life in jersey

Taking a negative and turning it into a positive.

2011-10-18T11:50:00.000-04:00

For the first time ever, I don't have a job and it's not due to my choice. The owners of our location were financially unable to keep our center open. They locked the doors last Saturday and that's it.

I purchased a three week yoga pass a few months ago, but could never find the time to commit to going on a consistent basis. I now have the time.

Instead of moping on the couch for a few weeks until I get this icky feeling off of me, I've decided to turn the job loss into a positive and spend the next three weeks working on me. The whole me--physical and mental.

I completed my second class in two days this morning and I feel great!

things that suck

2011-01-28T07:52:00.000-05:00

Here's a list of things that suck:

watching your son realize that people are not honest. despite your best efforts, people will let you down and take what does not belong to them. and, given an opportunity to redeem themselves, they'll take the wrong path and lie. that's pretty heavy for a ten year old to take in. i am looking forward to the karma train for this individual.
snow. i'm done with it. we're supposed to get more. it's pretty and all, but really--bring on spring.
people who leave their cars parked on the street with a forecasted 10" snowfall. you have a driveway. why don't you utilize it? street parking does not allow the plows to fully work a street correctly. your inability to park in your driveway turned our street into a one way street.

looking forward to a non-sucky day.

Now available with an undeviated septum!

2010-11-19T12:00:00.000-05:00

I underwent surgery last week to repair my deviated septum. Recovery has been much easier than I anticipated. I spent the first 24 hours in bed, mostly sleeping and taking pain meds. Oozing was minimal, and absorbed by the sweet gauze mustache that Jeff crafted for me. I kept that for about two days and then shed the 'stache.

There was tenderness in the tip of my nose, and because of the splints, I couldn't really blow or rub my nose. I will admit that I shined a flashlight up my nose to see what these splints looked like. I figured it was kinda like a bent paperclip, only silicone. No biggie, right?

The doctor took them out today. This picture is not actual size. These are about 2 ½ long and about an inch or so wide. Think back to preschool with macaroni art. Stick a ziti noodle on a piece of cardboard and that's about what I had up in my nose. (Flexible, though.) Oh, and they weren't this clean, either...but I'll spare you that.

I've been cleared to resume all normal activities (gotta get back to C25k!) and will go back in a month to make sure all of the swelling has gone down and I've healed properly.

The tip of my nose is a bit stiff and tender. My front teeth are tingly. All of this should go back to normal over the next few months.

And, the best part, I can breathe! Air is something, isn't it?

Nose job.

2010-11-09T19:20:00.001-05:00

I'm getting a nose job on Wednesday. Well, not in the sense that my nose will look different, although I will admit that I considered it for a beat or two. After years of not knowing why I can't breathe properly and breathing heavily at night, I decided to look into the reason. Long story short and a camera stuck up my nose later, it was discovered that I have a deviated septum.

I'm looking forward to being able to breathe properly. Keeping as positive as I can tonight.

playing with Picnik

2010-10-24T19:57:00.000-04:00

I took this sweet picture of Jenna while on a hayride last week. I thought I'd mess with it a bit in Picnik. Which version do you like best?

The Original

Version #1

Version #2

Version #3

Go Phillies!

2010-10-23T19:10:00.000-04:00

Here's a look at the flower bed in our front yard. Go Phillies!!

Barb.

2010-09-27T21:19:00.000-04:00

I went to a viewing tonight for a woman that was 49 years old. She went to the hospital last Sunday with flu-like symptoms. Expected to get some fluids and be on her way. She was diagnosed with leukemia and died three days later.

It's sobering to watch a family grieve. Parents burying their child. Children burying their mother. A husband burying his wife. It's a reminder of reality: Life comes and goes without warning.

Maybe sobering isn't the right word to use. Sobering indicates clarity and my mind is not clear right now. It's going in several different directions, none of which are positive. Yes, it's a part of life. No, I don't like picturing it. Not necessarily when it's my turn, but when my loved ones begin to go.

Carpe diem.

FDOS 2010

2010-09-07T17:37:00.008-04:00

Sweet Baby James Feels the Earth Move

2010-06-23T23:38:00.000-04:00

I've often said that James Taylor provided the soundtrack to my childhood. My parents played his albums (yes, albums) on what seemed to be a continual loop. His music has always been a happy place for me, and I've seen him play live throughout my life. I'm pretty certain that I survived through the early months of my first child's life because of James Taylor's music. Being a new mom with a baby in a state where we knew nobody wasn't easy all the time. The music helped keep me calm and level headed while I tried to figure out this mom gig that was now my life.

