Happy Birthday to Me!

Last Friday was my birthday! I turned 53. Today, I do not feel a day older than I did in my 20s. Is that weird?

I took Friday off, since I just didn't feel like working on my birthday like I have most years. I celebrated by sleeping late. Ahhhhhhhh...... Then Hubby and I went to a pizza buffet (Pizza Hut...my fave.) It was not really my birthday choice, but we always go eat pizza when I take a day off, as the pizza place does not have the buffet on weekends.

Then we went by the thrift store, where the only thing I picked up was a book for the grandsons' toy box at our house. Hubby found a few items to sell on ebay. Then we stopped at the petstore on the way home and bought some fish to add to our aquarium. We haven't bought any in a while and since we had lost some fish, the remaining ones were looking lonely. LOL! They are all happy now.

The rest of the day we just hung out at home, relaxing. Hubby did not make me a birthday dinner, as he was too stuffed from lunch to eat dinner, so I told him not to worry about it. He did bring my flowers, though. He is a good hubby.

I already had my gift. I got it early in September. I got a Nook. I don't know if you remember way back when I was trying to decide between a Kindle and a Net book, at which time I ended up getting my netbook that I wrote about here. Now I still love my little netbook! It is cute, it does what I want and it is totally portable. I actually have ended up using it more than I use our desktop pc and it is one kick-ass pc.

BUT the netbook did not work the way I would like as an ebook reader, so I started researching and ended up getting a Nook from Barnes and Noble. Well, I really bought it from Best Buy, since they had a deal on at the time. I just love, love, love my new Nook. I have loaded almost 60 books on it, have read quite a few and have not paid for one! Yes, I have found a ton of free ebooks on the web, readable by my little baby. this is not a review post. If anyone wants to know why I chose the Nook over the Kindle, just let me know. I will be happy to share.

The rest of the weekend was a relaxation celebration. I had threatened Hubby with all sorts of evil if he bought me anything else but flowers for my birthday and was very pleased that he didn't. He cooked a lovely birthday dinner for me on Saturday. Of course we  had cake. And it was a totally wonderful weekend!

I drank coffee this morning.

I NEVER drink coffee. I don't like it. But I need it today.

I think I jinxed myself, yesterday, when my girlfriend and I were working out. She said that she can only sleep about 7 hours a night....blames it on perimenopause. I said that I would not be able to function on only 7 hours of sleep a night. I need a good 8 to feel good.

So, last night, I went to bed and could NOT fall asleep. So I turned the light back on and read until I was bleary-eyed. I finally conked out sometime after midnight.

Then and electrical storm hit around 3:30 and woke me up. I can sleep through rain, heavy rain and even thunder sometimes, but this was LOUD. I was pretty dingy, but thought that the storm was pretty strong and I might lose power, so dug my cell phone out of my purse and set the alarm. Then I went back to bed.

Then A CAT decided I needed to be up before 6 and started licking my face! Arrrggghhhhh!! Our cats, Max and Mini, usually sleep in "their room" as Hubby doesn't like cats on the bed when he is sleeping because they bug him. But Hubby has been on a camping trip and I let them sleep where ever they want when he is not home. Mini does not like to sleep in our bed. I don't know where she sleeps, but I know where she doesn't. Max loves to sleep in our bed has been really good all week and not woken me up during the night. He was BAD today.

It is a good thing he is so pretty.

Both alarms went off at 6 and I stumbled out of bed, got ready for work and made it in to the office.

I am really tired. Iced tea isn’t doing it, so I just drank a cup of coffee WITH hot chocolate mixed in. If that is not enough caffeine to wake me up, then there isn’t enough. LOL!

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

I was ruthless!

I have been wanting to buy new clothes for a couple of months now. Why? Because I am bored with what I wear and realized I was wearing the same things over and over again, even though I have a closet full of clothes.

