Count down is on

And there is still a BUNCH to do.

John ordered his contacts(w/o prompting from me), but from Sears. What was he thinking? YIKES? Had to head over the Citrus Park Mall yesterday. That was ONE scary scary place.
Glad to get in and out without being mauled.

Aunt Sue came home last night. So happy to talk to her. She sounds like she had fun and Joshy and I can NOT wait to see her.

I have been wrapping like a crazy elf this morning and still have more to finish up so this will be brief. Then, I MUST clean or at least move some piles around. The grocery store is also on my list of things to do.

Hope you have a super Sunday,
Jax

Happy Days

I worked the "early" shift yesterday. Surprised LOTS of teachers who greeted me with, "what are you doing here"? Lauren went to Boston for visit with her inlaws, so since it was a half day, I saved her a personal day and worked for her. Aren't I a good partner? LOL.

The kids were all dressed in their pj's and ready for hot cocoa and the Polar Express. I got lots of gifts. Some of them were even photo and scrap related. VERY sweet and thoughtful lil 8 year olds. They were all well behaved and so excited to take home their picture frames we altered for their parents. Let me tell you -wrapping 17 picture frames was a PITA, but well worth the smiles.

Now, I am officially on VACATION for the next 17 days. SOOOOOOO much to do, so I will make this brief.
Happy Saturday to all.

Catching Up

Wow, what a crazy busy five or six days it has been. Firstly, for anyone who reads this that has TWO three year olds, my hat's off to you. OMG. If Joshy and Ashy were twins and not six weeks apart in age and two hundred miles away most of the time, I think that I seriously would have considered suicide a LONG time ago.

Joshy and Ashy are two peas in a pod.....and if you know me, you KNOW i do not throw a pea analogy around lightly. Right. Ha. I will share a pic of them that will splain it all.
We had a great visit with them. Exhausting but great. Joshy's birthday choo choo party was perfection. He did not get off that train once until it was time for it to go. Weather was brisk, but sunny and it appeared that everyone had a good time.

Now the last week of school prior to vacation is a matter of maintaining some semblence of order while still having fun and trying to make them think it is all fun, but throw in some learning too. That is challenging. We decorated our gingerbread cookies to end that unit and started on Polar Express this week. However, that is all in between visits from former students who get outta school early during exams. Nice to see kiddos who are graduating from both high school and college. Wow. Makes me feel both old and small as I climb on chairs to see into their eyes utop a six foot four frame, but to be remembered from wayyyyyyy back in second grade as they are about to graduate college and go to the NFL draft.........poor joy. It is nice to know that I can be included in those surveys as that special educator who made you belive you COULD do anything you wanted.

Well, off to try to rest as the next two days will be total chaos. Sooooooo much to do and so little time. YIKES.
Enjoy.
Jackie

Ginni's Thought Provoking 20 Survey

What one person has most inspired you in your career? That would have to be my Aunt Sue. She was a teacher for 35+ years and took me to school with her when I was little. Don't think I ever wanted to be anything else. My 6th grade teacher Leslie Greenberg solidified my luv of teaching
2. If money were not an issue, where would you live? I am quite certain that we would live right where we do right now-but a nice vacation condo on the beach somewhere would be perfection.
3. What is the best advice you ever received? Don't sweat the small stuff. It is only an aggrevation and NOT a problem
4. What is your favorite time of the day? 3:30pm. School is over and I get to go pick up my lil guy.
5 . What is the best invention since sliced bread? The computer and the internet.
6. Not including family or friends, the top three things you are thankful for. My health, modern medicine and my neurologist(okay, my career too).
7. If you had that mobile phone service, who would be in your top five (Which five people do you talk to on the phone the most)? John-although he would never answer his phone, Aunt Sue, Helen, Lauren and Amanda.
8 What things need to happen for you to have a good day? Joshy needs to listen, I wake up and everything works and the sun should be shining. Can't stand when it is gloomy for too many days. That really gets me down..
9. What is your favorite every day outfit? capris and a shirt.
10 When you are alone in the car, what do you do? I am rarely in the car alone, but I luv to listen to the radio, talk on the phone and THINK. I luv the solitude.
11. What kind of vehicle do you drive? 2007 Hyndai Tucson
What would you drive if you could have it for free? I am driving it. Although I used to really really want a Volvo SUV I am now over it.
12. What one person, whom you have never met, do you wish you could have lunch with? Teri Garr. I would luv to pick her brain about MS.
13. What is the one part of your body that you like the most? My brain-even with white demylinating matter on it.LOL
14. What song, playing on the radio currently, is your favorite to hear? The Christmas Shoes song. I cry every time I hear it.
15. What is the one piece of advice that you wish you could give someone (the persons’ name is not necessary)? Be positive. Life could always be worse and it IS for so many others.
16. What are you looking forward to right now? Surviving Joshy's birthday party this weekend and the holidays with family. Christmas is going to be so much fun with a 3 year old.

17. What are the TV shows you watch every week, and hate to miss? Grey’s Anatomy, Extreme Home Makeover, SVU, ER and House
18. What is the dinner that your family eats once a week? Chicken way more than once a week.
19. If you just won $100,000, what would you use the money for? Pay off any and all debts, put half in the bank and go on an obscene vacation with my family.
20. Name one random fact about you that you think most people do not know. As a child I was painfully SHY. I wouldn't even dial 411 to get a phone number cause I was afraid to talk to the operator.(yeah there did used to be people who answered that #). Guess I outgrew that as I will talk to ANYONE now.

I tag Miami Dawn and Mary Mary

RAK

As some of you know, I won a RAK contest that I didn't even enter on CK's website.
The prize that they were offerring, I already owned, so I told them to RAK it to someone that didn't have it. Well, I got an email saying that Lisa Bearnson wanted me to have something and to pick what I wanted from their website.

I wanted the Organizational Tips book since before it was released but never had gotten around to ordering it. Who couldn't use tips on being more organized right?

Well, to my thrill and delight, it just arrived via the Fed Ex man. I was so excited, I ripped open the envelope and not only is it the book I am dying to read, but on the front cover, it is personalized to ME and autographed by Lisa B.

Yes, she is overrated and seems simply "perfect" but at this very moment, she is, to me.
Thank you Lisa for teaching us and reminding us all that being selfless is so very important!!

ScrappinJackie

Disappointmet

Of course, just got the call. They aren't coming today, but tomorrow. Whatever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I HATE this pool company and I know HATE is a very strong word, but that is truly the emotion I am feeling.

Today's the Day or so they say!!

Apparently the pool is supposed to be "shot" today and filled. We shall see. They hold last place in finishing in my book so........only high hopes here.

I have already called the Water Dept. for the pool fill credit and the forms are on their way. YEAH.

Amanda came in last night for a short visit. She sat in too much traffic so that cut our visit short, but it was great catching up. She is off to Washington today for another surgery so I wish for a speedy recovery for her and will post when I know that she is well next week. We had some fun driving over to WSD to their Holiday Open House. We didnt' get to do the MNT as we got their too late to complete them. They looked cute but lots of stamping and I am so NOT a stamper. I was a "good" girl and didn't spend too too much. Okay a little, but I spent less than i did at their Fall Festival and I got to catch up with some ole friends.

I was thrilled to see Margot and chat. Well, we did more than chat and I think the Divas were all too thrilled to literally throw us out-LOL.

Happy Hump Day to all,
Jackie

Random thoughts

and ponderings. i sound like an episode from an old saturday night live episode.

why is it that my "friend" who i never had for years, now decides that it should arrive every 3 weeks or so?

when xactly does menopause begin so I can go thru it all NOW?! cause I am ready and over this whole "thing".

how am i ever going to get everything that needs to be-accomplished between now and xmas?

how many people r actually going to show up to joshy's party since not a single SOLE has bothered to rsvp. ugh.

and lastly, when will I ever stop feeling soooooooo damn tired all the time?

if anyone has an answer to any of these rants, please feel free to post a comment. it will warm my heart to know that someone bothers to read this thing. lol.

Snagged from Linda
1. WHO WERE YOU NAMED AFTER? I am Jacqueline Michele after my grandfather Jacob(Jack) and his brother Meier.
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Yesterday typing my ONE MORE DAY entry.
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Yes
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? rare roast beef
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Yes -just one
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Oh I would like to think so.
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM ALOT? Yes!!
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Nope. Those suckers were removed when I was in Kindergarten.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Not for a million $$
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Not a fan. I will eat it dry but don't like anything mushy so I rarely eat it.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Um no, that would require another bend.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Yes I am, in many many ways.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Coffee
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? hair, teeth, eyes, smiles
15. RED OR PINK? red
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOU? *SIGH* My weight
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Daddy
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Yes
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Pajamas that actually match today.
20. WHAT'S THE LAST THING YOU ATE? A breakfast burrito for dinner
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Absolutely NOTHING and it is a beautiful sound since I sent the "boys" off today.
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Purple
23. FAVORITE SMELLS? DH's cologne.
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My step mom, Lorry
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Ummm yes very much.
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Football, Nascar.
27. HAIR COLOR? Original dark brown. Now a little lighter with a reddish addition via Loreal. AND lots of gray in there too.
28. EYE COLOR? Brown, but every now and then Joshy says he will share his blue ones with me so mine are blue too.
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Nope. I have glasses but rarely wear them. My arms just aren't long enough lately though, so I might have to cave and dig em out.
30. FAVORITE FOOD? Ummm It would be easier to ask what I don’t like!
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? happy endings
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Elf
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Gray with Tigger pj;s
34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Spring
35. HUGS OR KISSES? I ’ll take both
36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Coffee ice cream
37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? ??
38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? ??
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Whatever picture book Joshy hands me and demands that I read
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Joshua
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? Elf and Friday Night Lights then I was out like a light.
42. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SOUND? deep giggles from my cute lil guy when I tickle him!
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Neither. Billy and Elton
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Hawaii
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Umm I have a few talents none of them are special. Everyone can do them!
46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? New York City, NY
47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? Everyones- I love reading these things.

One More Day

Inspired by Oprah this week, if I had one more day to spend with anyone, who would it be??????

Well, that is a question that pretty much ANYONE could answer about me and for the few and far between that can't, I will help you out. I would give my right hand(and I am a righty, but willing to compromise and learn to be a lefty) for the opportunity to spend "one more day" with my best friend, confindant and sparring partner, also known to me affecionately as DADDY!!

