We took the kids to see Scooby Doo last night, it was quite cute. Anthony sat mesmerized through the entire movie! He didn't even want to eat popcorn or candy, I don't even think he blinked! lol We also stopped to visit John's sister before we headed to the movie. Josef was there he is so cute! I can't believe how big he is getting. He will be turning one soon. John's sister from Florida will be visiting soon. She should be here Tuesday. Since I am the "baby" sister I have been elected to keep her entertained. I don't know her very well and the time I did spend with her was during the time John's mom was in the hospital, right before she passed away.

Let's just say that we probably didn't get a very good impression of each other, way too much bonding in my opinion. Maybe it's cause she lives far away and I don't know her as well as the rest, or maybe it's cause she's the oldest sister and bossy as hell towards John, or maybe it's just cause she is so much older than me and we don't have much in common, whatever it is I am not overly excited about the visit. But of course I am new to the family so I've kinda gotta be nice. Oh well, it can't be that bad. Everyone says to take her shopping and she should be happy.

I still have way too much to do around here and I spent way too much time playing "Sweet Tooth". Have you played it yet? It's way too addicting! Worse than Poppit! So now I have to get off my butt and get stuff done. I have a limo run tonight but not until 9pm. What's everyone doing this weekend? Anything exciting? I was thinking of heading out to John's family's lake cabin but it is supposed to be rainy and cold all weekend so we will probably skip that. Besides I have to drive Monday as well so that probably wouldn't work anyway.

We have this limo that so far I have refused to drive. It is a 14 passenger and really intimidates me. I drive the 12 passenger no problem but the 14 just seems so much bigger. Anyway, my mom has been bugging me to drive it because it gets better runs and even better tips. So Sunday I'm gonna have John take me out so I can practice. It is the newest and nicest car and I don't want to be the first person to put a scratch in it! lol Wish me luck! :-)

Not much going on today. Anthony and I hung out at home. We were supposed to go to the park but it started raining so we stood home until the girls got home from school and then we ran to the bank and then headed over to my mom's to get Britt's new saxophone. It is gorgeous, so shiny, it looks brand new. She was really happy, now we just have to take it over to the music shop to make sure it is working properly.

We are just waiting for John to get home from work so that we can head into town. We are gonna go eat and maybe go to a movie. I just want to get out of the house. It has been raining off and on since yesterday. We got water in the basement last night because it was raining so hard. John had to bring the rinse 'n vac down to suck it all up. I have so much laundry to do and I am just NOT in the mood to do anything. So I figure tonight I will hide from all of the messes that are waiting for me and I will get to them tomorrow.

While I am waiting for John to get his butt in the shower (he just got home) I'm gonna do the Friday Five. Hope you all have a great weekend! :-)

1. What's your favorite piece of clothing that you currently own?
My going out to party blank tank with a built in bra and a completely open back. I bought it for the street dance we went to last weekend.

2. What piece of clothing do you most want to acquire?
I would love to have a very nice leather jacket. I have a longer leather coat that was bought for me by an exboyfriend. It is nice but I want something shorter.

3. What piece of clothing can you not bring yourself to get rid of? Why?
I have a hard time getting rid of clothes, I have so much shit I know I'm never gonna wear and for some reason I keep hanging on to it. I finally brought myself to store most of it in the attic, now if I could only get myself to give it away. I really can't think of any sane reason why I do this.

4. What piece of clothing do you look your best in?
I would have to say jeans, only because I feel most comfortable in them and when I feel comfortable I am always at my best.

5. What has been your biggest fashion accident?
Ummm....I'd have to say just about anything that I wore in high school. I went through this phase where everything was black. I also had these pink and black acid washed jeans that were so damn tight, they were so tight around my ankles that I would have to call my little sister in to help me get them off, oh and the big hair! My hair was so big it was outright scary! Sheesh, how embarrassing! lol

I have a limo run tonight so I have to get going, I just wanted to post my new blinkie. Darylynn requested that I make one for my site because I am the only blog in her list that doesn't have one. So here ya go, my very first blinkie. It was actually quite fun to make so I'm sure I'll be doing more. :-) Just click below to save it. Have a great night......and guess what? Tomorrow is Friday! :-) I don't have anything major planned other than I get to sleep in since I won't have to get the girls up for school at the crack of dawn!

