A while back I spent 2 hours blogging, catching up on everything and recording things so I wouldn't forget. I guess the website was having issues that night because it's all gone. I want to cry! I know some of the things I posted I will never remember.
One thing I do remember:
Xander's pooh. I'm sorry but it's too funny not to share. One day Xander had decided he was going to wipe himself which was a huge failure. He had pooh EVERYWHERE on him and in the bathroom. I was just finishing cleaning him up (he had assumed the position and had his butt in the air) when Ruby walked into the bathroom and tripped. Her face literally smacked his butt. Sad, but funny. Of course she had her face scrubbed and sanitized, poor little girl.
The other day, Xander had something in his eye. He told me "mom, there's something in my eye that is making the "cry" come out." Too cute.
I've been teaching Xander old poems and songs that GGG used to tell us. He is so smart, after a couple mornings of reading it to him he then knows it by heart. I'm trying to post them to youtube, but it's the first time I've done that so I hope it works.
Ruby is a cute as ever and bless her heart is my calming balance to Xander's busy-busy. My mom sent her some boots that she loves and she wears them around all day. The other day I was looking for her and calling out to her and she didn't answer (she says "what?") I was trying to put her down for a nap. I found her hiding and laughing in the pantry. Little sneaky booger.
I've also been baking like crazy and have had fun doing that and now I need to really get serious about finding a job. Boooo.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
A One Legged Man in His Skivvies
(Original Blog was posted on Myspace about 2.5 years ago)
Got your attention, didn’t it? It certainly got mine at about 4 am this morning.
I know I have mentioned that route M400 is boring, and it is, but every once and a while something fantastic happens. And then, there are days like today. Why was this man standing in his open doorway in his underwear? Your guess is as good as mine. Why did he give ME a look of disgust and then slam the door as I walked up to his “porch” to deliver his paper? Your guess is as good as mine. Why did this man only have one leg? Don’t know. But probably the thing that irks me the most about this situation is that this main is a pain. He complains constantly about the delivery of his paper. If it’s a minute late, he calls the paper and complains. If the paper isn’t exactly right in front of his door, he calls the paper and tells them he didn’t get it. My question is, why can’t I call the paper and tell them I refuse to deliver to one legged men who stand naked in their open doorways at 4 in the morning? I leave you with that.
Post Script... The man only has one leg because he lost it due to diabetes, and he was a pain because he is lonely and has nothing better to do than wait for his paper. He and I worked out our issues. I did, on occasion, still have to catch a glimpse of him in his underwear but, after 3 years on the road delivering papers... there are worse things. Believe me.
Got your attention, didn’t it? It certainly got mine at about 4 am this morning.
I know I have mentioned that route M400 is boring, and it is, but every once and a while something fantastic happens. And then, there are days like today. Why was this man standing in his open doorway in his underwear? Your guess is as good as mine. Why did he give ME a look of disgust and then slam the door as I walked up to his “porch” to deliver his paper? Your guess is as good as mine. Why did this man only have one leg? Don’t know. But probably the thing that irks me the most about this situation is that this main is a pain. He complains constantly about the delivery of his paper. If it’s a minute late, he calls the paper and complains. If the paper isn’t exactly right in front of his door, he calls the paper and tells them he didn’t get it. My question is, why can’t I call the paper and tell them I refuse to deliver to one legged men who stand naked in their open doorways at 4 in the morning? I leave you with that.
Post Script... The man only has one leg because he lost it due to diabetes, and he was a pain because he is lonely and has nothing better to do than wait for his paper. He and I worked out our issues. I did, on occasion, still have to catch a glimpse of him in his underwear but, after 3 years on the road delivering papers... there are worse things. Believe me.
Speak Now or Forever hold your pee!
(Original Blog was posted on Myspace 3 years ago)
Something that one might not think about when taking a job that happens in the "wee" hours of the morning is the availability of a toilet. Not a problem down south where things are open 24/7, but in the area where I deliver papers (ironically once the largest city in Alaska) there isn't anything open except a couple bars, but even then only until 3 on a Friday or Saturday. This does me no good.
On my route I have to run stairs, stairs and more stairs. I get out of the car, back in the car, do 50 three point turns (that are rarely only 3 points) in order to get out of narrows streets and parking lots, and I then run more stairs. How come in an apartment building of 20, I deliver only to 2 people and both of them would be on the top floor? Anyway, doing all this makes me hot… and thirsty. The problem with being thirsty is that I then want to drink water.
Often as I run the route I need to go to the bathroom. This isn’t too big a deal while I’m sitting in the van driving around, but it becomes a problem when I have to get out and run around, and it’s even worse when it’s raining and cold. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought about finding a dark area to go pee. This is something that’s not a big deal to guys, but takes a bit more of an effort for women. To make matters even worse, on 2nd St. there was a random port-a-potty calling my name. Random I say? Well, to me a port-a-potty is random if it’s sitting at the end of someone’s driveway in a residential area. I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to check that potty out but didn’t because I’m chicken. Something about that potty didn’t sit right with me, maybe because it seemed mostly to be there just to mock me in my pain.
One day in particular my urge to go was killing me more than usual and slowing me down. I remembered the baseball park over at Sandy Beach and drove down there to check out the public restrooms that are plentiful down by the fields. Of course they were locked – go figure. I then remembered my father in law telling me there was a port-a-potty down on the pier so I hopped back in my van and drove down to the dock. I grabbed the flash light and braved the dark green closet. I was grateful for the cold weather as I believe it helped with the smell, I did my business and went on my way. Thank you dear green giant, you are my friend.