Jan. 27th will mark four years since the awful day when dh showed up at school and spoke the most horrible words that I have ever heard in my entire life, "Honey, Dad's Gone". I thought he was crazed-then with his mother standing by his side, I thought he meant HIS Dad. I looked at them and said, I'm sorry. "No, honey, DADDY IS GONE". Those words will haunt me for the rest of my life.

As a child, my father was not the warm and loving, compassionate soul one would expect a Daddy to be. In fact, he was downright horrible to me at times. I was the blacksheep of the family. His SON could do NO wrong and I could do NO right.

As an adult, that changed very quickly when I confronted him. I am the only one who ever had the gumption to ever confront him. He was ONE tough cookie, my Dad. He agreed he hadn't been daddy of the world, but that he couldnt' change the past. However, he could certainly make the effort to move forward and be different from that day forward. AND HE WAS. For the longest time, he didn't know ME. He looked at me and thought that he saw my birthmother(however, the entire world will tell you that I am 100% TINSKY and look just like my Dad and NO ONE ever has to ask who Aunt Sue is to me cause we look just alike).
So, for the last 13 years of his life, my dad became everything to me. He was still a tough cookie, but just on the outside.

He cried alll the time. He had always been a moosh, but happy times, he cried. Sad times he cried and he gave me the hardest time all the time, but that is why I say he was my sparring partner.

On Monday Jan. 26th, I spoke to him after school, as always. We spoke at least 2-3 times a day. I went off to real estate school that night and John called him on break from class at 9pm. He said that he was coming up on Friday to see our new house that he had coached us on purchasing arguing the contract specifics. However, they would have to leave early on Sunday so that they would be home in time to watch the Super Bowl.
John asked if he wanted to talk to me, he said NO. I spoke to her earlier and if she is with you then I know she is okay.
Back to class we went. The next morning at 8:30am is when John told me the news.
Daddy went to sleep after his conversation with John and woke up at 3am to use the bathroom. When my step-mom woke up at 7am, he was gone!! He never got to see our new house, xcept in photos and the thing that is the HARDEST thing for me to this minute as I sit here crying, is that he NEVER got to see/meet his grandson in this world.

All he ever wanted is for us to be happy and have a child. Well, we found out we were pg. 6 weeks after losing him the day we returned from our cruise on the Queen Mary(Daddy planned the trip for 9 of us). I am not a spiritual person but i KNOW that my son IS my dad. He looked like him in the womb and he is now my sparring partner. He is everything my father luved-bright, gorgeous and percotious.

If I had one more day, I would make sure that he knew just how much I luved him and I would cherish the time that he would get to spend with his grandson. Most of all, I would make him proud as he watched me be the MOMMY I never had.

I luv you Daddy and I KNOW you are with me, but oh how I would give you that right hand in a second for ONE MORE DAY!!

The weather is CRAZY

From 40 something degrees in the morning to nearly 70 again. CRAZY. I did enjoy our little cold snap this week. I even got to wear some holiday sweaters without completely melting by day's end. However, we will be back into the 80's before the end of the weekend. CRAZY. Not that I want it to stay cold, heck I lived in NJ long enough and do not ever want to deal with that again, but a bit of a snap for our Christmas Choo Choo ride on Sunday with Santa would have been appreciated. Oh well. We will have fun in tank tops and shorts.

Have a great Friday and an awesome weekend.

Has anyone told you a secret this week?~I do know who some of the Secret Snowmen are at school, I guess that is a secret.

Can you whistle?YES
Next vacation you're going on?Sadly, we don't have one planned. I luv looking forward to vacations.

What did you dream last night?I can't remember

Does your phone ring in the middle of the night often?~No thank goodness! Not in awhile. I did have a freaky cell phone thing going on for awhile right after my Dad died.

What is something you've learned about yourself recently?~That I just can't do it all anymore.

What's your favorite number?~22

How many things in your past do you regret?~I don’t regret the past, it shaped my present~

Do you have a best friend?~Yes

Do aliens exist?~Hmm, I say NO

Would you take a bullet for anyone?~Yes, I would. Joshy and John, without a thought~

What do you want to be when you grow up?~I am doing it right now, but I will never completely grow up.

If you had one whole day to yourself, what would you do?~Probably scrapbook and get organized

~What makes you mad?~ignorance

What makes you happy?~Being with my family.

One wish?~Health and happiness for all I know and luv

Name something that you would love to eat right now?~Chicken parm.

Last time you kissed someone?~This morning when I dropped Joshy off at Aunt Sue's

Have you ever toilet papered someone's house?~No~

Have you ever gone camping?~Yes but not since I was a kid at camp. My idea of camping is a Hotel.

Do you remember singing any songs as a kid?~I don’t remember a time when we did NOT sing.

When is the last time you got flowers?~It has been a LONG LONG time. Used to get them allll the time when we were dating.

What does your hair look like right now?~Looks good actually. Just got it cut.

EVER BEEN GIVEN AN ENGAGEMENT Ring?~Yes.-more than my share.

.EVER DROPPED A CELL PHONE?~Sure

LAST FOOD YOU ATE?-chicken sandwich at school. NOT a good one either

LAST WEDDING YOU ATTENDED?~hmmm, John's cousin Kristen

.FIRST FRIEND YOU'D CALL IF YOU WON THE LOTTERY? Helen

TELL ME A RANDOM FACT ABOUT YOURSELF?~I luv the sun, sand and beach. Swimming with the dolphins left me completely speechless.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON?~Spring

WHAT TIME DID YOU WAKE UP THIS MORNING?~7ish

>WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE NAME?~ Joshua Daniel

~HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ON A CRUISE?~Yes~we went on three of them in 16 months. I wanna go sooooo badly again. Just need Joshy to get a bit older.

DO YOU HAVE A SISTER?~Yes and I couldn’t live without her.

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN THE HOSPITAL?~More times than I can count.

WHAT JEWELRY ARE YOU WEARING?~too much to mention individually

Name a song that describes how you’re feeling.~I’ll Be Home For Christmas

What do you spend the most money on?~Groceries~

What is your favorite drink? Coffee, hot/cold whatever

Are you happy with life?~YES

It FLEW

I can't believe that today is already FRIDAY-YEAH. This week went rather quickly but not without the usual ups and downs.

My lil guy is still not feeling 100% and neither am I, although, I am not feeling as badly as I was. Weds. night I had to miss a very impt. meeting because I had a sinus headache that turned into a full blown migrane. I made John turn off the lights downstairs when i was in bed as they hurt my head. I still had it when I woke up at 3am, but thankfully by 7am, it was gone.
This weather sure doesn't help it. ICKY and sticky.

John has been working hard to get the outside decorated for the holidays. We have the whole PEANUTS theme again and man is it growing with my fantastic purchases from the Catalog Store. I luv it. I will post some pics this weekend. The inside of the house hasn't even been started, but give him some time.

Tonite my sister and "Little Amanda" fly in from Colorado for a quick weekend visit. Joshy can't wait and neither can I. Nothing major on the agenda just some visiting and catching up. I think we will go to Lowry Park zoo for some Winter Wonderland either tonite or tomorrow.

No chance of being scrappy this weekend, but I hope to complete some projects before all of the holiday madness is upon us.

Have a great Friday,
Jackie

From the mouth of BABES

"We had a great time tonite".
That pretty much says it all coming from an absolutely EXHAUSTED 3 year old!! And, let me tell you, he was right. He promptly passed out 2 seconds after completing the thought.

We drove over to St. Pete to have our usual weekend dinner with MIL and SIL. After we ate, we stopped for ice cream and then we drove down to the Pier to hopefully get a glimpse of some lights. We had missed the tree lighting in Hyde Park the night before and I was very disappointed.

We parked and walked around. Took some great photos and then spur of the moment, we jumped in a carriage and had an absolutely amazing horse/carriage ride around downtown St. Pete.

It was wonderful.
The BEST part of the evening was taking the photos in Santa's sleigh. Now you wanna talk about an absolute HAM BONE of a child. Check out one of the twins that hopped in with us and would NOT get out until he said CHEESE and had his photos taken with us. He was a RIOT.

As Joshy said, and I concur, we had a great night!!

Oh so thankful

We had such a lovely day yesterday. The entire family together to celebrate all that we have to appreciate and one VERY happy little boy. He brings so much joy to the entire family. It was an absolute THRILL to watch him enjoy his choo choo birthday cakes and all of his gifts.

HE, however, is the gift that we all enjoy!!

Happy November 22nd

Three years ago at this very moment, the decision was made.......
I was rushed down the hall to the operating room as my baby boy Joshy was NOT tolerating my labor and the doctor didn't want anything to happen.

So at 10:45am, John donned his scrubs and off we went. Approx. 30 minutes later, the tiniest of lil guys was welcomed into this world by two of the most appreciative(and scared) parents.

Happy Birthday Joshua Daniel!! You are truly a gift-I just wish my Daddy were here to share you with us, but oh he is soooo here in many many ways.

I luv you little man and I am so proud to call you my own!
Mommy

RAK

This time of year, it is especially important to stop all the chaos and remember just how much we all have to be thankful for. I am truly feeling that this weekend.

I had a crazy, busy, run around taking Aunt Sue all over yesterday kinda day. Accomplished absolutely NOTHING and I was pms-ing. NOT a good combo. However, we did get to Publix and get Turkey day shopping completed. Also, we did it all w/o the little guy, who was home with Daddy and CFA playing. Then we were off to St. Pete.

I read on Lisa Bearnson's blog last week about Random Acts of Kindness. In fact, she had a contest going for the best one. Cried while reading many of them. WOW. I replied to her blog saying how nice it was to know there are still people in this crazy world that take the time to appreciate others.

Well, since I didn't post a RAK to be chosen from......couldn't think of one that was worthy although I do consider myself to be a generous person. ............I was chosen among 10 random winners to receive a 2nd prize........the new Sketches book. I had already purchased it myself-although haven't opened it just yet.

Anyway, my RAK for the day is that I emailed back for them to give it to someone who doesn't have it yet.

So, here is my challenge to anyone who might actually read this blog......
Email me with YOUR RAK that you complete this week(prior to Thursday Turkey Day) and I am going to pick one person to send a TLC JINGLE album to.

Go out and do something self-less for a change and lemme hear what you did.
Jackie

Internal Clock

Okay, could someone possibly tell me how in the heck you teach a nearly 3 year old what an internal clock might be? OMG.