::EDITED:: I wasn't sure if I liked the blinkie above so I made a second one, I'll let you take your pick. :-)

Danielle got a 100% on her very first spelling test this year! I am so excited for her, she studied so hard. School has always came easy to Brittany, but it is a little harder for Danielle which makes me twice as proud because I know how hard she has to work to get an A. Marshall made us all banana splits to celebrate. They were very yummmmmy :-) I am half asleep right now but I just wanted to stop in and say hi. I've neglected my daily reads lately but I'll be here in the morning and I'll be by to visit you, I promise! :-)

It has been extremely hectic around here. The girls had a wonderful first and second day of school. Homework is already keeping them busy. Brittany is getting excited for her first saxophone (she will be playing the alto sax) lesson next week (Bill bought her one online, it should be here on Friday) and piano lessons start soon for both girls. My daily planner is filling up with appointments, lessons, practices, meetings. I am excited for fall and before you know it Christmas will be here, next thing you know this school year will be over. Time just keeps going by way too fast!

I spent the day running errands in town. I got my nails done which I really needed to do, they looked horrible, now they are a really cool purple. After picking up the girls from school we headed over to the grocery store when I saw Brittany's old preschool. The parking lot was empty except for one car so I took a chance that one of the teachers might still be there. Sure enough Brittany's old preschool teacher was there although for the life of me I couldn't remember her name! She remembered Brittany right away and I put Anthony on a waiting list for preschool. This year is already full but she told me to call her on Monday to see if someone maybe didn't show up for orientation or changed their mind. If he doesn't get in this year he will for sure get in next year. I wish I would have thought of stopping by there sooner, I just didn't think it was a big deal if he didn't go this year. But he really needs to do something other than being with me all day. He misses going to daycare and playing with the other kids. If he gets in it would only be a few hours two days a week, I know he would love it there so I am keeping my fingers crossed.

I talked to Gilly today. He can't tell me where he is headed right now but his ship recently left HongKong. He said he can't even explain how huge it was there. We must have talked for almost two hours! Although it was more like a bunch of conversations because the satellite on his ship kept cutting us off so he had to keep calling me back. I miss him so much, I was so excited to hear from him. Well, I've got to get running. *NiTe*

The first day of school. Doesn't that bring back a lot of memories? I know it does for me, being excited, scared, nervous all mixed up wondering if my teacher would be nice, anxious to see if my best friend was in the same class, excited to see if any of the boys looked any cuter, where would I sit, who would I eat lunch with, so many things to wonder about.

The girls were so excited to get to school. The house is so quiet without them and Anthony is not very happy that I am his only playmate today. I remember when the girls were younger I would cry on their first day back to school. I don't cry anymore but Anthony sure did! He wants to go to school with his sisters. To make things even worse his cousin Kyle who he normally plays with is in Kindergarten so now there is really no one for him to play with. Next week the two of us will start going to school on Monday mornings to meet with other mom's and preschoolers. The mom's complete projects that teachers need help with and since we are working in the gym the kids have a fun place to run and play together. It makes a nice socializing time for both of us. :-)

I took a few pictures of the girls before they left for school. Danielle was not very happy! She refused to smile so I told her that if she didn't smile I would wait to take her picture until she was sitting in her class in front of all of the kids. Why do my kids think that I am the only mom in the whole world who insists on taking pictures on the first day of school?? Sheesh, they act like I was standing outside in a bathrobe and slippers just waiting to embarrass them! ROFL And just for the record I made sure that I was showered, hair and makeup done, and dressed in fairly cool clothes just so that I didn't embarrass them! If they are like this now can you imagine when they get to high school? I am in big trouble! hehe

Brittany - 6th grade - notice
the sunglasses and cool way she stands.

Danielle - 3rd grade - she
is not very happy with Mom right now.

You can see a school bus
in the background of Danielle's picture,

That is their school, we
are standing in our driveway, not too far to walk which is nice.

Do you know what I miss?

The days when I could dress
them up in cute little dresses and hair bows for the first day of school.
:-(

I had to stop doing that
after kindergarten.

