Psycho Neighbor pt. 3

Ok the neighbors to the right of psycho are packing up and moving to Texas. For the past month, they've had a sale...everything goes. The Friday after the swing incident, I was sitting on my porch watching an older couple load a chair into the back of their truck, get in and prepare to leave. There were several vehicles parked on the side of the road. This truck happened to be parked in front of psycho's house...not blocking a driveway or anything. Not that that would matter since neither of them drive. So I'm watching this truck wait to pull out when psycho comes running out his front door pointing and yelling at these people to move their truck. Yelled that they can't park there, they're blocking traffic. They weren't of course as the street is wide enough for cars to park on the side. They leave and he's still cussing and yelling. This car pulls up with a couple maybe in their 70s. He charges towards their car cussing and yelling at them. So I calmly walked over and told the couple they were welcome to park in my yard, or even my driveway. I wasn't going anywhere.

He turns his rage on me saying I'm just mad I won't let my brats play on his swing. I said, "My kids don't want to play on your cheap a$$ swing. You told me to keep them off. I've kept them off. You're the one that keeps bringing it up." He then says, "Tell your GD kids to stay out of my yard!" I calmly said, "My kids don't play in your yard. Keep your dog out of my yard." He says it's not his dog. The neighbors moving are giving him the dog so by this coming Friday it will be his dog. @@ So as he's yelling and cussing he steps one step to me. I put my hands on my hips and raised an eyebrow, and stood my ground. By then there are witnesses outside from the yard sale. I think once he realized I'm not the type of woman to be bullied, he stepped back, pointed his finger at me and yelled, "I'm calling the law!" I snapped back, "Call the law, Steve! What are they going to do?! Not a darn thing! Because nothing has been done to you!" His girlfriend comes out and starts yelling at him telling him he needs an attitude adjustment.

It's been a couple of weeks since that last incident. He barely even looks my way. I still go about minding my own business. I know I shouldn't have said anything at the yard sale. But he was menacing these old people and the wife had such a look of terror on her face.

Oh the day of the swing incident, he yelled he was calling my landlord. As luck would have it, my landlord happened to come that evening for the rent check. Psycho knew who he was but didn't take one step towards my landlord. LOL

I've since decided I'm going to keep my camcorder charged and discreetly video tape any more outbursts so when the cops become involved, I have proof.

My kids ignore him now. Granted he doesn't say hi to them anymore. She does. She still talks to me. I don't have a problem with her. And she knows it. I've instructed my kids to stay in ours or Justin's friend's yard. Don't talk to him, don't even look at him.

Psycho Neighbor pt. 2

A few weeks ago it had warmed enough the kids were outside playing. Justin said Jay had sat on the neighbors swing. It's just a bench type swing, nothing fancy or anything. So I told Jay to stay off the swing as it's not ours. I step outside and Steve leans on our carport and says something to me. I didn't hear since I was reading a book. So I looked up and asked what he'd said. He said, "Would you please tell your kids to stay off my swing?" He was beligerent about it. I said, "Ok." And went back to my book. He got mad and slammed his front door. At that time, Korinne comes over and said Steve told them they couldn't play inthe back. We have a HUGE back yard. Jimmy comes out and I tell him what Korinne said. So we walk to the back where she, Justin and Justin's friend were playing. I asked them to show me where they were playing when Steve fussed at them. All three showed us, which was clearly in OUR back yard. So I pointed to this tree that is just on the border and I told them not to go past the tree. Steve comes out the back and starts yelling and cussing at me. Then starts yelling and cussing at Jimmy. Jimmy said, "There's no reason for you to talk to us that way. You told us to keep our kids off of your swing. They'll stay off. Not a big deal." I guess Steve didn't like that because he yelled he was going to call the law! LOL Jimmy told them to go ahead. Our kids have not been in their yard. Steve has since moved the swing to the side of the house with a sign saying $25.00. LOL No one has bought it. It's definitely not worth what he wants for it. LOL

