Barbie Rules!

I went to a garage sale yesterday and bought my son a pair of roller skates. He loves them!

The only problem is that they are Barbie skates and they are for a girl.

As you can see from the picture on the sidebar, my son's hair is long, so even though I dress him obviously in boys' clothes he is often mistaken for a girl. Yeah, these skates will help with that.

Especially if he also wears his pink Barbie watch that my grandma gave him out of a cereal box. Once again, he really loves this watch.

My husband is worried, but I think it's just 'cause he's 3 and doesn't know any better. Really, what difference does it actually make?

So do you think this will affect his delicate psyche and screw him up when he's older or what?

My Son, Curious George

My 3 year old is really into Curious George right now. So I thought it would be cute if he dressed as Curious George for Halloween.

I found a costume online and ordered it. Then I told Trevor (my son) that he would be dressing up as George for trick-or-treat. He go very excited, but I wasn't sure if he really grasped the concept or not.

Well, the costume arrived yesterday. Trevor started jumpnig around the living room shrieking "MY CURIOUS GEORGE SUIT" at the top of his lungs.

I made the mistake of putting it on him. He refused to take it off. Since I pick my battles and this wasn't one I wanted to fight, I let him wear the suit.

Finally he needed to go potty. I worried for a minute when I told him he had to take the suit off to go potty and he refused. Then he thought about it and relented. I guess he really had to go bad.

Anyway, at bedtime, he wanted to wear the suit to bed, and this I did not allow. I listened to him scream for about 5 minutes or so, then he accepted my ruling.

By today he has forgotten all about it. Don't you wish we could still get over things that quickly when we're grown-ups?

btw, pictures of the CG suit will be posted at Halloween!

Wait a Second...

One thing I refuse to blog about is politics. I am so tired of the political ads and mudslinging.

I already can't decide who to vote for. I like some things that Obama stands for and I like some things McCain stands for.

I am sick of the war.

I wouldn't mind seeing a woman vice president, and I don't know enough about Biden to care one way or the other about him.

So you see, I will never post about politics on my blog.

Oh wait...what did I just post about...?

Alrighty Then...

I have taken a hiatus from blogging (obviously), but have decided to give it another go.

I always felt like I didn't have anything interesting to blog about. But so what? I will blog about whatever I want whether anyone reads it or not, right? Right.

Don't you hate it when you're driving down a busy street and the car in front of you changes lanes abruptly, giving you just enough time to figure out why they did so. It's a car doing 35 in a 45 where everyone is going at least 55. That happened to me today.

As I swore quietly, I checked my blind spot and swerved around this annoying car. I expected, based on my residence in central Florida, to see a little old lady or gentleman about 90 years old peering over the dash.

Instead I saw a young kid of about 23 punching buttons on his cell phone. Probably texting. Little bastard!

Hey, wait a sec... when did I start calling people in their 20's "kids"? holy shit , I feel old.

Hello, All!

I had the opportunity to attend a conference (series of lectures) on ophthalmology. It was for my job. I have a certification, and you have to get so many "continuing education credits" every three years to maintain your certification, and so on and so on....

Anyway, although parts of it were boring as shit, there was one speaker who made the whole weekend worthwhile.

His name is Tom Sullivan, and he has been blind since birth. Of course this is not what defines him as a person, it is the reason he was speaking at an ophthalmology conference. He was extremely inspirational and just a pleasure to listen to.

He has written several books, the latest of which we were given a copy of. I highly recommend anything he has written. He made me look at what I do every day in a whole new way, and really made an impact on me and others who attended. How very refreshing at an otherwise sleep-inducing affair!

__________________________________

you may have seen this before, it's an oldie:

After every flight, pilots fill out a form called a gripe sheet, which conveys to the mechanics problems encountered with the aircraft during the flight that need repair or correction. The mechanics read and correct the problem, and then respond in writing on the lower half of the form what remedial action was taken, and the pilot reviews the gripe sheets before the next flight. Never let it be said that ground crews and engineers lack a sense of humor. Here are some actual logged maintenance complaints and problems as submitted by Qantas pilots and the solution recorded by maintenance engineers. By the way, Qantas is the only major airline that has never had an accident.

