Traditions that make me fatter

As many of you may know, I live across from the elementary school. Every Halloween, they have a bake sale. Every year, my mother would bake gingerbread men and decorate them for the bake sale. Then, I grew up and I started baking for the bake sale. It was a tradition -- I made the gingerbread men too. Someone else, though, while my boys were small, used to make stacks and stacks of pineapple upside down cakes. They sold really well. So a newer part of the tradition started -- I would buy a pineapple upside down cake, after I baked the gingerbread men.

I lOVE gingerbread men AND pineapple upside down cake. I have everything I need to make them in the pantry. I am also about 30 lbs overweight. BUT IT'S a TRADITION!!!

My boys aren't in elementary school anymore. I will probably be avoiding the costume parade this year, I'll see my aftercare kids in aftercare, and that's plenty. So I can avoid the bake sale. BUT IT's a TRADITION!!!

I think I'll go for a nice long walk today.

Happy Halloween

I'm going as an American Indian. When I tell my kids in Aftercare that, though, they don't always understand what I'm talking about. I have to explain it's kinda like Pocahontas. That they get, because it's a Disney movie. Other than that, there are very few references to American Indians anymore. When was the last time you saw an updated cowboy and indian movie?

I live in my head.

This might sound weird. Or it might sound like it's so obvious, duh, EVERYONE is like that. I don't know. I may be nuts.

I live in my head. My world is almost entirely interior. I have complete conversations with people that never really happen, but could. I get mad at people (especially my husband) because of things that they have said to me during these imaginary conversations. I say things in my head, that I want to say out loud, but that I would never be brave enough to say in real life.

I have great ideas (often that never get acted on.) I have big plans in my head. They never translate to real life.

Do you feel that way too???

Another week

Sunday Night is so depressing. It's almost as bad as Monday morning.

Last year it was better, when Grey's Anatomy was on Sunday night. Now there is nothing on except Extreme Home, and that's on early. We used to watch HBO on Sunday Nights -- wasn't that when Sopranos and Deadwood came on? I haven't checked HBO lately. That might be more fun. Something to do before bed.

This year's TV shows are: Heroes on Monday, Jericho on Wednesday, and Grey's Anatomy on Thursday. Aside from that, I've got a lot of books to read, and there is always the computer to play with. Surfing the web before I found a video of the Top Thrill Dragster Roller Coaster, stuck at the top for a really long time; and a video of a girl building a Ferrari out of knit panels. There is a lot of strange things out there on the web. Strange but fun.

Cub Scout Patch Designs

I just drew two cub scout patch designs for this year's day camp. I think they came out pretty cute. I hope the day camp people like them...

Painting

I've started painting again. I think this winter I'll be doing a lot of art. I have a few murals to work on and the painting I've started for my room. Maybe I'll post a picture of the work in progress later. I'm going to be working on a patch for Cub Scout Day Camp again today, too. They've used my art work in the past on some years.

A wide open day

Nothing is on the calendar for today. It's wide open and I can do whatever. I have so many things I'd like to get done. I hope I can actually get some of them accomplished. So far -- laundry. Not a great accomplishment. It never gets completely finished here.

I'm rather paranoid today.

I hate that hormonal paranoid feeling I get every month. It's summed up quite eloquently by a poem my old Gram used to quote to me,

"Nobody likes me, everybody hates me,
I'm gonna go eat worms."

Gram used to quote quite a few poems. I loved that about her.

Anyway, that's my mood right now, and last night too.
About half the things people say, or don't say, I take offense to.

You aren't off the hook if you don't say anything at all. I get upset then too.

How about this for a vacation idea for next year?

Crater of Diamonds State Park Arkansas - keep what you find in this finders keepers diamond mine ... not a bad way to spend your vacation!

This year's vacations are pretty well planned out already. We have St. Thomas in the fall, LA in the summer, and a 4 day weekend road trip to Cedar Point. Anyone who wants to caravan to Cedar Point with us, let me know!

So maybe Arkansas can be for 2008... We haven't marked that state off on the map yet!

Boy Scout post

I'm so proud of the boys (not mine, but the troop!) -- the few that actually attended the camporee on Saturday came in first place! Of course, my own kids didn't attend the camporee. But I'm proud of the rest of them!

They did really well in orienteering, fire building, and pioneering -- I'm especially proud of the orienteering part, because we worked on that at the last camping trip. I've finally learned orienteering myself. I had to learn it so I could teach it to them. I'm not good at it -- but at least now I have a clue.

