It's Been a While...

Yes, I have used the hummingbird picture before, but hey, it is only because I wanted to announce that we have hummingbirds!  YAY!!!!! They make me very happy.  I think if I have a totem, it is a hummingbird for sure. It is the one creature on this earth that consistently makes me smile and lifts my spirits.

Wish I had something earth-shattering to share, but I really don't.  I did want to hear how BC and New#3 were faring these days. It has been a while, ladies!

All that weight I lost? Yeah, I found it again.  I do like my new job, and the hours are awesome.  Makes up live extremely lean, though (how do you gain weight when you have no money for groceries? I have to figure that one out...)

It is July in Florida, which means it will hit 90 degrees every single day, and it will rain--if only for a few minutes--every afternoon.  It is hotter elsewhere, so I am not complaining one bit!  And the sun--oh, how I love sunny days. Sunshine does my soul good.

Just had a visit from MIL and our nephew, Jack. They stayed with us a week in our tiny little house with one bathroom (no tub, just a shower, and a small one at that). There really isn't a lot to do in the summer, so I felt bad that I couldn't entertain them more, plus, with work...and limited finances...sigh.  Not sure either of them really had a good time. I think they were both antsy to go home, to tell you the truth. It took over a month to recover financially from the visit--we spent money that was earmarked for bills, so we are playing catch-up.

We have been trying to get karaoke gigs for extra income, but everyone already has entertainment or karaoke, so no luck in that arena. We did find a great bar, however, which is owned by a fella who is a professional DJ, and my oh my, does he have a nice system! His selection is over the top! And, his bar is very nice--bathrooms were even clean!

Cooking for my Step-mama and another nephew who is visiting tonight.  I like to entertain!  Not sure what all I will make, but it will be a spread!

Speaking of, I best get my bootie around and get the no-bakes done that I was bringing.

Hope to hear from my buddies!

~D

Rain!!!

It has been raining all day--happy dance in the puddles! It really cooled off, too--only hit 70 degrees. Haven't seen 70 degrees in quite a while.  It is a nice change from the 90s and 100s.

We also got a new (to us) vehicle. It looks like this:

It drives like this:

It is an all-wheel drive, and I have never driven one before. It is going to take some getting used to!

We went to visit Bud's mom today as well, and took her for a ride. She liked it--SCORE! And a copy of my book arrived today. It was waiting for me when I got home.  So crazy--seeing it in print.  It is finally real. Even if no one reads it (oh, but I hope they do!), I feel like I have accomplished something to be proud of.

Lots of things to smile about today.  :)



Just When Our Lives Couldn't Get Crazier....

Bud and I will be moving for the umpteenth trillion time next weekend. We are actually--get this--moving in with Bud's first wife, K, and her roommate (who also happens to be a long-time friend of Bud's). So Bud will have two of his wives under one roof again!

We haven't told MIL yet--she is away for the weekend and won't get back until later this afternoon. This will go over like a lead balloon, let me tell ya.  We have been living with her a year--a YEAR! I know she is gotten used to us doing things around here. Not that she is not capable of doing 85% of what we do; we just try to earn our keep and make it easier for her. I think she has only cooked a half dozen times in the year we have been here. She has not had to vacuum once. I think she has done the dishes 5 times.   She does keep her own room cleaned up, and she does the sink and stool once a week. Gonna be a major adjustment for her to say the least.

We will be about an hour away, so it is not like we are moving across the country.  We will still be mowing her lawn every few weeks, and helping her with anything she cannot do herself. We will check in with her daily to make sure she is okay.

It will be a major adjustment for us as well.  We have been in caregiver mode for TWO YEARS. And we will be moving in to a home 1/2 the size of this one--and we think this one is small! LOL

We actually went out last night--for real! We joined K at a bar that was doing a Hometown Idol contest, and K made it to the next round! Bud and K kept urging me to enter the contest, but that is just not my thing. Not that I am not competitive. I am just more competitive with myself. And okay, I am competitive playing Scrabble on Facebook. But the players on Facebook aren't "real" to me--they are just faceless entities I am playing against. I might as well be playing with a computer. And since Bud and I were karaoke hosts for years and years, I am a firm believer that karaoke isn't supposed to be a competition; it is supposed to be an outlet for anyone who has the desire to sing, no matter what their skill level. When you turn it into a competition, someone who may have finally found the nerve to get up and put themselves out there might change their mind and never get up and all. Just sayin'...

