Bloggers Guild, Resturants, Injuries

OK.. Thanks to everyone who commented on my rant and rave. As I mentioned J decided that he would like to blog now. He would occasionally come here and read what I write and thought it was more of a diary of sorts. After Georgia/Bossy came through town he realized it is much more than that..then he watched Dooce on the Today Show. I told him about the men that I read who are similar to him. He's very interested.

He and I are both going to go Sat to a Bloggers Guild Meeting. I'm going to see if this is something for me. I know that Bri is going and there are other bloggers that I read that are already members.

Saturday evening J and I are going to take his mom out to dinner. Before noon today I'm going to pick a place and make reservations. She lives about 25 miles to the West of us, I don't want to make her drive into the city..so I'm out of my element trying to pick a place. One of the girls in the office recommended Granite City Brewery. I'm wondering if that might be TOO casual. Then I was looking at this nice place called iFrattelini The prices don't look too nuts but it looks nicer..but do we want nicer? Oh I don't know.

Sunday we'll get carry-out and bring it to my mom and dad's. The dogs can play, it will be nice.

SO going backwards. Looks like I messed up my picture a day in May.. :-( Oh well.

Yesterday I took dad to get his orthotics . OMG..it was like pulling teeth. He didn't want another pair of shoes and I kept trying to explain he was wearing the wrong size shoe that is why he kept getting the painful corns. He ended up w/ a pair of tennis shoes and a pair of brown shoes, they are both very nice. NOW he is working on breaking in the orthotics. While I was there I told the doctor about my ankle. Yes, I know I wasn't his patient but before I take MORE time off work I wanted to see if he thought I should make an appointment with the doctor for XRays. Do you remember on this post I talked about losing range of motion. (I'll wait while you go back and read that)........
So yeah, that was April 25th..and it STILL hurts. So the guy touches my hairy ankles and says, "How did you do this?"...I said, "I woke up and I lost range of motion". He says, "You tore a ligament in your sleep".. WHO DOES THAT? Me, That's Who! He suggested wrapping it in an ace bandage to stabilize it. So last night (we haven't gotten to the hell that was last night yet)..when I stopped at the grocery store I picked up a bandage. I wore it to bed, I guess I shouldn't have because the PAIN woke me up. OMG it hurt, it wasn't even wrapped tight. Believe me I know how to wrap an ankle. So I am very tired today. Do I get to sit here at work and zone and sleep.. NO because I have to take my mom to a retina specialist after lunch to get dye shot in her arm. Mom wanted to know how the dye knew to go to her eye. :-)

SO..backing up to yesterday. I came to work. I realized that I had J's cell phone. I left work, dropped J off his phone. Ordered flowers for my husband's stepmom for Mother's Day. I ordered flowers for my friend's dad's wake out of town. I drove to dad's and took him to the foot doctor. I took dad home then drove and met J and Drew at Dave and Busters. After we ate J took Drew home and I went to the grocery store for the ace bandage and J's prescription..and cat food. (cat's need to eat too). I got home at 7:30..figured I'd relax, play on the Internet then retire to my bedroom to watch Survivor, CSI and Without a Trace. (yes I am a CBS addict too)
5 minutes later J comes in...big sigh..tired. He drags in all his crap from the Jeep..I'm all hanging out on Twitter then J says. "OMG we have to go back to Drew's.". .. My jaw dropped and I said, "WHY??". He said, "I forgot his school bag in the backseat".
I called Drew's mom..she offered to meet us half way..but that was silly w/ 2 kids. So we packed up Jack for our hour drive..there and back.

I didn't have time to watch all of my shows but I did watch STOOPED Erick give up the immunity necklace. OMG...Poor boy. I bet Ozzy wanted to reach over and slap him. Cirie REALLY needs to win that show this year. She is quite the manipulator..from day one!

Ooo Just got an email that one of our reps from Utah has bought catered lunch for us today. That means I don't have to eat my Weight Watchers meal. Yeah!!
I sure hope it doesn't rain this afternoon though...trying to get mom's wheelchair in and out of the trunk is a bitch when it's not raining.

I'll let you know how the bloggers guild and resturant choice go.. and Happy Mother's Day to you mom's out there.
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Update: Mother In Law picked The Chocolate Bar
Yep, the place we went with Bossy!!
Thank you oh food goddess Tempered Woman for your offer... J and my MIL have never been..and I was all "hella yeah"!!

