Engineers are Weird....

weird weird weird. engineers are weird. I wonder how these guys get dates, or you know like an egg fresh from the chicken feels. I have run into some non-sociable types. Totally backward, like a hillbilly but almost more annoying. Cause they're really trying, but it comes off as stalker/serial killer-ish instead of earnest.I wonder how they ever got through high school without getting the crap kicked out of them for saying something stupid. ps if you're an engineer and it doesnt apply to you, forget it. and don't leave me hate mail, just making an environmental observation.

I have not truly appreciated my husband for the depth of his character, general good guy-edness, healthy tan and desire to talk about more than ACT scores and reviewing computer errors until this week. He actually uses his brain for things other than computer oriented stuff (although he does use it for that a lot). I'd take a mind-numbing lecture --by that I mean enjoyable conversation about Bronco problems any day. Or football. Or that funny commerical that's on tv, oh you havent seen it, never mind. see. Much more enjoyable!

Nice Matters...a lot

Okay. so Erin from the Looney Bin thinks I'm nice too! Woohoo! I'm glad I've found an outlet for my empathy. I guess somehow all those lectures about being nice and caring about other people from my mom sunk in. It didnt take more than once, I guess, even if I gave being snotty another go. So, now I have consoling words for everyone else and it makes them feel better. I like that, though. Too bad I can't get paid for it (not that I'd ask any of you to pay me :-) ). Anyway, thanks Erin, your kids are too cute and I'm so jealous! And anyone else that drops on by, be sure to leave your blog or email (even written like jane dot doe at yahoo dot com) so I can get back with you if you comment! Thanks to everyone who drops by! You're all so nice and I really appreciate your comments.

Fun Monday - blog blog blog

Lisa has our next Fun Monday exploration! She says: I’d like to know more about you, what makes you tick. I’d like to know how you started blogging. Did you keep a diary under lock and key safely hidden as a child? Do you still? Do you share the same things on your blog that you would have, or do, in your diary? Why did you start blogging and why do you continue? May as well throw in any roadblocks you have run into while blogging. If you still have your old diaries we’d love to see them.

I got a Snoopy diary from Emily in my grade school class when I was 10. It was teal blue and it had a little lock on it. Unfortunately for me, you could also just push on it, even if it was locked and open it. The date of my first period and a secret crush, as well as some not so secret ones, were clearly revealed by a sneaky older brother (why he gave a damn, I'll never know) and a frenemy named Heather in junior high. She got me in more trouble for stuff she did than I'll ever figure out. Bitch. Anyway, I digress. I no longer keep a diary. I kept a small journal for a year before I got married and gave it to my husband in the hopes that he'd read it and understand me some. Yeah, that didn't happen. I would probably have written the same thing in my diary that I do on here.

I started blogging because my friend Kt did. She's still the first blog I check every day. It took about a year and then I got the itch. I keep on blogging because it's cathartic for me and it's good to hear someone say "they get it"-especially when you can't tell anyone else. Things you all consider normal 5-minute freak out my family thinks is too "dramatic". Freaking out it not allowed. Oh and by the way, the blog's a secret. My family doesnt know and it's on purpose. Who wants anyone reading your diary unless you say so, right? One exception: my hubby, and I think he gets some insight into me that he didnt get from that journal he never opened. Thanks, dear. And if you're reading this, you're obviously welcome. :-)

