Thursday, September 27, 2007

Squeezing

Squeezing can be such a wonderful thing. It can be a nice big bear hug from your honey. It can be a reassuring hand squeeze from a concerned friend. It can be fresh orange juice. It can be just the right amount of ketchup on your burger. It can be a sexy caress from your partner.

But when it comes to certain female body parts....once a year, squeezing can be a cruel, painful experience. I know it's important. I know it has to be done. I know it's what is best. I get it. I still don't like it! LOL

The yearly mammogram. How I dread it. What kind of person came up with this medieval torture device? Things that normally look like this ( O ) ( O ) should never, ever have to look like this |o| |o|....ever! I know it's only for a few minutes....the longest minutes of your life, but OMG!!! It's a wonder that they bounce back! (no pun intended there) Kinda like those cartoons we watched as kids where the character would go through a clothes wringer and be completely flattened until his side kick came and shook him out...POP! Really, they are quite amazing...from melons to pancakes and back again all within a few minutes.

And God forbid you flinch or breathe......then you have to do it again!! NOOOOOOOO!!!!

The best part is when the technician says you'll feel some pressure or a little discomfort. No, ma'am. Pressure is when you shake up a can of soda or have heartburn. Discomfort is when you stub your toe or run into the coffee table with your shin. None of those will make your eyeballs pop out of your head and go rolling across the lab floor. Maybe that's a defense mechanism so you don't actually have to LOOK at the melon to pancake transformation. Then once you're done and the melons have returned you can gather up your eyeballs and go get dressed. Yeah, that must be it.

See ya next time! :o)

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

A Lovely Surprise :)

I got such a lovely surprise this weekend. A few weeks ago when my brother Joe and I painted Mom's house and we were aching and paining, I joked about us needing a professional massage once we were done.

Mom came over for her usual Sunday family day and TADAAAA, she brought out a gift certificate for a massage! LOL I was so surprised and pleased. :) I tried to tell her that I was only joking and she shouldn't have. She said she knew I was just joking but wanted to know how much she appreciated us and all our hard work. Joe got one too, of course. :)

What a great surprise! Thanks, Mom!

See ya next time. :o)

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Grand Champions!!!


We had our first band competition of the year today. We actually hosted one last week but when you host, you play for exhibition only not for competition. So this was our first competing competition of the year. My daughter was in band for all 4 years of high school so we have been involved with the band program since 2001. We have never won the Grand Champion Trophy. Until TODAY!!!

For those of you who are not band geeks like my family, allow me to explain how it works. Bands are divided into divisions by size. Smaller bands compete with smaller bands, medium sized compete with medium and the larger bands compete with each other. Trophies are given in different categories like marching, music, band fronts, drum majors, percussion, etc. Each division has trophies given in each category....first place, second place and so on. Then the Grand Champion Trophy is given to the best band overall out of all the divisions. The best in the entire competition.

HCHS took first place in every category in their division and THEN took the Grand Champion trophy as the best band in the competition!! We are so excited! I don't know when we last won Grand Champion but I do know that it hasn't been since I've been a band parent, so at least 6 years and never while one of my kids was in the band. I'm so proud!!

This is our last year as band parents. It's Michael's senior year and Anthony isn't at all interested in band so this couldn't come at a better time!

Wooohooooo!!! Go Comets!!! The best band in all the land!!!!

See ya next time! :o)

Friday, September 21, 2007

A New 'Do For You Know Who!


So, my hair has been getting on my last nerve lately. It's outgrown its cut and just kinda hangs there doing nothing. It's gotten too long, the ends are unhealthy looking and scraggly and I just got to the point where it was TIME! Time to do something with it! I went into the salon with a lot of conditions.

  • I want it much shorter....but not too short.
  • I want something reeeeally different....but not drastic.
  • I think I want bangs, but I'm not sure. Definitely not long bangs in my face.
  • I don't like to put spray or goop in my hair so nothing that requires anything besides a good washing and conditioning.
  • OHHH and I don't really wanna fuss with it too much. Blow dryer, okay, but no irons or curlers or anything like that.

The poor woman. She was great though! She totally got what I was saying and I love what she did. I've got bangs that can be "bangy" or swept to the side.

So here ya go. I took a before and an after. I took them myself in the mirror. It's SO hard to strike a pose when you're the one taking your own picture! LOL

See ya next time! :o)

Fall is here!


I love Fall! After the sweltering heat of summer it's so nice to be able to turn off the A/C and open the windows! I love getting out my cozy sweaters and jeans. I love heading out to football games and band competitions. I love cuddling up on the couch with my sweety without sticking to each other. LOL I love wearing my warmer jammies and my fluffy robe.

