Philadephia Miniaturia

Greenleaf Dollhouses *The Arthur*

I love to build dollhouses from scratch. I have built three of the Arthur in the picture myself. I gave each of them away. Ever since I had my back problems and then the economy, I have lost the desire. I think I had to let it go for a bit because it costs money for this hobby. Some people will tell you *Oh no, you can cobble together yourself a really nice dollhouse with scraps around the house.* And that is true most of the time. But sometimes you want it to look a certain way and if you cannot be that way, why bother.
So I have kits in boxes and houses half finished because I did not think it was right to spend money on those things. Until now..
 I am leaving on an Amtrak train early morning Nov. 5 and coming home late evening Nov. 6 to go to Philadelphia and to my friend`s house in Jersey right over the border. We are going to go to the Reading Terminal Market, because I begged, and we are going to the Philadelphia Miniaturia. It is the largest miniature show and sale in New England and happens only once a year. I am hoping to find something to spark my interest. I know I will!
  It will not just be for the minis though. It will be to hang out with my friend and her husband and sister. Have some fun times away from home! I have not done that in forever and it is about time. Dont you think?
  I will make sure to take lots of pictures. I have to make a frigging list! I am used to packing for other people but not for myself.
I only need clothes for one day, jammies, medicine, phone/charger, camera and charger, medicine, socks, etc etc.
Those of you that travel know what I mean.
So I am nervous and excited all bundled up in one!

To be continued....

Halloween 2011

Happy Halloween! Happy Samhain!

I am sitting here in my jammies at 930am and contemplating my day ahead. I have a pumpkin to carve (already cleaned out). I have to fill the torch containers with that torch fluid to light tonight. I also need to clean the bathrooms. Wow, what a fun, hip, swinging Halloween I am gonna have.

It just isnt the same as it used to be. I remember having fun with it because the kids were younger. I would make their costumes with the sewing machine. Sometimes for Natalie`s birthday we would have a sleepover if Halloween fell on a Friday or Saturday. I was a nut. I had like 8 kids that were not my own, sleeping over and terrorizing the neighborhood by trick or treating. I would feed them dinner, let them watch scary movies, eat junk, give them a big breakfast, goody bags and send them on their way home. We never had a problem and everyone was satisfied.
Now, the kids go off and do their own thing and Fred does not ask for Halloween off anymore. He is working. I will be home with Natalie and Raymond. They said they would pass out the candy.

 Fred says that it looks like I am melting away weight wise. I want to be oh so happy about it but I need to talk to my Dr. If he says that it is the effects of not taking the Actos anymore then I will love it. Just want to be safe. Doesnt it suck being in your 40s? Most of the time I would be thrilled that the inches are dropping off. Now I worry about unexplained weight loss.  I am still eating crap but my clothes are falling off of me.  I am enjoying it though. It is wonderful!
I just need to get to the gym soon so I can exercise AND check my weight on the scale.
Okay, gotta get moving.
I have Halloween tasks to perform!
Trick or Treat.

Sweet Baby Milo

This is Milo. Please excuse the fact that the video is sideways. Natalie shot it with her cellphone and she forgot to turn it. It is still cool as hell!

This cat has been trying to figure out how to get to the top of the bookshelf that is Oliver secret lair. I showed this cat 3 times where to go, but he is a cat and he would rather do it his way. He climbed my window shade twice. So I rolled it up to deter him.
That did not work.

Dog shit and hurt feelings

The only way I can get clear picture.

* I am going to the gym tomorrow and I will weigh myself and then I will know if that 270 was a fluke or not. I will report back then. *

Ruby Update!
Lu-Bee-Doo  hates her guts. I mean literally, Little Miss Lu..the sweet faced Maltese Yorkie that bats her eye lashes and has a purple tail feather HATES RUBY`S GUTS! I can swear I hear her say Fucking Bitch under her breath.  I keep reaffirming my love for both the small dogs but Lu is not having it. She does not like it and she makes sure she voices her loud opinion on the subject every chance she gets a look at that sweet face up top. If Lu could handle a switchblade, I think she would do Ruby in. I am beside myself with this a teensy bit. I have had animals kinda be hating on the newbie of the house but after awhile, they get used to each other and it is a big ole flea swapping party!
 No No Nanette! Lu is NOT going to like this dog...EVER!

  Ruby is getting bigger but she is not going to be a monster like a Lab (thank god). Her poops are as big as a humans though and she shits all over the yard. But not in the grass mind you..in all the garden beds. So now, I have to go walking through the bombs of shit to clean it up. I have to do that today anyhow. She has only shit in the house once since the last time I said and she knows what the adult bed piss pads are for. She and Lu use them on a regular. I think I will keep them in the house for this winter because Lu does not like going out in the snow. She is a true Diva.
    Ruby is doing really good. She is able to hold it longer in the morning too. I still have to carry her ass up and down the stairs. She tried to navigate up the stairs here by herself and she got scared and fell. She is ok. She only fell down like 5 steps but I caught her at the bottom so she did not hit the floor.

 I am getting better. I am not AS exhausted as I was when she first came here. I am not secretly having thoughts of bringing her back to the previous owners anymore. I am good. She knows to not trip me. and that I am her Mother. Not Grandma like I had hoped but Momma. Natalie has punked out on her dog mother duties. So it is basically all me. Seems fair, huh?  Ruby follows me around everywhere I go... so we all know what that means.
Another 14 years of happiness.

Ovens that clean themselves! Oh, and a snowstorm in October.

