Remember a couple months ago when I probably mentioned how cool it was that our grandson had discovered his little voice and was making lots of cooing and squealing sounds? Well, now that he's a little over 5 months old, those same sounds have turned into the loudest, longest, high-pitched screeches you'd ever want to hear, to the point where Tom & I have been tempted to cover our ears! Seriously! LOLOL And after each screech, he looks at us with excitement and a HUGE smile on his face as if to say, "Did you HEAR that? Wasn't that just SO cool?" Oh my gosh. Dante now makes our loud, obnoxious cockatiel sound like an on-duty Librarian. Goodness!
Tom and I are looking forward to leaving our house at 8 a.m. tomorrow to spend the day visiting the cute little Lake Huron shoreline towns of East Tawas, Oscoda, Greenbush and Harrisville. We'll only be up in that area for the day (should be home by 11 p.m. tomorrow night), but we're excited to get up to my "old stomping grounds" as I used to live in Greenbush when I was a kid, and I attended Oscoda schools. I love that area for the beauty and tranquility of its many rivers, inland lakes, and Lake Huron. We try to get back up there at least once or twice/year. It's my second home, and I hope we can retire up there some day (although our desire would be to become "snowbirds," spending the winter months in a warmer climate with very little snow, if any). Look out, Miss Sally! Once we retire, you could be having winter house guests. LOLOL
Anyway, I'll try to take some pictures and will post some of them when we return.
My brother and his wife invited us to go to a cider mill with them early Sunday afternoon, and we're looking forward to it. We haven't visited a cider mill yet this fall, so I guess it's about time we get off our butts and pay one a visit. The one my brother has chosen is 45-50 minutes from our house, and we've never been there before. We plan to take Dante with us so he can enjoy all the sights and sounds--a petting farm, a wagon ride, the patrons, and maybe some pumpkin picking. He won't remember any of it a week from now, and will probably sleep through some of it, but he'll have fun anyway. And who knows? If the petting farm houses peacocks, hawks, and/or other fowl, maybe he can launch into one of his high-pitched SCREECHES and have a full-on conversation with them! Now wouldn't that be fun? Then we can start calling him Dante "Doolittle." LOLOL
Hope all of you have a fun weekend too, making sure to take time to relax in between everything else I'm sure you have scheduled. Blessings!
Friday, October 19, 2012
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
New Great Nephew and Tiger Baseball
Whew! I finally got caught up with reading everyone's blogs from the past couple of weeks. I hope I'll be able to STAY caught up, but with our crazy-busy lives, one just never knows.
We've had a lot going on lately it seems. A couple of weekends ago, we attended a family engagement party at a fancy-schmancy banquet facility on a golf course (we had a blast!). It was good to see, and hang out with, some of my hubby's family who we rarely get to see. The next night, we attended a wedding and reception for a good friend of my husband's that he's known since 2nd grade. Tom (hubby) was a groomsman, and his youngest brother was the best man. One of my nephews played music during the wedding on his guitar, and my youngest sister-in-law and I got to carry up the Holy Communion elements during the wedding service. A good majority of my hubby's family attended, and at the reception hall, we took up 5 or 6 tables...chairs on both sides! There was good food and lots of dancing. Fun, fun, fun!
Last Friday, Tom & I decided we needed a night out and some alone time (which is tough to get nowadays with our daughter, her fiancee' and grandson living with us), so he took me out to dinner at a very reasonably-priced restaurant about 20 minutes from home that we've always wanted to visit, then we spent the night at a hotel down the street from it. This place was absolutely adorable, and very reasonably priced too. The interior furniture was all Amish--beautiful light-colored pine dressers, nightstands and a headboard. (I would have loved to have that furniture in OUR bedroom here at home!) The hotel was also on a lake and had a 120' long, covered, log deck/patio running along the back of it with a small swimming area, a paddle boat, feed for the duckies on the lake, a nice dock with patio furniture, etc. Several of the rooms had doors that opened onto the patio/lake. Ours didn't, but all guests are welcome to hang out on the patio, and so we did. We fed the duckies and had a great night.
The next day was cold and rainy, so once we got home, we slept a lot. Then, in the evening, we got together at a friend's house down the street with our Rifle River family. The "gang" usually tries to get together every couple of weeks just to hang out, share a few drinks, and LOTS of laughs. LOL We watched the Detroit Tigers play baseball on a 60" TV (we need to get one of those giant things!!!) and were happy that they won the game. They've continued to play well and, who knows? We might be playing in the World Series starting next week! We sure hope so! Go, Tigers!
On Monday of this week, Tom's nephew and niece-in-law had their first baby, a boy they named Anthony Michael. Tom & I went to see him, and his parents, Monday night at the hospital. We got to hold him and he was just SO cute! Unfortunately, two days later, he had to be transported to the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor because he has 2, possibly 3, very major medical problems. It truly broke our hearts to hear this. He will probably need heart surgery and who knows what else, and even then, it isn't known yet if he will be OK. If all of you could PLEASE keep baby Anthony in your prayers, it would be so greatly appreciated. Thank you!
This upcoming Saturday Tom & I plan to leave early in the morning and drive 3 hours to East Tawas on the Lake Huron coast. A few of our river family friends will be camping up there all weekend. We plan to meet up with them Saturday morning and spend the day traveling around the area...exploring. Then we'll leave to come home Saturday night, probably around 8 p.m. My camera isn't all that great, but I'll bring it with me and try to get some pics. We plan to go inside the Tawas Point lighthouse (which is only open to the public a few times each year) which, as I understand it, gives beautiful panoramic views of Lake Huron and the city of Tawas. We also plan to visit two natural springs along the Ausable River (the 2 springs are almost next to each other), and possibly Lumberman's Monument, which is a park with a huge statue of 3 or 4 loggers as a tribute to the early logging industry down the Ausable River in Michigan. Now, let me mention, that at both the Spring, and the Monument, the best way to see all the attractions is to walk down to the river itself. HOWEVER, each trip is almost 300 stairs ONE WAY. Tom & I aren't the most physically fit people, so if we try this, we might have to take some breaks coming BACK UP the stairs. I'm certainly looking forward to seeing the landscapes; I'm NOT looking forward to climbing all those stairs back to the parking lot. We'll see how that goes. Toward dinnertime, the 6 of us plan to go to a really nice restaurant along the Ausable River in the town of Oscoda. I grew up in Oscoda for some years as a kid, and I'm always just SO tickled to get back up there and say, "Hello" to my old stomping grounds. It should be a good time.
