Sweets for the sweet

J loves Champs. A champ is similar to a drumstick. It has a chocolate cone filled with chocolate ice cream. A chocolate shell covers the ice cream. Instead of chopped peanuts on the top it has crushed chocolate cookie. The tip of the cone is filled with solid chocolate. Yesterday mom and I bought him a box of champs. He decided to share with his daughter. In his defense he did not have a lot of choice. She zeroed in on it and that was the end of that. J would take a bite, then hand it over to Lorelei. Lorelei would try to stuff in into her mouth until J fought with her for his next turn.

At Rory's first birthday he did not know what to do with the cake. I just don't think we are going to have that problem with her. I am going to bring a tarp to put underneath her.

2 doctors and the electric alien

Lorelei has her 5th ear infection since November. I can spot the onset of one from 50 paces. Sunday night consisted of :
*cough*
loses pacifier
*wah-wah*
more *wah-wah*
miserable whimper.
J took her to the Doc in the morning. They had to hold her down and clean out her ears. Lorelei produces excess gobs of wax we learned. So glad I missed that one. She did not get the wax build up from me. I can forget to use a q-tip for a week and still pull out pristine white cotton. J is not so lucky. He was the genetic donor for that curse. Horrible acne in their teens is my gift to them. We now have the pink bubblegum antibiotics. Much improved attitude 24 hours later.

Where was I during Lorelei's appointment? I had a Doc appointment of my own. With my new head shrink. I really like her. We froze during the meeting. The heater had blown out. She asked me if I wanted to reschedule. I had a thick coat on and after my morning with little miss I was not about to forgo a little venting. I am an advocate for mental health. If you have baggage, go let a professional unpack it. I won't go into my personal inventory. I, like everyone else, have my own sob story and I will save it for the person who is paid to listen to me whine. Besides I tend to go off tangents (surprise, surprise) and typing all that would make my hands cramp.

Last thought for the day...
Why do the lights flicker in every horror movie? 2 AM Lorelei woke up wanting a bottle. While she munched I flipped channels. I landed on Alien vs. Predator 2. It was about 20 minutes to the credits. The big climactic scenes take place in the hospital, which has all the lights flickering. This is what led me to the flicker question. The big bad should either shun light which would constitute lights off, or just not care so lights on. In the monster entourage is their someone assigned to flipping the main switch spastically? I know it is for atmosphere and suspense. I just think it is kind of pointless. The flickering is enough to make me have a seizure.

Me 2 : Bathroom 0

Those are my hands cleaning the bathroom with a toothbrush. If you know anything about me by now it is that I never
a) get down on hands and knees to clean
b) use a toothbrush on anything but teeth
c) scrub

I broke all the rules last night. I just bought myself a new toothbrush the night before and had yet to discard of the old blue one. I remembered this fact when I went into the bathroom to clean. Our house was a bank repossession. It did not come to us clean. I did a lot to it initially to get it livable but little nooks and crannies suffered from my inattention. Those cabinets doors have a decorative lip all the way around them. Dust had collected and was a permanent fixture. In the past if it didn't come off with a paper towel and multi purpose cleaner, I wasn't gonna overexert myself to fix it.

Today my body is less than thrilled with me but the bathroom sparkles and I feel great. My Kitchen counters are still pretty. My sink shines. I have not gotten backed up on either dishes or laundry. This FLY thing is really working for me. It takes 28 days to build a habit though. I am far from where I want to be. I will get there though.

Now I just have to scrub the living room and the kitchen floor. *grumbles and moans*

Geek

Geek 1.o comes standard with (clockwise from top right) :
Pocket Protector - duh, to protect your pocket from attack.
Role play Handbook - Any down time away from the computer is for D&D.
High Waters - So people can see that you wore your socks today.
Computer Publication - The only thing more thrilling than being ON the computer is reading Manuel written about them!
Digital Watch - The only thing cooler would be a binary watch.

Geek is no longer an insult as 2.0 demonstrates. (clockwise from top right)
Uber Mobile Device - So if you are ever unable to access a computer (gasp!) you can still run your life and surf the web.
Casual Work Attire - Super smart people don't have to conform to the office dress code.
Wireless Laptop - Information at your fingertips 24/7
Leather Wristband - Watch? The cell phone, Ipod, PDA, and Laptop all have clocks built in.
Night Vision Contact Lens - I don't get this one, but okay.

I have seen the photographic evidence that J was once a 1.o geek. By the time I met him he had already begun to evolve into the current version. I saw this little picture on MyConfinedSpace.Com. It reminded me of J and several other friends/coworkers he has had over the last ten years. It is sad but true. Pretty funny to watch too.

Shine your sink

I am not a neat person. I procrastinate. I make excuses. Anything to get out of cleaning. I do what I absolutely have to so that my house does not become a landfill. Toxic but not a total dump. Well that is over. I have found the Fly Lady. It is a real simple system to get your house clean and organized. You see I live in chaos. I have said it so many times I have lost count. I just did not know that chaos stands for Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome.

C.H.A.O.S.

