Tool in 2 Days!!!

Wednesday Update

Yeah, I work today and then the rest of the week is off. John and Elaine will be here the rest of today and then they will stay with Curt until they leave on Friday. I guess I took the wrong days off for vacation. Or did I? My orange roses are blooming. I wish our camera was working better.

Tuesday Update

Busy at work. Busy entertaining old people. Two days of work before a short vacation. The weather seems to be turning from wet to hot. The air conditioning will have to go on soon.

Happy 45th Birthday Doug!

Tuesday Update

I have managed to bend another lawn mower blade. I was the last person to mow and yesterday Thomas started the mower, when he pushed it, it shook so bad that it hurt his hands. They looked under the mower and the blade was bent. All I know is it was fine the last time I used it and I don't remember hitting anything. Yesterday was pretty much work, eat supper, wash dishes and go to bed. My Dad called last night and said Ilse was so excited because she had seen her first deer on East Post. It had been many years since she had seen a live deer.

Monday Update

This week is going to be very busy at week. It is the last week for most schools that order for us. Every one that has ordered is going to want to recieve thier orders beofre they close for the year Also my supervisor is in Boston all week doing training for the people who will take over my job at the end of June. At the end of June I will go back to full time on the phones doing customer service and sales.

Yesterday was a very busy and very fun day. In the morning I scrubbed both kitchen floors and the dining room floor. I also washed laundry and washed dishes. We switched cushions on the couch in the day kitchen because it was coming apart. I think it looks better now. I also shaved Doug's head. We had a very full house for supper. Jamie showed up early, he was alone because Lauren is in North Carolina visiting her Mom and it was storming off an on all day, so Justin had to stay with the dogs. Mary and Jordan also came. Jordan has gotten so tall and his voice has gotten deeper. Of course Diedre came, also Mark, Wanda, my Dad and Ilse. The meal was delicious, beef & broccoli in oyster sauce (Doug), garlic shrimp w/snow peas (Doug), white rice (me), fried rice (Mary), oriental salad (Wanda), mixed fruit (Diedre) and Reeses Peanut Butter ice cream cake (Chloe). A fun time was had by all. Dad an Ilse took a little bit warming up, but they ended up having a lot to add to the conversation. I think everyone likes them. And Ilse thinks Mark looks like Bill Gates. Wanda brought Doug a nice Bonsai tree for his birthday.

Sunday Update

This weekend is going fast. Yesterday was busy. In the morning I did some laundry and washed dishes. Then Doug and I went over menus and made the grocery list. On the way to Sam's Club, I stopped at a garage sale. They had very low prices and I picked up a very nice wrought iron plant stand for $1. It's too bad they didn't have anything else we needed, because most of the things they were selling were very cheap. Also before stopping at Sam's, I decided that I needed to birthday shop for Doug. That wasn't going too well until I got to Sam's Club. Then I found exactly what he had wanted. After grocery shopping, I made supper. We had salisbury steaks, mashed potatoes and gravy and salad. Yummy! After Chloe got off work, we decided to give Doug his birthday gifts early. He loves them all. Chloe gave him new guitar strings. Thomas gave him a Capo for his guitar and a nice tuner that actually hangs on the guitar when he is tuning it. I gave him new toothbrush heads for his Sonicare and a silver Ipod Nano. He was so happy, because his Shuffle wasn't working anymore. And because Thomas has been trying to learn to play guitar using Doug's guitar, he decide to buy himself one. He bought a beautiful Oscar Schmidt 3/4 guitar. Doug says it is great for learning.

Today we are celebrating Doug's birthday. We are having garlic shrimp and beef with broccoli. Mary is bringing fied rice. Wanda is bring an Oriental salad. I think Diedre is bringing fruit. And Chloe mentioned an ice cream cake. We also invited my Dad and Ilse, I hope they show up. It should be a good time and I hope the rain stays away. Tonight is the next to the last episode, ever, of the Sopranos. So, you know we will be watching that with Wanda.

Saturday Update

Yesterday was very busy at work. I am glad it is over. Last night we watched a bad show about the best comedy moments from TV. I didn't agree with some of the moments and especially the number one, it was Chris Rock. We took the carpeting out of the den/music room and moved things around. We decided to leave the foam matting down and put flooring over it. I'm not sure when we will get the flooring down, so we put Chloe's old rugs down for now. I think we should probably paint before putting down new flooring. John and Elaine will be here at the end of next week for thier yearly visit. They say they will be staying for a week.

