Super Bowl XLV

On Sunday February 6, 2001 our boys, the Green Bay Packers brought Lombardi home after winning Super Bowl XLV!!!! I am lacking a voice but being with dear friends and fam to watch the game and celebrate their win was awesome!!!

Random Shenanigans

You know all those thoughts I have whirling around in my never resting brain? The same thoughts I can't seem to put into words? I thought it would be fun to do a post about some of the shenanigans, thoughts and dreams I have floating around in my scattered brain.

I truly have THE best husband. Ever. I know I say this often but I cannot even put into words the love I have for this man. He inspires me so much and keeps me focused and makes me a better me. I am by no means a walk in the park on a sunshiny day.

We recently joined the deaf club here in Esky after being asked several times. No, I'm not deaf yet but we know that that is what meniere's disease eventually does. This group has some of the most amazing people and we are honored to call them friends. I debated for some time if I should join so I asked Ken's advice. His reply? "Kat, I think it would be great, embrace what is going on instead of being scared." So bless his awesome heart and these fab group of friends. I am not afraid and I will embrace it for what it is and no longer pretend everything is "just fine."

On September 12th we had to put my dear fluffy boy Buster Brown down. My heart still aches for his snuggles but I know he is in a better place. We buried him up at camp, right next to Sassy and Alex. He was 16. We still have Betsey Sue (another feline kid) and she is doing awesome. We were worried she would be lost without her brother. But alas, she is more sociable and lovable and energetic as ever.

I had an amazing birthday in August. Ken and I took a mini vaca and took the suburban and camper and pups on a eastern U.P. adventure. The highlight of that trip was being able to spend it with the ones I love and all those sunsets at Paradise. I definitely need to show pics.

I find myself missing my Mom and Dad more and more as time goes by. I don't know why or if it's "normal". I wish I would have had time to make more memories with them. Ten years was not nearly enough.

I put up two of our Christmas trees yesterday. I know it's early, but I was extremely crabby yesterday with all sorts of family drama. p.s. I despise drama and would rather free flowing, happy, love one another and be considerate vibes. But, I love Christmas and it brings me happiness. Plus, I was only a couple days early from when my "normal" decorate for Christmas bonanza begins.

Ken and I are both dieting. Rather, eating healthy. The word diet makes me think that you're hungry all the time. Believe me, we are not hungry. It's actually hard work to pack all those calories in during the day when you are eating good calories. Ken has dropped 18lbs now and if I wasn't so dang bloated I'd be down 12.

I wish I could get a hysterectomy so I wouldn't be so dang bloated and all that other fun lady junk. I mean, the stuff does me no good and cysts and endometriosis kills!! Last night I asked Ken if he'd slice me open and do surgery himself. I'm sure next week will be better.

I still sometimes have thoughts of wanting to be a Mom. I don't know if those will ever go away.

I'm very excited about the surgery Dr's in WA did on a man that suffers from meniere's. They did a procedure similar to a cochlear implant but hooked the electrodes to certain parts of the inner ear. When the man feels and attack coming on he will be able to utilize this unit to hopefully stop the attack. Technology is fantastic!! I sure hope it works and progresses. I'd love to sign up for something like that. To have my life back, or to some degree would be beyond smurfy.

We got a stellar deal on laminate hardwood flooring today. $0.61/ sq ft!! Plus all the underlayment is FREE after rebate!! Do you even know the awesomeness of that!!! Next weekend Ken and I will have a big project on our hands. This is where not hearing the greatest works to my advantage. I am sure there will be bickering and frustrations expressed.

I am so proud of my husband for all he has done, all that he is and all that he is becoming. I swear, I fall more deeply in love with him as the days pass by.

There's so much more I could write, so many more ideas, hopes, dreams and goals and future plans I wish I could just blurt out. Life is great!! We have a stitched quilt thing on our wall in the living room that it sums it all up...."We may not have it all together, but together we have it all"

Ok, so maybe we're not "normal"

I've never claimed to be "normal", in fact, the word normal is boring an to me insinuates the complete opposite of fun!! Anytootles, my sis & I went to the thrift store today to rummage around. It seems each time we do this we find ourselves doing something so off the wall goofy.



Sometimes our silly antics have us ready to pee our pants from laughing. Like when we find a hard baseball hat, a wiffle ball and a brand spankan new athletic supporter. Take a picture of the wierdo holding and wearing said items...minus the athletic supporter...and you have some free laughs!!

You could also go in the summer section and find yourself some out of this galaxy awesome face masks...now if they only had a ducky inner tube or arm blow up floater things.

Oh look!! They had these stylin goggles that really accentuated our...ummmmmm...yeah, I dunno!! But we did laugh so hard that we began snorting!

Move over Minnie Pearl. We're holding down the fort here in Esky with these glorious bonnets.

Who says you need money to have fun? Try on some hats, take some pictures and get laughing!!

Nonsense

Where have I been and why haven't I been blogging is what I have been being asked. Well, a lot has been going on that has had me pretty much on an emotional roller coaster. I do not like to post negative filth on here.

At the same time, this is my blog, my place and I can be me on this. Some days I wanted to scream and some days I wanted to cry, and often times did. Some days I just wanted to crawl in a cave and hibernate until all the nonsense stopped. Some days I wanted to punch something and be left alone. I can't handle ignoarance from and toward other people.

The Wednesday after Easter I came down with the flu, spent a couple days laying on the couch, napping and I got to know my bathroom on a much to personal level. Once that cleared up I got a nasty head cold which turned into a double ear infection, sinus infection & chest crud. Fevers ran rampant, I visited the doctors twice, many tears were shed.

On top of feeling like crud my little brother got married. We weren't going to go because I was not well but hey, it was Joshy's wedding & I needed to be there. That same day I found out on my brother in laws facebook that my sister (who does not speak to us) had a baby. I had just found out three weeks prior that she was even expecting. This is the same sister with whom I am, I mean, was very close with. So yeah, it sucks knowing I have a new niece that I will most likely never see and I lost one of my very dear friends being my little sister. I will continue to pretend none of this bugs me. I tend to do the "everything is fine" type thing until I actually believe it. Hopefully I start believing it pretty darn soon cuz this just sucks. Maybe Yoga would help calm the hurt in my heart.