No snow yet. Just lots of rain. It is a cold one. I turned the thermostat onto 60 deg F. If it gets cold enough, it will kick on. I think it is too warm here near the shore. I think we may see some flakes but it will just be a rain event for us here. It better be. I have to go out later at 6pm to pick up Chelsea downtown. She is volunteering and gets to see a show at the local playhouse. $70 admission for free.
 Chelsea got the job at the library! She found out today. She has to go in Monday to fill out her paperwork and then on Wed, Thur, and Friday she will train. She will be working in the children`s section as the librarian`s assistant. They wanted some fresh blood in the place. A younger and fresher outlook on how to get more kids into the library. She can work up to 19 hours a week and she has to work two Saturdays a month. She is happy. I am glad she finally found a job in the area that she has been working in..kids.
 Natalie might get a job too. She turned 18 yesterday. Today her friend is going to talk to the big boss (who he is friendly with) to give Natalie a chance to get a job at the local grocery store in our area. He also wants to transfer to the same store for the winter so he doesnt have to drive the long distance to his current location. I hope she gets it. She will have her own money to buy what she wants.
   I am in the midst of cleaning the oven. I sprayed it with cleanser on the inside and wiped all the grease and bits down, let it dry, and I just turned on the self cleaning mode about 10 minutes ago. The house smells horrendous. I was keeping an eye because we had a mishap with our old stove last year. I used self cleaning and a fire started in the oven. It was a small fire, and I was able to turn off the oven and it died down rather quickly. But it scared the shit out of me. So I am leery of self cleaners. I had learned my lesson though. You wipe out all the grease on walls and floor of stove and any bits. Those are what catches fire.
 Fred is off to work, Chelsea is gone till 6pm, and Natalie is taking a nap from last night`s partying. She said this was the best birthday ever. I am glad.
 I also am glad that I have a piece of her chocolate cake with some chocolate chip ice cream next to me. Home made. I even made butter cream frosting.
Okay, Let me die from the fumes from the oven and eat my cake.
Hope you do not have any snow either!!

Happy 18th Birthday to Natalie

Matt and Nat (couple months apart)

Today is Miss Natalie`s 18th birthday. I am waiting for her highness to get ready because we have birthday errands to run. It is cold as a witches tit this AM. I need to turn the heater on in here for the dog so she isnt cold in her cage aka prison cell.
I planned on having Natalie. Fred and I were married on January 9th, 1993. She was born in October. I had finally had medical insurance and I wanted another baby. I did not waste any time. My water broke on the morning of 27th but I did not know it. I had a OB appointment that day and he was yelling at me because I had not gone to the nutritionist. He was saying he could force me to stay in the hospital, etc etc. Big fucking asshole. After he was done, I told him that I had to start wearing a pad this morning and that I am having contractions. They tested the fluid and it was amniotic. He said he was sorry for yelling at me (fucking dildo) and I walked across the street to the hospital to have her the next morning. Quarter to 10 in the am.
She is going to get a cute dress at the mall and some cat ears and she is going to have fun tonite! I have to make her cake later on today.
I love this girl even though she makes me want to rip my hair out sometimes.

Feet!

Gross, huh?

*270*<---guessing

I realized last night that my feet do not hurt anymore. Seriously. I do not get up out of bed at night in pure agony. My heels do not feel like I am walking on gravel or glass. I think I need to not gain that weight back that I lost. I was about to spend $300 on specialty made shoe inserts when I fixed the problem for nothing. I lost weight!
It just all of a sudden dawned on me..you are not in pain in the footsie area. I forgot about it and then last night I really said it out loud. I am happy about this.
Oh, I was cleaning out my camera for my trip to Philly and I found a fat picture of myself before all this started. I do not think I can upload it on this computer but when I get a new laptop, I will surely add it on for you all to see. Because I need to take an upgrade pic. My stomach is definitely smaller.

Spicy Carmelized Pumpkin Seeds

I make these seeds every Halloween. I wait until the day before to carve our pumpkins out. Then I do the tedious task of separating the seeds from the strings, washing the seeds, and drying them off. It is a big pain in the ass but it is soooo worth it.


Spicy Carmelized Pumpkin Seeds

Yields 2 cups; 8 servings; 131 calories per servin

Ingredients:

3 T white sugar
1/4 t cumin
1/4 t cinnamon
1/4 t ground ginger
2 pinch cayenne pepper
2 cups raw whole pumpkin seeds, cleaned and dried
Cooking Spray
2 t kosher salt
1 T olive oil
2 T white sugar
Parchment paper


Directions:

-Preheat oven 300 deg F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
-In large bowl, stir together 3 T white sugar and spices, set aside.
Place pumpkin seeds on baking sheets. Spray top surface with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt to taste. Bake seeds until golden ; 20-25 minutes.
-Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Stir in toasted pumpkin seeds and 2 T white sugar. Cook and stir until seeds are coated with sugar; 2-3 minutes
-Stir the seeds into the bowl of sugar/spice mixture.. Toss to coat. Spread on cookie sheet to cool. Store in air tight container for storage.

These are really good and they do not last long in this house.

Enjoy!

