Still Waiting...

Sadie's due date is August 28...tomorrow...and she's still not budging.

That's okay...she can't stay in there much longer.  We'll be seeing her sweet little face very soon!

Me and Robin when she was about 3 hours old.

 I sent that photo to Robin yesterday.  She texted back, "We look so young!"

The above four photos were taken by Alicia Stary, Chad's sister.  

I think the photos tell the story...no words from me are necessary.

S.I.L.I. (Signs I'm Losing It)

I chronicle these lapses only because they make me laugh.  I don't really think I'm losing it! 

I always change from nightclothes into "real" clothes before I leave my bedroom.  This morning I changed from the gown I slept in, to the pair of short pajamas I usually wear.  I didn't notice it until I had them on and was about to go downstairs. 

Shall I tell about the other lapse involving pajamas...long ago?  I think so, for the one or two who haven't heard the story.

I was still working at Rioux's, and I had a cell phone, so it was sometime between 1996 and 2003.  My habit then was to put on whatever top I was going to wear, do my hair and make-up, then put on my slacks and shoes and then head out the door.  This particular morning I followed the same routine.  I guess I didn't leave time to eat breakfast, so I poured a bowl of something (Chex mix, probably) and put it in my lap to snack on while I drove the 12 or so miles to work.  After arriving and parking in my usual place at the side of the hardware store, I walked along the side of the building and was about to turn the corner to head to the entrance when I noticed a flash of red.  I looked down and was horrified to see that I had forgotten to change out of my red plaid flannel pajama pants...which didn't come anywhere near looking good with the top I was wearing. 

Now, think about that.  I went into my closet and put my shoes on.  Surely I had to look down to select and then put my shoes on.  One would have thought the red plaid flannel LONG pajama pants would have caught my eye at that point.  Or...that I might have noticed the red plaid flannel pajamas as I reached into the bowl in my lap at some time during the 15 minute drive to work. 

But, no...I didn't notice until about 10 seconds before I would have entered the door at work.  And thank goodness that I noticed it then and didn't actually get in the door.  As it was, I spun around, hurried to get into the car, and called the office.  I told my co-worker, "I'm here, but I have to go home," and then explained to her what I had done.  By the time I was about a block from work, I was already cracking up laughing and had started calling people to let them know what I had done.

I wish I had a photo from that morning.  I would totally post it here!

Waiting for Sadie

Chad and Robin at Port Alto

I just love this photo taken by Chad's sister, Alicia Stary, at Port Alto a couple of weeks ago. 

At that point she was almost 37 weeks along and we were hoping that Sadie would make some progress and arrive before her due date, August 28.  I guess that's still possible...Robin will be at 39 weeks tomorrow...but, the doctor checked her today and reported no change at all.  He even suggested that she might go past her due date.  Yikes!  He then said that she might go into labor at any time.  But, I think he was just trying to make her feel good. 

Oh, well...it is what it is.  She will get here eventually...and I can hardly wait!

Pre K-3

Brent was out of town, training for his new job, so Carolyn asked if I would help her with orientation at St. Philip's Catholic School. While I was with Robin at her doctor's appointment...no change there, the baby is doing great at 38 weeks...Carolyn put a car seat in my car. The plan was for me to take Jax in my car while she would take Kate and Carlee. We would then meet and go to Jax's Pre K-3 classroom so he could check it out. Then I would take Jax home while Carolyn and the girls visited their classrooms and then went to orientation at the new Family Center. I think that's what it's called.

Jax LOVED his classroom. He visited all the stations, spending the most time in the "kitchen center", although he like the cars, too. There will be about 10 children in his class. Mrs. Connie told me they have three Pre K-3 classrooms this year with a total of 32 little ones populating them. You would never be able to guess that about a year ago, the classroom we were in was the stage in the gym. They did a truly wonderful job of transforming the gym into classrooms!

