It's 3 in the morning, I've been awake since 2:30. I need something to nibble on ( dinner was at 5:30 tonight- that was a l-o-n-g time ago). I don't know where the Pop Tarts came from. I don't buy them. I really don't buy much snacky food. And if I did - Pop Tarts still wouldn't be on the list.
So, we got what- ? another 8 inches of snow today? Wow- the first predictions were 1 - 3 inches. This was soooooo wrong. Now, we have another 2 hour delay tomorrow. Yuck. I'd rather have school cancelled, than a 2 hour delay. Tomorrow, I'll get to work at 11 and leave at 3 (!!!!!).
OK- I have a funny story. Last Sunday I was in my class of CTR's- there were 8 I think. Anyway, they were so good for me, we were talking about Joseph's first vision. I was trying to find the book of James in the Bible. How hard is that? Well, I couldn't find it. They were being good- waiting as patiently as any 6 year-olds could. And I got frustrated and said, " oh, heck". Well, you should have heard them!!! " Sister Cruze said- - - the 'H' word!". " Sister Cruze said a bad word! She said the 'H' word!" Oh, my. Somehow in my memory, the 'h' word ISN'T - HECK! How funny.
Well, it is about 3:30, I'm still not tired. I guess I'll read a little bit before I try to go back to bed. - Oh, Katy had a good check up. She is going in twice a week now. Her blood pressure was up a little. The dr she saw said that they would probably induce on her due date if that continued to be a problem. Her due date is March 10. You should have heard her complain tonight. It was as if no other woman had gone through 8 months of pregnancy before. I told her she could only complain AFTER her 4th delivery (like me!).
Any Joey news would not be good. His parole officer called me because he missed an appointment with her this morning. Big trouble. Choices - Consequences. I don't know what it will take for him to learn this.
Well, off to bed (or the couch to read). And I could sleep in tomorrow- we already have a 2 hour delay!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
a great week-- - --REALLY !
I've had 2 really good weeks - in a row! Yep, very little drama, and some great dates with my husband.
Might as well get the Joey news out of the way first. After the 'bad' blog, he came and stayed with us for about 3 days. He had a BAD cold- really bad. I don't know if it was a type of withdrawal and cold together- but it was disgusting. Anyway, that was when the weather was terribly cold outside, and the basement of our house became North Siberia. Bari Ray has a little heater in his room, but I don't have any more to give Joey. So, he finally left for warmer climates. I didn't hear from him for a week, (Hmm- can we say- 'back to the same old pattern?')- and then he called and said he was looking for a job- needed to do his community service, and needed money. (Yes, back to the same old pattern). I have gotten over feeling bad about not helping him. He will be 22 in 2 weeks. Somehow Joey has got to make it in this world. At 22 I was living with my parents, BUT- I had just graduated college, was painting everyday, and showing my watercolors at art shows and galleries.
Ok- enough of that- on to my really great week. The Friday before last I had a DAY OFF ! Yes!! a WHOLE day- with NO children! No weddings- no travel anywhere (w-o-w). I was able to work on wedding production all day, and play with a trial wedding album program. The best part (although I do like doing wedding computer stuff)- was that I watched my fave soap at lunch, while reading my fave author (during commercials) and treating myself to HOT chocolate pudding. Wow. What a day.
Then, as if that wasn't enough, on that Saturday night, Bari and I had a DATE! we went out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Tri-county near my store. It was pretty good. We will go back again sometime soon I hope. After dinner, we went to see what was on clearance at one of the stores that are going out of business. We need to upgrade the computer downstairs. It is getting to the point where we need more memory for all the programs needed for the wedding business.
It was a really nice evening.
On Wednesday, I got to go to Sam's scout meeting and talk 'art' with them. They were so cute. I was able to show them paintings that Sam's Grandpa (my Dad) and his Grandma (my Mom) had done. I also showed them one of my watercolors, and Sam's Derby car that I framed from last year. It was fun. I give huge thanks - and hugs and kisses- and any other heartfelt love and admiration to Heather and Karlin for taking on that group of boys. They are a handful- fun, but a handful.