Psycho neighbor pt. 1

Here's some background history. We moved from SC to TN last June. We lived with Dh's parents for the first month while we looked for a place to live. We found a charming 5 br, 2 bath house for $260 less than what we paid in Charleston for a 3 br apartment. The house has it's problems and the two large bedrooms are only used for storage since our kids seem to not enjoy having their own rooms. LOL But we're adjusting. To our immediate left is a very small house where two bachelors live. They have a lot of visitors that make me think there's some dealing going on. Whatever. They're friendly and don't involved us in any of their issues. The house next to them is a single mom with her 15 yr old and 8 yr old. Her 8 yr old plays with Justin. Her 15 yr old likes to experiment with hairstyles on Korinne.

Now on to the psycho neighbor...he's to the immediate right of us. The very first time we met them was when we came to look at the house. She proceeded to tell us that her two boys are in foster care, not why, just that they are. Ok red flag there. A complete stranger telling us that. But, the house was large enough for all of our kids to have their own rooms and within our budget. We've lived here since the end of July. We never had a problem with the neighbors to our right until Christmas break. Now the neighbors to our right is a heavy-weight woman that I think has health issues. She rents the house. Her boyfriend is this scrawny bean pole with no job. Aside from her telling us her boys are in foster care, I've been fine with her. She's always been nice and polite. Her boyfriend is the psycho.

During Christmas break, our cat ran outside a couple of times, played for an hour and came back. One day psycho knocks on our door with our cat in his arms, saying he brought Stormy back because they have a sick cat in their shed and they don't want our cat getting sick. I noticed a nasty scratch on his palm, but thanked him and brought Stormy inside. As I was closing the door, I saw Stormy's flea collar on the ground. I picked it up thinking it had come loose. Nope, it was broken! So then I started wondering what the hell psycho had been doing to my cat to break his flea collar and warrant the nasty scratch. Stormy puts up with a lot of rough handling from Jackson. Jackson isn't used to having something smaller than him around so he's a tad rough with the cat. Yet the only time any of us have been scratched by Stormy is when he's in a playful mood, jumping all over the furniture and we happen to walk through.

Well later that day, Jay comes in saying psycho wants to know if Stormy has had his rabies shots. We got Stormy from our landlord when he was 5 months old and she had his shots done before she gave him to us. That's what Jay told psycho. Not even an hour later when I was outside, psycho comes over and asks about the rabies shots. I said "Steve, you know Jay has already answered that. Why are you asking again?" He got pissy and walked off. And that's part 1 of 3 in psycho neighbor stuff. LOL

Snow Daze

It snowed here last Thursday/Friday. The kids were out of school on Friday. I do NOT like snow! It's way too cold for me! But the kids loved it. Here are some pics I took.

This is a very small snowman Jay made. The pot beside him is a medium pot the kids use to play outside. View from our back yard

Jackson and Korinne Friday morning

View from the side of our house.

The snow only lasted a day. I was told it's rare for snow to come this early. It doesn't usually come until January. It's been very cold here as far as I'm concerned. I want to go home! I miss Charleston weather! LOL

Happy Whatever to Me!

Happy Halloween! Happy All Saints Day. Happy whatever! I took Jay and Jackson trick-or-treating last night. Justin and Korinne went with our neighbors to their church. We have a HUGE bowl filled with candy from just Jay and Jackson. Jay was a monk (Jimmy's costume) and Jackson was a cow (Justin's costume 5 years ago.) Jackson was so cute that several people wanted his picture and most everyone gave him extra candy. He really was cute. I'll have to dress him up again and whip out the camera.

Justin and Korinne didn't get home until 11. They were out like lights within 5 minutes. LOL I still haven't gone through their bags of candy. But it looks like our candy supply doubled.

Tonight we went to a costume party with one of Jimmy's cousins. It was a lot of fun and the kids had a blast!

