mousecrazy

What's going on today? Has Dianne gone to her sister's? Dh and I are spending every night teaching Vacation Bible School...he's doing recreation and I'm doing crafts. Boy, we're pooped when we get home! Tomorrow I'm going to try to finish packing for our trip. I don't have any appointments or meetings until VBS, so I should get a lot done...if I don't sit down at the computer! Hugs to all, Cindy

Dianne, I am very sorry that your family is having to face this sadness. Please let your step-sister know that this was not done TO her; if your step mother was able to think of others at all, she would not have committed suicide. I know the unanswered questions are very painful, and I pray for comfort for your family. ((HUGS))

Thanks, Sherry, for taking your lecture so good naturedly! I have the flappy upper arms, and nice and lovely varicose veins all over my legs...but ya know, I am not a 19 year old, so I guess those other guests at WDW are just going to have to get over it! LOL! I bet there aren't that many perfect people walking around, so hopefully, when one walks by, everyone will be staring at him or her, and just ignore me altogether! Guess what? I bought the perfect scrapbook desk at a sale I went to with my DH...it's 6' long, with two double drawer file cabinets at either end! Just what I wanted! So, today, I organized all those boxes of stuff, and I'm on my way to actually having a scrapbook area!!! Yippee! Eileen, cool on the laptop! And goodluck on your meeting on Monday. I get nervous when I have to present at meetings, too. Everyone always says they are fine, but I just worry about it. Good luck to you, and let us know how it goes! We MISS YOU, too! Mandy, glad Abi's recovering, and sorry about all the nose drops! We ordered our t-shirts from a t-shirt printing place here in town...they do not have any Disney trademarked pictures or sayings on them (hopefully!). I wonder if the Dream Patrol will see us and we'll get some great little treat??? We are leaving on June 15...and I will remind everyone, because I won't be able to check in the whole time I am on vacation...no one's bringing a laptop. See ya'll tomorrow! Cindy

Sherry, now girl...you are looking at the half empty glass, instead of the half full glass. We all do it. You just have to change your perspective and outlook. Every bit of our happiness is in our minds, right? You need to spend a lot more time honoring the 75 pounds you have lost, and a lot less time on the things you still see as less than perfect. That being said, I'd check the fit on my bra! Perhaps it is tight and pushing the spare flesh down, making a "tire"? Another solution is a nice camisole with spandex, which smooths the abdomen, and wear it under other shirts. The best choice is to accept the way you are now, and still work to improve. I bet you look great, and there's no need to be perfect anyway. Do you need a perfect waistline to enjoy life? That's my little encouraging nagging lecture for this morning. I sincerely worry about us when we get into the overly negative viewpoints about ourselves, at least toward our physical selves. We have done so much and achieved so much, and instead of being proud, we are still nit-picking our flaws? Come on. Chin up, now! Everyone's a hero here! It's raining this morning...I need to take DD to get an ingrown nail looked at, which I am not wanting to do...but we better do it before Disney. Sherry, I bet your outfits are so cute! Our matching shirts are great...and we made them out of moisture-wicking t-shirts, so they dry really fast! See ya later!

Cutie pie puppies!!!! You are right, Mandy...lucky dogs! How's Abi? Nothin' fun today...got a filling at the dentist, which wasn't too bad. Then ran errands, and we picked up our fun t-shirts. So cute! I'm still getting ready for our trip, so I keep choosing and un-choosing which clothes to take... I don't want to take too many different things...only want one suitcase. I'm kinda rushing this post tonight, but it's late and I'm tired... hope everyone is doing well, and I'll see ya later! Hugs, Cindy

Good! Glad Abi's surgery went well, if long. A little friend for your other doggie? Can't wait to see the pictures!

