Update: Microphone's Lyrics

Nobody's perfect
I gotta work it
Again again till I get it right
Nobody's perfect
You live and you learn it
And if I'm messin' up sometimes
Nobody's perfect

I guess there are worse things for Katie to hear over and over again.

Is Nobody Perfect or Is It Nobody's Business?

I don't know why but Katie likes to sing into a microphone. It's not like we watch singing on TV or take her to concerts. The only place I think she has seen a microphone is on "Sushy Bye" on Baby First TV. Until yesterday she used a pencil or a comb, but not wanting her to poke her eye out with a pencil I purchased for her a $5 light up Hannah Montana microphone from Wal-Mart. It has a button on it that when pressed Hannah sings a chorus from a song....the same chorus over and over every time Katie presses the button. The microphone doesn't amplify Katie's voice--those were expensive! Anyway, Katie absolutely loves her microphone and last night she had to sleep with it. However, I got a good chuckle last night when the microphone's chorus waifed over the baby monitor....again and again and again. And I am not sure what Hannah Montana is singing. I think one line is either "it's nobody's business" or "nobody's perfect". I'll have to look it up on line.

My Dead Bug Deal

The people at Sterling Group, the creators of the WHY wasp trap, are puzzled by the fact that I am catching bees in the bottom chamber of the trap. They asked that I send a few of the dead bees to their research and development people so they can identify what type of bees they are. They had previously tested their traps and were certain that honey bees would not get caught in the traps. The research and development team also had been studying another photo that I sent to them of one of my WHY traps and noticed that I am catching a particular paper wasp that they didn't know that the trap attracted. They asked that I send to them all of the dead bugs from the bottom of that trap. Happy to help out, I sent two containers of dead bugs to them this morning via priority mail. I was telling the lady at the post office what was in the containers and we both chuckled when she had to ask me if I wanted to insure my dead bugs. I told her if they got lost I would just empty another trap of its dead bugs.

As I mentioned yesterday, the WHY traps are new and I think I am one of the first if not the first customer who has used them. The traps were not supposed to be available until April, but I found a supplier that had them for sale online in February. The people at WHY are sending me a few refills of the attractant since I was more than happy to send them my dead bugs.

Aborigine Baby In Initiation Face Paint

It's 1: 30 a.m. The dog woke me up. I checked on Katie and this is what I found.


It's an Aboriginal baby in tribal face paint. However, Katie used baby powder that I had left on top of her play kitchen. Some how she reeeeeached all the way over there. Proud of her successful reaching, she celebrated her success. Nothing like bathing a toddler and wiping down that toddler's room in the wee morning hours. Good night! (I mean it. It better be a GOOD night!)

Seriously though I am concerned. Even though it was cornstarch based powder, she mostly likely inhaled some. I checked the baby book and online and it's not an emergency room situation, but I know I will not sleep well tonight. Matter of fact, I will probably put her in bed with me.

Commander of The Remote Control

Today is another "summer" day with the temperature in the 90's. So far today we have had no finger painting with poop, but then again Katie hasn't worn a diaper yet today because she is using the potty chair. When I put her down for a nap I'll put a diaper on her bottom and to be prepared I will use the duct tape to secure it. Live and learn....

Hey, I've been mentioned on a company's website blog. The people that make WHY wasp traps appreciated my input about their newest product. Click here to read my testimonial that they posted on their blog. If you suffer from wasps like we do out here at Corinth West considering investing in one or two of these traps. I wish they were a public company because Rick and I believe that the WHY trap is the best thing since sliced bread and an investment in Sterling would be profitable.

Katie continues to amaze me with her knowledge of our remote control and Dish Network. She was not even a year old when she figured out what button on the remote control turned the TV on and off. She has since mastered the volume, mute and channel up/down buttons. The part that cracks me us is that when a program is over or a commercial comes on, she changes the channel until she finds something else that she likes. Today she discovered PBS all by herself. Also interesting is how she can always find Baby First TV. She will slowly click through the channels and studies each one to see if that is Baby First TV. Not bad for 2 1/2 years...or maybe it is...too much TV??

Well, it's time to tape a diaper on Katie and take an afternoon break. Til later....

More....

The Saga Continues: I don't believe this! Now Katie took off her diaper which contained poop. More cleaning. New diaper is reinforced with duct tape. As for my nap, it didn't happen!

90 Degrees And It's Snowing

Ah, the third post of the day. Why? Because Katie is....well...Katie.