(P = The problem logged by the pilot.)
(S = The solution and action taken by the mechanics.)-----

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.

P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.

P: Something loose in cockpit.
S: Something tightened in cockpit.

P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on back-order.

P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent.
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground

P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.

P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level

P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That's what they're there for.

P: IFF inoperative.
S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode

P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you're right

P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search

P: Aircraft handles funny.
S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right, and be serious

P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics

P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.

P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding on something with a hammer.
S: Took hammer away from midget.

_

Perspective

I got this on my email yesterday. It really made me think, so I decided to share it. I have seen similar things before, but this happened to come along right when I had been doing a lot of complaining and feeling dissatisfied with my life. Maybe things aren't so bad after all!

********************************
There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, 'If I could only see the world, I will marry you.'

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend.

He asked her,'Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?' The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.

Her boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying: 'Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.'

This is how the human brain often works when our status changes. Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who was always by their side in the most painful situations.

Life Is a Gift

Today before you say an unkind word - Think of someone who can't speak.

Before you complain about the taste of your food - Think of someone who has nothing to eat.

Before you complain about your husband or wife - Think of someone who's crying out to GOD for a companion.

Today before you complain about life - Think of someone who went too early to heaven

Before you complain about your children - Think of someone who desires children but they're barren.

Before you argue about your dirty house someone didn't clean or sweep - Think of the people who are living in the streets.

Before whining about the distance you drive Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.

And when you are tired and complain about your job - Think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job.

But before you think of pointing the finger or condemning another - Remember that not one of us is without sin.

And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down - Put a smile on your face and think: you're alive and still around.

**************************
CHALK ONE UP FOR THE OLD DUDE

An older, white haired man walked into a jewelry store one Friday evening with a beautiful young gal at his side. He told the jeweler he was looking for a special ring for his girlfriend. The jeweler looked through his stock and brought out a $5,000 ring and showed it to him.

The old man said, "I don't think you understand, I want something very special." At that statement, the jeweler went to his special stock and brought another ring over. "Here's a stunning ring at only $40,000," the jeweler said.

The young lady's eyes sparkled and her whole body trembled with excitement. The old man seeing this said, "We'll take it."

The jeweler asked how payment would be made and the old man stated, by check. " I know you need to make sure my check is good, so I'll write it now and you can call the bank Monday to verify the funds and I'll pick the ring up Monday afternoon," he said.

Monday morning, a very teed-off jeweler phoned the old man. "There's no money in that account."

"I know", said the old man, "but can you imagine the weekend I had?"

Oh, Yeah...

That's why I live here!

We went to the beach the other day. OMG, it was just gorgeous! We went to our normal spot on Dunedin Causeway.

The Causeway leads out to Honeymoon Island State Park, which has a really beautiful beach. It's a ways out there though, then you have to pay to get into the park, then you have to walk a long was from the parking lot to the actual beach. We go there sometimes, but more often we just stop on the causeway.

There is a narrow strip of sandy beach on either side of the road and you can pull off and park for free. We always stop there, put in our sailboat or kayak and sail or paddle out to the sand bar. There is a huge sand bar that is totally exposed at low tide. I love it out there. I can walk forever, pick up shells, just enjoy the scenery, and Trevor can run and swim to his heart's content.

Last time we went out we got an added bonus. As we stood on the edge of the sandbar, near the deeper boat channel, 3 dolhins swam by only about 20-30 feet from us. We were able to watch them feeding for a while. It was so awesome,they are such beautiful animals.

One of them swam up, poked his head up and looked right at us. Then he went back to catching and eating fish. I was so wishing I had my snorkeling gear, I would have been out there in that water to see if I could see them a little closer. I don't care if the water is only 76 degrees and I usually don't go in until it's 80!

We do see dolphins out there on occasion, but that was the closest they have ever come and for quite a long time too!

_____________________________________

>>A married couple was on holiday in Jamaica. They were touring around >the >>marketplace looking at the goods and such when they passed this small >sandal >>shop.

