my iPod ready to go to the gym with me! I couldn't find the earbuds before,(thanks for cleaning your room, Emma!) and then I was also missing the USB cord, just bought a new one of those.

PLUS

I got an armband thingy for it. I was worried I wouldn't be able to find one, since my Nano is "old"... meaning it's a year and a half old... but it's the old style, long and skinny instead of almost square like the new Nanos. But I got one and got my Nano all charged up and ready to go.

So tomorrow morning I can work out without having to be bored to tears trying to read the closed captioning on ESPN or C-SPAN, which are the channels they have on at the gym. They have these TVs up right in front of the elliptical that I use, and while I HAVE to have something to keep me from staring at the countdown timer, those channels just don't do it for me.

I have been going to the gym for most of the month of June, my "weigh in" date is coming up on Sunday. I already know that I haven't really made much progress, so I am stepping it up a bit.

The first step was joining the gym in the first place. My plan was that if I didn't see any decent results within the first month or two, I would take another step... that step is my diet. Now, I don't mean diet, as in South Beach or Adkins, or anything dumb like that, because as the commercial says "Diets Don't Work"... no, I am talking about what I eat, my DIET. It's not great. When I'm hungry and I want a snack, I eat junk. Well, no longer. I am not saying I will cut chocolate out of my life, that can't happen. Not if I am to continue to live.

But I bought apples (yeah, baby! I can take a big bite out of an apple ANY TIME I WANT TO!) and bananas and grapefruit.
My water intake is also an important part of this step. Yes, I drink water at work all day every day, but then I come home and drink Diet Pepsi to excess. That's gotta stop. Again, cannot cut Diet Pepsi out of my life altogether, might as well cut off my oxygen... but cutting down would certainly help.

So some time around the end of July, I will have another post with either happy results or bitching and moaning about how it's not working, and how drastic times call for drastic measures. I don't know what those drastic measures might have to be, I don't want to think about it... until and unless I HAVE to think about it.

Friday, June 27

KY review... and I DON'T mean Kentucky!

I am actually pleased to be able to bring you (who ARE you? googling "KY" and such? Perv! LOL) two reviews of the KY Yours and Mine lubricants.

First off, the combination of the two... the "yours" is HIS, and it has a... numbing AND warming effect. Now, the "mine" is HERS, and the only way to explain it that I've come up with is that it's like giving your hooohaaa a shot of Listerine. If your hooohaaa could talk, it would say

HELLO!
just like that. A real big wake-up call, I guess you could say. So in that regard, they are similar to other lubes out there, it's the combination that makes this stuff worth the purchase price of (roughly) $15. When you combine them, the warming of "yours" with the HELLO! of "mine" makes for such a state of AWARENESS... yeah, I guess that's it, anyway, it's really good!
Secondly, I can also recommend the "mine" when one needs (or wants!) a little ME time... if ya know what I mean! nudge nudge, wink wink.
It's worth the purchase, even if you only use it til it's gone and decide not to add it to your regular... um... arsenal.
Have a good night!

Thursday, June 26

sorry, been busy with naughty kids

Monday morning, shortly before 2:30 AM, my phone rang.

I was having a hard time sleeping anyway, so I wasn't really bothered being woke from a not-so-deep sleep. What I WAS bothered by was the conversation:

{ Hello, this is Officer ____ with the _____ Police Department, do you know where your son is?

}I know where he's SUPPOSED to be...

Yeah, the little bugger crawled out his bedroom window about 2am and got on his bike and rode over to his friend's house. The two boys were on their way to the water tower, their usual hangout, when the officer pulled up next to them.

So now he is basically on house arrest, with ME as the warden, and my mom as my head guard.
The problem is that he sleeps all day, and then he's up all night. Well, my mom's suggestion (and JP's, too!) was for starters, to get him up at 5:30 am with me and he gets to go out to the gym and get a good workout in. We tried that, even got him there Tuesday morning. But turns out, because the gym I use does not have staff there 24/7, they cannot allow people under the age of 18 to work out there. Insurance and liability issues. DAMMIT!