200lb dreams, Pinups, and the broken laptop

  I have the laptop back. The geek said that he cannot fix the broken hinge. That is something Dell will fix. Unfortunately, the operating system has been changed AND I have a rule about paying to fix things I have gotten for free. I have a money limit and I think Dell will exceed that. So the laptop is here and I have written down some rules and taped them on the table next to the laptop. I have to do this otherwise someone will say that I NEVER said this or that. I do not want it moved from this table. I do not want the top to be closed. Shut down the laptop when you are done. I wonder how long it will be until someone starts complaining that their ass hurts sitting in the kitchen chair. You know what? Then don't fucking sit in front of the computer so god damn long! Then your ass wont hurt. Fuck!
   I am not saying who so just assume the dog did it..okay? But one of them actually asked me what I do with Dad`s  money because I had not bought a new laptop yet. I told them to NEVER question me about something that is none of their concern.  But if you must know, I spent the extra money on oil for the tank, groceries to feed you, and etc. I also said that if I was to get some extra help with some money every month, life would be a bit easier. That ended the conversation real quick. One is ready to help with money, the other is a tight fisted miser. And that one dislikes me lately cause I say no to them alot. And I throw it in their face that I really do not have to help them anymore. hehehe
Dad`s money. That pisses me off. I am sorry I cant work out of the home anymore. How about we have Dad deal with the money? They wouldn't want that to happen. Dad would completely cut them off. No qualms about it. He always tells me to think like a man. :)

  As you can plainly see, I love me some half naked pin ups. I think it all started when Chelsea and I went to see Notorious Bettie Paige at the movies. I think they are lovely. Only the old ones, not the fake posers that are doing it today. The women that did it back then were risking their reputations if anyone found out. I am going to dig around and find some more Halloween pin ups since the day is fast approaching. I am going to follow this lovely lady`s example and carve pumpkins this weekend. I have two pumpkins to carve and pumpkin seeds to roast. YUMMY! I make them spicy sweet and maybe I will share the recipe here.

  I had a dream this morning that I stepped on the scale and I weighed 200 lbs. I had lost 70 lbs overnight! I was thinner. No way was I skinny but oh so much thinner. It was a nice dream. I was finishing up putting clothes away and I have a dilemma. I have a couple shirts that I absolutely LOVE but I find they are too big for me now. That is a wonderful thing, right? But I love the shirts! They are not bummy shirts either. Since they are summer shirts, I decided to pack them away for now and revisit them in the Spring. If I am absolutely floating in them, they will be sent back to the Salvation Army to have someone else buy it.

  I had a really bad case of heartburn yesterday but I am better today. Of course it is raining so i cannot get any yard work done. It is going to get colder this week so I need to do some of the windows. I also have to hit Fred up for half the cash to buy one of those portable fireplaces from the Christmas Tree Shop. I want it for the livingroom.
Okay, now I am just avoiding my work around the house. I think I will hurt my ass a little bit more and drink a little more coffee and then bake some tollhouse cookies.

NO!

It seems to be the word I say the most lately. No to Ruby. No to the girls. No to bills. No. No. No. I am rather sick of the word but it sure as heck gets my point across.
No! Don't chew those shoes!
No! We can't order Thai food!
No! I cannot afford that prescription!
I have had a lot of shit go down lately. It has humbled me to the fact that it could be worse.
I don't have computer right now, but if I put one on layaway, I will have one. Many people are on unemployment and losing their homes. Puts shit into perspective for me. I am not looking forward to Christmas because buying gifts will be hard. Some will be homeless for Christmas.
This is not turning into a downer post. I am trying to show myself that despite the shittiness, we have it pretty ok. Now I need to really read my frugal books to start working on that. There may be some things I am not ready to give up yet. I did cancel my weekly egg delivery. I was paying $8 a week on 2 dozen fresh vegetarian fed chicken eggs. They are wonderful. I just can't see spending that when eggs can be bought for $1 a dozen.
Would I be willing to say no to other things? Cable? Netflix? Cellphone? I don't know if I can say no to those things....yet. can you?
I will just sit here contently with my Android and my ginger Milo in my arms and enjoy the warmish October weather.

No effin computer!

Somebody dropped the laptop. Or left it in a spot where it fell on floor. I don't know, cause no one is fessing up. I know I didn't do it. Oh fucking well. I added a blogger app to my phone so I am not totally out of the loop. I will have to be creative with pictures.
So yeah, the hinge is busted on one side.  Everytime you open or close the lid, I makes it worse. A friend told me there are important connections in that area so leave it alone. Fred has to get hold of our geek friend to see if he can fix it or not.
So I will be on sporadically.  Supposedly, Natalie and I are going to the gym today. We shall see. It is fucking cold and I hate it. It means spending money on oil to heat house. Ugh!
I gotta go. I am up early with no computer.  I guess I can clean!

Skinny! and the Lime green shirt

I wish!

*270*

End of being sad for now because of a Lime Green shirt!

   Two years ago I started on my saga of dressing better and hopefully I would lose weight. It was in the Summer that I found this long sleeved, light fabric shirt in lime green with medium sized crystals on the chest. I should take a pic cause the description makes it seem puka-licious. Believe me. It is a gorgeous shirt. It is size XL but I think it runs a tad larger. It fit me perfect. Maybe a little snug in some areas but it was perfect. Well, I wore it a couple times and then it was too hot to wear it so it was put away for summer. When Fall came around last year, I tried it on and it did not fit. It was snug everywhere and very unflattering. Most women would have tossed it in disgust. Not me. I put it away. I figured one day.

  Fast forward to now. I have been sorting all my clothing and putting summer stuff away and digging out winter. I have been trying stuff on to. Well I found the Lime green shirt. I did a quick try on and it fit me. I knew it probably would and I hung it up. I really did not TRY it on until yesterday.
Fred and I were going out to lunch yesterday. I wanted to wear my new winter clogs so I picked a pair of Gloria Vanderbilt jeans (they were in the pile too) and my Lime green shirt. Girl! Not only were the jeans loose but the shirt was BILLOWY! It flowed around me! I went from it being snug as shit all over last winter to having me float in it now!
WTF is going on!! I am so glad my Dr. took me off that Actos (diabetes drug). The weight just keeps melting off.
Look, I think my scale has been bad for awhile. Like by 10lbs. So it was saying 270...I was really 280-something. When I was 290-something..I was 300-something. Well, the scale at the gym said 270 on the dot. That means my scale at home would be saying 260 (if she could speak). So I lost 10 lbs somehow along the way!
  Natalie and I are going to the gym tomorrow. We want to keep it up and see if we can do it at least 3x a week. I want to lose another 10lbs. OMG! If I keep all this up, could weighing 200lb become a reality?
No wonder my boobs have been drowning in my bras lately..they are too big!! I know, I know. TMI!!