Brittany & Danielle

Both were threatened to
smile before I REALLY embarrassed them! ROFL

Good Morning! Another day and once again I have way too much to blog about! Here's a short version, I went to a movie with my sister who I haven't talked to since a big family fight right after my wedding; I talked to Jorge my ex-husband about what happened this summer while the girls were visiting; we went to the street dance with my sister, her boyfriend, my new sister and brother-in-law, and Nathan (limo driver) and his wife; the music was above and beyond awesome and we danced all night; I met one of my stepsons who I have never seen before; and we almost had an altercation with John's deceased ex-wife's brother and an angry (and extremely drunk) young girl who I guess is now my daughter-in-law. All of this in less than a day. Sometimes people who know me shake their heads at all of the weird shit that happens to me. They silently and sometimes not so silently wonder if I bring all of this drama onto myself. I really don't think I do, it just seems to find me!

So those of you who want the details here we go. I'll keep it as brief as possible! lol My sister and I went to see the YaYa movie, I'd seen it before but it was more fun watching it with her. We were supposed to meet for lunch but because I was on the phone with Jorge I ended up being late and we didn't have time. He called to talk to the girls and I had a very long talk with him first. I didn't get pissed off at him, I already vented here in my blog and to any one else that would listen for the last two weeks. I was over being mad which I think really helped.

He felt really bad that the girls seen him and his wife fighting, he finally admitted (kinda) that his wife is jealous of the girls and that he begged her not to start a fight while the girls were there but she just kept pushing at him and pushing at him and he lost it. That's no excuse to hit her, I told him that and I say that because I know how it feels to be on the receiving end of that. Not from Jorge, never from Jorge, which is why this is so hard for me to understand. This is so hard for me to even talk about because he has a right to his personal life, he is no longer my husband, but you know, he was a big part of my life, we have children together, there will always be a part of me that loves him, and I will always care about him and want him to be happy. I'm happy, he deserves to be happy, but right now he is in a frame of mind where he doesn't think he deserves anything. He is beating himself up way too much, people that don't know him may think that he deserves it. But he doesn't, he deserves to be happy, he deserves to have a wife who loves him and will at least like his kids.

It felt weird giving my ex-husband advice on his marriage but damn it someone had to do it! lol What happens to him matters to me because my girls need him, they need a dad who is happy, they don't need to worry about him the way I have spent my life worrying about my dad. Unfortunately, because I was running late to meet my sister I had to cut it short at the end but I hope some of what I said reaches him.

I didn't have time to blog about it yesterday, but I was really nervous about the street dance. John's sister invited us because she knew I really wanted to see this band. The problem was that the street dance was held in a little town where John's three children live. I'm sure I blogged about it before but just in case I didn't here's the short version of things. John has three kids from his first marriage. M. who is almost 25, J. who is 21 and V. who is 16. Six years ago John's ex-wife left him and took the kids. They were married way too long and for most of their marriage had hated each other. She not only cut the kids out of his life but she refused to let anyone in his family have anything to do with the kids. There is nothing bad about her that I can say, first of all she's dead, and second of all there are always two sides to a story and I've never heard her side. Whatever happened his kids hate him. I don't even like to use that word and John because I know you will read this, I'm sorry, but it's true. V. and John write letters back and forth, she is a little more receptive because she is younger but she is going through a lot of shit right now. I can't imagine losing my mom at any age and especially not at 16! She is living with M. and his new wife.

Anyway, I knew that they would probably be there and I was a little nervous. But John's sister really wanted us to go and she said there would be a ton of people there and we might not even see them. Well, V. was home babysitting so we didn't see her but J. was working at a bar close to the dance and M. was there with his wife and his uncles from his mom's side.

John didn't try to talk to them, he stood far away from them just because he respects their feelings and wouldn't intrude on them. We stood close to the band and just danced and really had a lot of fun. They (M. and his group) were way in back next to the bar area drinking and there really were a ton of people there so they coudln't even see us. John's sister wanted me to meet J. and I have been curious to see John's kids. Just because he doesn't see them doesn't mean that they aren't important to him, he loves them very much, they are a big part of him and I just wanted to see him, I would have loved to see M. too but out of the three he is the most angry and I knew he would not appreciate my talking to him. I was very nervous about meeting J., but he was very gracious when he found out who I was. I made it very clear that I didn't want to step over any boundaries but that I wanted to tell him how sorry I was about his mom and let him know that yes his dad made mistakes by not seeing them all of these years and that what ever reasons he had to let that happen were no excuse. I told him that his dad was an adult and adults make shitty choices sometimes but that as an adult his dad had to live with the choices for the rest of his life, I didn't even want to say, your dad is different now. I didn't say that because even though it is true, I know because people tell me all the time that when John got married the first time the brother/son/friend they used to know disappeared and in the 20some years he was married he was not the person they knew but once we got together the person they knew came back, the reason I didn't tell J. any of that was because it would have sounded like I was making excuses for his dad which I would never do. He has every right to be angry at his dad and I completely respect that. Besides who wants a woman who you don't even know telling you shit about your own dad? That used to piss me off when my dad's girlfriends would pull that shit with me.