Today we realized that somehow my social security number is on Jimmy's paystubs. NO idea how that happened. Ok well the only thing we can think of is I mistakenly put my social down when I filled out his application for him (my handwriting is neater.) On the other hand, he filled out his own W2 form so he would have put his own social down. Either way, we have to get this fixed ASAP. Otherwise we could be in a world of trouble. Wish us luck on that!

Almost a full Tennessee resident and a recipe

Jimmy took today off of work so we could get our licenses changed over. We'd planned on having the tags changed over for my car also. However, we were unprepared for how much it would cost for our licenses. My goodness! It was higher than we thought! We were in and out since I was so prepared I had more documents than required. So when Jimmy gets paid again on the 7th, we'll plan on having the tags changed over. Then I can have the insurance changed over. I've been quite anxious about that.

After we had our licenses done, we took cupcakes to Korinne's class. Tomorrow is her birthday, but they only have half a day. Friday she has a field trip so her teacher suggested today for the cupcakes. She happened to be at lunch when we showed up. She was so excited to see her Daddy was with me. We sat with her during lunch and even got to see Justin during his lunch. He was proud to show off his Daddy and Jackson. But what was funny was hearing how Korinne's classmates pronounced her name. It was Kuh-rii-inn. Emphasis on the rii. LOL It was just so cute! Try saying it with the biggest southern accent you can think of. LOL We pronounce it Kor-rin with the emphasis on rin.

So we left the school and went back home. I got Jackson down for his nap, refused my own because...hello!!! I had my husband home! I wanted to be with him, even though he worked on his car. LOL After the kids came home he and I cooked together. He got to see how effortless and how quick his favorite meal was. It was a wonderful day!

Here's the meal we had tonight... Garlic Buttered Sliced Steak with Onions

• 3 Tblsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large yellow skinned onions, thinly sliced
• 2 roasted red peppers, drained well and thinkly sliced
• salt and pepper
• generous handful flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 4 (1 inch thick) slices from a round loaf of good quality semolina bread, from center of loaf (I either use sourdough bread or bread I made my own)
• 4 Tblsp butter
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 4 (12 oz) NY strip steaks (I use whatever thich steak is on sale and I usually only cook two nice size steaks since Jimmy and I are the only ones that eat this.)

Heat extra virgin olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-low to medium heat, then add onions and roasted red peppers. (I add sliced mushrooms as well.) Season with salt and pepper and cook until gently soft, but not caramelized, 12-15 minutes, stir in parsley.

Heat a large skillet or cast iron griddle to high.

Toast bread under broiler and reserve.

MMelt butter in a small saucepan over low heat, add garlic. Remove pan from the heat and set aside until steaks are cooked.

Season 1 side of steaks with salt and pepper and place seasoned side down in the hot skillet or griddle. Cook 3 minutes until the meat can be moved easily. Season the reverse side of meat. Flip steaks, reduce heat to medium and cook 6-7 minutes for medium rare, 8-10 for just pink. Remove meat and let rest a few minutes. Slice steaks 1/4 inch thick against the grain. Pile onions over toast, top with slices steak and spoon garlic butter down over each portion.

I usually slice steak and put it on bread first, then pile onion mixture to suit on top. It's so delish!

Report Card Time

That's right. It's already been 9 weeks. WOW!

The kids were out of school today for parent-teacher conferences. We started with Korinne's teacher. She went on and on about what a wonderful child Korinne is. How she's pleased with how much Korinne wants to learn. She said Korinne was a very happy-go-lucky child and was always excited whenever the class was starting something new. She had all Ss, kindergarten's equivalent to As. I'm very proud of her!

Next was Justin's teacher. She went on and on about how smart Justin is. He's a very well mannered child. She even said he's a testament to my mothering. He made ALL As!!! ALL! I'm so proud of him. The envelope for his report card is also a coupon of some sorts for Wendy's. If the kids get all As, they take their report card and the envelope to Wendy's and they get a free burger, fries and drinks.

Lastly, was Jay. He made 1 A and 4 Bs. Still good grades, but his teachers were disappointed because they feel he can do so much better. He has the potential to make all As. His biggest problem was he isn't turning in his work on time or at all. They all enjoy having him in their classes though. So we're going to work on him turning in his homework.