Saturday I went with Bari to the Northern Kentucky Convention Center and attended seminars and a trade show at the Professional Photographers Association Mid-East States Expo. It was really great. I only had a 1 day pass, but next year, I will try to get to more. We had really good Seminars. The first was all about turning photography into fine art- his artwork was incredible, and very motivating. We ran into friends of ours at the trade show and were able to catch up and 'talk biz'. The trade show was small, but very helpful. We have contracted with a web design company who will help up design and manage a new web site (I'm soooo excited). They also do online hosting, so we can post our wedding images. There will be some manipulating with printing and shipping, whether we use their labs or not, who will ship prints and things like that- but it was a great step forward. Bari was also able to purchase some equipment we needed at a discount price. Trade shows are really good with bargains, you just have to know what you need.
Then on Sunday, Madeline had an awards program we had to go to. One of her drawings from school was entered in the Reflections program through the PTO. She won first place in her grade category (1st grade through 5th). Her piece was sent on to Hamilton County where it placed for an award, and then sent on to the Ohio competition. So, that was pretty exciting. We knew how it did locally, but not that it won on the County level, or that it was sent on to the Ohio state level. Next year I want to get Sammy involved. He is really good at drawing, and I think that he would enjoy photography more, if he had his own camera. Hmmmm- I'll have to look into that.
So, here it is 6am on Monday. I've been up since about 4:50am. I don't know why so early, except I was able to clean up the kitchen (which I neglected last night- we looked at sample web pages instead- which was MUCH more fun), and blog.
- - --------I just got a recorded message from St. X- school is delayed an hour. I'd better get done with this and check the school listings for delays!
Have a great week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Might as well get the Joey news out of the way first. After the 'bad' blog, he came and stayed with us for about 3 days. He had a BAD cold- really bad. I don't know if it was a type of withdrawal and cold together- but it was disgusting. Anyway, that was when the weather was terribly cold outside, and the basement of our house became North Siberia. Bari Ray has a little heater in his room, but I don't have any more to give Joey. So, he finally left for warmer climates. I didn't hear from him for a week, (Hmm- can we say- 'back to the same old pattern?')- and then he called and said he was looking for a job- needed to do his community service, and needed money. (Yes, back to the same old pattern). I have gotten over feeling bad about not helping him. He will be 22 in 2 weeks. Somehow Joey has got to make it in this world. At 22 I was living with my parents, BUT- I had just graduated college, was painting everyday, and showing my watercolors at art shows and galleries.
Ok- enough of that- on to my really great week. The Friday before last I had a DAY OFF ! Yes!! a WHOLE day- with NO children! No weddings- no travel anywhere (w-o-w). I was able to work on wedding production all day, and play with a trial wedding album program. The best part (although I do like doing wedding computer stuff)- was that I watched my fave soap at lunch, while reading my fave author (during commercials) and treating myself to HOT chocolate pudding. Wow. What a day.
Then, as if that wasn't enough, on that Saturday night, Bari and I had a DATE! we went out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Tri-county near my store. It was pretty good. We will go back again sometime soon I hope. After dinner, we went to see what was on clearance at one of the stores that are going out of business. We need to upgrade the computer downstairs. It is getting to the point where we need more memory for all the programs needed for the wedding business.
It was a really nice evening.
On Wednesday, I got to go to Sam's scout meeting and talk 'art' with them. They were so cute. I was able to show them paintings that Sam's Grandpa (my Dad) and his Grandma (my Mom) had done. I also showed them one of my watercolors, and Sam's Derby car that I framed from last year. It was fun. I give huge thanks - and hugs and kisses- and any other heartfelt love and admiration to Heather and Karlin for taking on that group of boys. They are a handful- fun, but a handful.
Saturday I went with Bari to the Northern Kentucky Convention Center and attended seminars and a trade show at the Professional Photographers Association Mid-East States Expo. It was really great. I only had a 1 day pass, but next year, I will try to get to more. We had really good Seminars. The first was all about turning photography into fine art- his artwork was incredible, and very motivating. We ran into friends of ours at the trade show and were able to catch up and 'talk biz'. The trade show was small, but very helpful. We have contracted with a web design company who will help up design and manage a new web site (I'm soooo excited). They also do online hosting, so we can post our wedding images. There will be some manipulating with printing and shipping, whether we use their labs or not, who will ship prints and things like that- but it was a great step forward. Bari was also able to purchase some equipment we needed at a discount price. Trade shows are really good with bargains, you just have to know what you need.