One of my very dear life long friends called me right before Easter telling me that he and his fiance had their baby but he was unaware if the baby or even Mommy would make it. Lauren is my brother from another mother. No, not really. But he might as well be. He's one of my oldest friendships. I am happy to report both baby Avana and Mommy Heidi are doing great and Miss Kathy got to hold lil Ava this past Saturday. I haven't held a little 6lb baby in quite some time. She is beyond precious and made many of the nonsensical stuff that has been going on just vanish.

On top of all that my little brother who is serving in Iraq had an outburst on my facebook page that I am embarrassed ever happened. I feel I need to apologize for the ignorance he posted. He got married this past December and nobody knew until two days later. Anyways, he got very upset because we didn't go to his wedding, didn't take pictures of them, I didn't plant flowers for his wife...keep in mind, nobody knew he even got married and we live in upper MI...we can't plant flowers yet. I would have been there had we known. What's up with all this nonsense? I've had it up to my eyeballs in the filth. Jealousy and lies are ridiculous! Maybe I need a punching bag to let some stress out on?

We got word not too long after that that my nephew was involved in an ATV accident. The four wheeler tipped over on him, crushing him and knocking him out. I didn't sleep for three days worrying about him. Dave & I are the same age and we've always been real close. Dave has compression fractures on his spine and one heckuva concussion. He has to see a brain specialist tomorrow. People, always wear a helmet! Through this whole time I went to the doctors twice, got numerous prescriptions and finally one that they said will knock the infection out of me. wooohooo!! Come to find out, it's otoxic! Nice.

I am finished with the antibiotics and am just waiting as patiently as I can for my hearing to go back to it's normal. I guess it gets messed up after someone has an ear infection. I've only had one in my whole life so this is new to me. Ken said if it doesn't return this week to call my otolaryngologist. It's kinda freaking me out to be honest. These past three days have been the most humanoid I have felt in 3 weeks. I am hoping that all of the other nonsense irons itself out soon. Life is far too short.

Ok, now that I got that out of my system I am beyond ready to share some new recipes I have tried, tell you all about the garden I planted, the daily musings of my fab five, otherwise known as our dogs, the upcoming camping season and get back on my peddle bike. I am down 8lbs so far and one pant size on my quest to lose 50lbs. I've got a long ways to go. But I will get there!! I know I have a fair share of nonsensical junk to motivate me =)

Food Inc.

Ken & I watched Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution on ABC tonight & holy WHA!!! The crap our school systems are being fed is absurd. I will never eat another chicken nugget. Ever.

After watching that, upon recommendation of my friend, we rented Food Inc. on Demand....Holy flippan skittles!! I suggest you rent it. Today. It's a real eye opener.

I would consider myself somewhat aware and a conscientious food shopper. Of course I make some less that swell choices, but I am learning as I go. This movie opened my eyes even more so. I am thankful that our butcher provides us with free range Amish chicken. I have a veggie garden and am hoping to secure a plot at our community garden as I mentioned before. Our town has a great Farmer's Market in the Summer and Fall that I frequent once or twice a week. We've come to know several of the vendors. There is one family there, we call them the hillbillies...coolest family. Ever. They have a huge honkan garden and live off of what they grow. Maybe this summer I'll take a picture of them (with their permission of course.)

Anytootles, check out the movie. Believe that you can make a difference. Eat healthy, cook at home, feel good.

Looking up

Things are calming down here. We took McKenzie to our normal vet today & she will have surgery tomorrow to have the growth removed. Thank goodness, someone finally listened and is doing their job.

We had a great day today. We took the pups to camp to run off oodles of energy they had all festered up, worked in the yard, went to the compost site, put the patio furniture out, grilled out and had a bonfire. It was a great, sunshiney day with my hubbykins.

I know I went into some pretty personal and deep emotions in my previous post. All too often people think I am always happy go lucky saying my goofy words. I am usually happy go lucky, go with the flow and positive. But, I am human. I think that previous post proved that.

One of the many things I love about my relationship with my husband is that we are not afraid to discuss things. We lay it all out on the line, hold nothing back. We work through all problems life throws at us. If he had a blog I am certain he'd have a post or two like the one I had yesterday. He also gets discouraged with me. We stayed up till the wee hours of the morning discussing his feelings and thoughts as well as mine. The thing with Ken & I is, we are both pretty stubborn and rather outspoken. Sometimes he says things that hurt my feelings and sometimes I say things that hurt his feelings. We both do it.

It's not easy for him to deal with me feeling like crud as often as I do. He is so frustrated with Meniere's taking so much of my life. I don't blame him one bit. I am not too fond of meniere's either. He has some family crap that is weighing on him right now, we're both worried about our Mckenzie Elizabeth. Yes, my dog has a middle name...all our pets do. =) We both have thoughts and emotions about my one sister who is going into premature labor. We both agree, we'd never put ourselves out to adopt ever again. I told him how much it hurt me that we didn't go to camp to meet my rescuer, and we discussed my other sister who kept her pregnancy a secret.

We both had several things festering within ourselves. It just so happens, that we both cracked at the same time. We don't fight often at all. But I believe if you are comfortable with your mate you can have some heated discussions. Believe me, those even happen to us. All too often people see Ken & I think we are always so honkey dorey. Well, we're not, not always. We're two humans with deep emotions, a slight smidgen of bullheadedness, and outspoken.

Those three things just so happen to be three of the many things that attract me to my hubby. Tomorrow is our 14th wedding anniversary. We will bring our Kenzie pup to the vet for her surgery, maybe go to the deli for a bagel & sit by the phone waiting for an update. If all goes well Ken will be going on the road. Pending Kenzie's condition we may all go trucking. I want to thank you for allowing me to vent on my blog, and be a real person, and most of all for being a wunnaful friend. Things are looking up =)

Ten Randoms

There is so much on my mind right now...thought I'd share 10 of them...