What makes me tick is largely garlic bread and diet (now caffeine free) pepsi. I'm "okay" at most anything crafty I try. I'm not artistic, as much as I'd like to be, but I can keep a kid busy at a slow time like waiting your turn for a church dinner or for a family reunion to start by drawing cartoonish animals and having them copy them. I draw a mean turtle. I like to cook and invented my own spaghetti sauce this year. I guess I am artistic with food. Arranging a salad or fruit on a plate seems to make the world slow down and feel right. I love El Rancherito salsa because it's "hot" but doesnt taste like peppers. Yum! I didnt learn to match colors for clothes until my husband showed me how. Now I dont' have a problem. Some things I was just always really dense at, as smart as I am. And I am. :-) Don't hate me--I couldn't get into Mensa now if I tried. Maybe 10 years ago. But those intellectual types bore me. I'd rather scream at Monday Night Football and cry at sad country songs. I am really scared of driving in a big place, but I'm getting braver. When I was put under for my emergency appendectomy after 1o scary days of not knowing what was wrong with me and on the final day a temp of over 104 degrees, I didnt regret anything in my life, just wished/prayed for more time with my husband and family, and I've lost a lot of worry, concern, and overall freak-outedness that I had as a teenager and younger adult because of it. I'm no longer scared of dying. I think of how it all could have been over, and how afterwards no one could hardly stand to help me change my dressing, so I bucked up and did it myself. I learned to slow down, how to appreciate. How to do for myself and rely on others at the same time. Sometimes I forget. And sometimes, especially when I see the scar, or feel an odd pain, I remember. And I tell myself to calm down. Life goes on, whether you worry or not. Why waste time worrying when there's any number of new ways to learn (fail, mess up, bite the big one) and love out there. I have Christian/republican values with the mindset of a liberal democrat. Why in the F*ck would I tell someone else what to do with their body? Also, please help me pay for child care. Please please put Senator Clinton or Obama in office. Please! Okay. Sorry. My parents are republicans and they "just don't like Hilary" bite me. Since when have old white geezers gotten YOU anywhere? I didn't think so. I see it from an "I won't EVER be able to afford childcare so I'm looking at the next 1o years with no job" outlook. And my goal is to be a career counselor and help college students guide their paths to the future. I'm pissed that I have to "choose." And I wish that the government would make it easier. Like in all the other modern countries that have elected a woman leader. Hmm. Strange how that happens... :-) Alright that's me. I hope you love me!

I love cardinals...

For those of you easily grossed out, skip this one. Okay, so we hear this loud buzzing noise, and look outside. There perched on our patio is a papa redbird pecking at the noise. A locust. It was protesting loudly. And it should have. First one wing, then the other was pecked off and devoured. Then its head. That's when the noise stopped. Then the rest of the body. Sweet sweet sound of silence. They can eat on my patio anytime.

I got an AWARD!!!!!!!

Oh how I have coveted me some bling for my blog! Yes! Thanks KT for that. And by the way, I always knew you were awesome. You are nice in so many ways, and only beyatchy in ways that everyone would be: people being mean to your children, or to you, that sort of thing. No one can blame you for that!

Okay, so hmm now I have to give it away. Here's the specs: "This award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world. Once you've been awarded please pass it on to 7 others who you feel are deserving of this award."

Erin already got it but she's real nice. So I'm glad she did. So..

1. Sarah from Sarah and the Goon Squad cause she's a real mom to a "twice as nice" set who loves football!

2. Amy W from A Family Story cause she's always giving so much to everyone else.

3. Heather from Shibby Shabby cause hells bells I see now she's linked to me too! Woohoo! Oh yeah and she always has something nice to say if I'm frustrated about something.

4. Kellie from My Little Corner of Life (I call her Target Girl-she soo needs a cape) because she worries more than I do and that's a mark of someone who goes out of her way to be super-nice to me.

5. Stacy from Hollow Squirrel is a fellow rodent blogger who just seems to give so much and has the same sense of humor.

6. I read Pamela on fun Monday cause she's so nice!

7. Happy Working Mom cause she does it all!

Work day 2

Don't worry, I won't blog on and on about my work, I just wanted to let people know that I work for a large Aerospace and Defense organization in Cedar Rapids. It's temporary because some lady fell down some stairs and broke her leg. So she's recovering for at least 2 more weeks. I'm supposed to work for 8 weeks, so i dont know what will happen in the meantime. I just wanted to let people know what I'm doing since they asked! Oh yes, I am doing "administrative assistant" work. ugh!

Hi Ho Hi ho work day 1

Well, here I am through one day of 8 weeks. It wasn't tough, but I really didn't get a lunch hour. I got a half an hour, for a lot of the time, I was slurping soup out of a cup while trying to schedule appointments, so I only counted the half hour. However, they didnt get my email set up, so finally at 4pm I was told I could use webmail. Wonderful. Also, I signed something saying I couldn't use the computers for email or any of that stuff so basically I get to look up news online. Well at least I did. How bad can looking at the front page of cnn or msnbc be compared to a newspaper? Right. So.. anyway, that's the big news. Oh and the hubby brought home takenbake pizza and had it ready by the time i got home. That rocks. It smelled good when the door was opened for me. I could get used to that. :-)

Fun Monday-White Lies

The otherbear is hosting Fun Monday and wants to know: Share with us a little white lie that you may, or may not, have gotten away with. Perhaps it's something more sinister than a little white lie - maybe even a deep dark secret that you've kept buried for years! All the better! Now's your chance to get it off your chest and confess: "Yes, I did eat that last slice of cheese cake", "No, I wasn't washing my hair that Saturday", "Those pants do make you look fat"!

