Goodbye to 2009!

Last day of 2009!
And here I sit drinking spiced rum and egg nog! Hey, the egg nog expires tomorrow, and you know I don't drink ANY dairy product after its due date!

Reflecting on the last year.....I don't think I have any regrets.

I do have some pictures to put in though!

The purple Christmas card! It's a gift card holder.

It's also a purse shape, so was a big hit!

I tried to get a good pic of the Christmas tree. Which will probably be coming down tomorrow!

I like milti colored twinkling lights, so was hard to get a great picture!

I stayed home from work today, because I have a cold....and you know everyone is still paranoid about H1N1.

I was fine with it! I'm just tired! Needed a rest, and I should've taken the tree down today, but I worked on some tags for a swap I'm in! No deadline yet, but I'll be ready! I will be making one more tag yet tonight!

Shadow's feeling waaaay better!

She only has 48 hours left of her anti biotics.

Spencer came to play with her last Monday night, and she aqctually played with him instead of laying in her house, or growling at him!

My craft room is coming along! I'll post pictures of it, as soon as it's cleaned!

I AM using it, and it's a lot more functional than it was.

Last weekend I was in there, and DH was watching The Sound of Music in the living room, and I was watching Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in my craft room. I had to come out a few times to tell him that his TV was really loud!

I don't have much to say for the last post of the year....Just maybe....Stay safe, and have a great 2010!

Ta ta for now!

Merry Christmas Eve

Yippy skippy! I'm done work at the OFH until Tuesday.
We went for the annual light drive last night, and it didn't take us very long.....people didn't have their lights on......OH YES...I could see them, they weren't turned on!
I do have pictures of the Christmas tree etc. and I will go take a pic of my Snow couple outside. Will have to make a minute to post them!
I have more book material!

Yesterday Santa came to help with the residents gift exchange.
One of the residents wasn't in the dining area, so Santa & I went to her room.
I knocked on the door and said, "Someone's here to see you."
She snarled, "Well....SEND HIM IN."
So I did.
The smile on her face was priceless!
She said, "SANTA!"
He said, " I bet this is the first time you've ever invited Santa into your room!?"
She, "Why yes it is."

hahaha

Our Christmas on Sunday was a blast!
Good food, good friends, family...that's all you need!
I think everyone was happy, and fun was had by all.

Then Monday night we had movie night.
We watched "The Hangover."
It WAS pretty funny!

Now I'm home, got the vacuming & laundry done.
I'm drinking spiced rum & eggnog! Life is good!
Might even go flop on the couch!

Shadow's feeling better.
Yesterday she even ran for a minute, and today she's laying on the step, on top of the rugs I threw out to shake when I vacumed!
I figure she can lay there all day if she wants.
Can you say SPOILED MUTT!
Already fed her the liver pill!
Yesterday she spit it out, but I made her eat it!
She's got antibiotics for 21 days, liver pills for a month, and a liquid for on her food until it's gone!

Not planning on doing too much tomorrow!
My craft room is almost functional!
V brought me another piece on Sunday...have to put that together....then there'll be no stopping me!
And I do have some ideas for my Christmas cards for next year...that's right, I make them after Christmas so they're done.
I also joined a Tag Exchange on the Fiskateers site.
My mom got me a gift certificate to Michaels.......Have I mentioned that she's an enabler!?

And then....earlier this month the bank took 2...TWO payments out of my account to cover a couple of DH's payments. We have weird money issues in this house. There are things I pay for, and things he pays for, but someone in this household doesn't work steady. We both have our own accounts.
So I was upset about the first payment....and went balistic over the second one.
I'm closing that account. Just not gonna put any money in it, and then 6 months or a year from now the bank will call and say, "Your account hasn't been active and we're going to close it."
And that will be fine with me.
I also bank with the other bank in town.
I had told K about it, because I was worried that the vehicle insurance, which comes out monthly....wouldn't!
I said, "That's a lot of money in December." ( For some reason, Christmas is one of the things I pay for....food, presents, cards...you get the picture)
K said, "Is that why we didn't have salad with our meal on Sunday?"
I said, "Yea, cause I couldn't afford it!"
Isn't he just a smartass?