Now I am learning to F.L.Y. or Finally Love Yourself. It is slow going since I am working in baby steps. Don't want to burn out before I get going good. My first task was to shine my sink. I have to keep my sink shiny. Sounds easy right? Well that requires keeping up with all dishes all day. I suck at that. But since I have to keep my sink shiny the task seems simpler. The house is broken into zones. Chores are divided by days. It is less work than I usually tried to accomplish in a day but actually gets more done. I even have allotted time for morning bible study and prayer. One prayer is that I can stay true to the Fly Lady's system.

So I am off to shine my sink.

Scary Moments brought to you by Sesame street.

When I was a youngster I loved to watch Sesame Street. These days I can do without it but I do enjoy my children watching it. It is one show I know I can trust. However, I remember being terrified of the tentacle aliens. All they said was "Yep Yep Yep" while this eerie music played. Creeped me out. My greatest childhood fears were the dark, gremlins, and the sesame street aliens.Rory was not so fond of Prairie Dawn. He would scream when she came on the screen. Even if he was doing something else and had no focus on the TV. He would hear the little piano ditty that is played for her intro, whip around and scream. She doesn't get to him anymore. I guess he grew out of the scary prairie phase. He is doing better than me. I still get a little shiver from the aliens.

Briget likes to...

I saw this over at Sheri's World. It looked fun so I decided to give it a try.

Rules:
a. Go to Google.
b. Type your name and the words “likes to” all in quotation marks. (ex. "Sheri likes to")
c. Report back on the first ten things that come up for your name.

"Bridget likes to..."

1. Bridget like big men. I try not to discriminate against any size person. J is a whole foot taller than me so if you categorize "big" as "tall" then I guess that is a correct statement.

2. Bridget likes to watch Oprah. Nope. Not a fan if any daytime television.

3. Bridget likes boxes. depends on what is in them. I do not dislike boxes.

4. Bridget likes Mark. Yes I do. He is the closest thing to a brother I have ever had.

5. Bridget likes to play with computers. She is not any good at them but she does like to fiddle with them.

6. Bridget likes to collect rocks. I used to have one of those rock tumblers that polished the rocks. Hobby only lasted about a year.

7. Bridget likes shag. Who ever thought shag was a good look for a floor? Ick.

8. Bridget likes to say bye-bye. I like to wave hello too.

9. Bridget likes to play with her dolls. Alas, I no longer have any dolls of my own. I get to play with my daughter's though.

10. Bridget likes Miles Davis. Sadly I am only familiar with his name and not his music.

The Valentine Meme

♥ How long have you been together?
10 years. Only married for 6 of those 10 years.

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating?
three months

♥ Who asked who out?
J asked me out.

♥ How old are each of you?
I'm 25 and he is 29

♥ Whose siblings do/did you see the most?
Since I have no siblings we must see his more.

♥ Do you have any children together?
Rory (3) and Lorelei (10 months)

♥ What about pets?
we have four cats. Clio (his), Miss Kitty (mine), Pickles and Eris (ours). Inigo is our pug.

♥ Did you go to the same school?
Yes. He was a Senior when I was a freshman.

♥ Are you from the same home town?
Yep.

♥ Who is the smartest?
I am going to say him for the most part. I am really good with English but He seems to be able to do just about anything. Except English.

♥ Who is the most sensitive?
definitely me.

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple?
We really like Outback and Lone star steakhouses.

♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
New York City, NY

♥ Who has the worst temper?
That is a hard one. Different things make us mad.

♥ Who does the cooking?
Me. 100% me. J won't even make his own PB & J sandwiches

♥ Who is the neat freak?
neither. J is the neater one but not a neat freak.

♥ Who is the more stubborn?
Him. I can be reasoned with.

♥ Where was your first date?
We went to the movies and saw The Water boy.

♥ Who has the bigger family?
Him.

♥ Do you get flowers often?
No. I get them when I need them. Makes them more special

♥ How do you spend the holidays?
Used to be in TX but now we spend them here in our home.

♥ How long did it take to get serious?
about 11 months

♥ Who eats more?
Me. He skips meals at work.

♥ Who’s better with the computer?
All him. That is his forte

♥ Who drives when you are together?
Him. he does not do passenger well.

Pain in the rear.

This is such a mom post.

When it comes to diaper rash, I swear by Desitin. The original super thick stuff. Not that pansy easy to spread junk. Rory had a few mild to medium diaper rashes. Nothing that didn't look 100 times better after a day of desitin painting. I noticed Lorelei had a diaper rash last Saturday. It wasn't clearing up like I wanted but wasn't bad enough for medical intervention. Thursday night J and I went out to dinner with a couple from church. When we got home I took Lorelei back to my bedroom to get her changed into her pajamas. She must have sensed I would be home soon. She had created a poopy masterpiece in her diaper. As I am cleaning her up I see that there are these blisters. One pass with the wipey and we have broken open, bleeding baby behind. It was awful. I quickly handed her off to her Grandma and Aunt T so I could drive to Walgreen's. The pharmacist on duty either hates his job or the late shift. He was helpful but I got the feeling it took a lot out of him. He suggested we get to the Doc in the morning.