He had a complete and TOTAL meltdown at Aunt Sue's house yesterday afternoon as she and I were attempting to sort thru the numerous gifts we have been hoarding in the closet for a year now. Of course, she can't find ONE thing she bought so she was going nuts. Ha. Anyway, he fell asleep in the car on the way home at 6pm. That was nice as he really needed it. BUT, he slept thru the night. Great for me.......and for dh. We had a chance to TALK for the first time in awhile. We seem to be tag team parenting lately with little time for US. So, great night til.......the little bugger decided that 4:47 AM was morning and time to be up for the day. UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

I am so ready to go back to bed. Hope it is a wonderful day for all. It is a bit too cold inside this house right now. Adding insullation needs to be on the list of things to do SOON.
TTFN,
Jackie

The saga continues

THE BIG COMFY COUCH!!
Well, after 25 days of NOONE from my fabulous pool company showing up-I sent a scathing email. It could have been worse, but although this company appears to have great difficulty with follow-thru, they, can apparently READ.
I gave them two days Weds morning to show up before I proceeded with making phonecalls that I assured them they didn't want me to make. Lo and behold, TWO crews showed up yesterday. AMAZING. They were here again this morning before 7am. I am sure the neighbors luved that.
They have desicrated what was the sofa, loveseat, cushiony couch and are attempting to make it right. We shall see. If in another lifetime I ever buy another house, I will make certain that the pool is already there. This is one process I do not wish to relive.

The weather is fabulous this morning. VERY brisk and a nice change. Hoping for a wonderful weekend.
Jackie

Bad, Bad Blogger

So it is already Tuesday and I haven't been on here since Fri. Shame on me. Ha ha.
Did anyone miss me??

Very nice weekend had by all of us. We went over to Celebration on Saturday for the MS Annual Meeting. I was going to be there as a vendor before I found out that I won the award ........OMG. What a magnificent hotel. UNREAL.

The whole shindig went well. Sold a bunch of adorable Plushland bears and cried my eyes out when I was called up for my award. Some of the other's accomplishments made me feel sooooo tiny in comparision but what an honor to be standing amongst them. The award is beautiful and can be seen on NMSS.org if you look under the Mid Florida Chpt and the ACTIVIST winners.

We really had a nice day. Johnnie, Joshy, Aunt Sue and my MIL Eileen were all there to see me in my glory. With Joshy there it felt like my Dad was with me too. I got to see all my MS Society "friends" and discovered what I already knew to be true. I am truly BLESSED to have been given this disease so that I can have all of these people in my life!!!!!! I know, you are reading and thinking that I have truly LOST what might be left of my mind, but in reality, I am SERIOUS. These people ARE my family.

I was asked at school today to write down what I am thankful for and ironically, the first thing that came to my mind was my HEALTH. My health you ask? YES YES YES.

You see, there are always going to be others who are far worse off than I am -afflicted with numerous other ailments and I am so lucky to wake up each and every day and tackle whatever it is that is thrown at me. That is my attitude and I am sticking with it.

Now don't go calling my neurologist and telling her to UP my meds. I am GREAT and truly thankful for soooooooo many things.

Off to complete some more painting projects . I luv being crafty.
Nite to all,
Jax

TGIF

I am very glad that it is Friday!! Why do some weeks just seem to NEVER end? This one was def. one of those.
I am very happy that I had my house cleaned this week. Mind you, there is still PLENTY to do, but on the surface, there is a huge improvement.

We are off to Celebration tomorrow morning to sell my adorable MS plushland animals and for the Annual Meeting of the NMSS at which, I am being honored with the Perpetual Idealist Award.

I will post when we return.
Jackie

Feeling Blah

In my family, when one is feeling BLAH, we have always called it "Feeling MUSHY". That is me today. One big ball of MUSH.

I cried several times and that is NOT like me. I was feeling really stressed at work and I don't like that feeling at all. I worked thru lunch, which I never do, but I HAD to.

My day started with someone in my assigned parking spot. I HATE that. Then I went to my mailbox to find a "gift" from the resource teacher-21 writing tests to score and return PRIOR to 8am tomorrow. Well that is all well and good, but I didn't get them until 11:30 when i arrived and I don't go back to work until 11:30 tomorrow. Which means, I worked thru lunch and had ONE hour after school(2:30-3:30 ) to get them scored and turned in on her desk.
I did NOT like that feeling at all. I emailed at 11:33 saying that I wasn't certain it would get done(cc'ed P too). Of course, NO ONE answered my email. And what is all this for ????? MAP . bonus that I won't get anyway........
Oh sometimes I hate my job, but most of the time I truly do luv it and my job sharing . Today, was NOT one of those days.

Joshy was 100% himself today. He ate NON stop for the first time in over one month. Amazing. The surgeon told us two weeks and today is two weeks. We go for our post-op follow up tomorrow morning. He got the cutest haircut today too.

Saturday we head to Celebration for me to accept my award. I am getting nervous about that too. I so do NOT like to be in front of big crowds. Hope we just walk across the stage or whatever and get it. If anyone is in the area, c'mon by and get some adorable plushland.com animals that I will be vendoring. All to benefit the NMSS.

Okay, off to finish up some projects and dinner too.

Hoping tomorrow is a better day!!
Jax

Good Morning Tuesday

Had a really nice weekend. The weather was picture perfect, although, I didn't take any pictures.
I got scrappy a bit.........but not as much as I would enjoy.
Sunday afternoon, Joshy and I headed out and were actually gone about 4 hours leaving dh and his cranky self home to organize the garage. Now, there is still SOME glimmer of hope that a car might eventually go in there, but at the moment(unlike Miss Linda's), the only car will be Matchbox size. As Joshy tells me, we need a bigger house. The house is okay but a 3 car garage wouldn't hurt. LOL.

Nothing at all new on the pool front. Haven't seen anyone here for two weeks. All I can say is this: If we should EVER move and that is doubtful, I am buying a house that already has a pool. This whole process has been stressful. I know I will forget all about it when I am floating come summer, but I am sick of looking at all the CRAP in my yard. I am quite certain my neighbors are sick of it too.

Nothing much else going on. School is good. Quiet week for me this week, but checked my calendar and I have something every single night next week. UGH. Dreading it already.

Have a fantastic Tuesday everyone. I am off to finish up 3 more altered clipboards that I am giving to teacher's for gifts.
Jackie

What a beautiful day!! The weather was absolutely to DIE for. Great breeze, sun shining and wow. Picture perfect.
We drove over the bridge and had bkfst w/the inlaws. They took Joshy for awhile while we strolled over to WSD and checked out all the make n take projects . Saw some old friends, made some new ones, as always. And, spent some money. Dh was standing right there at check out so I had to behave myself. I did find some great BG paper in the clearance rack and bought a couple of nifty items I hope to alter.

THANX bunches Stacey for the mini album. Sorry I forgot to bring you your stuff. I will get over there this week, promise.

We left Whims and headed over to Toys R Us, There is noplace like it to buy kiddo stuff and the one over here closed down dammit. We did manage to find a couple of birthday gifts for the lil guy we couldn't leave unattended. They are now safely in Aunt Patty's garage. I also made a short list of thing for other's to purchase as many people keep asking .....lol.
What a lucky lil guy.
We grabbed a bite to eat at our favorite SP dive Johnny's. YUM. One of the best chx parm around, and i am a chix parm snob as I make it better than most of the places I have eaten it out. NOT Johnny's. He does a great job.
Joshy is still not eating, bur picking here and there. He wore out his Aunt Pat and his Nanny, but everyone had a nice day. I am now workin on three altered clipboards for gifts and can't wait to sink my mind into the stuff I bought to get busy on. WOO HOO. I luv when inspiration kicks in. Now to find th etime. Oy. Never enough of that.

I am beat and my meds are kicking in. Gotta sleep while I can cause JR. Mint is gonna be up at five am ish as the time change WILL mess him up, which results in the same for ME.

Sweet dreams and cool breezes,
Jackie

long one

Good Morning all~
I am not sure that I have been so happy to have a weekend arrive in quite some time. This week, esp. the last 3 days were just overloaded and packed FULL and I was so wiped out last night that I was in bed at 9pm. I didnt' fall asleep right away, but once the Ambien kicked in, I was good til 6am, when I heard dh sneak out to go fishing.

I got my report cards done, held 17 conferences, scored and turned in two sets of demand writes test papers(what a difference from 3rd to 4th graders-yikes), completed and turned in lesson plans and managed to survive the craziness.

I have absolutely NOTHING on the calendar for this weekend and I am thrilled. I would luv nothing more than to sit and veg all weekend, but that was another lifetime ago. I am already altering a clipboard for a gift(paint coat #1 is drying), and on my 2nd load of laundry.

My lil man is healing well. His tongue is bothering him several times a day, but once the Tylenol kicks in(5-10 minutes) he is good to go for anothre 4-6 hours. He goes back to the surgeon this coming week on Thursday. His snoring is nearly 99% gone, which is fabulous. I think he is sleeping MUCH better which is both good and bad because he has NOT been napping much at all. BOO for Mommy, who enjoyed the hour or so I got from him most afternoons.

I FINALLY got my car back from Aunt Sue yesterday. WOOOOO HOOO. However, that is both good and bad news. She finally got her car back from the accident she had back in Sept. However, her primary doctor and my neuro have both agreed that she can NOT drive until they do some further tests. There is a possibility that she might have had a seizure of some type, causing the accident. I am so happy that she FINALLY went to the doctor. She would rather live in denial most of the time than deal with certain things. I adore my aunt(she IS my mom and Joshys' grandma) but oh is she thick headed. Hmm, wonder if that runs in the TINSKY genes. HA.
Anyway, hoping that there was nothing that caused the accident because her license being suspended for 6 months WILL send her over the top. However, I will add chauffer to my job description if necessary as there are three people in her household, all with health issues and NONE of whom can presently drive. Glad that I am here and will be able to pitch in if I need to.

Okay, off to paint coat #2. Have a GREAT Saturday and enjoy the brief moments of "cooler" Tpa temps.
Jackie

I just had to share.