Lately my husband has been helping me with the route because of snow, snow and more snow. He’s one of those people who needs caffeine, and also is one of those people with small bladders. When ever we get close to the road that leads to the pier I say “speak now or forever hold your pee!” The other day, he actually needed to go so we drove down there. He was a gentleman as usual and let me go first. Man, was the level getting high in there. I didn’t want to risk that kind of back splash so I passed on the potty and went back to the van to report the situation to Ken. He decided he’d pass on it too and we haven’t been back since.
Now instead of racing to the potty, Ken takes his “time” in certain areas and has threatened to write “Carrie was here” in the snow all along the route. Hey, I think it would be funny!
Something that one might not think about when taking a job that happens in the "wee" hours of the morning is the availability of a toilet. Not a problem down south where things are open 24/7, but in the area where I deliver papers (ironically once the largest city in Alaska) there isn't anything open except a couple bars, but even then only until 3 on a Friday or Saturday. This does me no good.
On my route I have to run stairs, stairs and more stairs. I get out of the car, back in the car, do 50 three point turns (that are rarely only 3 points) in order to get out of narrows streets and parking lots, and I then run more stairs. How come in an apartment building of 20, I deliver only to 2 people and both of them would be on the top floor? Anyway, doing all this makes me hot… and thirsty. The problem with being thirsty is that I then want to drink water.
Often as I run the route I need to go to the bathroom. This isn’t too big a deal while I’m sitting in the van driving around, but it becomes a problem when I have to get out and run around, and it’s even worse when it’s raining and cold. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought about finding a dark area to go pee. This is something that’s not a big deal to guys, but takes a bit more of an effort for women. To make matters even worse, on 2nd St. there was a random port-a-potty calling my name. Random I say? Well, to me a port-a-potty is random if it’s sitting at the end of someone’s driveway in a residential area. I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to check that potty out but didn’t because I’m chicken. Something about that potty didn’t sit right with me, maybe because it seemed mostly to be there just to mock me in my pain.
One day in particular my urge to go was killing me more than usual and slowing me down. I remembered the baseball park over at Sandy Beach and drove down there to check out the public restrooms that are plentiful down by the fields. Of course they were locked – go figure. I then remembered my father in law telling me there was a port-a-potty down on the pier so I hopped back in my van and drove down to the dock. I grabbed the flash light and braved the dark green closet. I was grateful for the cold weather as I believe it helped with the smell, I did my business and went on my way. Thank you dear green giant, you are my friend.
Lately my husband has been helping me with the route because of snow, snow and more snow. He’s one of those people who needs caffeine, and also is one of those people with small bladders. When ever we get close to the road that leads to the pier I say “speak now or forever hold your pee!” The other day, he actually needed to go so we drove down there. He was a gentleman as usual and let me go first. Man, was the level getting high in there. I didn’t want to risk that kind of back splash so I passed on the potty and went back to the van to report the situation to Ken. He decided he’d pass on it too and we haven’t been back since.
Now instead of racing to the potty, Ken takes his “time” in certain areas and has threatened to write “Carrie was here” in the snow all along the route. Hey, I think it would be funny!
“Praise Jah” and my biggest paper delivery fear…
(Original Blog was posted on Myspace 3 years ago)
Because of my determination to be able to stay home, when they offered me a paper route on Douglas I took it. For those who may not be familiar with the City and Borough of Juneau, for a person who lives in the Mendenhall Valley to take a paper route on Douglas Island is pretty ridiculous. My route is a good 20 minute drive away from where I live. No biggie except for the fact that we have only one car, I don’t have a cell phone, and Ken is one of the hardest people in the whole wide world to wake up.
When someone starts a paper route, they have an employee of the paper run the route with you for a couple days until they think you can handle it. So, by the time I was able to run the route 2 or 3 times by myself, I started regretting my decision. (Its funny how cruising around by yourself at 2 or 3 in the morning can get a person really thinking.) The area I deliver too is pretty dark and pretty spooky some mornings. I started thinking of worse case scenarios and then started figuring out how much more gas I was using… anything to try to convince the Juneau Empire that they needed to give me a route in the Valley. What it came down to is this: I have our only car, 20 minutes away from our home, if something happened i.e. Keys locked in car, car wreck, hit a deer, chased by a bear, you name it, I would be Sh** out of luck and have no cell phone to call for help.
The moral of this story is: Don’t dwell on the negative because it WILL happen.
The other day I was cruising along, delivering papers at record speed when I was coming up to what is about the halfway point of the route, the low income housing. I parked my van, left it running with the hazard lights on and the door partially open and ran up the stairs to deliver to the first two apartments. My van is brand new this year and has sensors so that if your keys are in the ignition, you can’t lock the doors unless you use the key fob while standing outside the van. This is how it’s supposed to work anyway…
I felt like I was in a horror flick watching the victim step into a trap….. As I pulled on the handle to open the door I watch as the lock simultaneously lowered into locked position and naturally a string of technically terms flowed from my lips. No, no, no, no, no! I ran from door to door then to the back hatch praying that one of the doors would be open – no such luck. I peered through the window at the glowing clock on the dash
4:00 am
I then slowly peered to my right and looked longingly at my sweatshirt and coat that lay on the seat as the wind picked up and it started to rain –no joke – this stuff only happens on TV, right? Stranger than fiction, the story of my life. Anyway…
I had no choice but to wander and look for lights on somewhere within the low income housing and pray the person whose door I knocked on wasn’t a crazed mad person.