I put her down for a nap over an hour ago. I could hear her on the baby monitor talking, playing and then jumping on her bed. I decided to check on her and to make sure I was not going to be replaying a scene from the other day when she removed her diaper and finger painted with the contents of said diaper. Enough said. Anyway, I walked into her room and was confronted by a goose down snow storm. That is right. She took her pillow out of the pillowcase and removed the zippered pillow protector. The goose down pillow had a small slit in the seam, which she enlarged to remove the soft, snow-like down. Now if you have ever experienced a down snow storm, you know what a bleeping mess it is. When I turned on the vacuum cleaner to clean up all that I managed to do was to create a gentle breeze for the down to take flight and produce a bigger down snow storm. UGH!! Thankfully she only got 1/4 of the down out of the pillow, but from how much was floating around her room it looked like she disemboweled a king size comforter.

I must correct a previous post. Rick is not evaluating an instructor on this trip. That is two trips from now. However, he definitely is going to Denver. I don't know how Rick keeps it all straight.

Ciao. Or should I say, "Aflac! Quack! Quack!"

The Prize Fighter

Inspired by yesterday's Spa Day at MOPS, I dug out all of my eye make up and decided to experiment with different colors. Of course Katie was right by my side digging through the long forgotten treasures. Anyhoodles, I was concentrating on applying my eye make-up when Katie said, "I like purple." I decided to pause and take a gander at her. Well, the girl not only likes purple, she LOVES purple. She had surrounded both of her beautiful blue eyes with many applications of purple eye shadow with a touch of gray for accent. The result resembled a prize fighter that got her lights knocked out. I didn't take a picture because the two little "black eyes" creeped me out. I tried wiping the eye shadow off, but a faint trace still remains. I didn't want to use eye make up remover on her eyes, so the prize fighter eyes will have to stay until tonight's bubble bath. Thank goodness we have nowhere to go to today otherwise people would be calling CPS on me.

You know I love being the mother of a little girl especially one that gets into the girlie stuff. I also love the fact that she also likes to do "boy" things with her Daddy. Katie is an interesting mix of girlie-girl and tom boy and she will definitely be a renaissance woman. Also, I am so very thankful that Rick doesn't pigeon-hole her as a stereotypical girl and is anxious to teach her all that he knows.

Attractive Feet

It's a glorious "summer" day here at Corinth West. The temperature is in the 90's and that makes me very happy. However, it also makes the rattlesnakes and paper wasps happy. All though I did not see any rattlesnakes, I know they are out there and out of their dens.

I drove the golf cart down to the Quonset Hut to set up a WHY wasp trap. The WHY traps are brand new and the only known trap that will capture paper wasps. We ordered a case of the traps a month ago and I have hung four outside. So far we have had great success. It's really early to have to be dealing with paper wasps, but the buggers don't know that it's only February. They just know it is warm. It is best if you get the traps out in the spring so you can catch the queens. If you catch the queens, there will be far less paper wasps during the summer. Anyway, I dropped the trap for the Quonset Hut twice, which resulted in my fit-flop clad feet to be doused with paper wasp baited water. (Yes, I mean fit-flops, not flip-flops. Fit-flops are specially designed flip-flops that work your butt and leg muscles.) The wasps are bad down at the Quonset Hut and I caught one wasp while hanging the trap. Needless to say my baited feet were quite attractive to the paper wasps.

Rick left this afternoon for Denver. This is the very first time that Katie and I have not driven him to the airport. It feels so weird not to have done the curb side good bye. However, Katie and I walked up the driveway and waved as Rick drove away. I also picked her up so she could see Rick and the van drive down the road. She is so used to going to the airport to drop Rick off that I don't think that she understands that he will be gone for a few days. Rick's mission in Denver is to certify an instructor for his company. This is a new type of assignment for him, but I know he will enjoy critiquing the newbie. My dear Rick is meticulous so I feel slightly bad for the newbie, but hopefully the newbie will realize how fortunate he is to have one of the best evaluating him.

Last night at dinner, Katie said something that caught me off guard. I placed her dinner plate in front of her. The plate held Cheeseburger Pie. She took one look at it and said, "What happened to the hot dog?" I didn't think she even knew what a hot dog was. When I have tried to feed her hot dogs in the past, she refused to touch them. Anyway, I guess it was her subtle way of telling me she wanted a hot dog. So for lunch I made her a hot dog. I cut it up in tiny pieces and put the pieces in a bun with the much-loved ketchup and cheese. She proceeded to dismantle my creation and only ate the hot dog pieces. I am pleased that I have a new food to feed her but must remember to hold the bun.

Time to put the Doodles down for her nap. I have the start of a headache, so I'm going to nap also. Tootles.

I Seemed Busy....

