Well.... That was an interesting Memorial Day weekend.

Good news! The power didn't hiccup at all and we were able to finish watching our movie on Friday (see earlier post.) The children were very happy with that.

After church, on Sunday we had Memorial Day lunch --- a day early because the hubby had to work Monday morning. We had a yummy dinner of ribs and lots of other fine food items at the in-laws.  When we got home and tried to open the garage with the remote, we were very dismayed, that the power was out, yet, again...

Once we managed to get inside (good thing I had my keys) I called the electric company and guess what?! You got it! I was the only one with the problem.  Sureeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.... We all know how that turned out the last time (again, see previous post.)  Needless to say C#1 was very much NOT impressed.  Thankfully I had the perfect cure to the doldrums.

Two summers ago I purchased a "fire pit." I got the genius idea to actually get it out and roast marshmallows! The hubby dragged it out and put it together and I went in search of the sugar stuff...  Thankfully I had one bag of large marshmallows. Wheww!!! Nothing else.  No chocolate bars or graham crackers for S'mores. I was hoping no one would notice.....

After many pieces of newspaper later, the fire finally caught and took off.  And of course C#2 had to ask if there were anymore ingredients with their marshmallow. I said, "Welllll.... This clearly was NOT a planned event. You can eat as many marshmallows as you want." I got a "REALLY?!?!?" Really.  I think she only had  five.

I also remembered I had a "manual-ish" coffee pot that would make everything okay.... My lovely mother gave it to me and it proved to be the best invention ever!!!  I made coffee two times while the power was out!!  That almost made it okay..... Almost.

Later on we lit a load of candles and found the oil lamp and were able to read in the family/living room area.  I , again called the lovely electric company and we were STILL the only ones having an issue --- again, yeah right! The hubby had to work at the butt crack of dawn and upon his return he called the electric company and we were now in the company of 18 other households. TOLD YA!  They were trying to make me sound all whiney and irritated, being the only complainer. I was just the first one to make the call. Not my fault I am on top of all things electric (or internet) related!

We then went to my folks to get a shower, since they were saying we'd have power by midnight. Well, that wasn't going to work unless I wanted to be stinky for almost 2 full days AND the children have to go to school tomorrow.  On our trip out and about we finally caved and bought a generator, afterwhich we had a lovely lunch at Friendly's.

We got home and were pleasantly surprised to see our electric company and their recruits from other places in this lovely state, on OUR road. They were slightly confused of the problem and asked us if we were having a singular issue. We weren't.  Which they figured out about an hour or so later. They were nice enough to inform us, that the electricity was back, since they could hear our generator cranking in the backyard.

I hope the power decides to stay on longer than one day, but only time will tell......

Will it ever end?!

Yesterday it was announced that we were under severe thunderstorm and tornado watches. At around 6:00 pm we had a lovely hail storm. It went from pea size to the size of marbles. Thankfully the vehicles were parked in the garage to avoid any damage. The sun came out, but, right behind it were dark ominous clouds. Around 8:00 pm the rain/thunder/lightning started and the lights started to flicker. That was when there was a tornado warning for our area and many around us. Just as we were headed to the basement the power went out. The wind picked up and the lightning got crazy and endless. Of course, by this time C#1 & C#2 were totally freaked out. I guess in truth we all were. For the next two hours we hung out in the basement with candles and books waiting for the storm to pass. We have this nifty generator radio, that kept us informed on any weather updates. Around 10:00 pm we decided to head upstairs, in the dark. C#1 & C#2 each had a flashlight and we all headed to bed.

I woke up around 4:30 am and called the power company with my cellphone. I was informed that I was the first one to report the outage and that no other outages were in the area. WHAT?!?! Well, it was early and come to find out there were trees and power lines down EVERY where.