On the homefront: Angela quit the Vet Tech job at that nasty place with all the hateful people. Two days later, she was hired in at one of the best, most quality-oriented vet hospitals in the area, and she has been happy as a lark every since. It has taken her 3 years, and several jobs, to find an awesome place to work where the employees care about QUALITY, not just quantity. The owners and managers at this new place respect and care for all the employees, and they, in turn, respect management and each other. Most of the employees have been there for 10 - 20 years, so you know it's a nice place to work. Ang can get health insurance after 90 days, a scrub allowance of $100 per year, sick days, vacation time, vet discounts for all our pets, and BONUSES at the end of each year. The owners even give a nice employee party at Christmas. FINALLY, she is happy in her vocation, and we see her staying in this place for a long time to come. Equally, the managers and co-workers like Angela too. :-) Ang has also found an incredible day care gal to watch Dante while she works. This gal is local, and came recommended by a friend of one of our sister-in-laws. She only watches 3 or so kids, and on different days, so they all get plenty of attention from her. Dante really likes her too!
Jason just moved on from his job of the past 6 months (where the boss was a disrespectful, mean idiot), and is now working for a father and son construction company. Right now, they are building several modular homes in a residential neighborhood--doing all the work from start to finish--so Jason will learn A LOT in his field. So far, he really likes the bosses, and they seem to like him. We're keeping our fingers crossed that this will be an excellent job for him.
Tom's job is...well...slower than molasses. They really haven't had any substantial work to do for probably a month or more. We keep waiting for the hammer to come down saying the owners will be closing the place, and/or moving the operations to their plant in Mexico. He continues to look for a new job, but again, he isn't finding anything in his field except for a few positions out of state. It's frustrating for him!
My job at the church is going just fine. It is a pleasure to work with the friendly, kind-hearted, and well educated theologian of a pastor that we have now. He and his wife/kids live down the road from us. Angela & I have been sharing a car since she's been working, and pastor is always saying, "Do you need me to pick you up on my way in to work tomorrow?" And if I need a ride, he's so happy to give me one. What a sweetheart that man is.
As for Dante, our wonderful grandson, he is 5 months old now and just a bundle of joy. That kid always seems to be smiling and laughing with, and at, us. He cracks us up! He LOVES being outside, and riding in the car to various places. He also likes music and having us dance with him. He's no problem to take places because EVERYTHING is interesting to him, and so he's never bored. He hasn't started crawling yet; is almost turning over on his own; is starting to hold his bottle when he eats; and actually stands up pretty well (when he wants to) with us holding his arms. Oh, and he also loves both our dogs. He just looks at them and starts smiling, even if all they're doing nothing more than sitting on the couch next to him (which is what they do best...SITTING...lol).
That's it for the latest news in our lives. Whew! It's way past my bedtime, so I need to hit the hay. Hope all of you have a wonderful remainder of the week! Hugs!
We've had a lot going on lately it seems. A couple of weekends ago, we attended a family engagement party at a fancy-schmancy banquet facility on a golf course (we had a blast!). It was good to see, and hang out with, some of my hubby's family who we rarely get to see. The next night, we attended a wedding and reception for a good friend of my husband's that he's known since 2nd grade. Tom (hubby) was a groomsman, and his youngest brother was the best man. One of my nephews played music during the wedding on his guitar, and my youngest sister-in-law and I got to carry up the Holy Communion elements during the wedding service. A good majority of my hubby's family attended, and at the reception hall, we took up 5 or 6 tables...chairs on both sides! There was good food and lots of dancing. Fun, fun, fun!
 |
| Tom & I at his friend, John's, wedding. |
Last Friday, Tom & I decided we needed a night out and some alone time (which is tough to get nowadays with our daughter, her fiancee' and grandson living with us), so he took me out to dinner at a very reasonably-priced restaurant about 20 minutes from home that we've always wanted to visit, then we spent the night at a hotel down the street from it. This place was absolutely adorable, and very reasonably priced too. The interior furniture was all Amish--beautiful light-colored pine dressers, nightstands and a headboard. (I would have loved to have that furniture in OUR bedroom here at home!) The hotel was also on a lake and had a 120' long, covered, log deck/patio running along the back of it with a small swimming area, a paddle boat, feed for the duckies on the lake, a nice dock with patio furniture, etc. Several of the rooms had doors that opened onto the patio/lake. Ours didn't, but all guests are welcome to hang out on the patio, and so we did. We fed the duckies and had a great night.
The next day was cold and rainy, so once we got home, we slept a lot. Then, in the evening, we got together at a friend's house down the street with our Rifle River family. The "gang" usually tries to get together every couple of weeks just to hang out, share a few drinks, and LOTS of laughs. LOL We watched the Detroit Tigers play baseball on a 60" TV (we need to get one of those giant things!!!) and were happy that they won the game. They've continued to play well and, who knows? We might be playing in the World Series starting next week! We sure hope so! Go, Tigers!
