Nothing much here . . .

Nahla, the bunny

This has been an odd sort of weekend. Something about the rhythm of things that has felt off. The skies have been grey and it's been bitterly cold and windy, but the heavens stubbornly refuse to open and allow the snowflakes to fall.

My grandson, Christian, spent the weekend here with Jake, and his friend, Quentin. Since Patrick has discovered the joy of having a girlfriend, Quentin, has replaced him as Jake's new buddy, and apparently, our newest adopted child. I knew that sooner or later, I'd get a red headed child. Unlike Patrick, whose parents are financially well off and has a more structured life, with strict rules about visiting friends and over night stays; Quentin is somewhat of a lost child. He lives with his mother (no siblings) and spends quite a bit of time on his own, since his mother has a very busy work, school, and social life. Well, that is, until our family adopted him. He checks in with his mother frequently via cell phone, but often when we take him home, he goes home to an empty apartment. He's a good kid, maybe a bit loud, and sometimes obnoxious, but that seems to go with the age. Roy had a hard time adjusting to him at first, since he is a quieter type of person, but Roy has a huge heart and he has learned to deal with him like all our other (adopted) children. At first, even Heather had a hard time accepting him, especially after Patrick had become a regular fixture around here. She'd never admit to it, but I suspect Heather had just the tiniest crush on Patrick. I didn't realise it until Patrick came over last week with his girlfriend.

Anyway, The three guys spent most of Saturday making plans for a big Christmas Vacation Party. They have been referring to it as "The Hardcore Christmas Party". What a hoot. They came to me with big plans of moving my antique tables and chairs out of the family room, and replacing them with sturdier lawn chairs, stringing Christmas lights from the ceiling beams, and hanging black lights and posters instead of my antique photo portraits. I told them that I didn't care, as long as they do the work, which includes, buying the drinks and snacks and clean up. They agreed to barter their time and labor in exchange for my help to provide the sodas. So . . . . it seems that I have a bit of non specified child labor owed to me. He, he, he. My little brain is just ticking away with ideas. I may save it for after Christmas clean up.

Heather has been keeping to herself most of the weekend. She goes through phases where she becomes highly focused on certain activities. Sometimes it involves her friends, sometimes not. (the older she gets, the more she reminds me of myself sometimes) This weekend she's been doing a lot of drawing and sharing it with her Internet group of friends that are into anime. She has always been very artistic and she wants to be an anime artist when she grows up. I'm looking through the drawings that she did this weekend and scanned into the computer. She really is very good. Her pencil strokes are becoming more confident and her shading and highlighting is improving. She has gone from copying cartoons to designing some very original works. I need to set aside some time to work with her. Her style is very different from mine, but I think she could really do well with it. I'd really like to get her a good computer, with a graphic art program. She enjoys working with color on Windows Paint and she can do things I had idea were possible. Maybe next Christmas - this year sucks.

I was up late Saturday night cooking chicken enchiladas for Sunday dinner. Nick and Jennifer have been looking for excuses to come and visit Nahla, the bunny. I told them that they didn't need an excuse to come and visit. (as long as Nick is sober - which he has been) So, I invited them over for Sunday dinner with Nicks favorite meal. I had only been asleep for three hours when they arrived this morning. (not exactly according to my plan) They spent the day hanging out with the kids and animals, while I dealt with a husband with a stomach issues. I guess I'll find out in a few days whether it's a bacterial, or a viral thing. Lord, I hope it's just a case of too many late night chocolate donuts, regurgitation is NOT by favorite thing. Unfortunately, a couple of Jake's friends, including his girlfriend, came down with the stomach flu today as well. Oh well, I there's always hope, right? I was finally able to get a little nap after dinner, when Nick and Jen went home. I figured lack of sleep made me too easy of a target for whatever viruses might be floating around. I was just going to sleep for 30 -45 minutes, but Roy fell asleep on the couch and didn't wake me until it was time for me to run the kids off to bed.

So . . . .here I sit, wide awake in a house that is FINALLY silent. It feels very strange. You know, I'm just thinking out loud and rambling on. I should really be doing something to prepare for the week ahead, or even catching up on my sleep, anything, other than parking my butt in this very comfy computer chair . . . . Things have been sort of quiet with my friends in the blog-o-sphere, I know that things are crazy this time of year. (I have a sister in law that keeps sending me emails with a Christmas count down - UGH! I wish she'd stop, I don't want to be reminded how far behind I am with my shopping! - and everything else) Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed their weekends, and hope you all have a great week !

