I AM a grown up!!!!

Despite my many posts that prove the opposite, I am an actual grown up person.  I do stoopid things every now and then but, mostly, I live my life as a adult.  WHY WHY WHY then can I not get the allergy medicine I need? Allegra-D is the best invention ever as far as I am concerned.  I think my family would agree.  I KNOW Ian and Tim (legally now grown ups) agree.  Andy also takes Allegra-D. (Andy is NOT a grown up, he just plays one on TV.)   We all take it for about 3-4 months each winter and again in the fall - you know, allergy season (at least in Florida).  Four people taking one tablet a day for thirty days equals 120 tablets, right?  (I used the calculator to be sure.)  

Well, someone "in charge" has decided that we can only  buy 10 tablets at a time and each adult in the house can buy 10 tablets per month.  Four adults times 10 tablets each month leaves us about (hang on, getting out the calculator) 80 tablets short.  Allegra-D doesn't work if you don't take it continuously during the seasons you need it.   Well, we NEED it. We're rationing it.  It's getting mean here.

Tonight, I asked the pharmacist (I was at Wal-Mart, but it's the same at all the drug stores and super markets) WHY I could not get the medicine I need.  She was a cute, young woman and she shrugged and said, "Well, people use it to make 'bad things' (her words not mine) and we have to control it."  Arrrrgghhhhh ...  I get that people make meth out of some drugs.  But, c'mon  ... every single person who doesn't use or make meth has to submit their info to a national database?????  Drugs are bad and they ruin lives.  But, allergy medicine also life-changing in a good way.  I would submit that there are more allergy sufferers than drug makers/users. Why the database?  Can't the stores just use judgement and say, "Hey, you're buying 30 boxes of this stuff, I'm going to say 'NO.'"  

Is anyone else struggling with this? Do laws vary state-to-state? Is this a state law or a national one? I want to know who to bother in terms of my representatives.  I'm not asking for anything crazy.  I want 30 pills per month for about 5-6 months out of the year and I want that for everyone in my family that needs it.  Why does the majority of law-abiding citizens have to suffer for the relatively few illegal drug manufacturers/users? Is there NO other way to find these people?  

But ...(think of me using my best Sham-Wow-guy voice)... there's more... 

While at WalMart tonight, I bought six cans of spray paint for various projects.  I had to produce identification, which was then entered into the cash register/computer in order to buy each can.  I asked why. I was told that some people like to sniff spray paint, mostly young people.  ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?????  Again, why can't common sense rule? A clerk sees a person who appears to be under 18 buying nothing but a box of spray paint?  Can she not just say, "Sorry, I can't sell this to you?" No, ALL the people buying spray paint for legitimate reasons have to have their privacy invaded and (I'm not sure about this part) put into a database?????  

I also make soap.  I buy lye (because without lye you cannot make soap) and, generally, when I buy lye, I buy quite a bit (50# or so). I have to submit a waiver, pay HAZMET fees and all of that. Mike and Andy build and launch rockets.  Some of the stuff they use for rocket fuel, hmmm, also used to make drugs. Again, Mike has to submit a waiver and pay HAZMET fees to buy this stuff.  We're okay with the HAZMET stuff because it is dangerous stuff to transport, but the waiver?  Not so much. 

Our house is a toxic dump.  Yet, somehow, we manage to use scary drugs, chemicals and paint for legitimate purposes! In the nearly 10 years I have been making soap, I have not poisoned one person, nor have I "misplaced" any of my lye.  In my twenty years of parenting, I have not killed one child with allergy medicines (and, believe me, we've gone through the gamut).  Yet, I am treated as though I'm trying to get away with something when I buy things for a reason?????  

Am I alone? I'll be researching tomorrow because I am going to start writing letters and making phone calls. If nothing else, I am much nicer if I can take my Allegra-D each morning.  And, just because I have a burst of creativity/energy where I am painting every dang thing in the house should not make me accountable to the folks at Wal-Mart and whoever else is getting my information.  

Okay, I'm done.  I'm clinging to my last dose of Allegra-D.  We have used up our allowance for the month according to Wal-Mart, Walgreens and CVS (yes, I'm turning into something like an illegal drug-manufacturer in search of supplies all the time).  I imagine before the month ends, I will get grumpier - pollen and the unceasing headaches, sleepiness and gooey eyes do that to me.  Or not.  Maybe I can figure out how to use those paint fumes to my advantage??????

New week . . .

I really want to get back to blogging daily, but I'm also kind of enjoying my extended break from the online world following being sick.  It's a fine line, I guess.  As you can see, Mike and Andy are bundled in for the winter - watching the Food Network.

Since I last left you, Andy has officially turned 12!!!!  We did a little visit to KeeWee's, a new place here - kind of a Chuck E Cheese for older kids and grown ups with a few neighborhood friends to celebrate. There are pictures, but they are on Ian's or Tim's camera so I am not holding my breath. 