1. The fact that my biological Mom has an aneurysm on her brain has me scared. She also has MS, osteoporosis amongst other health issues. I was not raised by her and just began having a relationship with her in the past 5yrs. I have always known her but life never brought us to know one another. I am very blessed to know her now. She's made bad choices in her past but she is a kind, compassionate, loving person.

2. We are still amidst the big remodel & my house is a blasted mess...for real. It stresses me out. But I know it'll be awesome when we are finished. I am so proud of my hubby for tackling this project on our own and he's doing a remarkable job.

3. I am thankful that my little brothers JJ & Josh & real dad came over today & helped with the remodel. I am so fortunate to have an amazing, helpful, and strong family.

4. Last night I had horrible nightmares that my good friend passed away. I woke up wanting to call her.

5. I'm not afraid anymore of what Meniere's has done and can do to me. I am at peace with it. I have the utmost wonderful people in my life who love me just the way I am. I am so very fortunate

6. I'm getting excited for Spring & cannot wait to start my seeds indoors. We just need a yard for a big honkan garden now. We are looking into participating in the local gardens where you rent a plot for $20 for the growing season. Hopefully we can secure one or two of those plots.

7. The snow is almost melted (not that we had much this year anyway) and very soon we will take the peddle bikes out & return to our daily 15 mile bike rides. I love that we live right by the lake!!!

8. I feel so fortunate to have been able to go on one cross country ski run this year. It had been well over 5yrs since we had been due to my balance issues. We would have gone more but remember...Mother Nature kept forgetting about us when it snowed. =(

9. I am thankful for my stocked pantry in the basement. Home canned tomatoes, sauces, jams, jellies, veggies & fruits, toiletries, other canned goods and miscellaneous items we use daily sit on the shelves just waiting to be used. I look forward to the canning/preserving season & hope to can at least 2 new things this year.

10. My sister Jamie & I have secured an abundance of sheep fur once Spring comes. Bring on the spinning of yarn!!!

They're Shutting Detroit Down

Don't read this if you get offended easilly.

The other night I watched the Country Music Awards with my hubbykins. One song stuck out like no other. John Rich's song titled "They're Shutting Detroit Down" Talk about an amazing song with lyrics that completly encompass my feelings. I come from a hard working family. My Dad was a hard working Mill worker, raised 10 kids....and did it honest!!! Nobody bailed him out... There are many songs that have the capability of getting to me...but this one definately takes the cake!! Kudos for John for expressing himself with his talent!!! Jeepers!! Does this song ever fire me up. http://www.cmt.com/videos/john-rich-country/367274/shuttin-detroit-down.jhtml??


And here are the words:

My daddy taught me in this country everyones the same You work hard for your dollar and you never pass the blameWhen it dont go your wayNow I see all these big shots whining on my evening newsAbout how their losing billions and its up to me and youTo come running to the rescueWell, pardon me if I dont shed a tearThere selling make believe and we dont buy that hereBecause in the real world their shuttin Detroit downWhile the boss man takes his bonus paid jets on out of townDCs bailing out them bankers as the farmers auction groundYeah, while there living up on Wall Street in that New York City townHere in the real world their shuttin Detroit downHere in the real world their shuttin Detroit downWell that old mans been working in that plant most all his lifeNow his pension plans been cut in half and he cant afford to dieAnd its a crying shame, cus he aint the one to Blame When I looked down to see his calloused hands Well let me tell you friend it gets me fightin madCause in the real world their shuttin Detroit downWhile the boss man takes his bonus paid jets on out of townDCs bailing out them bankers as the farmers auction groundYeah, while there living up on Wall Street in that New York City townHere in the real world their shuttin Detroit downYeah while there living up on Wall Street in that New York City townHere in the real world their shuttin Detroit downHere in the real world their shuttin Detroit downIn the real world their shuttin Detroit downTheir shuttin Detroit down[Thanks to 2 step, Olivia Messier for lyrics]

Green Bay!!!!

We went to Green Bay today to turn our truck in & decided to make a lil fun day out of it...My lil brother JJ rode in the pickup with me & Kenster was in his semi on the way down. Anytootles, after we dropped the semi off we drove around town trying to figure out where to eat. We already knew Cold Stone Creamery was a MUST but we needed to be adult-ish & eat something besides that.





On our drive around we went by Ken & My 2nd apartment we shared together. We lived in Green Bay for a whole 6 months & never once took a picture of our apartment. Below is what was our apartment window....

Very close was a kick but store...Barnes & Noble & sir Ken let me go in!! I picked up 3 fabulous books. One on crocheting, 'The Friday Night Knitting Club' & 'Eat, Pray, Love' Ohhh how I love books!!! Then we went next door to the Circuit City that was going out of business to see if Mr gadget head Ken could find anything.

THEN we rode around some more & decided to go to Lambeau Field to get some 'eats' and take a lil tour of the place.

JJ took a pic of Ken & I in front of the Vince Lombardi statue

And next to Vince was Curly Lambeau.....

Vince creeped me out a tad....no matter what angle you look at his face his eyeballs are looking at you!!! Much like the picture of Jesus my family has!! CREEPY!!!

As we made our way in Ken got all stoked. He's one hard core Packer fan....

We stepped in the doors & looked all around. Below you can see Ken in awe. He mentioned he got the chills. Like I said, he's hard core about his Packers.

Banners of past Super Bowl Championships hang on the ceiling.

The ambiance was awesome and ken's reactions were the best!! JJ also was taking it all in.

After we finished dilly dallying around taking pictures of every nook and crannie we took the escalator up to Curly's Pub for some yummers.

Yup, even a picture of the napkin was taken. We were in Lambeau Field folks & that's a BIG deal!!!

The food was outstanding!!

And like I mentioned before...COLD STONE CREAMERY!!!!! You know the saying "there's always room for Jello?" Well for us oikers "There's always room for ice cream!!!"

Ken making faces with his banana & cake batter ice cream...
And JJ being a goon with his chocolate & peanut butter...
And me with my Cake batter & Sweet cream....I DON"T do sissy sized amounts when it comes to ice cream!!!! Especially Cold Stone!!!

