Tracy's Tree House

ready or not...

noreply@blogger.com (tracytreehouse) — Wed, 11 May 2011 19:00:00 +0000

here i am. did you think i was dead? i dropped out of the blogosphere for a while. okay, for a long, long while. so here i am, ready or not. i will be back. i promise. i am just trying to come up with something really clever to say.

house hunting

noreply@blogger.com (tracytreehouse) — Fri, 06 May 2011 23:59:00 +0000

we are house hunting. sounds like fun, doesn't it? NOT! maybe for the first couple of hundred houses...now it is just tiring. i am almost to the point of saying "just buy one and let me know where it is". i would never do that. there is SO MUCH out there! new ones. old ones. fancy ones. fixer uppers. old lady houses. some with basements. some with crawl spaces (what the heck is that?!) a few attics. some in the city. some in the country. some that should be torn down (really!) some have pools. some have jacuzzis. fences. no fences. tree houses. out houses. I AM SO TIRED OF IT ALL!

i am sure that the perfect house will happen along. probably right after we stop looking for one. until then i will spend a portion of every day checking the internet, the newspaper and bulletin boards. and even though i have those occasional moments where i want to stop the world and get off for awhile, i do kinda like the whole house hunting thing. it is fun to go into someone else's house and see how they live. it's funny to me to see a house that is absolutely immaculate until you find that closet where they threw everything when they found out you were coming! and don't forget the lovely smell of pine-sol in the air! please! trust me, after i move in it will never be that clean again! (maybe when my kids move out!) sometimes there is the pathetic little doggie staring at you through the sliding glass doors (the one who normally lives indoors until the house hunters come by) or the stuck up, ticked off cat out in the garage.

oh well, that's how it goes.

pet rock

noreply@blogger.com (tracytreehouse) — Wed, 04 May 2011 23:58:00 +0000

i am a mom. not a perfect mom, i know this. but i am a good mom. i love my kids. i admire them. they make me laugh and they make me cry. i am proud of them. they amaze me. on a daily basis. they fight with each other. alot. sometimes over important things. sometimes over stupid stuff. but they love each other. they may not admit it but they know they do.

they are collectively grieving the recent loss of two pets. each in their own unique way. i hear them say sweet things. i see them do nice things. i notice that they hold their tongue (when any other time they would not.) i see them offer tokens of kindness. i see them leave each other alone. i feel them acknowledge each other's pain. i see them love each other.

i think i am going to reinvent the "pet rock". you pick a suitable rock, paint a face onit, give it a name. done. that's about as low maintenence as it gets. you don't have to buy it food. you don't have to take it out for 3 a.m. potty break. if you're too busy to remember that it even exists, no big deal, no one's feelings are hurt. no vet bills if you drop it. and the best part...they never die.

i have two sad kids with two dead pets. they died of natural causes (whatever they were), they weren't stepped on, mistreated, starved or eaten by the cat. they just died. which makes it even more confusing for the kids. i mean, if you feed and water them, play with them and most importantly, love them, shouldn't they live forever? not so.

so now my kids have had to learn one of life's most painful lessons...everything dies. eventually.
and i learned that even though they act like they don't at times, they love each other.

excuse me, i have a couple of funerals to plan.

geeze

noreply@blogger.com (tracytreehouse) — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 23:58:00 +0000

how many times am i going to try this blog thing? i just can't seem to get it right. besides the fact that i am a total loser and forgot my user name and password. more than once. i found this old blog by accident today. it made me laugh to read some of the stuff i had written. so maybe i will try it again. i need a good laugh once in awhile. it's pretty bad when you forget all your info and have to start over. and over. i wrote it down this time. maybe i will have it tattooed on my butt.

lame idea. geez.

is it that time again?

noreply@blogger.com (tracytreehouse) — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 00:59:00 +0000

i did it. i swore that i would never do it again, but i did it anyways. i lost control. i just ordered 6 boxes of girl scout cookies. dang. i know better. they aren't even that good. and the price is ridiculous! why would i do something so stupid? and every year? i swear the packages get smaller each year. and the price goes up. so what it comes down to is; i just spent more money on less cookies than i did last year. smart, huh? dang.