Then on Sunday, Madeline had an awards program we had to go to. One of her drawings from school was entered in the Reflections program through the PTO. She won first place in her grade category (1st grade through 5th). Her piece was sent on to Hamilton County where it placed for an award, and then sent on to the Ohio competition. So, that was pretty exciting. We knew how it did locally, but not that it won on the County level, or that it was sent on to the Ohio state level. Next year I want to get Sammy involved. He is really good at drawing, and I think that he would enjoy photography more, if he had his own camera. Hmmmm- I'll have to look into that.
So, here it is 6am on Monday. I've been up since about 4:50am. I don't know why so early, except I was able to clean up the kitchen (which I neglected last night- we looked at sample web pages instead- which was MUCH more fun), and blog.
- - --------I just got a recorded message from St. X- school is delayed an hour. I'd better get done with this and check the school listings for delays!
Have a great week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Saturday, January 10, 2009
My unspectacular list- - - -aka 'less drama blog'
I've been thinking about this list for a L O N G time (funny obsessiveness is not on my list)- and I think I finally came up with 5 things.
#1. I'm a news junkie. When I was growing up, my parents subscribed to 4 newspapers. 1 Weekly paper, 2 daily papers and 1 Sunday paper. The also took Time Magazine. My dad (had he been living today) would have been obsessed with Headline News. I know this, because I am.
#2. My secret perfect job is to be the voice-over announcer for those old animal documentaries. 'The big cats are asleep on the desert floor . . . . . a Mongoose not far away'. Mongoose? I hope I wouldn't need to actually KNOW about the animals- just read the copy.
#3. I want to be funny, you know, like Heather, and Erma Bombeck. And Roseanne Barr when she first started. I'm not near as funny as I'd like to be. It is a struggle for me. I'm always trying to say funny and clever things to the cashiers I'm in contact with at Kroger or Meijer. Much to the dismay of my children. Maybe that's why they don't shop with me anymore.
#4. My favorite foods are anything a l m o s t burnt. The stuck-to-the-pan roast pieces are my favorite. Same with rice and even soup. It must have come from my upbringing. No, my mom wasn't a bad cook- she was just an OVER cooker. I've inherited this trait. I'll cook something, and then microwave it 'just to be sure'. That's why I don't make brownies.
#5. My favorite snack food are potato chips. BUT they have to be brown (browner than normal-see #4), and thick, and wavy and it is a rare and treasured find - FOLDED! Yes, it's true (and a bit sick). My new treat is to (this has nothing to do with potato chips by-the-way)- toast bread, butter it when it is still hot and immediately add a little brown sugar. Yum! The brown sugar melts in your mouth- yum-yum. Someone suggested I add a little cinnamon to the recipe, but I'm too lazy. That is just one too many ingredients to add.
Well, that's my list, I hope it was worth waiting for.- It was fun.
#1. I'm a news junkie. When I was growing up, my parents subscribed to 4 newspapers. 1 Weekly paper, 2 daily papers and 1 Sunday paper. The also took Time Magazine. My dad (had he been living today) would have been obsessed with Headline News. I know this, because I am.
#2. My secret perfect job is to be the voice-over announcer for those old animal documentaries. 'The big cats are asleep on the desert floor . . . . . a Mongoose not far away'. Mongoose? I hope I wouldn't need to actually KNOW about the animals- just read the copy.
#3. I want to be funny, you know, like Heather, and Erma Bombeck. And Roseanne Barr when she first started. I'm not near as funny as I'd like to be. It is a struggle for me. I'm always trying to say funny and clever things to the cashiers I'm in contact with at Kroger or Meijer. Much to the dismay of my children. Maybe that's why they don't shop with me anymore.
#4. My favorite foods are anything a l m o s t burnt. The stuck-to-the-pan roast pieces are my favorite. Same with rice and even soup. It must have come from my upbringing. No, my mom wasn't a bad cook- she was just an OVER cooker. I've inherited this trait. I'll cook something, and then microwave it 'just to be sure'. That's why I don't make brownies.
#5. My favorite snack food are potato chips. BUT they have to be brown (browner than normal-see #4), and thick, and wavy and it is a rare and treasured find - FOLDED! Yes, it's true (and a bit sick). My new treat is to (this has nothing to do with potato chips by-the-way)- toast bread, butter it when it is still hot and immediately add a little brown sugar. Yum! The brown sugar melts in your mouth- yum-yum. Someone suggested I add a little cinnamon to the recipe, but I'm too lazy. That is just one too many ingredients to add.