This is just a great turtle picture that I found.

Friday Update

I am glad it is Friday. Today should be very busy since my co-worker will be out today. I need to find a place to plant my eggplant and squash seedlings this weekend. We also need to go in the garage and the basement to decide what we will be getting rid of in our big trash pickup. I will be happy to have the old couch out of the garage and out of our way. Thomas' birthday gift finally arrived and of course he loves it. It had a short when he first opened it. But Doug fixed that. Doug also went over to my Dad's yesterday and hooked up the electric cord for their new stove. Last night we watched The Warriors. I alway like that movie.

Wednesday Update

It is already Wednesday, I wish every work week started with Tuesday. Not much happened yesterday. I went to work, worked until about 5:10, came home, fed Mao, ate supper, washed dishes, went to Walmart and bought 2 box fans, watched After the Catch, went to bed. Yah, that's my exciting life.

Tuesday Update

It was a busy weekend. Saturday I spent at my Dad's until about 5:00. Sunday I slept in until almost 10:00. Then we had to grocery shop and get ready for our barbeque. The pork chops and chicken were excellent. Wanda's beans and pumpkin bars were also excellent. I loved the watermelon ice cream cake that Diedre brought from Dairy Queen. Sunday night we had a fire it was very relaxing. While we were sitting around the fire, two owls flew into the tree on the other side of the garage. They started hooting like crazy and then another owl from the distance started hooting. It was wild. Monday, Thomas and I went to my Dad's for about two hours. I cleaned out the linen closet and drawers, while Thomas ate an egg and hotdog concoction that Ilse cooked up. Then Thomas showed them some of his Oregon pictures until my Dad's eyes got tired. Before we left, we brought in some boxes from the garage that contain linens. Ilse has more linens and clothes than any 77 year old woman should have. I hope she decides to either store or get rid of most of it. Monday evening we had Mark and Wanda over for another barbeque. This time we had brats, hotdogs and hamburgers. Doug made his famous pasta salad. Wanda brought broccoli-cauliflower salad and cole slaw. Diedre wasn't able to come because she was on her Dad's boat and eating with them. Chloe was able to join us after work. And Matt brought his girl friend. Thomas went to Diedre's after supper and Chloe left to have fried ice cream at Carlos O'Kellys with some friends. At 7:00 we watched Star Wars specials. There were 2 different specials, the first was about the technology and the second was about all the different episodes.

Saturday Update

Well, we got Thomas all moved back. It wasn't a bad move and Bjorn helped with the heavy stuff. I didn't do too much else the rest of the day. Of course, I did do some laundry because Thomas never washes his bedding when at school...Yuck!!

Now I just have to finish getting my Dad and Ilse unpacked. What a long drawn out process. They got the washer and dryer hooked up, but they have not used them yet. They are probably waiting for me to do it. They also bought a new stove yesterday. Sears is loving them! Oh well, now we get a washing machine and a stove from the deal. I'm holding out for a new refrigerator! My Dad says he has some paperwork he wants me to help him with and then I have to help move Ilse's 'Black Panther' from the family room to the living room and an entertainment center from the living room to the family room. This should be loads of fun. Not to mention the china and trinkets still left to unpack.

That's all for now. I hope I survive the day with the old people.

Friday Update

Thomas got home yesterday. He took over 1,000 pictures while on his trip to Oregon. Most of them are amazing. He says now he would like to take a photography class some time. Diedre came over last night and brought Tommy a lemon cake for his birthday. We went to the Metro Buffet for supper. Unfortunately, Chloe was too busy to come along. As usual, I ate too much and did not have dessert. I think the dessert at Metro Buffet is flavorless.

This morning we are going to Waverly to bring back the rest of Tommy's stuff. He already brought back his clothes and some smaller items. So, it shouldn't be a bad move. I can't believe next year he will be a senior.

Wednesday Update

Things have been crazy at work. We are getting more phone calls than ever. It is also the end of the school year, so all of the schools are trying to use up thier funds. That means lots and lots of orders to enter. I worked late yesterday. After work I stopped by my Dad's for a quick visit, he gave me a key to his house in case I ever needed to go in when he wasn't there or if they had an emergency. He also had to show me a new chaise lounge and cabinet that they bought at one of the consignment stores in town. The chaise lounge is similar to the one in the picture below, only a different color and it has a pattern on it.


