This isn't what I ordered

Moving On

2012-02-13T07:54:00.003-06:00

Helloooooooo!
Anybody Home?
Have I dropped from every one's feed?

Much has been happening in our lives and a large part of those "happenings" finds us moving across the pond. As in the UK. As in England. Though only temporary, we are looking forward to our adventure in our new home.

Precious Oldest was quick to point out that when other parents have a mid-life crisis they do something ordinary, like buy a sports car, so why in God's name do her parents have to move to a different country?

The answer to this, and other questions, can be found here on the blog a started mere days ago.

I hope to catch up with my old bloggy pals and see what you and your families are up to!

Cheers,
Fannie

Color Blind

2011-05-20T11:28:00.004-05:00

When we bought our house in 1996 we took the kitchen back to the studs. The only thing that remained from the original kitchen when we were done was the dishwasher.

At about the ten year mark I was really ready for a change. We also travelled to Italy that same year and I started dreaming of a warm Tuscan kitchen. I poured over magazine. I picked out new counter tops. I brought paint samples home at a rate of three a week.

Two years ago we had the wall paper stripped and painted the walls a nice neutral color and replaced the pulls on the cabinets. This was meant to get me through until the kitchen facelift rose to the top of the “financial priorities” list.

Finally this spring we said fuck it and I went full bore into picking out back splash and floor tile, faucet and sink. (And OMG the grout. Do you have any idea the number of colors of grout that exist? I didn't)I hired a contractor and over a few weeks’ time it was out with the old and in with the new.

But a problem remains. In all this time, over five years’ time, I have been envisioning yellow walls. Beautiful warm, yellow walls. Not the exact SHADE of yellow, (I currently have splotched of paint here, there and everywhere) but certainly yellow. The thing is? In the one place I painted a large swathe of what I thought was my top choice I just….wasn’t…sure. You know that feeling?

I had neighbors come over and render opinions. I had family come over and render opinions. I had had very nearly every guest at my daughter’s graduation party render an opinion.

Samples of backsplash and countertop in tow, I consulted with professionals at three different paint stores. I brought more paint chips home.

Now, more confused than ever, I consulted Precious Oldest. She surveyed the choices, looked me square in the eye and said, “Mom, why are you over thinking this? You want yellow walls; you’ve always wanted yellow walls. And I’ve never known to care what anyone else thinks about ANYTHING, why would you start now?”

I think I’m going to paint my kitchen walls this weekend. YELLOW.

Summa Cum Laude

2011-05-16T14:32:00.009-05:00

Radio Silence

2011-04-28T15:37:00.008-05:00

Since my last post:

Audit at work – stress and madness ensue
Vacation – lovely blur because
FIL fell while we were gone sustaining grave injury
IT conversion at work – stress and madness ensue
FIL not progressing, bring in hospice
Struggle to continue on with major fundraising event
Funeral
Put on huge fundraising event
Spend time with Precious Oldest, home for spring break
Spend time with Precious Youngest, home for spring break
Shake fists at the heavens that their spring breaks were different weeks
Go to the doctor and find out stress has caused weight loss. Go figure
Send out resume and get called for interview
Then….Nothing
Start lettuce and carrots, prune and feed roses, beef up perennials
Begin kitchen facelift
Find out that lack of running water/stove/refrigerator render me useless
Realize I would have made a shitty pioneer
Girls home for Easter
Have 70th birthday party for my mother
Get called f or a second interview
Then…Nothing
Get a call from Precious Oldest – SHE HAS A JOB!
Praise sweet baby jesus that kitchen face lift is done save for painting the walls
Realize day after day after day of dreary weather has stopped me from doing any further gardening. Will likely see first tomato around fucking Labor Day
Start researching possibilities for new kitchen table and chairs
The Saint informs me budget is blown
I keep looking for furniture anyway

Oh people I could weep. It has been a ragged few months. I look at this pathetic list and notice a total lack of nuance yet my life is filled day to day with grace notes I can’t put into words. I don’t want to abandon this space. We shall see.

Blizzard 2011

2011-02-04T09:06:00.008-06:00

Three below zero. This temperature does not reflect wind chill.

We're nearly dug out.

But in places where the drifts are substantial

who knows when we'll see the ground again?

Fortunately, this time next week I'll be on a beach with The Saint.

Jealous?

2011-01-27T11:45:00.003-06:00

*Green Girl inspired me to finish this post about goals/resolutions!

I've talked before about New Year's Resolutions. I typically think long and hard about one concrete goal for the coming year. I ponder the things I’ve really been meaning to do but just haven’t gotten around to actually doing. Nothing earth shattering; just something that with a little bit of effort could not only be accomplished but could perhaps become a good habit.

This year my goal was to cook for the food kitchen every month. Our church has a day a month that we are responsible for. The meal we serve has not changed in the almost twenty five years that we’ve been parishioners. It’s a simple Sloppy Joe recipe and I’ve prepared it for the food kitchen over the years, but sporadically and less and less since I’ve been working.

Every month they publish the recipe in the bulletin the week prior. I have an ancient copy in my recipe box. Meals are delivered to the parish center by 9:30 in the morning and then a group of volunteers transport the food to the facility and serve.

In order to meet my goal I worked out a simple plan. Mid-December I set reminders for myself in Outlook: two weeks prior, one week prior and a day of calendar reminder. I stocked up on the chicken gumbo soup that is part of the recipe but not always easy to find. Then I went out and bought a large, plastic storage container. I figured I could cook the meal ahead and freeze it; particularly helpful on weekdays. All I’d have to do is thaw it the day before, buy the buns, heat it up in the morning and deliver! The plan was taking shape.

I was doing the weekly grocery shopping towards the end of December and saw that ground beef was on sale. Our day to serve was, by this time, right around the corner and I figured why wait until January? I bought four pounds of ground beef, went home and went to town. On our day to serve the Saint dropped my contribution at church on his way to work.

Our day to serve for January is this weekend. My Sloppy Joes are cooked and frozen. The day before I’ll get the buns and thaw the meat. And as it’s a weekend I’ll get to join the other volunteers and go to the food kitchen and serve.

I’m off to a good start and I have great confidence that I can most certainly remember to participate the rest of the year. I assume after twelve months it will become second nature and I won’t need the “reminders”.

It is such a simple thing yet so satisfying

Dress Code Violation

2011-01-24T15:40:00.005-06:00

I shed my work day like a snakeskin. Within sixty seconds of hitting the door my work clothes come off. It's not as if my office has some draconian dress code that includes skirts and pantyhose.

(Hell, I pretty much give myself a jeans day every Friday!)

No, for me the shedding has more to do with stripping off the work day. It's a physical letting go and sinking into the comfort and routine of home.

But let's be honest; this time of year usually finds me going from work clothes straight to pajama pants. They're just so comfy.

I mean for the lova’ God it's, cold, dark and snowy. Don't I deserve a little flannel with an elastic waist?

Chances are I'm in for the night and if you happen to stop by? I don't give a rats ass.

However this winter I've taken to entertaining in my PJs.

Hell, I've taken to going to other peoples homes in my PJs.

Last week we were headed to my parents’ house for dinner. I’d been on autopilot when I got home from work and already had my pajamas on. I wondered aloud if my mother would mind my showing up for DINNER in my pajamas. The Saint simply shrugged and said, “You don’t actually SLEEP in them, so they’re not REALLY pajamas, they’re HOUSE PANTS!”

HOUSE PANTS! Is it any wonder I love that man?!

Make It Stop!

2011-01-20T15:49:00.006-06:00

Another six inches of snow. I don’t know about you but it is so cold and dry in my house/car/office right now I’m about to lose my mind. It doesn’t matter how much body lotion I slather on; my skin is painfully raw.

All my clothes feel like they’re made of the scratchiest wool

spun by self-loathing puritans.

I wonder what The Saint will think when he returns from his business trip to find me covered in Vaseline and enveloped in Saran Wrap?

Things Precious Oldest did over Christmas Break

2011-01-13T12:13:00.003-06:00

Hid the baby Jesus 72 times.

Decided all gift bows must be worn

Decided her mother must wear gift bows too

Made her mother read a Christmas bedtime story

Put out cookies and eggnog for Santa

Made fun of her mother's ass while she was digging gifts out from under the tree

Finished her t-shirt quilt

Yeah, all the rest of that stuff was just to show you how cute the quilt turned out!

This and That

2011-01-07T14:58:00.004-06:00

I have such great pictures from the holidays but I don’t think I’m getting them up over here any time soon. Which means it will probably NEVER happen because who wants to see Christmas pictures at Easter?
Lord have mercy folks, work is kicking my ASS right now.
We put up the last of the Christmas mishmash last night. The worst of it in my opinion; the Christmas dishes. So! Fun! To! Get! Out! So very tiresome to store away.
Precious Youngest and my niece head back to school Sunday so we’re having various and sundry family and friends over for pizza tonight to get one more visit in with the college kids before they disappear.
Precious Oldest is feeling like a big kid!