On Monday of this week, Tom's nephew and niece-in-law had their first baby, a boy they named Anthony Michael. Tom & I went to see him, and his parents, Monday night at the hospital. We got to hold him and he was just SO cute! Unfortunately, two days later, he had to be transported to the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor because he has 2, possibly 3, very major medical problems. It truly broke our hearts to hear this. He will probably need heart surgery and who knows what else, and even then, it isn't known yet if he will be OK. If all of you could PLEASE keep baby Anthony in your prayers, it would be so greatly appreciated. Thank you!
 |
| Hubby, Tom, holding newly-born baby Anthony on Monday evening. |
This upcoming Saturday Tom & I plan to leave early in the morning and drive 3 hours to East Tawas on the Lake Huron coast. A few of our river family friends will be camping up there all weekend. We plan to meet up with them Saturday morning and spend the day traveling around the area...exploring. Then we'll leave to come home Saturday night, probably around 8 p.m. My camera isn't all that great, but I'll bring it with me and try to get some pics. We plan to go inside the Tawas Point lighthouse (which is only open to the public a few times each year) which, as I understand it, gives beautiful panoramic views of Lake Huron and the city of Tawas. We also plan to visit two natural springs along the Ausable River (the 2 springs are almost next to each other), and possibly Lumberman's Monument, which is a park with a huge statue of 3 or 4 loggers as a tribute to the early logging industry down the Ausable River in Michigan. Now, let me mention, that at both the Spring, and the Monument, the best way to see all the attractions is to walk down to the river itself. HOWEVER, each trip is almost 300 stairs ONE WAY. Tom & I aren't the most physically fit people, so if we try this, we might have to take some breaks coming BACK UP the stairs. I'm certainly looking forward to seeing the landscapes; I'm NOT looking forward to climbing all those stairs back to the parking lot. We'll see how that goes. Toward dinnertime, the 6 of us plan to go to a really nice restaurant along the Ausable River in the town of Oscoda. I grew up in Oscoda for some years as a kid, and I'm always just SO tickled to get back up there and say, "Hello" to my old stomping grounds. It should be a good time.
On the homefront: Angela quit the Vet Tech job at that nasty place with all the hateful people. Two days later, she was hired in at one of the best, most quality-oriented vet hospitals in the area, and she has been happy as a lark every since. It has taken her 3 years, and several jobs, to find an awesome place to work where the employees care about QUALITY, not just quantity. The owners and managers at this new place respect and care for all the employees, and they, in turn, respect management and each other. Most of the employees have been there for 10 - 20 years, so you know it's a nice place to work. Ang can get health insurance after 90 days, a scrub allowance of $100 per year, sick days, vacation time, vet discounts for all our pets, and BONUSES at the end of each year. The owners even give a nice employee party at Christmas. FINALLY, she is happy in her vocation, and we see her staying in this place for a long time to come. Equally, the managers and co-workers like Angela too. :-) Ang has also found an incredible day care gal to watch Dante while she works. This gal is local, and came recommended by a friend of one of our sister-in-laws. She only watches 3 or so kids, and on different days, so they all get plenty of attention from her. Dante really likes her too!
Jason just moved on from his job of the past 6 months (where the boss was a disrespectful, mean idiot), and is now working for a father and son construction company. Right now, they are building several modular homes in a residential neighborhood--doing all the work from start to finish--so Jason will learn A LOT in his field. So far, he really likes the bosses, and they seem to like him. We're keeping our fingers crossed that this will be an excellent job for him.
Tom's job is...well...slower than molasses. They really haven't had any substantial work to do for probably a month or more. We keep waiting for the hammer to come down saying the owners will be closing the place, and/or moving the operations to their plant in Mexico. He continues to look for a new job, but again, he isn't finding anything in his field except for a few positions out of state. It's frustrating for him!
My job at the church is going just fine. It is a pleasure to work with the friendly, kind-hearted, and well educated theologian of a pastor that we have now. He and his wife/kids live down the road from us. Angela & I have been sharing a car since she's been working, and pastor is always saying, "Do you need me to pick you up on my way in to work tomorrow?" And if I need a ride, he's so happy to give me one. What a sweetheart that man is.
As for Dante, our wonderful grandson, he is 5 months old now and just a bundle of joy. That kid always seems to be smiling and laughing with, and at, us. He cracks us up! He LOVES being outside, and riding in the car to various places. He also likes music and having us dance with him. He's no problem to take places because EVERYTHING is interesting to him, and so he's never bored. He hasn't started crawling yet; is almost turning over on his own; is starting to hold his bottle when he eats; and actually stands up pretty well (when he wants to) with us holding his arms. Oh, and he also loves both our dogs. He just looks at them and starts smiling, even if all they're doing nothing more than sitting on the couch next to him (which is what they do best...SITTING...lol).
That's it for the latest news in our lives. Whew! It's way past my bedtime, so I need to hit the hay. Hope all of you have a wonderful remainder of the week! Hugs!
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Life Without Summer is Just S.A.D.
I wonder why I have such difficulty enjoying fall and the changing of the seasons? I have several friends and some family who think that fall is the greatest thing since sliced bread. They tell me what they love about it--the beautiful tree colors, the cooler temperatures, Halloween and costume parties, apple and pumpkin picking--and I HEAR what they're saying. And yet, those good reasons still don't convince me to appreciate the fall season very much. I sometimes feel guilty about that.
In my mind, fall represents the end of everything I love about the outdoors--green leaves on the trees, boating, fishing, camping, swimming, gardening, being outside until 9:30 at night, having all the windows open in the house, etc. People are much more healthy and hardy in the summer months. Well, at least in Michigan they are. Colds and the flu are pretty much non-existent during the summer in our state. Life is just so much fuller and enjoyable during the summer months.
Tom always tells me he thinks I suffer terribly from S.A.D.--Seasonal Affective Disorder. And I know he's right. I truly do not appreciate, and have no use for, the weather during the months of October through April. I don't like the colder weather. I don't care for snow. I can't stand the thought of the upcoming cold/flu season. And I absolutely hate the constant darkness that is there both when I leave for work, and when I get off of work. There isn't a lot of sun in Michigan during fall and winter, and I'm a person that NEEDS sunshine in my life in order to function normally and be my usual, happy self.
My response to the non-summer seasons isn't great. I get depressed and in a funk. I have no desire to leave the house or really do much of anything. I don't enjoy life much during these months. I just grit my teeth and force myself to go through them. Even worse, I find myself actually getting pissed off and angry at the cold temperatures, snow and darkness, as if they're a person or something! LOL
The older I get, I feel compelled, almost determined at times, to find some way to be a snowbird, to live in Michigan during May - September, and then move to a warmer, sunny state during the rest of the year. So far, I haven't figured out a way to make this happen since Tom and I aren't of retirement age yet, and snowbirds require a consistent source of income. Our income comes from our jobs, and I don't know of too many jobs where you can live in Michigan during the warmer months, and then head to, say...sunny Arizona during the winter months. However, it is a really nice dream that is always in the back of my mind. Who knows? Some day, we might find a way to make this work! :-)
In the meantime, let me apologize up front to my friends and family who enjoy fall, winter and spring. If I don't respond favorably or joyfully to your Facebook posts of "I just LOVE this cooler weather," please forgive me. It's not my fault. It's a psychological thing. It's the S.A.D. thing. But one day, I hope to be able to turn that into a G.L.A.D. thing! :-)
In my mind, fall represents the end of everything I love about the outdoors--green leaves on the trees, boating, fishing, camping, swimming, gardening, being outside until 9:30 at night, having all the windows open in the house, etc. People are much more healthy and hardy in the summer months. Well, at least in Michigan they are. Colds and the flu are pretty much non-existent during the summer in our state. Life is just so much fuller and enjoyable during the summer months.