The thing is that John is the most wonderful patient person I have ever known, I love him very, very much and I hurt for him because I know he made mistakes in the past by not fighting it when his wife took the kids away, it was like he gave up on his life when she left. Spending 20 years in a marriage for the sake of the kids was another big mistake. Anyway, I'm rambling here. I just had so much I wanted to say to J. but it wasn't my place to say it. I just told him that we think about all three of them every day and that he has an entire family of aunts, uncles and cousins, and mostly his grandfather who would love to see them. I told him that if they ever went to visit their grandfather and we were there that we would leave. I just think that with their mom gone it is important for them not to feel like they don't have any family. They don't want to see their dad, that is fine. The boys are adults, they can make their own choices and when V. is an adult she will have to do the same, but their grandfather won't be around forever and that is pretty much what I told him. I also gave him my cell phone number which nobody answers but me and told him that if he or V. ever need anything just to call me. I would pick them up take them shopping, whatever they needed and I wouldn't tell their dad if they didn't want me to. I just wanted them to know that I was there for them. He promised to give the number to V. who is the one I am most concerned about. School is starting and even though M. gets child-support from John for her, from her letters it doesn't sound like she gets much money to spend.

After talking to J. we went back to dancing and having fun until this nasty young girl walked up to John and started threatening him that he better leave. I can't even repeat what she was saying because it was so vulgar. John was like, I don't even know who you are. She says "I am M.'s wife" and walked away. Well, I'm sorry, I am NOT going to leave just because someone threatened us. So we kept dancing and having fun and next thing I knew she was standing right behind us with John's ex-brother-in-law. They stood right behind us just staring, it was very childish and stupid of them and of course they were both really drunk. I think the girl thought that my sister was with John because the girl started trying to pick a fight with her and calling her names. My sister, who honestly can be a major bitch, took it in stride and was very nice to her, which of course pissed the girl off even more. They pretty much stood right behind us not doing anything until the band was over, then I'm not sure what happened. John was head to head with this guy and they were both egging each other on to throw the first punch. It was stupid and ugly and I hate shit like that. We had to drag John away from it and the cops had been watching the whole time anyway because as we were leaving they told John, "Don't worry about it, it isn't worth it"

So that was that, we got in the limo and went home. We really did have fun and I'm glad I had a chance to talk to J. I am very sorry that M.'s wife is such a bitch because I was hoping that since I came in after the fact of all the shit and so did she that somehow her and I could find a way to bridge a connection betweeen John and his kids. Well, after last night that is obviously NOT going to happen. I still don't even know why SHE was so mad, she doesn't even know John, she's only been married to M. a short time, so it was weird. That would be like me hating John's ex-wife. Why would I do that? She obviously had some anger issues to deal with that had nothing to do with last nights situation.

So that is my night in a nutshell. Yes, I know it was a very big nut but my life is nuts so what do you expect? lol

I am getting a late start this morning so I have to be quick here but I wanted to tell you about my limo run last night. I try not to blog about my customers because I don't think I would want someone else talking about what I was doing partying in a limo, you know? But this one I had to share and I don't think they would mind.