I'm so proud of them all.

My Goodness it's COLD!!!!!!!

It is fricken COLD here! My weatherbug says it's 44 degrees here. WTH??!! In Charleston, we're still in shorts on Halloween! I'm so not looking forward to Halloween if it's gonna be this cold! We haven't had the gas turned on yet, so we have no heat. My kids are all curled up in their beds with ALL of their many blankets over them. Jimmy and I have our quilt and comforter on our bed. MOM, send me some long johns!!!!!!!!! I doubt I will leave the house much if/when it snows. I do NOT do cold weather very well. I could barely tolerate the "cold" in Charleston. How the hell am I going to deal with cold here? How funny are my kids gonna look with layers under their costumes here in Tennessee? LOL

Wave of Light, October 15th

Wave of Light, October 15th

Been awhile, huh?

So here I am in Tennessee. Trying to settle in. I finally have my internet up and running. It'll be nice being able to chat or whatever and not be on dial up. LOL Since I've moved, I missed the birth of my niece. My sister finally had a little girl to go with her brood of boys. Morgan Kay was born on August 9th. And she's absolutely beautiful!

The kids started school in August. Jay is in 7th now and joined the band again. Justin is in 3rd and loving it. Korinne started kindergarten. Her class is right down the hall from Justin's. The school is so small it's only one hallway, with the cafeteria and music room leading from it. Jackson turned 3. He's still a tiny little thing. But doing so well. He did so well in speech therapy in Charleston that the speech pathologist at the school determined he doesn't need extra therapy.

We found us a charming 5 bedroom house for $500 a month. It has some problems. But nothing major. And the fact that my kids all have their own rooms (thank you Lord!) makes up for them. LOL We live on a quiet picturesque street. I love watching the leaves fall from all the trees. We have a HUGE back yard. Though whoever lived here years ago, planted a row of trees or bushes that block off the yard in a weird way. So I don't let the kids play in the back very much because I can't see them out of the window.

The cool thing is, I've hooked up with a friend I went to high school with in Oregon. He and his wife live in Summertown, which is where my in-laws live. Small world huh? LOL

Here in Tennessee

So here we are in Tennessee. We got here last Tuesday. Jimmy starts his new job tomorrow. His boss in Charleston gave him a number to call for a job. The number belongs to a guy that owns 6 or 7 bodyshops around the area. Apparently, Jimmy's boss in Charleston gave such a high review that the main guy was all ready to hire Jimmy. He talked to the VP, then the manager at the bodyshop. He went in Thursday and talked to the manager and was hired on the spot. However, he'll have a commute, which we knew would happen with us being out in the middle of no where. LOL

For now, Korinne, Jackson and I are sleeping in the spare bedroom at my in-laws. Jimmy, Jay and Justin are sleeping in the camper outside my in-law's. We're looking for a home to rent. We don't want to rush into an apartment we'll be unhappy in. And his Dad doesn't want us to rush into anything. The town we're in is full of Jimmy's relatives. So they're all looking for a home for us. What's really weird for me is that these people that have never met me are so accepting and loving towards me. And the kids. Like they've known me all my life. It's surreal to me not having my own relatives accept me. LOL

I can honestly say, I feel at home here. Oh I admit, I was freaking out the first couple of days being out of a city and near no one I know. But then I realized, I love not having neighbors so close. I want to be here. I do miss having Jimmy in bed with me at night. I can't wait til we have our own home and we can sleep together again. LOL

Busy, busy, busy

Wow it has been a LONG time since I last posted. Since then, we've recieved our supplement check from the government and have been making arrangements to move. We're now down to 2 weeks before we head out. I never realized how much crap we all have. Before when we'd move, we were just moving across town somewhere, so I could just throw whatever into boxes and go. Now, I have to plan carefully on the packing. I've moved out of state before, but not as an adult, having to do it myself. It's a bit overwhelming. LOL

School is now over. Both boys passed. Thankfully. I had no doubts about Justin, but it was touch and go for Jay for a bit. I've already learned what I need as far as school stuff to take with us. I went in yesterday to the ped's office and filled out the paperwork to get all of their medical records. I took Jackson yesterday to the allergist's to get new prescriptions. And he has an appointment Thursday with the neurologist. Just some last minute appointments before we get to Tennessee and I have to basically start all over.