I didn't finish my Q&A...Ooops

Can you believe I never answered Biddy??

hmmm a question....ok, kind of an odd question: have you ever considered changing churches? i.e. not being catholic anymore?

A: Um, No.

explanation: If you ever met my mother you too would know that changing churches OR religion is NOT an option. I am 41 years old and my mother still calls every weekend to see what mass I went to. Not so much anymore though since I'm taking Dad to church...so she already knows when I go.

Drew is being raised Catholic as well.. we're talking about First Communion weekend all!! Very exciting stuff. My non-catholic husband wants to get Drew a replacement DS as a gift. I don't even want to explain..rosary's, bibles, books, money.. These are acceptable gifts, NOT electronics. Oh well.

I will never forget learning that most of the bible was stories..written for a simple man to understand and should not be taken word for word. I was heartbroken, more so than the Santa story. Faith, Religion, Hope..they are all so personal and so individual. Right now I'm at the same church I was baptised.. talk to me in 10 years...we'll see where I am then.

Seven Random Things

Another meme! Slouching Mom www.slouchingmom.com has a new meme that you can go steal! Seven Random things...and yes, you are reading this you are tagged. Let me know if you do it since I love reading these things as much as writing them.

1. Inspired by LuLu's picture today; I have a Cabbage Patch Doll in the basement. His clothes hang in the closet. His name is Joel Chadwick. My dad's cousins, Hazel and John gave him to me when I was around 11 or 12. They were so proud they were able to get one since there was a rush on them at the stores. I don't think I appreciated their efforts as much as I should have. Hazel and John: If they have the Internet in heaven..THANKS!!

2. I'm obsessed now w/ Flickr. You see my little pictures over to the side. Yeah..if you go there leave me comments. I check my status a couple times a day on their popularity status. Crazy, I know.

3. I fall. All the time. Up the stairs, down the stairs, off the bed. I have ALWAYS been clumsy. Mom calls me "Grace". If I'm not falling I'm knocking into things. I almost always have a bruise, cut or burn somewhere on my body. Right now it's the burn scar on my right thumb. The oven gets hot, did you know that?

4. I don't wear high heels. Ever. Ever. I am not quite 5'4" but being "taller" even if it would make the clothes look better is not an option. Ever since I was little I couldn't stand on heels. To this day I wobble and can't walk normal. I'm talking about anything over 1 1/2" or so. I am OK if it's a big huge chunky thing...but I still can't walk normal.

5. I get car sick yet I LOVE amusement park rides.

6. I dream the day we can pack our house and move away and start all over somewhere new. I think the challenge seems SO exciting. I've never really moved before. I've been SO stuck in my ways the only time I ever expand my horizons is in my imagination. I'm thinking maybe we're on the 8-10 year plan. Depends on mom and dad though....and Yes knowing my mother she may be here at 92...well yesterday she said she wasn't going to make it to Christmas. Why do old people aways think they are dying? Wow I've one off on a tangent. ....back on track...

7. Even though my nails are RUINED...I wish I had my overlays again. They looked so pretty. My torn cuticles and bitten nails look horrible. I swore though when I got the overlays off a couple years ago that I'd never put them on again, now I'm reconsidering.

My mother the Jewelry FREAK

My mother could be called a jewelry whore. I can't say that though cause it's extremely poor taste to use those two words in the same sentence. Freak is much better.

She has PILES of boxes with beads, and tools to make jewelry, plus she has piles of boxes of jewelry. The boxes are on her jewelry case, in drawers, on the floor. There are boxes upon boxes.

She can't wear that much jewelry. She doesn't go anywhere but church and the doctor. She just LOVES her jewelry. She has earrings, rings, necklaces, bracelets. The jewelry is ordered from catalogs mainly. Ross Simon is one catalog, I have no idea what the other is. She gives the jewelry away. Birthdays, Christmas...you are just plain nice to Aunt Pat..and you get something.

My mother is also cursed with a daughter that really doesn't have an accessory brain in her body. I try, I really do but I'm limited. I feel stupid when I wear jewelry. I feel like, "look at me, I have on a necklace".... I have a DARLING scarf headband thing..but I feel the same way, "look at me I have on a darling scarf headband thing".