Most of my lies are fairly benign because I don't believe in lying. Not to say i havn't told one once or twice, a day, my entire life.. okay so maybe that's going too far. I think we all lie unintentionally when we listen to someone talking but don't soak it in, we go uh-huh, yeah, sure but we have no clue what we just agreed too. I know I'm not the only guilty one!

I used to lie all the time as a kid because I'd get into the brown sugar (apparently I wasn't smart enough to wipe the residue off my face) and I always got caught. I never once got caught in the chocolate chips, although I did eat quite a lot of them. Woohoo! I used to have to lie about where I got my clothes, I'd always just say, oh my mom bought them. When I knew damn good and well that they were either hand me downs or came straight from the racks of Wal-Mart. It sucked giant ass to be poor. Especially since those that weren't poor were really keen on making fun of those that were. I do remember going to a ballgame in junior high without having washed my hair (I'm someone who needs it every day) and a very feminine guy kept hounding me to admit I'd used hairspray ( guess it looked kind of stuck down) and finally I said yes, although I knew it was just greasy. I paid a lot more attention after that. I think most of my childhood lies were things to get out of trouble for doing something that I didn't intend. My biggest, worst lie I told was to the principal in about 2nd grade. I repeated a phrase I had heard in a movie (that I shouldn't have watched apparently) in reference to some brawny girls in our class--to my best girl friend--who immediately ratted me out not just to those few girls, but to all the girls in the class, including the rest of my friends--and then it was 20 to 1 in a conference room where I denied the whole thing. Okay, that was my worst lie, I'm pretty sure my hubby would be the only one I have told. And now you know--just don't use it against me, I'm sure all those girls would still love to string me up for it.

Dud

The weekend was a dud. I didn't get to use that hard sought swimsuit after all. It was 63 degrees when the cold-blooded among us got in the water. I had to help carry all their crap around for 5 hours. By the time it was actually warm enough to get in the water, the rest of us were fed up and ready to go. Why don't people listen? Sigh...

And the award goes to...

Okay so the award for husband of the summer goes to.... Matthew. The man just went shopping in the mall and other stores to help me find a swimsuit. Granted, we are going to go to a water park, with his family. So he owed me. I had to get a swimsuit. I havent had one since my honeymoon. That was six years ago. The one I finally got is a little big, but hey, its the end of the season and it was on sale. It's black with a yellow stripe down each side. It has a little crown thing in the middle of the top on the front and a largely cut out back. All in all, it makes me look less chubby. Unlike the $128 one at Van Maur, which was supposed to be slimming, but made me look like I was trying to hide a salad bowl under my clothes. NOT attractive. I really liked the $90 one from Victoria's secret that i saw online, i really believed I might look thin in it, however, they dont' have swimwear in our store. so... Thanks honey!

Can't pee, can't pee, can't pee

Well, I went to take the "drug screening" this morning, and for whatever reason, i couldn't pee. i managed to eek out alittle bit, enough for one test, but not a backup if I were to "test", however, I've never done drugs of any sort, unless you count alcohol, which it is legal for me to do, and I havent had any of that in a month. Anyway, I think I may have to go again now, and well, usually I'm going every half hour or so because I have such a small bladder, and it's been about 3 1/2 hours. Glad I didnt' stay there and try to "go" some more, i'd still be there. I'm glad I'm done with that. Has anyone else had to go through that?

On a side note, I had to have a sonogram on my abdomen 2 years ago when my appendix went wonky on me, and they made me drink tons of water, like 2 full bottles an hour before I was supposed to be there. Note, small bladder. So...of course you have to sign in, and then wait, by then I was about to wet myself, half an hour later I get in there, 15 minutes later I finally get to pee, I get back on the table, the lady says, wait, your bladders filling back up. DUH! You guys just made me drink twice as much water as I would at a time, wait 2 hours, and you expect my teeny tiny bladder to just magically absorb it all and get rid of it at once? Good grief!