In the past, we've always celebrated Andy and my dad's birthday together (Andy is the 20th and my dad is the 22nd). Sometimes we get lucky and have my cousin Mandy and/or Uncle Tony here to really fill up the celebration.  This year, however, Mike and I went out to dinner with just my parents.  Andy hung out at the neighbor's.  Ian and Tim went to a concert. Dan insisted on being in Tallahassee for some reason. I have to say that dinner this year was WAY better than the usual pizza.  How often do you see four adults clean their plates - I mean clean them to the point where the bread is gone, the sauce is gone, the fingers are licked????  That was us. I don't remember the last time I had such a great meal. It was a really wonderful night.  I've said it a million times here, but it's true, I got really lucky in the parent department.  I would not have believed it when I was 16, but I love hanging out with my parents!

Other news? Not much. Lately Mike and I are struggling with WHAT? I dunno patience with old, old Scout? Patience isn't the right word, I'm not sure what is the right word. Poor thing is so old and confused, but essentially healthy and pain-free.  But, more and more, she is stinky and farty and constantly slamming into walls and barking at 3 AM.  It's heartbreaking.  And, still, she has really good days where she runs with Cally and knows who she is.  I'd love for her not to stink, but mostly, I just want her to be happy and pain free for as long as possible.  Anyone who has tips for dealing with really old dogs (Scout will be 15 soon) please share. We're struggling with feeling guilty for begrudging Scout the care she needs (she gets the care, but I'm not always happy about giving her a bath at 3 AM) and wanting to have her around forever.  I've already told the boys to smother me with a pillow when I start walking into walls and smelling bad more often than I smell okay. I had a boyfriend in high school who had "older parents." He was a senior and his parents already had multiple grand kids.  I thought his mom was a loon for saying "Just push me in front of the Pepsi truck."  Now I get it.  Wonder what happened to her?

I do have some pictures - gah, I finally, yesterday, bought my own memory card so that I do not have to wade through 100's of Ian and Tim's arty photographs just to get to my stupid little pictures.  I labeled it "MOM" all over so here's hoping things improve!!! 

Here is a dark picture of our bedroom.  We added the two bookshelves and, strangely, our bedroom feels bigger now.  Weird, huh?  You'll notice the bed is on risers (that strangely resemble romper stompers - we found that Cally cannot dive on top of us in the morning if we raised the bed 5 inches.  $9 well spent - not that pretty, but sleep is priceless, isn't it?

The computer desk with its new "hammered black" finish.  I am so pleased with how it looks.  I wish I could get a picture of the whole room - it really is much better.  If you haven't checked out spray paint in the past few years, definitely make a visit to that aisle.  It's not the drippy, runny stuff you remember.  In fact, it's kind of magical.

These are the fabrics I picked up for the new quilt for our bedroom.  The colors are not true but you get a sense of the texture.  I just need to find a great red/deep rose and a bit of black fabric.  Rest assured, you will be seeing the progress on the quilt once I get going.  It's been SO SO long since I made a large quilt - at least 10 years.  I am really looking forward to it.  


Okay, that's all I've got for now. 

I hate sharing . . .

I have all kinds of pictures to show you . . . pictures that show my new-found appreciation at being healthy and awake and awake.  But... I share a card reader with Ian and Tim and I do not dare enter their room without full light . . . it's that crowded.  I hate sharing sometimes.

I wish the appreciation I have for my current healthiness was something I could maintain and not just take for granted.  The past few days have been wonderful!  Up early (well, early-ish) and focused.  I've moved the game closet to Andy/Danny's room, freeing up a giant closet for linens (as it was originally intended).  I feel so grown up.  In all the years we have lived here we have never used that closet as a linen closet.  Now, it's so purty (we just need better linens).  As a result of that renovation, our bedroom closet is nearly empty!  I also cleaned out the by-the-front-door closet.  Up north, this closet would be a coat closet.  Down here, it's about school and craft storage.  Again, it's nearly empty now.  Sheesh!  In addition, I painted the computer desk - very cool and now it blends in with the rest of the room!  I rearranged some bookshelves and now our bedroom looks and feels bigger (go figure) and the kitchen is making me smile.  And, I have no pictures, but I will.

On the outside, I've torn out most of the winter vegetable garden (look for an email Portia), cleaned up some of the outside front of the house and, because our laundry is in the garage (which is in the front of the house) cleaned that up as well.  I LOVE having this energy and I'm trying to preserve it. In the works are chair makeovers and a quilt for our bedroom (bought the fabric tonight!).  Also, I'm in love with the Krylon Fusion spray paint for plastics!  I remade an outside chair the other night.  Next up?  The neighbors' pool area - it's going to look amazing when we're done.  Yes, there will be pictures.  ;)  

What else? Not much.  Ian and Tim are into their new school routine.  Andy is slowly coming round to things again and so am I. Strangely, we're still on schedule - I guess all the earlier years DID help me learn to plan more realistically! Huh. Andy turns 12 on Friday.  Wah!  My BA-BEE is going to be 12.  How did this happen?   And, still, I look like I did back in my early 30's (if it's dark and shadowy and you're not wearing your glasses!).  