I've been keeping myself busy around here and Rick and Katie are on the mend. Yesterday I cleaned the kitchen and it took me pretty much all day. It's not that our kitchen is huge, but that I did in depth cleaning i.e. cleaned and oiled the cabinets, shined the counter tops, waxed the floor. I like it when everything is polished and shiny, so much so that I even polished the copper teapot.

This morning was MOPS. I left Katie at home with Rick since she is still coughing. It was Spa Day and I got a foot massage, hand massage and tried on Mary Kay eye make-up and blush. It was a relaxing morning, but so many people were absent because of illness.

Tomorrow Rick flies to Denver for the week. Next week he is in Ottawa, Canada, and the week after that he is in Cleveland. When he does back-to-back trips like that it feels like he is just home long enough for me to unpack his luggage; wash and dry clean his clothes and then pack him pack up again. Thank goodness for Dryel.

Last night Katie and I watched the Oscars. She was rather funny because whenever the audience on TV clapped, Katie clapped. Rick's only comment was that she definitely is a girl because she enjoyed watching the show. Since Rick doesn't care for award shows, he drove the van into town to fill its gas tank and to get it washed. He then came home and took my car in to town to do the same. It's his Sunday ritual, but it is now more time consuming with two vehicles. I sure do appreciate his diligence.

So, that's pretty much it. I have been incredibly busy, but now that I have it "down on paper" it doesn't look like that much. Take care and talk at you later.

Sexy Little Thing

Today it is very windy and it is a two cow wind. (If you don't understand what I mean, please read the post The Herd Is Down.)

Rick is still ailing and Katie is getting better with each passing day. However, I have a screaming headache because Katie drenched herself in half of the bottle of my Victoria's Secret "Sexy Little Things" perfume. Not only does she smell like a Sexy Little Thing, but our whole house is a Sexy Little Thing. Fortunately, she did not grab the French perfume Rick bought me in Quebec City. That stuff, Paloma Picasso, is extremely concentrated and fragrant. As for how Katie got the perfume, she now can open all of the doors in the house including the bathroom doors. Rick has to outfit the doors with latches to prevent further intoxicating incidents and situations like this....


where she uses my blush as eye shadow.

A few posts ago I uploaded the very first picture Katie ever took which happened to be of her daddy. I knew Rick wasn't going to care for how he looked in the picture and in the name of what comes around, goes around I have posted below the first picture that Katie has ever taken of me. I had just got out of the shower. Luckily she didn't get a full body shot.


That's about it for the idle chatter from the healthy one. And I am not going to say, "I will post later because something exciting is sure to happen" for the last time I wrote that Katie took a digger out of a shopping cart.

Put On A Happy Face

"What are those?" you ask. Those are the paper plate masks that Katie and I made this morning. I got the idea from MomSense, MOPS International's magazine. All you do is cut two eye holes in a paper plate, decorate and then attach a clothespin. Per Rick's suggestion I added curling ribbon hair as hair on both of our masks. Katie got very creative and made hers reversible--she colored on both sides of the mask. Katie is still battling the flu, so I figure if I can literally put on a happy face it may cheer her up. So, everybody on the count of three....

Gray skies are gonna clear up,
Put on a happy face;
Brush off the clouds and cheer up,
Put on a happy face.

And yes I did chase Katie around the bedroom with my mask pressed up to my face while singing that song. It made her laugh, so mission accomplished.

Knock, Knock, Knock, Knock, Knock

I heard back from Katie's pediatrician. They recommended that I continue to monitor Katie. Since she did not lose consciousness, they feel comfortable forgoing the CT scan. Katie is not showing any negative signs from the fall, but she is still battling the flu. Thankfully she is now winning. The new antibiotic that the doctor prescribed is staying in her stomach.

Katie and I picked up a very sick Rick from the airport this afternoon. His illness actually started yesterday while in L.A. He has a fever, cough, body aches, upset stomach--everything Katie had. As soon as he got home, he crawled into bed. However, that was after I gave him a dose of Theraflu.

So far I have not gotten this flu, but that desperate rapping sound that you hear is me knocking on wood.

Gotta fly. I need to do my nightly rounds at Corinth West Hospital. Now where did I put that Nurse Ratched cap?

Our Beautiful Little Girl

Here are two pictures from today. Again, they are meant for Rick but the rest of you are welcome to look!

I am often stunned with how beautiful Katie is. This picture clearly illustrates it.

Blowing bubbles in the driveway.

Doodles and I

Here are two pictures that I took yesterday afternoon before we made the trip to the grocery store. I actually took these pictures for Rick with the intention of posting them here so he could see us while on the road.