Back to the move. I am NOT looking forward to telling MIL.  No matter how we tell her, it is going to put her in a fowl move. It doesn't matter that we are making the move so that I can avoid driving 60 miles for a new job; she will still take it personally.  She and I just had a big talk on Thursday, because she has been  saying things that intentionally try and hurt my feelings (criticizing how I cook or making me feel like I am not doing enough around the house). She told me I was too sensitive, and that I basically need to harden myself like she has. She said she used to bite her tongue, but as she ages, she is more outspoken; I told her that is fine, but there is such a thing as tact and kindness.

This has been coming for a while.  MIL has just about put Bud over the edge (I would probably be the same way if we were living with my mom, in all fairness. I love her to death, but I SURE couldn't live with her!) MIL has another son who actually lives right in town, but they are truly oil and water. They do NOT get along at all, so I know she will not ask him for anything and vice versa.  Any time he has tried to help, it has not been appreciated, and she has found a way to negate any efforts he has made to help and make amends in their relationship.  (Long back story here, but he truly did put every member of the family through hell for years).

Bud's other brother is in Malaysia.  He has power of attorney and is the sole heir, so our hands have always been tied. He stayed here for 6 months last year after FIL passed. I am hoping that he finds a way to move back soon, as I know if MIL passes while he is overseas, it will be a mess on our end. She has verbally given us a list of some things she wants her other DIL to have, things she wants Bud to have, things she wants me to have, etc, but she is unwilling to add a codicil to her will with these wishes. Bud and I have told her that unless she has it in writing, her verbal wishes are mute. The option is to give the items to those she wants to have them while she is still living, but she said she doesn't want to part with anything  yet. Sigh.

She at one time said if she passed, Bud and I could stay in this house as long as we wanted; sorry, but I am not doing upkeep and sinking money into a home that is not ours. I do know that Bud's brother in Malaysia would come back to Michigan if MIL bought the ticket; I suspect maybe with us gone, she will do just that, I don't know.

Whoa! I sure derailed my topic, didn't I? LOL I think as stressful as a move is, this will be a good change for us in the short run. Wish us luck! Anyone out there want to break the news to MIL???

Treading Water

I am not a swimmer, so the fact that I use the above title to describe how I feel right now is no coincidence. My health is doing better physically, but mentally, I feel on the edge all. of. the. time. I wait for the wave that is going to come rushing over my head; I wait to feel myself pulled under in the undertow; I wait to feel so tired, I just stop trying.

MIL has me doing Spring Cleaning. She pronounced that she wanted to get it done, which means I have to get it done. I have been tackling it little by little, but there is a long, long way to go.

We had a gathering this weekend of family and friends. We had planned to do a cookout back when the weather was in the 80's in February, figuring surely the last weekend before May would be nice enough to cook and eat outside. Stupid mortals...

Of course, it was ridiculously cold and rainy, and we had to move the party indoors.  We did karaoke, which was fun for about two hours, then I couldn't wait for it to get over with. I was tired. Bud was tired.

The reason we were so tired was all the pre-party work that went into it.  Had to clean and rearrange the living room to make space for the karaoke equipment. I had to make all the accompanying food to go with the burgers I was cooking on the grill. MIL was calling people for three day to make sure they were still coming and assuring them it was still on, rain or shine.

Back to Spring Cleaning. Part of the cleaning is the storage room, which is a mess.  It happens to be where our life is right now, packed away in boxes. She wants it cleaned out and organized. I don't mind, but it was hard to get at with our karaoke equipment in there as well. Since we had pulled all our karaoke equipment out for the party, I asked if we could leave it set up in the living room a few days so we could tackle the storage room. She said it was okay, but then the day after the party, she announces she wants the equipment out of the living room.

Sooooooo, Bud and I have to scramble and try and get the storage room cleaned and organized and get the equipment out of the living room today. It is an enormous task that should really be tackled over several days, but we have to somehow pull it off today, or MIL will get beyond moody. When she wants something done, it needs to be done, NOW.

I think I need swimming lessons.

Whew! Glad that is over with!