Happy Friday!

Sometimes....

2011-01-06T14:38:00.008-06:00

Sometimes I think

Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

have a hidden camera in my house.

I'm just sayin'.

Link to "Zits"

Happy 2011

2011-01-03T07:58:00.003-06:00

Sort of fell off the map there didn't I? Not to worry, all is well. I just got very immersed in family and well..there you have it.

For the first time since I started working I had a few vacation days saved up to use in and around the holidays. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed having a few extra days at home!

We had a lovely Christmas with our daughters and family.

We also had a birthday. Christmas was forever changed for us in 1988 with the arrival of Precious Oldest. She turned twenty two this Christmas. TWENTY TWO! We’ve ended up with a smart, funny, kind kid who embarks on her student teaching TOMORROW. How did this happen?

We traveled south to visit the Saint's folks the day after Christmas as his father was not up to the trip to come to us.

New Year’s Eve was terribly relaxing filled with friends, family and featured me staying in my PJs until 4:30!

New Year’s Day we went to see “The King’s Speech”. I can’t say enough about this movie – if you haven’t already done so GO SEE IT NOW!

I am off and running on my 2011 New Year’s Resolution.

What have you all been up to?

Where's Waldo? Christmas Edition

2010-12-21T08:05:00.001-06:00

The most oft repeated phrase in my house since the Precious Daughters return from college?

"Where is Baby Jesus??!!

"I SAID, WHERE IS BABY JESUS??!!"

Answer: Anywhere but in the manger. Sheesh.

Holiday Home Tour

2010-12-17T07:00:00.005-06:00

Once again, many thanks to Jen for organizing what has become an annual event. It gets me motivated to get my decorating done. While I think my home looks nice I don’t know that I possess the same home décor gene that others seem to have. I am not, at my core, a very creative person. So with THOSE low expectations let’s take a look around shall we?

Technically, for Catholics, Christmas doesn’t begin until December 24th. We are now in the season of Advent. We celebrate each evening around our kitchen table by lighting the Advent Wreath.

I have things hidden in several nooks and crannies in the kitchen.

The living room is one of my favorite rooms. It seems to accept Christmas so gracefully.

Our traditional Frasier Fir.

For years the mantle hosted the Santa Collection

But take a closer look...

intermingling of the species!

A selection of some of my favorite children's Christmas books.

I had a small dinner last night. I took these when I was getting set up.

I should get something up abut that soon.

The family room historically hosted the Snowmen

But yes!

Look at me and the co-mingling!

This guy is new, a gift last year from a co-worker.

Hell, even the bathrooms get dolled up.

The sunroom looks pretty even at night.

Now I'm off to explore all the other Holiday Home Tours! Merry Christmas!!!!

Can I Just Say?

2010-12-15T16:13:00.001-06:00

That among his many talents, The Saint makes one hell of a great Manhattan.

I'm just sayin'.

It's Beginning to Smell a lot Like Christmas

2010-12-09T13:45:00.001-06:00

A few weekends ago I took a trip to one of my favorite nurseries. The staff is helpful and knowledgeable. The quality of the flowers, roses, bulbs, shrubs, trees - you name - it is second to none. And they have the most amazing home and garden decorative section with wonderful holiday and seasonal items.

Now, while they have many beautiful and unique items, I rarely purchase anything because they tend to be priced just beyond what I'm willing to pay for a wreath or garland or garden ornament or...well, you get the picture.

At any rate, while I was there I browsed through the home decor section. I spied a pretty scented candle and took a sniff. Heaven. I picked it up, and put back down, about half a dozen times. The fragrance was amazing but at $24.99 - yes, $24.99!!! it seemed an extravagant price for what was not an overly large candle.

Yet, as you might surmise for the photograph, I did indeed purchase the Thymes "Fasier Fir" scented candle. People you have no idea. It smells exactly like a freshly cut fir tree. Subtle, but distinct. A smell that says "Christmas" to me like none other.

What does your Christmas smell like?

Thanksgiving In Pictures, Part 2

2010-12-02T01:48:00.002-06:00

Everything's More Fun with Babies!

2010-11-30T15:01:00.002-06:00

My brother and his wife are very brave. They took a four hour plane ride to come for Thanksgiving with their two and a half year-old sons.

I got in a BUNCH of trouble for getting up from dinner to fix PB&J's,

but they didn't seem too interested in what WE were eating.

They are very energetic

and HIGHLY entertaining

The boys were very interested in the dog but a bit timid.

But once they go the hang of patting gently

Kisses were next!

Can I say borrowed babies are especially precious?

Thanksgiving in Pictures

2010-11-29T14:37:00.012-06:00

Turkey with stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes with gravy, cranberry sauce, creamed onions, brussel sprouts, FOUR kinds of pie. Marvelous.
We were twenty for dinner plus the twins. My sisters helped with prep

Sib #2 made forty eight crescent rolls fit on two pans. It is a talent I assure you.
Sib #3 helped me peel TEN FREAKING POUNDS of potatoes. We LOVE mashed potatoes!

He doesn't look like a twenty-two-pounder does he?

He got some help from an additional turkey breast and I spent a great deal of time looking for more dishes.

The Saint spent a great deal of time opening wine.

Everyone else?
Spent a great deal of time

Enjoying the wine!
All in all a very satisfactory meal!

Is It Monday?

2010-11-12T14:48:00.004-06:00

I bring a water bottle to work every day as the only water options in my building are:

A. Buy Bottled
or
B. Drinking Fountain with Dubious Plumbing

This morning I threw the bottle in my work bag and headed to the office. When I pulled the water bottle out of the bag to stick it in the fridge it was only two thirds full. That’s when I noticed the lid hadn’t been screwed on quite tight enough. So I did. Screw it on tight enough.

Another person might have had a warning bell go off in their head at this point. I, however, did not. (Bejesus it's been a busy week!) It wasn't until LATER that I remembered my digital camera had ALSO been thrown in the bag at some point this week.

GGGGAAAAAHHHH! Water + Digital Camera = Tragedy of Epic Proportion!

I began frantically rummaging through my bag pulling out soggy file folders, damp receipts and a very moist paperback. And yes, the camera. However, while dewy, the camera appears to be in good working order.

So, crisis averted. Thank God. Because I have several things on my Christmas list and a digital camera is NOT one of them!

True Story

2010-11-11T09:20:00.002-06:00

If you walk around at a conference for three days in pumps with heel heights varying between three and three and a half inches? By day four the term “pain in the ass” becomes quite literal.

I’m just sayin’.

Random Thoughts

2010-11-01T11:37:00.004-05:00

Oh the randomness currently rolling through my brain.

We have had THE most unbelievable fall weather. Very Little Rain = Much Sunshine. You have no idea how this pleases me. The windows have been open for weeks upon weeks. It has only been in the last few days I’ve left the heat on for an entire 24 hours.

Precious Youngest was home this past weekend. She needed a break. She is struggling right now. She is in a difficult period of discernment. She is my worrier by nature and I’m losing some sleep on her behalf.

I’ve been notified of two large awards for grants I wrote in late summer. Let me tell you; money is tight and competition is stiff. I feel pretty good about this.

I am afraid I have to walk away from helping my sister with her finances. I had hoped to keep her little ship afloat until she could deal with some long standing issues. My assistance is now being perceived as interference. She is resentful to the point that it is affecting our relationship. I am afraid for her, but I can not make an almost forty seven year-old woman DO anything she doesn’t want to do.

I have a sort of a braggy thing I keep writing about and then deleting. You know what? Make that two things.

The hot flashes. Oh my God people; kill me now. I have an appointment with a doctor next week. I am hoping there is something to be done.

See? Random.

Gosh

2010-10-25T12:03:00.009-05:00

Gosh I wish blogs had sound effects. Wouldn’t that be great? This post would feature a creaky door, hollow footsteps and maybe creepy bat wing sounds.

But no, there are no sound effects. Simply my usual array of excuses as to my absence: Writing grants out the ass - I’m tired! Daughter home for a visit – too busy playing to post! New and extended drama with my sister now including a car accident AND a stolen vehicle – stressed to the max! Questioned by the FBI – intriguing but disconcerting!

What can I say? As each day unfolds it would take a Herculean effort on my part to get the details of each saga/adventure/drama fitted into words, sentences and paragraphs. So I skulk at the edges of the blogosphere. Reading but rarely commenting. Wondering if I should quit cold turkey. Back to the days when I didn’t know what a blog WAS.

But of course I can’t. I need to know what’s going on in California and Wisconsin and Nebraska. In Virginia and Colorado and Tuvalu. What of Florida and Illinois? I find myself invested in the lives of people I’ve never met.

