Bad News and Good News

I learned that my high school choir director passed away this morning.  I'm not sure why it bothers me so much, but it does.  By all I've learned, TK enjoyed a happy life with a loving family and a thirty-plus-year career doing exactly what he loved to do. 

Several months back, TK was depressed and actually believed that he'd been forgotten and hadn't made a difference in his students' lives.  His daughter organized a reunion of sorts with former students in the nursing home courtyard, and it really made his day.  It seemed kind of corny to go, but a friend and I went anyway.  I'm glad we did.  We made TK happy and happened to reconnect with some old friends too. 

My sister would have turned 50 this month.  Wow. 

Next month marks our 20th anniversary in this house. 

The kids are good. V makes her confirmation in April.  She's in her 6th year of dance classes.  B is still playing baseball and is gearing up for the spring season.  C is in preschool and takes dance classes too. 

Dakota (our 3rd Shedder) is gray around the muzzle and somewhere around ten years of age.  Thankfullly she's still healthy and strong.  She's such a good girl.

I'm still working midnight shift.  There doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day for everyday tasks, let alone Blogging.  If all goes well (cross your fingers!) I'll join day work this summer.  Hooray for normalcy!

Random Pictures

In no particular order, because I hate shuffling pictures around in Blogger. The majority of photos were taken in December during the Santa special train ride

Doing the Fig Newton ("Here's the tricky part!" Remember that commercial?)

Summertime, Knoebel's Amusement Park.

B's First Communion in May. Not sure whether I posted about this or not. Handsome kid, isn't he? He insisted on wearing a tuxedo, and he was clearly the best-dressed kid there. I hated giving it all back, but I ordered the tie and pocket square from Beau Ties, Ltd. in Vermont so he'd have something to keep. You can't see it, but the pattern is vintage fighter planes on a gold background. V is in the background, The Oracle is in the shirtsleeves, and the kids' godfather is in the suit.

Back to the Santa train. C with Frosty.

C wants attention, and she knows how to get it. At this moment, she's standing behind the computer and yanking at the wires. She'll be three in February. B and V turned 8 and 10 in August.

Where does the time go?

Five Months?

Ummm... yeah.

I can't believe it's been five months since I've made an entry here. I never meant to send my blog to the scrap heap, but the need for sleep outweighed the need to write things here. I wanted to post, but it seemed like I didn't have the time.

Anyway, most notable in the last five months is the addition of a new Shedder to our household. I found her through the same rescue that gave us Duchess, and I picked her up at the end of April.

Dakota is the biggest Shedder we've ever owned. She can eat off the table without stretching and hovers around 100 pounds. She's one BIG dog. She's seven years old and very affectionate, but she isn't the perpetual puppy that Duchess was. All Duchess ever wanted to do was play.

V and B passed their grades and moved up. V's dance recital in June was excellent, and B's spring baseball was a lot of fun.

My in-laws are doing well. MIL is gradually slowing down more and more and her memory switches off as much as it's on. Well, it's probably more off than on, but we're lucky that her physical health is good, she's mostly compliant with my FIL's care, and she's shown no desire to wander (one of the things I fear most). In fact, her lack of ambition is stunning. My FIL is most persistent in getting her to perform basic exercise, but she'd prefer sitting on the couch (the polar opposite of her pre-stroke self).

The Oracle's contract hassles finally culminated in a new company being awarded the contract once and for all, but we were fortunate that they hired him on. In several respects they've proven to be a fair employer, and I'm most thankful for that.

Me? I'm still working midnights. Most of the time I cashier, but they still put me on the deli once or twice a week. I dislike the deli more with every shift I work.

We had some huge electrical storms pass through the area, and one that took place directly over our house blew out our oven. Last year, I guess it was, we had to replace the oven's electrical panel to the tune of over $400. I'm torn when it comes to replacing the panel again or buying a new oven. Part of me doesn't want the hassle of oven shopping, but the oven is 15+ years old. Ugh.