Tom always tells me he thinks I suffer terribly from S.A.D.--Seasonal Affective Disorder. And I know he's right. I truly do not appreciate, and have no use for, the weather during the months of October through April. I don't like the colder weather. I don't care for snow. I can't stand the thought of the upcoming cold/flu season. And I absolutely hate the constant darkness that is there both when I leave for work, and when I get off of work. There isn't a lot of sun in Michigan during fall and winter, and I'm a person that NEEDS sunshine in my life in order to function normally and be my usual, happy self.
My response to the non-summer seasons isn't great. I get depressed and in a funk. I have no desire to leave the house or really do much of anything. I don't enjoy life much during these months. I just grit my teeth and force myself to go through them. Even worse, I find myself actually getting pissed off and angry at the cold temperatures, snow and darkness, as if they're a person or something! LOL
The older I get, I feel compelled, almost determined at times, to find some way to be a snowbird, to live in Michigan during May - September, and then move to a warmer, sunny state during the rest of the year. So far, I haven't figured out a way to make this happen since Tom and I aren't of retirement age yet, and snowbirds require a consistent source of income. Our income comes from our jobs, and I don't know of too many jobs where you can live in Michigan during the warmer months, and then head to, say...sunny Arizona during the winter months. However, it is a really nice dream that is always in the back of my mind. Who knows? Some day, we might find a way to make this work! :-)
In the meantime, let me apologize up front to my friends and family who enjoy fall, winter and spring. If I don't respond favorably or joyfully to your Facebook posts of "I just LOVE this cooler weather," please forgive me. It's not my fault. It's a psychological thing. It's the S.A.D. thing. But one day, I hope to be able to turn that into a G.L.A.D. thing! :-)
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Saturday Bits of Fluff
Hooray! No major stories today--bad or good! Just a bunch of bits and pieces while I'm sitting here at the computer waiting for my items in the oven to get done baking.
"What items?" you ask. Well, Tom & I volunteered to bring the "treats" for tomorrow morning's Coffee Hour/Bible Study after church, so I decided to make 2 cinnamon crunch cakes, a loaf of pumpkin bread and a loaf of banana nut bread. I baked the 2 breads earlier this afternoon, and the crunch cakes are just about done. "Did you make them from scratch?" you're wondering. Nahhhhhhhhhhhhh. Didn't have time for the homemade stuff today. But tomorrow I plan to use the latest zucchini from our garden to make 3 or 4 loaves of zucchini bread. Now THOSE will be homemade! (I think I can, I think I can....lol)
We are babysitting Dante tonight, and he's sleeping right now on his grandpa while grandpa is leaning back in his recliner. They are so cute together. Dante will be up any minute wanting to drink his last bottle of the night. Then I plan to give him a bath, and he should be sound asleep by 10 p.m. or so.
We're babysitting because today is Angela and Jason's 1-year anniversary as far as dating. They went to a movie, then dinner. I hope they have fun. Angela deserves a good time since she's been working so hard at her new job this past week.
Speaking of her job, those people there are idiots, unfortunately. Early this week, one of the other Vet Techs that Angela really liked called the boss and quit on the spot (she'd been there for a couple years) saying she had another job. The owner FLIPPED OUT and started yelling in the office, telling the remaining employees, "Well I was going to fire here anyway in 2 weeks" and "I'm going to find out where her new job is and let those people know what a rotten employee she is. I hope they call me for a reference on her because I'm going to trash her, big time!" Wow. Angela was shocked. Can you say, "vengeful" and "unprofessional"? The owner could get sued for libel if she did those things! Angela DID NOT like hearing all that. She came home and told us, "Guess I better make sure I never piss off the boss!"
Angela has been busting her butt for these people, but today, all of the techs got pulled into the owner's office separately, and then Angela got called in. Apparently, the owner asked the other techs how Ang was doing. Two of the three said she was doing great; but the head technician, who is a really b*tchy and mean woman, said Angela was too slow at doing certain things yet. Well, HELLO! Ang hasn't worked at all in over a year because she was pregnant, and she also has to learn all the procedures and protocols of this new vet too. She's only been there TWO WEEKS! I think it's going to take a little longer than that for her to get up to speed totally. On a positive note, the owner told Angela that she really liked her, and that Ang was a really hard worker, had a great attitude, and learned quickly. However, then she said, "But if we had to decide today whether you were going to be hired on as a permanent employee, we'd have to say, 'no.'" She just couldn't believe it.
Another problem is that the 3 remaining techs are long-time good friends and live in the same city (hang out together on weekends, etc.). So Ang is the "outsider" just like the gal that quit was before she quit.
Now Ang is wondering if she'll even have a job at the end of her 30 day trial. And she is SO angry because she is working SO hard for these people. She literally has sweat on her forehead and upper lip some days because she's cleaning the rooms so hard, or they're running her around like crazy. The sucky thing is, this vet has a reputation for always having a Help Wanted sign out front, and the sign got put out there again today. That leaves Ang wondering if they are going to hire one more Tech because some of the girls are working O.T.right now, or if they're hiring a tech to replace her. And it makes her VERY ANGRY because she is such a conscientious employee. The other techs move faster than her because they've all been there 10 years +, and they are sloppy. They draw up too much or too little medicine for injections, they're supposed to take each animals temperature and pulse when they're in the exam room, and they don't, etc. Lots and lots of shortcuts. Ang isn't used to working that way. It's all about getting as many animals thru the rooms as possible and the almighty dollar.