From inside they heard the shopkeeper with a Jamaican accent say, You foreigners! Come in. Come into my humble shop! So the married couple >walked >>in. The Jamaican said to them, I have some special sandals I think you >would >be >>interested in. Dey make you wild at sex.

Well, the wife was really interested in buying the sandals after what >the man claimed, but her husband felt he really didn't need them, being >the >sex god that he was. The husband asked the man, How could sandals make you into >a sexfreak?

The Jamaican replied, Just try dem on, ! Mon. Well, the husband, after some badgering from his wife, finally gave >in, >and >>tried them on. As soon as he slipped them onto his feet, he got this >wild >>look in his eyes. . . something his wife hadn't seen in many years!

In the blink of an eye, the husband grabbed the Jamaican, bent him >violently >>over a table, yanked down his pants, ripped down his own pants, and >grabbed >>a firm hold of he Jamaican's hips. The Jamaican then began screaming, >>

YOU GOT DEM ON DE WRONG FEET! YOU GOT DEM ON DE WRONG FEET! !


Oops!

"Spell-check Won't Catch That"

I hate those words!!! Well, to be fare, I really only hate them when someone udders them as an excuse for hideous spelling errors. Don't get me wrong, spell-check is a grate tulle for catching typos. But when people become so dependent on it that if it doesn't show any misspellings, everything MUST be write, then it drives me crazy.

Four example: a flier advertising a presentation being given by one of the doctors I work four reads "Diabetes and How It Can Effect Your Vision"! (This flier was not designed and printed by the doctor, nor by our practice, but by the Assisted Living Facility where the talk would be held.)

I went to the store yesterday and saw this sine:















An edition to your home? Please! WTF?

Buy the weigh, I ran this post threw spellcheck, so I no everything is spelled rite!!!
________________________________________

Here's a truly heartwarming story about the bond formed between a little 5-year-old girl and some construction workers that will make you believe that we all can make a difference when we give a child the gift of our time.

A young family moved into a house, next to a vacant lot. One day, a>construction crew began to build a house on t he empty lot. The young>family's 5-year-old daughter naturally took an interest in the goings-on >and>spent much of each day observing the workers.

Eventually the construction crew, all of the 'gems-in-the-rough,' more or>less, adopted her as a kind of project mascot. They chatted with her >during>coffee and lunch breaks and gave her little jobs to do here and there to>make her feel important. At the end of the first week, they even presented>her with a pay envelope containing ten dollars. The little girl took this>home to her mother who suggested that she take her ten dollars 'pay' she'd>received to the bank the next day to start a savings account.

When the girl and her mom got to the bank, the teller was equally impressed>and asked the little girl how she had come by her very own pay check at >such>a young age. The little girl proudly replied, 'I worked last week with a>real construction crew building the new house next door to us.'

'Oh my goodness gracious,' said the teller, 'and will you be working on the>house again this week, too?' The little girl replied, 'I will, if those>assholes at Home Depot ever deliver the f---ckin' sheet rock!"

Kind of brings a tear to the eye - doesn't it?

"c'est la vie" said the old folks

Sorry no post for a while. Last weekend we went to Key Largo, and while we were there Trevor got sick. I'm sure it's something he probably picked up in preschool. Anyway, needless to say I got it too. I am now recovering and much better. I know this happens when they go to school/preschool/daycare, whatever.
_____________________________________

Regarding the yard...well, all that has changed. We just found out that we have to move. The owner of the property we are renting decided to take it off the market. Why? I have no idea. Anyway, we are looking at a place that's only about 1/4 mile from where we live now. Moving is a pain inthe butt, but I'm trying to look at the positive aspects. I always enjoy starting over in a new place. The new house is bigger and cheaper (rentwise) than the old one.
______________________________________

Trevor's first few days of preschool have gone well. He seems to be comfortable with the other kids and to be adjusting well to the routine. His best skill so far - he learned how to drink from a water fountain!















____________________________________

This pretty much cracked me up!

REDNECK TANK TOP:

I'm Back!