We also had to replace our washer. I was mightily pissed at the appliance dealer who told me my purchase was not made in China only to discover "Made in China" stamped all over the box when it was delivered. I admit I was tempted to send it back, but I was afraid of losing the baby in the mountain of laundry.

So, in short, I'm busy with everyday stuff. Now that school is back in session, I might have an opportunity here and there to post something interesting, provided something interesting happens. I mean, who wants to read about the kind of junk you endure every day yourself?

Oh! Another dance season has started, and V is in three classes this year. Tap, Jazz, and she also returned to Hip Hop. C is also supposed to start a mommy & me class this year, but they're short on registrations. Hopefully they'll sign up a few more kids in the next couple weeks.

The Big Plan

This is PD's and B's first day off for Easter Break. The are already nitpicking at each other like it's the middle of summer.

V has a guitar she doesn't know how to play. Nibs found the guitar pick and was playing with it. B had the audacity to take the pick away from Nibs. Well, PD caught B with the pick and threw a conniption, charging at him like a bull with her hands like claws. I'm not sure what happened to whom after that, but she got a time out.

So, a couple hours later -- just to add a little spice to his life -- B sneaks up on PD and shouts, "Boo!" to scare her.

This, of course, takes place immediately after I put Nibs down for a nap.

PD immediately freaks at B, shoving him around and screaming in his face at the top of her lungs. During her tirade she says, "You make me want to run away!"

Being no help to her at all, I had to ask a bunch of practical questions like where she'd run to, what she'd eat or drink, and how long she thought she could survive on her own. Based on the answers she gave, her plan is surprisingly simple: She'd live in the back yard, eat nothing, and last about a week.

Oh, my. She's only nine. What will life with her be when she's 13?

Together Again

We said goodbye to our Chessie on Saturday morning.

Catching up

Hi. Remember me? Neither do I. Author's note: Blogger isn't putting in my paragraphs despite repeated attempts at editing them back in. Sorry for they eyeball pain! ---- I'm still working midnight shift at the convenience store. Work has gotten much easier since one of the cashiers on my shift left and they hired a new person in the deli. I get to spend a fair amount of time on register now. I am just as busy, but the tasks themselves are easier. I also like switching between deli and register. ----- Her Nibs walks and talks and is so stinkin' cute I can't stand it. I've forgotten how much fun toddlers can be, and we're all drinking up every bit of it. She loves her puppy and her blanket and doesn't go anywhere without them. She loves to color and loves books. She says "please," "thank you," and "you're welcome" on a consistent basis (way more than her siblings do), and she uses them appropriately. She loves to dance. The minute she hears music, she's bouncing to the rhythm. She still tries to use the potty. She lost interest for a little bit, but she seems to be turning back to it. She loves frozen peas, chicken thighs, pizza, meatballs, apple slices, grapes, Peppermint Patties, and Dots. Orange juice is her #1 beverage choice, with chocolate milk holding the #2 spot by only a few points. If I let her, she'd drink those two things all day long and skip food completely. ----- Mighty B's Cub Scout troop organized a weekend trip to Washington D.C. I was really excited to go, since my few visits there were short and I didn't get to see much. The Oracle and I have learned that we still can't travel long distances with our kids and stay in hotels because they are still uncivilized banshees. Nibs was the only one who behaved herself, but sleeping in a strange place stressed her out, and, despite utter exhaustion, she had trouble sleeping. ----- Mighty B. started drum lessons in January. In spite of the fact that we have to stand over him with a whip to get him to practice, he seems to be really good at it. His latest obsession is Mario Kart on the Wii. If I let him, he'd play video games all day long. ----- Precious Daughter's latest obsession -- although she won't admit it -- is a boy in her class. She's already feeling the pressure of the jealous girls trying to interfere with that, too. From the evidence brought home, the boy likes her as well. Fortunately, he's a nice kid. While I'm not excited over the fact that my nine-year-old daughter wants to have a "boyfriend," I am comforted by knowing that having a boyfriend in fourth grade simply means you chase each other at recess, and once in a while Mom needs to pack an extra sweet to share with him at lunch. ----- Another dance recital is coming in June as well, and after homework is done I get to hear PD's tap shoes pounding away in the kitchen. I found a pair of tap shoes in Nibs' size at the consignment shop for five bucks so she can properly interfere with PD's practice. Heh-heh-heh... ----- I am passively looking for a dog. It's not an all-out search, just some poking around on Petfinder to see who's available. The Oracle is warming up to the idea. He doesn't want another German Shedder (yet), so I may have to stop being so narrow minded on the subject. He wants an English Bulldog. Well, he'd also like a dachshund or a corgi, but my size requirement is not negotiable. If it's below my shins, I'm going to trip over it. At least if I trip over a bulldog, I won't kill it. ----- Really, though, the Shedder is the perfect dog. They're smart, playful idiots with big teeth and enough of a bad reputation to make strangers think twice about approaching our house. ----- My MIL turns 88 today. Her physical health is amazing. Her mind is slipping some more. She remembers me and the kids with little problem, unless my FIL is giving her a refresher before we arrive. Last night, she was confusing The Oracle with her brother. In her defense, she has always claimed that they looked alike. Anyway, she told The Oracle that he had a nephew that looked just like him, but she couldn't think of the nephew's name. That made me really sad. ----- And now, I must sign off. Her Nibs must be in the midst of a growth spurt. She's been sleeping for 11 hours now, and if I don't wake her up she'll soak out the diaper and wreck her bed.

