Twitter Updates for 2008-02-13

• Just had coffee with Shields (budding media mogul of http://localsguide.com) to help with biz plan and funding plan. #
• I’m sorry, I’m just not getting the whole Obama thing. WTF am I missing? #
• Updating exhibitor listing for CEDIA….good times. #
• getting ready to fire up some fine silver jewelry this weekend…stocking up on supplies. #
• Damn. What to get the hubby and kids for Valentine’s Day? Better go out at lunch and get something. #
• Signing up for EH webinar…need to get to know the installer side of the industry http://tinyurl.com/2jd3nv #
• More tradeshow work. Prepping team for EHX Spring…not my favorite show, but on the sked, anyway. http://www.ehxweb.com/ #
• Off to spend money I don’t have on silly heart-shaped goodies….or maybe I’ll just get them all video games… #

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Twitter Updates for 2008-02-12

• Searching online for a good wax seal… #
• @deziner: Thanks! Great headline. Naps. I miss naps so much…. #
• Having my first much needed latte of the day. Little cup of heaven. #
• For the record: I hate Excel. I hate spreadsheets. And I definitely hate databases. In case you were wondering. #
• Reservations made for Abby’s 5th bday at the roller rink. Bindi theme supplies ordered. http://tinyurl.com/2kxr73 #

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Twitter Updates for 2008-02-11

• On deadline for new catalog ad. OMG it’s been years since I’ve done an ad…I’m a little Rusty. Get it? Rusty? I crack myself up. #
• You know why Fox News is pushing Obama? It’s because he can’t win against McCain. Hillary is the only one that can beat the right on e-day. #
• Meeting the husband and daughter for lunch today…I hope they have a good veggie soup. #
• @britne Congratulation! #

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Twitter Updates for 2008-02-07

• Well, it’s pretty much official. This Buddha-loving mama is sending her darling bohemian son off to Catholic school next year. Whodathunk? #
• @eMom Thanks! #
• Reinstalling CS2…what a pain. Maybe when I grow up I can upgrade to CS3. #
• OMG. I feel like a real marketing person again…a full page catalog ad, an online listing, and article reprints. What a day! #
• It’s sushi time…. #
• Ok. I’m going to pony up and finish Leo’s Zen to Done tonight. I can’t stand this messy desk! http://snurl.com/1z826 #

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Twitter Updates for 2008-02-06

• http://snurl.com/1z4pb This is my MILs office. I’m not kidding. I have just one word: Pez. #

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Movie Review: I am Legend

In a nutshell, “I am Legend” sucked. Will Smith, of course, is his usual super-awesome self. But even he can’t carry a boring, bleak movie about flesh eating zombies. Had I know the movie was a horror flick featuring hairless devil dogs, I would never have gone to see it.

Let’s just say that John and Scott are no longer allowed to pick the movies we see (I should have put my foot down after “Talladega Nights”)

My husband didn’t die yesterday

My husband was hit head on last night on the way home from our daughter’s Christmas recital. Aside from a sore shoulder and neck, he’s okay. Our truck isn’t. Thankfully (and I mean that from the bottom of my heart), the children decided to ride with me and the girl that swerved into him didn’t have anyone with her. It would have been bad. Like deadly bad.

I felt like throwing up when I drove up on the accident…all the flashing lights and our new truck on its side. The unrecognizable little car in pieces along the side of the road. And Jeff. Standing there with his tie still straight and his perfect Tommy Bahama pullover without even a scratch. Thank you, God. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.  I am so grateful. Everything can change in just one second. Everything.

Drowning

I keep having dreams that I’m drowning. I wonder why. Is it my overwhelming debt and my inability to pay my bills? My growing disillusionment with the whole romantic entrepreneuial dream? Just part of that depressive cycle my body goes through? Or is it my impending trip to Texas and my fear of flying? WTF is it? It’s starting to consume me. I’ve got to get a handle on it.

Food for thought. Did you know?

Did you know that Martha Stewart contributed $4600 to Hillary Clinton’s campaign?

Did you know that Tim Russert has mentioned UFOs and smoking bans in presidential debates, but not once uttered the words “global warming” on his show or at a debate?

Did you know that there were over 188 veteran suicides last year? It’s being called a silent epidemic. How do we help our soldiers cope with what we are asking them to do? I highly recommend this article about a Marine back from Iraq and his struggle to get back to his life.

Did you know that most writer’s and editorial assistants in the entertainment industry are women? How is really paying for the strike?

Did you know that Pakistani militants have destroyed the second most important Buddhist sculptures in South Asia?

