Cat exiting a bag

Hi ladies~

So I've been keeping a secret for a while now. Why? Because my big brother, Ociffer, asked me to. Normally I wouldn't keep a secret from y'all, and I get that most of you aren't going to get the big brother thing, but this guy used to beat up kids that tried to drown me at a certain local water park, talk me off the ledge when I had to tell my parents about a C in math, and tells me where all the best strip clubs are. He was even decent enough to threaten my husband with a gun (he's a cop) the first time they met. My point is, I owe him.

Well, the talking ban has been lifted, so now I can share. This is a little hard to explain, and I don't know all the details, but here goes: I'm expecting a new niece!

YAY!

She's due in July, but Ociffer's girlfriend is experiencing preeclampsia, a condition she developed during her first pregnancy (from a different relationship) as well. And yes, I said Ociffer's girlfriend--his divorce from his wife was recently finalized. And yes, divorce precedings began way before the conception of this new baby. Let's not gossip this, please (especially not to certain birth control pushing neighborhood moms, ahem, Fuzzy...), or I will hunt you down with a pitchfork and a spatula(<--don't ask what that's for). The only reason I'm adding these details is to give some background about my expanding family.

Please, all of you, respect their privacy and share on a need-to-know basis only.

So anyways, Ociffer's girlfriend, who shall be known as Snow, went into labor last week at 24 weeks. The doctors were able to stop it, but now she's on bed rest for the rest of the pregnancy. Up to this point the doctors had been saying this baby would probably be premature.

So please keep my new little niece and her mommy and the rest of her family in your prayers. I'm making new quilts for the new baby and her older brother. They are joining the family with my brother's other two kids. It works out nicely because the two boys are the same age and think the world of each other.

New Baby!
Alula

Blizzard Conditions

Hi Ladies. I think this pretty well explains it:

8:00 AM

10:00 AM

Noon

Currently

I'm not going out front to get a picture of the house, but I'd imagine it's similar. There is a three foot snow drift just below the bird house.

Also, I would like to formally log a complaint. Q told my husband the other day that she would raise our kids (we're not having any) for us and would even "throw in a little democrat." Then she stated that producing offspring would allow my husband to have someone to talk at all the time. Mr. Borealis sat me down to a formal meeting two days ago to say that he "liked the image Q put in his head" and now he wants kids someday. Thanks a load, Q.

Mr. Q, I would like to state for the record that your wife's life plan is currently to force my husband to get me pregnant and then use the money you earn to raise the product. Be advised, or we're both going to get screwed over here.

Alula

Men!

Hey Ladies !
I put this out there to all men! Its nothing personal but when there is 8 inches of snow, a its coming down so hard you can not see your neighbors house number. Get you lazy butt out there and shovel! Don't make the woman do it because you will get it later! Yes it will be there but there will be a foot on top of it! Its so much easier to take care of when you only dealing with 5 inches at a time. I am so tired of this argument. I do not know about the rest of the women out there but I know its gonna be like pulling teeth to get the cars dug out. And what if there is a emergency? Are we gonna spend 2 hours digging out the car, as we have a family member dying in the hospital! Seriously!
It makes me so mad. And I always end up breaking myself to shovel what the man in the house should have helped me with. That's right Mr. Q I do not except you to do it alone. Just help your crazy wife that needs to be able to get to her elderly grandmother at the drop of a hat.

So as some of you might have guess I just came in from shoveling, after arguing with Wetpaw about helping me. Apparently we have 24 hours to do it once it stops snowing. We have the chance of getting close to 2 ft of heavy spring snow. And the guy that will not even pull in the empty trashcans is gonna take care of it tomorrow.
MEN! SNOW! Humph!

Are you sure it's not a full moon?

Today was weird conversation day. Every single conversation I had today was bizzare. I know three of you have worked with dog poop on a regular basis and see it as a normal work topic, but when you tell your pharmacy tech about your dog pooping where he's not suspossed to, that is a weird conversation. Also, when your doctor says no, you are not allowed to argue. I don't care how loud you get.

I got bit by the project bug something awful. Every spring and every fall, I just urges to make something. I've started writing random stories. I now know why they are called plot bunnies. They mutiply in the fibbinoci sequence. I spent a Saturday afternoon charting out a cable pattern for a class. The knitting and cooking bugs seem to bite in the fall though.