Hubby tells me "Go shopping if you want." We can afford it. As a matter of fact, I have $250 in a prepaid Visa and an American Express Gift Check that I got as incentives from work. I could buy  pretty good wardrobe for $250. (Yes, I am a clothing bargain shopper as well.)

One problem is that it is hard for me to get motivated. The biggest reason being that I have to try on  a LOT of clothes to find things I like and that fit well. Though, I discovered Fashion Bug about 6 months ago and their clothing sizes seemed to be more consistent. I used to be a JCPenney fan, but every brand there is sized differently. Oh, and it is always really crowded.

Another problem I had was that my part of the closet was PACKED. Well, not jam-packed. I could move the hangers back and forth, but still pretty packed. I kept telling my self that I needed to get rid of some clothes, but just hadn't done it.

Then yesterday, I walked in the closet to get the laundry and saw a sleeve hanging out and thought, "I don't like that anymore." So, I took it off the hanger and tossed it out of the closet. Then I started pulling more out. "Don't like it." "Why did I even buy this." "Too raggedy." and on and on.

When I was done, I had a BIG 2 foot high pile of clothes outside the closet door. I should have taken a pic, but didn't even think about it. So, I climbed over the pile and went and got a trash bag and the laundry basket. Then I started sorting into dark donate, light donate and too crappy to even give away. The too crappy bag ended up full (It was a 13 gallong kitchen bag.) and went to the dumpster today. I washed the dark load and it is all folded into a second bag. And the white load is in the dryer...I left it going when I went to bed...and I will unload and bag them up tonight.

So, my closet is much emptier and I have a ton of empty hangers. I will  NOT be buying that many clothes, so we will probably get rid of some hangers as well.

Hubby has been camping and I think he will be shocked when he comes home to see my much depleted clothing supply. LOL!

I think I will go shopping this weekend.

Ways the Library Can Save You Money

I found this article on RedPlum and thought I would share. It was called "10 Ways..." but I only counted 7 in the article. Maybe I missed something. LOL!

By Sally Herigstad

 

The library is not just for books anymore. Check out your local library for these ways it could be saving you money:

Movies and sitcoms. You'd be surprised how many DVDs your library carries. You may have to wait for new releases, but there's plenty to choose from in the meantime. Libraries often carry more foreign films and documentaries - a great way to shake up your viewing habits. Beware: British comedies are quite addictive!

Exercise videos. Aren't exercise videos annoying after the twentieth viewing? With the library's collection, you could watch a different exercise video every week. At least try exercise videos out from the library before committing to buy one.

Language and other educational materials. These can cost a bundle if you have to buy them outright. And when you borrow them, there's motivation to complete the course before it can't be renewed again.

Computer use. Libraries are devoting more space now to computers to provide all their patrons with Internet access. You may not even need to pay for Internet at home if you can get to the library easily enough.

Free classes and talks. Check out the library schedule for classes on language, job hunting skills, health, genealogy, personal finance, and so on.

Few spending temptations. It's hard to spend money at the library. Unlike the local bookstore or video rental store, there's no candy for the kids to beg for, or latte stand calling to you. And an outing to the library is certain to end less badly for your pocketbook than a stroll through the mall.

Books (of course). Why buy books, and then try to find places to store them all, when you can check them out of the library? It used to be hard to find specific books, especially new or popular ones. Now, in many places you can request an interlibrary loan at no cost to you, and have the book you want sent to your library. Never buy a book without checking your library first.

 

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I will add my own entry: ebooks! If you have an ebook reader, a lot of libraries now have ebooks to loan so you don't have to buy them.

We had a wonderful weekend!

The kids’ mom went to Louisiana on Friday instead of Thursday as she had told everyone. But she picked up Jacob, Chance’s son, and took him to visit. (Okay…she can be nice once in a while.) Meredith and Samantha both said that Bio Mom texted them Thursday night that the deployment day was changed to Tuesday.