I had a pick up at someone's house for a surprise bday party. The first surprise of the evening was mine when I pulled up and saw not one but about 8 Elvis impersonators in the front driveway singing as I pulled up! They were all women dressed up like Elvis with Elvis wigs, pantsuits, capes, jewelry, the whole nine yards. They were all really getting into it, one of them had a portable microphone and they all must be huge Elvis fans cause they had the moves down just perfect. lol

We headed over to a local restaurant to pick up the bday girl. She was eating with her husband when all of her friends make a grand entrance singing to her and announcing that it is her bday. Can you imagine?! What an awesome surprise. How come I don't have friends like that? lol

They had so much fun, we went to a local store that has a statue of Elvis and they all trooped into the store to have their pictures taken with the statue. Then we headed to a grocery store and they all went inside as they made the bday girl buy peanut butter and bananas! Everyone in the store was going nuts! lol When people see a limo they want to know who's inside. And of course most of the times it's just normal people out having fun. Sometimes you see a bride or a cute prom couple all dressed up but that's about it. Imagine how surprised people were when they saw not one but 8 Elvis's get out of the car! I then drove them to a local bar where the birthday girl had to go inside and ask someone at the bar to grill her up a "peanut butter and banana" sandwich! I was told to wait halfway down the block for them at the local Dairy Queen because they wanted to parade down the street. Well the Dairy Queen is one of those older ones with no inside seating, you order at the little window and it is on the busiest intersection in town. You should have heard the honking and hollering as they paraded down the street. They were hilarious and they had such a fun time. This was definitely the best run I've done so far.

Tonight we are going out with John's sister and brother-in-law. There is a street dance in a small town not far from here. The band playing is called the "Front Fenders" and they play a lot of oldies music. It should be a lot of fun. Hope you all are having a great weekend!

Okay, it's the story of my life, I'm running late, I have a limo pickup in 45 minutes but I wanted to share with you my newest project. I am opening up a premade graphics shoppe and thought I would give you a sneak peek. Yes, I know, I am shamelessly pimpin' my site but you know I hardly ever do this so what are you waiting for? Go LOOK! LOL

Have a great night. :-)

Not much going on and yet everything is happening. You know what I mean? My life feels like it's in limbo but it never stops turning. Hopefully that makes some kind of sense, if not I apologize, but it does to me which may or may not tell you what frame of mind I am in. Last night I was finishing up some new graphics when the phone rang. I answered it thinking it was Nathan, limo driver who was bugging me to take his run for tonight, instead I heard a voice I almost didn't recognize. It was my sister. If you haven't been reading long enough to know how hard to believe that was, then you'd have to read my archives for earlier this summer to know what is going on. Let's just say I was shocked to hear from her. She sounded very upset and was crying.

She apologized again and again for not talking to me sooner and said that she misses me and the kids. That had me crying because although I have missed her very much I really never thought she gave a shit about me or the kids. I have always thought it was so easy for her to not talk to us, I mean she's done it before and it never seemed to bother her. She apologized for what happened after the wedding and wants us to get together to talk about what happened.

She is still really pissed off at my mom, dad and Gilly. I wish none of this shit happened but it did. So that leaves me where I always end up, in the middle of everyone elses shit. I'm not sure if it is because I'm the oldest sibling or because I tend to make people want to tell me their problems. What ever it is, it is the story of my life.

I don't care. I'm just glad to hear from her, I have missed her so much, she is the only person I can trust to talk to about a lot of the other shit going on that has nothing to do with me but at the same time has been put on my shoulders. Things I can't blog about, things that thankfully seem to have worked themselves out for now. ROFL Hmmm...is that cryptic enough for you? hehe Let's just say a member of my family was having some very personal problems and used me as their venting board. Thankfully, things seem to be okay now but it sucked to have all of their shit on my shoulders and not want to blog about it here since I try to only blog about my own problems and not wanting to talk about it much to John because most of it was really personal stuff. Stuff that you can only share with a sister because you know she would understand and you know it isn't going to be told to anyone else.

So anyway, we are going to get together tomorrow and hopefully talk some more about what happened. I know I pissed her off at some point. I didn't mean to but I did. I want to know what I did that made her so angry. I remember Jorge's sister who happened to be the oldest child. She was such a bitch and so damn bossy and controlling. She treated everyone else like they were little kids still. John's sisters have complained about their oldest sister doing the same thing. Is it a trait that comes from being the oldest child? Am I like that and just don't know it? I hope not, but obviously I am doing something I don't even think about that pushes Maria's buttons. Let's just hope I'm not as bad as the examples above!