I also have no idea where the geeky guys are around here. They guys associated with my co-workers (other than the pharmacists) are either construction workers or truck drivers.

Also, everything between my ribcage and my legs is protesting my existance. Ow.

Preparing for Mr, Q's two week homcomming

Hey Ladies,
Mr. Q is coming home on leave in a few weeks. So I am trying to get the house ship shape before then. I got a new blind in our bed room and I'm gonna try to get a new curtain rod up before he gets home. I have also trying to get a room cleaned out to set up a bed for guests, I have basically been using it for a landing pad since he left. Today however I worked in the back yard. It was nice out, and I almost enjoyed raking up dead weeds. I have some rose bushes to plant but I did not get to those today. Hopefully I will get to them tomorrow. My back yard was not taken care of by the last owners. But it looks like some one use to take care of it and had it landscaped. I keep finding big slaps of flag stone buried a few inches under the dirt. It slows me down a lot when I am trying to plant something and the shovel clings on a giant rock that I have to dig out instead. There is so much work to be done! But at least I have free flag stone to use! It would really help if I had any skill at growing plants!

Checking in

It's been a while (for me) since my last post. I've been busy.

Home: My basement is now functional. I christened it with Munchkin and Q about a week ago. I am also preping for Spring gardening, as the equinox was last Friday.

School: I'm doing 4 group projects right now. Yep, 4, between 2 classes. I have 15 different group members to keep up right now, none of them are Flighty, thank God, but now this other guy is MIA. I think he's just accidentally forgotten a project given the insanely high workload lately.

Work: No nibbles. I'm losing too many hours at both of my part-times and unless this turns around, I won't be able to keep torturing myself in school.

And speaking of my lack of job, I thought it might do good to check back in on all of our resolutions (Yes, I haven't re-posted them yet I'm getting to it). I was supposed to have a job by the end of March; right now, it's looking like that won't happen. Not for lack of trying. My other two goals are on track.

Also, how would everyone feel about setting up a day, say every other Friday night, for Midnight Margaritas (as available, of course)?

Alula

Showers for all!

So ladies (and Mr.Q), yesterday was my bridal shower. All together we had 7 people, that includes my mother and I. It would have been better with men, but that wasn't an option because Mr. Munchkin "wouldn't have felt comfortable". It was very fun, we played spoons, and Apples to Apples. I have to tell you those types of games are way better than almost any other one you can play. Anyway, Q let slip to my mom about Wetpaw coming to the wedding. She then flipped out on my first thing this morning out of a dead sleep. I had an hour long fight with her about him having to come. I wish we had not told my mother of his escapades. Nevertheless, he is allowed to come now, but I had to set up some conditions for this. I need Alula and Q to tell Mr. Borealis that he and Mr.Q have to be personally responsible for making sure he doesn't smell bad whatsoever. I trust this to Mr. Borealis because he is so good at making sure everything is clean and sanitary. Anyway, I would like to thank everyone for all the great things we got to do yesterday and ask for just one more thing... Pray that Wetpaw cleans himself and is one his best behavior at my wedding.

~Munchkin

Rant About Work

Ok so we have a new assistant manager and the deli I'm working in he is the assistant manager for the whole store so he really shouldn't be sticking his nose in the Deli but he is. He is making us label everything in the hot case and we don't even have the labels for the hot case with the right price on them. He also is making us keep up with the two hour rotation even for things like corn the then after two hrs and being just fine to eat gets thrown in the trash. But the cap on his stunts has to be he tried to fire a coworker of mine for missing two days of work she was sent home the first day for looking like she was going to pass out then called in the next day. and she was sent home by the general manager. the assistant manager told her that next time she misses two days she has to bring a doctors not and my coworker being her loud mouth self told him when he gets her enough hrs to get insurance she would bring in a note. apparently he just walked off and the next day he was moved to a different store for some training. The next good thing is that our cash register at the deli keeps on coming up exactly 20-30 dollars short at night so apparently if it keeps happening they are going to write up the entire night shift because apparently it our fault even though the register is not changed out between the morning, day or night shift. I hope they just get rid of the stupid thing. Ok rants over at least until I work tomorrow.
My other problem is that there is not a used book store in this entire valley. So I might just have to go to Grand Junction next week and get some books, if I have any money next week that is and if I can find one. I can't afford to keep buying them new. ok kids awake

Fuzzy

Resumes for all!