So we'll see if, after the remaining 2 weeks of Angela's trial period she gets hired on permanently. She's so irritated with this new place that she plans to start sending out resumes again now.
As her mom, I just want to go to her office and tell off the owner and that nasty head technician, ya know? But Ang is 25 years old, and she has to learn how to take care of herself in life. Still...mamma don't like when folks mess with her baby girl!!!!!!!!!!!! LOLOL
Well, I have more work to do tonight, so I better get going. Hope all of you have a wonderful weekend!
"What items?" you ask. Well, Tom & I volunteered to bring the "treats" for tomorrow morning's Coffee Hour/Bible Study after church, so I decided to make 2 cinnamon crunch cakes, a loaf of pumpkin bread and a loaf of banana nut bread. I baked the 2 breads earlier this afternoon, and the crunch cakes are just about done. "Did you make them from scratch?" you're wondering. Nahhhhhhhhhhhhh. Didn't have time for the homemade stuff today. But tomorrow I plan to use the latest zucchini from our garden to make 3 or 4 loaves of zucchini bread. Now THOSE will be homemade! (I think I can, I think I can....lol)
We are babysitting Dante tonight, and he's sleeping right now on his grandpa while grandpa is leaning back in his recliner. They are so cute together. Dante will be up any minute wanting to drink his last bottle of the night. Then I plan to give him a bath, and he should be sound asleep by 10 p.m. or so.
We're babysitting because today is Angela and Jason's 1-year anniversary as far as dating. They went to a movie, then dinner. I hope they have fun. Angela deserves a good time since she's been working so hard at her new job this past week.
Speaking of her job, those people there are idiots, unfortunately. Early this week, one of the other Vet Techs that Angela really liked called the boss and quit on the spot (she'd been there for a couple years) saying she had another job. The owner FLIPPED OUT and started yelling in the office, telling the remaining employees, "Well I was going to fire here anyway in 2 weeks" and "I'm going to find out where her new job is and let those people know what a rotten employee she is. I hope they call me for a reference on her because I'm going to trash her, big time!" Wow. Angela was shocked. Can you say, "vengeful" and "unprofessional"? The owner could get sued for libel if she did those things! Angela DID NOT like hearing all that. She came home and told us, "Guess I better make sure I never piss off the boss!"
Angela has been busting her butt for these people, but today, all of the techs got pulled into the owner's office separately, and then Angela got called in. Apparently, the owner asked the other techs how Ang was doing. Two of the three said she was doing great; but the head technician, who is a really b*tchy and mean woman, said Angela was too slow at doing certain things yet. Well, HELLO! Ang hasn't worked at all in over a year because she was pregnant, and she also has to learn all the procedures and protocols of this new vet too. She's only been there TWO WEEKS! I think it's going to take a little longer than that for her to get up to speed totally. On a positive note, the owner told Angela that she really liked her, and that Ang was a really hard worker, had a great attitude, and learned quickly. However, then she said, "But if we had to decide today whether you were going to be hired on as a permanent employee, we'd have to say, 'no.'" She just couldn't believe it.
Another problem is that the 3 remaining techs are long-time good friends and live in the same city (hang out together on weekends, etc.). So Ang is the "outsider" just like the gal that quit was before she quit.
Now Ang is wondering if she'll even have a job at the end of her 30 day trial. And she is SO angry because she is working SO hard for these people. She literally has sweat on her forehead and upper lip some days because she's cleaning the rooms so hard, or they're running her around like crazy. The sucky thing is, this vet has a reputation for always having a Help Wanted sign out front, and the sign got put out there again today. That leaves Ang wondering if they are going to hire one more Tech because some of the girls are working O.T.right now, or if they're hiring a tech to replace her. And it makes her VERY ANGRY because she is such a conscientious employee. The other techs move faster than her because they've all been there 10 years +, and they are sloppy. They draw up too much or too little medicine for injections, they're supposed to take each animals temperature and pulse when they're in the exam room, and they don't, etc. Lots and lots of shortcuts. Ang isn't used to working that way. It's all about getting as many animals thru the rooms as possible and the almighty dollar.
So we'll see if, after the remaining 2 weeks of Angela's trial period she gets hired on permanently. She's so irritated with this new place that she plans to start sending out resumes again now.
As her mom, I just want to go to her office and tell off the owner and that nasty head technician, ya know? But Ang is 25 years old, and she has to learn how to take care of herself in life. Still...mamma don't like when folks mess with her baby girl!!!!!!!!!!!! LOLOL
Well, I have more work to do tonight, so I better get going. Hope all of you have a wonderful weekend!
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Healthy Test Results
On this day of remembrance for those who lost their lives on 9/11/10, I find myself being EXTRA thankful that recent test results have come back with good news as far as my overall health is concerned.
I found out today that the stress test I had last week was totally normally. My heart is doing what it's supposed to do, and there are no blockages. Woo hoo!
A few years ago, I felt like my body was starting to fall apart as initial physicals and test results showed several potential and scary problems. I put off having the necessary tests done (6 different ones) for two years, because I didn't want to hear any "bad news." However, this fall I decided to face my fears and have all the tests run. And so far, thanks be to God, all of the results have been great, with only one test left to go. What a relief!
I found out today that the stress test I had last week was totally normally. My heart is doing what it's supposed to do, and there are no blockages. Woo hoo!
Tomorrow I'll have the final test done, and I'm praying it will come out well also. And then I can sit back, relax, and wait for all the lab, x-ray and doctors' bills to come in! LOLOL
Monday, September 10, 2012
Always Such a Busy Bee!
I don't know why I always feel like I'm so busy in life. I always mean to read other peoples' blogs and post updates to mine, but somehow, just never get around to doing it. I think there is just so much activity in our house right now that I don't have the "quiet time" I need to be able to sit and concentrate on my blog. Plus, it takes time to post pictures (as well as semi-intelligent comments), and time seems to be the one commodity I'm always short on. In any event, I'm sorry I've been so lax lately, and ask for your patience as I try to find the time to post regularly.