Waiting and Watching

Kate seems to fairing well despite the header she took out of the shopping cart. However, last night I was speaking with my sister Maryel who works in the medical field. She spoke with a co-worker today who is a neurologist. He recommended that Katie get a CT scan to check for subdural hematoma. The x-rays she had yesterday only checked for skull fractures. I am most likely being overly cautious, but I prefer to be that way when it comes to my Doodlebug. I have been checking Katie for signs of unseen damage, but it is hard when she is only 2 1/2 years old. How could she possibly tell me that her vision is blurred?

Anyway, I put a call into her doctor to get his opinion. The EMT's had mentioned that if the ER doctor felt she warranted at CT, she would have to go to Abilene or even Dallas. So I patiently--not really-wait to hear from her pediatrician. Oh how I wish I had the team of doctors that I had in East Lansing and a comparable hospital to Sparrow Hospital in Lansing.

"She tumbled...."

I previously posted that I would blog again because something amusing would surely occur. This afternoon my dear little Doodlebug made sure of that when she fell out of the shopping cart at the grocery store.

In the carts at the grocery store in Stamford the child sits in the actual basket--they are those high and shallow ones that slip over the check out counter. There is a belt and and leg holes, but no back for the child to rest against. The belts come from underneath the cart, so they will only clip around the child's thighs and without the seat back, the child can scoot backward out of the leg belt. Anyway, Katie was sitting in the basket and she decided to stand up. When I saw her making her move to stand up, I said, "Katie sit..." and before I could say "down" she tumbled backward out of the cart.

The whole thing is rather blurry, but employees came running, ice was supplied, Katie cried and I sat on the floor rocking her. They asked me if I wanted an ambulance called, and I said, "Yes." The left side of Katie's forehead started to get red. The EMT's arrived with the sirens going full tilt. They checked her out and said it was up to me if I wanted to take her to the go to the hospital. I went for the cautious route and opted for the hospital. They were required to place Katie on a back board with a neck brace. She was remarkably calm. However, she kept on repeating, "Fall out cart."

At the hospital she had x-rays taken and she did not fracture her skull. The red mark on her forehead disappeared, but they did find a knot on the back of her head. I honestly cannot tell you how she hit the ground because I was on my knees beside her before I even realized that I moved.

She received a teddy bear at the hospital and they also let her keep her neck brace and the side immobilizers. I didn't start crying until one of the EMT's asked me if I was alright. I made sure Katie never saw the tears for she was scared enough as it was. She didn't need to see me scared.

They released us after an hour or so, but I had no way back to my car. The EMT's were nice enough to drive Katie and I back to the grocery store to pick up my car.

We are home now and Katie is perfectly fine, all though I will monitor her all night long. So that's it for today's "amusing" incident.

And no, I didn't use the cart's belt because it does not restrain her. You know I always worried about the restraint system in their carts, but apparently I should have worried more and not shopped there. The lesson learned is to shop at the grocery store in Anson because their shopping carts have the seat back and the restraint is attached to the seat back so she can't get free. I guess what has me upset is that I am so vigilant about securing Katie in a shopping cart and I am mad at myself for putting Katie in a situation where I could not do that.

Side note: That is the first time that both Katie and I have ever rode in an ambulance.

Hmmm....Interesting.

I gave Katie her liquid antibiotic this morning and she reciprocated by puking it all over the master bedroom. I am currently waiting for her doctor's office to call me back. She obviously needs a different antibiotic. She is feeling better now because she has been hopping around on the hippty-hop horse. Now if I could get her to eat something....

This morning I also got stung a few times by a paper wasp. The little bug(ger) was in the house and crawled up the pant leg of my jeans. I felt a stinging sensation on my leg and when I rolled up the pant leg to check it out, he was crawling around on my leg. I flicked him off of my leg and lost him, but I think he is in the office.

So not a great day while my husband's day involves hob-nobbing with the famous at a movie studio. Isn't it funny how life balances out and is just?! Not! Anyhoodle, I'll write more later because without a doubt something else somewhat amusing will happen. After all it is MY life we are talking about here.

Funny side note: I sit on the Stamford Community Network Board. A few meetings ago the local newspaper reporter attended the meeting because the paper is doing a story on SCN. The president of the board piped up that Rick and I own the old missile base by North Lake Anson. Callie, the reporter, responded by saying, "I'd love to do a human interest story on you and your husband. Stop by the office." Hmmmm. Apparently Rick and I are "interesting" people. I wonder if that is a nice way to say, "You're weird."