Ken drove half of the way home & we pulled over in Menominee, MI to let JJ drive the last hour. Seems like just yesterday he was a lil twerp. Well, he's still a twerp...but not so little!!
We turned the kinda sad event of turning in our truck into one heck of a fantastical day!!!

A recipe, snow & other stuff

Ok, so we're gonna get some verbal whiplash in this post. Ken tells me I do verbal whiplash all the time when I jump from one topic to the next & leave nothing in between. It's a pretty common thing with me...I can't help it that I have so much to say & oodles of ideas bouncin off in my head!! So yeah, this is totally gonna be a post including all sorts of stuff!!! =) Hence why my blog is called A Look Into a Scatterbrain!!

Ok, so firstly, I've been going on the road with my hubbykins a lot lately. It's been insanely awesome! Ok, well it was fartan cold last week but the truck was nice & toasty & the roads were clear. What stunk was letting the 5 pups out to do their "business" in the 20- weather!! Nope, that part was NOT fun at all!! BUT...I did start another book and have it almost finished. Actually when we went to the store to get supplies I wanted to check to see if they had "The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. We didn't have much time & I wasn't finding it!! =( That's when a super fab book popped in my face & I knew I HAD to have it!!! It had balls of yarn on the cover!!! And we all know my love, ok, obsession with yarn!! So I buy it, get in the semi & being the robo nerd I am I am reading the front cover & back cover & that's when I read it....The Sequel to the Beloved #1 New York Times Bestseller "The Friday Night Knitting Club"!!!! Shitakee mushrooms!! I bought part 2!!! Grrrrr. Anyfartles, I just couldn't let it sit in the semi & collect dust so I started reading my new book. Oh, and it's called "Knit Two" by Kate Jacobs. It's about a group of women of various ages, in various stages of their lives who are all connected in that they belong to the same knitting group. I don't wanna give too much away but trust me, it's a super fab book & I am totally gonna buy the 1st book!!! Leave it to me to do things backwards!!!

Work has been so slow lately so we have to take a load when one comes up. We got word early last week that my Aunt Pat passed away. The funeral arrangements would be on Saturday...which totally works as we're home on the weekends...usually. Well wouldn't ya know it, Ken got a call to go on a load. And like I said, we gotta take what we can get. So we whooshed down to IL & back up, hit some oober yucky weather & made it to Aunt Pat's funeral a tad bit late...but we made it & for that I am glad.

We didn't make it to Ken's works Award Banquet that night. We were both pooperd out to the max. 3000 miles in a handful of days has a tendency of wearing ya out. But my lil brother JJ spent the night. =)

So, today seeing Ken doesn't have a load we decided we'd make a nice din din. I am totally diggin http://www.5dollardinners.com/ It's a way super fab blog with some really awesome recipes!! Tonight we tried the Rosemary Orange Chicken & we had it with steamed brochlii...super delish!! When I asked ken what he thought of it he said "it tastes healthy" but he continued to eat everything off his plate. Now if you know Ken at all if he doesn't like it, he doesn't eat it. So he actually liked it & said I could try it again. You can find the recipe here :http://www.5dollardinners.com/2009/01/rosemary-orange-chicken.html With mine though I baked it (we didn't have ample time to do the crock pot method) and I poured a lil bit of orange juice in the bottom.

It's been snowing here for days on end. Just enough every day to have to shovel or snowblow. I don't mind though & actually LUV winter!! Just not the cold. The picture below is the front sidewalk. We're running out of room to put the white stuff!!!

This is what I call mount Woodbury!! It takes up half of our driveway & half of our neighbors.

And here's the front of the house. I guess the pictures don't do the height of the snow justice. Just believe me...it's at least up to my chest!!!

So, I think that pretty much covers it. I'm working on knitting, still reading my eyeballs out, preparing paperwork for taxes & oh wait!! I do have more!! Totally rented a movie from Redbox today!! And with the code got it for FREE!!!!! How stinkan neato is that!! Another exciting thing, then I'll shut up....Fancast.com!!! Super fab website, totally watch movies & tv programs FREE!!! They even have The Smurfs & Gilligans Island!!! What more could I need!!! We got rid of our satellite but still like to watch programs now & then & this totally let's us do that! PLUS it'll be super fab to utilize when we're on the road & have some down time & want to watch some boob tube-age!!!

Ok, treadmill time!! Peace =)

Caller ID Mix Up

Isn't caller ID a fancy invention? I know we love it! Sometimes it's nice to screen those telemarketers out, or if there is someone you're not into chit chattin with. I know, not a very nice thing. But, there are fun things about caller ID!!!

Like, don't be surprised if you call my house & I say hello & say your name. Or if you are a good friend I say something super robo nerdy. Last night was such a night. After shopping & going out for dinner we came home. The phone rang & I saw on the caller ID who I thought was going to be my friend Val. Well Val & I call each other "Schnookie" & "Schnookums" In fact, I use all sorts of names for people. So don't be surprised if you call me & I call ya pumpkin nose, or button butt or whatever dorky words spew from my mouth.

Ok, so the phone call...I answer "Hiya Schnookie!!" in my upbeat chirpy loud voice. I get a chuckle. Ok, I thought, this must be Val's hubbykins Ken. So I say, "How the farts are ya?" I get a lil giggle & a "ummmm is Ray there?" CRAP!!!!!! The caller ID said Boyer, NOT Bellows!!! But it came up Ken...so yeah...what to do, what to do. I appologized. As not too many people like being called goofy things. The guy responds " No problem, you can call me Schnookie anytime you want" We both said have a good night & as I hung up the phone my Kenster asked what the heck that was about!! LOL

I'm still be boppan around

Greetings!!!! I'm still here... =) I had to escape for a few days & clear my head & work on my heart. Things have been beyond hectic & I am still feeling like what I'd imagine being ran over by a semi would feel like. The flu has passed, the cold is gone & what remains is the stupid Meniere's crap. It's been non-stop dizzy, pukeyness & sleeping. I went back on my meds after being off them for months...grrrrrr. No wine for me during the holiday season!!! Not that I'm hard core in the drinking dept anyways. I know that with the season change & stress elevates it so my going with Kenster on Thursday was a must!!! =)

We are dealing with some hurt & lies coming to the surface. Even after 2yrs there is still more coming out of the woodwork...one thing I hate is lies. I'm having a hard time forgiving & am not sure if I will ever get to the place. Just when I think I am getting better with the whole thing I am reminded all over again & the vicious cycle continues. I know it's not right to not be forgiving but when there is just so much hurt how is forgiveness even an option....