Okay, enough of this. Breakfast is cooking and I need to finish working on it.

Depression and Mouse catching

*270* <---I lost weight, because the gym use to say I weighed 280ish when the house scale said I was 270ish. This is good.


I am a bit depressed. It is not hormonal in the sense that I am getting my period. Already dealt with that this month. I think it is a bunch of things.
   I do not see Fred as much as I used to because of work. I miss him terribly. I am alone much more because the girls have up and found some lives for themselves. It is just me and the animals alot of the time. And my bestie has got herself a man now. I am so happy for her but now I am a big lonely depressed sad sack. No wonder I am losing weight. There is no one to cook for and I am depressed anyway. I basically live on coffee and dinner. Dont yell at me for not eating. My ass is fat. I got enough padding to last me for awhile. I have nothing to do but housework and that makes me sad. I was reading with all my friends on Facebook were going to do for Friday night and the weekend. I got really sad because that is not me. That is how fucking insidious Depression is. It can make you be sad that people are in a corn maze at night freezing their asses off and you aren't. LOL
   I also think I have an infection in my ears and I think it is not a garden variety ear infection. I think it is my mastoids. They have always had a minimal amount of congestion but no one ever thinks to deal with it. Now I think it is getting to the point they need to be dealt with. Do I go to Dr in New Haven that I have not seen in years? Do I see the local Dr? Or do I try to get in to see Fred`s ENT in New Haven? Who knows.
So I was about to lay on the couch with the dog and be all maudlin when I hear the familiar high pitched tinny scream of a mouse caught by a cat. Milo caught his first mouse from the basement! Good boy. He was clueless with what to do with it. He injured it enough that the mouse hid in the bristles of my broom and dustpan. It kept screeching. I had to take action. I know what decomposing mouse smells like and it aint pretty!
I put on my shoes...cause if that mouse touched my feet..I would freak the fuck out.
I picked up broom and dust pan at same time and kind of pressed the mouse down. It stopped screaming but it was still moving. I went out on the porch and I flung that mouse..it flew in the air and landed in the neighbor`s yard. Good riddance mousey!
I should be honest though. As I was listening to the mouse scream for help, I called Fred on the phone. He did not answer. So I had to deal with it myself. Usually he deals with the any rodents. Yup, another job for me to do.


Can I lay on the couch now and be pitiful?

Never having a baby

*270*<---I went to the gym to pay a bill and checked my weight*

I say this with the utmost confidence that I will never raise another baby in my entire life. This Ruby is pooping my ass out. I am T.I.R.E.D. Today was awful for me. I went to the bank, the paid money at the gym (more on that in a moment), then picked up Halloween candy, then a 25 pack of leaf bags, grocery shopping, and then brought everything in the house and put the food away. Then I dismantled the broken Apple (i put in closet for now) and put the yucky computer desk outside. Then I put together this big octagon play area for Ruby so when we leave to go someplace, she is not roaming the house. I am fucking tired. Ruby is sleeping on the couch next to me...it is taking everything in my power not to join her. Yawn!
  The gym is remodeling. It broken down a wall next door and it is expanding the whole area. It is going to have lots more machines. That shows you how long I have been gone. I did not have a fucking clue.
YAWN!
Chelsea is gone until Sunday evening. I have to do her unemployment stuff for her. She is at a weekend seminar in New Bedford, MA. She put in an application for a part time job at our local library. They called and they are very interested about her having an interview. I would say they were hot to have her but anything can happen. She goes on Thursday morning. Crossing fingers and toes. It is not a living wage BUT it is more then she is getting from unemployment. So that is a good thing.
Natalie is staring at me cause she wants dinner. It is just her and I right now. I want to go to bed. She has other ideas. Fuck! Sleep oh yeah I wanna sleep.

It wont happen anytime soon because of the puppy girl. Okay, I am just babbling at this point trying to make this a coherent blog post. I had a busy day, my ass is tired and I feel old. Oh and the leaves are starting the change...
The End

hahaha!

Tired old ass

*still no scale*

The playpen will be delivered today. Yay! Ruby is a good pup but I need that playpen so that I do not have to constantly watch her or have somebody else watch her. I was able to sleep last night. She was in the bed with us. She did not pee in the bed, thank goodness.
I know I am fucking it all up but I had no place to put her until the pen came. She will probably whine and cry cause she is not in the bed but this is how it has to be. Plus, I have a life. I need to go places. Cannot have her roaming the house by herself. My ass is tired. I bet I will definitely lose some weight with this pup. Up down left right out in awake asleep. She tears through the back yard like I shoved a firecracker up her ass. It is so funny.
My tired ass does not know what she is going to do today. I am so fucking tired that I do not even want to clean or cook but I will have to do something. I could start bagging some branches and leaves I guess. Ugh. That sounds so cruel to my old bones and muscles.
 Natalie and I talked to the neighbor down the street that has Ruby`s sister. She asked what we named her and when we told her, she looked a bit shocked. She named her pup Ruby too! That is unbelievable! Her Ruby is smaller then ours. Maybe the runt of the litter.
Milo and Ruby have become fast friends. They tear through the house together working off some steam. They wrestle. They play fight. It is good for Ruby. She just left her litter mates and it would have been a bit sad if she lost that all together. It is like Milo is her littermate.
Yeah, my ass is tired and cannot think anymore.
This post is done.