As I wandered, I saw the light of a TV shining through the shaded windows. And little kids bikes, even better, and a sign written in what looked like children’s handwriting saying “praise Jah” Great, they’re religious too. I stepped into the dark doorway and knocked on the door. The door opened about two inches and I was hit with so much cigarette smoke I thought I’d die of second hand then and there. The man was short, and from what I could see, naked. I told him I was sorry for disturbing him and that I was delivering papers, my keys were locked in the car and I was wondering if I could use his phone. He shut the door and then moments later opened the door just wide enough to slip a cell phone through as he said “when you’re done, leave it just inside the door.”
I called the house knowing the chances of Ken picking up were slim… ringing… no answer. I tried again with no luck. I then called his “on call” work cell phone hoping the different ring tone would snap him awake so that he’d answer – ha! No such luck. I then called Ken’s parents, ringing and then the answering machine picked up. (This is where I really start to freak) I called Ken’s parents one more time and finally got an answer. I quickly relayed my story and Ken’s dad asked if Ken would shoot him if he went to wake him up. (This is a legitimate question as Ken used to sleep with a gun) I told him that I broke Ken of that habit so he should be okay. I explained where I was and hung up the phone. I slowly opened the door, slipped the cell phone through and placed it on the floor.
I walked back to the van (still running, hazards blinking, radio blaring, wipers swishing) and spread myself out over the front of it to keep warm. Two people drove past without even slowing down to see if I needed help. 45 minutes later, my in-laws pulled up and handed me Ken’s key. I said thank you-thank you, jumped into my van and rushed off to finish the last of my route since the papers need to be delivered by 6 am or else they charge me. Because every story needs irony, as I was delivering to the Douglas Library (with my hazards on due to multiple stops) and a cop slowed down to see if I was okay.
*sigh*
I now deliver papers with Ken’s key in my pocket at all times.
Because of my determination to be able to stay home, when they offered me a paper route on Douglas I took it. For those who may not be familiar with the City and Borough of Juneau, for a person who lives in the Mendenhall Valley to take a paper route on Douglas Island is pretty ridiculous. My route is a good 20 minute drive away from where I live. No biggie except for the fact that we have only one car, I don’t have a cell phone, and Ken is one of the hardest people in the whole wide world to wake up.
When someone starts a paper route, they have an employee of the paper run the route with you for a couple days until they think you can handle it. So, by the time I was able to run the route 2 or 3 times by myself, I started regretting my decision. (Its funny how cruising around by yourself at 2 or 3 in the morning can get a person really thinking.) The area I deliver too is pretty dark and pretty spooky some mornings. I started thinking of worse case scenarios and then started figuring out how much more gas I was using… anything to try to convince the Juneau Empire that they needed to give me a route in the Valley. What it came down to is this: I have our only car, 20 minutes away from our home, if something happened i.e. Keys locked in car, car wreck, hit a deer, chased by a bear, you name it, I would be Sh** out of luck and have no cell phone to call for help.
The moral of this story is: Don’t dwell on the negative because it WILL happen.
The other day I was cruising along, delivering papers at record speed when I was coming up to what is about the halfway point of the route, the low income housing. I parked my van, left it running with the hazard lights on and the door partially open and ran up the stairs to deliver to the first two apartments. My van is brand new this year and has sensors so that if your keys are in the ignition, you can’t lock the doors unless you use the key fob while standing outside the van. This is how it’s supposed to work anyway…
I felt like I was in a horror flick watching the victim step into a trap….. As I pulled on the handle to open the door I watch as the lock simultaneously lowered into locked position and naturally a string of technically terms flowed from my lips. No, no, no, no, no! I ran from door to door then to the back hatch praying that one of the doors would be open – no such luck. I peered through the window at the glowing clock on the dash
4:00 am
I then slowly peered to my right and looked longingly at my sweatshirt and coat that lay on the seat as the wind picked up and it started to rain –no joke – this stuff only happens on TV, right? Stranger than fiction, the story of my life. Anyway…
I had no choice but to wander and look for lights on somewhere within the low income housing and pray the person whose door I knocked on wasn’t a crazed mad person.
As I wandered, I saw the light of a TV shining through the shaded windows. And little kids bikes, even better, and a sign written in what looked like children’s handwriting saying “praise Jah” Great, they’re religious too. I stepped into the dark doorway and knocked on the door. The door opened about two inches and I was hit with so much cigarette smoke I thought I’d die of second hand then and there. The man was short, and from what I could see, naked. I told him I was sorry for disturbing him and that I was delivering papers, my keys were locked in the car and I was wondering if I could use his phone. He shut the door and then moments later opened the door just wide enough to slip a cell phone through as he said “when you’re done, leave it just inside the door.”
I called the house knowing the chances of Ken picking up were slim… ringing… no answer. I tried again with no luck. I then called his “on call” work cell phone hoping the different ring tone would snap him awake so that he’d answer – ha! No such luck. I then called Ken’s parents, ringing and then the answering machine picked up. (This is where I really start to freak) I called Ken’s parents one more time and finally got an answer. I quickly relayed my story and Ken’s dad asked if Ken would shoot him if he went to wake him up. (This is a legitimate question as Ken used to sleep with a gun) I told him that I broke Ken of that habit so he should be okay. I explained where I was and hung up the phone. I slowly opened the door, slipped the cell phone through and placed it on the floor.