That's tiring itself. Now I just have to finish packing. I've enlisted the kids help whether they like it or not. LOL We pick up the truck on the 20th, so I have until then to get everything packed.

I am so gonna miss all of you. I know I'll be put on the...what is it...ex-pat list...or something like that. I promise to keep in touch whenever we get settled and I have my puter back up.

Shocked!

I posted back in December about a trip we took the the Hatchery, where we used to go fishing. There was almost no water. Well yesterday, we decided to take another trip to walk around. When we got over the hill, we saw about 20 trucks and trailers parked. We see lots of water and lots of people fishing. We decided to walk through the woods again. But we couldn't walk as far since the water was back. Jimmy walked to the edge to cast out a couple of times. The kids and I saw this beautiful butterfly. (Seen below) As we were walking back, I'm looking at the water and I stop and say, "Is that an alligator? That's an alligator!" The alligator freezes so Jimmy wasn't sure. He picks up a rock and heads to the edge. I loudly whisper, "Are you out of your fricken mind? That's an alligator!" Before he does anything the alligator disappears under water. Jimmy looks up and the kids and I are walking fast the hell away from there. LOL

We get back to where others are fishing and find a spot to cast off. There was this milk gallon with the top cut off and a lizard was inside. The boys let it free. Where did it go? Straight up my leg. So I start jumping around and screaming like the girl I am, trying to get it off my leg. Jimmy and the boys found this extremely hilarious. Apparently, when I screamed, I scared some nearby boater that one almost fell overboard. Jimmy yelled, "Gotta love lizards." The woman on the boat glared at Jimmy while the men laughed. Like she was offended that Jimmy would laugh at me. LOL Oh it's funny now. But dammit, I don't like things crawling on me. LOL So here are some pics we took...

The butterfly pic I took

The butterfly pic Jimmy took Pic from the loading area Pic taken in area the lizard attacked me. LOL

We're moving...

It's been a while since I've posted. I know. I've been bad. LOL We went to TN for Spring Break. Yes we drove with all four kids! 10 hours! LOL Actually, it wasn't too bad. We'd borrowed my mom's personal DVD player. The kids had their MP3 players, coloring books, crayons, drinks, snacks, etc. On the way there, we went through the mountains. I do not do well through the mountains. I get car sick. At some point, I had my window down and my head hanging out for the fresh air. LOL We left Saturday morning around 9-ish. We got there around 8-ish our time 7-ish their time. The kids did well. Jackson got cranky the last hour. But I think he was just tired of being in his car seat. The visit was wonderful. Though a little sad.

My MIL had a seizure about a month ago or so. It's fuddled with her mind so that there are some things she can't remember. She didn't remember that Jackson has allergies to peanuts. We still don't know why she had the seizure. She's on anti-seizure medicine that make her really sleepy. My FIL cannot leave her alone for fear she'll have another seizure and will not be seen by a doctor fast enough.

While there, we had to find Tennessee's version of a Doctor's Care, that thankfully, took our insurance because Korinne had a bladder infection. Of course the prescription they prescribed cost us the highest co-pay we had. Didn't care. Korinne is more important. But had we been home, her doctor would have prescribed a more affordable antibiotic.

Anyway, we've been talking about moving there for about 5 years. With all that's going on with my MIL, now seems to be the right time. We still have a chunk of money from the van. I can be of great help to my in-laws. And I really, really, really HATE where I'm at now. If I were a vindictive person, I'd have revenge on the people around here. LOL

So with our taxes coming, and school ending in June, we thought, "Why not?" We'll be busy from now until then. My biggest stipulation is I have to have high speed internet. LOL I got on my FIL's computer while there to find a recipe. It took me an HOUR to find it. LOL So there you have it. We're moving...as soon as the boys get out of school!