Doodlebug, The Photographer

The first year we were married, Rick bought me a Canon Rebel XT for my birthday and I became a photo-shooting fool. Well, Katie is at the "monkey see, monkey do" age and just itches to get her hands on my camera. I have to put the camera up high and out of reach or she takes off with it. Yesterday, I finally broke down and let her take a picture. It was funny how she put one eye up to the viewfinder--DSLR's do not give you a preview of the picture on the LCD screen, you have to rely on the viewfinder--and closed the other eye, just like a professional. The scary part is that she knew that she had to press a button to take a picture and she knew which button it was! She also knew to look at the back of the camera to view the picture that she just snapped. So here is the very first picture that Kate Alexandra took. Not bad for a 2 1/2 year old. (Sorry Rick. I know you don't particularly like how you look, but it's your Doodlebug's first endeavor into photography and I needed to share it with the blogger world.)

The Morning That Swallowed The Afternoon

This day has been crazy busy. Rick had an 11:30 am flight out, which got canceled because of a mechanical. They then told him they could not get him out on another flight until tomorrow. Rick kindly reminded them that he is Executive Platinum with American, which means he is always guaranteed a seat on any flight. So some poor traveler got booted off of the 2:30 pm flight to make room for Rick. They got him on another flight from Dallas to LAX, but I think he will be sitting in coach, not first class as he was on his original flight. Rick doesn't care. He just wants to get to L.A.

After we deposited Rick curbside at the airport, Katie and I zoomed over to her doctor's for an appointment. Because the appointment was made at the last minute, they squeezed us in, which meant we didn't see the doctor until 45 minutes after our scheduled time. At her doctor's office there are two waiting rooms. One is for "well" kids and the other is for "sick" kids. There was no one in the "well" room and the "sick" room was packed! Anyway, the doctor swabbed Katie's nose, tested the extraction and son-of-a-gun she has the flu. So glad we got her the flu shot this year! She also has a sinus infection that has messed with right eye and ear. I stopped at Walgreen's to fill her prescription, which took one hour. Because of the long wait at Walgreen's we went up and down each and every aisle. Katie felt like crap, but she was a little trooper albeit a little pathetic. Another shopper chuckled at us because I kept on showing Katie different items and asking her if she wanted them, and each time she politely replied, "No thank you." I finally found three items that she wanted: a little tin Disney Princess purse, green plain M&M's and Necco candy hearts.

On the way home I made another stop at a grocery store because Katie has never had to take antibiotics before, so I don't know if she is allergic. The pharmacist said if she breaks out in a rash I need to give her Benadryl, so I picked up a bottle of that.

Once home, I gave Katie her liquid antibiotic, which she was none too pleased about. Despite being orange flavored that bitter antibiotic smell is still there. Shortly after giving her the liquid, Rick called from Dallas. I let Katie talk to her Daddy and she immediately ratted me out. All I could make out was Mommy, medicine, icky, puke, but the gist was that I gave her icky medicine that makes her want to puke. And to the topping on the sundae is that Rick thinks he is getting sick.

So to reward myself for the crazy busy morning that somehow swallowed my afternoon, I bought myself a box of Valentine's chocolate that were on clearance. And thank you for asking, they were good. Every last one of them. Ciao.

Oh yeah, and Rick thinks he is getting sick.

Happy Heart Day

Katie is fairing pretty much the same. At 3:00 am she woke up coughing, so I put her in our bed where she slept until 8:00 am. I just wish there was something more I could do for her rather than just let this run its course. After she coughs she will just lay there and whimper, "Ooow, ooow, ooow." It really pulls at the strings to my heart.

For Valentine's we got Katie a Belle Disney Princess doll and a Disney Princess Mega block carriage, which she can build and rebuild. She also received a $2 bill from her Great-Aunt Sara and a $2 bill from her Aunt Margie and Cousin Danielle. I guess $2 bills are Valentine-like. She also got money from my folks, a giant Tinkerbell card from my sister Maryel and various other cards from friends and family. She is one loved little girl.

This morning I had to run to Wal-mart to pick up a few things and they already had their Valentine's stuffed animals on clearance, so I picked up a pink teddy bear for Katie. When I got home I told Katie that I had run into the Valentine's Santa and that he gave me the teddy bear for her because she has been ill. I know that some parents frown on perpetuating the myth of Santa, but I like to encourage Katie to believe in that which is not seen. I look at it as fostering faith.

Here is a photo of the fireplace with all of the Valentine's Day cards. The big pink one in the middle is the one that Katie and I made for Rick. (The big pillow in the lower right corner is actually the dog's bed which I forgot to pull out of the camera's view.)


It's cold here today and we actually had rain and hail this morning...for about 30 seconds. Not enough to help the wheat farmers.

That's it for excitement at Corinth West. Another low-key day. Rick flies out Monday, so I best take advantage of having him home. Ciao.