I walked back to the van (still running, hazards blinking, radio blaring, wipers swishing) and spread myself out over the front of it to keep warm. Two people drove past without even slowing down to see if I needed help. 45 minutes later, my in-laws pulled up and handed me Ken’s key. I said thank you-thank you, jumped into my van and rushed off to finish the last of my route since the papers need to be delivered by 6 am or else they charge me. Because every story needs irony, as I was delivering to the Douglas Library (with my hazards on due to multiple stops) and a cop slowed down to see if I was okay.
*sigh*
I now deliver papers with Ken’s key in my pocket at all times.
Stick a Fork in me, I'm DONE!!!!
This morning was my final morning delivering newspapers. I'm feeling a tad nostalgic. 3 years is a very long time to do something like that. I can't believe there are a couple of newspaper carriers that have done it for 9 or even 12 years. I thought I was a masochist... I guess there are degree's of masochism and mine is on the low end.
I am so grateful to be able to get some sleep, and even more so that my kids sleep through the night. But, I will at times miss delivering papers. I like driving fast, on the wrong side of the road, with the windows down, blasting the radio, flinging projectiles at houses. I like the time alone to think, and to daydream. I like to see the wildlife- bears, rabbits (there is one that roams free between Gee St. and Long Run Dr.) dear, and, even porcupines, despite the apparent fact that they have it out for me. I like to watch the sunrise and see the phases of the moon. There are many times the moon is blood red, and it's really creepy, but really cool too. I like the fact that despite the many Jerks that don't have anything better to do with their lives than to pick on their poor newspaper carriers, there are nice people who left me money and sincere thank you cards in their tubes today. Farewell nice people... and so long you BIG JERKS!!! I am going to be leaving flaming bags of pooh for you at a later date when you will have long forgotten me, but I wont have forgotten you!! K....
So, this morning was kinda strange. Have you ever had a day or a morning or even a moment when you've stopped and thought that a particular event is something you've seen in a movie? I guess a strange form of Deja Vu? I've always said my life is stranger than fiction and on days like these that feeling is reinforced. If I ever listen to that handful of friends of mine that tell me I need to write a book, this is one instance will have to be included. I don't even know if I can describe it in a way that would make people understand how strange. SO, I'm not. If you want to know, I'll tell you in person. But, I'm still kinda shaking my head. It made me think of other times that I have shook my head at strange things, and so, I'm re - posting some old blogs from my long deleted myspace account. Newspaper Delivery Adventures from the past. If you've read them before, you don't need to read them again. If you haven't - ENJOY!
I am so grateful to be able to get some sleep, and even more so that my kids sleep through the night. But, I will at times miss delivering papers. I like driving fast, on the wrong side of the road, with the windows down, blasting the radio, flinging projectiles at houses. I like the time alone to think, and to daydream. I like to see the wildlife- bears, rabbits (there is one that roams free between Gee St. and Long Run Dr.) dear, and, even porcupines, despite the apparent fact that they have it out for me. I like to watch the sunrise and see the phases of the moon. There are many times the moon is blood red, and it's really creepy, but really cool too. I like the fact that despite the many Jerks that don't have anything better to do with their lives than to pick on their poor newspaper carriers, there are nice people who left me money and sincere thank you cards in their tubes today. Farewell nice people... and so long you BIG JERKS!!! I am going to be leaving flaming bags of pooh for you at a later date when you will have long forgotten me, but I wont have forgotten you!! K....
So, this morning was kinda strange. Have you ever had a day or a morning or even a moment when you've stopped and thought that a particular event is something you've seen in a movie? I guess a strange form of Deja Vu? I've always said my life is stranger than fiction and on days like these that feeling is reinforced. If I ever listen to that handful of friends of mine that tell me I need to write a book, this is one instance will have to be included. I don't even know if I can describe it in a way that would make people understand how strange. SO, I'm not. If you want to know, I'll tell you in person. But, I'm still kinda shaking my head. It made me think of other times that I have shook my head at strange things, and so, I'm re - posting some old blogs from my long deleted myspace account. Newspaper Delivery Adventures from the past. If you've read them before, you don't need to read them again. If you haven't - ENJOY!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
RUBY
So, I haven't blogged in a while. I keep thinking I really should get on and get some stuff down, but then something else happens and the blog doesn't. So, here's a quick one before I go cook dinner.
I have been enjoying Ruby as she quickly approches her 1 year birthday. It's so unfair how quickly kids grow. My favorite thing about Ruby lately is that she signs. I was never able to get Xander to sign, but Ruby has picked it up and uses it often. She knows and uses the sign for more, food, water, please and all done. I'm working on more signs but it's handy that she knows these. I guess we've been starving the poor little girl. We usually would have let her down when she was fussy, but since she is signing we've found that she wants "more" and more and more to eat. It's just trying to figure out exactly what she wants more of. The other night it was broccoli, bacon and potatoes. She got a double dose of Mylicon that night. Last night it was the baked beans, again, a double dose of baby Mylicon.
At the store the other night Ken had a cookie and he was giving her bits of it to keep her entertained as we waited for our paint to be mixed. She had no trouble signing more, more, more and then milk as we walked through the store. Then last night was the topper. We were enjoying root beer floats, a family fave, and I gave her just a little bit and then told her "all done".
She was not happy about that. She fussed and fussed and then - so cute- she signed "please" over and over. Yes, I gave in and gave her some more. It was too cute.