Hey Ladies!
I Dropped off nine resumes at various vet clinics today. One of them may actually be hiring in the next few weeks. I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but I might have a shot at it. I know the Vet from a previous job. Hopefully that will work in my favor. :/
I also put in a application for a clothing store. I'm freaking out about not having a job. I feel bad for Mr. Q, and I feel bad for me. I find myself very stressed out about this situation!

I know I know...

I have been quite absent in my blogging lately. This may be because I pick up hobbies like some people pick up shiny sea shells. The other day I tried to learn to spin. At the end of the evening I concluded that I was going to leave the yarn making to the professionals.

So here's the quick and dirty overview of what has been going on in my life. (This would be done by hand puppets, but it would be too much work to draw and scan everything. :P)

- The next two weeks are going to be the only ones in which I enjoy living in the south all year. Because I has a spring! But everything has not been coated in a fine yellow dust. Do y'all know what is actually in pollen? Tree sperm.

- I am still not done with my purple sweater from July. Alright I knit another sweater, 2 pairs of fingerless gloves, a hat, and a scarf, and put together two patterns since then as well. But still. Makes me feel layzee.

- Cooking disaster #347: Black eyed peas and installing WoW. They don't go together.

- I have worked with the general public for well over 2 years, and I am still amazed on a daily basis, at how stupid people can be. Drop off a prescription at drop off window, pick it up at pick up window, how hard can that be? Also, having to re-train your co-workers every other week on how not to special order things we are getting shipped to us from corporate, that would be a nice Easter present. Also, I want less paperwork for Christmas.

- I finally found a used bookstore. It's organization system is piles. I think I'm in love. <3

- I don't remember if I ever told you what I got on my PCAT. I got a 92. I know you don't know what that means. But it's a percentile score.

- I am really really really looking foward to seeing all y'all in April!

- I need to start remembering work stories to share.

Do I get brownie points if I use all the labels in one post? How about just brownies? Next post (of mine) will be my uber-awesome brownie recipe. Maybe with mint modifications.

Until next time,
DoHP

Yowza! Who took an interest in us?

Hi Ladies (and Mr. Q in case you're to blame for this, like the time a Monk asked me out for coffee at the RenFest...),

So, I logged into our Google Analytics page this morning knowing the hits were going to be high for yesterday because I was screwing around with the page. But here's the thing: we typically average 5-10 people visiting the site every day (this is unique visitors, not visits). Yesterday, more than 100 NEW people (unique visitors) visited the sight. They were from: US, Canada, China, Brazil, Italy, Argentina, Mexico, Malaysia, Egypt, Singapore, Philippines, Australia, Germany, Columbia, Spain, Indonesia, India, Venezuela, Peru, the U.K., Taiwan, Thailand, Sweden, Norway, New Zealand, Ecuador, Japan, and Hong Kong.

I thought it was an error until I looked and indeed, there were varying reported visits from these countries with differing bounce rates.

How cool, huh? That kind of interest in little ol' us probably won't continue, but just so you all know, more than 106 different people were on the site yesterday.

Alula

Never Ending Barrage of Crap

For those in the sisterhood who have experienced their own weddings already, I sincerely apologize if I wasn't sensitive enough to your needs. This crap sucks to do on your own. I have too many things to do between work and school to worry about the simple, ridiculous, barrage of crap that my wedding keeps raining down on my head. I don't want to answer the stupid questions my mom keeps asking me. I am so sick of her saying, "This is the only chance you get to do this right, it's just one day make some sacrifices." She isn't ponying up all the money to do all the crap she wants me to do so I tell her I don't want anymore details. She thinks that I will just be boring without the details and then I have to ask her if she is going to take care of them for me? She can't take care of most of them... because they really have to be done by me. She will now be putting the little boxes I have together (I'm still paying for them though). This crap has to end. I can't do it anymore, I don't have enough time and energy for this. I am so overwhelmed I haven't played WoW in three weeks. Grrrrrr........ >.<

~Munchkin

P.S. Please save me if you can.