Anyways, now that we've established why I've been on my blogging sabbatical let's talk about funtastical stuff.....We saw Santa in Johnson Creek, Wi on Thursday night!!! Yup, we sure did! I thought he drove a sleigh. Well apparently not in this day & age. "Santa " was sitting in the driver seat of a big rig when we came out of the restaurant. A big white haired, white bearded guy with a red hat...sitting in the driver seat of a Kennyworth!! Except this "Santa" was half nakie!!!! WI must be too warm for his North Pole self because this particular Santa was shirtless & his legs were bare...I sure hope he was wearing shorts!! I glanced at him a few times & each time I got a big smile & a friendly wave.

It was fun on our way to Indy. Ken took a different route so seeing these lil towns & numerous Main Streets was fancy as all heckles!!! I did oodles of crocheting & finished an afghan. So stoked about that. Once I get my rear in gear I'll post some pics on what I've accomplished crafty-wise.

We got home at 2am this morning. It was as if we were driving in a snowglobe of fun. Then today was spent cleaning & my lil brother Jesse, JJ & my sis Amber came over & we had ourselves a baking bonanza. We took some pics of that too but like I said...gotta get my rear in gear. LOL

Anyfartles, once I get de-funktified & back to my dorky goofy self I'll be posting much more. Until then, just bear with me =)

Transformationalizing

So, the day is almost done...I accomplished quite a bit in the house today & got my behind out of the house to pic up our pictures for the cards & then went shoppin for some odds & ends.

One more Christmas gift is bought!! We are both sooo clueless when it comes to ken's uncle...and we have his name for Christmas. I scoured the Lions sh** with disgust & couldn't bring myself to purchasing such poop. Soooo I figured I'd let the kenster figure out what to get him...it's his uncle...heeeheee. Well standing in line at the checkout was taking forever & a day & that's when I spotted it....GIFT CARDS!!!!!! Yup, I totally went the easy route & got a gift card. Is that bad? I know Ken will say that's bad. But then again it's not like he puts any effort into buying gifts. And really, who wouldn't want a gift card? I know I think they are dandy things. Fingers crossed his uncle likes it.....

I also decided in order de funktify I need a change....in the form of a hair color. I've had it my natural dark brown for months now & honestly, the Kester isn't too snitz on it. LOL It's the reason I kept it for so long. ;) But today I picked up a handy dandy light brown with highlights & am all ready for my outwardly transformations. I should have bought a new over shoulder boulder holder too to spruce up the girls. I planned on zip zappin (waxin) my eyebrows & doing my nails all snowflakey too but that will wait till after the hairdo.

I just totally ordered the gift I am giving for my family gift exchange!!! I'm superly duperly stoked!! We play this super fun game & the gift changes hands...yeah, I can't explain it but it's pretty darn fruitan funtastic! I wouldn't be sad if my gift ended up in my hands. I have a few ideas for our other gift for the exchange but want to have ken put some effort into it too. I'm guessing I'll be left figuring it out. I also bought some yarn...and it's not even for me!! Yup, imagine that my friends!! My brother & sister have been on crocheting safari's every night & so, they will be getting yarn for Christmas!!!

We nixed the idea of putting a real tree on the porch & decorating it with birdseed drenched pinecones & cranberry & popcorn garlands...too many darn tootan pigeons!!! Now, I know they have to eat but I'll be darn tooted if I'm gonna turn out like the crazy bird lady!!! Plus to cut down a tree just for that kinda makes me sad for some unknown reason. Now watch, I'll have some r-tarded dream about a tree screaming as I slowly kill it....

Anyfartles....I'm workin on the de-funktifying still & I have ta thank my swellacious friends for their support & for the laughs!!! You know I luv your punk butts to the moon!!!!!! xoxoxox

Will it ever go away?

You know how when you’re sick you have oodles of time on your hand to think about things? Well that is how this past weekend was for me. Ken went on a short run on Wednesday & got home late that night. What was supposed to be a quick jaunt to WI turned into a long day. Ken came down with the nasty flu bug that’s going around. Poor guy. While he was on his way home I went grocery shopping & on a mission to keep the nasty bug from invading my system. I decided I’d give airborne a try, stocked up on OJ, toilet paper, Kleenex & made home made turkey noodle soup. I knew Ken was in for a doozy!! Or so I thought. I started with a nasty sore throat, coughing, sneezing & we quickly went through the boxes of Kleenex’s so my best friend became a roll of toilet paper. Then it hit me!!! The flu that is!!! YUCK!!!!!

Friday was horrible. Especially having only 1 bathroom & two heines in need of the toilet!! So not cool. Sure we can choreograph our movements much like a dance in our tiny kitchen but give us a grumbling tummy & 1 toilet….it’s not that easy!!! We missed the Christmas Parade downtown Friday night. =( Totally saddens me!! I have yet to see the parade downtown at night. This is the 3rd running of it at night! GRRRRRR. Darn flu!!! We did watch the NACSAR Award banquet though…which totally rocked my socks!!! We decided we’d go to Christmas In The Village on Saturday afternoon & meet some friends there. I could handle that. At least we’d get some Christmas cheer. WRONG!!! Ken was doing better but I was completely on shut down & out of commission. Not only did I have the flu but my MM was on one heck of a rampage. Darn me for making comments about having that under control!!! So, Ken rented movies & we sat around all day. I’m not one to sit through more than 1 movie let alone 4!!! But we squeezed them all in.