We Had Joy, We Had Fun

When someone is ill the house starts to smell sick. That is how our house smells despite my burning of Strawberries 'n Creme candles. To get some fresh air in Katie's lungs and because it was a gorgeous afternoon out there, I took Katie outside. The warm air and sun on her face did her some good. Our outdoor activities consisted of drawing on the sidewalk with chalk, blowing bubbles and swinging on the swing set.

(Time for a confession. I admit that I use Katie as my cover when it comes to doing various activities, such as playing with Barbies, building with her Mega Blocks and drawing with sidewalk chalk.)

Here is our art work and good wishes for tomorrow, Valentine's Day.

Here is Katie creating her signature yellow squiggles.

Here she is swinging on her swing set. She calls playing on her swing set "weeing" because that is the sound I make when she swings or goes down the slide.

Here she is walking around on top of the missile silo, which is one of her favorite places to stroll about.

She doesn't have the fever any longer, but she is still far from recovered. Like all little kids, she gets clingy and whiney when ill. All of a sudden this fiercely independent and ingenious child cannot do for herself, but we are more than accommodating to pamper her and just sit and hug her. It is absolutely important to us that Katie knows love and safety in our arms.

I leave you now with one wish which is that on Valentine's Day you know love and safety in the arms of someone who cares about you unconditionally. Ciao.

Katie Update 2

Last night at 9:30 pm I checked on Katie and she was burning up again. Rick, the official temperature taker, took her temperature and it was 104.1. Into a tub of water she went and more Motrin went down her throat. We put her in bed with us because we wanted to keep an eye on her. At 3:30 am I gave her more Motrin and this morning the fever is down, but she looks horrible and her little voice is so hoarse.

Katie Update

When Katie woke up from her nap she had a temperature of 104.5, was extremely hot to the touch and her whole body was flushed red. Rick put her in a tub full of cool water while my assignment was to call her pediatrician. Their professional advice was to give her Tylenol or Motrin and monitor her. What bothers me about this advice is that it came from the lady that answered the phone, not the nurse or the doctor and the lady on the phone seemed more interested in telling me the hours that the walk-in clinic was open. I should have insisted to speak with the nurse if not the doctor, but...... Anyway, luckily Katie likes to eat ice chips, so with those and the Motrin her fever broke. However, while eating dinner she started to cough which caused her to throw up. Poor Doodlebug, she's had a rough day. Right now she is snuggled in our bed with her Daddy watching a James Bond movie--James Bond seems to be the theme today. Since I smell like puke, I need to go and change. Have a good night. I hope we do.

Bubbles and Bond

Katie is sick. I saw this one coming at us like a fully lit locomotive when during MOPS on Monday several moms had mentioned that they or their children had been sick. Katie is running a fever, has a deep cough, hoarse little voice, a runny nose and watery eyes. Unfortunately, there are no over-the-counter medications that you can give a 2 1/2 year old for a cold, so we just have to tough it out. On the positive side, she still is a happy little girl even when she is ill.

Yesterday Katie and I played outside for a bit. We blew bubbles. I got her more solution and a big bubble wand. Today I got her another sun catcher, which she promptly painted. It is a fish and she did a good job creating a pastel, tie-dyed beta.

For dinner we are having a turkey breast, which I just popped in the oven. The house should soon start smelling like Thanksgiving.

No new exciting moments in The Bullet. I am finally getting comfortable in it. However, I do find myself thinking of errands to run just so I can drive it. One of the best things about The Bullet is how it has this low, rumbling purr. I feel like Bond, James Bond, when I drive it. Incidentally, Encore had a James Bond marathon last weekend. We watched a few of the movies and I always enjoy the double entendres that are sprinkled throughout. As for who my favorite James Bond is, I have to say the new one, Daniel Craig. He's more intense, secretive and believable as an secret agent.

That's about all for this post. Thanks for joining me this afternoon and don't forget to tip the doorman on the way out. Ciao.

Quiet Day

Yesterday we had our first tornado watch for the new year. We didn't get a tornado, but the wind was pretty strong. Matter of fact it picked up Eric's ramp and threw it across the front yard. After last year and the tornado that rolled over our house, I am not looking forward to tornado season and February is really early to have to start worrying about storms.

Monday Katie and I had MOPS. She had a Valentine's Day party in MOPPETS and was quite excited about her bag of goodies and cards. She also made a Valentine collage that is proudly displayed on the fireplace.

The new car is doing fine and I am doing fine in the new car. I had a BBBM (Brenda Blonde Bullet Moment) the other day. I drove to Walmart. Prior to that trip I had not taken the keys out of the ignition. When I did so at Walmart, the seat proceeded to glide back and the steering wheel lifted up. Little bit of a freak-out on my part. I didn't know that the car did that in an attempt to make it easier to exit the car.