Chance called me Friday evening and told me that they just found out that afternoon that they would be leaving Tuesday. I told him about his mom’s texts the night before and he told me that until Friday afternoon, it was 50/50 on whether they would leave Saturday or Tuesday. So either Bio Mom is much closer contact with the Lord than I am, or she just took a chance. Oh well, I will not worry my pretty little head about her.

Although it is funny that she ended up getting a hotel in Alexandria….an hour and a half away from DeRidder…because there were no rooms available. Well, DUH, you have to book early for a deployment weekend. Oh, and apparently there were no rooms in Lake Charles either….45 minutes away.

Bob and I got to DeRidder around 1:30 and I texted Chance our room number. About 2:00 or so, there was a knock at the door and there were Mere, Sam, Chance and John (Sam’s boyfriend.) They walked in and said, “What a great room. Mom is staying in a dump.” I did not LOL. We hung out for a while, then headed to a Mexican restaurant for a late lunch.

We had a blast and got stuffed on delicious Mexican food. It was not cheap, though. As usual, I picked up the tab….$89. Surprisingly, I did not pass out. I have just accepted the fact that when we go out to eat with our kids, we are expected to pay. Maybe they will not always be that way. I quit expecting my parents to pay for my meals when I finished college. But, that is me. Not everyone is a perfect child like me. LOL!

After lunch, we went back to our hotel and just hung out. It was hilarious and fun. Sam and John had come up Friday and stayed with Mindy, I guess. Or they may have gotten their own room. I didn’t ask. Anyway, they were coming back to Houston on Saturday, but after we had been there for a while laughing our butts off, Samantha said, “I don't want to go. I want to stay here tonight.” Then started figuring out where everyone would sleep. LOL! Fortunately, THAT did not come to pass. There were 2 queen beds and 5 people. (Since Chance would go back to base.) Anyway, it was pretty funny.

But Sam and John did head back home Saturday night. Meredith went back to Alexandria to stay at the “dump” by herself, as their mom decided to go back to Houston on Saturday. I think that she had already paid for the room and didn’t leave Mere to pay that night, but I did not ask. We told her she should have just checked out and stayed with us. But it was too far away for her to go get her stuff, check out and come back. So, she went back there.

Yesterday morning, Mere and Chance came to the hotel and joined us for free breakfast. Yummy. And lest anyone think that I am less than ethical regarding said free breakfast, I did ask the manager if I could pay for Chance and Mere's breakfast and they said not to worry about it.Then they came back to our room and hung around a couple of hours until almost checkout time. Chance said he needed to go do laundry and I think he needed a nap. LOL! Mere was ready to head home and so was Bob.

There was never a sad moment. Though we did all tell Chance how much we will miss him and how proud we are of him. We told him he was a hero and he said, “I don’t think like that. I am just doing my job.” That made me even prouder of him. We also discussed care packages and what he would like to receive while he is there. Which was great. When he was in Iraq, he would just tell us to send whatever. It will be nice to send something we know he likes, wants and needs. (Though he says he liked and used everything sent to him last time.)

We got home around 2 yesterday, Bob watered the plants, then left to go camping. It is his early Christmas gift. Apparently there are some “big games” on over the next week and this is his favorite time to go camping. I think I will clean out the closet while he is gone. LOL!

Here is a pic. I look more than chubby and I am getting old. But I don’t care. I was really happy.

Our son is deploying to Afghanistan

This is not a surprise....we have known about it for a while. Our baby boy will be 22 tomorrow. Happy birthday to him!

He was scheduled to deploy tomorrow, on his birthday. The day we found out when he was supposed to go, I called and booked a room at the hotel we stayed at when we went to visit him last month. So we have had our trip planned for about 3 weeks.

Chance is leaving his car with his bio mom while he is deployed. His choice...Hubby and I don't mind at all. Our oldest daughter, Meredith, told us a couple of weeks ago that her mom asked her to go to Fort Polk with her mom to drive Chance’s car back to Houston. Mere said she would. Later, bio mom told Mere that she was taking off this Thursday and Friday to go to Fort Polk and get in a last visit with Chance. Mere told her mom that she could not take off 4 days from work, so her mom suggested that Mere just drive over on Saturday.