I have (obviously) taken a hiatus from blogging, but I have decided to take it back up again. Lucky you!!!!! (ha ha)

What have I been up to lately? My latest project is improving my lawn. Whe I moved into this house a year ago, the grass wasn't that great and there were lots of weeds. We kept them trimmed, but this being a rental house, I didn't feel the need to do any more than maintain the yard the same as it was when we moved in.

This year however, I decided I wanted a nice yard. We renewed our lease so we will be here a minimum of another year. My first task was to pull out as many of the weeds as I could. I have finished about 75% of the back yard, which means about 50% of my back yard is now bare dirt. I told you there were lots of weeds.

Eventually I will add some lawn starter soil in areas and plant grass seeds all over the whole lawn. I have never done this before, so I have no idea how long it will take to grow in nicely. I don't intend to even start on the front yard until the back yard is finished. Some people might say I should have done the front yard first because that's the one that people see, but I don't care. We spend a lot more time in the back yard than in the front!

*************************************

My baby is going to be 3 years old in a week. I can't believe it! He starts his first preschool next week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He is very excited about going to "school" like a big boy.










**************************************
When a retiree has too much time on his hands:

Working people frequently ask retired people what they do to make their days interesting. Well, for example, the other day I went downtown and into a shop. I was only there for about 5 minutes and when I came out there was a cop writing out a parking ticket.

I said to him, 'Come on, man, how about giving a retired person a break?'

He ignored me and continued writing the ticket. I called him a 'Nazi.'

He glared at me and wrote another ticket for having worn tires. So I called him a 'doughnut eating Gestapo.' He finished the second ticket and put it on the windshield with the first. Then he wrote a third ticket.

This went on for about 20 minutes.
The more I abused him the more tickets he wrote.

Personally, I didn't care.

I came downtown on the bus, and the car that he was putting the tickets on had a bumper sticker that said 'Clinton in '08.'

I try to have a little fun each day now that I'm retired. It's important to my health.

I'm Still Alive...

Wow, it's been a while. I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving! (Those who celebrate it anyway).

We went down to Key Largo for Thanksgiving weekend. It's about a 5-6 hour drive. Had a good time, but came home tired, than a couple days later I got sick.

I'm better, but now hubby has it. So far, the kid is the only one who hasn't been sick, and I really hope he doesn't get this. Quite frankly, I felt like shit for a few days there.

I will try to get a real post up soon. I haven't been able to do much more than go through the motions lately.

Take care!


-

Trick or Treat and Drywall Repair

Halloween was fun this year. I tried to dress my kid up last year and he wanted NOTHING to do with it. It was all I could do to get a few pictures , and nobody was smiling.

This year, however, at 2 1/2, he has some favorite characters. He loves Tigger and Pooh, and Mickey Mouse and all his friends. Last year a coworker gave me a little Tigger outfit that was too big for Trevor then. It fit perfect this year.

I dressed him up in the Tigger suit, painted a nose and whiskers on him, and safety pinned a stuffed Winnie the Pooh to his shirt. He ran straight to the mirror and just loved it.

Trick or treating, though, was a different story. He said "trick or treat" nonstop at home, but as soon as we got to a house he wouldn't say anything.

It was his first time. Next year he will be a pro!

___________________________________

The Jimmy Buffett concert was great. As always, it was like going to a huge party and hanging out with friends you've never met before.

I highly recommend Jimmy Buffett - if you ever get a chance to see him, do it!

___________________________________

We had some excitement at work on Tuesday. (If you don't know, I work as a tech in an ophthalmology office).

Anyway, I was in a room with a patient, prepping her to see the doctor. I was just finishing up with her, when I heard a loud crunching, crashing sound. A second or two later there was a second crash and the building shook a little.

I thought we were under attack. I ran out of that room expecting to see major damage, thinking "somebody must be hurt after that!" I saw a bunch of shocked looking people, a framed picture lying on the floor, and a hole in the wall that looked like someone outside tried to punch a hole in it.

I (and everyone else) ran to the front window. As soon as I looked out, I realized that a car had crashed into the side of our building. I ran outside and saw an elderly lady behind the wheel, mostly covered by her airbag. Some other people were already talking to her and she seemed to be responding.