Other than that, things are pretty quiet here at Corinth West.

Brithday Wishes For Brad

I honor of our friend Brad's birthday, I attempted to find a funny airline/pilot related video or joke. Since I am sure he has seen every funny plane related video I gave up that quest. However, I came across the following at http://www.guy-sports.com and Rick and I had a few good chuckles, especially since they are true. Without further ado......

Qantas Pilots: Sent in by Nigel Morris

Apparently, after every flight, Qantas pilots fill out a form, called a 'gripe sheet', which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft. The mechanics correct the problems; document their repairs on the form, and then pilots review the gripe sheets before the next flight.

Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humor. Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by Qantas' Pilots and the solutions recorded by maintenance engineers.

Pilots: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
Engineers: Almost replaced left inside main tire.

Pilots: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
Engineers: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.

Pilots: Something loose in cockpit.
Engineers: Something tightened in cockpit.

Pilots: Dead bugs on windshield.
Engineers: Live bugs on back-order.

Pilots: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent.
Engineers: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.

Pilots: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
Engineers: Evidence removed.

Pilots: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
Engineers: That's what they're for.

Pilots: Suspected crack in windshield.
Engineers: Suspect you're right.

Pilots: Number 3 engine missing.
Engineers: Engine found on right wing after brief search.

Pilots: Aircraft handles funny.
Engineers: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right, and be serious.

Pilots: Target radar hums
Engineers: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.

Pilots: Mouse in cockpit.
Engineers: Cat installed.

And perhaps, the best Qantas joke...

Qantas Pilot: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding on something with a hammer.
Engineers: Took hammer away from midget

The Quick Change Artist

Oh, the trials and tribulations of being a 2 1/2-year-old.

(Three seconds later....)

Oh the joy and happiness of being a 2 1/2-year old.

BBBM

Rick was wrong. I do like my new car. Most important is the peace of mind that comes with having a second working vehicle. We have been without an operational second car for about a 2 years now after the field mice made a nest on the engine in Rick's truck and ate wiring in the truck for the umpteenth time. The last time they did so, the new wires were in the truck for about two weeks. If you don't drive a vehicle everyday it doesn't take long for the field mice set up a home. Rick has been keeping a live trap in the parking area for a while and that has cut down on the mouse squatters.

Getting back to the peace of mind. I know Rick, Mr. Always-Be-Prepared, will sleep better because we have a back-up vehicle. (Anyone who knows Rick knows how fanatic he is about "back-ups". Example: We have at least two of any item so there is always a back-up available if needed. Also, we never, ever run out of pantry staples or supplies because we restock when only one is left in the pantry or cabinet.) I was always uneasy when Rick would need to take the van. I figured that would be the time I would need to make a trip to the emergency room and the ambulance would be on the other side of the county. (The sparseness of emergency services is also why Rick and I both got certified by the Red Cross in First Aid/CPR and AED.) Having two working vehicles will also allow Rick more time to work on either. Before if the van was down, he would work on it well in to the dark hours so we would not be without a vehicle overnight.

We have officially named the SRT8 "The Bullet" and I assure you there will be posts on this blog that I will label as "Brenda Blonde Bullet Moments." The reason for this is that The Bullet has so many new fangaled features. I already had one such moment three minutes after sitting my fanny in the car seat for the first time. The Bullet has memory seats/mirrors. You set the seat, either driver or passenger, and side mirrors then you press a button and the car retains that information. It actually keeps that information for two different drivers/passengers. We like this feature because the height difference between Rick and I is 10". Anyway, I set the seat and mirrors and proceeded to back up the car. While doing so I commented to myself, boy I really messed up on adjusting the side view mirrors. Come to find out, the side view mirrors automatically tilt down when you put it in reverse for a better view of the back corner of the car. BBBM.

The car also has rain-sensing wipers and I know they are going to freak me out not the first time they come on, but every time the wipers start by themselves. The minivan had a wiper in the back window and for some reason I would forever accidentally hit the "ON" switch. I cannot tell you how many times I unknowingly hit that switch and then freaked when I saw something in the rear view mirror going back and forth.

So stay tuned for the BBBM's.

Prayers For Eoin

A fellow MOP's nephew, who is two years old, has been fighting a vicious battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia since he was 15 months old. Eoin's parents are facing difficult decisions in the next few days. Below is an excerpt from their Care Page.

"We are being faced with making some incredibly difficult decisions no parent should ever have to make. The next few days we will be deciding if the transplant should go ahead, or if we should stop treatment for the cancer now and just treat his symptoms and pain. . . . . But, his body is getting worn out . . . . . Testing over the next few days may choose our path for us, if Eoin's spinal fluid does not clear of cancer cells, then transplant will not be an option any longer as the chances of success would be nil."