Love ya,

Susan

I'm still alive and all is well.

Hooray for me ! I did it and I survived. My dogs are fresh and clean , and they don't stink like . . . well, like dogs anymore! It only took about . . . 5 hours!

I started with Phoenix, who it turns out, actually LIKES his bath. Last time I bathed him, he was younger and he was kind of . . . meh! But now, maybe Phoenix is just in favor of anything that results in one - on - one attention? He kept wanting to get back in and do it all again.

Next was Midnight. Midnight is a scaredy cat. He fought me tooth and nail getting him into the tub, and once he was in, he just froze in total panic and sheer fright. Eventually, I got him done and all was well.

Pete was all excited about his turn and once he got in, he was actually relaxed enough to sit. But Pete has a touch of ADHD, and he started getting restless towards the end. In typical Peter dog style, that means he started to whimper and cry. He is such a baby !

Angel is the last of the "big dogs", but she only weighs 50 pounds. She is also the oldest, and she's been through this a time or two, so she knew what was coming. She is the only long hair dog we have and it just takes longer for her to be thoroughly washed and rinsed. She is actually the only one who tried to make an escape out of the tub. But I knew that she would, so I was ready.

When I got to Princess, my back was so sore from bending over the tub, that I just washed her in the sink. She truly objected not being allowed the privacy that the other dogs got, but she's small, very short haired, and it was over in a flash. Finally!!!

After I got all the wet towels to the laundry, and the floor wiped up, we all sat on a huge blanket on the floor in front of the space heater and got brushed out. This is the part that my dogs adore. They LOVE to be brushed. It really is just like Caesar says. Dogs live in the moment. Once they were out of the tub, they were back to their happy selves. They don't hold grudges. They think that being dried with a towel is a fun game, and we actually had a great time playing on the floor and getting brushed.

Once everyone was looking dapper, I went down stairs and brought up my coffee can full of used dryer sheets. I took a handful and wiped down each dog to remove all the static electricity from their squeaky clean fur, so that they wouldn't shock everyone when they got petted. During the winter time, when it's cold and dry, I keep my dryer sheets by the back door and rub them down when they come inside. It keeps them smelling fresh and clean and shock free. (It works on cats and people hair too.)

They are all so soft, and thankfully, exhausted ! In fact, so am I. I got them all done before the kids got home from school. It works better that way. Having the kids home just excites them too much. (both the kids and the dogs) I'm actually quite proud of my babies. They listened and behaved and I honestly think they feel SO much better.

I got the bathroom cleaned while they all napped, and then I took my own shower before Roy got home. He was so proud of me, he took me out to dinner. (Chinese) Unfortunately, the kids needed to be fed as well (all four of them) so we had to take them too. I got the waiter to seat the kids at a separate table, but it's still not the same. Oh well. Like I said, I'm exhausted, so I think I'll put myself to bed early tonight.

Good night all !
Love,
Susan

Bathroom Duty

Alright. Since I did a big fat nothing yesterday, I am announcing that today, I have plans. Today, the big chore is to clean both bathrooms. Of course, they aren't really dirty . . . yet, but that's part of the plan.

For almost a week now, I've been telling everyone around here that it's long past bath time for my dogs. When I say this to my husband, he just rolls his eyes and chuckles. Sometimes, he murmurs some unintelligible words about my sanity under his breath. Here's the thing, with FIVE dogs, It's not like I can just drop them at the groomers and spend the afternoon shopping. With that many dogs, not only would they lock the doors when they saw me coming, but I suspect it would cost me almost a weeks pay check. So I am on my own on this one.

Which now that I think about it, really isn't fair. I do everything for these dogs! I feed them, walk them, discipline them, clean up their messes, and all the while Heather tells everyone that Angel is her baby, Nick regularly argues that Pete has always been "his dog", Jake claims that he called dibs on Phoenix the day he was born, and lets face it, Princess spends more time sleeping with my husband than I do ! But if I just give Midnight a bath, he'll think that I'm picking on him, or that he did something bad. Poor little Midnight has enough mental issues as it is.