Another exciting development is that she is walking. I'm so not ready for that, but she's still 2 months behind Xander. She probably would have been walking at 9 months too if she ever got down on the floor. Fun, fun, fun!
I have been enjoying Ruby as she quickly approches her 1 year birthday. It's so unfair how quickly kids grow. My favorite thing about Ruby lately is that she signs. I was never able to get Xander to sign, but Ruby has picked it up and uses it often. She knows and uses the sign for more, food, water, please and all done. I'm working on more signs but it's handy that she knows these. I guess we've been starving the poor little girl. We usually would have let her down when she was fussy, but since she is signing we've found that she wants "more" and more and more to eat. It's just trying to figure out exactly what she wants more of. The other night it was broccoli, bacon and potatoes. She got a double dose of Mylicon that night. Last night it was the baked beans, again, a double dose of baby Mylicon.
At the store the other night Ken had a cookie and he was giving her bits of it to keep her entertained as we waited for our paint to be mixed. She had no trouble signing more, more, more and then milk as we walked through the store. Then last night was the topper. We were enjoying root beer floats, a family fave, and I gave her just a little bit and then told her "all done".
She was not happy about that. She fussed and fussed and then - so cute- she signed "please" over and over. Yes, I gave in and gave her some more. It was too cute.
Another exciting development is that she is walking. I'm so not ready for that, but she's still 2 months behind Xander. She probably would have been walking at 9 months too if she ever got down on the floor. Fun, fun, fun!
Monday, August 10, 2009
XANDER!!!
Anyone who knows me at all, knows Xander makes me want to pull my hair out. He's beyond high energy, strong willed and STUBBORN. I just don't know where he gets the strong willed or stubbornness from... no, really... I don't :)
OR
I've recently decided that I would gladly take a two year old over a three year old and I am praying that a four year old wont make me wish that I had this three year old back. And, all this doesn't include the few days around the full moon. No, I'm not joking. He is seriously affected by the full moon. Same with the other little kids in our ward play group. If there is a week when the kids are exceptionally crazy and uncontrollable, 99% of the time it will be a full moon. The term Lunatic comes from that and all the werewolf stories had to be based on some sort of truth, right?
Don't get me wrong. I love Xander, I really do. I guess my mom would say something about paybacks... ARG! Even as I am writing this *sigh* I can't believe what a mess he can make with less than a teaspoon of milk. I love Xander. I ... really... do.
I promise I didn't start this post to gripe about Xander, I really just wanted to talk about the goofy things he's been doing lately. So, I'm acknowledging that he frustrates me, now I'm moving on...
Xander has an amazing imagination. It makes me happy since I think very few kids have imaginations these days. Xander's is exceptional. On a daily basis he'll decide that he's something... A triceratops, a pterodactyl, a giant robot, a tiger, an alligator... you get the point. I'm sure lots of kids do this, but Xander... oh Xander. This is an example of our ever day exchanges:
Me: "Xander, please take your pj's off and put on clean underwear and some clothes."
Xander: "Mommy, tell the giant robot to take his pj's off and put on clean clothes"
Me: "Giant robot, will you please take off your pj's and put on some clean clothes?"
Xander: "No, Giant Robots don't need to wear clothes."
OR
Me: "Xander, please go and get in the car."
Xander: "tell the alligator to go get in the car"
Me: "Alligator, will you please go get in the car?"
Xander: "Alligators swim mom, tell the alligator to swim to the car."
Me: "Xander, there isn't any water in the driveway and there are sharp things. Please don't walk on all fours. Just get in the car."
Xander "Mom! Tell the alligator to swim out to the car"
Me: "Alligator!! Get in the car!!"
Xander "Alligators don't drive mom.."
Me: "XANDER!!"
Can you imagine if he had an imaginary friend?! What kind of crazy adventures we'd have then.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
On Guard, you land booger!
Not much to report has been going on lately, other than a constant reminder that I'm not to quit selling AVON as every time I think it about it, I get another couple calls. So, sorry Ken. You can't take the rest of the AVON stickers off the van yet.
I finished my first paid 
wedding cake last week. It turned out really pretty. I felt as though Grandma Gurr was admiring it from the other side and was very pleased as it was her favorite color. I could just hear her saying that it was the most beautiful cake she'd ever seen, I'm glad she approved. The bride loved it too and said it looked so perfect that everyone at the wedding thought it was fake until they cut it, so that was kinda cool.
wedding cake last week. It turned out really pretty. I felt as though Grandma Gurr was admiring it from the other side and was very pleased as it was her favorite color. I could just hear her saying that it was the most beautiful cake she'd ever seen, I'm glad she approved. The bride loved it too and said it looked so perfect that everyone at the wedding thought it was fake until they cut it, so that was kinda cool.There was a letter on our newspaper bundles this morning saying that the Juneau Empire wouldn't be going to an afternoon paper after all, at least not on Aug 17th like they originally said so my job is safe for the time being. I am currently looking for another job though, I don't want to deliver newspapers another winter. And, I'm sick and tired of being tired. The only thing is, finding a part time, evening job that will cover the rest of the bills that it needs to cover is going to be a challenge. Anyone need a cake baked?
Xander, as usual, continues to crack me up on a daily basis. He's only 3 yet he plays with words all the time. A few weeks ago he started saying "on guard, you land booger!" and we thought it was funny but we also corrected him and explained what a land "lubber" was and what not. But, he continued to say land booger. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised at my son, being a smarty pants.