So here I am. With a question no less! If blogs had sound effects what would yours be?

Split Personality

2010-09-27T14:12:00.014-05:00

Here are two purchases I made in the past few months. I adore both and have worn them several times though never together. Are you ready?

I bought this necklace at Anthropologie.

It was $38. Just the right price for something I’ll likely only wear for a season or two. I am loving it just as much with the browns and burgundies of fall as I did with pinks and greens of summer!

I also purchased these boots.

OMG - I LOVE them! Lordy I DO have a thing for red shoes. I am wearing the boots with dresses and skirts and it is a level of fun I am absolutely crazy about!

So readers tell me straight: can schizophrenic be a personal style ?

Vanished

2010-09-24T11:19:00.006-05:00

vanish
vb (intr)
1. to disappear, esp suddenly or mysteriously
2. to cease to exist; fade away

Oh hai. I don’t seem to be able to get over here. Stuff is happening. Life is spinning on. I just don’t seem to have the capacity to sum everything up and spit it out here. Or maybe I do:

My sister is back at work. Very tired, but in otherwise good health. It is miraculous.
We had a grand time with Precious Oldest and her friends doing the tailgate thing a few weeks back.
Costco had a wonderful Brunello di Montalcino in last weekend. $28.99 a bottle. $28.99!!!! I was shoving half a case in my cart when the manager walked by. He asked if I knew that Brunello. Know it? I’ve been to the vineyard! Divine.
We leave late this afternoon to drive to Precious Youngest’s university for a repeat tailgate performance tomorrow.

I am considering delineating how to properly throw a college tailgate party. We’re pretty good. I’m just sayin’.

Portrait of "Pain"

2010-09-16T09:08:00.014-05:00

There is one certainty in fall

It matters not if you are a fan

It can not be avoided

Foot Ball

Can you guess what my college colors were?

Then you can only IMAGINE how painful THIS was!

Ah well, at least the children enjoyed themselves!

A Girl Could Get Misty

2010-09-07T14:32:00.001-05:00

The internets can be a wonderful place. Some of my favorite bleeps are writers/aspiring authors/book reviewers. They have book giveaways on their blogs on a regular basis.

In the span a few short days I won not one but TWO book giveaways! Thanks to Green Girl For "News To Me" and to Jenn for "The Red Queen"!

If you don't hear from me you can assume I'm off on a reading jaunt!

It’s a first

2010-08-30T11:32:00.003-05:00

For the first time EVER we did not take a family vacation this summer. First time ever. This is not tragic in the OMG we have no MONEY to go on VACATION! Or OMG our car BROKE DOWN and we can’t get it FIXED so we can’t leave town! It was more a scheduling difficulty that became insurmountable once my sister landed in the hospital.

I had planned to visit Precious Oldest for a few days to get her started on a t-shirt quilt she wanted my help with. I did take a day off. The day my sister was taken off the ventilator.

I planned to take off the week before Precious Youngest left for school which coincided with Precious Oldest being home for a week of “vacation”. I did take the week off. My sister had her thyroidectomy.

The Saint and I had planned a trip to Spain this September to celebrate our 25th but some…sort of…up-in-the-air health and finance issues made us decide to postpone.

Labor Day weekend is upon us. The official end of summer. I’m trying to pull up my big girls panties and not sulk. That said? I feel gypped. Anyone else end up with a less than stellar summer?

I look pretty damn good for fifty three...

2010-08-24T13:50:00.004-05:00

too bad I'm only forty eight.

How do you know you're old you ask?

You have a child who is a SENIOR in college
You were invited to your THIRTIETH high school reunion
The skin on your neck looks more CHICKEN than HUMAN
Wearing shorts in PUBLIC is simply NOT an option
Cookware sounds like an EXCELLENT gift

This Is Awesome

2010-08-17T15:53:00.005-05:00

Hello? Is anyone out there?

2010-08-16T11:30:00.004-05:00

Things are a little dusty around here I see. I didn’t mean to abandon this poor space but many, MANY goings-on have been vying for my time and attention.

My sister finally left the hospital on August 5th. Nearly a month after she was admitted. She came home with a defibrillator but minus the thyroid that started all the trouble to begin with. She is lowly re-gaining her strength and she may be able to return to wok the first of September.

Both of my girls are back at school. Actually, Precious Oldest did not come home this summer, but last Saturday we moved her into the apartment she will share with three others for her last year of college. She has lived in the residents halls her prior years, so this is very exciting for her.

Precious Youngest was deposited at her residence hall on August 7th. Much too soon for her mother’s taste, but she had to train as the desk supervisor so she in turn could train her desk attendants and be ready for the first wave of residents who arrived yesterday.

My nails, house and gardens all show the signs of neglect. I haven’t done a proper grocery shop in I can’t say when. Probably prior to the 4th of July. Work, well work is still here. It has been a relatively quite summer and thank goodness because I did not need to have the office weighing on my mind too!

Slowly I hope to fill in some of the pieces. Some are good, some are wonderful and some are not too nice at all. In the meantime I do appreciate the comments and e-mails of support and concern. The power of prayer has pulled us through some very dark days and I appreciate your prayers good wishes on our behalf.

XOXO Fannie

Update

2010-07-30T09:33:00.004-05:00

Lordy, I had to go back to see what I posted last to even DO an update!

On Tuesday the 27th it was discovered that one of the leads on my sister’s AICD had become dislodged. She went back to surgery that afternoon to have it re-attached.

The next morning, the 28th, they discovered the OTHER lead (there are only two!) had also dislodged. The odds of this happening was .01%. Back to surgery, re-attached, all double reinforced.

All went well and by evening we were able to watch “Top Chef” together.

The surgeon has finally agreed to do the thyroidectomy. He is an ENT surgeon who specializes in cancers of the Head and Neck. he has been deemed by the Endocronology team to be the most qualified to do the procedure. Surgery is scheduled for Tuesday the 3rd. There are a number of things they need to do to prepare her for the surgery and he wants to give her body a little more time to heal.

So there we are. Baring unforeseen complications we hope to be on the road to recovery next Tuesday!

Off My Chest

2010-07-26T12:48:00.004-05:00

Let’s take a break from the hospital shall we? I am currently at the office trying to "work" while waiting to hear what Dr. Tsue has to say about performing surgery on my sister. So the "working" is not going terrible well.

Soooo, let me re-cap some weekend highlights:

Precious Youngest is house sitting for friends who are away at the beach on vacation. In her first seventy two hours the following occurred:

Day 1 Whilst keeping the very large dogs from knocking her over and simultaneously punching in the alarm code she inadvertently hit the silent alarm button. While she was in the back yard throwing balls for the very large dogs, three policemen entered the yard form various points, one with gun drawn. After producing her driver's licence and answering a few questions she was not arrested.

Day 2: Whist attending a concert, and subsequently arriving back at the house quite late, to find some recent high school graduates (friends of one of the sons who is on vacation) had availed themselves of the hot tub and were enjoying a few adult beverages. They were summarily dismissed.

Day 3: We got a call from Precious Youngest that the house seemed to be getting warmer and warmer. A quick look around, a few breakers flipped on and off and it became apparent a professional would need to be called in. The home owners will be returning to a new air conditioner.

She is handling things well, but we believe she may be due some hardship pay!

NOW, about the trespassing, minors in possession, drinking illegally. I did not find out about it until the next morning. Because while the children were trespassing and having a cold one I was at the emergency room with my niece. She had been scratched on the face by an eight year old girl she was babysitting a few days earlier. The scratch had developed a large, red and swollen welt and was beginning to itch. Waiting to have it looked at did not seem a good option and the Minute Clinic was closed. The ER doctor who treated her agreed with our assessment. Augmentin and a topical antibiotic cream seem to be doing the trick.

NOW, about the boys who were trespassing, minors in possession, drinking illegally. Phone calls were placed to all the parents and they were informed that I did not appreciate the position this placed my daughter in and if it happened again the police would be called. I am in no frame of mind to be fucked with these days.

Last night after dinner we did a run by my sister’s house. I needed to do some cleaning and the Saint needed to pick up her mail (he’s handling the finances at present). We discovered that the tub was (and has been) completely stopped up. We await a plumber to come and deal with that situation today.

I believe the folks who produce movies for “Lifetime” will be calling any day to see if they can use this shit in their next movie of the week. I’m just sayin’.

AICD

2010-07-23T12:04:00.003-05:00

Automated Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator

My forty-six year old sister has a pacemaker. She came through the minor surgery no problem. From a cardiac perspective? They are ready to discharge her from the hospital.

Endocrinology on the other hand? Not so much. We were told two things on Wednesday night in a pow-wow with the cardiologist, endocrinologist and electrophysiologist:

1. Surgical removal of the thyroid gland is the only treatment option left for her

2. No surgeon will touch her thyroid in her/its current condition

So, yeah. BUT, last night they found a surgeon who has agreed to at least review her chart. He is a surgeon who specializes in cancers of the head and neck. Who knew?