But, Jax's room was the only one I was able to visit because he wouldn't leave. He continued playing, for the most part totally ignoring the other 3 year olds and their parents who came to check out the room. We got there by about 4:50 and the teachers had to be at the orientation at 5:30. As 5:30 approached, I kept telling him it was time to leave. He would answer, in a sing song voice, "I'm not done, yet." or "I'm not finished." He "cooked" me a meal of pizza, spaghetti, cookies and a drink, before I was finally able to lure him out the door with Smarties.

I don't think Carolyn will have a bit of trouble getting him in the door tomorrow morning.

This was early in the visit.  He hadn't started cooking, yet.

That's Carlee with him in this photo.

He's checking out the oven here.

Here he's checking out the spices.

Spoons (but not the game), etc.

I remembered one other thing I accomplished yesterday...I fixed the garbage disposal.  I'm not sure if I should really count that since I was the one who broke it.  Apparently a spoon (my favorite spoon) fell into the thing and I forgot about it when I put some potato peels in and turned it on.  It immediately came to a halt.  When I felt around in there, I found the spoon, which was wedged in there pretty good.  I tried a wooden spoon to pry it loose, but the handle was too short...not enough leverage.  So then I tried a paint stick, which was long enough but too flimsy.  Then I thought of the knife sharpener...you know, the long steel file one that chef's use...and that worked like a charm.

The disposal just hummed when I tried it again, though, so I used the wooden spoon to turn it backwards a few turns and then when I tried it again...voila!...it worked.  The spoon that had been wedged was a goner...the bowl of the spoon was a bit chewed and, of course, the handle was bent from my prying it out.  So, I tossed it.

In case you're wondering, (and you're probably not) I don't have only one pattern of spoons in my silverware drawer.  That would be silly if they were all alike and one of them was my favorite.  No, I have five different patterns.  But, not a whole set in any of them...one or two of a couple of patterns, more in a couple more patterns.

My favorite is on the far right.

It's my favorite because I like the way it fits and feels in my hand.  It's the right weight and shape.  It's a good spoon...the one I choose every time I need a spoon to eat with.  I have a few more of that pattern...maybe three.

The middle one is a cheap-ass spoon...very thin and I would never use it for eating.  I go for it when I need to correct the seasoning.  I don't like the one on the far left.  See the way it flares out at the end of the handle?  It feels scratchy on my palm.  I don't like to eat with it.  I would eat with the one next to it if I had to, but it wouldn't be my first choice.  The last one, between the cheap-ass spoon and my favorite spoon is not one I would choose to eat with.  It's more like the middle spoon, but it has a pretty shape and a nice weight.  I basically leave it in the drawer except for tasting.

So there you have it.  Proof that I am certifiable.  Don't get me started on the forks!

Revolution

I don't know what's going on with my eyebrows and eyelashes lately. Fortunately, they don't seem to have organized to form a cohesive revolutionary group.

My eyebrows act like they've been taking Minoxidil. I'm constantly tweezing and pruning.

And now my eyelashes are starting to rebel as well. One eyelash thinks it's better than all the rest and seems to try to separate itself from the others, standing up at attention. I tried to get them all in the same formation with mascara, but that big bully just won't behave. Actually, if all the rest of them acted the same way, I wouldn't have to use an eyelash curler. That kind of revolution I could handle.

*sigh*

My Productive(?) Day

Since I got up early today...well, maybe not early, but not at 11...I got busy right away and was in the middle of a lot of activities when Wendy called.

Wendy:  Whatcha doing?
Me:  I'm trying to eat breakfast and dust a roast with seasoned flour so I can brown it.  Whaddya need?
Wendy, laughing:  Well, that seems kind of rude.
Me, exasperated: My oatmeal is getting cold, I'm juggling two skillets (one for the roast, one for my omelet), what do you need?
Wendy goes on to dilly dally around for several more minutes before she tells me why she's calling.  I don't remember why she called.

But, I did get the roast going and I did get my breakfast cooked and eaten and I did remember to take my vitamins and supplements, which I have been lax about doing lately.  Which reminds me that I forgot to take my calcium supplement when my phone alerted me about it 3 hours ago.