Yesterday was another movie watching day. Ken rented another 4 movies. And guess what? Yup, we watched all 4 of them!! I had a doozy of an attack yesterday. I try to hide them from Ken for the most part but yesterday I totally blew it when I went to dump my glass of soda in the sink & totally missed it by a long shot. Hey, I could have sworn the sink was where I aimed. Apparently not! It’s funny now but not yesterday. I left the kitchen feeling like a total jackass. So, needless to say after than not so swell event Ken made the soup for dinner & brought it to me so I wouldn’t make a mess. Bless his cute lil head!!!! =)

All this downtime made me one frumpy frog though & I have way too much on my mind. It would be hard for people to believe but this time of year gets me down sometimes. I try to stay positive & let the past be past. Like the saying goes, Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is the present…that’s why they call it a gift. I try my hardest to live by those words. But for some time there are some things that have been eating at my happiness for some time now. It’s time such as the flu, MM attacks that I have only but time that alots itself to these “things”

Last night as I laid in bed tossing & turning my thoughts began festering. Why is it that after 2yrs I cannot stand to be in the same room as this one person? The person who stole my very dream at having a family through lies, deciet & selfishness. The selfishness is never ending, putting themselves before their kids. But yet the government rewards them!!! I could go on but I don’t want to ruin my whole day.

Another thing…The economy sucks sumthin fierce right now as we all know. We have people losing their homes, their jobs, their pride. People who WANT to work, people who are not ashamed to work at McDonald’s or in other non big time jobs but yet there are still people who have jobs whining about having to go to work each day! It boggles my mind at the ignorance of these people!!! I swear, if I were a manager of some sort somewhere & heard such a statement the person would be crap canned & the job would be given to someone who is willing & WANTING to work!!!

What about the people who “mooch” from the system? I’m not talking about the good citizens down on their luck, sick or incapable of working. I’m talking about the baby grunter-outers, the professional Welfare bums. The ones who figure “why bother when we can get it for free” bums. The people us working class support!!!

This Christmas I say it’ll be different. Because this Christmas we don’t have our hearts out there to be broken. We aren’t in the process of any adoptions…nobody can hurt us. No family member stealing our dream, no other potential family brought into the picture….but yet it’s killing my yuletide joy. Last year was happy, the year before that I wish never happened.
Ugh, all this frustration…all this hurt…will it ever just go away?

I want Christmas to be special. I want to find the happiness. I find it in many moments but it quickly gets sucked out of me when I remember the hurt, the lies, the deceit.

Today Ken will be leaving to go back to work after a long 4 day weekend due to that not so swell flu-bug that invaded Woodbury-ville. Me, I’m still dizzy as all heck but am determined as all heck to re-discover my Yuletide Joy!!! I need to snap out of this funktifiedfunk and make some Christmas cookies or something. It’s not like me to be so frumpy & let past circumstances rule my present….which is a gift =)

Reminder to self: Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery…today is a present. That’s why we call it a gift.

FREE!! And a resolution

You are looking at the picture we are going to use in our Christmas cards. We have never done the whole picture in the card type thing. But it's not too often we can get Ken, myself & our fab 5 doggies in one picture and I couldn't pass up the deal I ran across while reading one of my favoritist blogs EVER!!! http://www.moneysavingmom.com/. 75 FREE 4x6 prints from Kodak Gallery for joining!! Wooohooo! I could have paid the $4.35 to have them shipped to my house or pay $2.49 to have them delivered to Shopko (or a store closest to you) I opted for the shipping to Shopko & should have my prints by Wednesday!! Wooohoooo! How stinkan neato!!!

Another blog that has consumed A LOT of my time reading is http://jane4girls800dollarannualbudget.blogspot.com/ What this woman achieves is nothing less than AMAZING!! I can't seem to step away from my computer when her page is up. How in tarnation does one feed their family for $800 a year?!?!

I haven't always been the best shopper & I tend to do frivolous things a bit too much. But I'm getting better & so is the hubby. Our goal is ultimately to be debt free & buy something in the country & have a garden & all that jazz. It's a ways off but wouldn't it be super fab!! As of right now we have 3 loans with the credit union. One for our pickup truck, one for our suburban & one for our camper. We also have our mortgage & a new semi. I've come to the conclusion we'll always have a semi payment but it sure would be nice to eliminate the others! Imagine the $ saved! We can squirrel some away , or heck, take a vacation...we have NEVER done that together since we've been together. There are home improvements in our future & 2 doggies upcoming surgeries. Imagine what an extra grand a month could do to our savings account!!! Heck, we'd actually have one!

I think a lot about our economy & our future. Most people wouldn't know me as a deep thinker. But actually my deep thoughts can be somewhat scary at times! LOL

Every year I make a New Years Resolution...a realistic one!! This year it is to save $ & pay things off. We are not credit card fiends but do have a couple. Well I am stoked to say, we are one less now! It's been paid off. None of them have high balances but still. If we can't afford it, we don't get it.

In years passed I have had the resolution of working on my stubborn-ness, my cussing (the reasoning behind my swellacious wording) , weeding out the negative people in my life, allowing others to "know" me. This year is all about getting out of debt & using our resources!!! How bout you? What's your resolution?

One Of Those Days

Ugh! Ya ever just have "one of those days" type of days? Today was such a day for me. I actually slept a bit last night. When I woke up I knew I was going to have a (excuse the language) but a pissy type of day. I tried to get my head in the right frame of mind & stay positive...which I pretty much did. I was just a tad pissy is all. It's a good thing the hubbykins was on the road.

So, I got up, let the pups outside & called my Kenny to wish him a good morning. He answered the phone "good morning beautiful" knowing full well I look like my head has been in a blender all night!! Such a sweet hubby I have. So that should make me cheery right? So I went on to tell him my plans for the day. Bills to pay, errands to run, projects to work on, dishes, snowblowing...ya know the whole house cleaning type thing. I told him I wasn't sure what to do 1st. Total scatterbrained morning here!!!