I don't have any pics to post right now. I'm sneaking in this update while at work. Nine times out of ten, it's more quiet and peaceful here than it is at home! LOL That's how life is when you have 4 adults and one baby living under the same roof. :-)
Things are going ok in our lives for now, and I'm thankful for that. Angela started working at an area vet last week, and she's been thrilled to begin receiving paychecks again. We thought she had been hired in permanently already, but she told us that the owner has all new employees work on a trial basis for 30 days, and if that works out well, then they will be hired and given a raise to boot. We're keeping our fingers crossed that Angela will do well and be hired permanently. Then she can stop borrowing so much money from us so we can pay OUR bills better.
It's been tough for Ang to go back to work and leave Dante. But most of her hours are afternoon and evening, so Dante only has to stay with the sitter for a few hours each afternoon, and then all day on Friday. At least she got to stay home with him for 4 months before heading bacak to work! The company I was working for when I had her made me come back to work after only 6 weeks, and that was tough!
Ang & I are sharing my car (her fiancee, Jason, drives HER car to work each day as he doesn't own a car, but he has also taken over making the payments and insurance, which has been helpful for us), and on the days she works, Tom has to pick me up on his way home from work (he doesn't mind). If Jason has to work late, then Tom has to go get Dante from the sitter's first, then pick me up at work. This sounds complicated, but has actually not been much of a problem as my work, the sitter's house, and our home are all in our town.
Ang continues to see various docs in search of help for her anxiety, depression and "focus" problems. She finally found a good Psychiatrist/Psychologist combined doctor earlier this month, and after her first (or maybe second) appointment, he diagnosed her with ADHD and possibly bi-polar disorder. (Tom & I had always wondered if she had ADD when she was a kid, but the doctors always shrugged off that idea...idiots!) The doc pulled her off some meds she'd been on, and is trying her on some new meds. Of course, while this is going on, she NEEDS to be able to work and function in life, and the transition between meds can sometimes make that difficut. The doc also scheduled her to see a behavioral specialist as Angela has nervous tendencies like picking her cuticles until they bleed and twisting her hair constantly. As a parent, you always wonder, "Why does she have these problems? Where did they come from?" and you hope that it's not due to anything you did while raising her. We're hoping that eventually, the various forms of therapy and meds will allow her to function normally in life.
The good news is that Ang has finally "crossed over" from being the party animal she was last summer, to the wonderful, loving and responsible mommy she is now. Woo hoo! That's certainly a relief for Tom and me. She's doing a great job at being Dante's mommy!!
Tom still has almost no work at his job, and he keeps wondering when "the hammer" is going to come down with folks losing their jobs (maybe him included). It's stressful for him to be "in limbo" like this. He continues to search for other jobs in his field, but no such luck yet. Also, he has an appointment with a diabetes specialist on Sept. 26 because his diabetes has been fairly out of control this past year. A lot of that is due to stress, I know. Hopefully, this new doc can help get him back on track.
I finally went in for my stress test last week too. I've had 2 docs tell me in the past few years that they hear a slight heart murmur in my chest. I'm waiting on the test results and hope to hear something this week.
Tom & I spent a couple of days up at the Rifle River on our friends property over Labor Day weekend. The weather was wonderful, and we enjoyed a 2-hour tubing trip one day, and then sitting in our chairs IN THE RIVER with our friends the second day. Of course, the river was ICE COLD as always; but it certainly was refreshing. Tom & I even dug out our 2-room tent and blow-up queen-sized bed (on a fold-up frame cuz I HATE sleeping on the ground) for the trip. It was cozy in there, and fun to tent camp again. Since we had left Rocco at home with Ang, we were able to stop at some cool stores on our way home too. We didn't buy much, but the window shopping sure was fun!
This past weekend, we attended a wedding reception for a guy Tom has worked with for 20 years or so. The bride and groom didn't have a ton of money, but they did some clever things with what they did have, and their wedding (on the beach in East Tawas two weeks ago) and reception Saturday night were really beautiful. Gave me some great ideas for making Ang's wedding and reception more affordable if they get married like they say they're going to next year.
Yesterday, we attended church at a sister congregation about 1/2 hour from our house because one of our godsons, who is 12 years old now, was taking his First Communion, and he wanted us to be there for it. We got to go up to the altar with him and everything. It was a beautiful service. Afterward, his folks (his dad is the pastor of the church we attended) invited us back to their house for lunch. We had been VERY close friends with this family in the late 1990's and early 2000's, but once the dad became a pastor, he got so busy that the 4 of us couldn't find time to get together these last 4 years. Things in his life are finally settling down more now, and it was just wonderful to be able to hang out with each other again and share a lot of laughs and good times. We left their house feeling really happy and refreshed, and they made us promise to start getting together with them again regularly. What a nice morning and afternoon!
Geez, I better get back to work! The time has just slipped away from me here. Have a pleasant week, my blogger friends!
I don't have any pics to post right now. I'm sneaking in this update while at work. Nine times out of ten, it's more quiet and peaceful here than it is at home! LOL That's how life is when you have 4 adults and one baby living under the same roof. :-)
Things are going ok in our lives for now, and I'm thankful for that. Angela started working at an area vet last week, and she's been thrilled to begin receiving paychecks again. We thought she had been hired in permanently already, but she told us that the owner has all new employees work on a trial basis for 30 days, and if that works out well, then they will be hired and given a raise to boot. We're keeping our fingers crossed that Angela will do well and be hired permanently. Then she can stop borrowing so much money from us so we can pay OUR bills better.
It's been tough for Ang to go back to work and leave Dante. But most of her hours are afternoon and evening, so Dante only has to stay with the sitter for a few hours each afternoon, and then all day on Friday. At least she got to stay home with him for 4 months before heading bacak to work! The company I was working for when I had her made me come back to work after only 6 weeks, and that was tough!
Ang & I are sharing my car (her fiancee, Jason, drives HER car to work each day as he doesn't own a car, but he has also taken over making the payments and insurance, which has been helpful for us), and on the days she works, Tom has to pick me up on his way home from work (he doesn't mind). If Jason has to work late, then Tom has to go get Dante from the sitter's first, then pick me up at work. This sounds complicated, but has actually not been much of a problem as my work, the sitter's house, and our home are all in our town.