But there are other ways to punish him. Constructive ways. Ways that can punish AND benefit others... case in point: The dog walker. Alex is now required to walk all 3 of our dogs. Individually.
How can I ensure this is happening, when I am at work all day, you may wonder? Well, I am SO PROUD of myself for coming up with this one: He is required to walk the dogs PAST THE BANK!! I can see out the windows (remember, I can see the Cop Shop across the street? I can see Alex walking a dog down that same street!) THEN!! Just to be sure he's seen, because I could be busy with a customer, he walks around the bank, into the drive-up area, and he is required to (and he does it very well!) stop and WAVE at the girls working in the drive up. Then they put on a speaker and thank him, and he goes on his merry way. They keep me posted on the number of times he's been by!!

Three times a day.
Once with Hailey,
once with Comet
and
once with Kate.

Every day.
The walk is about 8 or 9 blocks round-trip. Times 3. This is a great punishment because this boy is such a potato, he HATES doing anything that could be construed as exercise. And it's good or the dogs, too.

Now, as for the review, well, I hope to get that done soon... ahem, um, well, JP has Guards this weekend, he has to leave tomorrow morning at 8 am. I'd hate to have to wait much longer to "test" this stuff!

Sunday, June 22

Product Review II

Ok, this is not the actual product review, this is more of a heads-up of a coming review.
Today we went and did a bit of grocery shopping, and while we headed over to the health and beauty section for razors, deodorant and my hair color. Then as i was browsing around, JP asked if I was looking for that KY Yours & Mine that we've seen on TV.

Well, I hadn't been, but since you mention it... Oh, goodness, look at that, THERE it is.

So within the next week, I will have a product review of that.

Friday, June 20

"the" book

I'm thinking I will copy and paste "the book" in my other blog... yeah, that's right, I have another blog... it's not linked or posted anywhere, it's just for me...

But I have to do something with it. Right now, its just another icon on my desktop. I always said I would do something with it when I got done with school. But now I'm working full time, and gee, surprise, I don't seem to find the time to mess with it. I have added my scrap booking and my furniture refinishing things to my list of "in my free time" things to do.

But if I post it on my 'other' blog, then maybe I can get some editing done on it. And then what?
Yeah. Exactly.
I wrote a book. That's all.

or is it?

Wednesday, June 18

Bank robberies

We get emails at work, kind of a heads-up courtesy nod when a bank in our area is robbed. Since I have been a bank employee, I have seen 4 of these such emails. Three of them just since the beginning of April. One was down in Minneapolis, a branch of my bank.

Today we got another one. A tiny little podunk town in North Dakota, robbed by a "tall man wearing a mask, he was armed". That's according to the email. Now, 3 things come to mind right away:
1. Of course he was wearing a mask, in that tiny town, everyone knows EVERYONE.
2. I think bank robberies on the rise is a sign of a serious problem with the economy. No, I'm not saying that is the only reason, but desperate times call for desperate measures for people so inclined to illegal activities, ya know?

and, of course, my favorite one:
3. I am so thankful that my branch is right across the street from the police station. I can SEE the doorway from my teller window... it's a comforting feeling these days.

So far so good on the workouts, on a completely different subject. I even got up earlier than usual this morning, since I had to work earlier, just so that I could get to the gym and get in my full regular workout before I had to be home and in the shower. I will do the same tomorrow, since I am early then, too. Friday will be the challenge. I don't have to go in to work until 10 am on Friday. It will be very tempting to sleep until 9 am... but if I am a good girl, I will get my bum out of bed at my usual time (not my 'today and tomorrow early' time though!) and get to the gym.