Thoughts going through my head.....should I shower 1st & run my errands? Noooo that wouldn't make sense because I have to snowblow in order to get the pickup unburied. So, obviously I wouldn't take a shower & go outside with a wet head! It was a jeepan 13 degrees out! So, keep in mind I am running through these ideas to ken...on the phone & he is patiently listening. Yup, like I said...Ken=great hubby!!! So Ken mentions I should get more gas for the snowblower. Now in the condition I was in this morning I would NOT, I repeat NOT even go to the gas station in the visual condition I was in. So that leads me back to...should I take a shower, then back to NO idiot! That makes no sense!! This is how my whole day went! I am never indecisive. If I say I am going to do something, I do it!!! End of discussion.

I ended up brushing my crazy hair, throwing on a hat, scarf & even my boots. Total bundled up...then it hits me! CRAP! Now I gotta pee! Now when one is all bundled up the task of using the pottie is not so easy. But I did it & got all "pissy" once again! So back outside I went, now all heated up & warm. My in laws dropped their dog off for the weekend. So we now have 6 dogs in our home for a few days. Well Benji has to be right in front of my next step. My hat (which I NEVER wear) is falling off, my hair is getting in my face & I'm feeling a bit swampy!! Anytootles, I went outside & snowblowed for a good half hour to an hour. Then I said hello to Mrs Rinne for a bit & my scarf began choking me...once again making me all irritated & feisty.

I get into the house & see that my adorable dogs, most likely it was Arizona got into my quilt batting for Ken's memory quilt!! I upset-ing-ly pick up the mess all while Zoney is trying to kiss me. I tell here she's a this, that & the next thing (some colorful words) She continues to kiss me so I feel bad for calling my dog a little B****. By now the dogs were all excited at my snowy boots so I figure I will let them outside to play for a bit...all 6 of em mind you. Well low & behold Benji takes off because my 5 are going complete ape SH**! Benji does this often. He goes back to my in-laws which is a block away. But bless his heart he came back when I called & coaxed him. Whew...crazy lady doesn't have to run down the alley trying to catch him & risk slippen on her heine!!!

Ok, back in the house I turn on the tv, try to relax...NOT working!!! Too many things I need or feel I should be doing, ideas running through my head & just this feeling of being in a pissy mood. All this for no real reason. Like I said, my whole day was like this.

So, I sit on my recliner. That always makes me happy but jeepers! My pants slid right off my arse & my shirt went up! So now I have an exposed butt & my gut is hangin out!! That = unhappiness for me!! I know many guys don't mind the plumber butt or their tummies hangin out. But not me!!! So, I put on my belt. My good belt is in the semi...in Indiana with Ken!! This belt sucks & digs into my tummy....makes me highly irritated! Dogs are sensing my irritability & all up in my business & I am hungry by this point.

I eat a bowl of cereal because I don't even want to cook. I turn on the tv, sit back in the recliner, pants slip down again! Upstairs I tromp for sweatpants!!! Sweatpants = a happy Kaffy =) I turn on the surround sound for the tv & it's flippen LOUD!!! I turn it down, it's still loud as all heck. This is not good...I turn on Christmas music. Now we all know that makes me one slap happy gal. Not this time!!! Silver bells was on & things were still unbearably loud. I get to thinkin, when things get this loud & annoying it usually means I am gonna have one doozy of a MM attack. That CANNOT happen!!!

So, I call my ultra fab friend Sam, turn the phone down to it's lowest volume (she's a cool loud friend) Bless her heart, she chilled me out!! We talked about crocheting & other crafty things. Then, I get this bright idea that I want to change my tree around in the living room. I do love it so much but I got a thought that a country theme would be nice. I told her she needs to talk me out of it. Well, I am happy to report I got my head out of my butt & decided to keep the tree just as it is...for now at least.

In my phone conversations I keep telling Ken that I am so irritated for no reason today. He's confused, as am I. I tell him maybe "aunt flo" is coming soon. We laugh.

Fast forward to this evening. My lil brother Josh stops over. I cut up sausage & cheese & we munch away. The crackers are too salty & I can't taste the sausage! Then my lil brother JJ calls with some real neato news!

JJ shot a buck with my Dad's gun tonight. And today is (would be) Dad's birthday. I knew it was dad's birthday, but I let all the little things irritate me today. It always seems I get irritated or emo-ish around Mom or Dad's birthdays & the anniversaries of their deaths. Without JJ even knowing it, he brought me happiness. I can only imagine how proud my dad (JJ's Grandpa) would be for shooting the deer. JJ is pretty darn touched by the whole thing too. What a fantastic event to end a not too swell day!!!

Random Filth

Tonight I did something I never thought I'd do...I went to a movie by myself!! Of course Ken is on the road. And face it, Nights in Rodanthe is not his cup of tea. But I so badly wanted to see it. I decided this morning I would try to go today. I say try because I felt like donkey doo today. Not that I know what a donkey doo feels like mind you. I contemplated calling my gal pals & setting up a gals night. Which would have been out of this galaxy fun!! But then I thought, hmm most of my gal pals work or have babies...something I do not have...I have oodles upon oodles of guy friends but seriously, who would be game for going to see that movie? Not any that I know of. So, I waited the dizzies out today & finally decided at 5:30 I'd be bop to the theater. I have to admit, it wasn't all that bad. Being by myself I mean. I'm always by myself anyways. The movie was great!!

I've been thinking a lot lately. I have feelings of being inadquate, like I NEED to be doing more. I have no babies so why is it I don't "work". Sure, I do the paperwork for ownign our semi. But my brain is so much more capable of doing other things. I love to bake but I can only be Betty effin Crocker so much. Our waist lines show the outcomes. I've been doing a lot of reading. Which reminds me...Lauren, if you're reading this I am waiting for another post!! Yesterday I made a damn sock monkey. Never made one before so I thought, what the heck? Anyways, I'm wanting to do something, feel like I am making a difference, a contribution. At the same time I also want to be able to go on the road with Ken. With the unpredictability of my MM it would make it extremely hard to hold a "normal job" But I need to do something & I have some ideas.
I took this silly quiz the other day...for heck's sake. It was sumthin about How Old Your real self is...sumthin along those lines. Anyways, mine actually came out to be 34!! In a way it surprised me & in a way it didn't. I'm not one for huge parties & complete chaos. I enjoy having order, but at the same time I am extremely spontaneous. Does that make any sense? I've always thought that I have an old soul.