Questions; No Answers

2010-07-21T10:10:00.001-05:00

I am seriously bleary eyed from stress and sleep deprivation and I’m not the one in the hospital. After 21 grueling days in the CICU and then the cardiac unit it looks like my sister is facing some tough decisions.

Number One:

Sib 2 had a heart MRI and a heart cath on July 16th. There was evidence of scarring on the front wall of the heart which indicates a heart attack (different than sudden cardiac death, which we know occurred on July 8th) at some point. No one can tell us when or whether it is related to the thyroid or something else entirely. .

Yesterday they did 2 heart CTs to get a definitive answer as to location and extent of the scarring. It is the opinion of the cardiac team to put in an ICD (pacemaker). My sister is 46. Holy shit.

Number Two:

Her Endocrinologist has not been in favor of removing her thyroid surgically. It will take 8 to 12 weeks to determine if her course of radioactive iodine (June 4th) has had an effect. The surgery is risky because her sever hypothyroidism has made her thyroid gland very vascular. In the surgery the manipulation of the glad to remove it could flood her system with thyroid hormones and send her into cardiac arrest. Nevertheless, they now feel they may not have another option. Holy shit.

My overriding concern remains that the trauma she has been though emotionally and physically make her a poor surgical candidate. Which surgery do they do first? Does one affect the other? Questions; no answers.

CICU

2010-07-16T10:03:00.002-05:00

Quick update. My sister is still in the CICU. She is extubated and so is awake and talking for which we are very grateful.

Unfortunately she is still experiencing periods of AFib and her thyroid levels are not trending down as quickly as they would like.

Her health is still fragile and we are taking things one day at a time.

Thank you all for you kind words of encouragement.

Overheard

2010-07-11T22:29:00.002-05:00

Outside Cardiac ICU room number five

To the endocrinologist and cardiologist

Fannie: "There is something you need to know about my sister's medical history that isn't in her charts because there isn't a space for it. My sister's ex-husband is an abusive, alcoholic, living in a Salvation Army shelter, piece of shit. That woman in room five has three children and she is all they have. Her son is twelve years old and he doesn't want Aunt Fannie and Uncle Saint; he wants his mother. You? Need to fix.my.sister."

Please God, She's Only Forty Six

2010-07-10T23:01:00.007-05:00

Thyroid Storm

Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump

Swan Ganz Catheter

Ventilator

Pneumonia?

Power of Attorney

Medical Directives

Health Care Proxy

Yes. AGAIN.

2010-07-08T14:57:00.012-05:00

My sister had a heart attack last night. I'm sitting with her in the cardiac ICU. She is sedated, on a ventilator and undergoing a process called Therapeutic Hypothermia Protocol. Her current body temperature is down to 91 degrees while they try to assess any heart or neuro damage from the cardiac arrest while giving her body a chance to heal.

If you want the back story it starts here, and then goes here, and then here.

She had a radioactive/iodine ablation for her thyroid three weeks ago, but her T3 is still raging. The concern now is that this generally results in A-Fib, not full on cardiac arrest.

I've called every priest I know and I may pull in a rabbi or mullah if I can find one. Please pray.

Fourth of July Re-Cap

2010-07-07T06:59:00.001-05:00

Rain was in the forecast:

So we squished as much as we could under a canopy.

We took a chance and set the bar up on the deck.

But I DID make sure there was plenty of seating in doors !

We had a preponderance of young ladies ready to blow stuff up early in the evening.

They had a special project:

After watching many barbies being blown up by brothers/boys over the years,

they decided to try Army Men.

Laid out on a roll of 250 firecrackers.

The Army Men did NOT stand a chance!

Fortunately it did not start raining until just after dusk.

The rain did NOT deter the young people heading off to watch the city fireworks display in make-shift ponchos.

Hope you had a great 4th!

Quickie - Updates to Follow

2010-07-06T10:13:00.009-05:00

Well, the 4th of July holiday was a bit of a washout, cloudy with intermittent showers. I have some show-and-tell I'm working on. In the meantime - Precious Youngest took pictures of our resident hawk yesterday afternoon!

This was the closest we've ever seen him, perched on top of the telephone pole in the far corner of our yard.

He is magnificent!

And my gardens REMAIN unmolested by furry varmints!

Currently Pissing Me Off

2010-06-30T21:21:00.015-05:00

When I make a salad and go to the refrigerator:

I don't want to find only the REMNANTS of my last batch of balsamic vinaigrette .

When I go to the pantry for a snack:

I don't want to find THREE boxes of the SAME open snacks.

When I reach for a piece of chocolate :

I don't want to find someone has eaten all the dark chocolates leaving only the stupid peanut ones.

On the PLUS side - the tomatoes are coming in!

Only the cherry tomatoes, but I'll take what I can get!

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person*

2010-06-24T08:48:00.001-05:00

I was a girl when I married. A fresh-faced, twenty-two year old bride.

I knew nothing of life, really, but I was in love.

A quarter of a century later I am still in love.

And suck it people, I can still fit in the dress!

*~Mignon McLaughlin

I'm Out Back

2010-06-18T10:56:00.002-05:00

I have two large flower beds; one in front yard and one in back. Their style is best described as "Cottage" as there is nothing formal about them. They are both islands, edged in brick with a pathway that winds through the middle for both enjoyment and ease of tending.

Remember when the back bed looked like this in March?

Now it looks like this:

I chose an entirely different color pallet for the back garden than the front.

Each week as some flowers begin to fade others come into bloom. From week to week the beds never look the same, but are always a delight.

I am by nature a planner, an organizer, an OCD type. I'm left to wonder: where do all those tendencies go once I'm in the garden?

Segue – Real Casual Like

2010-06-15T15:17:00.005-05:00

So I mentioned that my gardens are not over run with vermin because of my awesome predator situation right? Ahem…so anyway check this shit out!

Green beans! Yeah, I don't see any yet either, what do you think that means?

I planted two kinds of cucumbers: slicing and pickling.

This is one of the "slicers"; appears to be about 9 or ten inches long. Should I pick it yet?

I know he's not mature, but look at that lettuce down below.

I can not WAIT for the tomatoes to be ready. I have six varieties going!

I also threw some carrot seeds in the ground. How will I know when THEY'RE ready to harvest?

God god, I know a lot about flower gardening but vegetables? Another story entirely!

For The Birds

2010-06-14T15:16:00.005-05:00

We have an amazing variety of wild life living in our very close to urban suburb. My gardens remain largely unmolested by squirrels, rabbits and such due to the hawks and owls that reside in our treetops.

You might remember a few years ago when we had an owlet sighting at a neighbor's house? This year the owls nested and hatched nearly in our back yard. Many evenings as we've sat outside having dinner we could hear them hoo-hooting away.

A few nights back Precious Youngest was headed out the door and I could hear frantic ...I don't know...sounds of some sort. I went to investigate and found her standing stock still in the doorway and gesturing wildly at me while hissing "Camera! Camera!"

Two young owls were perched on our fence mere feet from where she was standing. I handed her my ~~shitty Fuji point and shoot~~ camera, at which point one of the owls startled and flew away. But the other was way too interested in us to fly off.

I realize these look like pictures of bad Halloween decorations, but Precious Youngest turned off the flash so as not to scare the remaining owl away. He/she was a good two and a half feet tall. We know it was one of the babies because:

The adults don't EVER come that close
The parents (we presume) were sitting up in an Oak tree calling apoplectically to him/her get the hell away from us already.

If Precious Youngest had used her ~~super nice because this is what we want to do with our life~~ camera you can be sure the quality of photos would have been better.

In any event, the owlet sighting stopped all activity until he/she finally flew off. Pretty cool, no?

Oh hai!

2010-06-08T09:17:00.007-05:00

Life is just serving up a banquet folks, and I do love to eat. So while I'm off enjoying all that summer has to offer I thought I'd show you my favorite rose.

I inherited this rose from the previous owners, I have no idea what it is. The buds start out white with faint pink tips.

As they open up the bloom turns a gorgeous dark pink. Oh, and by the way? I still have asparagus coming up! I don't think I've ever harvested asparagus in June. This makes me very happy!

Working Girl

2010-06-04T11:44:00.001-05:00

I know you have all been on the edge of your seats waiting to hear….Precious Youngest is employed! It was not easy let me tell you. The Saint and I took turns nagging her about applications and follow-up calls. There is just not a lot of hiring going on right now.

At any rate, she found this job on her own. The work seemed in-line with her talents and paid better than the standard. She sent them her resume and a link to some work she’s done. They met her Wednesday and hired her on the spot. The job is entry-level, grunt work sort of stuff, but it is in her field of study so we’re hoping it provides some good, practical experience along with a paycheck.