The school bus was 30 minutes late. The poor driver had to go a different route to avoid fallen trees, etc....  I was then given instructions not to go anywhere by my "better" half. He had left earlier and seen the awful roads and downed power lines. But, alas, I didn't listen.  What was I supposed to do with no power?!  I had made prior arrangements to meet up with my BFF Danni and she was sprung early, so we were able to take a three mile walk on a local "trail."  Afterwards we had a yummy, leisurely lunch at a local Mexican joint.  I got home and my hip was killing me.... I am trying to figure out if it's old age or the shoes I was wearing.  I'm thinking old age, but, will unfortunately have to "road" test it with a different pair of shoes.

My BFF and I then ventured to a store to get ice, since "they" were saying power wouldn't be back until Saturday at the earliest. 80lbs of ice and a new cooler later, I was ALL set. Storms be damned!

I got home and then proceeded to empty the refrigerator into the coolers. That only took 40lbs of ice, the other 40 went into the chest freezer. Not fifteen minutes later, guess what?!?! YUP! The power came back on.... Oh the nerve!! Just kidding! I was delighted! I ran into the bathroom and flushed the toilet and then started refilling water bottles, etc.  Then, I had a "smart" thought and dashed into the shower. The water was lukewarm, but, AWESOME!!! I was all sweaty/slimy from the walk (did I mention it was hot and humid out?!)  Then the rest of the crew go their quick as a wink showers, just in case the power went out, again.

About an hour later, the power was still on, so we moved everything back into the refrigerator. I worked my magic and got 60lbs of ice into the chest freezer -- which is pretty full.  I had to leave one in a cooler to melt. Sigh. BUT, YAY! We still had power.

I got a phone call from me Mummy informing me of a potential severe thunderstorm a few hours later. Really?! Actually it was no real surprise, I was aware of the weather forecast. Nothing appeared to be happening. A little rain/thunder/lightning. , no flickering of the power. We then decided to be brave and start a movie. About 20 minutes into it the power went completely out for a few seconds. OH! DRAT!!! C#1 & C#2 were not impressed................... About an hour later we decided to try it, again. And all I can say is, so far, so good. I sure hope I didn't just jinx it!!!

A serious note about grief...

The wonderful month of June is upon us.  The warmer weather and imminent arrival of summer. This would all seem to be an exciting, happy thing. Summer vacation, going to camp, and on and on it goes...  For others, well for me, June poses a promise for a potentially cruddy month.  For those of you who don't know me, or even if you do, might ask, "Why?" I guess some back story should be included in my explanation.  Almost 21 years ago I was in a serious car accident. Not only was I injured, but, my best friend; the person who I loved and adored the most, was killed.  I was "out" of it for the entire summer. Completely out of it for first two weeks.  Therefore there was no real closure.

For those who haven't gone through something like this, you may think that time heals all things. It's been 21 years,  why aren't you over it? As a friend of mine, who is too familiar with this topic, has succinctly said, "It's doesn't get easier, it just gets older." And it gets easier to hide.  It doesn't go away.... Ever.  A song, a tv show, a name will stop you in your tracks and leave you reeling.  I can honestly say this happens to me still, 21 years later.

You've heard of those "life-changing" moments. Well this was one of them-- and not a good one. I know I was young, but, I thought I had my life/future figured out.  Everything was going great. Summer vacation plans were set, "future -- FUTURE" plans were being kicked around and then in the blink of an eye, everything is changed...  It is amazing how a tragedy like this can flip your life upside down and backwards.  It was a major life "reset."   I still think of my life in the "then" and "now." The "then" me and the "now" me are very different.   I have talked with a couple of my friends who have had similar life changes, and they know exactly what I mean.

It also gives life a very different perspective, that I think you can only get through a personal tragedy.  You have a greater appreciation for the people in your life and realize that you are NOT invincible, as a human being.  All the petty complaints that you hear from people in general seem very trivial and stupid.  It's easy to forget how precious life is, until you lose someone so suddenly, especially at a young age.  The computer crashing, car breaking down, laundry to fold, screaming children, all seem very minor.