My mom mentioned that he would be touring with Carole King in our area and that she wished she could go. I hopped online and found tickets, and we decided to buy them and go. The show was on June 22nd. I was a little unsure about the Carole King aspect, but an opportunity to see JT was well worth it.

The show was amazing! The stage was set in the round, and the original band got back together for this tour. The music was fantastic, and even though I've seen JT in concert several times, it never got old. Carole King's voice was explosive and powerful, and as it turns out, I did recognize a lot of her songs. They played off each other, and it was evident that they were really enjoying themselves.

It was an incredible night- and I'm glad that Mom and I could share that together.

Beetlejuice

2010-06-23T23:13:00.000-04:00

It's been hot. Really hot. Legs sticking to the seat of the chair hot, and they are cloth seats. Our house is older, and the air condenser unit is probably 20+ years old. We've had issues with it, and each time we are told that we should really consider replacing it soon. It kicked on with no issues this summer, so we figured we were safe for another year.

Until the unit wouldn't kick on...

With a forecast predicting mid to upper 90︒ temperatures, this was not a good thing. I called our trusty service company, but they were unavailable for the day. Thankfully a friend of ours asked her friend to check out our unit. As he dug in and surveyed the situation, he located the problem. Avoiding technical jargon, there's a plunger that moves up and down when the thermostat kicks on. This plunger allows electricity ("juice") to flow and kick the condenser unit into gear.

There was a beetle crushed under the plunger. A beetle was preventing the juice from flowing. Thus, Beetlejuice.

It's an easy fix, and we're thankful that our friend was able to detect the problem and that it wasn't incredibly involved.

Wordle

2010-06-21T23:11:00.001-04:00

It's been a while since I've created a Wordle. I like that happy is one of the biggest words! Click the Wordle to see it in all its glory...

Make one for your blog and link it here. I love to see Wordles!

Eye've been ripped off.

2010-06-10T14:46:00.000-04:00

I opened up a bill from my pediatrician, glanced over the charges and one caught my eye. $9 for a vision check for my son that happened 3 months ago.

Here's the ultra complicated and highly technical vision check procedure:

Jake stands on a line at the end of a hallway while a nurse walks down to the other end. It's a not so brightly lit hallway.

Jake covers one eye and reads the lines as the nurse points to the letters. As she does this, she hits the chart with her hand causing it to swing. Repeat to check the other eye, and then again with both eyes uncovered.

After it's over, she proclaims he has 20/20 vision.

For this, I just learned that I get charged $9.

WTF?

I called the pediatrician, and after I explain what I wrote above to the office manager, she said, "Yep. It's $9 if your insurance company doesn't cover it."

I can't believe they charge anything for this exam.

Happy Birthday Lauren!

2010-05-19T21:40:00.001-04:00

Here's our girl, just a few hours old:

This is Lauren at about 6 months old:

And here she is now...our big 8 year old!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Lauren!

something else that makes me happy...

2010-05-15T18:57:00.001-04:00

Things that are oh so good!

2010-05-12T21:56:00.002-04:00

Excuse me while I blow the dust off this blog!

I'm compiling a list of things that make me happy--good things!

Herbal Essences Body Envy. I don't know what they put in this stuff, but it smells like sweet liquid jello. In a really good way. And, it makes me happy. I wish I could get the house to smell like this. But, for now, I'll settle for me and the kids. (Jeff's a Pantene user. Also quite yummy. The shampoo and Jeff.)

My hammock. This was a gift for my birthday last summer. I used it quite often. In the shade, in the sun, didn't matter. I had (usually) six kids running around my yard and this was my place to chill while they went nuts. Winter came, so I took it apart, and stored it in the garage. Spring 2010 arrives and I get ready to bust out the hammock. I spent the day cleaning up the yard, taking down a fence, and figured I would relax in my trusty hammock. Wrong. Apparently the mice that reside in our (unattached) garage decided that the ropes were a tasty treat and chewed through many of them. Enough that it ruined the hammock. Unusable. I was pissed.

I tried finding a replacement. Several did not work. I finally went to where it was purchased, and they gave me the name of the manufacturer.

I called the kind folks at Algoma Net who offered to send me a replacement at no charge! (I offered, they declined.) It arrived today and I will report that I am happy once again. Simple things, people!