John's dad is also in the hospital. He was complaining of chest pains although it doesn't seem to be anything with his heart. He was admitted on Wednesday and has been heavily medicated. That is the one thing I hate about him going to the VA hospital, they always seem to pump him full of so many drugs. I feel really bad because we haven't been up there yet. We were supposed to go last night but John said he sounded really doped up and tired and thought we should wait until tonight. I have a small suspicion that it also had something to do with the limo coach he had to work on last night which kept him in the shop until midnight! I can't really say anything because it's his dad and his dad is the one who turned him into a workaholic so I know he(his dad) would say to put work first. I used to let that drive me nuts, but you know, my family is anything but normal so who am I to judge some one else's family?

Sorry for the long post, that's what happens when I miss blogging for a day or so. Hope you all have a great weekend. :-) Oh, just in case you were wondering, this post is already long enough so I'm skipping the Friday Five today.

My oldest daughter Brittany is a straight A student. If she gets all A's again this year she will get a presidential award for academics. I am telling you this so that you understand why I couldn't stop laughing last night. Before I tell you what happened, I'd better tell you another story which leads up to this story.

On the night of my bachelorette party we had closed down all of the bars and just about every one had went home except for my mom, Larry (my hairdresser), Kathy (friend) and my sister. We were all pretty drunk when we decided we needed to grab some snacks before we headed over to Larry's to drink some more. Yes, we really thought we needed more to drink and no we weren't driving we had a limo. Anyway, when we got to the store my mom was complaining because her mouth was hurting. She recently got braces and forgot to bring the wax that you stick to the wires that are jabbing you in your mouth. She asked me to try to find her some in the grocery store.

I looked everywhere, no wax to be found. I looked in the candy section for wax lips or something along those lines that would work. Nothing. Kathy had the wonderful idea of using silly putty. I was drunk so it sounded like a wonderful idea. We get in the limo and I gave my unsuspecting mom a blob of blue glitter silly putty to stick in her mouth. Hey, it's non-toxic and it worked! ROFL

It was very funny and I of course had to tell Brittany, who also wears braces, that her grandma had used silly putty instead of wax. Okay, so this leads me to last night. John and I were getting ready for bed when Danielle comes running in. First she makes me promise not to get mad and then she tells me a story.

Brittany couldn't find her wax and her braces were starting to poke. She remembered the story about the silly putty and looked all over her room for something similar to put on her braces. Guess what she found? PlayDough!!! ROFLMAO She squished it in-between her teeth before realizing that it turns to a gooey mess when wet. How could I get mad? It was just too damn funny. She had to brush for quite a bit to get it all out.

Oh and I have a new tag board that's feeling awfully lonely right now... *hint hint*

With so many of you out there using Ollie's new graphics I tried really hard to resist using them....but as you can see I just couldn't help it! ROFL I hope you enjoy the changes and please let me know if you find any broken links, errors, etc.

When I found this link I was shocked that someone would actually do this. But hey it works and if people are willing to send her money then why should I care. A few weeks ago I was driving some of the dj's from our local radio station around in a limo and they were having this discussion in back on how to make a million dollars. How to come up with a product or idea that would make a million people send you a few dollars. I am kinda impressed that it is working for her, not impressed enough to send her my money but impressed all the same.

I still haven't talked to Jorge. Yes, I am procrastinating and even worse than that I am going to do this cute little questionnaire I found at LaLa's just to distract you lol

PAST

::First grade teacher's name:: Miss Barber from what I remember she was very young and very pretty. She was the nicest teacher I could have asked for but when I got into 1st grade I remember waving to her in the hallway and she ignored me. I was devastated.
::Last word you said:: Bed! As in "GO TO BED NOW!" said for the 3rd time tonight. Not to John! ROFL I was talking to the kids! hehe
::Last song you sang:: I'm Squeezed in the middle.....smack dab.....down the middle.... I can't get this damn jingle for Chips Ahoy CremeWiches out of my head! I wake up to this song playing in my head! It's very pathetic.
::Last thing you laughed at:: Anthony singing his version of "Jingle Bells" to his sisters.
::Last time you cried:: I think it was yesterday.

PRESENT

::What's in your cd player:: Eminem
::What color socks are you wearing:: None, until there is snow on the ground I plan on being barefoot
::What's under your bed:: A plastic storage box filled with books
::What time did you wake up today:: I woke up at 8am with a phone call from Bill saying that Bridal Fantasy had lost my ad.