So, I had a pretty crappy day yesterday. We all have em, I know. I do not care for having to work for 12 hours and do report card pick up. It is just exhausting and whoever scheduled it for the day after Halloween, needs to NOT be on the calendar committee at our school anymore.
Okay, so I get home at 9pm last night and I am going thru a HUGE pile of mail. Most of it is JUNK. However, there were two things that truly brought a smile to my face.One, I received a $250 check donation to TEAM DURNING and a sheet for MATCHING FUNDS. How cool is that?! PLEASE PLEASE check to see if your company participates in such a program. THANX BUNCHES.
The second great piece of mail was NOT the letter telling me that I had forgotten to pay my HOA dues. OOPS. Too much going on the last few weesk and it just slipped my mind....But, it was a FED EX envie addressed to me.Inside was a very nice letter congratulating me on being selected for the MS PERPETUAL IDEALIST award that my dh had nominated me for.
I will accept my award in Celebration, FL on Nov. 10th at the NMSS Annual Meeting.Thank you all for letting me share my glory for a moment.
Proudly,
Jackie

Happy Halloween

I luv this holiday and I am thrilled that my lil guy is going to be "up" to going Trick~Or~Treating!! He did cry twice yesterday that he hurt. This morning he was pointing to his tongue and crying again. Thankfully, nothing a little Tylenol didn't cure. Poor guy. He has been such a lil trooper thru all of this. He still isn't eating a bunch, but I am certain his share of lollipops tonite will cure him completely. He LUVS his pops.

Of course, anyone who knows Joshy KNOWS what he will be dressed as or should I say WHO he will be dressed as-stay tuned for photos of Joshy Thomas. CHOO CHOO.

Everyone stay safe and have FUN.

gloomy

Good Morning~
We had a gloomy, overcast weekend here in Tampa weather-wise. Oh I am so ready for the humidity to leave and to feel just a tiny bit of cooler weather.
Saturday we ventured out for the first time in DAYS. I can't stand being housebound and the walls were def. starting to close in on me. We headed over to St. Pete for a bit. Had some dinner. Joshy is doing great and seems to be healing nicely.
We went to our usual Pumpkin Patch to pick out some pumpkins so that we can "pretend" it is Fall. Well, let me tell you. I left soooo dissapointed. The weather has been so warm that the majority of the pumpkins were squishy and mushy. It was really sad. Joshy picked out 3 tiny lil ones-"Daddy, Mommy & Joshy ones". No carving going to happen here this year :(
Yesterday we headed down to the Pumpkin Festival. Nanny and Aunt Pat joined us and it was a very nice day. We got to see animals and my lil champ even ate a HOT DOG. Guess his throat is doing well. His new little voice is squeaky and kinda funny, but NO MORE snoring at all. YEAH.
Yes, Amanda, I KNOW I said no Pumpkin Festival, but we did it anyway. You will be happy to know that this was NOT the photo op it usually is and I will NOT be scrapping it for eternity. You see, other than the hayride, I don' t think I got one photo of Joshy where it wasn't the BACK of his head. I think my pages will be titled, PUMPKIN HEAD this year. HA HA.

Off to get ready for school. I hate returning after being out for days(3), but there are grades to enter into the computer for report cards this week.

I have a LONG week. Two night time functions/meetings, so I will be scarce.
Have a great Monday, even if it is gloomy.

TGIF

Happy Friday!! Honestly, didn't even have a clue what day it was when I woke up this morning, but when I checked my balance in my account, I realized that it was payday Friday too. WOO HOO.

Joshy had a good night last night. He fell asleep and I had to look to see that he was out......which most would assume is not a big deal, but with him, it WAS. You see, I couldn't hear him, which means there was NO snoring. Surgery was a success!!

Watched Grey's last night and the beginning of ER, but passed out. Darn it. Oh well. Someday I will join this century and get text messaging AND a dvr. LOL.

Just laid back today. Joshy is talking garbally today so I think the swelling has gotten him. He REFUSES to take his pain meds and I wore the last dose. We will take it easy for a couple more days and hope to have a nice family weekend.
Enjoy,
Jackie

LONG day Thursday

Okay, in reality, it has been NO longer than your average day for most, for me............LONG.

Thankfully, Joshy did really well last night. He slept thru the night and NO snoring at all!! The dogs were barking at 3:59am and they sure woke me up. Went downstairs to make sure all was well-the boys slept thru it all. HA.

Woke up for good at about 7am and Joshy was great. We took pain meds, which still make us WIRED. He was running around the kitchen table after the second round today. LOL. So add codeine to the list of meds he has the OPPOSITE reaction too. Jeez.

He has eaten all day, drank, and is acting perfectly FINE. Thank goodness. I am, on the other hand, WORN out. Now, if he would go down for a nap, I would too.

So glad he is resilient.

Oh what a day

From every possible emotion to absolute exhaustion. What a day.
However, I must say, that emotions and exhaustion beside, I am so truly blessed. My lil guy did great thru surgery. He was in recovery quite a bit longer than anyone expected, but they do like them to sleep it off. We were fortunate to be in there with him.

He was fantastic until we got to his room and he had a total meltdown over the IV board on his arm. They removed the board and he did well for about five hours. Ate, drank, snacked and was really amazing. Doctor was thrilled the two times he came in to check on him.

However, six pm hit and OMG. The IV started beeping like mad, they ended up removing it and after a round of pain meds, we assumed we were ready for some down time. YEAH RIGHT.
My child was literally RUNNING laps around the nurses station. He is such a TINSKY. I had them call the dr. and we were released and home by eight. WOO HOO. Thankfully, he recuperates just like me so no need to stay there. They had to chase him to take his final vitals, but he looks great, and in NO way needed to be in the hospital tonite. MUCH better for all of us. I am off to crash. Both my guys are already blissfully asleep.
Thanks for well wishes. Life is GOOD(and so is ICE CREAM).

Happy Icky MONDAY

Oh how I do NOT like Monday's. I could go on and on with why I don't like them, but I would happen to think there are many out there that would agree.
Mainly, they just came plain too quickly. However, somewhat fortunately (and not) for me this week, my Monday is also my Thursday. I am only working today and tomorrow as Joshy goes in for his surgery on Weds and I took the rest of the week off.

I have so much to do to prepare(mentally and otherwise) but it will all fall into place. We had an incredibly productive and busy weekend though. I have done laundry til I can't do laundry anymore, yet there is still more laundry in the washer. OY.
John organized and cleaned out the pantry and the freezer. Not even sure what some of the stuff was, but it is gone into the garbage pile, which is growing increasingly HIGH. Especially considering that for whatever reason, the trash on our ENTIRE street was NOT picked up Friday, our usual trash day. It looks awful out there, but no one bothered to haul it back inside. Heck, the garage didn't need the stench.

We had a very nice and successful FALL FESTIVAL in Bella Vista this weekend. I have such an amazing bunch of neighbors!! Joshy was on the inflatable jumpy slide water thingy from the time we got there at 1pm until they came and deflated it at 5:30pm. Needless to say, he passed out in the car on the way to Aunt Sue's house at 7pm.

I am so glad that she is coming home tomorrow. I REALLY miss her and so does my lil man. Surgery is at 11:45 on Weds morning and I have a TON of stuff to do to get ready, especially at school. Preparing for a sub is worse than actually being there.

Have a great week and I will try to check back in. SOON.
Say an xtra prayer for my lil man, and thanx all.

two in one morning oh my

So, for those keeping up on the couch saga....updates as follows.

Those guys are MORONS and they have been here a total of 7 times. I am still NOT at all happy with it, but ........when it is all done, it isn't going to work properly and THEN they will be fixing it or jack hammering it.

The pavers are awesome and look great. The tile is gorgeous too. They are putting "pads" outside the screen doors today, just as soon as they move the PVC pipes that are RIGHT there. HELLLLLOOOO. Now I do not work for a pool company and I am not my ex husband, so I can't read blueprints, but even i can see where the doors is supposed to be on the plans. HELLO. If there is a DOOR going right there, what would possess you to put TWO PVC pipes sticking 2 feet out of the ground right there????????????? GENIOUS I tell you.

So that is the update. We are getting close to being completed. By Halloween, I doubt it, but by Turkey Day, which is Joshy's 3rd birthday is lookin good.

Weds already

I can't believe that this week is going so quickly. YEAH.
Joshy survived his first day with G'ma yesterday, but he did tell me he misses Aunt Sue. We all do! She will be back next week-off in NYC seeing old friends and celebrating Jaime's 30th birthday. How in the HE*L can Jaime be turning 30?! Jeez. I babysat for the child from the day she came home from Colombia. YIKES.

I am off to MOSI to meet my class who is already there on their first field trip. FUN FUN. Can't actually remember the last time I was at MOSI. I think it was back when I was in college. Guess a few things have probably changed.

Had a LONG yet productive meeting for the HOA last night. Budget. I hate Budget meetings. I have served on our Board for as many years as I have lived here and I was on the BOD of the condo prior to that. My two year term is up and I am thinking that I am not going to run again. Although it is impt to me to have input and I hate to give up control, my heart just isn't in it anymore. I have other commitments that I feel more passionate about. We shall see. I think that if I do give it up, i will make John run. That way, the Durning's will still have a "voice".

Okay, off to drop off the lil guy and head out to the museum. This kinda stuff makes job sharing complicated, but ........it will all work out.
Jackie

productive

So, I spent a good part of the weekend being crafty and somewhat productive. Thing is, I started about 4 different projects with none of them yet completed. However , they are all on their way and I am proud of myself.

I plan to finish my first altered clipboard tonite. All the others are awaiting second or third coats of paint and drying. You know how it goes.

I did make some cute Halloween cards that I figure I can write out next week at the Hospital to keep myself busy while Joshy is in surgery.

Nothing else new or overly exciting going on. Sure wish that we would have some cooler weather.
Aunt Sue leaves in the morning for NYC. Sure am going to miss her but not as much as Joshy will. Thank goodness for Grandma stepping in. This should be fun. HA.

Have a great rest of your Monday.

MARY tagged everyone who hasn't been tagged and I hadn't. so here are the rules.

The rules are as follows:
1) Link to the "tagger" & post the rules
.2) Share 7 facts about yourself- random / weird facts
.3) Tag 7 people & link to them.
4) Leave comments on their blogs, so they know they've been tagged.
So, if I tag you.....follow those rules!!!!!
Tricia http://tricia-mycreativeoutlet.blogspot.com/

7 facts about me:

1-I hate MUSHY foods
2- I can NOT even look at a canned pea w/o wanting to THROW up.
3-Just thinking about cotton gives me the WILLIES-typing about it isn't helping either
4-I REFUSE to allow my students to use glitter cause it makes me crazy
5-my best friend from 6th grade and I still talk weekly(and its a guy)!!
6-before I got FAT, I was a great gymnast. I was known as the kid who could do a perfect Russian split.
7-I can NOT sleep with my feet under the covers

another few minutes of fame

http://carrollwood2.tbo.com/content/2007/oct/13/cw-disease-stirs-mom-to-act/?news

wow, this week flew by

I can't believe it is Friday already. The "couch" on the side of the pool has been built up a bit so in reality it looks now like the BIG COMFY COUCH!! Seriously, I am over it. The guys that just left here insist it will be fine once they paint it and there are palm trees around it. WHATEVER.