UGH!!! the reality is, they ARE ALL MY dogs. They don't listen to a word anyone else says. They spend their days following me around the house, they hang on my every word and gesture, I wake every morning surrounded by them, and they could care less if anyone else comes or goes around here. But when mom leaves the house, they sit at the window waiting for me to come home, and cry and howl like orphans until I return.

*SIGH* I know. I'm just trying to squirm out of doing this. The thing is, they are not puppies any more. In fact, my boys, the pups, are now the two biggest of the pack ! They easily weigh 75 to 80 pounds - EACH ! It's going to be the equivalent of scrubbing down a herd of cows - shivering, whimpering, cowering, cows ! Except for Princess, but even she is a cow of a Min-Pin. At 25 pounds, she is twice the normal size for her breed.

I keep reminding myself how nice they will smell, and how soft they will be to touch afterwards. They won't hate me. They love their mom and they will forgive me anything. I will start with the biggest and work my way down to Princess. I have lots of towels, dog shampoo, brushes, space heaters to warm them with, the only thing I don't have is courage. Even though all three of the boys are Lab mixes, they don't like the water. Well at least they don't like CLEAN water.

The worst part is that wide eyed look of terror that they always give me. As if they are saying,

"Why mom? What did I do to deserve this?!!! I'll be good, I promise !"

But they wont. I know. There is something about a freshly bathed dog that just can NOT resist trouble. As soon as they are clean, and the awful wet dog smell starts to fade, they will go in search of smelly things to roll in, and trash to dump, and mud puddles to dance in, the mischief will go on for days !

Okay, I have managed to put this off as long as I can. This is a whole lot of crap to go through, just to clean a bathroom. Wish me luck - Please ! . . . . Where did I put that life jaket? . . .

Love,

Susan

Do Nothing Thursday

HI !

In case anyone is keeping track, or is interested . . . Today, I've done NOTHING. Nada, zero, zip, zilch, Not a bloody thing all day. I thought about doing something, but then I decided that it was just too much work. The excuse that I am using is that I feel kind of crappy. Nothing specific, just a general lethargy and laziness kind of thing. If it develops into anything major, I'll let you know. (But don't hold your breath) Sorry. In the meantime, You can read my older posts, go to the kitchen and make yourself a sandwich, or just mingle among yourselves. I don't really care, I'm going to take another nap.

Love you all,

Susan

Layers ( you know, like an onion?)

Okay, Basically, I have nothing to say for myself, but I am feeling like a smart ass so, I'm doing this Meme that I stole off of Kate and Fusion, who stole it from some one else, who probably stole it for someone else . . . . So I really don't feel bad about it stealing it. Know what I mean?

LAYER 1: Tell us . . .

*Name: Susan /Auburnhairedartist
*Birthday (month, day): June 19th
*Birthplace: Kansas City, KS.
*Current location: Olathe, KS. (in my living room)
*Eye color: Brown
*Hair color: I had my daughter, the hair stylist, do something dramatic for Halloween, so right now, it's a chocolate brown with auburn streaks, but normally, it's just auburn.
*Height: 5 foot, 2 inches (standing up)
*Righty or lefty: Right
*Zodiac sign: Gemini

LAYER 2: What's....

*Your heritage: Mostly Irish, some German, and a little bit of French. So yeah, I'm a white girl.
*Your weakness: Apparently, anything that's bad for me: chocolate, salty foods, smoking, etc. If I had to choose a #1 vice it would be home made cookies, and cake, and krispy kreme donuts, the chocolate iced ones with the creme filling, and Lindor truffles, and . . .
*Your fears: I truly despise snakes, but I'd fight off a million of 'em to keep my kids safe. So, I guess my biggest fear is that something bad might happen to my kiddos.
*Your perfect pizza: Okay, now we are talkin' about the important things in life! Deep dish crust, should be golden brown, buttery and crisp on the bottom, but still warm and soft on the inside. If possible, I like the crust filled with mozzarella cheese. Easy on the sauce, as far as toppings, I like everything except, anchovies . So that means; hamburger, sausage, both pork and Italian, Canadian bacon, peperoni, green peppers, onions, mushrooms, and black olives. Also, if it's not too much trouble, I'd like an extra layer of cheese on top and a side of ranch sauce for dipping. Oh, and I'll have a diet coke with that, please. Can I get that to go?
*Goals you’d like to achieve: I'd like to own my own house and, somehow, get all these kids grown and raised into adults.
*Your first waking thoughts: Five more minutes . . . PLEASE ?!!!
*Your best physical feature: Um . . . I think I have nice eyes and shapely, firm legs even it they are a bit short.
*Your most missed memory: Since my dad died when I was four, I would like to be able to remember things from that part of my life. I only have a few disjointed memories of him. I'd also like to be able to remember what happened to all my albums.