So, nothing really new here.  I'm just enjoying feeling fully human and functional and trying to make the best of it.  Anyone need a closet cleaned out? I'm just about out of projects. 

(Picture?  That's Tim using his new studio lights - a b-day gift from my brother. I dunno, I think he thinks he's cuter than you think he is - but he's still pretty cute, huh?)

I am not yet dead . . .

Though, I was sure I was a goner for a few days.  I caught the sore throat/cough/sleeping sickness times about twenty.  Yikes!!!!  I've been asleep for nearly a week.  It was not pretty.  It still isn't pretty - if I stop moving, I am napping.  It is so unlike me to crash that hard.  And, still . . . 

I've learned in my week away from the planet that the news doesn't matter (thought it's nice to sleep to), we will not be paying a day more on our satellite tv beyond our contract - there is NOTHING on but junk.  When the highlights of A&E (you know, Arts and Entertainment) are Beyond Scared Straight and some other horrible reality thing, you know it's a lost cause.  We'll stick to Netflix on demand and dvd's.  

During the "throes" of my illness, I had a notepad at my side and despite my raging fever, aching body and unquenchable thirst, I managed to make a list (because I love lists) of things I wanted from late night television.  Poor Mike!!!!  He got up in the morning and asked if I wanted anything.  He got me some water and came back and spotted the notebook.  I was nearly asleep again when he whispered, "Please tell me you did not order all of this stuff last night."  I had not ordered a thing - just made a list.  Yay sick me.  Still, I wonder about the diamond-lined skillet and the Brazilian Butt Lift thing.  Oh well.  

Speaking of late-night television - what the heck is up with Marie Osmond's lips? There is so much more to talk about, but I'm going to leave it there.  Honestly, seek out a Nutri-System commercial.  Marie Osmond is a beautiful woman, but she's in her 50's, right? We all know that, she has to know that.  Does she really think inflating her lips to the point that she looks like something is wrong with her is making us forget her age?  Gah!

In addition to bad, bad television, I watched simply bad television, namely HGTV.  By the time I woke and felt human, I was ready to implode our house and/or seek out horrible 20-somethings with $700,000 budgets for their "starter homes" who whine about granite counters and the need for "more space" as they wander through 4000 sq. ft. homes.  I get that whiners make "better" tv than normal people, but come on - there cannot be that many totally spoiled, unimaginative young couples running around out there, can there?  

Sorry to be gone so long . . . I am awake and ready to go again, though.  Here's to a new year (kind of late)!  

Day One 202121

And, actually, it's already Day Two.  LOL.  

I hope everyone had a nice New Year's Eve, whether you went to bed early or stayed up late partying.  For the first time in years and years, no police visited our house!!!!  We were sore confused.  By the end of the night, the plates we'd prepared for the police had been eaten - by us.  

Despite the lack of flashing lights and sirens, we had a really awesome New Year's Eve.  At its peak, our crowd reached about 40 people.  Mostly though, it was good friends, family and a lot of really tall kids.  Oh. And food.  A LOT of food. 

The neighbors way down on the end of the street spent the big bucks this year and had monster fireworks early in the evening. All the fun, none of the hassle.  They are my new favorite neighbors!!!!  We all had tons of little fireworks here - funny how the bigger boys lose their love of monster fireworks when they're the ones paying for them.  HUH?  

My parents were here early in the evening to celebrate Ian and Tim's birthday.  My brother was missed, he succombed to the horrible sore thoat/head cold/sleeping sickness that seems to be sweeping Florida.  I saw a couple of my neighbors actually wipe away tears as we sang Happy Birthday.  We've lived here since the twins were four and Ian went around introducing himself as "Murphy."   Still trying to figure Ian out.

We had a fire outside (it was below 70 and brrrrr). The kids are all old enough now that we don't have to worry about someone running away from home or something crazy.  They were great and, did I mention the food? Man, can they eat.  Confetti, balloons, fireworks, food and no police!!!!  It doesn't get much better.  

We all crammed into the house to watch the ball drop and say "Awwww" about Dick Clark.  We used the Pick Your Nose cups my sister sent for Christmas for our champagne/soda toast. Funny stuff.  I love the picture of mostly everyone stuffed into the living room for this picture.  So many years . . . talk amongst yourselves.  