I personally think I stowed this part of my life in the "work on later folder". It wasn't until the son, of a friend of mine, passed away, unexpectedly and I went with her to parent bereavement meetings.  These meetings were a real eye opener to true agony and opened the "floodgates".  There were parents at these meetings who lost children as far as 30+ years, and still came to these meetings to share feelings and stories about their children.  This is because they know this is a group of people, who want to hear about their children, no matter how long it has been, since their child/ren passed away. My personal experience with death is nowhere near as poignant as a parent's loss of a child, but, I feel I can relate on a certain level.  I personally know what it's like to not want to get out of bed, ever, again. Laying in bed and praying that God will take you, too. Asking why, why, WHY?! And getting no answer.  In my situation, it all seemed surreal and dreamlike, too (no real closure -- like I mentioned before.)

I have also learned that saying,  "It's God's will,"  "You are so strong," etcetera isn't necessarily the best thing to say (please note I am guilty party, too.)  I cringe when I see Facebook posts or hear people say things like that.  What choice did these people have? Give up? Life goes on as "they" always say, whether you like it or not.  Your loved one isn't there any more and that certainly isn't what you wanted -- as was pointed out in a book about suicide, that I recently read.  It may not seem like a profound statement, but, any way you look at it, it's true. There will be no more phone calls, no more letters/emails, no more fun times. No new memories or milestones to reach.

Another thing that this accident showed me was who you could count on, when times got really rough (not many -- if any in the long run.)  For some I think it is an "out of sight, out of mind" thing or they just aren't comfortable with the topic.  What I learned from the bereavement meetings, was that it is really okay to say the loved ones name or share a story.   Tears are a healing point and they will never go away. Yes, that person is no longer with us, but, that doesn't mean that they weren't part of our lives. These people will never be forgotten and through the sharing of memories,  it keeps them with us, the only way possible. It's a beautiful thing to find a friend you can openly share those wonderful memories with whenever you want.

A while back I created a Facebook account and started "catching up" with people from my past. Some of whom I never dreamed of contacting, again (or ever.)  It wasn't until then I  realized the enormous effect of the accident. I have read some books on grief and seen many movies (I am a glutton for punishment.)  One clear fact is that grieving can be a selfish thing. What I mean is that "Me, Myself and I" thought I was the only one (besides his family and maybe some close friends) who still had a hard time dealing with this loss. I started reaching out and sharing some personal things from my past (with a select few) and made a startling discovery that some of my friends' lives were still deeply affected, too. I seriously had no clue (me being selfish.) I made some amazing connections with a few of these people and couldn't help feeling slightly guilty of my ignorance and selfishness.  Some of these people shared stories and pictures, that I had never heard before or seen. It didn't seem possible to find great/new memories so many years later.  It was amazing!

I could go on and on about this topic, but, will end it here, with these last words... I have come to terms with the "why" and I am fine with not seeing the "whole" picture. I understand that not all things are made clear or make sense, while we are on this planet, in human form.  I try not to dwell on the "what ifs." That would just make me crazy! I believe there will be an eternity to figure it all out. And in eternity, be in agreement with God, as to why things happened the way they did.  But, until then, I am very thankful for the family and friends who have stuck by through the thick and thin. And I am making every effort not to take them for granted and embrace every moment.....

I'm backkkkkk....

In case you missed me. HA! I had a lovely time on my week long hiatus. It's going to be tough to get back into the swing of things. The morning alarm and the screeching of C#1 and C#2 make mornings beautiful... That was sarcastic, in case you didn't catch that.

My hiatus was great! I need to make sure next time and put everything on the list into my bag. It KILLS me that I forgot my $1.50 hairspray and then had to buy a $5.00 replacement on the ship. Seriously?!?! AND one of my NEW sunscreen decided to have a fit in my luggage and emptied itself entirely. Thankfully, I have half a brain and made sure it was in a ziplock bag. It did mess up one a shirt and got three other items, thoroughly sunscreened. Good times. And to top it off, there wasn't enough sunscreen so it cost $30 to replace it with stuff that actually worked. I wasn't too happy about that. But, what are ya gonna do?!  B*tch and moan. That, obviously, doesn't help anything.....