Ang continues to see various docs in search of help for her anxiety, depression and "focus" problems. She finally found a good Psychiatrist/Psychologist combined doctor earlier this month, and after her first (or maybe second) appointment, he diagnosed her with ADHD and possibly bi-polar disorder. (Tom & I had always wondered if she had ADD when she was a kid, but the doctors always shrugged off that idea...idiots!) The doc pulled her off some meds she'd been on, and is trying her on some new meds. Of course, while this is going on, she NEEDS to be able to work and function in life, and the transition between meds can sometimes make that difficut. The doc also scheduled her to see a behavioral specialist as Angela has nervous tendencies like picking her cuticles until they bleed and twisting her hair constantly. As a parent, you always wonder, "Why does she have these problems? Where did they come from?" and you hope that it's not due to anything you did while raising her. We're hoping that eventually, the various forms of therapy and meds will allow her to function normally in life.
The good news is that Ang has finally "crossed over" from being the party animal she was last summer, to the wonderful, loving and responsible mommy she is now. Woo hoo! That's certainly a relief for Tom and me. She's doing a great job at being Dante's mommy!!
Tom still has almost no work at his job, and he keeps wondering when "the hammer" is going to come down with folks losing their jobs (maybe him included). It's stressful for him to be "in limbo" like this. He continues to search for other jobs in his field, but no such luck yet. Also, he has an appointment with a diabetes specialist on Sept. 26 because his diabetes has been fairly out of control this past year. A lot of that is due to stress, I know. Hopefully, this new doc can help get him back on track.
I finally went in for my stress test last week too. I've had 2 docs tell me in the past few years that they hear a slight heart murmur in my chest. I'm waiting on the test results and hope to hear something this week.
Tom & I spent a couple of days up at the Rifle River on our friends property over Labor Day weekend. The weather was wonderful, and we enjoyed a 2-hour tubing trip one day, and then sitting in our chairs IN THE RIVER with our friends the second day. Of course, the river was ICE COLD as always; but it certainly was refreshing. Tom & I even dug out our 2-room tent and blow-up queen-sized bed (on a fold-up frame cuz I HATE sleeping on the ground) for the trip. It was cozy in there, and fun to tent camp again. Since we had left Rocco at home with Ang, we were able to stop at some cool stores on our way home too. We didn't buy much, but the window shopping sure was fun!
This past weekend, we attended a wedding reception for a guy Tom has worked with for 20 years or so. The bride and groom didn't have a ton of money, but they did some clever things with what they did have, and their wedding (on the beach in East Tawas two weeks ago) and reception Saturday night were really beautiful. Gave me some great ideas for making Ang's wedding and reception more affordable if they get married like they say they're going to next year.
Yesterday, we attended church at a sister congregation about 1/2 hour from our house because one of our godsons, who is 12 years old now, was taking his First Communion, and he wanted us to be there for it. We got to go up to the altar with him and everything. It was a beautiful service. Afterward, his folks (his dad is the pastor of the church we attended) invited us back to their house for lunch. We had been VERY close friends with this family in the late 1990's and early 2000's, but once the dad became a pastor, he got so busy that the 4 of us couldn't find time to get together these last 4 years. Things in his life are finally settling down more now, and it was just wonderful to be able to hang out with each other again and share a lot of laughs and good times. We left their house feeling really happy and refreshed, and they made us promise to start getting together with them again regularly. What a nice morning and afternoon!
Geez, I better get back to work! The time has just slipped away from me here. Have a pleasant week, my blogger friends!
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Here's My Update, Miss Sally!
Hello, Blogger Friends!
I received a nice little blog post a few days ago from one of the sweetest blogging ladies I know, Miss Sally. In it, she asked me in the nicest way possible if I could update my blog so that she could have some additional "entertainment" in her life. I don't know if I'd call my blogs entertaining, but her simple request got my creative juices flowing again, so here we go (for better, or worse)!
I can't believe my last post was on April 29th! I 'm sure this is due to the fact that our daughter had her baby on May 10th. Everything went well (praise the Lord!), and our grandson, Dante, is healthy and doing great! And since our daughter, her fiancee', our grandson, 2 dogs, 3 cats, 1 LOUD cockatiel and several fish still live with us, our house has been nothing shy of a "Cheaper by the Dozen" movie. LOL
What can I say about our new (and only) grandson except that he is cute, he makes us laugh, and we love him to pieces! Being a grandparent is so much fun. I've posted some pics of Dante below--one of my husband with him in their Red Wing hockey shirts, and one of Dante in his baptismal outfit. He was, thankfully, baptized on July 22nd. He was just sleeping away that morning...probably dreaming of giant bottles of formula (he eats VERY well) and soft, fuzzy diapers, when suddenly cool water was poured over his head 3 times by our Pastor. His response? A slight jump at each wetting of his head, then...z-z-z-z-z-z. It didn't even phase him. He also slept through his baptismal lunch afterward. LOL
Jason (the fiancee') is now working as a sheet metal worker/rough carpenter. The job pays fairly well for a young man, and he really likes the guys he works with. He hopes that after 90 days, he'll be able to get medical benefits and maybe have the opportunity to join the union.
Angela interviewed for a part-time Veterinary Assistant job near our house recently, but was disappointed to find out she was the "runner up." However, the vet did tell her that if her new office becomes really busy when it opens on Sept. 1, Angela will be the first Vet Tech she calls to help out. In the meantime, Angela is keeping her eyes open for other vet opportunities.
Jason and Angela would love to make enough money to move out on their own, get married, etc., but with this economy being what it is, we don't see that happening very soon. Which is why I hear Tom tell me at least once a week, "I can't wait until these kids move out and you and I are empty-nesters again! I need some peace and quiet!" LOL
Tom and I have been doing fine. We decided to switch medical doctors this summer, and have been undergoing all the "new patient" tests. So far, I have high cholesterol (not WAY high, but higher than it should be), and also have to schedule 3 other tests in the next month or so. Tom is still waiting on his blood results to see how his diabetes is doing. My guess is it's out of control again, and we're hoping this new doc can adjust his meds and help it get back INTO control. Being old(er) stinks sometimes!