happy birthday to me

noreply@blogger.com (tracytreehouse) — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 01:00:00 +0000

i have a birthday coming up soon. gag. i do not do birthdays very well. in fact, i have had this "birthday phobia" since i was 27. that was a real hard birthday for me, i felt like i was a big loser and had nothing to show for my 27 years of life. i guess i was a real "drama queen" that year because my next birthday came and went without any acknowledgment. i am serious. it was probably 10 pm and i couldn't take it for another minute! was anyone going to say "happy birthday" to me or WHAT?!? geez. i was then informed that after last year's melt down perhaps it would be better if we just forgot about the whole birthday thing. fine.

but you know what? this birthday coming up isn't freaking me out as much. i don't feel like such a loser with nothing to show...blah, blah, blah... i just finished my first semester of school (with some pretty impressive grades i might add!) and i just landed the job i have wanted for the past 5 years but never got! i have a handsome, successful husband who loves me. i have 5 beautiful, healthy, funny, smart children. and i have big plans for myself this year! i am just a late bloomer. so i don't foresee a melt down this year. in fact, i might just celebrate this one. my kids love a good party... and so does their mom.

employed

noreply@blogger.com (tracytreehouse) — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 01:02:00 +0000

i had a great interview today. it went so great, in fact, that i walked away with a job! what a relief. a paycheck. with MY name on it. haven't seen one of those in awhile. it's bittersweet in a way. i have a job that i KNOW i am going to love...but the hours kinda suck. anything sucks that takes me away from my family. but a bright spot is that i can finish school now. things will work out, right?! yeah. i start on the 2nd of january. what a great way to start the year...employed.

throw it out

noreply@blogger.com (tracytreehouse) — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 01:01:00 +0000

i totally cleaned out my planner today. every scrap of paper, every useless receipt, every list and calendar page went into the trash. it felt great. very cleansing. now i just need to insert a new calendar for the new year and i will be set. i have to get organized. i say this every year but this year i MEAN it! really! i found this memo pad with these goofy little stories in the "secret" pocket of the planner. at one time i thought about writing one of those little books full of silly things that have happened to me. i was seriously considering actually sending it to a publisher, a couple of my friends convinced me they were THAT funny. we'll see. i haven't completely given up on the idea but i am a little busy with other stuff right now to worry about it. this is one of the things i had written down...

as most nursing mothers know, there are those days when you feel like all you did was button and unbutton your shirt. all day. then there are those days when you don't even feel like buttoning it back up. i mean, what's the point? you will only have to unbutton it again, right? and you are in the comfort and privacy of your own home, right? sometimes your sense of modesty loses it's importance. well...

our daughter had spent the night at her little friend's house and was being dropped off by this little girl's daddy (you know where this is going, don't you?). he brought her to the door and i was there to greet them (being the good hostess that i am). ordinarily this guy was friendly and talkative but today he wouldn't even make eye contact. he seemed to be talking to the space around me and seemed anxious to leave (bolt out the door is more like it). about that time my husband pulled up and came walking up the step with this perplexed look on his face. as he slid by me through the door he whispered "you might want to button up before you answer the door next time". only then did i realize that i was standing there fully exposed with my nursing bra unhooked and my shirt unbuttoned! could this be why our friend was so uncomfortable?! could this be why he couldn't wait to get the h#ll out of there?! needless to say, it was one of the MOST embarrassing moments in my LIFE!!

even now, if i have a button undone, my husband will devilishly say "hey, do we have company coming?!"

wowzas

noreply@blogger.com (tracytreehouse) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 01:13:00 +0000

i can't even believe how i neglected this blog. pathetic. i was reading some of the stuff i have written and i actually smiled. sometimes i laughed. i can pretty funny. i have been getting that feeling again lately. that bloggy feeling. hmmm. maybe i should make this more of a habit.

noreply@blogger.com (tracytreehouse) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:19:00 +0000

so i always have this stuff just sort of rattling around in my head. the problem is some of these things slip out my mouth before i have a chance to filter them. this can at times be pretty embarrassing. and not only for me. my family is sensitive to the fact that i unintentionally kinda, sorta, maybe share things about them that they would rather i didn't. there are occasions that i don't think about that until it's too late. many occasions. i am thankful that they are a forgiving bunch and still allow me to reside in the house. i am just not allowed to talk in their presence if we are in public. i don't always follow that rule. it's a harsh one.