So yesterday morning, I also had a small group of kids in Roosevelt Park doing an orienteering course to sign off requirements. Which is nuts because it takes me so long to set up a course, because I don't know what I'm doing, and so my whole weekend ended up revolving around this activity. But it was nice to spend so much time in the park on such a nice weekend. I got a little exercise and fresh air.

ESP :: Terror Behind The Walls

ESP :: Terror Behind The Walls in Philadelphia is a haunted, huge, abandoned old jail! It looks like a REALLY SPOOKY idea for Halloween... Teenagers more than little kids!... maybe we'll try it next year, if it isn't too spooky for us!

Freecycle.com

I'm a subscriber to a site called Freecycle. It's all about people giving their crap to other people who can use it, for free. You can give stuff and you can get stuff.

I pulled so much crap out of different cupboards, trying to get plenty of stuff to sell at a garage sale. Then we didn't have the garage sale. As you may recall, it rained that weekend, and the hangover was even worse.

I can't have a garage sale now because every Saturday morning is booked, and by the time those appointments run out, it'll be too cold. So I put the whole lot on freecycle and I'm hoping someone comes by to pick it up today. Wish me luck!

My Sister is an INSPIRATION...

She has finally updated her blog! So even though I have nothing much to say, I'm updating mine too.

My job is great. I'm working in Aftercare. The kids are really lovely. A little too possessive at times -- I feel like I'm the rope in a tug of war. The other aides are really nice, and the teacher who runs it is very professional and sensible, which is great. I always thought that my boys would hate going to aftercare, and I felt bad for the kids there. But really, half the time the kids don't even want to leave when the parents come pick them up. Lately in aftercare we've been doing jumprope (I turn) and drawing with chalk on the playground, and inside we do homework and make ghosts out of old gauze pads that aren't sterile anymore. (Not used, just not sterile.) I work a few hours a day, and it's been just about perfect. (Not much money though.)

My house is a mess. Not surprising, because I spend so much time playing on my computer. Here it is, almost 10 AM, and I haven't even gotten up from the key board to get dressed yet.

Today is the day I actually get something done. So I'll talk to ya later.

OH YEAH -- If you want to comment my posts, I turned off the word verification thingy.

Good book, not so good book...

Two books I've been reading this week...
"Behind the Scenes at the Museum" by Kate Atkinson, copyright 1995 -- National Bestseller, Whitbread Book of the Year, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year -- so far, not so good. Interesting, yes. Great? Not to me, not so far. But I'm only like 2/3 of the way through, so I'll keep slogging on and let you know. So far it's about a little girl (she actually starts narration while she is an embryo) and her family and family history. A lot of detail.

Previous book, finished this week -- "Crofton's Fire" by Keith Coplin, copyright 2004. Recommended by my Dad. Lots less detail, more action. Less words per page. Less deep. But really makes you think. It starts out with Crofton, a member of the US Cavalry and graduate of West Point, watching Custer get massacred. His unit was a support unit and knew they couldn't do anything about it. Continues with him keeping peace in Texas and then watching Zulus get massacred by the British in Africa. Ends back at West Point. Less detail... but to me, it was quite impressive. I'm still not even sure why.

Mind you, I like a lot of detail. I love to pick the biggest books on the shelf and read those. But I'm just not into picking it apart this week.

My hobby night... Tuesday Night Scout meeting

Yeah, it's sad, but Boy Scouts is my favorite hobby. Most of my best friends are in Scouts -- pretty much everybody at least USED to be in scouts, even if they've dropped out. But these photos from summer camp pretty much says it all about why I love it.


Look how happy Nicky is! The boys have so much fun, and they are fun to watch.


Look at this scenery! This was Rodney in Maryland. We had the most beautiful site, right on the bay! The nature is so pure at most Scout camps. The bugs are even prettier and more extreme -- but still great.

I'm gonna miss summer camp next year!

Almost Election Day

Ok, I really do like John McCormac, I think he'll make a great mayor. He has been a friendly acquaintance for many years now, he always is pleasant, just a great guy. He was an Eagle Scout and he's REALLY smart. He also happened to be the State Treasurer for McGreevy. NOT THAT THERE IS ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT :)

I definitely want to support his campaign any way that I can, and I told him so. I thought about helping stuff envelopes or something (just never have time to.) I also told him to put a sign on my lawn.

So we had a little sign, the usual campaign sign, until this morning. Just now, I looked out, and we had been given a new sign.

I'm fine with it, mind you -- I just think it's SO FUNNY... it's almost the same size as the back of my truck... it's HUGE!

So anyway, vote for John.

The Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Just so you know. I am tirelessly searching for the meaning of life. In fact, the search may be the meaning of my life.

So here is a link to the answer.

I need to read the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy again.

Howdy

It's a beautiful sunny Saturday. Just a nice chill in the air.

I'm going to see Beth and the girls (and Lief) this evening. I should probably clean the house a bit first.

I just finished reading Amy Tan's book, Saving Fish from Drowning. It was good, very interesting. I didn't really "feel" the theme as well as I have from other books though. The deep meanings were hovering around the edge of my mind like the ghost in the story, but I couldn't quite grasp it. I can't say that was because of a lack of skill of the author, because after all it is Amy Tan we're talking about here. It might very well have been a lack of focus on my part. Anyone else read the book? What did you think?

Love -n- Diamonds

Love -n- Diamonds is Sandi's new blog. For all the rest of you out there, blog in and comment her -- and start a blog of your own too! Besides that, everybody get a myspace and comment me!

I have to get dressed and get moving and I don't feel like it.

What's happening today?

Today is pretty calm so far. I have tons of stuff I oughta do and doubt I get to. Laundry is high on that list. I also need to go food shopping. I hate that. I've been avoiding it. I've also been thinking about exercising again, maybe starting walking again (for the millionth time) but I never seem to get around to it. If I stall long enough, it will be too cold and I'll end up waiting until spring! So far, I've been sitting here at the computer avoiding all the things I oughta do.

I work aftercare at 3:30, and we have Scouts tonight. So that's just the usual schedule.

Great Adventure yesterday --

I went to Great Adventure with the kids yesterday. It was a beautiful day and I sat around with the Moms -- Ellen Silva, Sean's mom, and Michelle Booth, Booth's mom -- while the boys went on every rollercoaster in the park. We lasted until around 5:00 before Frankie bailed out; he couldn't keep going any longer. Ellen and Sean had to come home with us because we drove together, but Michelle and her car lasted til the end of the night.

I'm glad I went home when I did. Frankie felt better after he rested at home for a while but I started feeling sick, I even had a slight temp. Getting started this morning has been difficult, but I'm finally moving now.

Frank and Jimmy in Atlantic City

They did well, although I haven't heard any actual numbers. Frank said they won more than they lost. They played in a Texas Hold'em Tournament, and didn't do that well but had a good time. The whole trip was just a lot of fun, from what Frank said.

Sounds good to me, they should get out and have a good time more often. I just hope I don't check the bank account and find that the money is all gone! :)

Hi everybody!

I'm glad everyone is interested enough in keeping in touch to check in here and comment! If no one writes back it's not as much fun.

Frank is in Atlantic City

with Jimmy, and I am home with the boys.

I think he intends to play a lot of Poker. Do you think he will come home ahead or behind?

Keep in mind that I've shopped quite a bit today with my mother...

Hi Beth and Sandi

I don't know who else I have interested in reading this stuff, but I know Beth and Sandi have checked in! Hi!

It's easy to make your own blog. You just have to follow the directions on the blogspot screen. Everyone -- make a blog and I'll link to it! I'll read yours if you read mine!

Apple and pumpkin picking yesterday

We went apple picking and pumpkin picking -- without Nick, though, because he is a hard working man.
I really like this picture -- it would have been even better if Frankie had turned around. I didn't have much time to take it, though, because if I had asked Frankie to turn around, Sandi would have realized I was taking a pic and ducked out of it.

Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a picture of my sister? She constantly runs, hides, turns, and puts her hand in front of her face. But HAH! We got one! You look nice, Sandi, I don't know why you are so against it.


Apples were 60 cents a pound.

WARNING -- this may be a very boring blog!

I've enjoyed blogging on The Frankie Report for the last few months. It helped me process everything that was going on and definitely helped me maintain my sanity while Frankie and I were sitting in the hospital.

Now that Frankie is feeling great, and he is pretty much back to normal, I want to keep in touch with anyone that is interested in what is going on -- but I don't want it to be focused on every little detail of his life.

So I thought I would make this blog just to keep in touch with anyone who is still interested. It won't be only about Frankie, it will be about Nick too, and me and Frank and whoever else I'm hanging around with. It probably won't be our deepest darkest family secrets. I still have an editor -- my husband is much too private a person to have me posting everything about our lives.

It runs the risk of being downright boring. I'm not sure it will even work, because if it seems too boring, I won't want to write it, and if it is too much detail, my family won't let me write it. But maybe you'll want to check in once in a while, and consider it casual gossip.

Drop a comment on occasion so I know if anyone is out there!

Welcome to the first new post!