Okay, here's my list for the day:

1.  Move two things out of the attic and deal with them.

     So, I picked two easy items...a plastic thing that holds about 10 CDs and a plastic countertop paper towel holder. 

The CD holder is on top of the aquarium.  The aquarium wasn't in the attic, but it's junk, too.

The CD holder is definitely going in the trash, but I haven't decided about the paper towel holder.  Maybe it might go to the laundry room.  Not a great start, but at least it's out of the attic.

2.  Wash two loads of laundry.

     No problem.

3.  Cook the roast.

     See Paragraph 3
4.  Uh...I thought I was really productive...why can't I think of anything else I did?  That doesn't involve food I was going to eat.  

Oh, by the way, here's how to be successful in marking things off your list...only include things on the list that you have already done.  Simple!

Another 'by the way':  The aquarium used to have fish in it, many years ago.  When the last one died, I just let the water evaporate.  Seemed simpler than emptying it.  It took a long time though.  That's where my virtue of patience came into play.  The aquarium was tucked away on a shelf in the garage until a few months ago when Wayne cleaned the garage and drug it out, thinking that one of the kids might want to use it.  Of course, they didn't...but, the aquarium has remained out in the garage ever since then...April, I think.  I might go throw it into the dumpster on my way to Wendy's in a little while.  She needs my advice on furniture for the boys' rooms.  I help in a negative sort of way.  I tell her what I think and she says, "Uh, no."  Whatever.

No Roast Tonight

Yesterday I had planned to make a pot roast for either lunch or dinner.  That didn't happen because I went with Dee to a doctor's appointment and it was noon when we were done.  We were both starving and went through several rounds of the "Where do you want to eat?" "I don't care, where do you want to eat?" game before Dee suddenly remembered and announced, "IT'S FRIDAY!"  I responded with "PERRY'S STEAKHOUSE!" and then we both said "PORK CHOP SPECIAL!!!"

If you've never had the pork chop special at Perry's, you must go.  The Perry's at Sugar Land is open for lunch only on Fridays.  The rest of the week they are open for dinner only.  And the Pork Chop Special is only available on Friday at lunch.  For $11.95.  It's ginormous!  I can't believe I didn't take a picture of it.  It's like three thick pork chops all together in a little roast. 

Found this photo on their online menu

 This is a pretty good photo of it...well, of course it is...duh!  But, it doesn't really give you a good feeling for the size.  When they serve it, it looks like the photo above.  The server then slices a piece off the back edge which is called the "eyelash"...have no idea why.  Then he cuts another slice, called the loin.  Then he cuts the three chops apart.  Honestly, just the eyelash was almost enough for my meal, which also included a large dollop of mashed potatoes, probably garlic mashed, I don't know.  And a small serving of cinnamon apple sauce.  I took the three chops and the loin home.  Wayne had two of the chops for supper with some scalloped potatoes I made.  I had the loin.  We still had a small pork chop left.  For $11.95!!! 

Below is a link to the menu.  The pork chop meal is $24.95 on sunday and $32.95 all other times.

Yummy, yummy, yummy!

 Anyhoo...back to my plans to cook the roast...I didn't on Friday, and I'm not going to today.  Since I slept so late and had breakfast when Wayne was having lunch and just now, at nearly 5, had a big snack of tuna and crackers, peanut butter and crackers, peanut butter and banana and a small glass of light orange juice, I don't think I'll be ready for roast. 

Plus, I had to hire someone to install the water heater.  They came and I was sweating just the few times I had to walk out there.  They were soaking wet when they finished.  Wayne, of course, due to his penny-pinching ways wanted to do it himself.  At least, he acted and talked like he wanted to do it.  Maybe he was counting on me to talk him out of it.  I will point out to him, if he asks how much it cost for plumbers to come out on Saturday to install the water heater, that it took two guys (who knew what they were doing) two hours to do the job.  It would undoubtedly have taken Wayne longer than four hours, plus there would have been a lot of cussing, spitting, not to mention sweating and heavy lifting going on.  I would have been the installation assistant and I'm pretty sure both of us would have died. 