so now that i have established that i have an inactive filter and somethines blurt things out...let me tell you what happened!

puppies are...stupid.

noreply@blogger.com (tracytreehouse) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 22:55:00 +0000

mine are. at least i think they are. i don't know them very well, i spent all of one hour with them before they decided to run off into the woods. this was AFTER i dropped a big wad of cash on them. figures.

the job

noreply@blogger.com (tracytreehouse) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 01:00:00 +0000

my job is so great. it is nice to actually look forward to going to work. weird but nice. i work with 8 clients in a home setting with varying degrees of retardation and other disabilities. i believe "developmentally disadvantaged" is the politically correct term this month. whatever. working with these people can be such a hoot! every day is different (as you can imagine!) and by the end of your shift (no matter what happens) you feel like you did some good in the world. and they pay me to do this! awesome!

glenn is sweet, gentle man who likes to wander from room to room. always on the move. he can tell you about every carnival ride he has ever been on, the city it was in, the year and day of the week he rode it and what the weather was like. he can tell you about his dog "corky" that died when he was six while doing doing an algebra problem on a paper towel. but he can't remember my name from one day to the next or where his bedroom is. i am always amazed at what the human mind is and/or isn't capable of.

then there's john. he has two jobs at two different bars in the community. i'm not even sure what he does there. he has invited me to "disco dance" on wednesday nights with him. uh...maybe another time. NOT! he picks up all kinds of slang from the guys he works with, most of it inappropriate, but it's funny! he also loves to make prank phone calls. last night i heard him order 100 hogs to be delivered to the house. good grief, i hope they don't come. last night we went on a trip to walmart. that was interesting. i was in charge of shopping with 2 of the clients. they followed me at a good distance because they didn't want anyone to know that we were together. i thought that was hysterical! when it was time to check out i found a cashier that i knew from working there before. she informed me that it looked like i had a couple of stalkers. i acted surprised and told her that they had been following me all over the store. she grabbed the phone to call security! i don't think she thought it was very funny. i did. i must be warped. she'll get over it.

i think i am really gonna like this job.

just a thought...

noreply@blogger.com (tracytreehouse) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 01:56:00 +0000

so i was throwing around the idea of blogging again. i miss it. i can be kinda funny sometimes, you know? and occasionally stuff happens in my life that i want to share. maybe i will give this a whirl again.

missouri

noreply@blogger.com (tracytreehouse) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 23:43:00 +0000

that's where we're from. it's where our hearts are. someday when our kids are grown maybe me and marty will go back there and live in the woods. every once in awhile we get this itch and start talking about going back 'home'. we both have a little 'gypsy blood' in us and i like that. the strange thing to me is that not one of our kids has a drop of it in them. in fact, we NEVER mention moving in front of them because they can get pretty unsettled.

we are headed to missouri tomorrow morning. this is a sad trip though, as we will be attending marty's mom's funeral on monday. she had been ill for quite awhile but still...she had alzheimers and it seemed to come about fast and furious. i know it was one of her true fears to have this disease since she watched her own mom suffer from it for several years. but it had manifested its self for several years.

enough already

noreply@blogger.com (tracytreehouse) — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:44:00 +0000

i swear if i look out my window in the morning and see more snow out there i will check myself into the nearest psych ward. i am so not kidding. just one more snowflake and i am outta here. snow is for christmas. it is solely for the purpose of making your christmas 'white'. kids and parents alike pray for it until it comes. and then it does. that's it. mission accomplished. now find somewhere to dump it so i can get back to my normal life, cuz this ain't it. i admit, after that first big snow the world is absolutely beautiful. covered in this luxurious white blanket, it feels almost like magic. it can soften the look of the roughest of neighborhoods, muffle the sound of traffic, make children squeel in delight and even momentarily turn grown men into kids again. pretty powerful stuff, this snow. but like they say, 'all good things must come to an end'. that should've been yesterday sometime.