Makes me giggle..

There are quite a few things that make me laugh. Some of the best are things that aren't supposed to be funny, but really are quite hysterical. Okay, so I'm watching Dr. Phil, shut up, what else am I supposed to do in the afternoon.. okay, Dr. Phil is interviewing "rude and crude" people and he has these sisters on, who claim that they're misunderstood and being pretty is " so hard" yada yada. Okay, for one thing, they say that they're "better" than other people, and that being pretty is "a curse". They wouldn't go outside if they had a pimple. They even refused to wear anything other than their own clothes to go on the air. Nothing else was good enough. The FUNNIEST thing is that THEY'RE NOT PRETTY. I don't know if you can look them up, but they have gunky make up and big noses, hair color that clearly doesnt match their eyebrows, granted they are very thin and have done some modeling (according to the pictures they brought in), but it was all something that borders on porn, not the prettiest thing and a good role model, for sure. No wonder they're not real well liked. Their challenge was to take all their makeup off and dress in regular clothes. One of them completely refused to do it, and the other one Dr. Phil said she was pretty-after all the crap came off. i still think she's butt ugly. Go figure.

I mean, I'm not anything to "write home" about, but I don't think all those heroin chic girls are pretty at all. Anyone else?

Don't you hate it when..

All you want is contact information for someone and you can find EVERYTHING about them, from individual likes and dislikes to personal family information, but NO ADDRESS No PHONE NUMBER etc etc. GRRRRRR. I was looking up my high school's information for a work application and lo and behold, I had to re-google it, because their "official" website had NONE of this on there. NONE. GRRRR. I hate it when people take something just seriously enough to piss me off but not enough to make it professional and easy to deal with.

Hi ho Hi ho it's off to work.. sigh

Well, I agreed to take the temporary position at the large company here in CR while the lady that usually is in that spot recovers from her fall down the stairs. It's about 10 minutes from here and it's an all-day thing. i kind of wish it was part -time but i guess my hubby will have to pitch in on some things for the next couple of months. It seems like the people there are nice, and even if they aren't, it's only a few weeks and it will be some nice "nest egg" money for us. And it will close up the gap in my resume for the time being. The good thing is, they need help, whether I am good or bad, it will be better than having no one at all. It sounds reasonable and not quite as busy as other jobs I have held from time to time, so we will see.

Fun Monday-Treat

Beckie is hosting fun Monday. She wants to know: I want to know what your favorite treat is. Is it sweet or sour? Is it plain or salty? Is it candy or chocolate? Is it homemade or store bought? For instance, if your favorite is chocolate, tell us what kind specifically - sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes not so much. I have heard a lot of talk about Junior Mints, but is it your favorite or just a tasty treat? It can be anything, popcorn, peanuts, ice cream or chips, maybe you have more than one favorite - that is ok, just show us your favorite(s) and tell us why you like it so much. C’mon, what gets you all juiced up?

It depends on the season, time of day, and how I'm feeling: Today, peanuts, popcorn and pretzels seem really yummy.

During the December holidays, it's chocolate/coookies/candies of all sort, especially homemade.
For Easter and springtime, it's these: Chicks n rabbits someone else already did the work !
For fall/halloween its these: Candy corn and its gotta be Brach's or nothing!
At ballgames I love taffy. It's a rare treat, must be cherry or strawberry!

I don't like much purple flavored, the only blue flavor I'll eat is m &m, lemon and lime must be careful with. I definitely don't want anything odd, like a cotton candy sucker, there is cotton candy, there are suckers, but n'er the twain shall meet! Classics such as caramels and tootsie rolls are all my style.

Feel free to bookmark me and come back to visit!

Football, baseball and other weekend musings...

We have watched a few Cubs games lately, because my husband really likes baseball. I tolerate it. Better than wrestling, golf, or tennis. During which I want to jump from a moving vehicle. The Cubs did move into first place and are now in second, I think. We have danced this dance before, and it always ends in heartbreak. I haven't ever attended a major league game, just little league and one minor league game in Illinois. Not much to talk about. I didnt realize that I didnt know all the words to "take me out to the ballgame" until I was an adult, then I paid attention and now I know all the words, and even when they sing it.