I have already booked the plumbers to come back in a couple of weeks to take care of some other things that we've neglected for eons.  So, good on me!

But, no roast tonight.

Plumbing Fun

I slept in this morning...

Actually, I did wake up about 8 with a headache, so I got up and took a couple of something...acetaminophen, I hope (I didn't turn on the light, but the lid of the bottle felt right), and went back to bed.  Carolyn texted me at about 8:15 with some kind of Christmas gift ideas for others.  I typed back that I'd talk to her later, that I was sleeping.  But, I forget to send it, so she sent two other texts.  I have my text alert sound set to whistle (the "tweet" sound, I think.)  I noticed  that I while I had typed it, I hadn't sent my response to her earlier text, so I sent it then and was saved the trouble of typing a new message.  I wasn't sure if I would be able to get back to sleep.  Not to worry...the next time I woke up it was almost 11.  Guess I needed that.

While I was eating my breakfast I saw, out of the corner of my eye, Wayne appear at the kitchen door.  He came home to have his lunch. Then he walked away, then appeared again, then walked away again.  I opened the door and stepped out.  "What the hell?"  There was water on the garage floor coming from the storage room where the water heater lives.  Upon further examination, he discovered the bottom had rusted out.  We were going to drain it, but all the hoses that were nearby are probably 832 feet long, so I remembered I had a short one near some pine trees.  Ants had constructed an elaborate hill around it, so I was treated to a couple of ant bites while I drug it around to the garage.  He hooked it up, but wasn't able to turn the knob to drain it, so it's practically useless until the plumber gets here.  Plus, he couldn't turn off the water supply to the heater...frozen, or something.  I couldn't find the manual...I looked up the purchase in Quicken and the last time I bought a water heater was in 1997.  The manual is here somewhere.  I get to throw it away when it shows up.  Yay!

Wayne wanted to do the job himself, but I refuse to let him...it's too hot, and if something goes wrong we'll need a plumber anyway.  I called all the plumbers in the yellow pages and left a message at all but one of them.  Finally, I called Kelly and he gave me the cell phone numbers of two plumbers.  The first one I called answered and he is the lucky winner of the weekend sweepstakes!

I had already called Rioux's and had them charge a new water heater and bring it downstairs, so Daniel is going by to pick it up on his way out here.  Should be here any minute now.

While he's here, I'm going to take him to 2 or 3 areas in the house that need repairs so he can come back with whatever he needs to do that during the week.  Unfortunately, most of the areas he will see will look pretty "hoardy". 

Why, oh why can't I make myself just do a little every day?  Lazy, I tell you.

Lazy

This is how lazy I am...

I'm sitting here reading a book on my Kindle where I have to push "Next Page" to turn the page. I've actually quit reading and am now trying to figure out how to press the button by just using my mind.

Lazy.

I'm going to work on it.

The Bloggess

I'm reading a new (to me) blog that sounded interesting when I saw it mentioned in the newspaper today.  Actually, I read about it today, but the paper it was in was dated around the 3rd week in April.  Yes, I'm nearly four months behind reading the newspaper...and I only have the Star section to read.  Occasionally I read about a television show that sounds like I should give it a try, and then I remember that it premiered months earlier and has probably already been taken off the air.  Wayne reads the Sports and I read the Star section.  Too bad we can't just have those two parts delivered.  What a waste of paper!  At least I recycle...schlepping newspaper, cardboard and plastic to the bins in El Campo.  Aluminum cans go to the Bubelas, who then take them to St. Philip's. 

Anyhooo...the blog is called The Bloggess.  The writer, Jenny Lawson, has been blogging for 10 years and she is waaay nuttier than I am.  I thought you might enjoy reading this post talking about her 16th anniversary and the gift she got her husband. 

I'm having to read her blog backwards since I haven't really figured out how to go back to the beginning.  I can't wait to read more.  As I said, she's pretty out there!