When I got home from work, the bank had called, and I was supposed to call back.
Oh Oh, I thought. They're on to me, and want to make things miserable!
I called, and actually got the lady that called here and left the message.
Me: "Hi this is Gail!" (Small town, I can just say that!)
Her: "Oh, thanks for calling! How's your Christmas so far?"
Me: "We had Christmas on Sunday, so I'm done, the pressure's off!"
Her: "It's not quite done."
Me: "HUH?"
Her: "You bought one of the donation squares for our fund raiser, and you won the Grand Prize!"
Me : "No way!?"
Her: "Yup, you won the $500.00! And if you're in town before 3:00 pm you can pick it up."
Me: "I just got home, so I won't be coming to town until...."
Her: " We're open Tuesday. Do you want us to put it in your account so you can spend it?"
hahahahaha
How ironic is that!?
Me: "No, I'll pick it up Tuesday....Thanks a LOT!"

Isn't life funny sometimes!?
And I'm still closing that account!

Ta ta for now!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Ok, not really, but we're having ours today, as V should be here shortly!
She said she should be home in the morning...hahahahaha!

So far today, I've done the laundry, vacumed, dishes, got the bird stuffed and in the oven, laid on the kitchen floor and took the filter out of the dishwasher and cleaned it.....and gave Shadow her medication!

Shadow & I went to PR yesterday to finish our shopping, get groceries, etc., and she went to the vet!
That's how sick she is.....she GOT IN THE CAR!

I was up at 4:30 am, I know, I know.......to check on her.
She was out of her house, so I ran in and got her harness.
Her harness makes it easier to control her when we go for  a walk.
Well, she lets me think I'M in control when we go for a walk!

At 9:00 am, I called the vet. They asked if I could have her down at 10:30 or 10:45.
I told them I'd try.....so took Shadow's leash outside, and called her, like I was going to take her for a walk.
I lied to the dog to get her in the car!
She came right over to the car....I lifted her front legs in, and give her a push.
I KNOW she's sick, cause she didn't put up a fuss at all!
She was a little unsettled, but once we got going, she just laid on the seat.

So, after a million $$$$'s worth of bloodwork, and an exam, we got a gazillion $$$$'s worth of medication.
Her liver enzymes and stuff were all wonky......maybe she got into something she shouldn't have....I was close with the poison.
I can't believe one of our asshole wonderful neighbors would put poison close to our fence line......we have 160 acres, Shadow doesn't go that far! She has a big yard to look after.

I'm hoping whatever it was, made her sick right away, so she'll associate feeling crappy to whatever it was!
She's feeling a little better. I heard her bark 2 times today, and she's actually spending some time outside her house!

I wanted them to give her shots while I had her there, but, as with people, they don't like to give them if your animal is sick! So next month I'll try to get her in the car again so she can get her shots, and get spayed. I'm just worried that I won't have as easy time!

I got my grocery shopping done while she was at the vets, but she had to come with me to WalMart, Dairy Queen, and get gas! OK, so she stayed in the car.

I was supposed to go to a staff party last night, and had full intentions of going. I even had my $20 gift wrapped up, then Shadow got sick.
We didn't get home until later in the afternoon, and I wanted to get some stuff done....like a good handle on supper for tonight, so when everyone gets here I can sit around and do nothing too!

K called to see if he could bring friends, for supper......I figure the more the merrier!
I'm wondering how long I have to wait to mix myself one of my new favorite drinks!?

Not long I bet...I hear a vehicle! Gotta go.

Ta ta for now!