Meet Taco, the smallest dog we've ever had. He weighs less than 15 lbs. He's not so fond of the cooler weather. I never thought I'd be one of those people who dressed up their little dog but last year I saw how he shivered when he went outside in the Fall. So while I am not going to dress him up in costumes, I did go and get him a little sweater. He doesn't really like it. I don't know if it's the colors or the pattern or what but he'd rather not have it on, much like the child who whines that he doesn't NEED a hat in 10 degree weather. But just like with a child, I make him wear it when he goes outside in the morning. LOL Look at him...he looks mortified, doesn't he? It's not like I put him in a pair of butterfly wings and stuck antennas on top of this head! Sheesh!!

See ya next time! :o)

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Ode to PHers


My Internet Family

cheers for good times
support for hard decisions
tears for sad situations
advice for unsure friends
silliness for fun
stories for examples
jokes for sharing
games for playing
kind thoughts
positive vibes
always there
sharing
laughing
crying
supporting
welcoming
befriending

cyber hugs for all

See ya next time. :o)





Happy Birthday, Joe!!

Happy, happy birthday!
I sing this song to you!
Happy, happy birthday!

You're almost 42!

Happy, happy birthday!

You're kinda getting ollllllldddddd!
But we still love you anyway
'Cause you're as good as gold!!! :)

Dinner and cake at my house this Sunday!!

Love ya, Bro!!


Sis

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Wooohooo for Steve!!!

It's an exciting day in Chaffy's World. My wonderful husband has worked for Wal*Mart for 13 years. He's moved up the chain of command and he's just about had it. Actually, he's just about had it for some time now. The problem has always been that starting over at another company is so difficult. Losing seniority, being the new guy, losing retirement years that have built up, losing benefits and waiting for them to kick in again, not to mention a probable hefty pay cut. So he's stayed and stayed and stayed. The job market around here is bad...really bad. So we've felt lucky to have what we have and yet he needed a change, a new challenge, something different.

Today was the day that he got what he's been wanting! :) They are building a Sam's Club two blocks from his store. They were looking for a Human Resource and Membership Manager. HE APPLIED, INTERVIEWED AND GOT IT!! They actually hired him over the phone without even meeting him. There are many cool things about this news.
  • Since Sam's Club is the same company as Wal*Mart, he carries his seniority, benefits, retirement plan, pay grade and vacation time all with him and loses none of that.
  • He will have new things to do and new challenges.
  • Sam's Club is closed for all the major holidays...no more working on the holidays!
  • He'll be in on the ground floor of this brand new store and help to hire the employees.
  • He'll be out of the madhouse that is Wal*Mart well before the crazy Christmas season!
  • He'll never have to switch shifts or jobs within the store and possibly end up with 3rd shift as in the 24 hour WM store because Sam's closes at 9 PM and 7 PM on Sundays. They aren't open 24/7.
I'm excited for him. And so proud of him. He would never jeopardize the security our family has had with his position at Wal*Mart even though he hasn't been very happy there for quite a while and now he has found a way to move on to a new challenge and a new job without having to start all over. He's just so awesome. No wonder I married him. :)

See ya next time! :o)

Sunday, September 9, 2007

Mission Accomplished!

Memo from J & D Painting:

The mission is complete. The entire house is glossy white. This weekend was the last room. The room we dreaded. The KITCHEN! We pushed hard. We started at 9 am and worked through, only stopping for much needed smoke breaks and lunch until 7 pm. We only had the bottom cabinets left. The walls, top cabinets and stove hood were done. Primed twice (or was it three times?), glossed twice. The furniture and fridge were back in place. We were getting tired....and sore but I didn't have to rush home so suggested that if we just finished those bottom cabinets then we could be FINISHED! DONE!! And we could relax for the rest of the weekend. Joe was game. It sounded like a great plan....at 7:00.

At 8:00 it sounded like a good plan.

At 8:30 it sounded like an okay plan.

By 9:00 it sounded like a death wish.

We'd pushed TOO hard! LOL

We couldn't stand it anymore. We were SO close but it felt like SOOO far. Finally, we decided we just had to stop. We hadn't eaten dinner and weren't hungry because we we'd been so focused on finishing the job. But NOW our stomachs were protesting along with the rest of our bodies.

Mom, lovingly heated up leftovers and made me some Chunky veggy soup. It was like she brought me liquid gold in a bowl. The longer we sat filling our bellies, the more the fatigue set in. Mom asked if I wanted to have a sleep over and I did consider it. LOL The 30 minute drive home sounded like a cross country trip. I did go home though. I was glad too, because I got a nice massage from my honey when I dragged myself to bed. :)

This morning Joe finished up on his own. Yesterday he'd brought me my very own paint gun to spray those cabinets but didn't think that there would be only one hose to the compressor so two paint guns wouldn't really do us much good. So he went to Mom's and sprayed the bottom cabinets himself.