LAYER 3: Do you...

*Smoke: I'm a smokin' now. I would like to quit though, after 20 + years, all the glamour has worn off.
*Cuss: Okay, When I was younger, I used to cuss like a sailor, then I quit (completely) for about . . . 5 years? Now, I don't object to tossing one out there every now and then, for emphasis, But there are still a few curse words that I just don't like to say, or even hear. Obsessive cursing is just foul and distasteful.
*Sing: I sing a lot, but not in front of anyone. I am completely tone deaf. When I sing along to the radio, my kids say, "Uh, mom, could you please stop? You really suck."
*Do you think you've been in love: I AM in love.
*Did you go to college: I studied commercial art at Jr. College for a while. I'd like to go back this spring.
*Liked high school: I fought High School tooth and nail. Although I really enjoy education and learning. For the most part, I think High School is wasted on teenagers. (almost everything is)
*Want to get/stay married: Since I've kind of gotten used to being married, I don't see any reason to go changing things now.
*Believe in yourself: I know that I am capable of doing all kinds of things, but I'm realistic.
*Think you’re attractive: Somewhat. I don't spend a lot of time thinking or worrying about it. There are more important things to deal with.
*Think you’re a health freak: I may be a freak, but not a healthy one.
*Get along with your parent(s): Uh, yeah, I love my mommy. She's a wonderful woman.
*Like thunderstorms: I LOVE thunderstorms. I really do, but they are not much fun with a 65 pound lab clinging to your leg and crying like a baby. If I can get him to snuggle up with me and calm him by rubbing his ears, then I get to enjoy them.
*Play an instrument: Tone deaf people tend to NOT be very musically inclined. (see above)

LAYER 4: In the past month have you…

*Drank alcohol: Nope.
*Smoked: (see layer 3)
*Done a drug: Nope, just the ones that I am supposed to take.
*Made out: with my hubby, Duh.
*Gone on a date: A date? You mean two people enjoying each others company, outside of the house? Alone? Without Children? Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha . . . uh . . .No.
*Gone to the mall: I despise the mall. I don't go unless I have to, but I did take Heather and her friends for her birthday in November.
*Eaten an entire box of Oreos: Unless I am in a diabetic coma and don't know it, the answer would be, no.
*Eaten sushi: The only raw seafood I ever eat are oysters and I haven't done that in ages.
*Been on stage: You mean like exotic dancing? No.
*Been dumped: I can't remember ever having been dumped.
*Gone skating: Not since I was young enough to handle falling on my butt - about 30 years ago.
*Gone skinny dipping: Um . . . In Kansas, December is NOT skinny dipping weather.
*Stolen Anything: Oh Gosh, not in the past month ! I guess I better get busy planning my next big caper, huh? I've only shoplifted once in my whole LIFE! I was about 18 or 19 years old, I went to pick up some medication at the pharmacy, and pay for them at the front check out. They were about twice the amount I had on me at the time, so I just slipped them in my purse and walked out. Never got caught, but I never did anything like that again.