Housewife list of dread

I have a repeating theme on this blog. How my house is a pigsty and I have no help to clean it. I have been a neat freak since I was in middle school. My room was spotless. I would re arrange the livingroom furniture. My apartments were always clean except for our bedroom that became a catch-all. I should have seen the signs. Fred is a slob. He is a lazy slob when it comes to housework. Now, dont get me wrong...I love him to bits and he helps me as much as he can now that he will working two jobs. I just miss the help that I am not getting anymore. The girls..well you know about them. Natalie is getting better. I came downstairs to a completely cleaned livingroom. She is growing as a person. :)
I have ailments and fatigue and fatness. There is only so much I can do. And if I feel good today and get a ton of shit done, I am going to be bed bound the next two days because I over did it. I see the cobwebs. I see the dust bunnies. It hurts me but I cannot do everything. But I wanted to show you a list of things that NEED to be done but havent been lately.

Living room
shampoo carpet
dust
wash windows for winter plastic covering
take out air conditioner
put fan away for winter
clean out coat closet
sweep under couches
get cobwebs
Wash picture fronts and mirrors
Clean baseboards
Dust and clean pictures and mirror


Dining room
sweep and mop floor
wash windows
de-clutter bookshelves
Clean out cabinet (sell cabinet)
clean baseboards
Clean french door windows
clean and reverse ceiling fan
Remove fishtank and stand for junk day.
Dust
wash picture fronts and mirrors
De-clutter dollhouse and art supplies

Kitchen
wash floor
wash windows
clean fridge
self clean oven (wipe inside first)
finish cleaning food pantry
wipe down all shelves and cabinets (inside)
Clean exterior stove, microwave and fridge
clean inside drawers
clean under sink
Water plants
Dust
wash picture fronts and mirrors
Clean baseboards

Both sets of Stairs
Sweep
Wash
Polish railings
Clean cobwebs
Wash window (1st floor)


Downstairs bathroom/Upstairs bathroom
Clean bathtub walls
Scrub bathtub
Clean toilet
Clean sink
Wash window (upstairs)
Replace shower curtains
Dust cobwebs
wash floor, under toilet and pedestal sink
change cat litter (upstairs)
wash picture front and mirrors
Clean baseboards

Upstairs hallway
vacuum
Shampoo carpets
Dust cobwebs
Wash picture fronts and mirror
sort, fold, arrange towels and sheets in cabinet.


My Bedroom

Flip mattress
wash comforters and quilts at laundramat
change sheets
vacuum
shampoo carpet
finish putting away summer clothes
de-clutter closet
dust
wash windows
Dust cobwebs
get dust bunnies under bed
Donate old clothes
clean off both dresser tops (that annoys me)
furniture polish
Clean baseboards


Basement

Pay to have furnace cleaned (do not have money right now)
sweep
Dust cobwebs
finish the constant laundry
defrost and clean the deep freezer
De-clutter and toss shit out.
Clean baseboards (yup, basement is heated)

Outside

Bag leaves
Sweep patio
Scrub clay pots for winter
Dead head plants
Split Iris plants (next year)
Plant tulips (wont happen)
Put plastic furniture away
Amend soil out front

*I am not even mentioning all the real things that need to be done like new walkway, new gutters, new fascia boards, and the wall that needs to be fixed out front. Those cost money and I aint got it.*

I purposely did not mention the girls rooms because those arent my bag. The only thing that I will do in their rooms is clean the windows and hang the plastic on the windows for winter. If they want to live in a pig pen, that is on them.

Does that look like a lot of shit to do? I do! I could do the livingroom, diningroom, and most of the kitchen in one day. That includes cooking dinner. Then I am exhausted. By the time I catch steam again, those three rooms are a mess again. So I never get to the other shit on the list. See what I am saying? I have no REAL help and I cannot afford a maid service. So I struggle with the work, avoid it when I feel like shit, and I am embarrassed of my home.
That is it in a nutshell.

I would want a sexy man servant anyway. hehehe

Macho Macho..eh whatever.

I have this song stuck in my head so I thought i would share.

I promised a friend that I would exercise in some form today and share the results with her. I think I will walk the dogs and then maybe do some Just Dance on Wii. I am just waking up so I am not making any promises at this moment. Natalie and I have not been to the gym in over 2 months. I have decided that if we do not make a conscious effort to really go at least 2-3 times a week, every week by the end of the year, then I am cancelling the memberships. I pay over $40 for all three and no one is going. That is almost $500 a year that I am paying out for something that is not being used. So we are going to go on Monday and see how that goes.
If I can lose weight getting off a diabetic pill, I should be able to step it up to firm some of the flab too. I think I want a new scale for Christmas. One of those BMI ones that tells you all your dirty little secrets. So we will all be surprised when I first weigh myself.
   Natalie watched Ruby last night so I could get some sleep. I ordered a puppy play pen for her and it should be here tomorrow. That way she can sleep, she can pee, she can play and not get into trouble. She wont be in there all the time but I need to be able to go out and she needs to be able to live without anyone around her 24/7. She has the other dogs and cats keeping her company. So Natalie is exhausted and probably sleeping. She has an appointment later on this afternoon but she will be good for that later.
I still say I am a fucking lunatic for having a puppy in the house. Lord. But Natalie loves her and she is actually helping. Which is a major milestone. I came downstairs and the living room is cleaned. She is picking up poop and pee from the pup. She is taking her for walks. It is a responsibility that she needed. Do not worry. I am helping and teaching her that you have to be firm with the pup. Tell them NO now so they do not become a beast later. She is sleeping next to me on the couch. LOL
Need more coffee and a better song in my head.