How to do Labels

Hey Ladies,

I added a new blog feature (still working on re-posting the resolutions). But the new feature is labels. Here's how it works:

When you make a new post, there's an option at the bottom of the post box that you write in that allows you to write in Labels. Click on "Show all" in blue at the bottom left to show all of the labels we currently have, and click the ones that apply (or type in your own to make a new label, but please do this sparingly).

Alula

First Real Sit-Up of My Life

Just quickly--I've never been able to do a "real" workout because of my connective tissue disorder. I was told no running, jumping, or twisting/pressure on my senstive joints. But recently I became so upset about how far I've degressed just since my wedding that I decided I was going to start doing this hard since I'm already dieting and suffering through school.

I'm doing wall push-ups to keep off my knees. I was doing crunches, and I realized I'd never been able to do a "real" sit-up, even when I was a young spry strong thing (lol, I've always been sickly). I assumed it was because my back just wasn't strong enough or put together right or something, but in the drive to get flab-free abs (not likely) I was determined. So I defiantly stuck my feet under the dresser in the bedroom and strained until I got all the way up in one motion.

Ladies, it felt like something ripped in my back during the last 5 inches. I collapsed on the floor and didn't move for about 20 minutes. When the pain lessened, I got up and moved to the bed. I feel fine now and everything still works so I'm thinking it wasn't serious.

My goal tomorrow is to do 3 of them.

Alula

Ok so I'm finally here mainly cause the boy is taking a long nap and I can't do much while he sleeps but the chainsaw the people next door are using might wake him up soon enough. So I'm working in a deli and am leaning more about fried chicken than I ever wanted to know. I also don't like the deep friars very much they are kinda dangerous and the tend to randomly leak oil making the floor slippery. I had today off work so I went and learned how to throw horse shoes I am not very good and really have trouble seeing the point, but the boy had fun stealing them and running off with them. And then he was on the slide at the park and fell down the park here isn't little people friendly I'm working on getting him his own little slide for the yard but it's not the right season up here for the outdoor play stuff. I still have yet to do my taxes, this will be my easiest yet because I only have one W2. Well ok that was my random run down of me. My other idea in to post favorite recipes from every one mainly because I have this recipe scrap book that I don't have enough to fill it up. I will put my moms cheese pie recipe up soon.

SMILE

Final Project

S.W. and I turned in our paper on Friday and did our 20 minute project presentation today. We went 10-15 minutes over, and there were a lot of questions, but that was a good thing. There was a lot of interest in the class about our topic and we were applauded for doing such an excellent job with only half a team. We haven't gotten the grade back yet, but I do suspect we'll get an A.

I'm exhausted.

Alula

Friday Night Dinner!

Yummy! Yummy! Supper for a hungry Catholic during lent.

And for dessert freshly imported fruit! God bless this Country!

See Mister Q, I do eat good stuff!

Hazing Update

Well, I squeezed in a phone interview yesterday at 4:30, thereby officially completing the last component of this monstrous project.

S.W. and I talked to the Professor last night, and worked out how everything was going to happen tonight at class. She was heavily apologetic that this turned out to be such a negative experience for us, and assured me that she was going to approach Flighty and give him the chance to make up the project through an individual project for credit. As for Absent, well, the Professor said she was going to recommend that she just retake the class because she'd missed so much class in addition to the project. She also said that she (the Professor) would watch out for us during class to be sure there was no negative confrontation with Flighty, since she had made the call not to credit him or Absent for our project.

Oh, and about Absent....

She emailed me late last night to say the paper draft I'd sent 2 weeks ago wasn't opening for her. Then she said "My apologies I had some personal stuff and had to be out of town for a few weeks. Email me about project work."

Sure. Right.

We turn in this 8-week fiasco *tonight* y'all, and God Bless S.W. and I, we got the whole sucker finished by ourselves. I wanted to write Absent and tell her she could take our project and shove it, but I didn't. I told her I was sorry, as the project was due tonight, we went ahead without her and just did it. I told her I hoped all of her personal stuff worked out, and that she should probably email the Professor to see where we go from here. I told her I hoped we had the chance to work on a different project together in the future, so I could get the chance to know her.