Ruby has started jabbering more and more since our trip. I think it's because she got talked to a lot more down there than she gets talked to here. Mostly here, she gets growled at. Needless to say, she has started to growl again which I think is hilarious.
Ruby has cracked me up since she was born. I think that someone misinformed the little girl. I tell her all the time that babies really aren't supposed to say "waHHHH" nor do they really say "goo goo, ga, ga". Babies only talk like that in the movies. She doesn't seem to care and continues to say "Wahh" and "goo, goo, ga, ga." What a goof.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Today and yesterday made up for my not so great Monday. Xander was actually pretty funny. I was laying on the couch and he came up and blew on my nose. I asked him what that was all about and he said "I'm trying to blow you up." Well, that makes complete sense. I should have guessed that.
For dinner yesterday I tried to make sweet and sour meat balls over rice. I used a small ice cream scoop to make the meat balls because raw meat grosses me out. I guess they didn't get packed together good enough because they kind of spread out when they cooked. So, for dinner we had Meat blobs and "maggots". (For those unfamiliar with Calvin and Hobbes, "maggots" is rice.) We all sat around the table and cheered "meat blobs! meat blobs! meat blobs" and to the bat man theme "nah, na, nah, na, nah, na, nah, na, nah, na, nah, na, nah, MEAT BLOBS!" Even Ruby got into the fun and was clapping her hands and waving them in the air. Dinner was very tasty. Below is the recipe, I made it without the carrots because I didn't have any. I also didn't have any tomato paste so I used a large can of tomato sauce and it still turned out great.
http://www.recipezaar.com/Sweet-and-Sour-Meatballs-Oriental-Sweet-and-Sour-Meatballs-90355
Today Xander was a jet powered Pterodactyl. He said, "Mommy, I'm jet powered..." okay Xander. "Yeah, my butt is my engine." Okay... so you really are gas powered, "Yup. My butt is my engine." Gosh I love that little boy.
Ruby's ears are no longer oozing puss, so that is a good thing. But, in exchange for the oozing puss ears she now has antibiotic acid pooh. I've been putting acidophilus in her formula to help, but if it's not one thing, it's another.
Which brings to mind an advertisement I saw on TV this evening for a medication called Latisse (by the maker of Botox) that is supposed to thicken and lengthen your eye lashes. Yeah, you read that right. Eye lashes. Can you imagine the side effects for that??!! You've got to be kidding me! I guess one of the side effects of it is that it can change your eye color to brown or make your eyes have brown speckles. Holey moley folks. Why can't we just be happy with what God gave us? Three words for people who don't think mascara is enough: Fake eye lashes
enough said.
And last and certainly least is something that has been on my mind all day long. Miracle Whip vs Mayonnaise. I know it sounds weird, it's something I've never given much thought to until this last trip to Utah. I grew up in house that only uses Miracle Whip. No mayonnaise to be found. I remember thinking that mayonnaise was nasty and that was that. I think that most households only use one or the other but rarely both.
I'm not sure when I made my conversion to mayonnaise. Did it slowly happen? Did I become a mayo eater when I started dating Ken? Did I change to a mayo eater for him? When did I actually start buying mayo? And how on earth did I ever eat miracle whip? They say it has zip, but it tastes like rotten mayonnaise to me.
For dinner yesterday I tried to make sweet and sour meat balls over rice. I used a small ice cream scoop to make the meat balls because raw meat grosses me out. I guess they didn't get packed together good enough because they kind of spread out when they cooked. So, for dinner we had Meat blobs and "maggots". (For those unfamiliar with Calvin and Hobbes, "maggots" is rice.) We all sat around the table and cheered "meat blobs! meat blobs! meat blobs" and to the bat man theme "nah, na, nah, na, nah, na, nah, na, nah, na, nah, na, nah, MEAT BLOBS!" Even Ruby got into the fun and was clapping her hands and waving them in the air. Dinner was very tasty. Below is the recipe, I made it without the carrots because I didn't have any. I also didn't have any tomato paste so I used a large can of tomato sauce and it still turned out great.
http://www.recipezaar.com/Sweet-and-Sour-Meatballs-Oriental-Sweet-and-Sour-Meatballs-90355
Today Xander was a jet powered Pterodactyl. He said, "Mommy, I'm jet powered..." okay Xander. "Yeah, my butt is my engine." Okay... so you really are gas powered, "Yup. My butt is my engine." Gosh I love that little boy.
Ruby's ears are no longer oozing puss, so that is a good thing. But, in exchange for the oozing puss ears she now has antibiotic acid pooh. I've been putting acidophilus in her formula to help, but if it's not one thing, it's another.
Which brings to mind an advertisement I saw on TV this evening for a medication called Latisse (by the maker of Botox) that is supposed to thicken and lengthen your eye lashes. Yeah, you read that right. Eye lashes. Can you imagine the side effects for that??!! You've got to be kidding me! I guess one of the side effects of it is that it can change your eye color to brown or make your eyes have brown speckles. Holey moley folks. Why can't we just be happy with what God gave us? Three words for people who don't think mascara is enough: Fake eye lashes
enough said.
And last and certainly least is something that has been on my mind all day long. Miracle Whip vs Mayonnaise. I know it sounds weird, it's something I've never given much thought to until this last trip to Utah. I grew up in house that only uses Miracle Whip. No mayonnaise to be found. I remember thinking that mayonnaise was nasty and that was that. I think that most households only use one or the other but rarely both.