FUTURE

::Where do you want to go:: Ireland
::What is your career going to be:: I'm not sure, I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up
::Where are you going to live:: Alaska or maybe a cute little farmhouse in Wisconsin
::How many kids do you want:: The three that I have right now are more than enough
::What kind of car will you have:: A convertible '65 Mustang

CURRENT

::Current hair:: Newly cut and colored thanks to Larry, at this moment it is pulled back in a clip
::Current clothes:: Shorts and a black t-shirt of John's that says "Alcatraz Psycho Ward Outpatient"
::Current annoyance:: This damn popcorn kernel I can't get wedged out from between my teeth and of course the floss is missing!
::Current smell:: A yummy grubby candle made by Missy
::Current longing:: For my brother who is in the Navy and on his way to the Middle East to be safe and home as soon as possible
::Current desktop picture:: A cute wallpaper found at Irene's
::Current favorite artist: For country graphics it would be Ollie and for my all time favorite artist it would be Thomas Kinkade
::Current book: The Matter of Grace by Jessica Barksdale Inclan
::Current worry:: Talking to the girls dad in a thoughtful way that won't make the matter worse but will still give him a good kick in the ass which he really needs!
::Current time-wasting wish:: At least one more hot summer day so that we can take the girls tubing on the Otter Tail River
::Current hate:: My nails, I need a manicure they look like crap.
::Current favorite article of clothing:: A cute pair of hip hugging jeans I bought to wear for my bachelorette party
::Current favorite word:: Can't say that I have one although "bitch" seems to pop up often.
::One person from your past you wish you could go back and talk to:: My grandfather
::One person you wish was here right now:: Missy
::A line from the last thing you wrote to someone:: "Attached please find the ad that you lost..." in a not very happy email sent this morning. See question above as to what time I woke up today.

Today feels like the first day of fall. The air is cool and it has me in the mood for apple cider and my yummy pumpkin cookies. No cider and no cookies but we have something better. John has a roast in the oven piled high with potatoes, carrots, onions and ears of sweet corn. All have been roasting together slowly and the smell is driving me nuts. I am very hungry because I have been starving myself all day because I really want to have enough room for dinner! lol Hopefully it will be ready soon!

While we were waiting for it to roast we ran into town and bought a few books and dvd's. We also bought a yummy carrot cake for dessert. I don't think I blog often about food but right now I am so very hungry! lol........did I already say that? hehe I hope you all had a great weekend and I'm off to enjoy the rest of our Sunday.

I haven't talked to Jorge yet, I'm taking the phone off the hook because I don't want to talk to anyone. I am enjoying the peace and quiet. :-) I'll deal with reality tomorrow. lol

I talked to Larry about the girls dad yesterday while he was doing my hair. He said that I need to talk to him (Jorge) and that if I don't do it HE would! ROFL So I guess I'm gonna have a talk with Jorge and hopefully the girls won't hate me. I wish he would just leave his wife she really is a bitch. One summer the girls came home and the only spanish word they knew was "cochina" which in translation is filthy or pig, I know she was calling them that, why else would they know it?! She was constantly telling the girls that they were dirty and messy and insisted that they bathed sometimes twice a day, HELLO........they are children they sometimes get dirty! Sheesh!

Once Danielle touched a snake at a zoo and Hilda (stepmom) wouldn't let her in the car until she had washed her hands in rubbing alcohol. This woman has stolen from the girls (a picture of Jorge that really meant a lot to Brittany) and has never made an effort to try to get to know them. She refuses to come here when Jorge visits for Christmas every year and gets mad when Danielle sits on her dad's lap. I know that Jorge isn't happy because he has told me so himself. He spends little time with his family because NO ONE likes her! His sisters can't stand her and I think his brother only tolerates her. What makes me the most mad is that his daughters are growing up so fast and as long as he is with her they are going to hate visiting him because of all of the fighting and conflict and before he knows it they will refuse to go to California. He is wasting what little time he was with them fighting with his stupid wife who doesn't even care about his kids.