I have overcome. And my friends, rising above sucks. Some people just need a good slapping.

Alula

Library School Hazing

I've been a little short with people lately. I just wanted to tell you all what's been going on, because I frankly feel like I'm getting hazed.

This all starts weeks ago when we get assigned a group project. I will call my groupmates for this project Flighty Funds and Super Woman. We were the only three people in our class not to make it to orientation, so naturally, none of us knew what was going on, and we're the odd group of three in the class where every other group has 4. Well, we all decided, what the heck? We're going to do this project and kick it's butt anyways. We decide to do our research and regroup at the next weekend class.

Flash forward to a week later. Another group member, Absent Anonymous, is added to our group. She posts to our group page and we explain the project and plan to her.

Flash forward to the next weekend class. Super Woman and I are there; Flighty and Absent are not. Where are they? I ask our counselor, and she says Flighty has been having some trouble getting government funding to pay for the program (he's a veteran, so he should be getting it). She has no clue about absent. Now 2 weeks out from the due date of the project, S.W. and I are trying desperately to contact the other half of our missing group. In the mean time, we decide we're in it alone (just in case) and divy up the heavy workload between the 2 of us. I'm writing the paper, and S.W. is doing the power point, and she's got some friends to pick up the slack on the interviews and observations Flighty was supposed to do.

One week to go. No word from Flighty or Absent. I write the professor, and she says she'll try to contact them for us and acknowledges how hard we must be working. The next day, Flighty sends a brief email saying how sorry he is--his funding has finally gone through and now that he's certain he's in the class, what can he do? Well, the paper and power point are finished, and S.W. and I are fizzed out on stress and hard work. We tell him he can redeem himself doing the interviews and observations he initially volunteered for, relieved that our hard work is over.

Four days out, Flighty writes back--he can't do the observations and interviews. He doesn't get off of work until 4:30 every day. S.W. loses it that he waited so long to say this, and sends him a tactful email stating her frustrations. She's asking me if we should just boot him from the team, because now we're super rushed trying to get the interviews done because we put our faith in unreliable Flighty again. I tell her to write the professor; I understand her concern that Flighty really shouldn't get credit for the assignment the two of us put together alone, but at the same time I don't want to get Flighty kicked out of the program.

S.W. writes a spirited email to the professor, which I have not seen. What I have seen is the professor's response where she sounds extremely concerned for S.W.'s mental health and is asking if either of us would like to call her to talk it over. I volunteer to take on half of the interviews (doesn't matter, we're 2 days out now and people we're calling aren't calling back). I write the professor--sure, I'd love to talk to her if only to assure her we're not suicidal over the project.

So now I'm sitting here, waiting for a call back that I'm not positive is coming and trying to organize my thoughts on what I'm going to say about Flighty. This project is worth 40% of our grade. He will not pass without it, because you don't get credit if you get less than a B in any class. S.W. just wants to watch him fry for what he did to us, and part of me agrees with her. He told us nothing of his situation until the one week out one sentence apology and expects that we would just let him back with no qualms. And in my brain, this somehow equates to the 72 hour shift they make medical interns go through.

I got punked on this assignment.

Alula

Playing with paint!

Hey Ladies!
I got my braces off!
Mr. Q someday I need a better program than paint to do stuff like this with!

Will Wetpaw get fired? Stay tuned to find out!

Hey Ladies!
Its been some time since I updated whats going on in Wetpaw's life. He has not been up to much, work, school, playing on the computer, and missing the toilet when he urinates. Anyway he has this really great job were he can play computer games and watch movies on the work computers all night long.... I told him this was a excellent way to get fired, but what do I know.
Last Friday he got a call a few hours before he was to be at work telling him not to come in that night and to come in on Monday morning for a meeting in the office.
"Du do, Du do, Sunday, Monday, Happy days!"
He just got back from this meeting, and what do you know; he got fired! He was fired for playing a certain online game on the work computers. I told ya so!

Mr. Q is gonna be home on his leave soon! I can't wait to get my army around him!
Munchkin I have jewelry for you wedding! I am all into it now so you might get a few different styles to pick from. The rest will end up in our store. The cleaning process on the house is paying off.