Just Stuff....

Life is back to "normal" - whatever that means. Jude & Elise are both playing soccer. Jake is coaching Elise's team. That is fun. We had one practice on Saturday - not all the kids were there because of Spring Break but it was funny. I didn't realize what serious business it is. There were grandparents there to watch, cameras and video cameras! I am a bad Soccer Mom. I didn't even bring a water bottle let alone a camera. I guess I have a lot to learn. Jude has his first practice tonight. The coach called and said they are going to vote on a team name tonight so if Jude has any ideas he should tell him at practice. Jude said he was going to suggest the Blue Eagles!? Not sure where he came up with that but it sounds like an official name. Elise said she wants her team to be called the Frogs - not so official.

Work is slightly crazy. I have some clients who don't even really need me. Then I have other clients who need me all day, every day. Mostly people have no money, no jobs, no education, no car and no childcare. Now you tell me how people in this situation are supposed to "pull them up from their bootstraps?" Don't even get me started. I have a very offensive post I will write someday on the subject.....until then you'll have to wait. I almost lost friends over the last post I wrote where I said people are too judgemental. People are so sensitive. Then again I have been told I am a Rabble Rouser. So be it.

I haven't been posting my dinners for the last two weeks. Last week I was by myself so I ate the same thing pretty much the entire week. The week before I don't know what happened. Maybe I'll update you this weekend.

Until then....I have some Rabbles to Rouse (what does that mean anyhoo???). I'll leave you with this quote...

"Well-behaved women rarely make history." - Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

Last Day of Loneliness....

Well, the last full day. My family comes home tomorrow. I am very happy about it. It has been a very lonely week. I thought I would enjoy the time alone to get many projects done but the truth of the matter is....I didn't. I did accomplish a few things: I caulked the bathtub and shampooed the carpet but I really need to redo both. I did work quite a bit but I've found working and not have my own "normal" (to me anyways) family to counteract the craziness I deal with makes it a bit overwhelming (and tiring). I guess I imagined if I had time by "myself" without responsibilities I could do the things I "think" I usually miss out on. LOL. I thought I might catch up with my friends but the reality is they all have their own busy lives going on and just because I was alone doesn't mean they had time for me. I did go out to dinner with two friends from church this evening - Brian and Danielle. It was fun. What a mix of characters...Dani is a doctor. Brian a photographer and self proclaimed "ladies man" (well, he hasn't actually said that but that is what I think he thinks of himself). We are all different ages and at different places. It was funny and odd all mixed in one. We all went to Target to buy carpet shampoo (I ran out) but now I am too tired to redo the carpet.

I did buy the Twilight book and did start to read it - I am not very far and not yet hooked. Sorry Jake, I didn't get it done before you are home. I guess there is always tomorrow. I could stay home and read it. LOL.

So, it came to my attention today that Jake's former employers have been reading my blog (well someone from there). That's cool. If you are wondering if Jake has a job yet the answer is no. If you would like to offer him his job back - we'll talk.

Lastly...I haven't really watched any T.V. this week. Basically the time I tried to watch it I fell asleep on the couch - and I hate that. So after a few days I went to watch something and I realized my DVR is full and didn't tape half of my favorite shows. Bummer.

To Read or Not To Read.....

I am trying to decided if I should read Twilight. I had no intentions of reading it. I had put my foot down. Then at CHURCH (of all places) - someone who I consider older and much wiser than me said she thought I should read it so I can relate to my teens.... Psshaw - teens how about my adult friends who have fallen in love with EDWARD. Seriously. I already know how some of you feel (ahem...Mandy & Heather) but I am interested in some feed back here.

If you don't know Twilight is a wildly popular Vampire Love Story.

I should be in the shower...

But instead I am going to blog a little. As you may know if you follow Jake's blog: my family has gone out of town for the week. It is weird. Quiet but weird.