We are off to Ft. Lauderdale after school today. I would MUCH rather being off to Sebring and cropping, but I MUST attend the memorial service for my Nana. I have been in total denial about her as I was tooo busy to allow it to sink in. I know she is no longer suffering, but somewhere in my head I still think she will be there when we arrive.

We will get to see Kimmie and Ashy. Joshy is very xcited to see them and their new house.

I need to go and finish packing. Have a great weekend and scrap something for me.

Ugh Monday

It was truly a MONDAY kinda day from start to finish. UGH.

John had it out with the pool company that promised the "Flintstone Couch" would be removed tomorrow before they do another thing out there. YEAH RIGHT. Cause when I got home the screen enclosure is nearly done. JEEZ. Wondering how they are going to get rid of the rock couch, but NOT my problem. Apparently, the right hand doesn't talk to the left hand with this company.

Got to school and that darn Honda that keeps parking in my assigned spot, was there again. Of course, nowhere else to park. GRRR> NOT the way I want to start my day. UGH. Walk into class and I have a new kiddo. Very sweet lil girl who I am quite certain went home and told her Mom to get her outta my room ......LOL. New kid, is like the first day of school all over again. Poor thing. I had only run enough copies for how many kids I had, so I was short one all day. Have them pull out journals, she doesn't have one. Take out reading books, not that either. NOTHING went smoothly at all.

So the screen room is nearly done with no roof yet. They were here til almost 7pm. Worked hard and fast. Guess that means I will be coughing up some more money. LOL.

Not giving them another penny til the Flintstone couch is GONE. We shall see.

I used a 50% off coupon at Joanne's on my way home so I have to new toys to play with and a new idea book/magazine to read. YEAH.

Hope tomorrow is a smoother day.

So sorry

If anyone actually reads this thing, I am very sorry for being so delinquent with its updates lately.
The MS Crop 4 Hope literally TOOK over my entire life. It was held last weekend & to my delight, it is OVER. Now, some would assume that means it is DONE. HA. Not so true. LOL.

My diningroom table, although still cluttered, does appear to be under the boxes. There are far fewer in there now than this time last week. I am still collecting money and trying to get all winnings to their new and appropriate homes. I started writing thank you notes and addressing envies for them. So, there is some progress being made on that front. I will more than likely be done in time to start all over again for next year.

I had a good week at school. Lost one child who moved and my 16 that are left are fabulous. I am really starting to like these lil buggers. Speaking of lil buggers, mine is fighting this same damn cold again-still-not sure which one. He is crankier than usual, but no less full of energy.

Yesterday was my 4th wedding anniversary and let's just say, I must be the ONLY one in this house who thinks it is a date of any importance. So, enough said there, not the best night in our home. And, the "oops I screwed up flowers havent arrived yet either". Oh well. So much for his "training". Even his Mom was NOT happy.

I am hoping for a relaxing weekend. Hope everyone enjoys theirs.

Being TESTED

Okay, sometimes I just have to wonder, why the heck stuff happens as it seems to. I am a pretty positive and remarkably upbeat most of the time, but if anyone happens to be listening,

I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am not certain how much else I am willing to handle right now.

Aunt Sue was in a car accident this morning. Thank God Joshy wasn't with her and thank goodness that no one was hurt. But, not at all what anyone needed right now. and NOT the phonecall anyone wants to get.

OY.

So, I didn't go to school today, but rather to South Tampa to make sure she was okay. Wish it had been like up in Lutz or something, cause it took me over an hour to get down there. And of course, NOTHING good going thru my mind on the way. I was sooooooo relieved to see her and know she was okay.

Her Santa Fe is a MESS, but who cares. Thank goodness for insurance. She will be sore tomorrow, but State Farm will take care of the rest.

If you read this far, thanks for letting me vent.
Off to type up final raffle sheets. AGAIN. LOL.

Happy Sunday

Hope that everyone is enjoying their weekend so far.
I am up earlier than I would like to be for a change. There is a little boy in my house that just won't let me sleep. AHHHH. "Open your eyes Mommy" as he pries my eyelids open. Too bad he isnt' there later to actually hold them open when I feel them wanting to close at about 3 pm.

Friday I went to see my favorite-HOT eye doctor. Good news is that I was able to get away with buying reading glasses in the $1 bin at Target. YEAH.

Finalizing details for the crop next week and trying to organize my CRAP in case I get to work on anything-NOT likely. However, Iam going to the Creep Over in Sebring so I will need stuff then.

Have a gr-8 Sunday.
Happy Birthday to Linda's Lil Man, Taylor!! 13 already. WOW.

Good Morning

Wow, it is Thursday already. While I would usually be thrilled that the week is passing so quickly, it simply reminds me how much closer I am to next weekend's crop. YIKES.

I am feeling better about my lil man. Thank you all for the supportive words. I KNOW this will be fine and he will come thru it w/flying colors. He is soooooo strong and such an amazing gift of a lil guy.

I am fighting a cold. Same one he has too. Gosh for the last two days he has fallen asleep in the car at 5ish on the way home and slept thru the night. My poor dh hasn't seen him awake in two days. He is having withdrawal. LOL.
He will get his fill tonite as I have a meeting from 6-8pm to begin organization on the Tampa MS Walk for Hope in March.

Going to jump in the shower while I can. Have a gr-8 Thursday everyone.

rough day

This morning was a ROUGH one for this mommy.
We had an appointment for Joshy at ALL CHILDRENS satellite office today up in New Port Richey. I am pretty strong when it comes to most things, but I am telling you that the tears DID start falling as we scheduled my BABY for surgery on Oct. 24th.

It is nothing serious, but I did lose it for a minute. Good thing that Aunt Sue came with us, cause she took him back into the playroom while John and I spoke to the doctor.

They are going to remove his tonsils and adnoids(sp)? as well as snip his tongue as he is tongue tied.........this should help with his lisp and speech .

We will stay overnight at UCH and then hopefully be fine and NO MORE snoring. Dr. Patel said we will NOT believe the difference in his sleeping once he is healed. Hope so.

Thanks for letting me vent/share. It is bound to be a rough time for us. Hoping he recuperates from things like I do as I ate steak the day after my tonsils came out-LOL.

Hug your babies tonite a bit tighter,
Jackie

Happy Birthday

I just wanted to wish my very dear friend,
Miami Dawn an amazing birthday!!
Hope it is a fabulous day and a year filled with ONLY good things.

Hugs and see you in 10 days,
Jackie

a post on someone else's blog about ME

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3803739652921836654&postID=3560258190000821703

what a week

Can't believe it is Sunday already. Time goes wayyyy tooooo fast, esp. on the weekends!

Yesterday we went to the mall to make our final purchases for Cash For Class . Hoping my school places this year as we could really use the $$. Last year, brand new schools won everything. I am not knocking brand new schools, esp. since they are in the most populated, new areas, but they have the BEST of everything . Construction money can often be used creatively by administration.

My school(that I have been at for 15 years) was built in 1971. Hardly new . And with that said, we have stuff that is from 1971 too. The only way to get NEW and updated/needed items is to win something like this.

So go to Citrus Park Mall and buy yourself a diamond necklace, turn in the receipt for Bay Crest and then return it ...........Pretty PLEASE!!

Aunt Sue took me out on a date last night. LOL. We went to the Performing Arts Center to see MY FAIR LADY. I had a really nice time. Great show. However, I was up until nearly 3am as I could not to save my life or Ambien fall asleep. Not too bad but my lil guy was literally PRYING my eyes open telling me to open them up at 7:15am. UGHHHHHHHHH.

But, here is the GREAT news...................Daddy took him and I got to sleep in until the phone rang at 9:45am. Now, for me and those that know me, that is RARE and an incredible treat. Thanks Froggie.

While I was at the theater, a neighbor did his magic and dropped off a TON of donations for the Crop. I have sooooooo much to do with all of it. Can't wait .
Off to put some laundry away, while dh cleans up the crap in the backyard. The pool guys have left sooooooooooooooooooooooo much garbage out there it isn't even funny. I know it is a construction site for them, but hell, it is my backyard and if I had to look at the BIG GULP cup one more day, well, that is why John is outside cleaning up.

Hoping the inspection has been ordered so someone can do something on the damn thing soon. At this point, pool party for Christmas. UGH.

Happy Sunny Sunday.

TGIF!!

Wow, this week FLEW by and sooo happy that it is Friday. I feel like my life is pulling me in 15 different directions most days and I often not sure which way to go or how to catch my breath!!

At least I have the weekend to do some relaxing-yeah right and get stuff re-organized.

Joshy is sick again and I am so hoping NOT to catch it. Stayed up wayyyy too late last night doing crop stuff, so I am tired today.

Will blog more over the weekend. Enjoy!

Happy Monday

Hi girls,
Just checking in. I just walked in the door from what felt like a long day, but I got alot accomplished.

The tile guy is done with the tile and the plumbing on the pool. So, that is moving right along. I am guessing no one will show up for another 3 weeks or so.

Spent some time after school seriously trying to get my act together in my classroom. I do NOT like the feeling that I am "winging" it each day. So, tomorrow it is my mission to act like I got it all together. Keep your fingers crossed-LOL.

I guess that's about all I can update you on. Have a great evening.

I am sad :(

Got the phonecall this morning that I have been dreading. My Nana died.
I am full of guilt for not getting down there, but I just couldn't. Now because of the Jewish holidays they have decided to bury her up in NY on Tuesday. Well, that isn't going to be possible for me. There is only one direct flight that would get me there in time, but then I would have to rent a car, drive two hours to the cemetary and do it all myself.
John can't take time off of the new job and it just isn't in the cards for me. I feel badly. I do want to be there to say good-bye, but .............

So, I sit here with a sad heart and feel like a total SH*T, but I will mourn in my own way.

I sure hope tomorrow is a better day. I don' tlike feeling like this.