Blue Friday

I think it's really Black Friday or maybe it's Black Sunday, but what ever!
My dog Shadow is outside in her dog house trying to die.
Really.
I'm not being flippant, I'm really heart broken, which is why, tomorrow morning, my son and I are going to wrestle her into the car and take her to the vet.
It's Winter....even though it's above (barely) 0 degrees, my knees are soaking wet, and I'm freezing, from kneeling in front of the doghouse door, trying to coax her to eat or drink, or even come out and play.
She won't.
Or can't......
I just don't know what's wrong.
This is the dog, that's a Great Pyrenese/Collie cross.
The one who never grew into her feet (poor girl), and weighs about 70 lbs.!
And WILL NOT get into a vehicle if her life depended on it!
Well I think it might, so tomorrow she's getting into the car!
I was planning on going to PR anyway....we'll just plan a little side trip to the vet!
Yayyyyy, just what I wanted, but you know....I really like that dog!
I'm hoping it's something little, like maybe she has pnumonia, or has something stuck in her throat. Something easy to fix, and when I get the bill for a million dollars I'll feel like, Gawd....I coulda fixed that myself!
I tried getting her to open her mouth, but she wasn't having any of that!
I warmed her up some sausages, and some milk, because I thought, maybe someone poisoned my dog!?
And after I poisoned the last one....hey hey hey......not intentionally! (*and she lived!)
Anyhooo....I remembered that I had to give her as much milk as she wanted to drink.
But Shadow won't....or can't.
She moves her head, but that's about it.
Maybe someone shot her....damn hunters.
You know the ones I mean.
To me it's legally dark, to them it's like "OMG I think I saw something move." BLAM BLAM BLAM
I'm thinking most of them are pretty poor shots, or they have an awful lot of tags to fill!
But, I digress.
Shadow's been in her house for 2 days now, I miss her jumping at me....sometimes I move at the last minute, and she gets mad!
Sometimes, I don't hear her coming and move soon enough. She's gonna knock me down and I'm gonna break a hip!
She's a solid mutt!
I miss her following me around, and putting the run on her pets.....the cats....all 7 of them. At least there were, maybe some are coyote lunch by now.
Hey, it's a control issue. Mother Nature and all that!?
All our animals are outside animals.
We had a yappy cockapoo for 10 years, until we moved to the farm, and Ray let her out, and she never came back.
Well, it's time for me to go check on the pooch.
I really want her to make it!
I wish in the morning she'd meet me on the step on my way to the pump house with my coffee.

Hell O

I'm getting a little slack at this....forgive me!
Just can't seem to get caught up! Doesn't help that it took 3 days to get the lights working on the tree and decorated!
I was finishing it Friday, whether all the lights worked or not!
They did, and it's done, and looking beautiful!

I went to the hairdresser yesterday.
Yes I go! Every 2 or 3 months, not nearly as often as I should!
We were talking about the gals at the OFH.
I told her about the Wednesday morning shopping fiasco!
I had about 8 ladies that morning.
I always ask them where they want to go.....some answer and some don't. (That would be the mind reading part of my job!)
The majority wanted to go to the Value Drug Mart.....2 wanted to go to the $ Store, and 1 wanted to go to the clothing store.
I park at the Drug Store. The lady that wants to go to the clothing store is standing on the steps.
Me, "Where are you going?"
She, "The clothing store."
Me, "I'll take you there."
She, "What?"
Me, "I'll take you there."
She, "What?"
(We are not even 2 feet apart.)
Me, "I'LL TAKE YOU THERE!"
She, "Don't shout at me like I'm one of your children, I'm a grandmother."
Me, "SIT DOWN!"

I get those 3 ladies safely delivered to the appropriate side of the street.
Let 2 ladies back in, and show them how the door works for the third, and run across the street to the local paper on an errand for another gal.

By the time I got back to the bus....I was gone maybe 5 minutes. The third gal, having finished at the clothing store, JAYWALKED across the street to the drug store!
Now, have you EVER seen an 80+ year old totter across the street...WITH A WALKER, and the main street is a major highway...think semis!

After all that, I go to Fields, when I ask "Who's getting off here?"
Only one answers.
I ask, as I need to know whos walker to get off.
Only 1 lady answers.
I go to unload her walker, and the clothing store lady is standing up.
Her walker's closest so I grab it.
Go back to unload the walker of  the only person to answer me that she was going in, and the clothing store lady had sat back down.
I see a second person get off the bus, as I reload Mrs. Clothing Store.
I then take the remaining ladies home, because they're finished, and go back to Fields for the 2 shoppers.
One is ready at the door, and I go in to find #2. She's just browing, so is ready.

1/2 an hour later, I'm toodling through the dining room, and one of the ladies said, "Did you know you forgot so&so at Fields?"
Me: "Didn't even know she got off the bus!"
And the thing was I had taken everyone else home, so there was no one to say...."What about so&so?!"

Can't say it's ever boring!

But you know you live in a small town, when a Fields employee drives your stray resident home! hahaha

My hair dresser says, "You should write a book."
"You always see the humor in the situations."
Me, " I have to!"

I wouldn't know where to start!

Would it be with the gentleman that used to come for the day, so his wife could have a rest?
He'd follow around whatever staff were passing by and demand, "When's my wife coming?"
He caught me one day and said, "Where's my wife?"
Me, "She's coming!"
Him, "So is Christ and no one's seen him yet."