Recently I turned my mom on to my friend's homemade jewelry, which I actually like. My mom has decided to adopt her...she came to the house last night and I finally had to go home...they were still yapping about beads and crap at 7:45...I hadn't even been HOME yet!

I know I should NOT have introduced them, I am only fueling her addiction..I'm a jewelry enabler. But she's old and she REALLY loves it. She admits she'll never wear it all, she likes to look at it when it comes in the mail..then it goes on the floor in the box.

She thinks it is all "good" jewelry. Now there are no Rubies, Emeralds or Diamonds..but alot of crystals, CZ's, gold plated, sterling silver. One day when mom goes to the Gem Store in the sky I think I would be able to open a retail store..I would actually HAVE inventory to last a season.

Before she went on the buying spree of sorts she had nice things already..heirlooms, costume and genuine NICE stuff. My problem is I can't tell the diamond from the lump of coal.

Oh well, she's happy.... and a happy mother is a happy MP...

Puppy Power

So yes, as I mentioned breifly in a previous post. We're getting a puppy.

Before I get into that..you can download VIDEO now. Too cool. Maybe I'll upload some video this weekend.

Anyway, back to the puppy. Here is the story.

Mom used to be a teacher. In the day if you got married you had to quit teaching. Her friends Ceil and Lillian never married and continued to teach in the public schools. These ladies happen to live next door to my aunt now..mom's sister. My aunt doesn't like the Pierce Girls. Ceil and Lillian are busy bodys but mom and Ceil are great buddies. I roll my eyes and that is that. Ceil and Lillian have a sister who is a doctor. Not that that makes any difference but my mother always mentions it. Dr Jean happens to bread Bichon Frise and Chihuahua's..not together, until this time. Oppps. Not realizing that people pay loads of money for the Chi-Chon they have decided to give these puppies away. Back in the beginning of July through mothers pleading and bribes we said YES. A day later they said, "never mind" and Dr Jean's bil was taking two puppies. Well the call came while I was at dinner Wed night from mom. "You are getting the puppy this weekend!!". "The Brother-In-Law has a Pace in his heart and can only have one". I'm sure she meant a pacemaker but I'm not sure why that limits him to his pet intake??

The plan is that the Pierce Sisters are driving (get off the road) to their sisters house in Godfrey IL on Saturday to pick up the puppy. Saturday we're going to be out in St Chuck at a soccer tournament then Mass on the Grass at the academy (if it doesn't rain). SO, I said that when we get home we'll go by their house to pick up the puppy. Ceil says to mom, "Oh no, that won't work. You don't want to take the puppy out at night". That's OK..go back and read that sentence again, see if it makes any more sense. No..yeah, me neither.

SO they said either they will drive the puppy straight to mom and dad's house OR we can go to their house on Sunday. The other thing is Lillian had that surgery, don't you know? Well she is the only one that drives. What happens if she can't go to Godfrey on Saturday? Well I said that J, Drew and I would drive up there on Sunday. It's about an hour away and it's on the River Road (Missouri River)...and it's kinda purty...we'll go. Mom says, "You can take Ceil so you can find your way". OH NO I'M NOT... I tell mom if it comes to it I can follow a map. Mom tells me it's going to be pretty difficult since she lives in then country.

Just to make sure you understand, the above has been repeated to me by my mother at LEAST three times.

So we're getting the puppy, the Chi-Chon tiny baby because Grandma Pat said that she would watch the puppy ALL the time. We go to Target..drop off the puppy...Go to a movie..drop of the puppy. Go to Aruba...drop off the puppy.

We're good with this. The puppy will get constant attention and all will be well. It will be an upstairs puppy. No crate, just a confinement area w/ puppy pads for the floor. I bought a little bed for him last night and a tiny little collar that looks like a Burbury design. I was getting ready for bed and my Patches princess, puddy tat was all curled up inside. She thought it was HER bed. She is going to be SO pissed at me for getting a puppy. Rocky isn't going to care but I think Patches will be pissed. ....see there she is next to the pond in the yard...my widdle baby girl.