Several people called 911, and the situation was quickly brought under control. Once we pieced together what had happened, I realized how very fortunate we were that no one was seriously injured.

The lady, for some unknown reason, had lost control of her car and accelerated very rapidly. She jumped a curb in the parking lot and slammed into the side of a parked Cadillac, moving it a few feet over.

She then hit another parked car, parked in front of the building. She knocked this car forward over a curb and into a handicapped parking sign. The sign is what came through our wall. (That was the crunch-crash)

She bounced off the second car and finally hit the building herself. (That was the second crash). All her airbags deployed. She go a little banged up, and had no clue what had really happened. Paramedics took her to the hospital for evaluation. The Cadillac that was hit belonged to one of our patients and had to be towed away.

I just thank God no one was driving or walking in her path.

I hope the rest of the week is less exciting.

To Everything (turn, turn, turn)

There is a season (turn, turn, turn)...

I can't believe it is almost the end of another year already. I doesn't seem like it's been 8 years since my hubby proposed to me at midnight on Y2K. Remember what a big deal Y2K was? A lot of people thought the world as we know it was going to end because computers couldn't figure out the year "00".

This year has brought about a lot of changes in my life, most all of them positive this time! With me, every year brings change. I am very rarely in the same circumstances at the end of any given year as I was at the beginning. Whether this be job, place of residence, in trouble, out of trouble, family situation, financial status...you name it. Life is truly never boring.

In 2007, I have undergone a drastic improvement in financial status, started (yet another) new job, and moved into a new house. I wonder what will change between now and the end of 2008? This is one of the rare times when I actually hope that nothing changes too much - I like where I am right now. But, you never know! And it's funny, but even unwelcome changes seem to be for the best in hindsight.

________________________________

We are looking forward to seeing Jimmy Buffett in concert next weekend. This will be my third time to see him, and hubby's second. Buffett concerts are always fun. It's more like a huge party than a show.

I love concerts. You may ask, "Why pay exorbitant amounts of money to see a band play live (probably from the back of the auditorium) when you can buy the CD for $20 and listen to it whenever you want?" It's a whole different exzperience to actually be there, see the band in person, breathe the same air, etc. And you're sitting with hundreds of other people who are excited for the same reasons. It's a huge energy, and I just love it.

I was lying in bed this morning wishing I could go back to sleep. I hate getting up early when I don't have to. Anyway, no such luck. So I lay there reminiscing about concerts I have been to. Let's see...Steve Miller (twice), The Doobie Brothers, Poison, Jimmy Buffett (twice so far), KISS, Aerosmith, Neil Young, John Prine, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones (twice), The Who, The Police, The Eagles...there may be more, that's all I can think of right now.

There are some people, like my mom, who don't enjoy loud noise and high energy crowds. These folks would not appreciate a good concert. That's OK - if we all liked the same things, the world would get boring.

________________________________

A Scotsman moves to Canada and attends his first baseball game.

The first batter approaches the batters' box, takes a few swings and then hits a double.

Everyone is on their feet screaming 'Run!!!'

The next batter hits a single. The Scotsman listens as the crowd again Cheers 'RUN!! RUN!!'

The next batter also hits a single.The Scotsman listens as the crowd roars as a run scores, and cheers 'RUN!! RUN!!'

The Scotsman is enjoying the game and begins screaming with the fans.

The fourth batter comes up and four balls go by.The Umpire calls: 'Walk.'

The batter starts his slow trot to first base.The Scot stands up and screams, 'Run ye lazy basta*d - rrrun!'

The people around him begin laughing. Embarrassed, the Scot sits backDown.

A friendly fan notes the man's embarrassment, leans over and explains, 'HeCan't run -- he has four balls.'

The Scot stands up and screams: 'Walk with pride, Laddie!'

________________________________

Have a good day, everyone!

Special Day

Today is the birthday of a very spectacular lady, whom some of you may know through blogging. Her name is Olive Riley and she turns 108 years old today. Check out her blog - just click the link "The Life of Riley" on my blogroll.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, OLLIE!!!!