Rest in peace Nana. No more suffering and give Papa a hug from HIS Jackie.

Life is GOOD.....

What a great day today!!
Headed out to hear my neuro lecture on the many new treatment options coming down the pike for MS patients. It was a bit overwhelming and hard to digest it all at once, but some very xciting things in the future. YEAH.

Then she performed for us all. She is a professional ballerina as well as being a phenominal doctor and person in general. I am sooo fortunate to have found her. Thanks Lisa.

Aunt Sue and I enjoyed a very nice day together. We ran a few errands and did a little shopping too. I picked up some donations for the crop and that was the first time all day that I thought of it.

John and Joshy had gone to see the Thomas movie today. They both enjoyed it. My lil guy sure is growing up quickly. When I got home Johnnie had put the wall unit back together. YEAH. Then I put out another table and organized all the crop stuff into groups so the clutter is categorized now and not sprawled out across the kitchen, living room, family room and it is all contained in the dining room. We only use that for Thanksgiving so that is a good thing.

The best part of the entire day was doing laundry. Now, as you well know, NOT one of my favorite chores, but today........entirely different story. It was fabulous. Because, you see, at the bottom of the washing machine, sitting all sparkly and shiny, was my ENGAGEMENT RING. YEAHHHHHHHHHHHH.
I can not even begin to express just how happy I was to find it gleaming in there. Must have been in my pants pocket from the other night when I took it off to make chix. parm. I am so relieved, as is my dh, I am sure. YEAH.

Hope Sunday is just as good. Enjoy.

what a disaster

Yesterday was absolutely NUTS from start to finish.

I had two tile people here doing the tile. It looks great so far.
At the same time, we had two electricians doing the electrical work.
About that time, the Verizon dude calls that he is coming to fix the FIOS cable that was cut during bulldozing over a week ago. YEAH we finally have tv back in the family room, although the unit is still in a zillion pieces.

Then I realize that I can NOT find my engagement ring. GONE. No, I didn't "lose" it persay. It doesn't like slide off my fat fingers, it just is NOT where I keep it and Joshy did NOT take it.

If that isn't the morning from you know where, I also realize that my front tooth is jagged and sharp and cutting my tongue. GREAT. I have no dental insurance and .................I am going to look like I belong on the Beverly Hillbillies if I don't get it fixed.

Take a deep breath. Off to work. School is going well. I am enjoying my team and my kiddos are sweet and "getting" there in terms of routine. I am all about routine.

Watch the news after I get to Aunt Sue's. A child I had in class in 2002 was arrested for talking about blowing up his high school. NICE.

I miss the social committee meeting as Joshy takes a long nap and on my way home, as if the day hasn' t been enough ...........I get a phonecall telling me that my Nana is NOT doing well and most likely will not make it thru the night. JEEZ. When it rains it pours and at the moment, I am getting DRENCHED.

Good news, I guess is that the phone didn't ring today telling me she passed. It hasn't been an easy time hearing of her suffering and I hope that the end will be painless for her. The guilt I feel will not go away, as I had planned on going down to see her sometime this summer and didn't. Now I am having anxiety issues about whether to attend the funeral. I luv my Nana, and Joshy luved her the few times that he was with her. He brought her much joy too.
However, I am NOT about spending days with that part of my family. PLEASE do NOT pass judgement............LONG story.

If the services were going to be held in FL I would go with anxiety. However, the plan is that they will be held in NY and I can NOT fathom flying up there by myself and dealing with all that alone. Yet, having John and Joshy go is not only an enormous xpense, but not probably appropriate or likely. So you see my dilemma.

On a positive note, I got in to see my old dentist yesterday(waited nearly two hours) but I didn't have an appt. He couldn't fix it yesterday, but Monday afternoon I will have it bonded and repaired.

On an even happier note, it is FRIDAY and I can accomplish "stuff" this weekend.

My guys are going to the Thomas the Train movie tomorrow while Aunt Sue and I attend a conference on the new MS therapies and survey results of recent studies. Should be enlightening. Then Dr. Ledoux is dancing for us all-she is a professional ballerina on top of being an amazing neurologist.

So, i am off to go make some dinner and collapse. If ya happen to have any idea where my engagement ring is, let me know okay.

Thanks all. Have a gr-8 weekend. Sorry this was soooooo long winded.

pool update

So, the tile guy did show up and it appears he actually did some prep work for the pool tile, which looks like it is about to go in.

John spent some time today on the phone with the owner of the company, who, although our contract says they don't pay for running over buried cables, agreed to pay HALF of the $300 it is going to cost to fix our FIOS ...........grrrr. I am still NOT happy about this. Hopefully, it will get fixed SOON. It is a pita not to have a tv downstairs and even bigger pain to have the MESS that is all over since the wall unit is taken apart .

Everything else is good. The C4H is keeping me wayy busy, but it is coming together. Still getting registrations in for the days that I have open and packages arriving daily. I am excited and will be thrilled to pull it all off the way that it is planned in my head.

Joshy bumped his head today at Aunt Sue's but although he has a bump and a black n blue mark, he is NO worse for wear. Poor A. S. felt soooooooo bad until I reminded her that the last goose egg he got on his head, he received while sitting IN MY LAP!!

He and Johnnie are getting excited about the Thomas movie on Saturday. I almost wish I were going too, but I am giong to hear my neuro lecture and dance for us. She even called me today personally to remind me. What Dr. does that?????????? That is her second personal call to me in a month. She is truly an incredible lady.

Okay, off to try to get the lil guy down. and to watch BB8,
Nite Nite.

sooooo busy

I am hanging my head here in shame for not keeping up. It isn't easy blogging and remember to do it each day, but it is even more difficult when I trying to keep up with TWO blogs. Sometimes, I am more active on the other one, so check it out.

Pool guys never showed up yesterday despite the fact they were going to start the tile work. Yeah right. I am even more upset that NO ONE from the pool company has called to fess up to cutting my cable and having the initiative to get it FIXED. Apparently they don't wanna pay. Let's just say I AM NOT HAPPY!!

On a positive not, you should have seen the productivity that went on here yesterday from about 7 am til well past 1am.
Val Mobley came over and took charge in helping to organize the chaos that is the crop for hope prizes. what a BIG job. Then my mother in law and sister in law came to help out. Mom helped foof up about 10 silent auction baskets. she is very good at that. sil helped keep the lil guy(and the big one occupied) and amanada came and took charge of the goodie bags.

It was a well oiled machine and we got soooooooo much categorized and organized. I def. feel much less stressed about it all and can't say how very much I appreciate their help.

It sure is nice toknow that I have such good friends and family.
Happy SUnday.

So it is Monday

Up once again before MR. SUN. Guess I need to let my dr. know that Ambien does NOT seem to be working as well lately. Oh joy. You would think that since I takes Provigil to stay awake all day(and the biggest dose of anyone I know) that sleeping should NOT be such an issue.

I am not complaining, but being tired all the time is getting tiresome. HA.

We had a very nice productive weekend. I got some piddly stuff accomplished and that feels good. John managed to get the toilet fixed yesterday too. Yeah. You don't realize how much you use the downstairs bathroom til you have to go upstairs in a hurry. HA.

Hoping that this week is equally as productive.

productive day

So, I was up before Mr. Sun, but I did get a whole lot accomplished.
My scrapbox is starting to actually look like a scrapbook organizer. It feels good. i will take a pic the next time I go downstairs and grab my camera.

DH did take Joshy out for awhile which allowed me to get some crop stuff done too. I am getting anxious to start putting it all together but I know the minute that I do, I will get more donations and have to undo what I already did. So, I am telling myself that it is okay to wait. For those that know, patience is NOT one of my qualities........LOL.

Dh also managed to "fix" his lil electrical problem he created last weekend thanx to the friendly and helpful guys down at Lowe's. I was all ready to call an electrician, but thrilled with the outcome because that means that the pond/fountain I received for Mother's Day is no longer in my dining room, but actually fully functional in the front flower bed. WOO HOO. Can't post a picture of that cause it is currently the ONLY thing in the front flower bed-LOL.

He also managed to clean out the fishtank-75 gallon and LONG overdue.

So, Joshy and I went swimming at Aunt Sue's. Can't wait til we can actually swim in our own pool but from the looks of it, that will be awhile. They haven't even been here in over two weeks. I am NOT thrilled bout that.

Hoping to get more accomplished tomorrow. I have a bunch of "homework" to do for school but although early for most, I am BEAT and going to crawl into a hot bath and my clean sheets.
Nite Nite.

up and at em

So, I slept really well last night. However, for whatever crazy reason, I was WIDE awake at 4am and downstairs making coffee. Hmmm, what's wrong with that?

So, I decided to make use of my time and work on organizing my scrapbox. I am getting there. I know that anyone who actually reads this will be thrilled and delighted to know when it is done so that i don't have to talk about it anymore.

So, 7am and the whole house is up now. So much for the days of sleeping in. LOL, but it's all good.

week number one down

and we all survived. YEAH. not sure that my back will agree after moving furniture and specifically, two 4 drawer file cabinets, not once, not twice, not three times, but FOUR flippin times this afternoon.

However, I think I FINALLY have my classroom set up the way that I want it. Hoping my new partner Lauren agrees when she walks in on Monday. I will be nice and give her a heads up call before the weekend is over.

I guess I should probably warn her of the irrate parent that is certain to arrive on Monday as well cause his beloved lil one came home without his Nintendo something or other that I took away from him. Oh well. I did make certain that the principal was on the same page with me taking it before I stuck it in my drawer instead of giving it back. I will bet my life Dad will be there first thing on Monday. Oh well, perhaps the lil guy will pick up a book this weekend.

I do hope to accomplish many tasks this weekend. High priority are the usual suspects including a mound of laundry. Amazing how three people can go thru so many clothes in a week. I did grocery shopping already, yeah. Cleaning or at least picking up will be a good thing.

Top priority is getting dh to take ds somewhere, anywhere, away from here and giving me some ME time to start organizing donations for the crop and attempting to get my scraproom put together. My scrapbox continues to be a work in progress. Oh how i can' t wait to be able to say that it is actually DONE.

I must also do some homework and familiarize myself with the third grade reading textbook. FUN FUN.

Hope everyone accomplishes what they need and want to. HAPPY FRIDAY!!

small world

So my doorbell rings at 8am this morning. I promptly go out thru the garage since i have 5 puppies going NUTS. Joshy follows closely. As the door opens, I see an unmarked sherrif's car in the street in front of my house!! uh oh runs thru my mind.