Kat, your music/picture disk is gonna be a big hit, for sure! YOu are so great to spend so much time making it! They recommended that DD start with piano...it's a great compliment to her vocal training, and a good basis for all the other instruments, too. She really wants to learn drums, OMG!, and they think she actually can, so we'll see. For now, we will start with piano. My mom, DH's mom, and I play(ed) piano, so she should have some genetic code or something, right? I think she'll start after our vacation. Today we're going to start collecting stuff for our trip...by that I mean, finding it and putting it in one location to start packing. It seems early for that, but with VBS starting Sunday, it cuts into the time pretty much. Have a great day! Cindy

thanks for the tip on Code Blue. I have some of that stuff, but I won't tomorrow! Betty, hope your DH made it home okay. Prayers for Abi's surgery. Wishes for strong coffee for you, Mandy. Sherry, way to go, girl, on the exercising! I have only gotten into that in small, fitful, spurts. LOL! Nothing prolonged or consistent. I just find that my overall activity level is so much higher than it used to be! Good luck with everything tomorrow, Mandy! Hugs, Cindy

Hey where's everybody? I can't believe no one's checked in since I wrote last night. Hmmmm. We're getting some good storms through here this afternoon/evening. Otherwise, it's a normal day. I'll check back in later.

Thanks for the pats on the back and the "atta-girls". I always find that a burden shared is a much lighter burden, and that more often than not, most of you have been there and done that, and I don't feel like the Lone Ranger anymore! Ya'll are the best! Hope this same idea helps you, Patty. Mandy, sounds like you have a good plan for your gyno situation...and those kids are truly blessed by you, and I know you are blessed by them as well. let us know how Abi's surgery goes, and yours too, of course! Only two weeks until the big Disney vacation! I've spent a lot of today getting some of our plans together. That makes it sound like we are making big plans, but we're really trying to have a more relaxed time this trip...just making a kind of rough outline this time. I've got a parent association meeting tomorrow, and then taking DD and FIL to lunch, then DD has a musical instrument evaluation tomorrow afternoon to see what instrument she is better suited for...that should be interesting! Love you all, and hugs to everyone! Cindy

Well, Patty, the cat's out of the bag, and you know it's pretty hard to get a cat back in a bag. The best advice I can give you now is to handle yourself with dignity under duress. Say "thank you for your concern; thank you for your support" and then do not discuss it further. Your feeling that you are being watched, or that you have to defend your choice is just that, a feeling. You do not have to accept these feelings as facts you have to act upon. Go on behaving in your best interest, don't bring up the subject, don't freak out or defend yourself, and people soon lose interest. Remember, people are mostly interested in themselves. Take a breath, I know this isn't how you wanted it, but it is what it is, and you are still doing what you wanted. Yes, I am doing fun stuff this summer...DisneyWorld is only two weeks away! I think that will be a great way to blow off some steam and have some great laughs with DD, sister, and nephew. Mandy, the graduation gifts are so cute! Wish I could share the green beans and new potatoes with you, but your meal sounded pretty darn good to me! Hugs!

You, too, Eileen?? I don't know if that is reassuring or disturbing...I guess it is both, but I think we better prepare our wills and financial papers much more carefully. That's what this is telling me. Ya'll make sure your bank papers say exactly what you want them to say, and do not rely on your will alone. The bank contracts are more important than the will. Eileen, have a good time on your trip, and I hope your cold heals up fast! Get some zinc lozenges. We'll miss you! In fact, we already do. Get some rest and fun! We are going to a friend's wedding reception tonite, and DD is going over to her friend's to spend the night...everyone's happy! She has her cool glasses, and we made a pot of green beans and new potatoes last night. Life is good. What's everyone doing today? Hugs, Cindy

Okay, I'm not really nuts. When I tried to edit, then it disappeared, so I rewrote it. Then I posted the new post. Then the old one was there again.....?????.....?????.....as Eileen would say, WTF?! Sorry for the repetition.

Aaacck! It happened again. I tried to go back and edit, and then it lost my whole post. Let me do this again, since it was important. Thank you for your wonderful, encouraging, comforting posts, Kat and Mandy. One thing that is the same in our stories, Kat, is that there is 19 years difference between my mom and my aunt...so I guess my aunt just doesn't have the normal connected feeling, even though she pretended she did. Another thing is my mom and dad took my grandma on vacations every year with them after my gpa died, which was about 18 years ago or so. My aunt only had my gma up to her house twice. ??? So, like ya'll said, I know we have her true legacies - her caring ways, her gifts and skills, her faith - and these are things my aunt does not have. I have talked to my DD, and she knows a lot about what has happened. She knows that $$ shows a person's true character, and although we thought we knew my aunt, we did not. Now we do. Thank you again. Ya'll are as warm as if you were sitting around my kitchen table, having a cup of tea. Hugs to all, and thanks to all who listened. Cindy