LAYER 5: Have you ever…

*Played a game that required removal of clothing: Like strip poker? Once, but I think he cheated.
*Been trashed or extremely intoxicated: I have only been intoxicated once or twice, I've never been a big drinker. However, when I was much younger, I was known to smoke myself into oblivion on a regular basis.
*Been caught “doing something”: I'm sure that my kids have walked in on my husband and I, but they were probably so traumatised they've blocked it out. Oh wait a minute, What do you mean by "doing something?"
*Been called a tease: Yeah, but I think they were just teasing.
*Gotten beaten up: No, I tend to do enough damage all by myself, just walking across the room.
*Shoplifted: (See layer 4)

LAYER 6:

*Age you did get/hope to be married: I was 28 years old when I got married.
*Numbers and names of children (either you have or want): 4 kids, Jasmin, Nick, Jacob, Heather- and some days, I don't want any of them.
*Describe your dream mate: He would be just like the guy I'm married to.
*How do you want to die: I don't want to die! Why does all this have to turn so morbid and dark?!! *sigh* Okay, I'd like to be strapped to the nose of a rocket, and shot into outer space. Is that the sort of thing you're looking for? Sheesh, that's just sick !
*What did you want to be when you grow up: I always wanted to be a fashion designer or something involving art. So . . . I worked really hard, got knocked up, and here I am today.
*What country would you most like to visit: Either Ireland or Scotland. I am enamored with the whole gothic, romantic, beautiful, green and lush country side. I'd also love to visit the castles.

LAYER 7: Now tell...

*Name a drug you’ve taken illegally: I smoked pot when I was a teen, but then, some A-hole stole my Steve Miller album, and it was just pointless after that.
*Name a person you could trust with my life: With YOUR life? Hell, I don't care. With MY life? There are a few people that I trust, but I think, last time I checked, we have to be responsible for our own lives.
*Number of piercings: I have two piercings in each earlobe, but only one set is still open and useable for hanging small objects from.
*Number of tattoos: I don't have any, but some times, I have to draw little arrows on my body for my husband.
*Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper: I think the only time was when I was issued my marriage license. ( my mom saved it.) So now, everyone knows about it.
*Name a past experience that you regret: I make it a policy not to sit around thinking about regrets. I just try to move forward.

Odd Tuesday

There are days when I am reminded how foolish it is to expect any kind of sane routine or rhythm to occur in my life. Today was one of those days.

I got up early to get the kids off to school, and found that Jacob was moping around. That's very unusual for him. Normally, Jake looks forward to going to school. However, last night, when he had his friends over, he became unusually quiet. In fact, while his friends socialized downstairs in the family room, he left them and came upstairs. Anti social behavior is just not part of Jake's personality, so I asked him if he and Chrissy had argued. He said, no, but he wasn't very convincing. Later that evening, he told me that Chrissy's mom said that they couldn't hang out after school for the rest of the week. He said that she didn't explain why, but he was convinced that Chrissy's mom didn't like him. Hmmm . . . I don't know if that's the whole story, but if it is, I'm pretty sure that I'll never know what Jake said, or did, to make her feel that way. Whatever the situation, it had Jake pretty upset because he didn't want to go to school this morning. Maybe, I'm a little too sympathetic to teenage drama, but I let him off the hook. Partly because he doesn't miss school very often, also because I was hoping that during his day at home, he might open up a little and talk to me about it. Eventually, he did talk to me, a little, in bits and pieces, but it all sounds kind of vague to me, and I'm not sure what to make of it. By the end of the day, he was acting more like his normal -abnormal - self. So for now, I'm just going to write it off to teenage weirdness. If it's more than that, it will all come out in the wash eventually.

When I went to wake Heather half an hour later, she was still struggling with cramps and a headache that began last night. At least that was something that I could understand. I probably should have given her a Tylenol and sent her to school, but I figured, what the hell, and let her stay home too.

Maybe it wasn't a very responsible "mom thing" to do, but letting them stay home just felt like the right thing to do, on both counts, so I'm not going to beat myself up over it.

I DO feel a little frustrated by the timing of it though. I had really been looking forward to having my days (sans children) to myself again, so I could get some things accomplished, but I guess it all worked out okay. Today was an unexpectedly nice day in terms of weather, so I took advantage of it. I spent three hours walking my dogs, with their little doggie back packs filled with cans of vegetables strapped to their backs, so they were nice and worn out when we were done. I spent the rest of the day saying the word "walk," out loud, and instead of going bonkers with excitement, they just laid on the floor and rolled their eyes at me.