So, home and employed in under three weeks! As the saying goes: I'm not a nag, I'm a motivational speaker! (I might also have bribed her with the promise to buy her this dress. I’m just sayin’.)

Salad Days

2010-06-01T17:09:00.001-05:00

Last fall I plotted out a new bed for vegetables. After much prep work this spring I'm pleased the results. Room for six tomato plants!

I have lettuce at various stages; this needs to be thinned

I've never grown cucumbers before - so far so good.

The Romain has done beautifully!

I picked a head last night.

Not much washing needed if you grow it without chemical aid!

I made a nice Caesar salad - delicious!

Spring comes with a bound, Spring the deliverer*

2010-06-01T10:19:00.010-05:00

The Saint and I work like the proverbial dogs for about four weekends every spring. He primarily tackles the yard, trees and shrubs. I handle the gardens.

I enjoy it for the most part. After having been cooped up in the house for many long months being outside just feels so darn good!

But there always comes a point: having divided/transplanted/fertilized/dug up one to many perennials or having planted one too many flats/pots/borders of annuals that one begins to question the whole concept of gardening.

In particular one questions the wisdom of having two large flower beds, an herb garden, a vegetable garden and various and sundry plantings in pots and smaller beds.

Just when you think you can't do ONE.MORE.THING. you realize that all that's left is a bit of maintenance.

and simple enjoyment of all the hard labor.

So worth it.

*Robert Lewis Stevenson

Speechless

2010-05-27T12:48:00.012-05:00

I have an ~~very~~ overweight co-worker. She told me this week how disappointed she is with her "diet". It turns out she's been "modeling" her eating habits after ~~what she thought were~~ mine.

She is perplexed as to why she has not shed ONE SINGLE POUND! We do everything the SAME! I drink coffee in the morning and so does she

Although I don't have much of an appetite in the early morning I do make myself eat cereal for breakfast and so does she

I do think fruits and vegetables are an important part of a good diet and so does she

I think consumption of whole grains is important and so does she

I think a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack is often a good idea

and to keep hydrated throughout the day.

On and on it goes. I am at a loss as to what to say to this individual. So dear readers, any thoughts?

Shopaholic

2010-05-20T10:32:00.009-05:00

Last Friday ( a week ago, yes I have been busy and ignoring things over here) I had a luncheon which produced a fairly massive fashion emergency the morning of. I had an outfit in mind but while I was doing my hair I had a "better" idea. It went like this:

Put on (sleeveless) dress and cardigan.
Hate it.
Put on different cardigan.
Hate it too.
Revert to original outfit - also (sleeveless) dress and cardigan
Hate it more.
Pull out two skirts, four additional cardigans and a smattering of camisoles.
Lather, rinse, repeat steps 1 to 4.
Give up and leave for office twenty minutes late in boring black skirt, boring white cardigan over boring black camisole.
After trying on and discarding three shoe options before settling on a black patent pump.
Only consolation truly fab necklace thrown on at last minute in desperate attempt to not cry.

Let me just say that my bedroom looked as though my closet had thrown up its contents over every available surface.

When we awoke on Saturday to yet another rainy, cold and dreary day I conned Precious Youngest into going shopping with me. Can I just say that for a bunch of girls the Precious Daughters and I are not big shoppers? We adore clothes, shoes, bags, the works - but actual the shopping? Meh.

Anyhoodle we spent about four hours IN A MALL. You have no idea how bizarre and disturbing that is. BUT, with a little help I got some new things to throw in the mix and hopefully prevent any other emergencies of the type experienced last week. Behold:

Gray, tropical weight wool pencil skirt - Ann Taylor - marked down to $39.99

Cardigans, pink and gray - Talbot's - marked down to $33.99

Raspberry tank with sparkly sequins and fun scarf (not marked down - shush) Ann Taylor Loft.

Not to worry, Precious Youngest scored several items too, including the same tank but in Navy. I came back with just enough new pieces to mix and match with existing pieces that I haven't been late to work once this week!

Done any shopping lately?

Precious Daughters - Bullet Edition

2010-05-14T09:51:00.006-05:00

Precious Youngest is home for the summer.
It took two vehicles to get all her shit home in one trip.
Her dorm room wasn’t that big. One wonders how they fit all that stuff in the room all year.
Priority one is finding a summer job.
Well, from OUR perspective.
The real priority one is getting some sleep.
Priority two is cleaning out the shit hole she calls her room.
Well, that’s MY priority two.
The real priority two is catching up with The Pie and friends.
Precious Oldest is not coming home this summer
She has a job on campus that pays well and will allow her time to take a six hundred level class she would not otherwise be able to fit in her schedule.
Let’s allow that to sink in a bit shall we?
Precious Oldest is not coming home this summer.
Six young men we have known ALL THEIR LIVES are graduating this week end. Five high school; one college.
That makes me feel incredibly old.
I've got nothing else except sweetbabyjesusu enough with the rain already!!!!

Mother's Day

2010-05-12T15:33:00.001-05:00

Like all families, we have many inside jokes. Lines of dialogue that have arisen out of conversations and occurrences that are oft repeated and sometimes published. Some have lore so strong people OUTSIDE the family are in on the joke.

This is the Mother's Day card Precious Oldest sent to me:

When Precious Oldest was in high school, after yet another argument about me not allowing her to do ANYTHING FUN AT ALL, I blurted out in frustration: “You know, it’s a good thing we’re more like best friends than mother and daughter!”. She laughed, I laughed and just like that the line became a running part of the family dialogue.

"We always were more like best friends than mother and daughter!"

Then there's this from Precious Youngest:

On a family vacation when Precious Youngest was a baby (in which all four of us shared a room)we discovered that she spent an hour or so in the middle of the night wide awake holding a party. There was no crying, no distress of any sort, just her WIDE AWAKE AND JABBERING TO HERSELF AT MIDNIGHT!

As a toddler, no longer contained in a crib, she took her personal parties on the road. I never knew what I would find in the morning. She would be sound asleep in bed having left in her wake a swath of destruction. My personal favorite (read: OMG what she do NOW!) was finding both the bathroom and the (back in bed and asleep) baby covered in Vaseline!

"Bridgey parties? What? Vaseline? My bad! "

Good God they make me laugh!

A Must See

2010-05-10T11:32:00.011-05:00

On Mother's Day I went with my sister and my mother to see the documentary Babies.

Do yourselves a favor and see it. Awesome!

* Edited to add: Sorry, you'll have to suffer through some long, lame bit before the trailer kicks in!

Overheard on Facebook

2010-05-06T15:40:00.001-05:00

Facebook Chat

Carol 3:20pm
Mrs. Fannie...you should be working!

Me 3:23pm
Mrs. P., so should you.
And BTW I was updating my WORK Facebook page!!!

Carol 3:24pm
Sure you were:)

Me 3:25pm
P.S. I was a little bit hungover this AM - stupid Heidi - one more glass....

Carol 3:26pm
Stupid, stupid Heidi - we hate her!
Actually I didn't feel bad, but I ate more than you did.

Me 3:27pm
Ah yes, once again over served and under fed through no fault of my own!

Overheard - When Cleaning Kills Edition

2010-05-05T13:06:00.014-05:00

Sunday evening The Saint was taking the trash bin to the curb and stopped to chat with some neighbors; a girlhood friend of Precious Youngest’s on a walk with her father. I was inside ~~watching a re-run of The Real Housewives: The Reunion~~ balancing the checkbook when I heard a loud thud.

The Saint: “Quick, there’s been another cleaning related injury!”

Fannie: stepping out onto the front porch to see a tiny bird lying on its side, stunned out of its mind “What happened? Did it run into the door?”

The Saint: “There were two of them! They were flying at top speed! This one slammed right into the storm door! The glass was too clean! He didn’t realize it was a window!

Fannie: *blink* *blink*

Friend: to Fannie “OMG, remember Lucky? Didn’t you learn ANYTHING after Lucky?”

Ah yes, Lucky. Many, many years ago Precious Youngest was gifted a gold fish named “Lucky”. Lucky had small tank with some pebbles, a filter, a few fake plants and, if I remember correctly, a tiny castle.

At the time the fish was “gifted” to her Precious Youngest was in the fourth grade. She would have been what? Nine years old? So you can imagine her record of taking care of pets (well anything at all really) was spotty at best.

One morning while she was at school I was putting clean clothes away in her room and realized poor Lucky’s tank was filthy. I stomped downstairs to retrieve what I needed to clean the tank muttering under my breath many bad words about ~~irresponsibility~~ ~~laziness~~ ~~general ineptitude~~ not being the maid.

I scooped up Lucky and some water from the tank and put it/hm into a bowl. I cleaned the tank, filled it with fresh water and dumped Lucky back in. Still muttering under my breath I continued on with my day.