I'm not sure when I made my conversion to mayonnaise. Did it slowly happen? Did I become a mayo eater when I started dating Ken? Did I change to a mayo eater for him? When did I actually start buying mayo? And how on earth did I ever eat miracle whip? They say it has zip, but it tastes like rotten mayonnaise to me.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
"Lost" Vegas and the Wedding of Puke
We just got back from "vacation". We flew from Juneau to Seattle, Seattle to Las Vegas then drove from Vegas to Provo, Utah all in one day. The kids did really well, until the last 100 miles. Ruby started to scream and would only calm down when we sang Kaiser Chiefs "Ruby" to her over and over. Needless to say I don't really know ALL of the words so we started making them up. Some how "Ruby" became "Xander" and good times were had by all.
We had tons of fun things planned while we were in Provo. I kind of over do it when we travel. Always have, but I think I've gotten worse since we've been living in a land locked community. I plan so many things when we get "down South" My Aunt Joan asks to see my Itinerary because she knows I print one off along with travel conf and map quest directions to various places. This trip was no different. We were going to the Zoo, on the Heber Creeper, the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point, the Farm at Thanksgiving point, in addition to the usual 4th of July celebrations
and my sisters wedding.
Friday the 3rd: Ken and I got to go to Sundance to hear the Utah Symphony and do our "when ever we make it to Utah" get together with Abby and Winter. This year was a momentous one as Winter was not a 5th wheel. We got to meet her hubby and we approve. And even though he was in 5th grade when we graduated high school, the age difference isn't really that big of a deal ;) The concert was wonderful and the weather was perfect. However, it was a good thing that the concert was outside or else we probably would have been kicked out for being to rowdy.
The 4th of July Parade was fun, Ken took pictures of all the floats and the fancy cars. My favorite part is visiting with all my extended family. Aunts, Uncles, Cousins. This year was the first that GGG's (Gr
andma or Grandpa Gurr) weren't there. That was very strange. I miss them but I am glad they are no longer suffering and are together and reunited with family members that previously passed. We went to "the park" for the annual picnic and traditional fare of Hamburgers, Hot dogs, Stan's Gyros, homemade ice cream, angel food cake, Reed's Cotton Ca
ndy etc. Our regular family get together is like most peoples family reunions. There is also the fountain of fun that the kids look forward to every year. Who needs a pool, right?
Thursday: "Wedding of Puke" Kylee's wedding was beautiful. Joey Murdoch let us use his back yard and all of my mom's family worked like crazy to pull this thing off. It was SO hot outside. I'm surprised the cake didn't completely melt off the table. Kim's kids got sick and she wasn't able to come. She'd come up from St George for the wedding, but at least she got to spend time with the family. Ruby and Xander had kind of been taking turns not feeling well the whole trip. It's hard on little kids that are used to a schedule to go through some of this. After the ceremony, Ruby puked. She Puked and puked and puked. We weren't sure if it was a bug or heat exhaustion. Maybe a combo of both. Xander was ornery the whole time because all he wanted was some "green cake" and he
wasn't going to calm down until he got some. When they finally cut the grooms cake, they gave him the first piece and he was a VERY happy boy.
We had tons of fun things planned while we were in Provo. I kind of over do it when we travel. Always have, but I think I've gotten worse since we've been living in a land locked community. I plan so many things when we get "down South" My Aunt Joan asks to see my Itinerary because she knows I print one off along with travel conf and map quest directions to various places. This trip was no different. We were going to the Zoo, on the Heber Creeper, the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point, the Farm at Thanksgiving point, in addition to the usual 4th of July celebrations
and my sisters wedding.Thursday the 2nd: One of the many things we promised Xander we would do was go on a train ride. Aside from the trains in the airports, we wanted to take him on the Heber Creeper. He loved it and his head was out the window the whole time. He likes Thomas the train so I knew he'd love this. I think Ken was disappointed that it didn't go faster. Apparently he wasn't listening when we called it a "creeper". It really is fun to play tourist in your own town sometimes. 
After the train we went to the Dinosaur Museum. You never know what a 3 year old is going to like... "mom, I want to see a dinosaur eat a bone." or "mom, dinosaurs are astinked huh?" I thought he would understand, but he really didn't. With all the back ground noises and after a small scare where Madisen and I set him up, he wanted out. "mom! get me somewhere safe! lets get out of here!!" Oh, well. Maybe when he's older he'll enjoy it a little more.
Friday the 3rd: Ken and I got to go to Sundance to hear the Utah Symphony and do our "when ever we make it to Utah" get together with Abby and Winter. This year was a momentous one as Winter was not a 5th wheel. We got to meet her hubby and we approve. And even though he was in 5th grade when we graduated high school, the age difference isn't really that big of a deal ;) The concert was wonderful and the weather was perfect. However, it was a good thing that the concert was outside or else we probably would have been kicked out for being to rowdy. The 4th of July Parade was fun, Ken took pictures of all the floats and the fancy cars. My favorite part is visiting with all my extended family. Aunts, Uncles, Cousins. This year was the first that GGG's (Gr
andma or Grandpa Gurr) weren't there. That was very strange. I miss them but I am glad they are no longer suffering and are together and reunited with family members that previously passed. We went to "the park" for the annual picnic and traditional fare of Hamburgers, Hot dogs, Stan's Gyros, homemade ice cream, angel food cake, Reed's Cotton Ca
ndy etc. Our regular family get together is like most peoples family reunions. There is also the fountain of fun that the kids look forward to every year. Who needs a pool, right?We set off fireworks with Xander and Ken kind of freaked out. Fireworks are illegal in Juneau, always have been. It does seem strange that you can set fireworks off in a desert but not in a rain forest. You can't even find sparklers in the stores which has always driven me crazy. All you can get are poppers and can you just say LAME. Not to say that the people here don't get illegal fireworks just like people in Utah do, but Ken's dad was a fire marshal
so that was out of the question for him. I think Xander had fun with the sparkler and watching the fireworks. Maybe someday he'll realize what a treat that was.