I always feel better at work if I do, when I don't go, I feel sluggish and tired all day. I NEED that endorphin rush, and that makes me happy, that I feel better when I work out. It makes me think I may stick with it. Hell, I KNOW I will stick with it, I signed up for an 18 month contract, if nothing else, I will continue to go to visit my money! It's directly withdrawn from my account on the 5th of every month, and that is a great motivator for me (money). That, and if I can start to see some results in the way my clothes fit, THAT would be a great motivator, too.

That's all for now... getting up at 5:30 am makes 9 pm look like a great bedtime!

Monday, June 16

Waking Emma

Sunday morning I arrived in my in-laws' town a few minutes before 8 am. Yes, I left home at 3 am... Mom and I had a weekend full of driving, and this was the best part.

We were welcomed in and given coffee and blueberry muffins and got a few minutes of peace and quiet chatting with JP's parents. Then I decided it was time to get my daughter back.
She had been staying with Grandma and Grandpa for 2 and a half weeks, and I wanted her back.

I crept down the hall to the spare bedroom and peeked in. She was asleep. She was laying on her tummy, slightly turned away from the door. I sneaked up and sat down on the bed and laid my hand on her hip. I whispered "Emma"

She said "Mommy?" in this sweet little sleepy voice.
Then she popped up and hollered "MOM!" and twisted around and hugged me.
It was all worth it... the lack of sleep, all that damn driving, worth it to hear her call me "Mommy" one more time... even though she was half asleep when she said it.

Thursday, June 12


Got this in the mail the other day. On graduation night, they just gave us empty binder/folder things. I got it framed and now I just need to find a place to put it up. I got another frame just like this one, and I am going to frame JP's Bronze Star award/certificate/thingy. I will hang the two together, probably in the hallway along with more pictures of the family.
Workouts are going well, I'm actually really liking this new gym. I started on the 6th of June, and I've decided to check my weight on the 6th of each month. If I watch it too close, too often, I think I will get pissed off as it fluctuates. SO, that being said, I weighed myself on the 6th, and I topped the scale at a monster 165... I'm hoping for an improvement by July 6th... either a number on the scale, or my clothes fitting better.
Big weekend coming, lots going on, hopefully I will have time to talk about it before, because DURING, not gonna happen. Otherwise, I'll see y'all on the flipside, have a good weekend!

Tuesday, June 10

Tiny decision to be made


JP and I have been having problems with Tiny (did I mention her urination issues? She got meds from the vet) After being banished to the porch for 2 weeks while she was on her medication, we thought she was better. Didn't smell it anywhere for a very long time.


It's back. Now, I am so torn here. This means that the problem is probably not medical, but behavioral. I will not stand for this.


I could not, in good conscience, give her away to someone knowing full well that she has potty problems. Nobody wants that going on in their house. She is spayed and has no front claws, and she IS an inside ONLY cat, so I couldn't just turn her out. I don't believe she deserves to die, so having her 'put down' is completely off the table.


As I am hemming and hawing and wondering, I mention it to my friend, Gina. She's a big cat person. She knows all about the Tiny history of urination. But she didn't realize until I mentioned it yesterday that the beginning of the spraying coincided with the commencement of the remodeling projects... we took away her comfy carpet in front of the big picture windows in the living room, where she loved to lay in the sun. For quite some time, even the furniture that she liked to lay on was gone. Gina suggested that she was nervous and freaked out about the changes to "her" space.


Gina begged me to let the dust settle on the remodel, let things get back to "normal" before I make any rash decisions about Tiny.


Tiny has received a reprieve from the governor... Governor Gina!

Monday, June 9

Remodeling is almost done

Now I can show off some of the little things I've been collecting to finish off the whole look.



This is the area rug that I chose, the burgundy color is hard to see really well, but it looks really good with the wall color and see... looks good with the new flooring, too. The only thing it doesn't look good with is the current furniture. But if the floor, walls and area rug work together, and those are the things that are more permanent, the furniture can be replaced to match the room, ya know?