School and Christmas are now behind us, as well as a visit from MIL's great-grandchildren, ages 4, 2 and 1. I used to have the patience of Job, but not anymore.  I guess I would make a terrible grandma, as I was exhausted after only an hour with them. The volume got me, for one. When did kids get so loud? I so wanted to sneak into the bedroom with Bud and our dogs to avoid the cacophony.

And of course, they wanted to touch everything, and there is nothing kid-friendly about MIL's house. They managed to get through the visit without getting bit by a dog or breaking something.

We once again played Wii on Christmas day. I would have had more fun if it weren't for my back.  It has been giving me fits for about three weeks. My weight isn't helping matters much. I need to kick it into high gear and GET THIS WEIGHT OFF!!!! I have zero will power during the holidays. This Christmas there were no green vegetables in sight, I swear. Just lots of carbs and starches.

I put in several job applications. We are in need of some cash flow, and I know that since I am now a graduate, MIL will be asking me when I am getting a job. I want to beat her to the punch!

I really want to hibernate, and it really isn't that bad out.  No snow, so that is a huge plus. Maybe we can get through this winter with minimal snow.  If we have blue skies, that is always a bonus. The overcast days really depress the hell out of me. The sunshine really helps.

MIL is slamming shit around right now, so I guess she is pissed about something. Guess I better get off of here!

We are in Business!

We went to our first arts and crafts bazaar in the big burg of Burr Oak, population of approximately 800 people. I think all 800 came to the bazaar.

They had a breakfast available, and I think we were the first served, as we got there 20 minutes early. I was remiss to not bring my camera, but a friend took pics and will be sending them to us shortly.

We really didn't sell much: 2 necktielace sets, 1 mirror, 2 boutonnieres, 1 hair clip, and 1 headband.  What we DID accomplish, however, was lots of interest in our unique items.  As people began looking at our things, we watched as smiles crossed their faces. I am guessing several crafty people will go home and try to duplicate our items themselves. That's okay--that is what crafty people do. They take ideas and inspiration from things others have crafted.

Etsy is almost up and running. Just getting the paypal and cart/checkout straightened out, then I can start listing our things.  YAY!

Have got the other blog up and running as well mymilscreations.blogspot.com, but again, still working on getting the paypal/cart/checkout going.  I posted our very first item on the site--horrible picture, as we have a crappy camera, and MIL's is broken.  Bummer!

Got a TON of homework to do, so I am off to tackle the mountain.  Only 6 more weeks--woohoo!

8 More Weeks

One eight-week semester left, and I am DONE. Three more classes between being a student and being a graduate. I cannot WAIT to be done. This semester looks like two B+ grades--damn. I am disappointed, but with everything we have been dealing with regarding MIL, I am not going to beat myself up.

I am making a turkey breast with all the trimmings for supper. MIL is looking forward to it--me too. I have problems and a final exam yet to take today, then I am going to rest for the remains of the day.

I am going to have a crafting blog up and running soon displaying all the items MIL and I have made that we are selling. I have been working on my ties--pretty cute, if I do say so myself. Check out the pics below:

Far left: pins

left: barrets and hair clips

Right and below: ties with matching

pins-sorry, the pics aren't the best!

MIL is home!

We got to bring MIL home yesterday. She still has zero appetite. We took her to Main Street Pub, and she ordered a steak, fries, and a cup of homemade potato soup. She ate two bites of soup, two bites of steak, and two french fries, and couldn't eat any more--and that is the most she has eaten since a week ago Thursday night!

It is going to be a slow road back to recovery for her. I think she expected to feel a lot better sooner. She is healing well, though, and she is doing a great job under the circumstances. She was so happy to just be able to sleep in her own bed!

She had dialysis this morning, and Bud called to say she was having a rough go of it. When she gets dialysis, all the meds in her body get dialysed out--including the pain meds. So it is essentially 4 hours of pain for her right now. Wish I could do the dialysis for her...

It is a very blustery day out today, overcast and bleak. I am going to make a pot of ham and bean soup and a skillet of cornbread, perfect for a cold, yucky day. I am hoping MIL has an appetite and can get a few bites down. I expect she will sleep through most of the day on and off, and that is okay; she needs the rest.

Thanks to all who kept her in your thoughts and prayers. Very, very appreciated.