DUH!

As usual, bio mom decides what she wants to do and everyone else is supposed to work around her. Meredith told her mom that if she drove her car, they would have 2 people and 3 cars. Bio mom said that maybe our other daughter, Samantha, and  her bf, John, would be going to see Chance off, so Mere could ride with them. I guess that was the end of bio mom’s concern about the issue.

I told Mere that she could ride with Hubby and me, if Sam isn’t going, since we are going on Saturday morning. We had not found out what time Chance leaves, but decided that when we did, that would determine what time we leave on Saturday morning.

I have been worrying since then about this. Wednesday, I was driving home, thinking that I needed to call Meredith and find out if she was riding with us. Then I realized that this is not my problem. It is their mom’s problem. She is bringing the car back, so she needs to figure out how to do it. We will still let Mere ride with us, if she wants to and calls us, but I am not going to be calling and emailing people to work out bio mom’s problem.

I was pretty proud of myself that I was able to let this go. :-)

In the meantime, we have been waiting to hear what time tomorrow Chance will be leaving, I have sent message through Facebook and even sent him a text message and I do NOT text. LOL! We have not heard back from him. I got an email from Samantha that she and bf were leaving today at noon, so that meant Mere needed to ride with us.

Then Hubby calls me today. Mere called him. Her mom told her that Chance is not leaving until TUESDAY. Then I got an email from Samantha that her mom had told her the same. Stupid family! Everyone knows that Hubby and I have been waiting to hear when Chance is leaving and no one lets us know.

Hubby said we will still go tomorrow and see Chance for his birthday, stay the night, then come home on Sunday. Samantha is going tomorrow, as well. Bio mom is already there and who knows how long she is staying, but we usually manage to avoid her pretty well. Mere told Bob she does not know if she will go tomorrow or wait and see if she and her mom have to drive back over there to get Chance's car.

Hubby is leaving Monday morning to go on a week long camping trip, so we will be seeing Chance off this weekend. I don’t know who will be there when he actually leaves. Of course, they may change the day again....and again...and again. LOL! I won’t feel bad about not going, as we have spent quite a bit of time with Chance over the last month. And we will see him on his birthday.

Of course, if Chance asks his dad to come back Tuesday, Hubby probably will. That is what happened when he deployed before. We went the weekend before, then Hubby went back on the day.

So, that is what is going on with me. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Being a grandma is fun!

Two of our grandsons, Theo and Wyatt, spent the weekend at MIL's. (She begged Meredith to get their daddy to let MIL have the boys. LOL!) So, Hubby and I went over there Sunday morning, around 9am. Theo came running out the door, saying it must be 9 bacause that is what time we were coming.

He was so excited that we were going to take him to the park. It is really funny, since MIL took them to Hermann Park....a huge place....and to ride the train there. Theo loves that train, but he was just as excited to see us and go to a little park. We went to nice little park near MIL's. Since she still lives in the house Hubby grew up in, we were in his old stomping grounds. It was near the high school, so I am thinking it might have been a nice "make out place" back in the olden days. LOL! Anyway, here are a couple of pics of my "boys".

After we played for a couple of hours, we headed back to MIL's and were happily surprised that Chance had come by. He deploys next Saturday, on his 22nd birthday, to Afghanistan. We knew he would be in town this weekend to see his little boy, but we didn't expect to see him, since we will be going to see him off next weekend. But MIL will not be going as she says it is too sad to see him go. We were surprised and pleased that he stopped by to see MIL, but he laughed and said that he told her last Sunday he would come by. I laughed, too, since she called me every day last week to see if I had heard from him and was he coming over. Despite her insistance that he did NOT tell her, we have a lovely visit. Here we are in the backyard.

So, we had a great visit with some grandkids and a big kid and had a lovely Sunday. Hope you all had a fabulous weekend!