This is the hallway that started it all... done now, all the trim work, all the nail holes puttied (and I have a blister on my fingertip to prove it! LOL) and I hung up these pictures this weekend. They are photos from trips. There are pictures of JP and I in Playa del Carmen, and JP and I in Budapest, and Mom, Steven and I in New Orleans. There is one frame with the pictures that came with the frame, waiting to be filled with pictures of Alex, Steven and I in London in October.

I think this is just about my favorite part, the counter that divides the kitchen from the dining room. We still have to replace the laundry chute door, and someday, that counter top WILL be seen again. Someday, hopefully soon, we can get all the tools put away.

That's it for now, I have a few other pictures to post, and I have the day off tomorrow (PAID!) so maybe I can get a few more done up then. I already have a long list of things I want to get done, but hopefully I can squeeze in a bit of time online.



Saturday, June 7

Lucky number 6

If I did more than enjoy horse racing on (big) race days, I might have made some money today.

Da Tara just won the Belmont Stakes. He was the number 6 horse. His rider's initials are A.G.

Tara was the first (and probably one of the best) dogs I ever had. The number 6 is my lucky number, and my firstborn child's initials are A.G.

The payout for such a long shot was amazing. And I didn't place a bet. And if you remember my NCAA logic, this set of circumstances would have made perfect sense for me to bet a ton of money on this horse.

The sad part of the race, of course, is Big Brown. I was born in 1972, I have never seen a Triple Crown winner. I have seen several horses win 2, only to fall short at the Belmont. I was really hoping that this would be the year.

Other than that, not much going on today, I had to work this morning, then Eric and I ran around town and hit a few rummage sales. Nothing of note found, but then again, it was after noon, and I'm sure all the wonderful treasures that I could not possibly live without were snatched up first thing this morning.

Friday, June 6

damn republicans

I think I finally figured out why I don't care for the majority of the women I work with.

They're republicans...

On a lighter note (hopefully lighter on the scale!)
I joined a gym. My friend Gina goes to this gym, and I really wanted to join, but I knew I'd have to wait until after I got done with school, otherwise I'd just be too busy and it would be a waste of money.

We went out there Thursday night, got me signed up (holy cow, with where I work and the insurance we have, it's SO CHEAP!) and we got a workout in, about an hour...

Then I went out there alone this morning before work and did some elliptical and some cycling while I read... that's right, I READ A BOOK FOR PLEASURE, not an assignment, not required reading... I started reading the Stephen King book (Duma Key) that I bought MONTHS ago, and haven't had a chance to touch let alone READ. So that's my plan, mornings I will go work out on days that I work at 8:45 or later, which is most days, and some evenings (definitely Thursdays, it works for Gina and I both) she and I will go together. My morning workouts will be quiet alone time specifically for reading, purely the cardio and a laundry list of books I've been meaning to catch up on.

The plan is to shrink the ass, thighs, hips and gee, after 10 years, maybe it's time I got rid of some of this "post-pregnancy baby fat"... LMAO, I'm so funny... and chubby.

Monday, June 2

Further down Memory Lane

After our visit to Goldmount, seeing as we were so close, we took a little detour into Ceylon. I grew up there, I went to school in Ceylon from kindergarten through the 11th grade. All in the same building. K-12 was all housed in the same building there. Ceylon has no stoplights, and never has. There was a small grocery store, a coffee shop, 3 bars, a bank and a huge grain elevator.

Steven and I used to ride our bikes uptown and get a bag of candy at the grocery store for $5, and spend our summers riding our bikes around the town (and I mean AROUND the whole town) hanging out with our friends.

As I drove around, passing the house I grew up in, and seeing, around the corner, the home of one of the kids we hung out with, I explained things to Alex.