We had the chance to watch the Bears last night. It was right down to the wire, but they won. It was just a pre-season game, and not all of their first string players, played. Most second and third, as most of the first were sitting the sidelines. I think we may get kicked out of this apartment too. We saw a few good hits, a dislocated elbow, and a partridge in a pear tree. Wait, that's not right. I digress.

My husband did the second half of my workout with me this morning. It's nice that it was on during the weekend since i got to do it, I won't feel bad about skipping it tomorrow to go to this job interview. It's not something I'm all that excited about, but apparently these folks are overly excited to get the interviewing done, and if that means I make some fast cash this summer, while I'm waiting for something better to come along, so be it. Either way, my hubby got to truly appreciate how much I am actually doing during my workout and I'm sure my daily treats will not be looked at with distaste, I surely burned off these calories and more...

I hate headaches, especially the ones that stick around and get worse, even after you've slept for 2 hours. Yeah, sleep my friend. yeah! It's something I always ask for for my birthday or Christmas, more sleep. i never get it though ;-P

Interview

I have a job interview for a 7-week temporary position at a large company in town. On Monday morning. I found this out: Friday night. I still don't have all the details and it is quite frustrating. It's not that big of a deal, just a drive and a half hour out of my day, but I like to be quite prepared. I really wish i could get a job in HR or similar, it would sure be nice, and be closer to what I want to do. I'm not sure how to get there. Since I havent had a vacation ever and I'm kind of a homebody, I don't mind being home. I've been doing really well at exercising, and it seems like I might actually have a little definition to my muscles now. My house is clean and laundry caught up for the first time since I worked part time, all the time. It is a bit boring, and I wish I had more to do some days, but all in all it's not bad. I don't have to work in order to pay our bills, which is great. It is giving me plenty of time to research jobs and see what I want to do. The problem is that the jobs I want either I'm not quite qualified for or they just don't exist. Thus taking the temporary position, it will make me a little money, give me a shot of non-boredomness and maybe make a few contacts for me that may be useful in the future. Wish me luck. I'll let you know how it goes..

Poll results-Football

Thank you to everyone for voting! It was 50/50-half of you love football
and the other just wish you could go to the mall during the superbowl.
Those mall shoppers will just have to pick me up something cute to wear
for Valentine's day while I'm screaming "take him out at the knees"
and "stick him, get him dammit don't let him go" or "let him go boys, let him go..yeah!!!!!!"..well you get the drift.

We will be watching most televised games. At this point the Bears, I like
watching the Saints cause a former WIU grad (Aaron Stecker) plays on there,
the Packers, the Rams, pretty much midwestern teams. No love for the
Dolphins, Redskins or Giants. Sorry coasts!

Where I've been and Why

Check out this post: http://lil-mousehouse.blogspot.com/2007/07/states-visited-map.html
to see the states I have visited. I have not included states I simply drove through, there would be more. Okay: West to East and North to South:

Nebraska-Univ of Neb @Lincoln-for a National University Housing conference-wild west theme
Minnesota-when i was very young-my dad went to Mayo's for a thumb replacement in his 40's
Iowa-we live here (now)
Missouri-my grandmother lived here for most of her life, we visited Hannibal often
Louisiana-National Honor Society trip to N'awlins--don't try to pronounce it any other way
Wisconsin-2 times for regional housing conferences, once for a 40th anniversary Bronco event
Illinois-we lived in west central and central as youngsters and young marrieds, also college here
Michigan-we got Trek from the Leader Dogs for the Blind foundation. They're awesome!
Indiana-I visited my brother and his family here--and visited my fiance because of it. awesome!
Kentucky-We accompanied my parents to the bat factory and Churchill Downs, also a high school Appalachian mission trip to help poor people fix up their homes
South Carolina-Visited my hubby here (see Indiana) before we were married.
Georgia-My aunt lived here a long time, visited her in about 1988
Florida-crossed the line to here to say we'd been.