Because God evidently doesn't think we have enough stress....

MIL is in the hospital. We took her to the ER at 3am on Monday morning, as she was having chest pains. They took her by ambulance to Borgess Hospital in Kzoo, and they did a heart cath. Turns out, she has three major blockages and and needs bypass surgery.

So now the poor woman has to deal with both dialysis and having her chest cracked open on Friday. She is taking it amazingly well. She is of course scared, but she has accepted that it has to be done and there is not a whole lot she can do about it.

This is a major deja vu for me--takes me back to when ES was in T-town and had her leg amputated. Drove 45 miles every day after work to go see her while she was in the hospital. Guess how far Kzoo is from here? Yup, just over 45 miles. At least this time, Bud and I are dealing with it together. When ES was int he hospital, if you were a follower of the other blog, the Self-Sustaining Kitchen( http://bamagalskitchen.blogspot.com/ --it is still up and running--go there for a lot of background and more on this storyline), you know that right after ES had the amputation, Bud had to rush to Michigan because his mom had had a heart attack, and his dad was in the hospital as well...not a pleasant time in our lives to say the least.

Mom is scheduled to have surgery on Friday, and Bud and I have been operating on little to no sleep; calling friends and family to keep them updated; trying to not have meltdown. I just did all the homework for one of my classes in record speed. My brain is thoroughly fried.

MIL, ever the worrier, is focusing not on her pending surgery, but rather on the fact that she was supposed to get her car serviced on Friday, was supposed to meet a friend for lunch this week, and oh, yeah, Peanut, the Jekyll-Hyde dog, was supposed to go get her annual booster shots. Not to mention that she had a ton of crafting projects she was working on that she had planned on finishing...gotta love her. She is obsessive-compulsive-and-very-likely-insane.

Keep her in your thoughts, everyone--all three of you intrepid followers!

Shopping with MIL

My MIL's sister passed away a week ago today. She had been battling cancer for over two years, and just when she thought it was beaten, they found her liver full of cancer. They gave her 2-3 days; she lived 6 more weeks.

Aunt Hazel was a very tenacious woman, and though I didn't know her very well, I remember her laugh the most. She had a hardy laugh, and she loved nothing more than to have conversations that involved story-telling. She will be missed by many.

MIL was concerned, as she only had one dress, and she had worn it before and thought people might notice. So, we went to Mishawaka in search of the perfect dress.

We hit paydirt at JC Penny's. They were having their annual Labor Day Sale, and most everything in the store was marked down. She found two dresses she really like, and tried them both on. She looked great in both, but was very self-critical and didn't like "how big her hips looked" in the one, and how "low-cut" the other dress was. I knew all I had to do was read the price tags for her to make the decision. Mom likes value (don't we all), and when I told her the "low-cut" dress was on sale for $26, she made her decision. "I don't have any pantyhose!" She said with large eyes. Off to the lingerie section.

She clucked at how expensive the pantyhose were. I agree. Even when they were $1.99 a pair, I thought they were too much, as I inevitably only get one wear out of the little beggars. She bought the cheapest pair she could find, then said, "you know what, I don't think I have a purse that would look right with this dress." Off to the purses...

She looked at many purses. Many, many purses. She loves purses like I love shoes. I think she has in the neighborhood of 20 purses, and the number keeps growing. She also makes purses, so she has lots of cute quilted bags as well. She managed to find a very cute purse for $8. SCORE! "You know, I don't think I have shoes that will go with this dress..." Off to the shoe department...

The shoe department was busy. They had lots of summer shoes marked 70-80% off, so you can imagine what it was like. I thankfully had no money, so I didn't walk out of the store with a half-dozen shoes and the giddy head-rush that comes with knowing I have new shoes. I found a pair that was oh-so-cute, and MIL loved them as well. They were normally $90, but they were marked down to $29, so they were a steal at that price. At the register, she looked at the cashier and lamented, "I don't have any jewelry to go with this outfit!" The cashier told her kindly that she would hold the items and pointed her toward the jewelry...

Bud has a great eye for that kind of thing, and he found her a gorgeous necklace and matching earrings (the earrings were actually a three pack, and they were the same price as the single pack earrings, so again, SCORE!)