Chloe started her summer classes at Kirkwood this week. She has two classes, Social Problems and Lit. Thomas is on his way back to Waverly. He had a most excellent time in Oregon. I can't wait to see all of his pictures. He said yesterday they went on a 9 mile hike and saw a lot of waterfalls. Friday I have the day off to help him move back home. That means I get a 4 day weekend from work. Yeah!!!

Happy Birthday Tommy!!

Saturday Update

I have been rather preoccupied lately. Sorry about the few updates.

Today I am going to post some pictures of Cape Arago where Thomas is in Oregon. These are not pictures that Thomas took. To see his pictures go to his blog.

Cape Arago Lighthouse, Oregon








1867

Good morning Thomas. Have a fantastic day!!

Thursday Update

I like grapes.

Wednesday Update

I'm tired. Drinking emergen-c. Yesterday morning I scrubbed out Dad's shower and bathtub. They were both very dirty and Ilse and my Dad were not able to get down on thier knees to do the scrubbing that needed done. After the cleaning I took Ilse to Walmart to pick up some cleaning supplies, a trash can and a dish drainer. Ilse said she likes Walmart, she didn't think she would because it is bigger than the one she went to in California. When we got back to thier house we ate lunch and then I spent the rest of the afternoon clean kitchen cupboards and putting down contact paper. They have a lot of cupboards. I am happy, today Thomas comes home until Friday.

Tuesday Update

I decided to take vacation Monday and Tuesday of this week to help my Dad and Ilse get settled. I don't think I could have kept my mind on work yesterday if I hadn't. When I got there yesterday my Dad said "Thank god you're here." I helped him make phone calls to Kaiser insurance and his eye Dr about getting a new pair of glasses since his pair was very damaged. The Dr office was a bit stubborn and tried to tell me that they could not fax a prescription anywhere it would have to be mailed. I said you can and you will. If you won't I want to talk to someone above you. They said they would talk to one of the optometrists when they got in. They never called back when they said they would, so I called them. They said the Dr was with a patient and they would talk to him when he was finished. I had to make one more phone call before I got someone who know Dad and Ilse and actually helped. We found out later at Lenscrafters that when they faxed over the prescription they never even sent a note with it. We got to Lenscrafter at around 3 and his glasses were finished at around 4:45. It would have been sooner, but my Dad is very talkative and so was the woman who helped him. After we left Westdale he wanted me to stop at Walmart and get him two resin chairs for his deck and a little patio table.

Anyway after we made the first call to Kaiser, I thought it would be a good idea to call the moving company to see where the truck with the furniture was. They were glad that I had called because they said they never got a phone number to call anyone. My Dad says he thought they gave them my phone number. They gave me the truck drivers cell number just in case. I called him and left a message on his voicemail. Later he called and said that he was sorry no one had contacted us to say his truck had broken down and he would not be here until Wednesday morning around 8 AM.

In between all of this I convinced Ilse to get up out of bed, get dressed and come to my house. She was just lying around looking very colorless and acting like she was on her death bed. I told her she needed to get up and move around and get out. My Dad had me take his station wagon to get gas in it at the Sinclair station. Ilse was looking so much better when she got to our house. She said she loved our house. Mao was a very good boy and let her pet him (rather roughly for him to normally allow). I think he knows better than to bite old people. She sat in the living room and talked with Doug while I put some of their laundry in and got a few things they needed for the next few days together. A frying pan, spatula, bowls, plates, silverware, blankets and our folding table. Doug helped me put the table in the car. My Dad wanted Maid Rites, so I left Ilse with Doug while I got the food. Dad told me to get whatever Doug and I wanted too. I ended up buying 7 maid-rites and an order of onion rings. Doug had 2 maid-rites and onion rings, I had 1 maid-rite. The other four were for my Dad and Ilse. While she was at our house Ilse ate some ratatouille. She said it was very nurishing. Later my Dad had some and he said, "Wow, tell Doug this is like a gourmet meal!"

While we were at our house my Dad decided be wanted to move a small heavy dresser that was in his garage to the kitchen to get his mail and medication organized. He joked that he carried it in on his back. He actually says that he tumbled it all of the way through the garage, up the deck steps, acroos the deck into the house until he got it to the kitchen. It's know wonder he was pretty exhouseted the rest of the day. When I left them Ilse looked much better than he did.