This Melissa and Doug puzzle makes me happy. And it makes Jenna happy. Which makes me happy. Catch my drift? I work on Monday and Tuesday, so Wednesday mornings, Jenna is raring to play. She's into puzzles and I love to watch her put this one together. She's getting much better with letter recognition and it makes me happy to hear her work out the alphabet on her own.

The fully blooming rhododendron bush makes me happy. It's on the corner of our house near the driveway. It makes me smile when I pull into the driveway. Once again, simple things. (This is not a pic of our rhodo...)

There's my start...the four things that are making me happy at this moment. What makes you happy??

Found another: Hey, Soul Sister

chicken nugget and french fry art

2010-04-25T15:05:00.000-04:00

All Flyer'd Up!

2010-04-05T21:01:00.000-04:00

A few posts ago, I shared that we're in the process of redoing our son's room. He's 9 and this is what his room was decorated with since we moved into this house.

I loved this border. Trains and construction trucks hold a special meaning for me, and Jake thought it was a cool border, too. We moved in here when he was 3. Time for change!

Jake shares a love for the Flyers with Jeff. We've kicked around the idea of a hockey themed room for a while. It's a natural choice to decorate with the orange and black!

Here's his room now:

The initial plan was to buy a loft bed from IKEA, but after we did some measuring, we figured out that the bed would take up most of the room and Jake would likely give himself a concussion from hitting his head on the ceiling whenever he sat up in bed. We ended up with a Heimdal bed and a Malm dresser from IKEA. I also got these cool shoe storage boxes that will instead be used as toy storage. Gotta hide those Nerf guns somewhere...

He's so happy! There's some fine touches left to do...I plan to stencil a large Flyers symbol on one of the walls in the white stripe, hang a few of his hockey sticks on the wall, decide on curtains, and buy a desk. But, for now...it's looking so good!

A much needed change

2010-03-27T10:45:00.000-04:00

A new "piss worthy" company

2010-03-25T16:18:00.004-04:00

I placed an order on March 8th.

Hmmm. This receipt from PayPal shows that my account was charged immediately.

But, that was ok, I guess. I waited to get an email from the company advising me of the ship date.

And, I got it. So, I figure the package should arrive in a few days. I started getting concerned on March 24th. I Googled the company, found their phone number, and left three messages. I also sent two emails through their website. No answer.

I opened a complaint through PayPal. Two days, no answer.

When I opened my door this afternoon, the package was there. The ship date: March 23rd. EIGHT days after they said they shipped it.

I'll never work with this website/company again. It's unfortunate that this happened. I had to reorder the merchandise through another company, which now will cost me more to return. And, I asked for 2nd day shipping...costing me more money.

So, yeah-- scrapbook-creations.com, you are officially piss-worthy.

Catching Up

2010-03-13T10:48:00.001-05:00

Here's what has been happening with us over the past few weeks:

Jake's team won their division for the winter season. He was beaming when he walked in the door with this trophy. (No small feat...it's really heavy!) Each family got a few days with the trophy. This is his last year at this level...next year he moves up to the 10-13 age group aka Beavers.

My brother was up for a visit in mid-February. The kids love Uncle Jason! The visit was planned, but sadly, involved a funeral. Our grandmother died on February 10th. She battled many forms of cancer during her life, and left this world on her own terms.

It's time to change Jake's room. He's had this border since we moved into this house. He was 2 1/2! I loved this border--and honestly, he didn't mind it even though he's 9 now. We've ripped down the border, scrubbed the walls, and patched any holes. The plan: A Flyers Bedroom!

Home Depot has the official team colors available. So, yes--his room will be Flyers Orange and Black. We're planning on breaking up the orange walls with black and white stripes. He wants a loft style bed, too. This room will take him well into his teens. We've joked that he's got to be a Flyers fan forever...or switch to the Orioles, Bengals....anyone orange and black!

And, Jenna turned 4! I'll save a sappy post for her later, but man...she is getting so big. I say it a lot, but I can't believe that we were really worried about her ability to talk a few years ago. Girl does not stop!

We had the grandparents over for cake and pizza on her birthday. After the party, I took the girls to get haircuts. Jenna's been bugging me to cut her hair just like Lauren's. Seeing that she doesn't allow me to brush her hair, I gave in.

That's about all. It's been an interesting few weeks!