so that was out of the question for him. I think Xander had fun with the sparkler and watching the fireworks. Maybe someday he'll realize what a treat that was.Sunday after dinner I initiated Brian into our family with a round of Chubby Bunny. It was hilarious! Of course, my chubby bunny hubby won with 13 marshmallows. The only person I know that could beat that was Jenny McCoard. I remember one girls camp where she got 23. Crazy fun!
Monday the 6th: After spending all day long baking cakes from 9:30 am to 4:45p
m, I came "home" and helped get everyone loaded up for family night at the farm at Thanksgiving point. Again, you just never know with a 3 year old. I thought he'd enjoy seeing the cow milked and what not but he could have cared less. "mom, cows pee out milk huh?" No Xander, cows pee out pee. The kids sure did like the pony rides though, and feeding the goats and sheep. Kim's son Tristan laughed his head off as the animals licked the food off his hand. Then there was our stingy Xander giving each animal 1 corn kernel at a time. What a goof.
Tuesday almost the whole family went to the Zoo. Xander kept saying "keep moving, keep moving" he was really only interested in the Elephants and the Giraffe. Again, you just never know. It was so stinking hot, I thought I was going to melt. Tuesday night my Aunt threw a shower for Kylee. It was fun, but my mom got mad at me for giving her a pair of "prostitute panties" and a tank top. Come on! It was a bridal shower right? And the underwear was actually not that racy. Oh, well!
m, I came "home" and helped get everyone loaded up for family night at the farm at Thanksgiving point. Again, you just never know with a 3 year old. I thought he'd enjoy seeing the cow milked and what not but he could have cared less. "mom, cows pee out milk huh?" No Xander, cows pee out pee. The kids sure did like the pony rides though, and feeding the goats and sheep. Kim's son Tristan laughed his head off as the animals licked the food off his hand. Then there was our stingy Xander giving each animal 1 corn kernel at a time. What a goof.Wednesday I spent the day filling and frosting the cakes. I never realized how much work it would be to make such a massive cake. It probably wouldn't have been so bad with a commercial mixer and multiple ovens but I didn't have either of those. It was most certainly a labor of love. The madness and insanity was getting worse at my mothers house and it felt as though you were in a scene from the movie Father of the Bride. Crazy. All the nonsense that a wedding becomes and how quickly the actual event is over.
I can't remember what day it was but Kylee was getting ready to go have some bridal shots done. She was all dressed up and looked beautiful. Whenever Xander sees someone who he think looks really pretty he calls them a princess. My mom was doing Kylee's hair and sprayed her in the eye with hair spray so she stomped off in only the fashion that is Kylee. Xander said, "mom, she is NOT a princess" I said she looks like a princess to me... "NO mom. She is NOT a princess!!" Observations made by 3 year olds are the best.
Thursday: "Wedding of Puke" Kylee's wedding was beautiful. Joey Murdoch let us use his back yard and all of my mom's family worked like crazy to pull this thing off. It was SO hot outside. I'm surprised the cake didn't completely melt off the table. Kim's kids got sick and she wasn't able to come. She'd come up from St George for the wedding, but at least she got to spend time with the family. Ruby and Xander had kind of been taking turns not feeling well the whole trip. It's hard on little kids that are used to a schedule to go through some of this. After the ceremony, Ruby puked. She Puked and puked and puked. We weren't sure if it was a bug or heat exhaustion. Maybe a combo of both. Xander was ornery the whole time because all he wanted was some "green cake" and he
wasn't going to calm down until he got some. When they finally cut the grooms cake, they gave him the first piece and he was a VERY happy boy.Later Maleah puked so much it looked like a scene from a cult classic minus the pea soup. The worst part was her parents were no where to be found. I also found out the one of my cousin's kids passed out. Exciting stuff.
Friday we had planned on leaving my moms by 1 to make it to Vegas before it was too late. I couldn't bring myself to leave my moms house in the condition that it was, so by the time I cleaned and packed and shipped the two boxes full of clothes, we didn't get out of the house until 5pm. Xander kept saying "mom, I want to go to lost vegas" which we thought was pretty funny until we got to Vegas and the one time I don't print of map quest directions to get to hotel is the one time we really need them. The trip was long, Ruby was feverish, Xander puked "french fry puke" and we had to throw a perfectly good outfit away. It was 1:30 before we were in the hotel bed. Our flight left at 7 the next day and we barely made it.
The hotel was gorgeous but not family friendly. Ken put it best when he said "Any hotel with a Ferrari dealership in the hotel, is probably not a hotel for us"
While boarding the plane in Seattle, a man in first class was taking a while getting settled. In Xander's own special way, he "honked" at the man and pushed past. Everyone was laughing hysterically and my face was probably scarlet. One man said he probably just did what everyone else was thinking. Hmmm... there is really no question he is my son then.
What a trip!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)