Well, that's my list, I hope it was worth waiting for.- It was fun.
Friday, January 9, 2009
I need to write blessings - this is long
I've had a very bad week. In every way, it has been disappointing, challenging, and depressing.
I need to write blessings.
In just a minute- because I still have a little venting to do.
The first disappointment was finding out that one of the other managers earns more than I do. She left the company 5 years ago. I took over the store. She came back to work at Tri-Co. and then, after a year, got her original store back. I moved. This is a big deal because I have been told for 5 years, that the company cannot afford raises. Nada- nothing . For 5 Years. It was a slap in the face to me. Bari said he was surprised that I didn't walk out. I'm a little surprised too. Then again, I'm working on a really (R E A L L Y) cool golf shadowbox.
I can eventually get over it. I probably almost am already.
Then the worst of my suspicions and More- came to my bad week. I visited with Jillian, Joey's so-called girlfriend. I hadn't seen or heard from him since New Years Eve. I already suspected the worst- he was back with his old friends and using and selling drugs. Well, no. I was wrong. It was MUCH worse. Jillian suspects him of using Heroin. I still cry. I can hardly speak when I think of the possibility of this being true. I have no reason to doubt her.
I can't express how angry I am about all of this. I'm angry that I have to go through all the muck of not blaming myself for his bad choices. I have to go through all the stupidity of trusting/not trusting, believing/not believing him. There was a whole day when I was sick to my stomach and cryed in the ladies room.
Update- Joey called today. He sounded bad (tired, mumbling) and wanted to come home on Sunday. I am numb. I was not happy to hear from him. How is that possible? I am still very angry. Talking to him on the phone doesn't stop me from imagining him over dosing somewhere.
When he was in jail, every night I thought about him trying to go to sleep in -what I was sure was- a loud, bright room with other noisy men. Now, I wonder where in the heck he is. Who is he staying with. If something happens, will I even know about it? I'm mad.
I'm not stupid, I knew the chances of him getting out and really staying clean were 2- slim, and none.
That was not the end of my week. Oh, no. My new boss came into the store on Thursday and met with each of us. There are going to be changes, yes, changes goin' on here! Starting with the employees. Yep. If the store makes money, Ken makes money, Ken is happy. If the store makes money, the employees make money. If the employees make money, they are happy. Yep. Whatever.
I was given a $2 an hour decrease in wages. DECREASE. I was also given a commission rate of 5% of anything I sell. Great. This is the slowest time of the year. And I hadn't gotten a raise in 5 years! so, I'm now at an hourly rate that is L O W E R than any starting rate for framers in the city. With the POSSIBILITY of making more- M U C H more than I did before.
Can any one say RECESSION?
So now we get to today. I have a meeting at Children's Hospital to go through all the testing and make a game plan. Ok. Bari can't make it, of course, so I am by my self with the burden of the week hanging off my very being. The Dr tells me that yes, Sam does have a form of Autism.
This was not a surprise. But it came at a very bad time. I didn't cry until I got in the car.
This is a good place to start counting blessings. Sam is challenged with lack of social skills, speech and communication. All of those concerns are teachable/treatable. He is able to learn correct social skills, speech usage and be a better communicator. He is already a smart, funny kid. It will only get better.
Blessings. At work. I will only work from 9am to 3pm most days. If I suggest my regular customers come in at that time, I could (possibly) make more money than the original hourly wage. Blessing-2. I still have a job. Blessing-3. I still get to do awesome framing, like make a golf ball sit in a 'cup' deep in a shadowbox frame. It is cool.
Blessings. At home. I have a caring husband who would do every thing in his power to make this all go away and have his happy peaceful wife back. I love my husband. He bought me ice cream, and (no kidding- I really was happy)-Brussels Sprouts- In Butter!
Blessings. My kids. Overall, my kids are doing quite well. Making good decisions. Happy with their choices. All of Katy's appointments have been exceptional. She is more healthy now than she normally is! Blessing-2. Katy and I went up to Clyde to visit my mom last weekend. We had the best time!