March For Babies

I've signed up to walk the 5 miles again this year to raise money for premature babies. Last year it was called WalkAmerica. This year it's March for Babies. This is something really important for me, having lost premature twins. If anyone would like to donate, I would greatly appreciate it. Click on the link to be directed to my website. Maybe some of y'all might join me in this walk. Thank you all in advance.

Did I mention???

We bought a new car? I know I mentioned the Lincoln...promptly named Lizzie. But we also won a '90 GMC Suburban off eBay. A local seller that had it less than a mile from Jimmy's work. So now we have two vehicles that will seat all 6 of us, plus money left in the bank to allow us to take the kids to Tennessee for Spring Break. We're going to see my in-laws. I cannot wait! We haven't picked a name for the Suburb yet...though I think it might be named the Suburb since that's what we've been calling her. LOL

I'm so not used to driving either yet. Well I haven't driven the suburb yet. But I drove Lizzie downtown last week because Jackson had an appointment. And let me tell you....me, Lizzie and the Rutledge parking garage do NOT get along. My arse was clenched so tight, I was so nervous I was going to hit something...I drove to the top floor so I'd know I could get in and out easily enough. LOL I was going around the corners when other cars were coming that freaked me out. I am so not used to long front ends anymore. LOL

I kinda took on another tentative job. One of Jay's friends...his mom needed a sitter for her two younger ones. Her daughter is the same age as Korinne and her youngest son is the same age as Jackson. So they all have someone their age to play with. I've watched them twice so far and it's been easy. Her job is flexible so we've got it worked out that when Jackson has an appointment, she'll take the time off and watch Korinne for me. Plus she has an acquaintance that has a catering company and on Mondays always has leftover stuff. She gives it to my friend, who splits it with me. I had so much fruit this week, I sent a lot with Jimmy to work. But I have to admit, it's nice having a fridge full of delicious and healthy snacks. LOL

I'm long winded. I've been so busy I haven't posted in almost a month. It's all catching up with me. LOL I'm done now. My fingers are starting to hurt. LOL

People amuse me

Seriously. LOL I've been working at a grocery store 5 minutes away since just before Jimmy had his surgery in October. Just when I think I've seen it all, here comes this woman tonight. She comes to my register already belligerent. As I'm ringing up her items, she's commenting on how such and such is buy one get one free, how such and such it reduced price. She says every time she comes in she goes home with her receipt and realizes she was charged for something she shouldn't have been charged for. So she says, "I'm not paying for anything until we go over the receipt." Patiently, I attempt to go over the receipt with her. This week, our Lays chips are BOGO. She's purchased a bag of Lays and a bag of Ruffles. She insists the Ruffles are BOGO also. So I tell her I'd go check. On the way to the chip aisle, I grab our assistant manager for a witness. No, the Ruffles were not BOGO. They happened to be placed beside the Lays, which clearly say BOGO...the Ruffles did not. Then we have select varieties of the HungryMan meals BOGO with a limit of 2. She's purchased 6. She argues that she should have gotten 3 free. It upsets her more when I point out the sale paper says a limit of 2. So she grabs two and tells me to void them, which I do. At this point customers behind her move to a different register and start complaining loudly about her. She glares at them and says, "If they would get their prices right, I wouldn't be holding up the line." The other customer retorts, "If you paid more attention to the sale paper and the tags on the shelves, the line wouldn't be held up." Of course this pissed her off more. She tells my assistant manager that last Wednesday (which is when our new sales begin) that she bought Ruffles and they were BOGO. She said, "I can bring the receipt and show you." To which the AM says, "Ok, please do." Of course that pisses her off more. She demands the district headquarters number.