2010-02-27T09:31:00.001-05:00

four feet snow total
global warming i think not
algore can bite me

My daughters and my camera

2010-02-08T21:23:00.000-05:00

Jake and Jeff came home tonight with the team trophy. Jake plays street hockey, and his team won the division championship last week. The boy was beaming as he walked in. Like any mother would do...I grabbed my camera and took a few pics of Jake with this trophy. (Pictures later)

We put the girls in bed and I hooked the camera into my MacBook and began to load the pictures into iPhoto. I thought I had maybe 20 pictures to download. Wrong. The little icon had the number 227 next to it. 227. So, I breezed through the shots and discovered that my daughters had been having fun with the camera.

Among the pictures were shots of stuffed animals, tv shows, feet, Little People, and silly faces. I also found these:

These I knew about. They're from the day Jenna sat with me and did Perler beads while I played and paid bills. She asked me to make silly faces. That last picture, though...man, my hair is getting really long. Sheer laziness. I'm thinking it's time for a trim. And, when did my hair get reddish? Do I need to think about highlights? Anyway...

Look at that. Jenna attempted bokeh in that first picture. PW would be so proud. And, of course, the required nose shots.

As I zoomed through the photos of the carpet, doors, kitchen, and artwork, I saw these and started laughing hysterically.

God, I am so glad that I cleaned the bathroom that morning. I love the progression. Lid down. Seat down. Seat up. Chances are that they left the toilet like that. There were pictures of the shower curtain and out the screen window, too.

Zoomed through more extreme face closeups and some choice nose-picking shots and found this. Bonus points if you know what it is.

my girl

2010-02-05T11:18:00.000-05:00

I've got a lot of catching up to do today--banking is at the top of the list. Jenna busied herself with Perler beads. These beads have been an issue for her, usually ending in a complete melt down with cries of, "I neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed your hellllllp, Moooooooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!" I know she can do it...she's done it before

We cranked up iTunes and I got bills paid, my account reconciled, and even got to play a bit online while she filled in the square. We were singing Paparazzi, and she said, "I'm good at this, Momma!"

This girl and her cuteness...it's endless.

Strike a pose:

Measure twice, cut once

2010-02-03T14:05:00.000-05:00

That's what I was taught. Saves the problem of things being the wrong size, right?

I knew I would have my friend's daughter today, so I headed out early to Lowes to buy shades for the living room. Our fake plastic nasty blinds were no longer white, and weren't working like they should. I decided to go with shades until we do something real and "grownup" with our room in the future. I measured from each edge of the opening, twice, and wrote down the measurements. I have 5 windows. The same blinds are in the bathroom, and are equally nasty. So, I measured that window, too.

I walked into Lowes with Jenna, right to the shades/blinds department, and found Dan. He was careful to ask questions, and we determined the type I needed. I handed him my list of measurements and he started to work. Jenna and I wandered around, figuring it wouldn't take too long. She's nearly four and doesn't do well with staying in one place. About a half hour later, he was done and we left.

Now I assemble my tools and get ready to install. I've done this a number of times at the various places we've lived. No problem. I got the brackets up, unrolled the shade, and damned if it doesn't fit. I measured the shade, tip to tip, and it was an inch bigger. Dan-the-incompetent-man cut every single one of them one inch longer than they needed to be.

I'm steaming because now I have to take them all back, and I'll have two four year olds with me. Thankfully the girls are buddies and are generally well behaved. We truck back to Lowes and headed to the return department. I was reluctant to go back to Dan-the-incompetent-man, but they said he'd be fine with fixing the error. I was not as optimistic.

Dan saw me coming down the aisle and said, "Oh no! Were they wrong?" I explained the problem, and worked with him to find a solution. Again, I handed him the list with the measurements, and told him I'd be back in a few minutes to get the fixed shades.

The girls and I wandered, found some shower enclosures and carpet samples to play with, and I headed back to check on Dan. He's nowhere to be found. WTF. I found someone else, who told me that Dan went to mix paint for someone.

Seriously? You messed up my six shades, you see I have two little kids with me, and you decide to mix paint for someone? Wrong answer, Dan. I told the man that I had no confidence in Dan's ability and wanted someone else to help me. Within a minute, another employee was there and had my shades done in 10 minutes.

I've installed 5 out of the six and they fit. I estimated that I'd need two hours for the whole project. I started this at 9am and now it's 2. Kids are due home from school in an hour. Guess I'm done for the day.

Pee Wee gets an iPad

2010-02-01T19:32:00.002-05:00

Pee-wee Gets An iPad! from Pee-wee Herman