I am now having to seriously "work" off the extra poundage I accumulated on the trip. 7+! ICK! How does that happen?!!? Of course, the non stop eating might have attributed to that. Now back to the grind.  One egg and a cup of coffee for breakfast and no four course meals for lunch!!!!  

Welcome to the real world.

....

To all my adoring fans..... I will be going on a short hiatus. You won't even miss me!

(Insert Arnold voice) I'll be back.

I finally tried it!

That is, I finally made it to a local-ish cafe, that opened in January of this year. They proclaimed great sandwiches and coffee. I would have to agree!  It took me a good five minutes to figure out what I wanted to order, since everything on the menu sounded wonderful! The owner was receiving phone calls, which gave me  time to figure it out, too. I didn't have any regular coffee (I will try that next time), but the "Happy Hound" drink was great! It consisted of chai, espresso and whipped cream.

This picture doesn't show the entire menu (and I didn't want to get the entire woman, I don't know, in the picture....) 

I decided on the "Quirky Turkey" which was delicious!  The owner gave me a "coffee" card and "sandwich" card. Once I buy 10 of each I get a free one. I will definitely be going back.....

There's not much going on....

But, I decided to post about my doing nothing exciting.

Mother's Day was nice. The hubby and children took me to a local Italian restaurant. It was good, with the added bonus of a free dessert. The children were thrilled to get pizza. Especially this restaurant's pizza, because it's the best.  Child #2 gave me a lovely marigold potted plant and a homemade card. It was done in science class (the plant) otherwise, I'm not sure I would have gotten anything. Child #1 didn't realize that Sunday was Mother's Day. Which I assured C #1 that is was really okay. It was NOT a big deal.... Really!

We then got home and I played a card game with Child #2 and then we proceeded to watch a few episodes of Star Trek: Voyager.  I watched this many, many years ago with my Dad and family, so it's kind of nostalgic to watch with my kids. They LOVE it and I am enjoying it again, too. Of course we're watching Season 4 and it's all about the Borg -- which I LOVE!!!!! If you're not into SciFi, you won't know what I mean or even care..... That said, I am kind of a scifi junkie. Not the really weird stuff you see on the SyFy channel (except for Battlestar Galactica -- the new version.) You know, the regular "science fiction" stuff.  Star Trek, Star Wars, Firefly (Serenity is the movie), maybe Star Gate Universe, but, I haven't watched enough of that to decide if I like it or not.  I kind of "blame" my Dad, since when I was a kid it was a ritual to watch Star Trek: The Next Generation and/or ST: Deep Space Nine EVERY Saturday night. I really liked it and still do. Especially ST:DS9, but, you will have to watch it for yourself and decide. Yes, I am a closet sci fi freak. Now, I feel like I need to go to a meeting. Till next time.....

Who'd a thought?!?!?

I always claim I have a zillion things to do (which is true.) Laundry to fold, dishes, dusting, etc.... But, when I woke up today, it was discovered that we had NO internet. The router decided to crap out on a Friday. A FRIDAY!?!? Why is it every time something like this happens, it happens on a Friday or some unfortunate day over the weekend or holiday? That said, I called my lovely ISP tech service at 7:00 A.M. I got right through and they didn't require me to do the normal testing. It was obvious to the tech guy (and me) that the router had bit the dust. He then told me the repair ticket was for 5:00 P.M. But, to not expect them to show up until early Saturday morning. WHATTTTTTTTTTT?!?! That was soooooooooooooooooooooooo not cool.

I had the annual furnace tune up, scheduled for the morning, so I decided, since I couldn't get any work done (I do have work to do on the computer -- besides checking facebook -- haha!) I would fold the two loads of the laundry, that were parked on the floor. I got that all done, and started another load of laundry and had to wait some more. Needless to say, time moves very slowly when you don't have the instant gratification and "time suck" of the internet taking up your life.