We went back to the shoe counter, and the sales associate rang everything up. Her outfit: dress, shoes, jewelry, purse, and nylons was--are you ready for this?--$94. Can you believe it? The discounted prices were discounted even MORE. She saved almost $150. I don't know who was more tickled--MIL or me.

Here she is in her dress as we were heading out to the funeral. The handsome man on her shoulder is my hubby. We clean up pretty good!

I actually enjoyed my shopping experience with MIL. She was like a little kid at Christmas, and I was glad to see her so happy.

Weight Loss Update

I meant to do this last week, but forgot amidst my term paper procrastinating. I have an final exam to take, but this will be short.

I am at 24 pounds lost. Here is my latest picture. I still do not see a difference, but as hubby can attest, I couldn't get into the pants I am wearing just a month ago. There was a two-inch gap between button and button-hole! I was able to put them on in the UPRIGHT position--no needing to lay down to get them on, which was a nice surprise.

MIL still doesn't think I have lost as much as I am claiming. She gives a skeptical "oh really?" when I told her. I don't care. I know I am losing weight, if by nothing more than the fact that the frickin' pants now fit. 'nuff said.

Atrial Fibrillation

As promised, here is the continuation of "MIL is Trying to Kill Me or Herself". Yesterday morning around 9am, the phone rang. I had been up long enough to have taken a shower and contemplate what to eat to satisfy my growling tummy. MIL has dialysis on M-W-F every week, and leave the house around 6:45am. She gets back around 11:30am, depending on whether or not she has plans made. Note: MIL is a chronic planner. She likes to fill every square on the calendar with something to do. It usually involves either eating or shopping or both, and it inevitably requires driving to Elkhart, Mishawaka, or parts unknown.

Anyhoo, back to the call. When I answered the phone, it was MIL. She calmly says, "My heart rate and blood pressure are really high, and they want me to go to the ER and get an EKG. Can you guys come to the hospital and meet me there?" Just calm as can be. MY heart rate and blood pressure instantly went up a few notches. I told her we would of course be right there.

I got Bud up and we were heading to the hospital within 10 minutes. When we got there, we noticed her car was there. "What the Hell?!?" She drove herself to the ER! My first thought was, "negligence". How can any health care facility send someone who may be undergoing a heart attack to the ER driving themselves?

When we got inside, MIL was just having an EKG done, so we waited until the tech was done. Once he was done, we asked why in the heck she drove herself. She stated that they asked her at dialysis if she was able to drive herself, and she said yes. I asked if they had her sign a waiver or anything, and she said no. So basically, then let her drive herself across town, not certain whether she was in the beginning stages of a heart attack. Special, no?

When they came in to put the patient ID bracelet on her, she got agitated. "You aren't admitting me, are you?" The woman assured her that it was SOP and that she had no idea if she would be admitted or not--that was up to the doctor.

Because her heart rate was so high and was not coming down on its own, they gave her a dose of cardizem intravenously. The doctor told her that they may decide to keep her overnight to observe her if it didn't come down. That made MIL mad. She said she had plans for the next day (she left about an hour ago with a friend of hers to go to a specialty fabric store) and didn't want to be admitted.

MIL has a huge distrust of doctors. She has never had a family doctor. For one, she is afraid that they will find something wrong--her biggest fear is cancer. She also believes that they have too much control and will order a bunch of tests that she doesn't need because in her mind, doctors are after everyone's money.

Imagine her relief when the doctor told her that they weren't going to admit her, but they were going to adjust her b.p. meds. She was having Atrial fibrillation, which is when the atrial chamber flutters and pools blood before finally contracting. This can actually be very serious if not treated, as blood clots can form when the blood is pooled in the atrium. The only thing she could think about, however, was the fact that she was supposed to return a video to a friend at 3pm, and her plans to go fabric shopping with her friend today. Thank goodness she wasn't admitted, right?

MIL is amazing. I have known a lot of people on dialysis, and most are wiped out afterwards. Not MIL. She will run to the store, go out for lunch with friends, head to Mishawaka for something she must have...she can't sit still. She will nod off in her recliner in the afternoon, and she is baffled why she is so tired and can't keep her eyes open. At the Blueberry Fest on Saturday, she was mad that she was tired after only FIVE HOURS of walking and shopping. She is 75 years old, but wears my ass out!