While my Dad and I were at the mall getting his glasses, Isle was at home resting and getting to know one of the neighbors behind them. She said she took the dogs out and a neighbor dog was out. The dogs owner was in her yard and started talking to Ilse. I think Ilse was proud of herself for talking to a neighbor with no one else there. My Dad always says she is very shy. When we got back from Westdale, I took Ilse to Hy Vee to get some thing they needed. She seemed to like the store, but she thought the groceries were a little higher than in California.

After we got back with the groceries I was getting ready to put my Dad's car in the garage, the neighbor on the other side of the driveway asked if I was her new neighbor. I told her my Dad and Stepmother were. She asked if she could meet here. I had to convince Ilse to come out, but she did. I think the neighbor is older than them because she said she had been married to her late husband just short of 60 years. She also has lived in her house since it was brand new. She told us her name is Geraldine and everyone calls her Jerry. I think she is going to make sure they meet all the old people in the neighborhood.

All in all it was a very tiring day. I got there at 7 AM and got home about 7:20 PM. I think I helped them accomplish a lot. Today I am going back to help Ilse clean out her cupboards and put down need contact paper. She is worried about butting her dishes in dirty cupboards. The cupboards are actually very clean compared to what ours looked like when we moved into our house. I also need to help clean the shower and bathtub in the bathrooms. I am going to try to break away earlier today. It can be very tiring trying to get old people to stay on track.

Monday Update

The furniture didn't arrive to my Dad's house on Sunday after all. They were having a hard time sleeping on the air mattresses and refuse to come sleep here. My Dad and I went over to Gander Mountain and Diedre's Dad helped us find cots that they could sleep on until the furniture arrives. At least they are able to get a little sleep now. My Dad wants to try and do everything himself, even though he is still too tired and his glasses are bothering him. Yesterday I drove him on his errands in his station wagon and today Doug is going to convince him to let him help if he needs anything. We have to discourage him from driving around trying to find things while he is too tired, he just gets lost. He got lost finding our house yesterday. Luckily I was outside watching for him and I saw him turn around between 11th and 12th streets and pull over to the side of the street. He even got out of the car and started walking to the house on the corner of 11th while I was getting in the van to go get him. I hope things will go better today.

Sunday Update

My Dad and Ilse finally arrived yesterday. When they left Kansas City my Dad told Dave to drive ahead and let him go at his own pace. Dave and Ilse got to town around 5:30. Ilse was very upset that my Dad wasn't here when she first saw the house. She cried and said it was supposed to be a happy time. All she could think of was if he was safe. She said he had been acting so strang, she thought he might be getting alzheimers and she was afraid he would get lost. He never activated his cell phone, she said he tried but they didn't think it worked and he refused to try to learn how to use it. When he got close, he stopped at a Maid Rite to eat and rest. He had a woman who worked there make a call to Dave and Sue to let them know he was okay. I'm not sure what time he got into town, but it wasn't dark yet. He found his way to the house without calling to ask for directions. They both seem to really like the house.The dogs were't nearly as bad as I thought they would be. They all liked me right away. The dogs do need a good bath and brushing though. My Dad said when he gets rested up he wants to send his church a message on the www that they got here okay. He has a lot to learn. Doug says we can set him up with an extra mchsi account that we have, or gmail or hotmail.

A newborn golden coin box turtle at the Chester Zoo in Chester, England.

A tiny infant veiled chameleon, Chamaeleo calyptratus, climbs the finger of a keeper in the zoo of Debrecen, Hungary.

Check out more zoo baby pictures here. http://www.boston.com/travel/gallery/zoo_babies/

Thursday Update

I am tired. I went to work at 7 yesterday and our Oracle system was down until 10:30 AM. That means that I wasn't able to enter the orders that I came in to enter. All I could do was prep the orders by checking the SKU numbers, account numbers and prices, so they were ready. I ended up stay at work until 5 PM. When I got home I went out to the garden and started to turn the soil to get it ready for planting. It is a lot of work and I got tired before I was finished with the whole thing. I hope it doesn't rain today so I can finish. Both Chris and Phil wer voted off Idol last night. The four that are left all would make a good American Idol winner. Although Lakesha had better keep up her good singing, she was slipping for awhile, but she came back strong this week.

Wednesday Update

I worked OT yesterday until 5:50 PM and I am going in early today for more OT. My Dad, Ilse, Dave and the dogs set out for Iowa last night. It was actually still afternoon in Iowa when they left. They need to get here by Sunday because that is when the movers are expected to arrive.