Friday morning Jake had an interview in Cleveland. I had left Friday open in order to catch up on my paperwork so instead of paying a babysitter I stayed home with the kids. What a crazy morning it was. I was helping Jake get all situated in his suit when Avery brought me a box of cereal. I opened it and gave her a handful but she quickly let me know she wanted it in a bowl. So, I went to the kitchen and got a bowl but that wasn't good enough she wanted milk too. I sat her down and gave her her cereal in a proper manner then went back to the bedroom area to see how things were going with the suit. A few minutes later, I guess Avery was lonely, because she came into the bedroom with her cereal in hand - spilling it on the way - and still eating while walking BTW. So, that was our first mess of the day. I was trying to pack the kids clothes for their trip. Jude wanted to help pick out what he was taking therefore the other kids wanted to help. Avery likes to UN-pack. After 10 minutes of mass chaos in Jude's room I decided I would pack the girl's things then put Avery down for a nap while I packed Jude's stuff. Jude went back to playing the DS (while sitting in the toy box). Elise was also sitting in the toy box, watching him. Avery was helping Mommy. Jude & Elise started fighting so I made them go to the living room. Elise yells "Molly puked on the floor". Jude starts gagging. I went to the hall closet to get clean up supplies and I looked at myself in the mirror....No make-up, my hair is not only NOT done but barely even combed and I haven't brushed my teeth. It was like 10 A.M. at this point. I forgot what it is like to stay at home. Oh, then Jake called me to say he forgot his wallet at home. That wouldn't be a big deal but the gas tank was almost on E when he left to drive to CLEVELAND! Great. Jude has to be at school early so I was feeding my kids lunch at like 11 A.M. I realized they haven't brushed their teeth so I have to UNpack stuff to get to the toothbrushes, brush their teeth and off to school. Jude's class was already inside - which gets him all crazy because he is anal about being on time. As he is leaving the car he realizes he forgot his back pack! What kind of a Mom sends her kid to school without a back pack? Well, I don't have too much time to dwell on it because I have to go meet my hubby at a gas station so he doesn't run out of gas. I ended up taking the car and going to work from there. I was already exhausted. Luckily, my first appointment canceled so I had a little breather.......... I am so looking forward to Jake having a job but not the hustle it is going to create in the mornings. Not fun at all. I guess once we adjust to it - then it will be okay.

Wow...Friday again???

This week really flew by. I had such a busy busy week I barely noticed it was already Friday. Next week is another crazy busy one. My schedule is so full. Today I didn't even make it into the office. I was almost to the office when I received a call from a client who needed me back in Akron ASAP. So, I turned right around and went back where I had just come from. It all turned out okay. Yesterday I got to go to court for something other than Dependency/Neglect. It was for the Crossroads program (substance abuse court). I loved it. The Magistrate totally flattered me with all sorts of compliments. I just kept saying Thank you...thank you...oh thank you. All the PO's were looking like who is that girl and where did she come from. LOL. I told my little juvi she needed to work her butt off because I didn't want her making me look bad.... Nothing like an ego boost at the end of an extra long day of working while sick. I started getting a fever on Wednesday evening. It is a low-grade yet annoying fever. I don't feel sick enough to lay in bed but not good enough to really feel normal.

Jake had an interview this morning. It went okay. After driving all the way out to Canton he was told it barely paid over minimum wage. It is heartbreaking. Like I have said before...I am confident God has a plan, I am just not 100% confident I am gonna like it.

We have a activity filled week-end ahead of us. Busy. Busy. Busy.

Wild Game....

I ended up sucking it up and going to the Wild Game Dinner. Jake wanted to go and my sister wanted to go so I got all gussied up and headed for Cleveland. When we got there I was a bit surprised. No one (except for us) was dressed up. Not everyone was wearing camouflage but there sure was a lot of it there. Mostly the people that were "dressed up" were wearing jeans and a t-shirt. LOL. We definitely stood out in the crowd! I wore jeans but had a nicer shirt and heals on. So did my sister. So, I'd bet you'd like to know how we even ended up at this dinner.... One of Heather's patients (she cleans his whole family's teeth) invited her. It just cracks me up. Anyhoo...when we walked in he spotted us and said he had saved a table for us. That was nice of him since the likelihood of us running into someone we knew was pretty much nil. We went and sat down feeling a little awkward. There was a little chit chat - and then it was time for the appetizers or "the first course". But before the eating began the guy running the event came out, all the guys removed their hats and he said a prayer. The appetizers consisted of Turtle Soup, rabbit nuggets, frog legs and roadkill pizza (I didn't eat that). It was good. I think we began to make friends with the guys when we gave them our beer tickets - everyone got six with their meal. Two other guys arrived. I was trying to read them....figured they poured concrete for a living (not that there is anything wrong with that - they just looked like good ole boys). I think the guys were trying to figure us out more than anything. I made a comment about there not being too many women there and one of the guys said "yeah and you two have more teeth than the rest of them put together." LOL. After more talking and laughing we found out the four guys sitting across from us were a CPA, a plumber, a contractor and sitting directly across from me: a Psychiatrist.... The Second course was interesting - Canadian Goose Pepper Steak (I didn't care for this), Elk meatloaf (awesome), Venison with au jus (good), rabbit stew (good) and pheasant paprikash (also good) and a salad. It was a lot of meat. For dessert: carrot cake. To me, the food was not the highlight. We all laughed and laughed and laughed. The stories these guys told... One guy was from Tennessee. He said he likes Ohio better because of the milder summer and less bugs. I said "Yeah we don't have chiggers." His eyes about popped out of his head! He said, "I've never met a girl that knows about chiggers!" The shrink told stories about his fainting goats (he also has a little farm). Seriously. It was a lot of fun and Jake said we are going to go again next year. When we were walking out to the car Ivan said "I can already see a post on the Miller Way about this". Then on the way home Heather and Ivan started telling stories about my past dating history.... Well, that was a laugh and a half. I used to have this bad habit of obsessing over a guy until I finally went out with him then I would find the smallest thing wrong with him (like nose hair or ugly toes) and then I would find him repulsive. We were all laughing so hard we were crying.... I guess you had to be there. Bottom line....it was fun and I am glad I went.