Precious Youngest arrived home from school with a friend in tow.

Precious Youngest: from her bedroom “Mom, something's wrong with Lucky!”

Fannie: seeing Lucky floating upside down in the tank “Oh my gosh that’s so weird, he was fine earlier today when I cleaned the tank!”

Precious Youngest: “You cleaned the tank?”

Fannie: defensively “Yes, I cleaned the tank! Who ELSE was going to clean the…”

Fannie: *blink* * blink*

Precious Youngest: “WHAT?”

Fannie: “Huh, I wonder if using Windex to clean the glass was a bad idea.”

Precious Youngest: “MOM!!!!”

Friend: to Fannie "I knew your cleaning would kill some day.”

Cleanliness may be next to Godliness, but around here you’re gonna take your chances!

Mama Bear Sends Her Love

2010-04-30T09:57:00.004-05:00

Green Girl asked, in response to a comment I left on this post, what DOES one send to college students in a care package these days?

I send four or five packages a year. Generally Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day, and finals weeks. Precious Oldest reports that word spreads quickly when a package has arrived for her and she usually has an audience when she opens it.

Every time I go to Target I swing through their dollar section. The stores I frequent have several aisles devoted to cheap sale items right up front. (Sometimes I throw in a Target gift card too.)

Holiday themed fleece blankets have always been a big hit!

My girls love socks, so those are always fun.

For finals snacks are a must and just plain silly things; sidewalk chalk, gumballs, Disney princess pens.

And, if you are a REALLY good mother, a box of Girl Scout Thin Mints you found squirreled away in the deep freeze gets added to the mix!

I do this the old fashioned way. I save boxes (shoe boxes, catalogue delivery boxes, etc.) and packing materials from the office.

The correct size box is important. Things should fit snugly to avoid to much shifting during transport.

I wrap them in brown paper.

I didn't say I did a good job!

If I get these in the mail today they should arrive Monday.

It isn't extravagant. It isn't expensive. It isn't hard. It just says we love you and we're thinking about you. Isn't that all anyone wants after all?

The Waiting Game

2010-04-29T08:34:00.002-05:00

I have tomato and cucumber transplants in the sun room hardening off. I've been leaving the windows open at night to adjust them to the cold and taking them outside for a few hours of direct sunlight (when we've had it!) to get them ready to plant.
I'm expecting some heirloom tomato transplants from a co-worker of The Saint's any day now and I'll do the same with them.

While not a good trait for a gardener, I am, by nature, an impatient person. The rain and cool weather we’ve been experiencing is killing me. If there is a window of opportunity to plant this weekend; weather forecast be damned I'm going for it!

Grace in Small Things, part 21

2010-04-26T07:17:00.001-05:00

I started to write a post about this weekend…not being up to snuff. My level of dissatisfaction with the cold and the rain. And then I remembered way back when that I had signed on for grace in small things. And how I sort of fell of that wagon in spectacular fashion. And how I need to start re-framing the way I look at things. And why don’t I just start right now?

Though the weather Friday was darkish and stormyish it cleared off nicely in the late afternoon.
The Saint had a business associate in town whose flight home was cancelled. As he was at loose ends we took him to dinner and had a delightful time.
Whatever the weather it’s spring damn it and we had our first gin and tonics of the season.
We had a birthday dinner for my mother on Saturday evening: Grilled pork tenderloin with cilantro Chimichurri, asparagus and wild rice.
My sister made some wonderful molten chocolate something-or-other cake. My mother was very happy.
Last night I made chicken Spedini over fettuccini with a Caesar salad and we watched the last four episodes of “Sopranos” back-to-back.

It appears my M.O. in dealing with the shitty weather is to eat my way to bigger pants until the weather improves. I’m already plotting tonight’s dinner…

Snow? In April?

2010-04-21T17:33:00.009-05:00

Oh, flower petals. Never mind!

Work In Progress

2010-04-19T15:55:00.000-05:00

As predicted the weather over the weekend was perfect for spending time outside.
On Saturday I pulled out a patio chair I found these intriguing rings.

These are but a few of the places the masses of pollen pooled after our rain last week. (Precious Youngest reports feeling relieved of the worst of her allergy symptoms!)

This was the third weekend in row we were able to spend the better part of both days working in the yard. Clearing, weeding, pruning, dividing, fertilizing, mulching. By Sunday I felt good about the progress.

Good as in I put my feet up and read a bit and enjoyed all the green with the promise of flowers to come.

The challenge now is to lay off planting tender annuals and vegetables. My head knows it is too early but the urge to dig and plant is hard to resist!

Mother Nature is my Bitch

2010-04-17T03:49:00.004-05:00

Ha! Mother Nature caved and did my bidding! Soft rain through Thursday night into Friday morning. Clearing skies and a pollen count below 800. Weekend forecast? Sunny and warm!

I love it when a plan comes together!

The Old Gray Mare

2010-04-16T14:42:00.007-05:00

Poppy, who has changed her blog format to "beauty advice for women of a certain age”, wrote a post on going gray. I think she was spot on in her analysis, which is why I will continue to color my hair until the day I can no longer lift my arms high enough to reach the back of my head!

My mother, on the other hand, decided last spring at the age of 68 to stop coloring her hair. My parents knew by then they were moving to Our Town and my mother figured she would just make friends with people who didn’t know her when she DID dye her hair!

In consultation with her colorist (my mother and I have widely divergent views on what things are appropriate to spend wads of money on and which are not – but that is another post entirely) my mother decided to get a short cut after going several months without touching up her color.

After she moved to Our Town she started seeing my stylist and together they are working on growing her hair out a bit. I want you to take a look at this picture of my mother:

It is a candid shot taken a few weeks ago and I want you to note she is following many of Poppy’s suggestions.

Great cut
Great eye glasses
Still fit and trim
And you’ll have to take my word for this, still dresses well and has great accessories!

Mother will turn 69 in a few weeks. Something for me to aspire to, no?

Really?

2010-04-15T10:14:00.014-05:00

Really?

This?

Is what's kicking you ass?

Yup.

Really.

You Can't Win with Us

2010-04-14T10:18:00.006-05:00

I’m sure you are wondering where I’ve been. Um, pretty much hiding from POLLEN. I don’t have spring allergies per se, but our pollen count is hovering over 8,000 when it is usually 800 to 1,000. Everything, it seems, has decided to bloom at the same time this year. While it is beautiful, I find myself with a sniffling nose and itchy eyes at days end. Every surface is covered in a light green dusting of pollen. I find myself praying for rain. ME! I KNOW!

Meanwhile poor Precious Youngest, off at school 135 miles due east of us, is suffering terribly. She developed spring allergies late in grade school which became more severe over time. We believe Oak pollen to be the main culprit. For a sixish week period in the spring she takes Singulair, Clarinex and Rhinocort ALL! AT! THE! SAME! TIME! and is still in abject misery.

So us warm weather, sun loving gals are hoping for rain. Mother Nature just can't catch a break can she?

Aw Shucks

2010-04-09T11:54:00.006-05:00

Thank you for the kind words - but I’m FINE people. I wallowed in self pity and then told myself to get over it.

In other news:

The Sun is out
The temperature is warm and getting warmer
The forecast for the weekend is GORGEOUS
I’m planning to play in the dirt and perhaps get my pots planted
I’m wearing my very adorable shoes
There's a poker tournament Saturday night

See? Healing nicely!

Delayed Grief

2010-04-05T12:08:00.013-05:00

Yesterday afternoon found me submerged in a bath with a glass of champagne; an unfinished bottle resting on the floor near the tub. And I had myself a nice, long, sobby, chest heaving, snotty, sniffling cry.

We’d enjoyed a nice Easter with my parents, my sister and her children. Precious Youngest, home for the past week for her spring break, packed up her car and drove back to college. And I found myself overwhelmed with a single thought: Our house is not “home” for our daughters any more. Not really. They call it “home”, but they are visitors when they come. Think about that for a minute.

I don’t think it is any secret that I adore my children. They are my life’s work. Thinking about who they are and what they’re doing with their lives makes me misty. They are doing all of the things I trained them to do, taught them to do, encouraged them to do. What in the name of all that is holy was I thinking? If you raise responsible adults they LEAVE!

I cried harder and longer yesterday than when I dropped either of them off at college the first time. I can only assume delayed grief to be the culprit. That it has taken me this long to come to terms with reality.

Reality? Bites. Big time.

Excusified

2010-03-31T12:26:00.002-05:00

Excusified, as defined by Urban Dictionary:

1. Something/Something that's full of excuses.

2. Expecting remedy for what someone didn't do or was suppose to do.

3. Talking nonsense; full of shit.

Big Ass Event…blah…blah…blah

Precious Oldest home for Spring Break…blah…blah…blah…

Annual audit at work…blah…blah…blah

Precious Youngest home for Spring Break…blah….blah….blah

So many bloggable moments so little time.