Doctor rook one peek and prescribed antibiotic, hydrocortizone, and lots of diaper rash ointment. She is starting to heal. Poor kid had to have Tylenol for the pain in her rear. Lorelei hates how long it takes me to change her diaper right now. She gives me these bored looks. "Hurry up, Mom. I have places to be."

Bow-tique

There is a huge racket on the Internet designed to siphon millions from others. It is little girl hair bows! One of the advantages to having a girl is the accessories. Gazillions of websites are dedicated to creating spectacular works of art with ribbon. I say works of art because they want you to pay for them like you would for the Mona Lisa. I say nay, nay. I know two ladies that make bows. Their bows are just as spectacular and way more affordable. They both seem to have their heads on straight. One of these ladies happens to be my best friend. I have struck a deal with her. I buy all the materials for the bows, she creates them for me. Today Mom and I went shopping. Hobby Lobby, Michael's, and Sally's Beauty Supply. Sally's was for the alligator clips. The craft stores were for ribbons (duh). I bought enough ribbon for Lorelei to have a whole new spring/summer collection. There will even be left overs for Sassy to make bows out of them for her daughter MK, if she wants to. I cannot wait to get them done. I will post pictures of them before they disappear into Lorelei's bow boutique.

Belated snow report

This was the scene from my front door last week. Growing up in Texas I thought what we occasionally got was called snow. How wrong was I. It was more like sleet that stuck around for a few days. Now this is snow! J got to stay home two days due to the horrible road conditions. That is Aunt B's little Dodge Neon parked out front by the curb. Hope she did not have plans to go anywhere.


Yep. I made a snow angel. I think my neighbors were probably laughing at me. You can always tell who did not grow up in an area where snow was abundant. We are the people outside taking pictures and making snow angels while everyone else is shoveling their drives. I have not made a snow angel since kindergarten. Rory was not about to lay down in the cold. Lorelei is too young for one. So the task fell to me. This is what J was up to while I made snow angels and wrote names in the snow. J is obviously the more sensible of us two. Yes, he is shoveling snow with a regular spade shovel as opposed to a snow shovel. Another sign that we are not used to heavy snow is that we are obviously unprepared for it. He did finally go borrow a snow shovel from a neighbor. He would still be there two weeks later if he kept trying to use the spade.
I think Rory was trying to tell us that he was all the snowed out for one day. When I asked him if he was ready to go back inside he told me that "Rory is too cold."

Lorelei was pretty aloof about the whole thing. She did not like the glare from the sun off the snow. After about 15 minutes she was done with snow.
The only thing she seemed interested in was touching the snow. She would have played with that snow in her Aunt T's hand all day. Being her mother I was worried about cold little hands so she was parted with her new friend sooner than she would have liked.

Blessed

Today I did something I have not done in six years. I attended church. My parents took me to church every time the doors were open until they divorced in 1996. I still attended church more often than not and was active in the youth group. By the end of high school I had a job as the permanent nursery worker. With that job I was again at the church every time the doors were open. Then in 2002 our church found a man to fill our need for a preacher. He was very soft spoken and a good listener. Someone you felt like you could confide in to help give you direction. Very admirable qualities in a preacher. This is why it was such a shock to me when he would preach Sundays about a God that wanted nothing more than to punish me.

My mother is legally deaf. She has meniere's disease . She can hear with the help of a cochlear implant and a very high tech hearing aid. The doctors have told us that it is very likely that she will loose all her hearing in the future. Along with hearing loss my mother some mobility and pain management problems. According to a sermon from our Preacher all of these afflictions were proof of Gods displeasure with her.

J and I had planned to get married in May of 2003. I was impatient and wanted to move in with him until the wedding. This is not how I was raised. It hurt my mother and father for me to disregard my upbringing. We decided to get married in November 2002 instead. It was already late October. I asked the associate pastor if he would marry us. I had known him from the time I was four and wanted someone who I knew cared about me to do the honor of binding us together before God. After talking to us both he agreed. He was so wonderful that J asked him to baptize him the following Sunday evening. When we asked the head pastor for permission to use the church on Monday night for a small wedding service he refused us. The associate Pastor went to bat for us and wanted to know why he could not marry us that night. The Pastor had no reason to give.

These and many more incidents are the reasons that caused J and I to be distrustful. We were weary of finding a church when we had been hurt so deeply. I had watched an entire congregation be ripped in two. Those who stood by the Pastor and those who stood against. People I had gone to church with all my life were lost to me because of this civil war between us all.

In the past month I have been listening to Him speak to me. It is time to come home to me. It was not in My name that those things were done. Let me heal you.

The sermon today was about blessings. God blessed me when He brought me to my friends. I did not know six years ago that they would bring me back to the place I needed to be. God blesses me when He showed us the house we live in now this is less than a mile from the church. He put all these things in front of me. All I had to do was open my eyes and see them. I was so happy to be in His house again. To take communion for the first time in six years made me feel like a weight was lifted off of me. To feel welcome by other Christians and meet Church Leaders that I felt I could trust was wonderful. I didn't want to leave when the service was over. I knew I was where I belonged.