Did you know there’s a new movie about punk icon Joe Strummer? Did you know that Stummer was born in Turkey?

Awww, how cute….little harbingers of death

Halloween is finally over. We had a week full of festivals, parties, candy and trick-or-treating. Enough candy was consumed to rot any number of teeth, but the good news is that the kids had a wonderful week. Abby was Pikkachu (Pokemon) and Max was the very gory grim reaper (he holds a blood pumping heart in his hand). The two kids pictured with him are his 2 very good friends, a brother and sister. And, I, of course, was the devil. At one point on Halloween, it took 4 cars and 5 adults to transport all the kids to their different activities (YMCA trunk or treat, gymnastics open house, church maze and haunted house, trick or treating in 2 neighborhoods…). So much fun. I love Halloween.

the dead guy

Yesterday there was a fatal accident on the 2 lane highway from town to our more rural house. When we drove by, they hadn’t yet removed the man’s body from the wreckage. As I tried to distract my son (who is prone to nightmares) to look away, the practicing alcoholic in the passenger starting yelling, “Look, he’s dead! There’s his arm hanging out…blah, blah, blah.” Fuckwit.

So it turns out that the dead guy is a fairly well known drunk/drugged driver (lied his way out of a drunk driving manslaughter conviction some years ago). I guess he took the curve too wide and drove head on into a gravel truck. I thank god that I don’t have to be that guy and that this disease hasn’t killed me yet.

So many reasons to be thankful - 10/19/07

In spite of the melodrama playing out in my head, I am blessed in so many ways. Here is a short list of why I am grateful today:

• Al Gore wins the Nobel Peace Prize (1/2 the prize, anyway)
• HH the 14th Dalai Lama receives the Congressional Gold Medal
• My husband is off his crutches after the roller skating “incident”
• I am still sober
• My children are doing well in school and are happy
• Our chickens are laying plenty of eggs
• Crafty fun: Secret Pal 11
• Lovely fall leaves that make me feel poetic and artsy
• A woman is running for President
• The boy from Max’s class who had septic shock is home and recovering
• Rain

Homemade Applegate Apple Butter

Homemade Applegate Apple Butter

Yum! My mom and I made homemade apple butter this weekend from apples we picked in our orchard. We slow cooked them using a very cool and super easy recipe. The apple butter turned out amazing! One note, though, we almost totally blew it on the whole canning thing. Dude. Botulism. Bad. So, I have to say that we were pretty pleased with ourselves. It’s one thing to talk about all the things you want to do, it’s another thing altogether to actually do it.

I’ll post a more descriptive recipe and how to on my craft blog, but here are some links in the meantime:

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art2816.asp
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Acres/1012/canning.html
http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/yf/foods/he174w.htm
http://www.gopresto.com/recipes/canning/boiling.php?PHPSESSID=6d4888
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-Fact/5000/5343.html

Frustration.

I have things to say that I can’t. I have some pretty hardcore resentments that I need to deal with or they are going to kill me. I’m stumped. I’m stopped. My program is almost non-existent. Must get back to basics.

Modern, rural family life

We had a busy weekend full of normal family stuff. Although, I have to admit that I’m exhausted. I have designed my life in a way that requires help. When my parents are traveling and Jeff works late, I’m basically a screaming mimi. I’m sure I’ve said it before, but it takes a village to raise my kids.

Max went to his first track meet on Saturday and competed in his first race. I was so proud of his determination and attitude. This is a boy that looks like a runner, but gets winded pretty easily. He hates to lose, but he really wants to become a good runner. So he’s doing cross country at school. He also got his first “real” skateboard last week and is practicing every night. He said he was tired of looking like a skater, but not being one. His godmother, Melody (MoMo), says that I must be raising him right since he has no interest in being a poser.

After Max’s meet, I took the kids up to John and Scott’s and checked out their little bird farm. They raise organic, range fed chickens and ducks (and eggs).  Abby had a blast and Max clung to me the whole time (he’s a bit chicken of chickens). We’ll be buying several of their birds for cooking when they’re ready. I don’t eat meat, but the rest of the family does. I’d much rather have them eating chicken from a local organic farm than the grocery store bought meat with orgin unknown.

On Sunday, we went to breakfast with my Grandma. Sadly, my Gram’s sister Helen had passed that morning. Afterwards, I took the kiddos to a local farmer’s market for some whole grains and local fruits and veggies. We when finally made it home we discovered that our flippin’ chickens had finally laid some eggs. And if you ever had farm fresh eggs, you know there’s nothing tastier. And, actually, just like Madge said, the chickens are

a lot easier now that they’re older. It’s so funny to watch those silly birds with Abby. They love her and run to her when she walks by them. She’s my little Animal Girl.