Dauntless

2010-03-24T16:38:00.001-05:00

Remember this scene from Saturday morning? That wasn't the half of it. It snowed the better part of the day and we ended up with over six inches of snow.

I took THIS picture Monday afternoon

I took THESE pictures yesterday

I can't believe it either!

Overheard

2010-03-22T16:14:00.005-05:00

Fannie: (To The Saint) "Do you care if I eat the last of the pie?"

The Saint: "No."

Later

The Saint: "Hey, where's the pie?"

Fannie: "I ate it."

The Saint: "But ...but...you don't eat pie!"

Fannie: "I asked if you minded if I ate the last piece!"

The Saint: "But...but...you don't eat dessert!"

Fannie: "But I ASKED if I could eat it!"

The Saint: "YOU DON'T EAT PIE!"

Fannie: "But I ASKED!"

The Saint: "YOU DON'T EAT PIE!"

Fannie: "But..."

The Saint: "YOU DON'T EAT PIE!"

Fannie: "GAAAAAHHHHHH!"

The Saint: "YOU DON'T EAT PIE!"

Good Gravy!

Spring? Really?

2010-03-20T09:48:00.008-05:00

I took Friday off. It was beautiful. 60 degrees and partly sunny. We uncovered the table on the patio, put up the umbrella and enjoyed a nice Al fresco lunch. The crocus were blooming and all was right with my world.

This is what we woke up to today; the first day of spring

My poor daffodils!

What the hell Mother Nature?

How To Get Invited To the Big Dance...

2010-03-18T07:26:00.002-05:00

As THE number one seed:

We're in Oklahoma City tonight - Hope to see you all in Indie!

The Occasional Perk

2010-03-17T10:03:00.006-05:00

It's easier to become a fan of Country music than one might think

I'm just sayin'...

So.Damn.Tired

2010-03-11T07:19:00.002-06:00

Stupid job. Our largest fund raising event was Tuesday, I had a sponsor event last night and have another one tonight. Guess what? I'm OLD for crying out loud! Running around a theater coordinating sound checks, cocktail receptions, meet and greets, coddling artists - this shit is exhausting I tell you!

Feel free to feel very sorry for me and marvel that I showed up here AT ALL!

BUT - More signs of spring! Last weekend was actually sunnyish and warmish.

Time to get a little gardening done.

Everything looks dead doesn't it?

But look, daffodils!

Crocus!

Daises!

Geum!

The Saint rototilled (hmm, might not be a word....) my new garden plot!

We had precipitation this week that WASN'T snow, sleet or frozen rain! Despite the fact that today is gray, cold and dreary seeing hints of green is making my day! How do things look in your neck of the woods?

Overheard - Big 12 Edition

2010-03-06T14:16:00.006-06:00

Scene: Grocery store

Fannie is checking out wearing something like this

Gentleman gets in line behind her wearing something like this

After eyeing each other warily:

Fannie: "Forget about it - NEVER gonna happen."

Gentleman: "Hope springs eternal young lady, hope springs eternal."

More Signs of Spring

2010-03-04T07:57:00.005-06:00

New shoes! Don't you love the color?

"Sun"

Now I just need it a tad bit warmer so they can leave the house!

OMG - picture totally makes me look like I have cankles!

Spring Hopes - Eternal

2010-02-26T10:01:00.012-06:00

Yeah, yeah, I know that isn't quite how the saying goes BUT after this endless farking winter of COLDSNOWICEBELOWZERODARKDARKDARKDARKDARK there is hope that spring is coming:

6:45 AM leaving the gym

6:50 AM pulling up to the house

All I can say is: Let there be DAYLIGHT!

* Updated to add that I hadn't seen Frank's comment on my last post before I wrote this I SWEAR.

Overheard

2010-02-22T13:06:00.006-06:00

Fannie: I need to tell you something and I want to be very clear about of my intentions so no one gets the wrong idea.

The Saint: *blink* *blink*

Fannie: I’m going to have to start sleeping naked.

The Saint: *blink* *blink* Because of the hot flashes?

Fannie: Yes.

The Saint: So you showing up naked will not necessarily be an indication that you're looking to get lucky?

Fannie: Precisely!

Toes

2010-02-20T01:01:00.001-06:00

Toes on the beach.

Toes at the pool.

Toes at the pool on the balcony!

small lowercase squee

2010-02-19T11:03:00.004-06:00

My job is...well...a job. We have two children in college so having a job is good, right? And remember I was out of the work force from 1988 to 2005 so I basically started over at age 42.

I would love nothing more than to go into the shenanigans of my crazy ass boss; but I've heard that people have lost jobs over that shit so I will say just this: It is very, very, very difficult for me to work for a person I don't have a lot of respect for.

Yesterday the personnel committee met. They gave me a 10% raise. I guess I'll see if that makes it any easier.

In Defense of Valentine's Day

2010-02-17T16:12:00.009-06:00

I'm getting - sort of - caught up with some of what's sitting in Google Reader. It seems poor Valentine's Day is/was getting trashed! We like Valentine's Day! I send of boxes of treats to the Precious Daughters! We were traveling this year, but ordinarily we go out for dinner! This Monday - the 15th by the way - The Saint had these delivered to my office.

Aw shit, terrible camera phone picture. Much prettier in real life. Well any way, it was very sweet and made me smile. Color me shallow if you will, but when I look at them it makes me feel cherished.

Aaaaand I'm back

2010-02-15T13:03:00.007-06:00

Here’s the deal; if I were you I would NOT want to hear about my fucking fantastic vacation. Don’t get me wrong – once I pull pics off the camera you are damn well GOING to hear about it, but in the meantime let me share a little inappropriate personal revelation.

I have been dealing on and off with mega hot flashes due to that bitch we call menopause. The upside is that I have not had a period since SEPTEMBER 2009. That’s somewhere in the neighborhood of five MONTHS. Needless to say this is welcome turn of events.

But sweet baby jesus the hot flashes! All winter I’ve been sleeping with the bedroom window open. Yes, as in even if it BELOW ZERO AND SNOWING I’m sleeping with the damn window open so I don’t wake up in a pool of my own sweat three times a night.

These hot flashes have been coming and going for a while. Oddly I’ll have weeks of relief where they are minimal in number, duration and intensity. As of late I HAD been sleeping clear thought the night which is six kinds of awesome. Then BAM – hotter than the hammered down hinges of hell.

The last several days those suckers were back with a vengeance! By the plane ride home Sunday I was in agony. I must have woken up six or seven times last night. Sheet thrown off, sheet pulled back on, rinse and repeat. I had to dry my hair bare assed naked this morning or risk passing out on the cold, tile floor. Which in hindsight sounds delightful; people it was sixteen degrees outside!

Then mid-morning it hit me. What did I NOT do all last week? What do I fail to do on the weekends and over holidays and the like? Drink GREEN TEA.

Back about a year or so ago I added green tea to my morning office routine. Having read all these bits and pieces about the virtues of green tea I finally found one that didn’t taste like...well…grass clippings that had been steeped in manure.

So as I sipped my morning brew and realized I did not feel as though I were about to spontaneously combust I got to pondering cause and effect. Is it possible all that stands between me and insanity is a teabag? Discuss among yourselves.

New Favorite

2010-02-08T07:17:00.001-06:00

I love the Manning boys. So cute! So talented! And from all appearances very nice. If they have skeletons in their closets, chicks on the side or a penchant for ingesting illegal substance I haven't heard about it.

But last night when Drew Brees, after leading the New Orleans Saints to their first Super Bowl victory, held his son on the podium? I might have melted just a little bit.

One Week

2010-02-02T07:51:00.002-06:00

Third verse same as the first (and second):

One week from today I'm going to be on a beach in Mexico.

One week from today I'm going to be on a beach in Mexico at a lovely resort.

One week from today I'm going to be on a beach in Mexico at a lovely resort, with the Saint.

One week from today I'm going to be on a beach in Mexico at a lovely resort, with the Saint, on a trip that someone else is paying for.

For what it's worth? I highly recommend getting to know a salesman. A really, really good one.

Over the ocean blue

2010-02-01T06:09:00.001-06:00

One afternoon we rented a sailboat. A sloop to be exact.

We also hired a captain - we're not crazy!

Hector was the boat owner and guide, Ricardo was the Captain. They were wonderful. Very knowledgeable about local landmarks, history and folklore

Lands End: The very tip of the Baja. From here you will not hit land again until Antarctica!

The "Key Hole", you can look through from the Sea of Cortez to the Pacific.

They found us whales to follow!

Our friend A had ample opportunity to sail and our captain was impressed with her skill.

Our resort seen from the Pacific

We stayed to watch the sunset.

Gracias Ricardo and Hector; we had a ball!