What was for dinner #4

I usually don't get to this until Sunday but since I am up so early on a Saturday I will post now. This week was another busy one. Jake even cooked one night. I won't tell you which one - see if you can figure it out.


Sunday - Chili & Lobster Pizza: a strange combo I know but I bought this fake lobster meat for cheap and Jude has been begging for Lobster Pizza ever since his little friend, Raymond, went to Red Lobster & ate it. I made a pizza crust in the bread machine, topped with alfredo, fake lobster, cheese and melted butter - a little fattening, I know. Everyone LOVED it. Not me - I can't eat it....... It was cheap!

Monday -Szechuan Noodles with Pork : I had a couple of pork chops in the freezer - not enough for a main course, so I thawed them and put them in the food processor. It worked great! The family really liked this dish but I really didn't. I've tried cooking with peanut butter several times and I am just not feeling it. I'll stick to PB cookies.... BTW...I used rice noodles in this.

Tuesday - We went out to eat to this cheap little diner close by. They have an awesome cabbage soup.

Wednesday - Eggs, fried potatoes, ham, grapes. I didn't eat the eggs.

Thursday - Chicken (made in the pressure cooker), rice, potatoes.

Friday - Whiskey Glazed Salmon, steamed/sauteed veggies, leftover rice, oranges: the original recipe called for Bourbon but I didn't have any so I used Jack Daniels. The alcohol cooked off and it was delish. I will have to say this dinner was amazing.

Saturday - Pancake sandwiches: Pancakes, sausage patties, cheese, egg... I am making that for Jake's Mens Group. I think we are still going to that Wild Game thing for dinner. Although, it is raining now - makes me want to stay home even more....

I almost forgot...Snacks: Root beer floats & Jake made peanut butter cookies.

Random, Radonmess....

- Ahhhhh....it is Friday! And it is warming up! I just love it!

- JenF told me that she gets angry when I don't post. Funny - she also told me she was going to start her own blog like a month ago but hasn't yet.

- Whatever happened to my "guest writer" who would fill in the gaps when I was too busy....she hasn't written in FOREVER.

- And speaking of other people writing blogs.....Heather (not my sis) is also planning to write a blog. What is taking so long???? You would already have a built in reader base since so many people from our old church still read mine and know you!

- This weekend, Jake and I are supposed to go to this Wild Game Dinner thingy in Cleveland. My sister sent a check for the tickets but the guy never got it so she called him and he is going to let us get them at the door. I think it is a sign we shouldn't go. I wonder if I can get out of it..... I think I'd rather stay home and eat chicken.

- This week I painted two thrones for my friend, Liz. I think they look awful. Sorry Liz. It was kinda fun though.

- I've had a good week at work.

- The allergy diet is going okay. I will admit I have been cheating like crazy this week. I ate a piece of Ho Ho cake, 2 Peanut Butter cookies, corn chips & an egg roll. Horrible. I have suffered the consequences.

- BTW....speaking of that stupid diet. I know it isn't to loose weight but don't you think I should be loosing tons of weight since I have given up bread, cake, cookies, cereal, etc? I mean I did cheat this week but before that not so much. WHY ISN'T MY ARSE SKINNY YET? Just wonderin'!?



Have a good weekend!

Remember the Rabbits???

I've noticed seveal other bloggers have been bringing back old posts. I think it is a great idea since I don't have time to write everyday & because I really have many new readers since the beginning of my blog. So....here is a complilation of some old posts from when we lived in Akron! Enjoy!

Okay, so those of you that talk to me on a regular basis know about my neighbor and his rabbits. For the others, I will fill you in with the short version... My neighbor, Archie, started out with 3 rabbits last summer. Over the year, as you may imagine, the rabbit population has, well, let's say, blossumed. I am not sure how many he has but it is close to 100. He is constantly giving rabbits away, selling rabbits and playing with the rabbits. He does things like walk around with bunnies in his shirt. I will be standing in the kitchen washing dishes and he will walk up and put a bunny in the window! He put up this big white tent right next to our sidewalk that he calls "the rabbit tent". He has cages, junk & an old car in the tent. If you don't know...we live in the city. The lots are small and the houses are close. The rabbits smell.
So, the reason for the rabbit story...today the rabbit tent was raided. The Akron Humane Society came and took the bunnies. They had badges, uniforms, cages and cameras. It was crazy. When Archie came home I tried to explain to him what had happened. I don't think he understands. He thinks if he cleans the cages he will get them back. Kinda crazy. If I can figure out how to add pics I will attach some I have taken of the bunnies and rabbit tent.