I can't tell you how many times I have asked the girls to give her a chance for their own sake. I know what it is like to have your dad with some one you hate. I have honestly thought that the main problem was the language barrier, she is from Mexico and doesn't speak much English, but as it goes on year after year I realize that it's more than that.This year I know they both went with the intention of giving her another chance and it was just as bad as before. They were planning a father-daughter only day and she insisted that Jorge had to take her niece along. I really could just scream because I know how hurt the girls were because they wanted a day with just them and their dad. Doesn't she realize that she has him all year long and they only get a few weeks in the summer and one week at Christmas to spend with him? I am just so glad that they are home and they are so happy to be home. The keep hugging me and John and telling us how happy they are to finally be home. It makes me want to cry because I know how much they love their dad and he is letting some stupid woman make them feel like they are not welcome in his home.

Okay, sorry for all of the venting here! I have done this every year since Jorge got remarried. I honestly want him to be happy but his happiness comes second to our daughters and when they come home unhappy and miserable I want to just kick him in the ass and tell him to take a good look at what he is doing to them. I know he isn't going to like what I have to say to him but the more I think about it the more I realize I don't have a choice. When it concerns my daughters it is my business whether he likes it or not! I will feel much better when I talk to him. Hopefully I will be able to talk to him tomorrow.

We have been running non-stop today since 9am. We got the girls all registered for school and found backpacks and some clothes. Tomorrow is more clothes shopping plus shoes. Brittany isn't too happy because the usual 6th grade teacher, the one she was REALLY looking forward to having has decided to take a year off to get her masters. The new teacher is one who used to be a student teacher. One of the mom's said that I knew her but I can't seem to place her. Danielle is excited that her cousin Tori will be in her class for the first time. I have always tried to keep Danielle in a different class just because they were too attached to each other. They have both had a few years of school to find their own place and not depend on each other too much. My main concern was that Danielle had speech problems and Tori would talk for her which didn't give Danielle a chance to have to speak for herself. Anyway the speech problems are gone and both girls are very excited to be in the same class this year. I had a nice chat with the principal today, he is so nice. He really takes an interest in all of the kids which just amazes me. I know that's the way it should be but unfortunately, isn't always the way it is. I sometimes hate our housing situation but just to have my kids go to this school makes it all worth it.

So last night we were at Chuck E. Cheese and the girls out of the blue confided in John and I that their summer wasn't all that great. They had fun but their dad and his new wife fought way too much. The girls were very upset by it and told me that they actually seen their dad hit and push her. At one point he even threw a bowl of soup at her. The girls have never liked her but they were very upset to see their dad treat her that way. I can't even tell you how shocked I was! I knew they (my ex and his wife) had problems because he has talked to me about them, but I never imagined he would do that in front of the girls. I am so pissed off but the girls made me promise not to tell their dad that they told me so I can't even bitch him out like I so want to do. We had a lot of problems in our marriage but he NEVER raised his voice to me much less hit me. I never imagined he could be this kind of person. It is upsetting.

We talked to the girls and stressed to them that physical violence in any sort of relationship is wrong and just because they have seen their dad act that way doesn't mean that they should ever put up with that shit from anyone. Brittany and I talked about it more today and she is planning to tell her dad that she isn't going to want to visit him if he acts like that again in front of them. I can't imagine that his anger would EVER turn towards the girls........but I never imagined him hitting anyone...and I was wrong. What the hell can I do? It is beyond my control but I am so angry at him right now. Any ideas or suggestions would be helpful, I am just at a loss as to what if anything I can do.

The girls are home! Woohoo! :-) They have gotten so big, and it's only been a month! It was hard to see them say goodbye to their dad. They miss him so much, but he will be back at Christmas. Well, I've got to run, we are headed for pizza with my not so favorite rat, Chuck E. Cheese. I don't exactly care for that place but the kids love it and best of all, no dishes to wash. Have a great night.

I am so beyond disappointed right now! For the last four hours I have been waiting for the girls going from extremely excited to see them to getting more and more worried as the hours went by. I tried Jorge's cell phone continuously and no answer. He told me he would be here between noon and 1pm. Finally at 4pm I called his house to see if his wife knew their flight number. Imagine my shock when Jorge answered the phone! I know he told me that he was leaving on the 12th and would be here in the afternoon. He just forgot to tell me that he is leaving on the 12th at 11:55pm and won't be here until the afternoon of the 13th!!!! I have been so stressed. At least I know the girls are ok and I will just have to wait until tomorrow to see them. :-(