Ruby

This is Ruby. She is the reason I am up at 5:38am. She is a new member to the family. Eight weeks old, mutt thru and thru. I know she is part beagle and Pitt, plus a couple other things. Her parents are medium sized. So that guarantees me that her shits will be enormous! Fuck!
What have I gotten myself into?
The neighbor down the street must have not fixed her two dogs because apparently, they had a litter of six puppies. The woman of the household decided she was going to walk the last three that she had down the street on leashes (do I smell shit?). Natalie and I were on the front porch. We were goners before she came near our house.
She has some pluses already. She knows what adult piss pads are because she is using them. And she woke up at 5am cause her ass needed to shit. And she did it outside..I think what I smell is coffee brewing...She slept on our bed all night but she did tinkle on the top blanket, so that is a minus.
She is lucky she is cute as hell.
All of the animals are cool except for Perla the chihuahua. She is being a grumpy old bitch about it. She keeps staying near me and that is okay. She will get extra love.
Now I need to make a list. I need to get a baby circle to put the puppy in, more Nyla bones, and those kong things to keep her occupied.

Like I said, I am a lunatic.

New Dermatologist!

Ladies who Lunch

*I fit in a pair of jeans that did not fit in the summer! Woot!*

I finally had my appointment today with Dr. Duke in Mystic, CT. She is THE best skin doctor in the state by golly. If you can remember (cause I cant), I scheduled an appointment to be a new patient back in the Spring/Summer. Today was the day. I picked a cute black and white outfit with black flats, my fanciest purse and my hair down my back. It is a good thing I did. I think my self consciousness would have shown through if I had not. Every woman patient was dressed to the 9s. They are those rich bitches that get botox in the morning and then have a ladies lunch afterward. So I didnt fit into the square peg but my ass was big enough to cover the hole.
  It was a quick visit because I really do not have anything going on right now. Well I do have skin tags on my neck but insurance does not cover that...it is like $100 to burn them all off. Maybe after Christmas I will do that for my birthday.
She was very nice. Big smile on her face. I like her. She explained about skin cancer and gave me a informative pamphlet. She did an upper body check..I nixed the lower cause I am dealing with MaryMary this week.
 I love Mystic. It is a beautiful place. My parents used to take me there all the time when I was young. It is on the water. There are tall ships. It just feels New Englandy. I guess you could say the same about my city also. Anyhoo..after my appointment was over and I forked over the $25 co-pay, I was on a mission. I pointed the car in the total opposite direction of Mystic to get to the cider mill. Sweet Cider, dozen sugary cider donuts, and one cored and cut Mcintosh apple with caramel poured onto top for Natalie.
I am home now. It is time to change into my frumpy clothes again. I have so much housework to fucking do. I get no help..you know my song of woe..i do not have to sing it for you.
 Oh! I did season sorting yesterday in my room and I decided to try stuff on. OMG! I found clothes that did not fit me last winter that fit perfectly now. I found jeans that I bought in the summer that I could not even dream of buttoning..I can button them! Granted I am squeezed a bit and I would never sport a camel toe..so those pants need me to lose a bit more weight. I am so happy. I do realize that I need to buy some jeans at Sally`s. I do not have that many pairs of good long jeans.
So yeah! I have no scale but I have lost weight cause clothes are fitting.Woot!

My nose ring is being a pain in the ass. It keeps going back into my nose. I was told to keep cleaning it, take Advil for the swelling, and eventually that shit will stop. I hope so. I wake up in the morning and I have to push the earring through a film of smegma and skin. Sounds appetizing huh? I still love the little fucker. It looks good on me. I used to think it wouldn't and that was part of the reason why I never did it. I am glad I did.
What kind of person am I turning into? Long hair. Nose ring. Tattoos. Driving a Jeep.  Allowing pot smoking in my area. I am just laid back. I do have my hangups but otherwise i think I am growing into this new person that I have become in my 40s. I haven't decided if I like her yet. :)

Okay enough of my weirdness. I still have not changed my clothes.

I used to be a tightwad.