Time Flies...

Wow. I haven't posted since December 9? I'm sorry! Here's a quick recap of notable events over the last month and a half. They're in no particular order because I have a craptastic memory and little concept of time. Asking me to put it all in order would be cruel, and my post would never make it up to the blog if I tried.

Most recent and most sad is the passing of my great uncle, the last and youngest of my grandmother's 12 siblings. (Most tragic to note is that of 12 children, only seven made it to adulthood, and one of those seven was killed during WWII. Seeing how awful it was for my mother to lose one child, I can't imagine what toll those statistics took on my great grandmother.) Uncle John hit the lifelong lottery. At the amazing age of 94, he maintained a sound mind and good health up until this latest illness.

Mighty B. has been a mighty challenge. This year, Santa gave him his presents but also gave him a stocking filled with coal instead of goodies. B. wasn't the least bit upset by it, at least on the outside. Santa has been waiting for a day of outstanding behavior to give B. his stocking stuffers, but there hasn't been any. *sigh*

Precious Daughter confessed that she has a crush on a boy in her classroom. I haven't mentioned this tidbit to The Oracle, mostly because I forgot to tell him. He was working late when she told me, and I tend to nap when he's around because I can. Midnight shift can really suck sometimes.
Her Nibs is going to be two in just a few weeks. I can't believe it! She is trying potty training on for size. For the last couple months, she has intermittently peed in the potty. It's not consistent by any means, but she knows what it's for and isn't afraid of it, so I anticipate it will be easier than it was with the first two. Mighty B. was (surprise!) just stubborn about it, and Precious Daughter was afraid of the flush. (Wanna send an almost potty-trained three-year-old into an absolute panic? Take her to an echoey department-store bathroom with auto-flush toilets at lunch time. To this day, she hates auto-flush.)

It's snowing today. We've had snow just about every week since Christmas, and I'm loving every inch of it. Yeah, shoveling sucks, but snow just makes the winter world look so much brighter. I guess it's easy for me to love it when I'm sitting in my living room and looking out the window. I can honestly say that even when I had to fishtail my way (in my '72 Duster) along the seventeen-mile trek to work, I still loved it.

Hey, does anyone have a '72 Duster for sale, one that hasn't been modified for racing?

I just learned that my kids are getting out early today, so maybe I won't have to shovel! Haha!!!!