Tuesday Update

It is now official, my Dad and Ilse are moving to Iowa. I picked up the house keys from the realtor yesterday after work. Doug and I went over to check on the house and to see if there was any mail. There was actually mail for my Dad already. I accidently bumped one of the garage remotes when I was getting the house key out of the envelope and we found out there is a slight problem with the garage door closing. I also had a hard time unlocking the house. Doug figured out which key it was and didn't seem to have a problem. I hope my Dad doesn't have a problem with the key. The place looks a little different now that it is empty. It needs walls wiped down and a new coat of paint in a few rooms. But it is still a very nice little place.

Monday Update

Monday once again. I don't have much to say this morning. Yesterday was a beautiful day, a little warm, but beautiful anyway. Our pork steak bar-b-que was excellent. Everything was so good. We had a surprise visit from Mary. She brought some very delicious meat wraps. Johnny also showed up to see everyones reaction to his cheese cake. He makes the best cheese cake. By the time it was dark everyone was gone except for Wanda. We decided to have a fire. It was a very spectacular fire at that. It was kind of like a flame thrower for a while. We even had to move the grill farther away because we thought the side boards were going to catch fire. It was a good time.

Sunday Update

It is going to be another nice day. The sun is shining! Yesterday I spent the morning weeding the garden area and picking up more tree bark in the front yard. I think the owl knocks off bark everytime he takes off out of our tree. I also think he did a 'dirty bird' on my van. I have to wash the van today. In the afternoon Doug helped me start up the mower for the first time this season. And then I mowed the yard. I think it looks very nice. Today I am going to spread the weed & feed on the lawn. I also am going to make potato salad for supper tonight. Wanda plans on bringing a banana cake and muskmellon. Yummy.......

Saturday Update

We finally have sunshine. This should be a busy weekend. I have yard and garden work to do. Yesterday Tommy and I went to Menards and picked up some weed and feed for the yard. I will probably spread that over the yard later today. I need to get the weeds pulled out of the garden so I can put down the mulch. I also have some squash and eggplant seeds that I plan to get started. And of course I have all of the usual weekend things to do, laundry, house cleaning, etc.

Friday Update

It's finally Friday. Friday is good because it is the last work day of the week. But it is bad because that means Thomas will be leaving back to school today or tomorrow. He has to work at the HD this weekend , so he has to go back early. Yesterday Thomas bought a bookcase to put all of his textbooks in. He had to put it together himself. I really hope the sun comes out today. I would like to be able to mow the lawn this weekend.

Thursday Update

I'm kind of tired and I don't have much to say. I still need sunshine. The steaks we had last night were very good despite the fact that it was raining too hard to grill them outside. I think I had too many onions and peppers on the side though. I had a bad tummy ache before I went to bed last night. The tummy ache kept me awake until around 11, that is why I am feeling tired. Last night they did not kick anyone off on Idol. It was a charity show and they said it wasn't right to send someone home on a charity show. They will add this weeks votes to next week and then the bottom two will be sent home. I hope it will be Lakesha and Chris.

Wednesday Update

I'm back.... Not much to write about though. It has been rather gloomy around here the last few days. I need sunshine! I can't wait for work to end today because we are having steaks ala Thomas tonight. I don't want it to rain tonight. Rain makes it tough to grill. mao is such a cute boy. Right now he is sleeping in the chair next to the desk with his right paw covering his eyes and his left paw is in the air. I guess it's too early for him.

Sunday Update

Yesterday was a good day. We got the Tool tickets!! Can't wait for June 19th. I cleaned up some more sticks from the front yard and cleared the branches and sticks from the garden area. Ashley stopped by for a short visit after she got off work at 3 and then I went grocery shopping. Chloe had planned to go to waterloo to spend the night with her friend Laura. Unfortunately, about halfway there she had a flat and had to change it and turn around and come home. She had supper with us and then we watched the movie Hoodwinked. Supper was Turkey Spaghetti and salad, it was very good. This morning I plan to clean up the leaves from the garden and patio.

Saturday Update

We now have the desk, coffee table, end table and 3 of the chairs that I purchased from work. Everything looks great in the house. It was very nice having Thomas here to help with the moving of the desk, it's a heavy one. This morning we are going to buy the Tool tickets! We found out that Hy Vee is no longer a TicketMaster outlet. Younkers is though. Seeing Tool is going to be quite the experience. I finally found where to buy a Roaming Gnome statue; see the Gnome Watch link on my blog. Mothers Day is coming up you know, hint, hint.