*no new scale yet*

Sorry about that. I was just about to post and then Fred`s Mom called on the phone. Family takes precedence over my blaaaahhhggg. She has been having a diffcult time since her move to upstate NY. I am not going to get into specifics but the many people in her boat could use a refresher course or a lesson in being frugal. Not saying she is an overspendy! It is just hard to remember how hardcore tight you can be when you have to.
 Back when Chelsea was little, I stumbled upon three books. I think I might have gotten them at a yard sale. I really do not remember. They were a series from the newsletter called the Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn...that is pronounced Decision. Now you can get all three books in one easy paperback. Anyway, I loved these books from the moment I started to read them. It was all about how to save money. Really save money. Ways in your everyday life as a mother and home maker to do it. This was the 80s, but she and her hubby had 6 kids and lived off his $30k Navy salary. In seven years they saved $39,000. And in that same time period, they made major purchases like a car, a fridge, etc. They did not owe a dime to anyone. She did not work! One income. How unbelievable right?
To be perfectly honest, some of the things she did or does are really hardcore. I would never take two ply toilet paper and separate and make two rolls of toilet paper. I just aint gonna do it! But I did wash, dry, and re-use ziploc baggies. I did shop at bread stores and in the discount rack at the grocery. I shopped (and do shop) at yard sales and thrift stores. I will not buy used shoes unless they look practically new. And I will not buy undergarments but everything else I will.  All of my clothes from yard sales and thrift stores. And I get major compliments for my snappy wardrobe. I own designer clothes that I have paid $2 for cause it was the 50% day.
Why am I talking about this? Because I found myself a fellow tightwad. T, was talking about this and I jumped in with what I knew. She flipped out. OMG! Another tightwad!! We have another convert, J, who is going to borrow the books from the library. We are going to all read them and then have an online discussion. I cant wait. Oh, I forgot. I had lost the books a long time ago. Maybe I loaned them out, who knows. I did not think I needed them anymore cause the recession of the 80s-90s was over. Well, look where we are NOW! I need those books more then ever. Life sucks rats ass. So I called the Book Barn (used books) and asked. They had all three copies (for my local readers, they have plenty of copies at the store that is next to the movie theatre in Niantic). I picked them up yesterday with the girls in tow. $8 for all three. I gladly paid because i need to learn to stop doing that.
As we were in town, I decided to go to the health food store. I needed to pick up bulk salt for cooking anyway. I started my frugality right away. The woman was showing me where the salt was (it had been awhile since i had been there) and there was a basket FULL of large russet potatoes with small eyes starting to grow. She said they were free for the taking. I grabbed eight! ROFL I was planning on making potato leek soup today and had forgotten to get taters at the store. Now I didn't have to. They are firm and not one speck of green at all. Just ugly eyes that I will cut off. SCORE!
 If any of you are interested in reading along, you can probably find these books or full book at the library, they have them on Amazon, or if you are lucky to have a used book store also. I will bring up this topic again and again as I continue to read.
I am going to spend the rest of my morning peeling potatoes!

***Amy does not have a website anymore. There are frugal sites but not HER*

Columbo Day 2011

Today is Columbus Day. I am a smidge Italian on my Mother`s side but we really did not do anything about it. It was just a day off. People hate Columbus..blahblahblah. I am not getting into that. It is a three day weekend. Enjoy it for that aspect.
  I am all better from the Shrimp Death. LOL I have to call my GP tomorrow to set up an appointment with an allergist. I bet I am allergic to the dogs AND the cats. But I will never get rid of them. No I will not.
I did something pretty cool on Saturday. I got my nose pierced. I have always wanted it done. Just very chicken to do it. So I figured that if I could have almost died from eating those yummy shrimp, I need to take life by the horns and shake it up. I saw that the piercing place was having a benefit and all regular body piercings were $20. So I told Natalie and Fred. They were both like . *Go for it*. I did not tell Chelsea because she would have talked me out of it. I wanted to do it and any voice of reason would have pissed all over it.

Ignore the bushwack eyebrows!

 

So there it is. It hurt but it was the actual pushing through the cartilage that freaked me out. I moved a tinge. I am saying that this is a one and done in the piercing arena of my life. I was the crazy bitch that got drunk and let her friends pierce her ears with dirty earrings. I lived on the edge!

Today, I slept in. I am on the computer all I want to be. My sisterfriend is going to be calling me soon... Oh. She is on the phone now. Gotta go!

Shrimp can kill!!!!

*122* <----I am a svelte 122 until I replace the damn scale!


How do I start this posting?

Chelsea and Natalie and I had a great day yesterday. Nat and I got up at O`dark 30 and headed to DMV to get her state ID. She will get a drivers license but we feel she should get a job first and help pay for the mandatory expensive assed classes. It was quick. The place was surprisingly dead. They were going to close at 1230pm cause of the holiday weekend. I promised Nat breakfast, so we went to Ed`s Creamery in Montville. We talked and chowed down. It was good! Then it was off to the cider mill. I want to bring a sampling of some of the local yummies with me when I go to Philly/NJ in November..plus we all wanted some damn cider. I cannot drink alot of it because of the diabetes but I did get my cider slushy. Yes, they make sweet cider slush..OMG! I had a good morning with my youngin. Do not worry. I knew I was going to drink it, so I had insulin first off.
After the morning traipsing around was done,  I came home to see Fred off to work, get the mail, and waited for Fedex to drop off new cable for the laptop. After I am done here, I am going to order a new battery also. Then I asked Chelsea if she wanted to go with me to run some more errands. I brought her to get a sandwich, my ginger snap,  and we were off. We had a good afternoon. We did not get snippy with each other. We tend to butt heads because (fred says) we are so much alike. She was telling me about her projects with the Garde Arts and her plans for the non-profit she and her friends want to build. I am very impressed with my older daughter. She is unemployed at the moment (state funding cuts) and she never went to college, but she broadens her mind every day.
   I had to decide on dinner and also go grocery shopping. (gotta remember the hamburger is in the fridge to be tagged and bagged).I HATE walking around the grocery store with no clue what is for dinner.  I was going to make Buffalo Chicken Dip but I decided to get the ingredients and make it this weekend cause my honey has the weekend off. Good, I got those ingredients but now I could NOT decide. Chelsea suggest shrimp curry. We would make the veggie curry together. She would use some with her vegetarain chicken and I would use some gorgeous jumbo shrimp that was on sale this week. (Stop and Shop for my local readers) They were big! And delicious.
  We cook the curry together. It had tomato sauce, coconut milk, cumin, curry, smidge of cayene, sweet potato, onion, garlic, broccoli and green onions. It smelled amazing. I cooked some soba noodles, seasoned the shrimp and heated thru and served myself my dinner. I put the leftovers in a container for lunch today.
I finished it and went up to watch tv and go online. I do not know how long it took for me to really realize I was itching but it started with my scalp, then face, arms, chest, back, and when it felt hot..I was like WTF?
I went into the bathroom. My chest, neck and face were beat red and I had welts on my chest and back. Fred was at work and only Chelsea was home. She said I could not go to ER by myself. She and I decided that if Rite Aid was open, I would ask the pharmacist. But it was closed. So off to the ER I went. Nat and Raymond were freaking out so they said they were going to meet us at the hospital too. Luckily, Fred was let go for the night (it was dead) and he got my message. So he was waiting for me when I got there. The instant I told the receptionist I am having a reaction to shrimp...my ass was whisked away to observation. I had a Dr, her assistant, and nurses swarming me and asking me questions. They said that as they talked to me, the welts and rash were spreading. My throat was sore too. I was lucky I did not go to Rite aid first. They were worried I would go into anaphaltic shock. But I didnt. Usually you have to stay in the ER for observation for 4 hours. FUCK! But I only had to stay for three because whatever they gave me worked. I have a epipen to fill (script) and I have to stay away from all seafood until I see an allergist.