Today is Grandparent's Day. Steve and I and the boys went over for a little bit to give her a gift and for me to show off the great work done by J and D Painting. :) I wish I'd taken before and after pics. It looks like a totally different house. After all that painting, Mom's got LOTS of paint and primer left over. I came home and looked at my oh-so-dull walls and thought, Hmmmmm...

So it looks like I'm not quite done with painting yet. Mom's giving me the leftovers and we'll be doing my house next. But first I need a vacation! LOL

See ya next time! :o)

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Go away and DON'T COME BACK!

No, not you. :) I like when you come back.

I'm talking to Aunt Flo. I hate her. I hate what she brings with her. The crankiness, the crying for no reason, the cramps, the migraines, the soreness, the fatigue. HATE IT ALL! I hate that it all starts the week before and goes on the week of and the migraines go on for the week after. (Did I mention I hate it??)

But what I hate MOST of all is that I don't NEED her anymore. I have my three children...Eeeny, Meeny, Miney, and there ain't no Mo. Had the tubal after baby number three and that's final. So she has absolutely no purpose but to make my life miserable once a month. And yet she shows up, no invitation, no welcome mat, no coffee and cake, she just shows up!

I think every woman should have been equipped with an ON/OFF switch. Once you no longer need her, just a big CLICK and she's gone....FOREVER!

But, alas, we have no such switch. Instead, we have to keep buying stuff to combat her. Supplies, medicines, CHOCOLATE! Recently, a few ladies and I had an online conversation about a certain brand who had the nerve to put on their product: Have a happy period. EXCUUUUSEE ME????? Happy???? Are you freakin' kidding me? The same brand also put a wet wipe on the outside of each of their individually wrapped products (for just a little extra money, of course) If they REALLY want me to have a HAPPY period, they should put one of those miniature chocolate bars on each of those individually wrapped products. At least we'd all have something to look forward to each of the thousands of times we have to head to the lady's room during that week.

Okay, enough ranting, now for a related story.

A long time ago, I sent my hubby out for tampons. He was gone for a long time. Finally, he calls me on his cell sounding somewhat panicky and says:

"I've been standing in the feminine aisle for 20 minutes now...they've got teen, super, cardboard, plastic, slim....."

(by now I'm giggling)

"I'm serious....people are starting to look at me weird because I've been in here so long....stop laughing....really...stop."

(stifling the giggle well now)

THEN he says, "So seriously, there are so many different kinds. What CALIBER do you want?"

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!! There was no holding back after that! I was dying!!!! CALIBER???? What a guy thing to say!!!! I had tears rolling down my cheeks!!!

I still laugh every time I think of it..What caliber...OMGosh!!

Hope ya got a giggle!

See ya next time! :o)

Sunday, September 2, 2007

J & D Painting...at your service!

Well, I've been a busy lady the past two weekends. My mom decided she would like some painting done at her house....umm her WHOLE house. She wants everything painted a glossy white to "brighten up the place." It's not a huge house, but it does have 2 bathrooms, 2 bedrooms, 2 hallways, a kitchen and a living room, so it's big enough. Some of the rooms were painted about 10 years ago...the others have never been painted....ever. Original wallpaperboard whatever it's called. (Yeah that's a technical term. LOL)

So I got a call from my brother, Joe asking me what I'm doing on Saturday to which I reply, Nothing much, to which he answers, Oh, you shoulda said you were busy carting the kids around or something. LOL I could hear the smirk in his voice. He tells me about mom's request and I don't mind helping out at all. Joe and I are a great team and I knew this would be fun.

So last Saturday comes around and we're ready to roll (get it..roll? paint? hehe). Naturally, we have to move all the furniture, drape everything, etc. We actually made sure that the two recliners were still in a position to sit in so that we'd have some where to sit for breaks. LOL (How's that for great planning?) We cranked the tunes (70's music all the way!) and got busy. I was right, it was fun. We laughed and planned what to do first....trim, primer, gloss, more gloss...maybe another coat. We brushed and painted and rolled and danced and sang loudly. We made messes and got paint on our clothes and arms and legs and....well you name it, it was painted. Hey, we never said we were professionals! lol

By the end of last weekend we had half the house completed, the spare bedroom, guest bathroom, hallway and living room. Painted and dried and put back together so mom wouldn't have a mess all week. Putting the rooms back together was a piece of cake compared to putting OURSELVES back together. LOL It was fun, but GOD were we tired! And sore. And bruised. And scraped. (STUPID BED FRAME!) And slightly glossy white. LOL

Thank God we had a week to recoup. This weekend we completed Mom's room, the other hallway and the master bathroom. Only by Saturday night, it felt more like Sunday night as far as aches and pains and exhaustion. I know, I know, I'm old.

Next weekend we tackle the kitchen.....walls, cabinets, counter tops. We saved the worst for last. I don't know how smart that was, now that I think about it. :o/ BUT, next weekend we'll show up and crank the music and dance and sing and move that furniture and roll that paint and have fun again!

See ya next time! :o)