Wow. Ya'll just always come through with great words of wisdom and they are very comforting. Couldn't be more comforting than if you were sitting here around my table with coffee or tea. THANK YOU! I have talked to Haven about some of what is going on, and explained to her that money changes people, or even more, reveals people to be their true selves. Kat, my mom and dad took my grandma on long vacations every year for decades (after my gpa died)...and my aunt never even invited my gma up to her house. ??? Another interesting parallel to your story is that there is 19 years between my mom and my aunt...my aunt being born after my mom had already moved out of the house and was on her own, right before she married my dad. My aunt and I are only 4 years apart in age. So, apparently, she never felt any closeness to my sister and I, or two our other two cousins (my mom's brother's kids, who died before my mom). Like you said, she will answer to THE judge, and in my scenario, she will have to face her mother, my gma, and confess what she has done. And, we do have her true legacy - her caring, her skills, her faith - and my aunt does not have these. I hope I have the chance to tell her what I think someday, like you did, Kat. Mandy, you are really an amazing woman! You've had to face so many obstacles, yet you are a fantastic mom and wife, and friend, and are giving Abi such a great example of how to live her life. I guess it is indeed true, that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger...these NJ gals around here certainly put the proof to that! (Even those of us not from Jersey!) Many big hugs and thanks to all who listened...I cherish you all! Cindy

Hey girls...it is officially June now! How do these calendar pages turn so fast? I will look for a new thread, and if there isn't already one started, I'll start one...look for June Chat!

Might as well get this party started! It's May.....:clap2:

I wrote a long post, and lost it! Don't you hate that? Basically I am venting with ya'll tonight. I got an itemized accounting of my gma's probated estate (which doesn't include the big part my aunt just took because she could), and found out she is going to go ahead and charge the estate almost 10,000 dollars for driving back and forth from her house to gma's house to "take care of estate business". She started moving her things into that house about as fast as gma moved out of it...and has since purchased the house from the estate. I mean, I know she legally CAN do this, but for the love of God, how can she live herself? I think I'm going to have to get some counseling with my pastor to figure out to get to a forgiveness level with her. Right now, I'm just so angry at her I can't even describe it. She lives 5 hours away from my gma's house. When my dad was executor of his parents and his sisters estates, he did not charge his siblings anything, and he spent months and many, many trips much further than that to take care of that business. He wouldn't even think of doing that. TEN THOUSAND BUCKS? Sorry for the vent. I just really needed to write that out. I guess some people will just do about anything for some $$. Hope all is well for all of you, and thanks for reading my fuming. Cindy

Kat, your rally sounded like such a good time! Even those crazy neighbor people added to the great stories...but I do wonder what they were doing there. I guess they just like being around the rally-goers, probably a good party atmosphere for them. It's weird that some people like to party, even when it only makes them more unbearable than usual. Sigh. But, glad ya'll had a blast! Patty, your Disneyworld trip was a good time, too! Glad you had a good time! You will always feel your port, so try not to think of it as pain. It was pretty uncomfortable for quite a while, though. Where is your port? Betty, sorry you are feeling bad, are you any better today? Yes, we are really getting the rain, aren't we? We had huge amounts of rain this morning...nice and cool though. DD and I went to the t-shirt place in town and ordered some custom t-shirts for us to wear at DisneyWorld...mine says "I'm retired" on the front, and hers says, "I go to (name of her school)" on the front...my nephew's says "I just graduated from OU" and my sister's says, "I teach 2nd grade". Then on the backs of all our shirts, they will say, "What are you going to do NOW? Go to DisneyWorld!" I think they are going to be funny! We're going to wear them on the same day when we go to Magic Kingdom...maybe someone from the Year of Million Dreams will think they are noteworthy and give us a Dream!? We can always wish... Other than that, I am going to the dentist today, then DH and I have a VBS meeting at church today. Hope everyone's have a great day! Hugs, Cindy