Vacation, part 1

2010-01-23T18:40:00.005-06:00

Cabo San Lucas is on the tip of the Baja Peninsula. If you sail south from Cabo you won't hit land again until Antarctica. One of my GNO girls and her husband have a time share in Cabo. They very generously donated a week to our group for our girls get away. It was a lovely two bedroom, three bath condo. But the best feature was the beautiful balcony.

The view was looking out over the harbor on the gulf side

We had our morning coffee out there every day. Each morning two boats would arrive at one of the docks.

Members of the Mexican armed services (Navy maybe?) would march in formation to this platform

and raise the Mexican flag.

We also had a good view of the pier where the fishing boats came back to deliver their days catch. We saw this Marlin the first day and it the largest fish we saw all week.

In the evening we would enjoy an alfresco happy hour.

It leaves me wondering why in the name of all that is holy why I came home!

Once again...

2010-01-22T15:57:00.005-06:00

Reports of my demise, and post-vacation coma, have been greatly exaggerated. I have four posts sitting in draft. Three with nothing but uploaded pictures . I'm just...I dunno, listless.

As always, I remain shocked at how much work is waiting for me after I've been gone a week. All the rigmarole that is "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it" (George Santayana) is lost on me it seems.

Anyway, I hope to rejoin the wold soon! Have a great weekend!

Sunset

2010-01-17T12:23:00.004-06:00

Cabo San Lucas, Sunset

I'm home.
We had a wonderful time.
Daughters heading back to school today, more later.....

What would make a girl?

2010-01-07T16:45:00.001-06:00

What would make a girl go out in this?

And wade through this?

To go dump scraps in this?

My new border fork!

The Precious Daughters got this for me for Christmas. I love the short handle and the light weight. Perfect for work in the compost bin. I know come spring I'll find it helpful in the gardens as well. The Master Gardening site is a great source for good quality gardening tools.

As an aside to my fellow composters, do you see that bit of bright blue in the left of the photo?

That's a piece of a Sun Chip bag! Now 100% compostable! How cool is that? A chip that's not altogether bad for you and a bag you can compost!

Tidbits and Pictures

2010-01-06T09:11:00.034-06:00

My sister came home from the hospital yesterday. She’s still very tired but she feels better than she has in a long time and she’s only on two prescription medications instead of eight as she was the LAST time.
Our fair city got something in the neighborhood of twelve inches of snow between December 24th and December 26th. We had another significant snowfall last week and we’re gearing up for another today. Temperatures have not been above the teens to low 20’s for weeks so nothing is melting. I don’t know where they’re going to plow the new snow.
We have a lovely sun room on the back of our house, which I adore.

Unfortunately it does not have very good insulation in the ceiling and so we get a lot of icicles back there.

HOWEVER, due to all the snow they are SPECTACULAR this year!
This is our weather forecast:

Wednesday: High 24°F, Low 4°F

Thursday: High 8°F, Low -6°F

Friday: High 5°F, Low -8°F

Saturday: High 11°F, Low 2°F
See that 2 degree low on Saturday? That’s when I’ll be flying to Cabo San Lucas for a girls trip with my GNO group. Winter? Can kiss my lily-white ass!

Happy New Year

2010-01-02T17:44:00.009-06:00

The bad news is my sister is still in the cardiac ICU. The good news is that she is at a different hospital than the last time and we have done a wholesale, and permanent, substitution of her medical team. We are not a litigious lot and for that her old medical team should be on their knees praying to whomever they hold holy.

She had a transesophageal echocardiogram (effective, but no fun) which gave a clear enough picture of her heart that they felt comfortable doing a defibrillation. For the first time in weeks her heart is back in rhythm and is her heart rate is well below 100.

She is too fragile to do the radiation treatment now, so we wait. But we feel much more confident that her health will be closely monitored and the procedure done in a more timely manner than before.

So to any and all who sent a prayer out there into the universe - I thank you.

Laugh or Cry?

2009-12-30T20:02:00.002-06:00

My sister is back in the hospital. The Saint and I took her to the ER yesterday. Elevated heart rate and fluid in the lungs is putting off the radiation therapy she was due to have tomorrow to "kill" her thyroid.

She's been feeling poorly for too long and is beyond upset to be back in the hospital. We're a little low in the morale department around these parts.

So laugh or cry?

OVERHEARD

The Saint calls me today at the office

The Saint: Are you cooking dinner tonight?

Fannie: I was planning to, why?

The Saint: I think the Precious Daughters both have plans tonight.

Fannie: Well, what time? Do the plans involve dinner?

The Saint: I think Precious Oldest has potential dinner plans, I'm not sure about Precious Youngest.

Fannie: It doesn't really matter -I'm cooking whether anyone is home or not. Tell them to do whatever. And any way, I don't want to be "THAT MOTHER" .

The Saint: "THAT MOTHER"?

Fannie: You know, the one that does the guilt.

The Saint: Oh, I'll be sure to pass THAT along!

Fannie: "Well ...when you do make sure you tell them *sniff* you heard tears in my voice!

All joking aside - we need a prayer over here!

P.S. They were both home for family dinner, I'm just sayin'.

Tradition…TRADITION!!

2009-12-29T17:15:00.005-06:00

A funny thing happens when you have nearly grown children who believe in Santa Clause and tradition in equal measure.

They still get new PJs on Christmas Eve

They sleep with their very well loved Teddy bears

Even if you’re the MOM you get new PJs on Christmas Eve

Because your nearly grown children don’t want you to feel left out

And of course they leave milk and cookies for Santa

And a carrot for the reindeer

Do YOU still believe?

Hope You Had

2009-12-27T10:03:00.004-06:00

A Merry Little Christmas!

We've had:

A blizzard
An enormous Prime Rib
A twenty first birthday celebration
A concert
Company that's been here since Wednesday
And coming up - A quick trip to the ER to determine the status of a toe

Happy Holidays!

Nanaments

2009-12-19T07:13:00.005-06:00

As a continuation of the last post I bring you

"Nanaments"!

When my mothers parents retired to Florida the community they moved to had a holiday bazaar every year. The ladies group my grandmother belonged to began to make felt ornaments to sell at the bazaar. These are some of my favorites.

Christmas/Winter Themes

Tiny Christmas Stocking

Silver Bells

Mitten

Jack-In-The-Box

Elf

Winter Sports Themes

Skiing Snow lady

Skiing Santa

Skiing Polar Bear?

Famous Characters

Bambi

Goofy

Snoopy

Fairy Tales, Nursery Rhymes and such

Winnie the Pooh

Kanga and Roo

Raggedy Ann and Andy

Wynken, Blynken and Nod

Mary had a Little Lamb

The Three Bears, sans Goldilocks

Humpty Dumpty

Pinocchio and Geppetto

And of course the big man himself

Patterns were constructed and pieces were cut from felt. Sequins were hand sown, dozens per ornament. Individual pieces were pinned together, stuffed when called for, then sown by hand. Can you imagine the work that went into each and every one?

My Nana, personally, made HUNDREDS every year for over fifteen years. She could tell you the year each was made and how much it sold for. Nana started sending me nanaments the year I got engaged (1984 - remember people I am OLD!). I have dozens of them.

Hanging these ornaments on the tree is one of my favorite holiday traditions!

Holiday Open House

2009-12-18T06:33:00.003-06:00

When Jen offered to host another Open House I thought twice because my holiday decor tends to look the same from year to year.

2008

2009

See?

Then I realized there had been some changes around here since last year. Look, mirror in the dinning room!

When my parents moved this summer I inherited their living room sofa. I had my wedding picture taken on this sofa, as did my sister, so it holds many memories.

The tree holds other memories

My grandmother made many of the ornaments we've used to decorate our tree for many years. Because she was "Nana" we deemed the ornaments she made "Nanaments". That, my friends, is a story for another day.

For now, thanks to Jen for hosting and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Reports of my demise...

2009-12-17T17:29:00.001-06:00

Reports of my demise have, as usual, been greatly exaggerated.

The office is CRAZED and I'm trying to handle several new projects along with the rest of the year-end joy.

I've been shopping and wrapping and baking and decorating (don't forget Jen's Open House is tomorrow!) and in general getting ready for Christmas.

Last night the Saint and I made the trek east to fetch Precious Youngest back from school. We had her mostly to ourselves (the girl can TEXT!) for the two hour car ride back. We took full advantage! She's bringing some friends home for dinner tonight so I'll get to grill OTHER peoples children on their freshman college experience!

I hope to surface some time soon - thanks for sticking around!

First Snow

2009-12-11T08:51:00.000-06:00

We had our first real snow of the season Tuesday night.

The Saint and I took a walk and enjoyed the wonderful, muffled quiet you get in town only during a snowfall.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Grace in Small Things Part 20, Dry Winter Air Edition

2009-12-07T11:04:00.003-06:00

Any other ideas to keep me from drying up and blowing away?