After her receipt finishes printing, I circled the toll free number for her then cheerfully told her to have a nice day. If looks could kill, I'd be dead thrice over. LOL She came back in a few minutes later and caught the manager. She was complaining that when I voided the two Hungryman dinners, she only got one for free...remember...it said select varieties. Our shelves are clearly marked which ones are BOGO. I went and checked. So to appease her, he refunded her the money for one of them. As she left, I again cheerfully told her to have a nice evening...pissing her off even more. A few minutes later, here she is again, assaulting the manager about the chips. He patiently explains to her that neither the AM nor I did anything wrong and that her receipt is correct. Again, as she leaves I give her a cheerful farewell. LOL She comes in AGAIN a few minutes later to get the district number. Again she recieves a cheerful farewell.

I do not do well with people in my face cussing at me or having an attitude. But I realized quickly that I could piss her off more by being so nice and professional than I could losing my temper as well as my job. LOL That was really fun! LOL Oh and get this....she calls later in the evening yelling at a co-worker to get the district's number. LOL

Seriously...isn't it easier to catch flies with honey? This woman was maybe early 50s....completely showing her ass....and ended up looking like a fool to the other customers. She told the manager that she shops there all the time, yet those of us working, who are there at any given time during the week have never seen her. I'd love for her to bring in her last receipt. I guarantee it'll be before Wednesday of last week. Cause I know the Ruffles were not on sale after Wednesday. How do I know? I not only work there, I shop there. I take advantage of the BOGOs....but I tend to pay attention to what's really BOGO. LOL

On another note, our store has been asking for donations for Easter Seals for about a month or so. Easter Seals is a charity that helps disabled children in Charleston. I've been the top seller since it began. I don't know why, but I have. Maybe because a lot of my customers are regulars and have heard a little about Jackson's problems. Well tonight when I walked in a co-worker told me that now that I was there, a competition begins. The first person to sell 30 cards for donation will recieve $20 out of the AM's pocket. I was there 20 minutes when I said, "I'm halfway there, Old Man!" LOL Of course, I won the $20. In the end from the time I clocked in to the time I clocked out, I sold 65 cards. That keeps me as the top seller since we began selling them. And I'm only there for 4 1/2 hours a few nights a week. We raised a lot of money for Easter Seals and that makes me happy. I'm so grateful for all the help Jackson has recieved that I'm an advocate for others to help.

News

We bought a car today. YAY! A '91 Lincoln Towncar. It's in emmaculate condition. One owner, garage kept, has only 103k miles on it. Runs awesome, according to Jimmy...and he works on cars for a living. LOL Its something we can use until we find what we really want.

In the meantime, I made a drastic change in my hair. It was long enough to reach my bra strap in the back. I chopped it off and dyed it darker. See below pic. LOL It's not very flattering. I'm not photogenic. LOL

I do it!

I just love that stage when toddlers insist on doing everything themselves. Jackson has reached that stage. It doesn't matter what it is. I hear, "I do it!" It's escalated to my favorite chore...vacuuming. LOL Yesterday morning, after cleaning up the numerous toys that accumulate all over the living room, I pulled out the vacuum. The first "I do it" was unraveling the cord. Then it was plugging it in, which he does with me standing beside him. Then it was turning the vacuum on. Finally the "I do it" was the actual vacuuming. LOL It's so cute watching a 2 year old trying to vacuum. I just had to whip out the camera for a pic. And he even grinned! LOL I love a man that cleans.

Shopping around

That's right. We're shopping around for a vehicle. This weekend is crunch time. Jimmy wants to find something that we can share to just get back and forth to work. I want to find something that seats 6 so we don't have to give up our family times on the weekends. We were lucky enough that our settlement check from the insurance company was $6700 after our deductible. That gives us more options. The check should clear tomorrow. My bank put a 5 day hold on it because it was a check over 5 grand. We really cannot afford the rental car any longer than Monday. (I didn't have rental coverage on my insurance.) Luckily, where Jimmy works has a rental company in the office so they've given us a tremendous discount on the van we've rented. We have a few things we're looking at that hopefully one will pan out for us. So wish us luck!