Can't wait to hear about your washer/dryer, Eileen! How exciting! did yours poop out, or did you just decide it was time for an update? enjoy your shopping! I hope you got some good rest, Mandy, because your work yesterday sounded brutal! I bet you'll enjoy the sunshine in your yard, though...and it was so nice of you to help out your neighbor. We have older disabled neighbors, too, and we try to do the same for them. I figure if you want to live in a world where people help people, it might as well start with us, huh? Dianne, it's good to see you...can't wait to hear more about your new job when it's offically official! I don't know where Beanie and Darcy are...but I miss them! I am going to do a cooking lesson with DD today. We are going to make the classic Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake with Chocolate Pecan Frosting...all from scratch. I got her a recipe box of her own, and each recipe we make and learn together, she can put in her recipe box and keep for herself. To all the service men and women, and their familes, thank you.

Good afternoon! Happy upside down cake day, Mandy! It's still rainy here in north Texas. DH has all this week at home before starting his summer school classes on the 4th. He's cleaning his Ebay office today. I should be doing something like that, but just don't have the "urge". LOL! My DD is clamoring for extra "school" work from me, all day yesterday! I don't know when that is going to wear off, but it will. She is having fun, though. I just don't have a lot of fun news to share, pretty boring around here! Patty, hope you are out and about by now...you should be able to drive by now, I think! Everyone have a wonderful Sunday!

Okay, so on the other hand, here in Texas, it is cooler than usual, not even hitting 80 degrees. Maybe we are in upside down land?

Wow, Patty. I bet you WERE a nervous wreck! I am glad the school had a good crisis management plan ready and they used it. I don't guess very many people want to wrestle with the "whys" for these kids who are so miserable they want to kill themselves and others...???? It must be easier to make plans and do crisis management instead of prevention. (don't get me going on this one...) Switch topics. Chrispy, the pics are beautiful, which means YOU are Beautiful!!!!! Kat, glad things are basically stable, which is good for now. Mandy, well, here we are: summer! Hope you and Abi are planning some fun stuff! Can't wait to hear about your dr.'s report...and that something is going to be done to help your pain! That's just terrible to have to live with it, day after day. Today I had my Mother's Day "pampering gift": a massage with aromatherpay, an eye mask, foot massage and sugar scrub! Yummy! Then I went to get my hair cut. So, it's a brand new me! Thought today would be a good day for it, with DD home now, every day! LOL! Big storms here right now...how are things for you girls? Hugs, Cindy

Not that this is real helpful...but, the depression is pretty common after surgery. All you have to do is just wait it out. I've seen lots and lots of people about a week out go through it; it DOES get better. The kids, now that's a totally different thing. You know the situation best, and you'll make a good decision. You also know how good you are feeling, and no one else does. I was able to drive at a week out, but I was still tender in the port area. Patty, everyone has different pain thresholds and stress thresholds, so you are going to have to evaluate yours and decide what you can handle, and if that balances out the stress of not having the kids where you can keep an eye on them. I know that must be driving you crazy! How are you doing with the healing? The hungries? Hope you are getting along okay with that... (((HUGS))) Cindy

OOOoooh, the dark chocolate and almond color scheme is making me want a candy bar!!! Seriously, though, that sounds really beautiful! And like LOTS of work! Congrats, Kat, on the new computer! You'll get used to it! How's Rick doing? Yeah, Sherry, I didn't tell anyone besides you guys that I had a "day off"! LOL! I've been cleaning out stuff, and there's plenty of stuff to clean out. Cleaning baseboards????? I can't even get to mine! Good for you, though! Betty, it poured rain here this morning for half an hour or so...hope you got some rain, too. We have no plans for this Memorial Day...we used to go to Kansas to decorate the graves, but with the mess around my grandmother's estate, that is not possible any longer...my dad said maybe in the future, after the land sale is complete, we will all go up there ahead of time and do our part, without my aunt knowing about it; not this year, though. Sigh. It's just very disappointing how people act about $$. Well, off I go...got the errands to complete, and if I get those done quickly, I might have time to do something fun (???). Sure. Hugs to all! Cindy