Friday Update

All of the kids were here last night. Thomas came home shortly after I got off work and Ashley came home after she got off work at 8. Speaking of kids, Jessica had her baby yesterday. Johnny said he is 10 lb. 3 oz. and they named him Aston Michael. He has a full head of hair. Mother and baby are both fine.

Thursday Update

Yeah, Sanjaya was finally voted off from Idol. I am so glad that America was not stupid enough to keep him around another week. We also watched the new show called 'Thank God You're Here'. There is usually one person who really stands out from the rest on this show. Not everyone is good at improv. I don't have anything else this morning, so have a good day everyone.....

Wednesday Update

Wednesday at last! This week is really dragging on at work. Yesterday felt like it should be Thursday or Friday. Uugh! Not much has been happening to write about. We are going to get a new desk for our computer. They are selling them at work. It will be nice to have an actual desk instead of a table. Last night Idol had a country music theme. Melinda, Blake and Jordin were our top favorites again. I really want Sanjaya and Chris voted off.

Tuesday Update

I can't think of much to say this morning. I feel bad for the families of the students and professors that were killed and wounded at Virginia Tech yesterday. It is too bad that gun laws are not tougher.

Monday Update

It's Monday again already. I'm not really looking forward to work. It's probably going to be another nice day and I would rather be working in the yard or something. The soups were very good yesterday. Sloppy Taco Soup was a new one for us. It tastes like you are eating a very good taco.

Sunday Update

It is feeling more Spring like outside. Yesterday was not too bad, I even went outside and did some work in the front yard. There is lots of small branches, sticks and bark all over the yard. I picked up quite a bit but there is still a lot to do. I also need to find time to get started on the garden. Mark brought us mulch last weekend that needs to get worked into the soil.

Thomas called me this morning and says he has to work all next weekend. His break starts on Thursday and he plans to come here and bring a load of his things from school home with him. Then he will go back and stay with Diedre for the weekend. It's hard to believe it is already time for him to start moving back home.

Tool

U.S. Cellular Center

Tuesday, June 19, 8:00 p.m.

General Admission Tickets: $49.50

Tickets will be available Saturday, April 21, 10:00 AM at the U.S. Cellular Center Ticket Office, all Ticketmaster Outlets, on line at www.ticketmaster.com or charge by phone at (319) 363-1888.

Saturday Update

I am excited, Tool is coming to the US Cellular Center on June 19. The whole family is planning to attend. I haven't been to a real concert in many, many years. Okay, now I don't have anything else to say that can top that.

1991 Green Jello
	1992 Rollins Band
	1995 Primus

The Terrace with The Flaming Lips and Failure in 1994	The Strand Theater with Psychotica circa 1996	Columbiahalle in Berlin in 2001

Red Rocks Amphitheatre with King Crimson in 2001
The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion with Tricky in 2001	First Union Spectrum with Meshuggah in 2002	US Cellular Arena with Tomahawk in 2002

Thursday Update

Enough cold weather and snow. I am ready for Spring to come back before all the flowers die. Yesterday was very busy at work as we took on even more tasks. We were short handed because a few people were gone. June and I had to take school customer service phone calls, answer consumer and schools emails, plus do our regular work. At least the time seems to go by a little quicker.

Last night Haley was voted off American Idol. The bottom three were Phil, Haley and Chris. I was really wishing that Chris would go last night. Maybe next week. Sanjaya really needs to go too.

Wednesday Update

I don't have much to write about this morning. All the kids are back to school. Chloe has three weeks left. Ashley has about seven weeks left. And Thomas has a week and a half until he comes home for another break before leaving to Oregan. This school year is going by very quickly.

Tuesday Update

Back to work. Work, work, work.

This is pretty cool, check it out.

http://zoomquilt2.madmindworx.com/zoomquilt2.swf

Monday Update

Yeah I don't have to work today! I did have to get up early to take out the trash though. Now I can't get back to sleep. Yesterday was a very good Sunday. The steaks were excellent and I love Ashley's Monkey Bread. She can make it any time she wants. Wanda brought Tiramisu, it was a big hit. Everyone left pretty early. Chloe left first because she was going to a show in Iowa City. Later when she returned she said it was a very good show. Doug, Tommy and I watched The Sopranos and then we watched a movie with Cary Grant and Jeanne Crain called People Will Talk. It was a good old movie from 1951.