Blessings. My church kids. I only have had them 1 week, but how cute are they! I have a bunch to teach- but I am looking forward to it.
We live, grow and evolve. We are separate but still part of our emotional muck. Thank goodness there is a new day every day, a new week- new year. I am grateful.
I need to write blessings.
In just a minute- because I still have a little venting to do.
The first disappointment was finding out that one of the other managers earns more than I do. She left the company 5 years ago. I took over the store. She came back to work at Tri-Co. and then, after a year, got her original store back. I moved. This is a big deal because I have been told for 5 years, that the company cannot afford raises. Nada- nothing . For 5 Years. It was a slap in the face to me. Bari said he was surprised that I didn't walk out. I'm a little surprised too. Then again, I'm working on a really (R E A L L Y) cool golf shadowbox.
I can eventually get over it. I probably almost am already.
Then the worst of my suspicions and More- came to my bad week. I visited with Jillian, Joey's so-called girlfriend. I hadn't seen or heard from him since New Years Eve. I already suspected the worst- he was back with his old friends and using and selling drugs. Well, no. I was wrong. It was MUCH worse. Jillian suspects him of using Heroin. I still cry. I can hardly speak when I think of the possibility of this being true. I have no reason to doubt her.
I can't express how angry I am about all of this. I'm angry that I have to go through all the muck of not blaming myself for his bad choices. I have to go through all the stupidity of trusting/not trusting, believing/not believing him. There was a whole day when I was sick to my stomach and cryed in the ladies room.
Update- Joey called today. He sounded bad (tired, mumbling) and wanted to come home on Sunday. I am numb. I was not happy to hear from him. How is that possible? I am still very angry. Talking to him on the phone doesn't stop me from imagining him over dosing somewhere.
When he was in jail, every night I thought about him trying to go to sleep in -what I was sure was- a loud, bright room with other noisy men. Now, I wonder where in the heck he is. Who is he staying with. If something happens, will I even know about it? I'm mad.
I'm not stupid, I knew the chances of him getting out and really staying clean were 2- slim, and none.
That was not the end of my week. Oh, no. My new boss came into the store on Thursday and met with each of us. There are going to be changes, yes, changes goin' on here! Starting with the employees. Yep. If the store makes money, Ken makes money, Ken is happy. If the store makes money, the employees make money. If the employees make money, they are happy. Yep. Whatever.
I was given a $2 an hour decrease in wages. DECREASE. I was also given a commission rate of 5% of anything I sell. Great. This is the slowest time of the year. And I hadn't gotten a raise in 5 years! so, I'm now at an hourly rate that is L O W E R than any starting rate for framers in the city. With the POSSIBILITY of making more- M U C H more than I did before.
Can any one say RECESSION?
So now we get to today. I have a meeting at Children's Hospital to go through all the testing and make a game plan. Ok. Bari can't make it, of course, so I am by my self with the burden of the week hanging off my very being. The Dr tells me that yes, Sam does have a form of Autism.
This was not a surprise. But it came at a very bad time. I didn't cry until I got in the car.
This is a good place to start counting blessings. Sam is challenged with lack of social skills, speech and communication. All of those concerns are teachable/treatable. He is able to learn correct social skills, speech usage and be a better communicator. He is already a smart, funny kid. It will only get better.
Blessings. At work. I will only work from 9am to 3pm most days. If I suggest my regular customers come in at that time, I could (possibly) make more money than the original hourly wage. Blessing-2. I still have a job. Blessing-3. I still get to do awesome framing, like make a golf ball sit in a 'cup' deep in a shadowbox frame. It is cool.
Blessings. At home. I have a caring husband who would do every thing in his power to make this all go away and have his happy peaceful wife back. I love my husband. He bought me ice cream, and (no kidding- I really was happy)-Brussels Sprouts- In Butter!
Blessings. My kids. Overall, my kids are doing quite well. Making good decisions. Happy with their choices. All of Katy's appointments have been exceptional. She is more healthy now than she normally is! Blessing-2. Katy and I went up to Clyde to visit my mom last weekend. We had the best time!
Blessings. My church kids. I only have had them 1 week, but how cute are they! I have a bunch to teach- but I am looking forward to it.
We live, grow and evolve. We are separate but still part of our emotional muck. Thank goodness there is a new day every day, a new week- new year. I am grateful.
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