When Jake and Heather's friends got out of school, I had to inform them that, sadly, they couldn't come over to hang out because, Jake and Heather didn't go to school today. Then, because I'm so evil, I said,
"It's really too bad that you can't go outside today, it probably won't be this nice again until April or May . . . of next year."
If I had been repressing any guilt for letting them fake sick, it was chased away when they wailed,
"UGH !!! NO FAIR !!!!" in unison. As a mom, there are moments when you just can't help but smile.

Oh well, after walking five miles with the dogs, I'm finally feeling worn out too. I think I'll go put myself to bed and hope that the world doesn't conspire against me tomorrow. (of course, I won't hold my breath)
Good night.

Love,
Susan

Sleeping is no game, you know?

Gosh, what a day! or half day, or maybe night . . . I don't know, I'm so confused right now. I got busy last night and by the time I checked the clock, it was 5AM !! Heather had requested to be woke up this morning at 6AM. (by mom, NOT dad. Apparently, Heather has complaints about dad's boring and grumpy demeanor in the AM) I had to run to the bank right after Heather left for school, when I got home, Nick and Jennifer had arrived to drop off the bunny -AGAIN. It seems that even after Jennifer produced tears and manipulated her father into allowing her to keep the rabbit, there was dissension among the siblings as to the fairness of his decision, so the rabbit ended up back at my house. What a wuss !!! (I guess saying no to children is a male trait) Anyway, by the time that Nick and Jennifer got the rabbit settled in and themselves out the door, it was 10:30 AM Monday morning! So that's when I went to bed. I know it's crazy, but I was tired.

I set the alarm for 2:30 PM so I could get up and shower before Jake came home, and I snuggled under the blankets with my dogs camped out on the floor around my bed. As I drifted off, my brain started recollecting the strange little thoughts and games that I played as child when I couldn't sleep. Of course, there was the famous pillow flip to find the coolest side. (I still do that sometimes)

There was the rolling of the blankets under my toes so that the alligators at the foot of my bed, couldn't snack on my digits while I slept. Of course, back then, there was still a good 1-2 feet between where my toes ended, and the bottom of the mattress. It couldn't just be empty space - something had to live there! What?! Didn't you have something at the foot of your bed, waiting for you to drift off and nibble your little piggies during the night? I don't know which is more ridiculous, the fear of alligators in my bed, or the idea that wrapping my toes in blankets would provide any sort of protection ! But that's how a little kid's minds work - if there is an empty space, it has to be filled with imagination.

Until I was 6 or 7 years old, I firmly believed that an entire colony of fluffy little people, the size ants, lived full and rich lives inside my pillow. Their homes and workplaces were constructed out of tunnels that their ancestors carefully carved out of pillow fluff. (I had a very OLD pillow) If I laid very still at night and listened very carefully, I could hear them as they went about their lives. I had to be very careful not to sneeze or yawn too loudly, or they might think that all was not right in their world, some kind of natural disaster, and they would all stop what they were doing, get panicked looks on their faces, and run to "take cover," like we had to do at school during tornado drills. Any thoughtless little action on my part, could result in disaster for untold millions of innocent pillow people.

If that got dull, or I still couldn't sleep, I could roll over and watch the of head lights from cars passing on the street outside my bedroom window, shine across my bedroom walls. As my mind drifted, I developed a magic eight ball kind of system to calm my worries. Two cars in a row meant 'yes,' one car meant 'no,' a big rumbling truck meant 'maybe, ask again later.' Will tomorrow be sunny? Does my teacher like me? Does the dog know what I'm thinking? Will Santa bring me a Barbie town house? That's how little kids resolve the stressful issues in life. Everything is magical, there must be a meaning and purpose for everything in their lives. After all, the sun DOES rise and set just for them.

God, it's a wonder any of us ever grow up to become "normal adults." Of course, with stuff like that in our heads, why would we want to grow up at all ? Am I the only one who remembers bedtime games and thoughts like that ? Was I the only four year old insomniac? I can't believe that everyone else just went to bed, and went to sleep, like my boring little brother. Maybe, I'm the only 46 year old person who allows stuff like that to occupy space in my brain that would be better suited for grown up concerns ? (what ever those are . . .)

I don't know. All I know is that I only got 4 hours sleep this afternoon, and I'm feeling frazzled. I think I will go back to my bed, and this time, try to wake at a decent hour tomorrow.

Good night.

Love,

Susan