Please pray, meditate, sent positive energy, or however you ask your God or this universe for mercy, comfort and compassion for Eoin and his family. I personally pray for strength for his parents and peace with the decision they make.

My Present

Rick is on his way back from Arizona....finally. He is driving my Valentine's Day present home. Here is a picture that he took from his cell phone on his journey.


It's an incredible present and it is not only my Valentine's present, but will likely be my anniversary, birthday and Christmas present for the next four years, which is when it will be paid off. Luckily we got an amazing deal on this Chrysler 300C SRT8. Rick keeps on saying that the jury is still out on whether I will like the car or not since I have never test driven one. I like the 300C because it's pretty, which is an embarrassingly girlish reason to want a particular car. He said if I don't like it, we can sell it and make a profit. I fear that he is going to sell it before I am ready to part with it because this afternoon he considered the purchase of this car as "an investment." I am anxious to see my husband and my car....really....in that order. We so needed a second reliable vehicle. (Hmmmm. It sounds like I am trying to justify the purchase, which I am because I am thrifty, not cheap, thrifty.) Anyway, I'll let you know what I think of it once I get my hands on the wheel. Ciao.

Ride 'Em Cowbear!

I walked into Katie's bedroom and found Brown, the horse, in her crib with Bear riding him. It made me laugh. This picture is for you, Linda.


Here is the Doots with her pony tails. She requested this hair-do this morning by grabbing two hair bands and saying "Ponies, ponies."

Almost Cohesive

WARNING: I strive to make these blog posts cohesive, unlike the thoughts that constantly flit around the canyons of my mind, but it doesn't always work out.........

Monday morning, 5:50 am to be exact, Rick left for Phoenix. However, this trip is for personal reasons. He's in Scottsdale to pick up my new vehicle. It is a 2006 Chrysler 300C SRT8. For those unfamiliar, the 300C SRT8 is a luxury performance sedan with a 425 hp engine. My car is "chipped" which means the car's computer has a chip installed to fine tune the engine for higher performance and more horsepower. Rick says the car is incredibly powerful and if you punch it, you get thrown back in the seat. I don't plan on driving like Mario, but it's good to know if we ever ship it to Germany we can keep up with the big dogs on the Autobahn. In any case, I am anxious for him to return home with the car that Rick has dubbed "Brenda's Bullet." Did I ever mention that my husband names objects? Examples: The truck is called Sherman; his black cowboy hat is called Buddy; the TransAm is called Christine; and the old coffeemaker was called Carl after a former neighbor in Lansing.

(Sorry for the detour folks, we'll now return to the subject at hand, which is recent events.)

This morning was Eric's monthly vet appointment. He got his Adequan shot. One reason that we are not getting rid of the minivan is so we can get Eric to and from the vet. The minivan is officially the Doghouse On Wheels, which incidentally is why Rick bought it in the first place, to cart the dogs around.

I am dead tired today. I don't sleep well in general, but it gets worse when Rick is not home. For a few years after my fire I had sleeping issues. I could always fall asleep, around 11 pm, but would wake up at 2 or 3 am and not fall back to sleep. Thankfully, I no longer have that problem, but I still wake up every 2-3 hours and I have no idea what it is to sleep for eight hours straight.

Last night when I let Eric outside at 1:00 am I saw a huge bright orange something on the western horizon through the trees. I figured it was the moon very low on the horizon, but wasn't sure and thought it could be a fire off in the distance. So there I was wandering around the in the dark in an attempt to get a better look. And let me tell you that when I say "dark" I mean "DARK". It took me awhile to get used to the darkness of the dark out here in the country. For example I recall waking up in the middle of the night and thinking that I had gone blind because there were no city lights softly illuminating the windows.

I am itching to work on the missile base. I won't be able to work full-time underground until Katie goes to school. I wish I could work on it when she naps, but her baby monitor doesn't work through the thick concrete walls. Two summers ago my dad gave me his sand blaster, which is a necessity for cleaning/stripping the concrete in the stairwell and the hallways. Anyhoodle, for now I have to be content to work on the land topside as I slowly reclaim it from the mesquite, tumbleweeds, cacti and other miscellaneous flora and fauna.

Well, the Doots is napping and I am in desperate need for some shut-eye myself. I've been sneezing like crazy, so my mystery allergy has reared its head. The Jenkins are working our field next door, so I don't know if the plowing is kicking up something to which I am allergic.

Have a great day and always remember and never forget to dance like no one is watching; sing like no one is listening; and love like you've never been hurt.