Miracle of miracles

Did I tell you that not last weekend, but the one before, my husband gave me a compliment about my body that didnt have to do with my curves? No? Well let me tell you, that's been the highlight of my summer, that and Harry Potter. Shut up, I know I don't have a whole lot going on right now. I don't seem to have lost any more weight, but the working out seems to have made me more flexible and I can actually suck in my stomach right now. Woohoo! That hasn't happened since the dastardly surgery in 2005. Anyway, just wanted to tell you all that. Now if I could just get a compliment a day, maybe it would help me get in shape, what ya think?

Pantry, as promised

Where I was and what I was doing...

On Friday, I helped spread gravel for our F6 to sit on at the farm. A lot of it by hand. Here's a pic of the finished product, with said truck in background.






I also got the chance to go to an auction. It wasn't a big joy, I didn't bid on or get anything, but just watching the inner workings of a small town, people going in and out, talking, farmers in overalls, and everything started at $10, even something that was fairly new and wouldn't have been more than $10 to start with. Sheesh!

My parents have purchased something called "feed bread". My best guess is that it's the way of breadmakers and stores to make back some cash on the bread that falls apart, falls on the floor, etc. This was a whole tray, I'm guessing around 20 items of bread that they can feed to the goats. I got the "honor" of leading the goats out to get some grass by wiggling some bread in their faces. I deserve a medal. They aren't my goats. They aren't my parents goats. Don't ask.


My hubby helped put a tv up on the wall for my mom. Before, it had been sitting on the dryer, and every time the washer went on the spin cycle, she was freaked out it was going to shake off. Needless to say, this was a detriment to trying to do ANYTHING and laundry at the same time. So here's a pic of the handsome (but needing a haircut) guy in my life helping out ;-).

I don't have any pictures of the other things I did, like helping mom freeze corn: it's a long process including cutting corn off the cob, using the back of the knife to squeegee out the rest of the kernel, cooking and cooling it, then getting it into freezer bags. Or snapping green beans, or picking cucumbers or tomatoes, or getting up before 6 am and taking the dogs for a walk, or resting on the porch swing, or listening to the thunderstorm... just another visit to the farm.

Fun Monday-Show us your aprons!

Okay, so mscellania is hosting Fun Monday this week. She says: So in case anyone has forgotten I wanted you to 'show your aprons' it can be your favourite or an unusual one or more than one. Be creative as you like; and secondly if, like me, you have lots of 'tea towels' that are brand new (or could be an old favourite) I would like to see those as well and hear the story behind the picture- was it a gift from a holiday, a present from auntie that you only use when she visits etc...........

So here goes:my mommy made my apron. It's got sunflowers on it. It has ties around the middle to fasten in back (future pregnancy will render them useless) and a button at the neck, which keeps it on and my clothes clean. I have a potholder that matches as well, but it's not pictured. What is pictured is 2 loaves of banana bread (one with pecans, one without for me and my brace-faced hubby) and my fancy knife, i recommend that everyone get one. Ask for it for a holiday gift if you can't buy it yourself. I did so and it's one of my favorite presents ever! I have quite a few tea towels, including ones made by my grandmother, and some I've been planning on making from here. I made some for my friend Tricia for her wedding, they were sea and dolphin type because she was a marine biology major. She married a farmer. Yeah, long story, but she's great. I wish she blogged too. I wish I had both more aprons and more towels nice and fancy stitched. I love them! Update--hopefully better pictures!

Ahem I will be out for a few days...

sorry readers, I will be gone starting tomorrow afternoon and I won't be able to blog again until Sunday! Sniffle! Don't worry, I'll be back hopefully with a way to create my new pantry! Remember my temporary one? Soon it will be filled with other things to clean my counterspace off, and I will have a big pantry! Yeah!

While I'm at it

If you're posting with no blog, do you feel lonely yet? Huh, do ya? I read my friend KT's blog for about a year before i got the itch. Want me to give it to you? Rub rub, yeah, there you go! Now go start a blog already!

Note: the other cool link at the left, is E-MAIL ME. That way if you don't want to comment you can send it there. Also, if you have my former email address, don't use it, it won't work, just kidding, just trying to keep my blog stuff separate!

Check out my pole.. errr poll, to the left

Okay so that was a lame attempt to get someone to read this out of the blue. We'll see. Any lurkers out there, feel free to comment, check out my poll, vote, etc. If you like it, we'll think of another to post for your entertainment!