Sunday Update

Yesterday started out feeling like a Sunday. That didn't last long because I did not have to get ready for company. Instead I watched Night at the Museum with Tommy. It was alright, but there really wasn't too much to it. It was also pretty predictable. Mark brought us some mulch for our garden in the early afternoon. It looks like good rich mulch. He says it will help grow big tomatoes. I did a little shopping at Kmart and Menards in the afternoon and then came home and made supper. We had hot dogs with mac-n-cheese. After supper Doug and I arranged the new desk area in the kitchen next to Thumper. Doug says Thumper is going to enjoy my company once the computer is set up and working. Next year I will need to get an LCD screen for that computer, it is better for my eyes.

This morning Doug and Ashley will be getting up early to go to Fort Madison to pick up Ellen at the train station. They plan to bring her back here to have Easter steaks with us. Grilled steak, it sounds so good. I'm already getting hungry.

Saturday Update

It is Saturday, but it feels like Sunday. Yesterday I did my usual Saturday grocery shopping. Except Thomas went with me instead of Doug. The rest of the day was spent washing laundry and dishes and making supper. We had lemon-pepper fish and mashed potatoes. After supper I made Lemon Creme Bars. I thought they would have more of a lemon flavor, but they are still good. We watched Curse of the Golden Flower last night. It was a very colorful movie, but I found it boring at times.

Friday Update

Yeah, I have the day off. It is Good Friday and that is just what I am going to have. Today is Zach Braff's 32nd birthday. He says he wants everyone to just be really nice to everyone you come in contact with. Like oddly nice. Ashley has to work all day from 8-4, I'm not sure what Chloe's schedule is today and Thomas just has a 10 page paper to work on. I hope to get some time to be with each one of them sometime this weekend.

Today I have asked Doug to help me dye my hair. I have never done it myself before. I just want all the gray out. I am very nervous, I don't want it to be too far off from my natural hair color. I hope I choose the right color.

Thursday Update

Yesterday was better at work. June was still stressed though. We are so busy that the time does go very quickly. One more day before my four day weekend. Yeah!!!

Yesterday I got home and while I was standing in the day kitchen talking to Doug, I heard someone walking into the room. I didn't turn to look because I thought it was Ashley. Before I knew it Thomas was hugging me. He didn't let anyone know he was coming home last night, so it was a suprise. Doug and the girls thought he was coming home on Thursday and I thought he was coming home on Friday. They has just been told by Thomas yesterday that he was coming home Thursday instead of Friday. What a little sneaky sneak.

We decided to go to Pizza Ranch for supper. The food was very good. I especially like the chicken, potatoes and salad bar. The pizza is good too. And they have very good ice cream, not rice cream like the Metro Buffet. I wish Chloe would have been able to come along. But she had to have her chat with Ross.

Watch the video "Bee Sting Song". It is my great nephew Zion singing.

Wednesday Update

Yesterday was crazy busy at work. Besides our regular duties we have now taken on some of the things the school customer service department used to do. It will take a little getting use to. I'm happy that I have a four day weekend coming up. I will be on vacation Friday and Monday. Thomas will come home on Friday, so we will have all of the kids here for a few days. Easter Sunday we plan to grill outside, I hope it will be nice that day.

Monday Update

It was a busy weekend. Saturday morning was kind of lazy. In the afternoon, Doug and I went shopping at Theisens and then we planned to go back to Marion to grocery shop. After Theisens we stopped at the Aldi's on Blairsferry. When I got out of the store the sky started looking very dark in the west. As we drove towards Marion the darkness followed us. Just as we got close to Fareway it started pouring. Doug dropped me off at the door. While I was at the checkouts the carryout boys were coming in with soaked pants. Doug picked me up at the door and we went to Hy Vee. It was still pouring when I got done shopping, so Doug picked me up at the door again. When we got home we were putting groceries away and there was a big boom and a flash of lighting. Ashley and I were startled. I even held my hands up to my face like I was shielding it for some reason.

Okay, that was really boring.

Saturday evening Mark and Wanda came over to help with carrying the old sectional couch out to the garage. The old flowered couch from the living room is now in the day kitchen. We had lemon pepper fish and mashed potatoes for supper on Saturday around 9. It was a very late supper.