My job is going really well. Tom's, on the other hand, still sucks, and he doesn't know if he's going to get laid off anytime soon since his company is so awful that they have almost no business these days. A layoff would blow us out of the water financially, so we're hoping that doesn't happen. But it's not looking good right now. Tom's been searching for a new job for the past 3 years, but there aren't any jobs in his field in Michigan. Most of them are outside of the Phoenix area, around Charolotte, NC, or in California. We really don't want to move out of state because we'd miss our families a lot, but we'll see what the future holds.
We managed to make a trip north to the Rifle River in June with our River Gang friends, and hope to get back up there over Labor Day weekend. The June trip was Rocco's first time riding on a tube. Let's just say it was...well...interesting. Tom & I have a "dual tube" raft with a blow-up cooler that sits in between us (see pic below).
This allows Rocco to walk back and forth between us while tubing. What we didn't realize was that even though our group stops to swim and let their dogs go potty halfway through the trip (it's maybe an hour long total), Rocco couldn't hold his pee throughout the second-half (longer portion) of the trip. Or maybe it was that he'd drank too much river water that day. Who knows? Either way, imagine my surprise when he walked over to me on my end of the tube, and just peed away on my legs for like 30 seconds. What could I have done? At least I was in my swimsuit and was able to get into the water to rinse off. And then, on the 2nd trip of the day, he peed on Tom the same way! (Like I told Tom, at least he loves us equally...LOL) Our friends just about split a gut laughing at us and him that day. You could tell Rocco felt really bad about it, and we didn't get upset with him because we were in the middle of the river and he had nowhere else to go. We'll see how he does on his next tube ride trip, but we'll definitely make sure he doesn't drink any river water that day!
Tom, Jason, Angela, Dante, the dogs and me were also blessed to be able to make our annual trip to Michigan's Upper Peninsula with my family during the last weekend of July. My brother brought up a used jet boat that he'd recently purchased, and he took all of my nephews tubing on the lake. He also let all the adults drive his boat and speed around the lake. That was so much fun! The trip was very relaxing, and we all came home feeling rested and happy. Below are a few pics from the trip:
OK. Update completed. I hope this meets with your satisfaction, Miss Sally. Later this week, I look forward to spending some time reading everyone else's blogs and catching up on what's new with all of you.
Hugs and God bless!
I received a nice little blog post a few days ago from one of the sweetest blogging ladies I know, Miss Sally. In it, she asked me in the nicest way possible if I could update my blog so that she could have some additional "entertainment" in her life. I don't know if I'd call my blogs entertaining, but her simple request got my creative juices flowing again, so here we go (for better, or worse)!
I can't believe my last post was on April 29th! I 'm sure this is due to the fact that our daughter had her baby on May 10th. Everything went well (praise the Lord!), and our grandson, Dante, is healthy and doing great! And since our daughter, her fiancee', our grandson, 2 dogs, 3 cats, 1 LOUD cockatiel and several fish still live with us, our house has been nothing shy of a "Cheaper by the Dozen" movie. LOL
What can I say about our new (and only) grandson except that he is cute, he makes us laugh, and we love him to pieces! Being a grandparent is so much fun. I've posted some pics of Dante below--one of my husband with him in their Red Wing hockey shirts, and one of Dante in his baptismal outfit. He was, thankfully, baptized on July 22nd. He was just sleeping away that morning...probably dreaming of giant bottles of formula (he eats VERY well) and soft, fuzzy diapers, when suddenly cool water was poured over his head 3 times by our Pastor. His response? A slight jump at each wetting of his head, then...z-z-z-z-z-z. It didn't even phase him. He also slept through his baptismal lunch afterward. LOL
 |
| Grandpa Nono and Dante. |
 |
| Dante in his baptismal outfit. |
Angela interviewed for a part-time Veterinary Assistant job near our house recently, but was disappointed to find out she was the "runner up." However, the vet did tell her that if her new office becomes really busy when it opens on Sept. 1, Angela will be the first Vet Tech she calls to help out. In the meantime, Angela is keeping her eyes open for other vet opportunities.
Jason and Angela would love to make enough money to move out on their own, get married, etc., but with this economy being what it is, we don't see that happening very soon. Which is why I hear Tom tell me at least once a week, "I can't wait until these kids move out and you and I are empty-nesters again! I need some peace and quiet!" LOL
Tom and I have been doing fine. We decided to switch medical doctors this summer, and have been undergoing all the "new patient" tests. So far, I have high cholesterol (not WAY high, but higher than it should be), and also have to schedule 3 other tests in the next month or so. Tom is still waiting on his blood results to see how his diabetes is doing. My guess is it's out of control again, and we're hoping this new doc can adjust his meds and help it get back INTO control. Being old(er) stinks sometimes!
My job is going really well. Tom's, on the other hand, still sucks, and he doesn't know if he's going to get laid off anytime soon since his company is so awful that they have almost no business these days. A layoff would blow us out of the water financially, so we're hoping that doesn't happen. But it's not looking good right now. Tom's been searching for a new job for the past 3 years, but there aren't any jobs in his field in Michigan. Most of them are outside of the Phoenix area, around Charolotte, NC, or in California. We really don't want to move out of state because we'd miss our families a lot, but we'll see what the future holds.
We managed to make a trip north to the Rifle River in June with our River Gang friends, and hope to get back up there over Labor Day weekend. The June trip was Rocco's first time riding on a tube. Let's just say it was...well...interesting. Tom & I have a "dual tube" raft with a blow-up cooler that sits in between us (see pic below).
Tom, Jason, Angela, Dante, the dogs and me were also blessed to be able to make our annual trip to Michigan's Upper Peninsula with my family during the last weekend of July. My brother brought up a used jet boat that he'd recently purchased, and he took all of my nephews tubing on the lake. He also let all the adults drive his boat and speed around the lake. That was so much fun! The trip was very relaxing, and we all came home feeling rested and happy. Below are a few pics from the trip:
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| My nephew's girlfriend and I playing Ladder Ball in front of our cabin. |
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| My siblings, their spouses, my nephews, Uncle Jack & Aunt Janet (who live nearby) and my dad along with our dogs. |
Hugs and God bless!
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