I will keep you posted on the puppy. What I do know is that he was born July 2nd, he's got short hair/brown and white. He's had his first shots. Drew's going to get to name him. Optimas Prime is NOT an option.

What in the world is going on???

It just seems like everywhere you turn lately there is crappy news.



Last night I did my running around, got the hairs cut, visited w/ mom and dad and got mom's glasses. Actually that didn't all go as planned. I had time to kill before my hair appointment so I went there fist. The dog was happy to see me...mom and dad were having dinner so I grabbed a plate. Typical mom dinner..stewed tomatos and hot dogs. I skipped on the tomatos and had a hot dog on FRESH bread. Vitale's and Mo Bakery were closed so Dad went by Ameghetti's yesterday and got a fresh loaf of Italian seed bread. Yummo..I'm sure that was a million points and I'm going to gain 3 lbs..give me a freekin break. It was fresh!!

I have to go back a step. Before I left the office mom called to tell me the story about how Aunt Norma was pissed at dad cause they didn't go to church Wednesday night. It was 105 degrees, dad is 86 and mom's 81..Aunt Norma is 80. I really don't think it was a good idea for the 3 of them to go to church. Mom told me this story 3 times between Wedneday night and yesterday afternoon...I reminded her she was getting old. She thanked me.

I took this opportunity to tell mom: "Jeremy and I are going to Sedelia this weekend"

M: Missouri?

Me: Yes

M: Why?

Me: Remember that TV Guide thing I wrote, they gave me free American Idol Tickets.

M: You just went last week.

Me: I know but this includes a "meet and greet with the contestants"

M: Is Drew going with you?

Me: NO

M: Oh...

Me: Speaking of going out of town, we're going to Kansas City the first week in October for Chris's BBQ competition.

M: That means another weekend you can't take me to church!!!!

Me: Yeah, but mom it's not like I should quit living.

M: I know, you're right. You probably should do all these things while you are young and still can. You're not getting any younger. You'll be crippled soon.

Me:????????

OK.....





Back to afterwoork...I then went and got my hairs cut and brows waxed. I'm hot now :-)



I went back to get mom so we could pick up her snazzy glassed. OMG...she went to the bathroom..for 20 minutes..had to get her jewelry, her lipstick...it went on and on. I kept yelling "MOTHER!! LET'S GET GOING"...I mean it was after 7pm already. YO PATSY CLINE..BUST A MOVE... So she comes out with the cane and then sits and has me retie her shoes..we had the whole discussion about if dad should come with us..it was decided not..he didn't have an imput...then if she should bring her walker or the cane. THEN she started worrying about rain. I have to tell you there was SOME lighting and sprinkles... She stands..then sits again. Her knees aint takin her anywhere. I just jumped in the jeep hoping that they will just give me her new glasses, they did... It took 5 minutes to get there, 5 minutes in the building and 5 minutes back home....NOT a big deal.



I got home and J and I watched Big Brother. AWESOME show. Dustin is GONE... Sweet. I love this America's Player thing.



So...I got on the internet and looked at http://www.ksdk.com/ which is our local news channel. The flippin "Rock" church is on fire!! This place is in a border neighborhood..near SLU, the ghetto and urban renewal.. Black and Whites...neighborhood people and visitors pray and go to mass here every weekend. This place is a church for catholics that like to have a little fun and get into their service. There is rowdy singing and hand clapping. You would think you were down South. Lightning struck the roof. They will have to rebuild. I'm sure they will.



Then..you have the search team looking for 6 miners in a collapsed mine. Then there is a bump in the mine and 3 of the rescuers are killed. How completely wrong is that?? I read that and my jaw just dropped. They are searching for what more than likely is just bodies... What do you do at that point if you are the family of the original 6?? How do you feal if you were from the family of the 3?? What do you do if it's your mine and your decision on if there are any more rescue attempts. How do you tell the families of the 6 that you are not going to have a body to bury, and if they are alive we're going to leave them in there to die of starvation. I would not want to be in their shoes, that is for sure.



Then there is Peru. That death toll is just going up and up. When New Madrid hits we are TOAST.



Hurricanes are finally here. Carribean is getting pounded and Texas has some flooding. I can't wait to go to Aruba..have I mentioned they are below the hurricane belt?

I've added the Woman's Remote cause I figured everyone should see that..I want one!!