"See that empty lot? There was a big green rickety house on that corner, we always thought it was haunted, and one day, Steven and I caught a rabbit in that yard, we caught her and named her Chiquita, we kept her in a hutch by the garage"

"See that empty lot? My friend Jami used to live in a house there. It must have been torn down. She had two little brothers that were so horribly annoying. She and I used to play with Jason, the kid who lived just around the corner from my house and Jami's neighbors, Mike and Jason."

"Oh, wow, see that big empty lot? That's where the bowling alley was. They had 8 lanes that were so warped and curvy, it was hard to get a gutter ball, you really had to suck bad to get it into the gutter there. They made the best vanilla malts I have ever had. It was the malt flavor, really yummy..."

Just outside of town is a lake. I think it's called Clear Lake. In the winter, Steven and I would ride our bikes (yes...in the winter, in Minnesota, we still rode our bikes! snow pants, boots, the works, on our bikes!) with our ice skates tied together over our shoulders, and go out into the middle of that lake and skate like we were speed skaters. The wind would make that ice smooth as a Zamboni could, and we could skate like the wind blows! Funny how we never thought of the ice being too thin, of course, the deepest depths of Clear Lake was all of 10 feet.

In the summer, we would ride our bikes out to Clear Lake to the swimming beach. One of the few times I ever "parked" with a boy was at the beach of Clear Lake. Our year-end class field trips were to walk out to Clear Lake to go fishing.

It was sad to see the hill where the school used to be. I heard a few years ago that they were tearing it down. All the remaining kids were being bused to a county-wide school district that was being formed because apparently, what happened to Ceylon was happening to every small town in the county. So they combined the schools, and instead of several small town schools, there is one school in the entire county.

The whole time driving around town, I was smiling and remembering funny things, or good times, and yet, it made me sad. The town was dying... literally on it's last leg.

Sunday, June 1

Memory Lane

Friday after the funeral and the visiting with the relatives, Alex and I took off. But before we could head North, we had to go East, to Goldmount Vet clinic. When I was a kid, Shirley was the local vet. And I'm not talking a town vet, she is a country vet. She has her clinic on the same property as her home, out in the middle of nowhere, just south of the pimple on the butt of the world. She takes care of your cattle, your sheep, your horses, hell, when I was a kid, she even had a big cat there. Someone thought it would be a good idea to get a cougar kitten, and when it got bigger, and got injured in the process of trashing their home, they took it to Shirley. They wanted it healed... and not returned, TYVM. So she took him in, and gave him a home. I remember being a kid and peering in the window of the solid wall stall that "kitty" was in. I remember seeing the big cat stretched out relaxing with a cast on one front leg.

Shirley took care of everything. She also trusted her clients to give their animals their own shots, not like vets today. Not the rabies shots, of course, law requires a vet to administer those, but the other shots, she sold them in syringes in the correct dosage for the weight of the animal, and you gave your horse or your dogs and cats their own shots.

Alex and I went there to pick up shots for the dogs, and wormer and a special concoction of Shirley's called Red Wonder. It's a liquid that can be applied to cuts or any open wound and it is a miracle how this 'stuff' heals animals. It's a mystery what's in it, I assume things like antibiotics and such.

We walked in to the office and I was swept back in time immediately. That antiseptic smell, the chairs in the waiting room, the wall of shelves full of medication, it was all the same. I hadn't been there in probably 15 years. And Shirley didn't look like she had aged a bit. One sign that told me that time had passed was the fact that a guy named Chance rang up our purchases, and last time I saw him, he was toddling about begging his mom, Shirley to let him ride one of the big horses instead of the pony that was assigned to him.

It was a great visit, but it sort of made me feel old...
It was nice to see that some things, the things I loved as a kid...never change.
More from my Memory Lane stroll later...

I'm home, and I have a lot to talk about

but not today, I'm busy.

Hopefully the next few days I can update on the things we saw and did while down south for Peggy's funeral, which was lovely, but horrible.



Right now I have to go hold some crown molding while JP swears and uses his finish nailer to scare the dogs...