The Next Day....
Did I say there would never be a dull moment??? Well, let me tell you what happened in my life today. If you read the previous post you will know the story concerning the rabbits. Well, last night Archie was cleaning out all the cages and the rabbit tent. I guess he had rabbits in this old van in the back yard, too. So that was part of his project. This morning I saw Archie and he looked pretty upset so I went out and spoke to him. He said the Humane Society said if he cleans up the place and they approve it then he can have the bunnies back. He also said he has to take them to the vet to have them checked out. He is trying hard to get them back. He said the rabbits are his family. Isn't that sad. Well, just as I started to walk away Archie said "Will you pray for my rabbits?" Of course I said I would pray for the situation. As soon as those words left my mouth, Archie grabbed my hand and started praying a LOOOONNNNGGGG prayer for the safe return of his rabbits. I can't make this stuff up folks. I want the best outcome for all this & I do think Archie means well BUT....................What in the World???? Holding hands with Archie and praying to "Sweet Jesus" about the rabbits is something you can't really imagine happening to you unless it does. Now, let me tell you all, don't be mistaken, I am a Christian and I really believe in the power of prayer. It just seemed a little odd. Those of you that have met Archie and heard all the other stories will understand. Either way...In closing, I would like all of you to take a moment and say a prayer for Archie, who I doubt will get the bunnies back.

By the way Thanks for reading my blog. Make sure you tell everyone about it. Bookmark it. Read it often.

Love you all!

Day 3...
I wanted to keep everyone up to date on the bunny situation. Today Archie left me a note asking me to help him get his bunnies back. It seems the Humane Society is bullying him. First they told him he could have the rabbits back if he cleans the cages and pays the vet expenses. He cleaned everything. He was working on it nonstop. It looks and smells much better. He called them and they wouldn't return his calls. Finally after 3 calls he gets to talk to the person "in charge" of his case. The person says he has 2 choices...(1)he can take one bunny and pay to have it fixed and be off the hook or (2)He can go to court, face charges but have a chance of getting all the rabbits back. They told him if it goes to court it would probably be in the newspaper because the conditions were so bad. Let me tell you...the cages did need cleaned but they weren't as bad as these people are making it sound. And they are bullying him. I will be the first to tell you the man is very wierd (in every way) but, as most of you know, I have always been out to help the underdog. He isn't all there and he doesn't really understand. He is very embarassed and is afraid of everyone finding out. They are using it against him.

You need help with WHAT????

Curtains..... Well, I can't help you there sister. No way. I don't know anything about curtains. That is what I had to tell a client yesterday. Her case worker told her she needed to get some curtains. (not sure why that is so important but...okay). Later I was thinking about the conversation and all the things I have helped with in the past: I've given rides to visit probation officers, helped exterminate cock roaches, sat in a room (behind the curtain) while someone had their cervix checked and I've been to get birth certificates & SS cards. I've helped dress a newborn for the first time - that wasn't mine. I've been to court and stood up for all sorts of colorful people. I've checked for head lice and helped comb nits out of hair. I've explained in detail how to stick a pad to you underwear in the correct position. I've help teen girls tell their mothers they are pregnant. I've had to talk to teen boys about stinky feet among other gross smells. I can tell you where to go to get free food, rent & socks. And, not in this job - but in the past- I have explained puberty and all the workings of the birds & the bees to a room full of sixth grade boys. I can tell you how to save a buck at the grocery store or even how to make marshmallows from scratch. But PLEASE don't go asking me about curtains..... Because I don't have a clue!

Dinner #3

No, I am not turning this into a food blog. I have just been busy and have had very little computer time for the last few weeks. But I wanted to tell you what I made for dinner this week!

Sunday - Cuban Black Bean Soup & Corn Casserole

Monday - Honey Mustard Chicken, Rice, Green Beans

Tuesday - Out for Mexican! Thanks Mom & Dad!

Wednesday - Turkey Meatloaf, Homemade mashed potatoes, glazed carrots

Thursday - Steamed Mussels, Sauteed Mushrooms & Peas

Friday - Indian Beef Stew - I know they don't eat Beef in India but that is what I had. The spices were definitely Indian!!! It was fabulous!

Saturday - Thai Shrimp, Thai Veggies & Rice! I made it again because we had company. It was a hit!!!!

For snacks I made pudding, cookies and rice crispy treats out of coco puffs & fruity pebbles (not together). I bought the cereal for less than $2 a box and then used Extra Bucks so it ended up being "cheap free". They didn't last very long!

Our local grocery store had a sale on meat. I bought a lot of chicken so expect to see more of it in the upcoming weeks!