My bet is on MIL. She is going to outlive us all.

My Mother-in-Law is Trying to Kill Me or Herself--Just Haven't Figured Out Which One Yet...

MIL and I went to the South Haven Blueberry Fest on Saturday. For those who don't know crap about me, I do not like being in crowds, and South Haven + Blueberry Fest = massive crowds. For the sake of scoring valuable points with my MIL, I agreed to go.

When we left at 9 in the morning, we noted that it "appeared a little dark" to our West. Guess where South Haven is? Yup. Before we had driven 10 miles, we were getting sprinkles on the windshield. We laughed and optimistically convinced one another that the sprinkles would clear before we got to South Haven.

72 miles later, and 2.5 miles from our destination, all Hell broke loose. It was raining so hard, it was hard to see where the heck we were going. We made it, and it seemed like maybe it was letting up a bit. We parked the car about 2 blocks from the main drag where all the action was going on, grabbed the umbrella, and started hoofing it. Within 20 minutes, it was POURING again. We ducked into a bakery, MIL's favorite venue, and bought several rolls. The place was packed, but we got served within 10 minutes. We each ate a roll under the awning outside of the bakery, waiting for the rain to let up. I put the remaining rolls in my purse in an attempt to keep them dry.

MIL's umbrella is so huge, it was not practical among the tents (which, due to the rain, had closed their flaps and or covered their merchandise with tarps), so I ended up giving up and closing it. Before long, we were both soaked to the skin. We both wore sandals, and we were squishing as we walked. MIL suggested we drop off the merchandise we had purchased thus far in the car. I told her we could sit in car and warm up a bit, which she said sounded like a good idea.

She unlocked the car, and popped the trunk. I ditched the umbrella and our merchandise, unloaded the rolls from my purse, shut the trunk, and headed to the passenger side to get in. MIL yells, "WAIT!" She then slams the door she had open and locks the car. I gave her a "WTF?" look, and she expounds, "I don't want to get the seats wet!" I shit you not. So we are standing there, getting more soaked, if that is possible. The water in the street is already over the tops of my feet, and she doesn't want to get her seats wet?

I looked around at all the crazy people enduring the downpour, then realized I WAS one of those crazy people. It finally got so bad, we ducked into a shop doorway, backs to the wind-driven rain. MIL took one look at me--and busted out laughing. I thought she was going to pee herself. My hair was matted to my head, and I had rivulets of rain running down my face and dripping off my chin(s). She was laughing so hard, I thought she was crying, but it was hard to tell, as she had water dripping of her eyebrows and nose.

A kind sales lady offered us a paper towel each, smiling apologetically for not offering more. (We couldn't enter the door, as it was blocked by a display table. I told MIL she could probably get in if she got on her hands and knees and sucked in real hard...) We watched as many people strolled by in rain gear. MIL exclaimed, "hey, I have that rain gear at home we could have worn...."

We must have walked 10 miles and went into every shop. We looked at a lot of great stuff we couldn't afford. We ate lunch in a packed restaurant, where the only seats available were at a very small table RIGHT by entry door and in front of the big window. I almost blew ice tea out my nose when the first batch of people pressed their faces against the glass window right where we were sitting to see how packed it was inside. I honestly felt like a zoo animal on display. It was hilarious. I dared MIL to make a face at one of them, but she chickened out.

After our bellies were full, we walked another 10 miles and tried to find shops and booths we HADN'T been in already. The weather made the arthritis in my hips and knee flair up, and I took it as long as I could before letting MIL know that I needed to take one of my arthritis pills. Of course, we weren't anywhere near a place that sold water, so we hoofed it down to the shops along the riverwalk where they sell a lot of junk food and beverages. I got us two waters, and I took my painpill and we rested a bit. It was then we realized that we had come downhill, which meant we had to hoof it UPhill to get back to the car. UGH!

We had to stop 3 times on the way up to rest. I was freakin' scared that MIL was going to have a coronary right there. We debated on asking a hulking muscle-bound body builder how much he would charge to carry us the rest of the way up the hill...

We made it, though. By this time, it was sunny and beautiful out. We air dried in no time, and things were looking up. We decided to leave around 3pm, as we still had a 72 mile drive home. As we headed East, MIL looked in her rear-view mirror and exclaimed, "wow, it sure is getting dark back there..."