So the SO guy walks toward the garage and says, "HEY, I know you". Long story short, it is Mary's hubby, Sammy. VERY small world. Now, I haven't seen him in probably about 7 years, but we both knew who the other person was.

Keep in mind that I haven't had my 2nd cup of coffee at this point and I am still in my pj's, but long story short again, dh is being called as a witness for the State of FL against a CNA from a nursing home he worked in years ago.

Not entirely a bad thing mind you, but...................get this. The court date is set for Friday, Sept. 28th at 2pm.

Anyone remember when the MSC4H begins? You got it, Fri 9-28 at THREE pm.
Nice-NOT.

Okay, hoping that this day gets a bit better.

and we wonder why......

I am tired or just plain xhausted?!
Between, my son, my husband, and working with ms, i am BEAT.
add to it being on the board of director's of my hoa, pta person, the crop and did i mention my husband and my son??????????
i swear, i am RUNNING away from home-SOOOOOOOOON!!!

I had a meeting last night at 7pm. Reminded dh(not dear) for 3 days to be home at a reasonable hour. "its okay he says. i will. i am at my closest facility on tues". well if that was reasonable, then i would hate to have seen if he were in sarasota for the day. UGGGGHHH,. after 3 phonecalls to him, he rolls into the driveway at 6:53pm. So, I end up being late. NICE. then he doesn't even say anything!!
I came home from my meeting at 9:30 and did not say ONE word to him!! I am so angry.

Now Joshy has a habit of getting into things. Heck, he is TWO and a half. He is curious. I tell dh(again, NOT dear) to think when he puts stuff down/away /or leaves them around.
Mind you, my child is TALL. not sure where that comes from, but he can reach STUFF and some of his favorite stuff to reach is baby powder!!

This is the 3rd time in less than two weeks. This is what I find in my bedroom. I think it might be a very good idea if dh(still nowhere close to dear), stops at a flower shop or SOMETHING tonite, cause I am about to blow a gasket.

Part Time Tuesday

Well, it is 8:18 am and I am happy to report that I am NOT at work!!
I am sooooooooooo thrilled to be back to part time. YEAH.

Poopy diaper calls,
Happy Tuesday.

I survived

my first day back at work for the new year and my last day for awhile working full-time!!

we seem to have a great bunch of kiddos, but oh do they seem soooooooo young. Beg. 3rd is much younger than beg. 4th. I love all the enthusiasm from my team, just need to adjust.

It is going to be a great year and I am back to part-time tomorrow. YEAH.

The Butterflies have arrived

Believe it or not, even after 17 years of teaching, the butterflies still arrive the day before school starts for a new year.

I remember when John and I first started dating, he was shocked to hear that teachers get that "feeling" in the pit of their stomache too. I can't speak for all teachers, but this one still gets em.
I am excited and nervous for many reasons all at the same time.

I hoping for a relaxing day at the beach today and then in for my last full day tomorrow before I go back to part-time on Tuesday.

Hope that everyone enjoys their Sunday and for those who have anyone going to begin a new school year tomorrow, GOOD LUCK,

12 Favorite THings of Summer

1-spending the entire summer with Joshy and watching him learn and turn into my lil buddy.

2-returning to the Kennilworth. It was sooooooooo nice to be back "home".

3-turning 40-not the best, but sure beats the alternative

4- my sister coming from colorado for my birthday

5-getting my dad's ring on my birthday . remarkably, he gave me a birthday gift from the grave.

6- returning to the westwind inn in sanibel

7-our trip to colorado and south dakota

8-seeing mt. rushmore in person. OMG breathtaking

9-watching them break ground on my swimming pool(mind you, they haven't done much else since, but ...............)

10. coming home from Sebring to find my SCRAPBOX completely put together. (thanx Johnnie Boy).

11-seeing Michelle's face when we went to the Expo.

12- cropping once again. oh boy did I miss it!

13-watching the 2nd Annual MS Crop for HOpe come together and seeing my dining room FULL of boxes and donations.

slackin

on keeping up with the blogging, but working my A*S off at school. Moving and unpacking, getting ready, 10 hour days, the heat, no a/c and actually doing the training for a good portion of the faculty yesterday has wiped me out.

sorry for not updating. i haven't had access to a puter at school at all. they are finally out of the boxes, but have no software installed and are not connected to the server as of yet. makes it difficult to get some things accomplished.

life is crazy busy, but thankfully, Joshy is adjusting to my back to work schedule. Thankfully, I go back to part time next week, cause this work stuff is getting in the way of the crop stuff, organizing my scrapbox and all other fun things I wanna do........(hear the whine in there?)

Hope to get some things accomplished tonite.

Miss Amanda is home and healing nicely ..........YEAH.

Big hug and lotsa prayers for Miss JEan. You are a strong lady and we are all behind you ma'am.

check it out............new info

**Amanda Dregne will be teaching a FABULOUS chipboard album-Theme: ABOUT ME Saturday 4pm price to be announced SOON
**Stacey Shook is going to be teaching a chipboard album class Saturday 10:30 am price to be announced SOON THEME: Road Trip-wayyyy cute album
**The talented Miss Elle will be teaching an altered photo cube class There are 10 spots available for this class on Saturday at 2pm. The cost for the class will be $25.00. There are certain supplies that you will be required to bring for this class, including very small photos or an index print. Detailed list of supplies will be emailed when you have signed up for and paid for your class.
** Jules from Hang Ten Paper Arts will be teaching an exclusive class from an exclusive kit entitled "What I did this summer" Available ONLY at the MS Crop for HOpe on Saturday at 8pm.
** Gerri-anne new owner of Kit-N-Kaboodle will be teaching an exclusive class from an exclusive kit available ONLY at the MS Crop for Hope on Friday at 8pm. She will also be sharing exciting news about the new K-N-K. The cost of this class will be $20 with a portion of the fee going to MS as a donation.
**CMC Carol Cooper to be doing demos as well-including digital scrapping and the new Creative Memories custom FRAMING. A portion of all sales made during the crop will be donated from CMC Carol Cooper to the MS Crop for Hope.
**CTMH rep. Adeline Brill and her downline will be teaching a class and doing make n takes. Here are the themes for you to ponder.
Floral tapestry – frilly but soft green, blue and cream colors – great for babies, little girls, vintage photos, wedding etc
Caprice – Flowery yet bold in colors of tan, chocolate and light blue
Everlasting – Holiday but vintage colors of pine and cranberry – could be holiday
Friday evening after dinner and all day on Saturday.

I survived

My first day back at school. It wasn't easy. As I was driving in I realized that the few people I have been closest to over the years at Bay Crest weren't returning. It hit me like a TON of bricks about two miles away.

As anyone who knows me knows, I do NOT deal well with change. Never have. This year is pretty much ALL about change for me. None of it bad, just going to be a WHOLE lot to absorb at one time.

I am actually excited about most of it, just feeling a bit overwhelmed. My new teaching partner, Lauren has been fabulous. She got a TON accomplished today unpacking it by the time I left at nearly four pm, it was actually starting to look like a classroom. By Monday after our meeting, it will be my new home for the year.
My third grade team is awesome, and it is going to be a great year. I remember the title to the book, Who Moved My Cheese that a former principal gave me when she was leaving and there would be many changes. I think that perhaps, I should dig out that book and re-read it. I do remember that it was soothing back then. Couldn't hurt, right?

Hoping for a relaxing weekend and hoping everyone else has one too.

oh so tired

I have not yet caught up from last weekend in Sebring. I stayed up wayyyyyyyyyyyyy too late too many nights, and I am payin the price. I have tried going to school this week a few hours per day to attempt to unpack my classroom. I have barely made a dent. DH says you gottta break a few eggs to make an omelet...........oh the henhouse exploded.

Back to work for real tomorrow. No more of this volunteering stuff. I will actually get paid, lol.

Our pool is coming along nicely. We picked tile, interior color, pavers and everything today. Went very simple with earthy colors. Figured we are going to have to look at it for many years to come and didn't want anything "out there". We were the FIRST people to order the mosaic tile we got though as it just came in yesterday. Yeah.

Okay, I am off to bed as for the first time in over one year, the alarm clock will be going off at 5:30 am so I can get ready and get Joshy to Aunt Sue's while still getting to school on time at 7:30 am. I have to work full time for the first six days and then i am back to part time after that.

Have a great Friday everyone.

okay, forget everything

negative that I may have said this weekend about my darling husband.

when i got home last night and opened the door to my scraproom, i was FLOORED to see that he had rearranged the entire room AND put my entire SCRAPBOX together. All the shelves and baskets are in there.


Wow, I can NOT wait to unpack and put everything where it belongs. Gotta luv him!!
Way to go Johnnie Boy!!

oh yeah

and although there is no hole in the backyard yet.......we have no gate, no fence and there is wood framing out what is to be our new pool.

it is very xciting. i will take photos in the am to share with you the progress.

nite nite now for real.

WOW is all I can say..

My weekend ROCKED!!!!!!!!!

I walked into the Kennilworth Lodge on Friday afternoon about 3-ish and fof the first time in almost ten years there, my heart was happy and kinda dancing, yet not racing. This was the first time in three years that I was attending a crop there, yet I was not the panicky one worrying about it all be good.

Well, it was like coming home!! The whole scrapping retreat scene started right there many a moon ago and it was such a warm feeling. I am getting mushy but that is what it felt like.

I got twelve pages accomplished and most of my altered memo board. I was drilling holes, painting and putting in screws on metal corners. Do NOT attempt to tell dh that I guess I can be handy, cause I will FLAT out deny it all.

I thoroughly enjoyed meeting new people and seeing some very old friends. Folks at the lodge were happy to share all of the renovations and updates that they are completing. Helen and I got a brand spanking new matress on Fri. We didn't really even mind that ants we shared the bed with and were especially happy they weren't there on Saturday.

I also got two mini album kids almost put together. I picked up some donations, gave out several of the MS flyers and collected quite a few registrations.
I really enjoyed myself. I liked the chance to shop at the ABC House. Boy has that store changed since it's days as a educational supply store on 27. Luv the new brick and the pre made page kits have always been full of talent.

I bought my share of bargains this weekend too. I got a Cricuit rolling LIME tote for $46 and a cartridge for the same. BARGAINS i tell ya.
We had more yummy food cooked in our room and consumed wayy too much of it.