Smells like shit in here!

They put me in a bed next to a guy that just had a heroine overdose. He is what you call in the ER as a frequent flyer. Everyone knew him and knew him well. He slept mostly...loud ass snoring and talking. Then they would give him some more Narcan and he would wake up. Fuck! Let the motherfucker sleep! He would not shut the fuck up. He had arm and leg restraints because he tends to be combative. Great. I could be dying from yummy assed shrimp and I have to deal with this shit now.
The nurse got a male colleague and they decided it was time to change this dude into a hospital gown. The dude had pissed himself AND shit himself. Once they opened that disgusting package, the whole place reaked. He kept fucking talktalktalking the whole time. Then they wanted to use a catheter on his ass to get a urine sample. I knew there was going to be a throw down if they did that. By then, Fred was with me and he was laughing his ass off at the stuff the dude was saying.
Honestly, I just wanted to go home. We did get visits from some workers we had not seen in a long time and Fred`s buddy Freddy showed up to entertain us for a bit while he cleaned the ER. I told everyone I had some yummy leftover Shrimp curry in the fridge..are you interested? LOL Fred said HELL NO. Him and Freddy both said they wanted Shrimp Curry but not THAT shrimp curry. Oh, I forgot..the nurses and Dr kept asking me if I ate this in a restaurant and I said no, my daughter and I cooked it. They looked shocked. Is it shocking to make curry in your own home??
 It is a holiday on Monday (Columbo day) so I will call the Dr office on Tuesday and get this shit set up.
I am not sad but I think it will hit me later. No shellfish. (If that is what truly made me break out)
My love of Oysters has just started! How unbelievably unfair is that??
Okay..I am going to drink my coffee and take over this laptop today. I have not been on it in 3 whole days cause people were hogging it. MineMineMine!

*When we got home, Fred went right to the fridge and dumped the curry and washed the bowls, he loves me*

I am here!

*122*<---scale died. That is how much everyone weighs now. I think I finally like it.

I have been busy and lazy and not very much in the mood to talk. I guess I am not a good blogger. I have had to fight to get the one laptop in the house and it sucks ass. The AC adapter is broken and I ordered a new one. Coming in the mail today. I am not depressed just moody. I hate when money is tight like a drum. It makes me very pissy. I had to buy a warmer pair of shoes and I really did not want to spend the money. It was only $25 but that is grocery money. Oh well.

 Leaves have not changed yet but the air is drier and it is colder. I dragged out a couple Halloween decorations. Not that many cause I just not feeling it this year. Maybe my mood will change as it gets closer to the day.
I have worked on the front of the house outside cleaning up. It rained for a couple days so I moved onto the inside of the house. I completely cleaned the livingroom minus the closet. I will do that tomorrow. Then I will completely clean the dining room..and etc. I am decluttering. Feels good to do it now that my fibro flare is over.

Okay, it is Friday. I still have not gone grocery shopping and I have to pay money to the gym. So I gotta go. Ciao!

Doctor Who marathon and a clean kitchen

The Doctor

*266*

Happy October 1st!
   I still have a fan going in the house but the humidity is getting much better. Before you know it, I will be bitching about the cold.
 I went to the grocery store and spent all my money on meat, fridge, and freezer foods. Fred will replenish my stash so I am not a total sad sack with $10 to my name. There were good sales on all aspects..beef, pork, chicken, and sausage. The egg man came this morning and we got some honey and eggs also. We are all set for at least 2 weeks with what I have bought.
I have cleaned the kitchen and kept it clean for two days no. And the girls are following suit, which is good. I still have not been feeling that great so I get bursts of energy, I do stuff, and then I take a two hour nap..LOL
So I shopped, cleaned the kitchen, made bone marrow and toast for lunch for Fred and I, and I finished up with internet stuff. Oh and I tidied up the livingroom. Yeah me!
Boy, this is a boring assed post. If you have not jumped ship already, you can do so now.
I plan on finishing this up and going upstairs and watching the Doctor Who marathon on BBC america. Yes maam, that sounds like a cherry Saturday to me. I did buy chips to make cookies but I think I will do that tomorrow. Already depleted as it is.
 Oh, I got my train tickets yesterday for the trip to NJ and the Philadelphia Miniaturia show on first weekend of November. I have a month from here to stash some cash for the trip. It is going to be lots of fun!

Okay, Chelsea is staring at me. We only still have the one laptop and it is feast or famine when it comes to the internet around here. I have prolonged my time on it and I better go before she starts psychically boring holes into my brain.. heheheh

Toodles!