The furnace guy finished about 10:30 and I proceeded with nonsense business. I put in a movie around 1:00. And it sucked!!!!! And I didn't have the internet to buffer the dumbness of it all.

At 2:45 I heard a vehicle and much to my delighted surprise, the ISP van was here! WHOOOHOO!! They had it fixed in about 5 minutes and then they were gone. I got my labels done, etc.... And was feeling good, until it was brought to my attention the wireless network had not been turned on. Thankfully the hubby was home and he knows what to do. With the help of the ISP phone tech guy, that was remedied in less than 10 minutes. Crisis averted! Phewwwwwwww!

And on a side note, we didn't see any snow. It was warmish today and the sun was out. Which has been a rarity of late. Have a lovely weekend and "Happy Mother's Day" to you mother's out there!!

Yes, it's May. And yes, I'm cold.

And yes, I am annoyed that I have to turn the heat back on. Boooooo! It really should be against the law!!  I didn't observe any "graupel" last night, but, today is proving to be quite chilly, so it could happen. You ask me what is "graupel." It is a fancy a*# word that the meteorologist uses to say it might snow in May. Here is a definition provided by About.com ---

 

"Definition: Graupel forms when snow in the atmosphere encounters supercooled water. In a process known as accretion, ice crystals form instantly on the outside of the snow and accumulate until the original snowflake is no longer visible or distinguishable.

The coating of these ice crystals on the outside of the snow is called a rime coating. The size of graupel is typically under 5 millimeters, but some graupel can be the size of a quarter (coin).
To tell the difference between graupel and hail, you simply have to touch a graupel ball. Graupel pellets typically fall apart when touched or when they hit the ground. Hail is formed when layers of ice accumulate and are very hard as a result.

Also Known As: snow pellets, soft hail, small hail, tapioca snow, rimed snow, ice balls" 

 

The local weatherman said it's not as bad as snow, but, my thinking is if it looks like snow, smells like snow, acts like snow -- IT'S SNOW! Well that's it. My morning rant. Later.

What an Amazing Story! And This Book Was Great, Too...

My sister borrowed the movie "Temple Grandin," from her MIL, which she then let me borrow. The movie was amazing. It is a PG rated film made by HBO.  Temple is a girl, who is autistic and her mother was told she wouldn't ever speak, when she was 4 years old. And then it goes on from there...  You will have to watch it and see how she progressed. I don't want to give anything away.
  I am considering buying it, so my children can see how a young woman, with big challenges can persevere, through persistence and hard work. 


I also picked up the book "Son of Hamas" by Mossan Hassan Yousef.  It was an eye opening account of a potential radical Muslim becoming a follower of Jesus Christ. In my opinion this side of the story is rarely reported on by the current mainstream media.  Also the paperback edition has a new chapter, with even more information.  A must read.


On a side note... A friend of mine brought it to my attention that there is a possibility for snow Wednesday night and Thursday. I am NOT impressed, to say the least. IT'S MAY!!! Snow is not allowed. I forbid it! I will certainly keep everyone posted, on this inclement weather.

It was a success!

The party that is.... I had the carrot cakes made the night before. The next day I frosted the double layer with cream cheese frosting. When I was moving the cakes to the plate to frost, the center of the bottom piece didn't "make it" out of the pan. I scrapped out the remnant pieces and stuffed them into the middle.  The frosting and top layer hid my disaster. No on even knew..... till now.

I was actually able to time everything, to finish cooking at the same time, too!!!  People who don't cook or haven't entertained (or maybe it's just me) don't know how hard it is to coordinate 500 dishes!! I should get medal or a gold star!!!!

Today we got home and I came upon an unexpected visitor in the dining room...

The toad decided to hop underneath a low table and after much maneuvering, it was rescued unscathed.  I am not sure how it made it inside. Although some people in my house think we live in a barn, which is the only explanation I can come up with.  I am just thankful he wasn't squished. That would not have been a pretty mess to clean up.

That's it for today..... Catcha later!