Or would it be that every year they do a satisfaction survey.
My responses are in italics.
Out of 25 residents surveyed, I should have 23 active participants in exercises!
I have 11 or 12 on a GOOD day.
They're the kind of survey, that lists every painful comment; like one person wants to play horseshoes.
We need at least 2 to play, and you know what? GO PLAY!
One resident thinks the picnics are too tiring.
So ...... stay home!?
One resident wants different and challenging crafts.
They have no idea what they want to do, I've asked. They're in their 80's! What can they do?
One resident wants more cultural experiences.
We live a million miles from anywhere, and this person will not get on the bus!
Oh yeah it's anonymous, but you hear this shit enough times, you know who said it!
The dining room sometimes is too overdecorated.
I really don't know what to say here, exept is this all you have to worry about?
The living room is full of furniture.
Hello, I'm sorry about that...........refer to previous answer.

Do you see how this goes?!

There's no end, and everyone of the 50+ people living in our facility think they're the only one!
Hardly any of them know their neighbor, and oh crap brother, don't even get me started on the gift exchange for Christmas!

I'm busy getting things ready for next weekend, as that's when I'm cooking the bird.
V will be home, as she's working through Christmas, and going to a friends.
This might be the last time we're all together, as K leaves January 15th!

I'm also trying to get my latest storage cubes made, so that the desk in the craft room will be double the size, as I need to whip up one more Christmas card...... someone wants a purple one!
I sat in there last night, but the palm of my hand that had a blister from putting together 15 cubes was cranky (Read: another blister), so I just poked along and watched The Polar Express.
I only have one more cube to go....this round, but should get my butt in gear, cause I need to run to town.

Disaster

I want to recap the week!
I think if we were still having the week from hell contest....I would have won!

Monday I worked at my 'other' job, then went to a meeting.
Where; it was my turn to be the secretary!
(I got the minutes typed up and e-mailed today!)

Tuesday I had a meeting with the other Rec. Ass.es in Berwyn, then went grocery shopping for my party, and ran to WalMart.

Wednesday was WalMart day with my peeps, and then rush home to get everything ready for my party! And, once again it was a rousing success!

Thursday, I got up in the middle of the night, Heather met me here, and off we went to GP!
I HAD to get to Michaels before my 11:00 am appointment with the opthamologist.
The storage cubes I wanted were on sale for 55% off! And I had a coupon good for another 25% off, including sale items! That's 80% off!
We got there at 9:45, so I had to power shop!
I had one cart full, when an employee walked by and said, "You know you can't use your 25% off on that stuff hey?! It's a Doorbuster sale."
Like that explained everything! I said, "Do you know what time I got up to get here!?"
No where on the coupon or in the flyer did it exclude the treasures I wanted needed!
But, I didn't agrue....come on, 55% off!
V & I loaded 2 carts up, and went to the till.
There was a nice gentleman there ringing us through.
I turned to V and said, "How come you and I got this stuff up here in 2 carts, and he's putting it into 3?"
She said, "Mom...he's a guy."
We loaded all that into the trunk of my car, and she dropped me off at my eye appointment.

Now I must tell you that it was quite tropical that morning so I just wore a hoodie.
Of course the highway was sloppy from the slush and rain the day before, so I was careful not to touch the trunk of my car.
I was sitting at my appointment with the front of my coat wet. As it dried.....it turned to filthy mud!
Horrors! No wonder I had to sit there for 2 hours! No one wanted to help the filthy woman out front!
GAWD it was awful!

Friday, I went my 'other' job for a few hours. I was exhausted! I didn't want to spend 14 hours at the OFH, cause it was Happy Hour that night! I don't even have my calendar done, but I did get a newsletter finished, and talked to Santa! He's coming to the OFH on December 23!

Friday night, I started putting together my treasures from Michaels! And I finished them yesterday! I only have 1 huge blister on the palm of my right hand! 15 pieces, and I already told V I needed more!
I built......

And built.........

and built

and built.......and....nothin!

My pictures aren't showing up! They're just X's!

I'll have to try again tomorrow, or another day!

This is the craft room!

This is the living room.

I'm going to my 'other' job tomorrow, and then I have a meeting.

A supper meeting, but don't worry, I've got it all figured out!

And it'll be short!

It's taken me a LLLLOOOONNNGGG time for me to update 2 weeks ago!

I've since been to another Craft Night.

I'm hanging out at the library tomorrow night for Daddy & Me.

My house will start to look normal one of these days.

The blister on the palm of my hand from putting together 15 storage cubes is frinally going away!

I set them up, and need 10 or 11 more!

I'll have to take pics after Christmas, as we're having ours early, and I'm just putting the tree up!

The craft room has to stay a disaster until then!