because if you wait too long, something terrible happens to this snow that once was beautiful. it starts with people walking on it. there is always that 'someone' who wants to be the first one to walk across that pristine, untouched, perfect patch of fallen snow. i know the temptation, i have felt it myself. i do, however, have enough self control to keep myself within the boundries of my own yard. after several days of children tramping around your yard and others, it looks like a small tractor drove aimlessly around the neighborhood.

the worst is yet to come. those nasty snow plows. they are loud and obnoxious. who doesn't love the sound of heavy machinery scraping down the full length of your quiet little street at 5 o'clock in the morning? lovely sound. and the the carnage they leave behind! piles of dirty snow thrown up into your yard. quite a nice mixture of interesting stuff in that dirty snow too. rocks, loose asphalt, decomposing leaves from the previous fall and don't forget my personal favorite...that smashed beer can and an empty happy meal box. and to think this is a service provided free of charge. thank you so much.

my kids have missed 2 days of school this week because of 'snow days', which means i missed 2 days of pay because i work for the school system. and if i add in all the food they ate because they were 'bored' (did you hear me whine there?) x15 because apparently bored children need to eat every 15 minutes, you might get a little glimpse into my head about my recent hatred for snow. i think i'll go ahead and look up that # for the psych ward just in case.

am i being too critical?

noreply@blogger.com (tracytreehouse) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 04:38:00 +0000

so i move back to missouri. that's cool. it's a beautiful place. fall is fabulous, spring is the best, summer could be a little drier, and snow in winter is minimal. so i guess i have no complaints about the weather.

i also have a great job working with some great people! i work with adults with disabilities and some days it is such a hoot! they are so honest and untouched by the frivolous cares of the world. i just love them. nope. no complaints about the job.

okay, here goes. i was in walmart the other night and made some observations. i don't want to be too critical but i know dang well this town is full of dentists. mine and my family's teeth are very important to me. oral hygeine around here begins before you have teeth.

so...could it be that teeth are now considered optional?

????

noreply@blogger.com (tracytreehouse) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 03:12:00 +0000

is it possible to actually, factually physically die from total, life altering embarrassment?

hmm...just wondering.

ugh...

noreply@blogger.com (tracytreehouse) — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 03:08:00 +0000

so while the rest of you have been either enjoying being part of the black friday blitz or wallowing in your leftovers, i on the other hand, have been up since about 1:32 am (i looked) puking my brains out. nice, huh? no.

i swear i think i am going to die. i don't know what's wrong with me. no fever. just lots and lots of throwing up. i have been lying in bed for most of the day in the fetal position waiting for the grim reaper of death to silently take me.

i think i scared him away with all my wretching.

um...yeah...

noreply@blogger.com (tracytreehouse) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 01:45:00 +0000

you might be a red neck if...

when your neighbors wake up early on a saturday morning and walk out their front door to be greeted with the lovely site of a dead deer hanging upside down from their basketball hoop. can you say nasty?

um...yeah.

grrrr...

noreply@blogger.com (tracytreehouse) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 02:08:00 +0000

you know when your kids act like you have no idea what the heck you're doing?! it makes me sooooooooooooo crazy. i don't care if i know what i'm doing or not! i am the mom. i am in charge around here. ggrrrr.

hmmm...

noreply@blogger.com (tracytreehouse) — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 23:57:00 +0000

conversation that took place over 17 years ago between a very tall guy (6'5") and a very short girl (4'11") during that difficult 'pre-dating' phase of the relationship...

her: (trying to break the ice) so, you're really tall.

him: (only mildly annoyed with hearing the same comment that every
person he has ever met has said to him!) yep

her: (still trying to break that ice) so, do you play basketball?

him: (still only mildly annoyed) uh no, do you play miniature golf?

and you know, for a minute i seriously considered never speaking to him again. but i got over it. a long time ago. today we celebrate our 17th wedding anniversary! happy anniversary big guy.

uh...no.