After the ball dropped, we headed outside for the end of the fireworks and Dan, Tim and Ian surprised us with these amazing paper lanterns.  I grabbed a bunch of sharpies and everyone wrote their New Year wishes on one of the eight lanterns.  I have to say, the lanterns were FAR better than any of the fireworks.  At first everyone was joking about writing their wishes down and after we all saw the first lantern go up, everyone wanted to write real wishes.  They were really beautiful.  A new (and blessedly quiet) tradition is born!!!!!  

Tonight, we invited anyone who was around to come eat leftovers adorned as new food - I love meatballs and all that, but I cannot face eating them night and day for a solid week.  Some people stopped by, picked up what they wanted to eat and went home, others stayed and ate with us (much more fun).  We were all packed safely into our houses by 8 pm and I have a manageable amount of food here.  Although, if you need cookies, let me know, we still have a mountain of them!!!!  By the time I convince Mike we do not have 19 kids, the 4 kids we do have will be long gone. 

Now, I'm moping around the house, finishing up the laundry.  Dan goes back to Tallahassee tomorrow.  He's a slob, for sure, but I am really, really going to miss him.  I think I'm going to miss him more than I did when he left this summer.  WAAHHHHH.  

Overall, it was a good start to 2012. 

Merry New Year!!!!!

Happy 2012!!!! (almost)

Ian and Tim turned 18 today. Dan and Ian went to the convenience store at midnight last night so Ian could buy a lottery ticket. (It's never too early to plan for retirement.) Tim's been in Syracuse visiting a friend so he didn't get his lottery ticket until this morning.

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah. Things were pretty low key here.  Andy was really sick all through Christmas and through most of this week.  I actually rewrapped some of his presents because it  was days and days until he could play with anything.  Still, it was nice to all be together.  

Christmas day we started a new tradition - a Low Country Boil with the neighbors and all of their families. We set up tables covered in paper outside, cooked outside and ate and ate and ate. It was an excellent way to spend Christmas.  Andy was in the house, sleeping with golf playing in the background on the television.  My dad was also home sick.  Next year the goal is for everyone to be healthy and hungry on Christmas Day. 

Last night we had a visit from Mike's best friend and his daughter - they've been friends since the 4th grade! I was sad his wife and son couldn't come, but it was really fun to see "the other Mike."  He and I have always joked that he and Mike each married a female version of each other (or as the Other Mike likes to say, they each married their best friend but with 'fun parts').  Mary and my Mike are both morning people who love to cook huge meals and go to be early.  The Other Mike and I will sit up all night talking and then sleep the morning away.  Miranda is a year younger than Ian and Tim - in fact, when Mike and Mary came to visit the twins as newborns, Mary had just found out she was pregnant again and I was more than happy to unload my maternity clothes on her.  Here is Miranda with Dan, Ian and Andy last night.  :::sniff::: They're all growed up.

Tonight we are once again hosting an unknown number of people for New Year's Eve.  Any bets on how early the neighbor calls the police? That's fast becoming my favorite tradition!  I hope we get a cute police officer.

Hope you all have a great night!  I'll leave you with a picture of my favorite Christmas present.  My new garden donkey.

It's officially a holiday!!!!!

Sick kid? Check!  Andy woke this morning with a high fever and in a panic that he that he had the same strep that Ian just had.  Our regular doctor is on vacation, so we went to the local doc-in-a-box.  Crazy - he has an ear infection!!!!  Andy has not had an ear infection since he was two!  He was up and down all day. I am hoping a full round of the abx will bring results in the morning.  I've never been so happy to have a kid with "just" an ear infection.  He's been snuggled in with Cally for about four hours now, let's hope that does the trick. (I am so relieved, though, that we have not contaminated the  neighborhood.  Andy is sick, but he was never contagious. Whew!!!!)

Police? Check!!! We had our first official holiday visit from the police this afternoon.  It WAS our (read Mike's) fault - Mike was testing a rocket engine (NOT a rocket) and a 1 x 1 piece of pvc bounced off of the neighbor's roof.  Who the heck can even hear that? You got it, our neighbor.  And, rather than call here or stick her head out the door and ask "WTF?" She opted to call the police.  They came.  They talked to Mike for 15 minutes and then talked to our insane neighbor again.  Then, the police stayed and watched Mike drag an extension ladder to the neighbor's house to check her roof for debris.  Nothing.  Gah - we've gone too long without regular police visits and we've been slacking - I did not even have a cookie plate ready.  I wonder what the rest of the the holiday holds?  I wrapped up soap to stick in her mailbox as kind of a thank you for the lack of police visits these past few months, but now I'm rethinking the whole thing. 

Saltine Toffee?  Check!  I made two lovely batches this evening, but every time I make this stuff, I am reminded of the first time I tried to make this stuff.  (Really, click on the link, it's a funny story.) 

Okay, I still have a few things to finish up tonight, we'll talk later. . .