Home Improvement

I guess.

We had some friends staying with us a couple weekends ago. We asked one of them to stay on a bit longer and offered to pay him to help with some work we wanted to do. Specifically, some miscellaneous stuff on the motor home, and building a new cage for our iguanas.

We have 2 iguanas, each measuring between 4 1/2 and 5 feet long, including tail. We had a pretty decent cage for them, but they were just getting too big for it. They were in and enclosure about 7 feet long, 2 1/2 feet wide and about 5 feet high. They now have 8 feet long by 5 1/2 feet wide by about 6 1/2 feet high.

I was quite pleased with the final outcome of the cage. It is very spacious and much better suited for our iguanas. I still have to put some finishing touches on it, though.

New Story:

Last night I put Trevor in the bathtub. (Trevor is 2 1/2 if you didn't know). I have had issues before with him "making a mess" in the bathroom while in the bath. (read: flooding the bathroom floor). He has been reprimanded and punished and is now generally very good. The one thing I do have problems with is that he loves to flush the toilet, which he can reach from the tub.

After Trevor flushing a couple times and being scolded, I decided to put an end to the whole nonsense. I took the cover off the toilet tank and unhooked the rubber thingy from the arm attached to the flush handle. I looked at Trevor and said, "Ha! Now you can flip that handle all you want and nothing will happen. I win!"

I went in the living room and a few minutes later hubby says, "why do I still hear water running?" I said, "I dunno" and went to check on Trevor. When I walked into the bathroom the entire floor was completely flooded with water. I immediately scream, "TREVOR!!! What did you dooooooooo?!?"

Trevor looks at me innocently and I hear gushing water, but don't immediately see the source. Did I mention that I have one of those cabinet things over my toilet tank? It is one that you buy and put together and it sits right over the toilet - there is a shelf, then a cabinet with doors, then another shelf - one of those practical plus decorative type things. Anyway it initially appeared that the water was spewing out of that thing.

I knew water couldn't spew from a piece of furniture, so my first thought was that the pipes in the wall had burst, and I imagined the worst. I yelled for hubby to "Get in here NOOOWWWW!" Hubby, having sprained his ankle the day before, came hobbling in, Asking, "what's wrong? what happened?"

Me: "I DON'T KNOW!"

Hubby: "Where is it coming from"?

Me: "I DON"T KNOW! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!"

Hubby: "I DON'T EITHER!"

Me: "WHAT DO I DO?"

Hubby: "I DON'T KNOW!"

After about 3-4 seconds of this, I realized that water was coming from the toilet. I had left the top off the tank, and pipe where the water comes in to fill the tank was spewing water like there was no tomorrow. Think Old Faithful.

So I covered the spewing pipe with my hand while hubby started yelling, "Turn off the water to the toilet!" I reached down for the knob, but it was stuck and wouldn't turn. Hubby managed to make his way in with the sprained ankle and an inch of water on the floor and got it turned off.

Meanwhile, Trevor is sitting the bathtub laughing his butt off.

After work today I stopped by the hardware store, picked up the parts, and learned all about the inside of toilet tanks.

What will tomorrow bring?

-

Goes Around, Comes Around

The weather hasn't been so great here this weekend.

So instead of doing the beach, we just "did stuff around the house". This means my husband sat on the couch and watched TV all weekend and I did projects.

Stuff like hanging a new towel rack, assembling a piece of furniture, installing shelves and rearranging electronics in two rooms...it seems like I did some other stuff too.

Oh, yeah. I cleaned the house, did the shopping and the laundry, cooked meals, etc.

I really don't begrudge my husband the time he spent sitting on his you-know-what. I can't stand doing that for very long. I have to have something to do, to keep me busy.

Lately it seems like it's one project after another. my house is looking really good, but I fear I may be turning into my mother.

Holy shit, right after I typed that, I turned around and said something my mother said to me countless times.

My son was saying "doggy, kitty cat, doggy, kitty cat..." ad nauseum.

I said, "You have a cat. When you are old enough to feed a dog and pick up the dog poop, you might get a doggy. And if you don't take care of it, it's going to the pound."