That evening the kids talked the Grumpy Dad (aka Grumpy Husband) into whipping up some

smoothies from some of the fresh fruits we’d picked up at the farmer’s market. Max loves mixing up flavors, so they came up with a kiwi-peach-strawberry-banana smoothie. It was delicious. And other than a little ice and vanilla yogurt, it was all fresh fruit. Yum.

“We’re a Happy Family…”

Lots going on in our little family. My daughter’s horrific meltdowns have culminated in a sort of family reorg and spring cleaning. As the “baby” she is always the center of attention, but it’s a role she’s had to constantly work at…sometimes in a very negative way and often with Max as the sacrificial lamb. Jeff and I (along with the help of my parents) are trying to find some balance and really making our kids the priority. So we’ve juggled schedules and work days in order to take her our of school on Mondays and Fridays. Today was Abby and Daddy’s first Monday together. After the annual Children’s Fair, she took her very first gymnastics class. Father and daughter and getting to know each other a little better and spend some quality (and quantity) time together.

We all went out to the middle of nowhere yesterday and left my sweet, trusting son at camp waving sadly goodbye with tears in his eyes. It broke my heart, but I know (uh, because I already called to check) that he’s having a great time swimming, shooting arrows, sliding down the natural falls, and appreciating the beauty of nature. I think this will be a life changing week for him. Maybe not. At the very least, he’ll meet some new friends and get a little taste of independence. Holy crap, I can’t believe my baby is 10 and off at camp for a week. Wow.

Right now it’s all about the kiddos and getting our family back on track.

America’s Birthday

I hope everyone had a safe and sober (where applicable) Fourth of July. We had a low-key family day at home highlighted by a BBQ lunch on the lower deck over the river and some sparklers with the kids. Sadly, we’re so far away from civilization that it would be an all night ordeal to get the kids to fireworks. When Abby’s a little older, we’ll be able to do the whole parade and fireworks things, but she’s still a little young to be out so late. And, with her current temperament, a public meltdown in 100 degree whether an hour away from home is not a good way to keep mommy sober. Anyway, my grandma came out to the house with her friend (in a bright red, lovely convertible) and spent the afternoon with us. That was great. I always enjoy spending time with my grandma.

Max wasn’t really feeling well, but Abby was really into the holiday: had to wear read, white and blue; forced grandma to since patriotic songs over and over (for proof, see the video), stared lovingly at the flag…it was really cute.

In general, it was a nice, but weird day. I didn’t go to a meeting, but I did make contact with 4 alcoholics (2 in recovery and 2 practicing). My “friend” T continues to try and manipulate me and prey on my compassion for her. My husband has about had it. I won’t go into details, but it involves her special needs daughter and her shithead husband. I would be so over it if it didn’t involve her kids. Then there’s G who stayed sober for 2 months (with the help of the county) and just couldn’t make it another day. So we celebrate his birthday and pretend he doesn’t stick like beer and isn’t nodding off during lunch. It’s so boring. All of it.

I’m just glad to be sober.

Retro girl

This is kind of funny since my BFF (MoMo) told me that she thinks my inner Mod is trying to come out.

Your Inner Retro Girl Is

1960s City Girl

What Retro Girl Are You?

After the Party

After the Party

Originally uploaded by rustykeller.

I guess that Disneyland and 3 days of sugar high have finally taken their toll on Max. I had to bring him to work with me this morning. As you can see, he’s not much trouble. Gracie (the dog), however, might have a different opinion. Did I mention that this is the hyper child? No?

It’s all good

I finally made it to my home group meeting on Saturday. And not a moment too soon. Friday night saw me naively in the middle of a drug deal and the enabler of child abandonment. Yes, friends and family, I was stupid enough to believe that my alcoholic friend actually needed me. Turns out she needed a ride and a way to bail on her kids before her drunk husband came back. Let’s hope that I have finally learned my lesson: I can’t fix her and I can’t save her family. It is what it is.

In other news, we have survived the boy birthday sleepover, movie, and gaming extravaganza. Max’s birthday celebration has officially ended. He had an awesome time and much fun was had by all. And, I have to say, the boys were great at the movies and the fun center. They were a little jacked up on sugar by the time we got home, but they did a great job of staying out of trouble. Good kids.

BTW, the guy that co-chaired our meeting got sober in 1959. Dude. Frickin’ cool. My sponsor celebrates 40 years next month. I feel blessed to have so much recovery around me.