noreply@blogger.com (tracytreehouse) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:25:00 +0000

don't send me your hate email. i won't answer it. i won't even acknowledge it. it won't even hurt my feelings. not this time. sorry. but not really. you know how some people have pets? and they love them, feed them, buy them toys, get their shots updated, get their pictures taken, get them manicures, make playdates for them, dress them, take out second mortgages for their surgeries, yada, yada, yada...well, i am not one of those people. like i said, sorry. but not really. i'm just not. i have tried to love our pets like one of own kids. i just don't have it in me. now don't translate that into me being cruella deville. i am not mean to animals at all. i feed them and take them out to go potty and an occasional walk around the block. i have children who make up for my lack of-what do you call it anyway?-by loving our family pets. so it's all good.

now. i recently acquired a little shiitzu (careful with that pronunciation). i thought he would be a nice little pet. he came with the following instructions: just feed him a little in the morning and at night and let him run around outside after he does his business. get his hair cut every year for summer. simple. even for me. no playdates. one haircut a year. he even came with a name already. well. now that i look back i am questioning why someone would want to give up a perfectly good dog. hmm...maybe because he's not perfect? could it be?

let's discuss the delicate subject of anal sacs, shall we. or not. you have google. look it up. and there are also videos on how to safely express these anal sacs at home. okay. i think it's pretty clear by now that i am not up for this. don't hate me because i am not an animal person. it is what it is.

onward...

noreply@blogger.com (tracytreehouse) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:09:00 +0000

i wanna go home. home is missouri. not illinois. not kansas. it's that place where our life together really began. where i first noticed the change in seasons. where i learned to appreciate long walks. where i learned it was okay to play in the rain. where i want my kids to grow up. where my husband loosens his tie and relaxes. where my kids tell me "dad is different here". where we feel comfy and safe and warm.

the application and money have been sent and received. i remember when marty took the illinois bar not that long ago. and when he said he would NEVER do that again! i am always amazed at what he will do for our family so that we have that comfy, safe and warm feeling of home. it's all good.

and we're ready.

go girl...

noreply@blogger.com (tracytreehouse) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:34:00 +0000

just wanted to give a little shout out to a new blogger, girl alyx. she is an awesome writer. you are gonna love her almost as much as i do. goodbyedesperado.blogspot.com

tag, so i guess i'm it...

noreply@blogger.com (tracytreehouse) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 03:01:00 +0000

so motherboard tags me with this! NOT because she thinks it's difficult to come up with 7 weird things about myself but because it would be more difficult to STOP at 7! she already knows so many of my quirks. and now so will everyone else! yikes! here goes...

1. i hate mushrooms. with a purple passion. i will spend alot of time picking mushrooms off a piece of pizza before i risk eating one. (they hide them under the cheese, you know) i substitute cream of everything before i use cream of mushroom soup in anything. i would eat abc gum before i ate a mushroom. i hate them that much.
2. i once wanted to be a police officer. that was before not meeting a height requirement was considered discrimination. someone didn't think i could be very intimidationg at 4'11" and 99 pounds. they didn't know me very well! i've moved on.
3. i want to raise alpacas. they are so cute, and good pets, and their hair is worth a gob of money. you know what i love best about them? they poop in one place. ONE PLACE! how perfect can an animal be? it loves your kids, makes you money and POOPS IN ONE PLACE?!? i want ten!
4. i hate cotton balls. not all of them, just certain ones. the ones that squeak when you rub them between your fingers. bet you didn't know there were squeaky cotton balls, did you? they are wicked. i saw a girl on a talk show once who almost had a nervous breakdown over squeaky cotton balls. the fear is real. stop laughing.
5. i have had 5 (count them!) c-sections! is that crazy or what? only one of them was planned, too. yes, they hurt but they have wonderful medications for that. now if i could just save up enough $$ for that tummy tuck...
6. i live in a town where the school mascot is, are you ready for this, a PRETZEL!!!I have lived here over a year and my kids still won't wear clothing with the mascot printed on it. can you blame them? the pretzels? is that twisted or what? the sports teams in our schools are pretty tough to beat. that's because they have to work extra hard out there to defend their honor with a mascot called the PRETZELS! lame.
7. i got a concussion when i was 15. i was walking home from school one day when a cute guy in a car drove by and cat-called me! i was checking him out and when he passed by i spun around and ran right into a light pole! it showed up out of nowhere and knocked me right on my butt! i stumbled into the nearest jack-in-the-box and had someone call my mom to come and pick me up. how embarrassing is that? uh, VERY!

so now you know.