I can't remember how many times I heard that last bit about my first dog, named Hurricane.

Scary.

Scary.

He never did go to the pound though...

-
-

A Good Visit

My mom and dad came for a visit last weekend. Anyone who reads my dad's blog knows that they take an annual road trip encompassing visits to me (Tampa) and my sister (Chicago) as well a week in Georgia playing golf.

Well, this was their first opportunity to see their grandson since February, and boy has he changed a lot! I must say, I was quite proud (and relieved) that he was on his best behavior while they were here.

Grammy and Grampa brought Trevor a gift - a little tricycle/bigwheel type thing. Trevor loves it, but can't figure out how to push the pedals to make it go. It has a lot of buttons on the "dashboard" which make various noises when pushed, and Trev is convinced that one of those buttons must make it go. See, he has a little 4 wheeler with a button that makes it go, and he hasn't figured out the difference yet.

Another accomplishment of last weekend - I have been working on fixing up the gate to my backyard. I have collected dozens of seashells from our beach, and I made a trim of thin boards painted aqua, with shells glued on to them. I then attached the painted boards around the frame of the gate. The crowning touch, though, is a painted sign that my dad got us at a little street fair we went to:

This weekend we are back to our normal routine - which means off to the beach this afternoon! Have a great weekend!

-

Every Nap Has Its Consequences

As is my usual routine, I got up this morning when Trevor refused to play quietly in his room anymore. I fed him breakfast, straightened up the house a little, put his cartoons on and lay down on the couch to be lazy and observe Trevor.

I must have dozed off, because next thing I knew, something was poking my leg repeatedly. The "something" in question looked like this:

At first I couldn't figure out what he had gotten into. I looked around and nothing seemed out of place. That's when I walked into his room and found my purse, wide open and emptied on the floor.

Most of what you see on his angelic little face is mascara. There is also some lipstick and ink from a ballpoint pen. It just doen't show up that good in the pictures. His body, arms and legs are covered too.

This is what just about every page in my checkbook now looks like:

Oh, the joys of parenting a toddler!

-

Karma

OR

What Goes Around, Comes Around

If you read my last post, you will know that I recently changed wireless providers. Got brand new phones with the leather covers and everything. Really nice.

After having the new phone for approximately a week....

Well, let me go back a little.

About 1 1/2 to 2 years ago, when we were living in Zephyrhills, Florida and struggling financially, we found a cell phone in our front yard. I opened it up and looked at the "contacts" list. I picked the number labeled "home" and called it. The owner of the cell phone was ecstatic that soemone had found it, and made arrangements to come by and pick it up. Turns out he was a taxi driver.

He offered me $20 for returning his phone. I thanked him, but turned it down. He made me take a card good for a free taxi ride instead. I never used it, but that doesn't matter.

Anyway, after having my new phone for approximately a week, we went to the beach and I lost it. It must have fallen out of our stuff when we were carrying everything out to the car. I didn't realize it was missing until we got everything inside and I started looking for it.

It was late and I had to get Trevor fed and ready for bed. When he was just about finished eating, my house phone rang. The caller ID showed my name and cell phone number! It was a guy wanting to know if I was missing a cell phone. I said I was, but I couldn't get back over there tonight, could I call him the next day?

He said sure, and gave me his number, informing me that he would turn my phone off right away. I called him back the next day (today) and got his voice mail. I left a message and waited. A couple hours later I called back but didn't leave a message. I decided I would call again at 2:00 pm.

Right at 2:00 pm the phone rang. It was him. I made arrangemants to meet him, and we decided to head back over to the beach and pick up the phone on the way. The guy that found my phone met us where and when he said he would, he had removed the leather cover and carefully cleaned all the sand out of the phone and wrapped everything up securely to return it to me.

This guy was maybe in his mid 20's and covered in tatoos. Very nice, well mannered guy. You should never judge a book by its cover, etc.

Point is, if you have a chance to do a good deed, a favor for someone you don't even know, don't pass it up. It makes you feel good, it helps someone else have a better day, and you never know when the shoe will be on the other foot!

-