On Sunday we had baked potatoe soup (yummy) and pork and noodles (also yummy). Wanda brought her famous bagel dip. Only Mark and Wanda showed up for soup. Ashley was here and Chloe was at a show in Iowa City. I will end this before I put everyone to sleep. Yawn........

Saturday Update

We got our new couches yesterday. As Chloe says, they are friggin' huge. They give our living room a new look! Mao likes to sleep on them and also on the old couch that we moved to the other side of the room. Yesterday I said goodbye to people I have worked with for years. It would have been my last day of work if I had not accepted to stay on. There will be around 15 people left when I go to work on Monday. Doug, Ashley and I went to Carlos O'Kellys last night for a co-worker farewell gathering. It was fun and I saw lots of people who I worked with years ago that had also come back to say goodbye.

Thomas is in St Louis until Sunday morning. Yesterday he went up in the arch. Last night it was his turn to drive the van and everyone convinced him to make a wrong turn and they ended up going over the brige to the bad side of St Louis. Thomas said they new it the moment to got off the bridge and he turned around and headed back immediately. When they got bad to the hotel the group one talked into going karaoke. He said it wasn't bad and was fun.

Check out my new video and news links on my blog. Have a great weekend.

Thursday Update

Wow, so much happened yesterday! At work the vendor we had for the break room came and took everything away. The coffee machines, the good water machine (hot & cold), pop machines and candy/chip/assorted snacks machine. There was rumor our company was going to take away our refrigerators and microwaves. It looks like that was just a rumor.

Our new 22" LCD monitor arrived yesterday. As Chloe would say, it is frikkin huge. We also got our new phone batteries. These were very badly needed. My phone would shut itself off anytime I talked for more than 5 minutes. And Doug would keep his phone plugged in most of the time just to keep a charge. When I got home yesterday, Doug told me they will be delivering our couches on Friday morning. That means we will need to move our other couches tonight. We need to move the old couch from the day kitchen outside. We are getting rid of it, probably a garbage pickup. We are moving the main couch from the living room to the day kitchen and the couch by the windows will go against the wall closest to the closet in the living room. We are going to have lots of seating in the living room now. We also have to clean behind the couches. That should be interesting.

Wednesday Update

This ia a crazy week at work. About half of the people at our site will have thier last day on friday. So there is the excitement and anticipation of the people who are leaving. And the dread and anticipation of the people who are staying. It is also our quarter end week, which is always crazy by itself. The IT people have been moving some old servers and equipement out of a storage room and they have put about 5 old computers and monitors by the exit door. Other than that, there is no sign of us moving, even though our lease for the space we are in is up on Friday. Crazy!!!

They finally delivered Chloes bed after 5 yesterday. They came in and set it up in about 5 minutes. We put it up on the bed lifts and it is really up there. She is so excited about her 'Princess bed'. They were also suppose to delivery Ashley's mattress, but it wasn't on the truck. I called Lededa to find out what happened. They said they didn't know what happened, because the Sweet Dreams mattress was on the ticket for the warehouse. The lady from Lebeda said she was sorry and that she would upgrade us to the Regal mattress. Now Chloe and Ashley have matching mattresses.

Tuesday Update

It looks like we are going to have another warm day. It is 60 degrees this morning. Yesterday I brought home a HP All-in-one: fax, copier, printer, scanner. We need some cords and an ink cartridge before we will know if it works. If nothing else we hope the fax and scanner part work.

Today Lebeda will be delivering Ashley's mattress and Chloe's Princess bed. Chloe is very excited, we got 7" bed lifts so her bed will really be high. She likes the idea of sleeping way up there and being able to store things under the bed. That's all I can think of this morning. Everyone and a wonderful and safe day.

Monday Update

I am really enjoying our new mattress pad. We should have bought one years ago. I slept like a baby last night and I couldn't get out of bed this morning. I stayed in bed an extra 45 minutes this morning. Also, my knee that has been hurting for weeks has started to feel better.

I love the weather we are having. Right now it is 61 degrees. Yesterday we hit a record high of 79 degrees. Doug says Al Gore is probably saying yipee, because of the global warming thing. I'm just thinking the groundhog was right.

Yesterday we had chili, chili dogs and white chili. We couldn't keep Wanda out of the white chili, she loved it. The regular chili was also very good. Ashley will be on Spring break later this week. It will last intil the Monday after Easter. I don't have anything else to write about and besides I am running late.