BIG thanx to Linda and all the gals for helping to make me feel so welcome again. I can NOT wait for the MS Crop in Sept and hope to see many o fyou there.

I MUST get to sleep. I am zoning out,
Nite Nite.

originally from Ginni, read on Mary's

I'm happiest when...I’m helping someone

Someday I'm going to... scrap regularly. I miss it sometimes, just don’t have the time.

When I'm really down, I cry and try to have a talk with my Dad

I feel anxious when...I go somewhere new with lots of people. I am not a crowd person.

I like people who... show they are genuine and truly care.

All it takes to make me happy is... watching peoples' reactions and knowing i helped in some way.

What I really want to do is... remain healthy and mobile enough to truly enjoy my son.

I wish that... I didn't have to work anymore just to have health insurance.

I don't like people who...are not genuiune or trutsworthy

A person really should...try to enjoy life and get the most out of it

I just hate it that... my son is growing up so quickly !!

I have everything I need, however.. I’d like a cleaner house.

If I could do whatever I wanted, I would... relax on the beach everyday.

a good thing

one very good thing about having most of my scrap s**t ready to go to Sebring, is that my scrap table in my room is nearly empty. Why is that a good thing you ask?

Well, I have decided to keep the desk in addition to the Scrapbox that still stands empty. So, with the table cleared off, and the scrapbox empty, I will FINALLY be able to re-arrange everything in here so it will fit and be functional for me.

Maybe one day soon, dh can come home at a decent hour and we can accomplish that. Here's hoping.

Doing the Happy Dance

It's Friday!! Yeah!!

I only stayed up until about midnight, which for me, is actually pretty late these days. All my scrapping stuff is piled in the dining room and ready to load into the car. Sadly, I mean ALL my stuff-lol. Not really, but as I said before, not nearly as organized as I would hope to be. Oh well, what doesn't get accomplished this weekend, will someday(MS Crop maybe)?

Clothing.......still haven't done that, but dh did get the suitcases down from the guestroom closet before he left for work. Yeah.

I am oh so xcited to be heading back to Sebring. The Kennilworth is where it all started oh so many years ago for FL Scrappers. WOW. Several lifetimes ago.

Never did get to see a finished magnet board so I am draggin all that too. Oh my lil Tuscon is gonna be jam-packed.

Here's to a weekend away, time to scrap, and seeing new and old friends!!

Oh so soggy!!

It rained alllllllll flippin day today. UGH. It would have been the perfect opportunity to scrap, or at least pack my stuff for the weekend, but ummmmm NO. That did not happen.

So, here I sit at 10:41 with scrap stuff finally packed. I dare to say organized, cause I was on a roll at the beginning of the week, but that pretty much went by the wayside as the rest of the crap got thrown into totes and bags. Ahhh well. I will figure it all out and honestly, if I only get to read the THREE, yes THREE scrap magazines that I haven't folded open yet, I will be happy.

I am xcited to get away. It has been a LONG few months and going back to work next week with a new partner is not only xciting, but stressful and leaves me a bit full of anxiety. So, this weekend with the girls will be a WELCOME change.

Don't get me wrong, I WILL miss my boys, esp. the lil guy, but this will help get him ready for Mommy to be back to work. The umbillical cord seems to have somehow gotten re-attached this summer.

They start work on our new pool tomorrow, so I am leaving my trusted camera here for JD to take pics. I plan to scrap it start to finish. I already took shots of the yard from upstairs, downstairs, inside and outside. Now he can begin to capture the progress.

Okay, I guess I better pack it in and finish packing it up. Can't wait to see everyone and two hours with Helen in the car catching up will be great. I am sure going to miss her this year at work.

Oh and Little Miss Amanda left a voicemail for me today. She sounded a bit out of it, but I am soooooo glad to hear she is progressing. Gosh ,I luv that kiddo.

Night Night.

on a more positive note

5 things i luv:

1-Joshua Daniel Durning

2-giggles/laughter

3-lobster/seafood/coffee ice cream esp. on shot nite-heck most food-LOL

4-medicines that allow those of us who ARE sick to live pretty normal lives

5-health insurance

add one more

6-incurable diseases of all kinds

From Kip’s blog, 5 things I hate:

1-rude people

2-bleary, dreary days

3-dishonesty/disloyalty

4-whiny children

5-peas, peas and did I mention PEAS!!!!!!!!

rain rain

go away as it continues to pour down in BUCKETS.
they do say that it will end sometime today at least temporarily. I am telling you, this kind of weather makes me wanna double my dose of Celexa. I could never live in Seattle or up north where it is gray and snowy. I NEED to see Mr. Sun shining down on me(borrowed from a big purple dinosaur).

Okay, I digress. I am leaving tomorrow to return to the historic Kennilworth Lodge in Sebring-a place that I hold near and dear to my heart. MANY MANY friendships have developed there over the ten years or more that I have been going there. I am quite xcited. Packed ? NO WAY?
Prepared? NOT EVEN CLOSE.

But, I figure I can throw it all in the back of the truck and whatever..........right?!
I do, need to finish up laundry so I won't be scaring anyone without the proper clothing on. LOL.

Off to attempt it while JR is watching Dora and Diego.

update on Amanda

Just wanted to let everyone know that I finally got some word on Amanda. Her sister had text messaged me last night, but of course, I don't have text messaging.......
Anyhoo, she came thru 7.5 hours worth of surgery yesterday and the drs were able to do even more than they had anticipated and hoped for. She will have a long road ahead with recovery, so continue those prayers and good wishes.
Jackie

and while I am griping

It just took me less than 1 minute to shell out well over $1000 on bills and I am not done paying them. UGH...........

Okay, seriously done now. I don't even like myself at this moment. I need more coffee.

please tell me someone, anyone........

why some web places(like this one, msn hotmail etc) ask you to sign in and have a little stinkin box to check that says, remember me OR remember my password/email address and each and EVERY time u go back, you must type it ALL in again?!!

not that I am so flippin lazy that I can't type it in. that is NOT my issue. why bother having the stupid box to check if it isn't going to matter one stinkin bit???????????

okay, frustration out-vented.

I have decided that three days in a row of nothing but gray skies and rain are ENOUGH. I KNOW we need the rain. I hear that. I see what it is doing for my what used to be totally dead and may not have to replace the sod front yard, but could it possibly rain like at NIGHT only or perhaps on or after AUG. 10th, when I return to work, with apparently NO tan lines!!!!????

I think I need to pop on a Thomas video and go back to bed. I am a cranky butt.

Hope to see the sunshine soon.

help

Hi girls,
I am especially "challenged" when it comes to different things........(as most of you know). If I can't copy or scraplift it........forgetabboutit. LOL. But, at least I recognize it. Ha.

So, here is my latest dilemma. (and there are MANY).
I HAD to have this memo board and I purchased it today with a gc I have been saving. I thought it would look perfect in my scraproom next to my scrapbox when and if I ever get it put together. Okay, I digress.......
My question is.................it is plain and boring as it is right now. Soooooooooo, how do I alter it????? any help, ideas, photos, or suggestions appreciated.
Hell, any offers to do it for me, even more so. Okay, I will do it myself, if someone just tells me what the hell to do. LOL.

Thanks,
Jackie

Thoughts and Prayers

My very dear friend, Miss Amanda(okay, she could be my child as I have known her since she was in my 2nd and 3rd grade classes wayyyyyyyy back when), is having major surgery today at Walter Reed Army hospital today.

Please pray that all goes well and say an xtra prayer for this VERY special young lady. I am so very proud of her courage and the fine woman that she has grown into.

Thomas Rocks!!

Okay, so I REALLY wished that I had only bought two tickets, I thought about trying to get out of it(asking Nanny to go) and I am terribly ashamed to admit, that Thomas the Tank Engine Saves the Day was a FANTASTIC show!!
My lil guy(and his daddy for that matter) were completely mesmorized!!!! Neither one moved or spoke the entire show(one and a half hours long). I have never seen Joshy so enthralled with something. I am also embarrassed to admit, that I was not only humming, but singing the songs outloud-NO not as loudly as a Billy Joel concert, but nonetheless.

If you had told me five years ago this week that I would have a toddler who was the center of my world, that my daddy wouldn't be here to see it and that I would have a debilitating neurological disorder I would have said you were NUTS to each and every one.

But, life sure does work in mysterious ways, doesn't it?!
And, I wouldn't change a minute of it. I enjoy every "samn dingle" moment of it.

Huggles to all.

check this out....

http://flc.nationalmssociety.org/site/PageServer?pagename=FLC_events_homepage

please share this link and post it in your blogs.
Thanks bunches,
Jackie

it is SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY

We have had a busy busy weekend so far and it is only Sunday morning!!

The pool party at Helen's was sooooooo nice last night. A bit too buggy, but that's okay. Guess that is whatchya get when you live on the water(jealous here). My "boys" had soooooo much fun with her boys. John got to fish, swim and relax. I got girl talk/chatting and catching up. Gosh, didn't realize just how much I miss it.

Today we are going to see Thomas, Live on Stage. I am hoping that I can get SOMETHING accomplished in this scrap room beforehand. I can't find my table, have yet to put away the stuff I bought on our trip(been home TWO weeks nearly) and my SCRAPBOX doesn't have the first shelf in it yet. Damn it. I soooooooooo want to get organized.

Anyone wanna "borrow" a really cute two year old for a day or so which will enable me to get my shit together? LOL.
Seriously, if I could get him otherwise occupied, I might just get everything where it belongs long enough for him to come and destroy it. HA.

I am also desperate to make some page kits for the crop in Sebring next weekend.

Are you having a productive weekend?
The first person who responds to this post.............gets.....................

$5 off an MS Crop for Hope t-shirt.
Now lets see if anyone bothers to read this thing. LOL.

Have a gr-8 Sunday everyone.

shopping -ugh

now i will tell u that in a former life, it was one of my favorite things to do. NOT so much anymore, esp. with a two year old runnin round every store.

i am already sick of looking at pool and patio furniture and they haven't even broken ground. i thought it might be smart to look now while things are on sale and available. believe it or not, it IS a seasonable item even in sunny tpa. the pool type places will have them all year, but other retail places will not. oh well.
i have made my decisions and now it is up to dh to figure it all out. he has to think everything thru and scrutinize. kwim?

off to a pool party and bbq. should be fun if the rain stays away.

keep up the great work Miami Dawn!!
http://fldawn.typepad.com/inspiration_alley/