We were surrounded by ominous clouds three quarters of the drive home. We eventually had to turn south, and that is when Hell-Breaks-Loose Volume II took place. Less than 20 miles from home, those dark clouds from the West slammed into us with gale-force wind intensity. MIL had to pull over as we watched the rain coming in side-ways sheets across the pavement. Trees looked like they were going to snap in two. It eventually passed, and we got back on the road. Five minutes later, Hell-Breaks-Loose Volume III erupted. It began to hail dime-sized frozen nuggets. It sounded like we were being pelted with rocks. Again, MIL had to pull over.

We made it home safely, but frayed around the edges. We were both exhausted. I went to bed early that night. MIL kept complaining about acid reflux, and later that evening, she said her heart kept fluttering...More on that in the next post. I have to get back to homework.

Yard Sale Hell

MIL had the great idea to do a yard sale this weekend. It has been in the 90's for a week, and the humidity is through the roof. PERFECT! My ultra pale, burns in minutes skin will LOVE being exposed for two days...

In preparation, she dragged out bags and boxes, or rather, my nephew and SIL dragged out bags and boxes, from the shed. Most had mouse turds or mouse pee, and they reeked. Special! We are putting more time in to cleaning the sh-- I mean treasures up than they are worth. Seriously, she has so many chotchkies it is ridiculous. Oh, for those who have never heard of a chotchkie, Urban Dictionary defines it as the following:
"A small piece of worthless crap, a decorative knick knack with little or no purpose. Side note: Chotchkie can be pretty, sentimental, or even occasionally useful though it usually breaks easily if useful. If you are having trouble identifying Chotchkie just look around your house or someone else's and whatever you see that a burglar wouldn't steal is probably Chotchkie.
Fake fruit, a ceramic frog containing candy, pretty much anything purchased at a dollar store, costume jewelry, etc."

Amen, Urban Dictionary. Amen. Worthless crap indeed. Heck, the mouse turds have more value than some of the sh-- I mean, treasures, she is trying to sell. We spent hours pricing all that crap, and the whole while I am thinking, "Put it all on the front lawn with a giant "FREE" sign and be done with it." Dang, can you tell this is getting on my last nerve?

Don't get me wrong. I do love my MIL. She just comes up with "great ideas" that translate into lots and lots of pointless work. She will sell a few things, I am sure. Like the motorcycle leather coat, pants, and chaps, and the motorcycle intercom system. The rest? She should have just rented a dumpster. I'm just sayin'...

I have a ton of homework to do, and I have been spending more time lugging, washing, labeling, and cussing than I care to admit. On a positive note, my hubby is taking one for the Gipper, as they say. He is going with MIL to Amish Acres tomorrow morning. Acres and acres of vendors, set up in an open field on a hot, humid day. She really wants to go, but Bud knew that I had all this homework to get done, so he is going with her and leaving me home in the peace and quiet. Oh, how I love that man!

If there is a Hell, and I end up there, I will probably be stuck labeling chotchkies...

Rhubarb Pie, My Nemesis

My MIL is evil. I told her I love rhubarb, but haven't had any in many, many years. So of course, she has to make me a rhubarb custard pie. I have eaten three pieces in the last 48 hours. Did I happen to mention that I am on a diet? Evil, evil MIL...

The good news is, I now officially don't like rhubarb. Although rhubarb is not the culprit. It has maybe 25 calories a cup. Wait, let me go check...I was close. It has 29 calories per 1 cup diced rhubarb. I have been tracking every bite that goes in my mouth ever-so-faithfully for three months. I think I mentioned Livestrong.com before. It is an awesome tool for anyone who wants to track diet, fitness, or wants to be up on the latest fitness advice. You can visit it here

I have to weigh in tomorrow, and then I will post a picture of what I look and how much I have lost in total. I will also divulge how much my starting weight was--NOT a pretty number.

I often get asked how much I want to lose. My answer? One pound at a time until I feel healthy. I don't know what the magic number is, but I do know that it will be when I am able to climb a flight of stairs without getting winded, when I can wipe my own ass without breaking into a sweat, and when I feel good in my skin.

See you tomorrow!