Last night while making the sock monkey I got all cranky, like piturbed with someone. This November is 2yrs ago my nephew was born. My sister adopted him...we were supposed to. Why is this bugging me? Is it because we allowed ourselves to put our heart out there for Maddy...only to get them crushed? But at the same time I know it wasn't meant to be. With Maddy I mean. We are content with it being just us for the rest of our life & have dismissed all hopes on having a baby & see the good side of not having a kiddo. But then it still hurts... I guess the hurt never truly goes away...

In just a couple weeks I will start putting up our Christmas decorations & our handful of trees. For some reason I'm not all super stoked. Is it that I'm getting old? It's like I am where I was 2yrs ago. After the whole nephew ordeal. Not wanting to give a rats arse about Christmas. It's rather bizarre.

I was recently invited to a Christmas party by my friend Shelli. She's amazing! But I'm not sure if I should go. It's for the deaf/HOH club in Esky. I met her through my fabulous friend Gwen eons ago. Gwen had told her about me & my Meniere's crap. Losing your hearing from MM is not uncommon, pretty much a given. It's not something I've truly accepted yet. But these folks have & want me to join them. I have not used sign language in years so it's pretty rusty. I fear I won't be able to communicate or that I won't "fit in" I asked Ken what I should do about this. Bless his heart. He's amazing. He knows I have issues with dealing with the inevitable...perhaps attending this party would make me realize & begin to accept that if MM takes my hearing , life would still have meaning & I would still have friends. Not saying life wouldn't have meaning otherwise. I just don't know!!! So sorry for babbling here. But I haven't done it in awhile.

Onto other things...my thoughts on the upcoming World Series...Go Phillies!!! I have to admit my Bosox were not playing to their abilities in the beginning of the ALCS. It sure is odd sitting here, not watching a baseball game.

There's just too much on my mind right now. Think I'll take a bubble bath to relax, turn on some Korn to relieve stress, have a glass of wine & make sock monkey's to be quirky!!!

You can do it too!!

Recently my friend Becky posted about it being National Make A Difference Day this Sunday. They have to have a holiday for this?!?!

Making a difference has always been my hope in life. I try to do little things in hopes to make someones day. Even if it's a smile or a random card...whatever the case may be.

Everybody is capable of doing something that can & will make a difference. Imagine, this. You hear a fantastically funny joke, pass it on to several of your friends, they do the same & so on & so forth...now providing the joke is funny for everybody you have been a smidgen of the contribution to that person smile.

We all go shopping... Would it hurt to open the door for someone? What about that old lady reaching for the product on the top shelf?

Garbage...I have a 93yr old neighbor who takes walks everyday. He carries a garbage bag with him & picks up strewn garbage. He's making a difference to our environment.

I hope that the cards I send every week to my chemo buddy makes her smile. If you haven't heard of the Chemo Angel program I highly recommend checking it out. How amazing is it to have the opportunity to make someone smile just by letting them know you care & are rooting them on in their hopes for good health.

I have this amazing friend...yeah I'm talking about Shash. Her & I send random cards & gifts to each other "just because" How amazing to open the mailbox & find fun mail!!

All my life my goal has been to make a difference. I don't need to be aknowledged if I do...but I hope my time here has made a difference.

So what are your plans National Make a Difference Day?

Realizations

I apologize for my tardiness on posting lately. It seems that with the events that unraveled last week that I got in a funk. I had some harsh realizations & had to dig deep within myself to un-funktify. I am certain we all get in funktify-ish moods.

I did oodles of cleaning, organizing & just thinking this past week. I tend to do that when my heart gets wounded. Everything is honkey dorey on the homefront now. I will invite you to some of this past weeks realizations:

1. I love my huband more than I love ANYTHING in this whole universe...including myself...and I wonder if he feels the same way. I know he loves the beans out of my punk ass but is it as deep as my undying love I hold for him?

2. I need to love myself more often & do things for ME

3. I have lost so much of me lately...but got back in touch with my inner self. I've been crafting more, reading more, exercising more, taking walks, etc

4. I need to not take certain things in life too seriously. Most people only know the quirky, spazzy self of Kathy. There is a serious side.

5. My doggies & Kitties are the bestest furry buddies one could ever want.

6. I'm still trying to figure out why we never do things with friends.

7. If the friends we have are more like aquaintances.

8. When I love I love deeply.

9. I am still a hard core listener of 80's music.

10. I do have issues calling my in-laws "Mom & Dad". I haven't called anybody that since I was 10 after my parents died. The part in my heart of having love for parents is not dead...just the using of the names is forever gone. I do not feel it is right for me to call someone Mom & Dad...those were special words I was priviledged to use for just a short time...and I reserve them for my parents. =)

11. I bought some yummy pumpkin candles & some Fall decorations the other day & have been decorating. I used to decorate for every season & Holiday EVER! Ken would think it was silly. So I stopped. Decorating makes me happy & makes my home feel cozy to me. Some guys just don't appreciate those little touches. It's nothing with Ken. He was just born a dude with no femininity. I shouldn't feel frumpy when he lacks interest & makes fun of my need for decorations.

12. I am still very hurt by my in-laws imposition & my husband not having the guts to say "No" I need to work on letting that hurt disipate...it's hard though...I put him 1st for everything. Like I said, I'm working on letting it go. I'm a stubborn gal so it may take some time.

13. I still despise odd numbers. In fact I contemplated even going up to 13 & if I should end my list there. Ya know, just to help with the getting over the yuckyness odd numbers put into my bones!! Ok, just this once...I'll end it on an odd #...a prime one at that! It's October, a time for Halloween & spookyness. The number 13 is "spooky" right?

Just know that this bugs the living pizzizzles out of me!!!

Is part of my heart dead?

There is such thing as needing time together right? I'm talking as in a marriage. Or any relationship for that matter. Even in the best of relationships. It's so important to take time to yourselves to reconnect & keep that fabulous relationship alive...right?

Well those are my beliefs anyways...apparently not all people find things such a nurturing a marriage important. For me my marriage means everything to me. Well what occurred to me today has got me beyond disgusted. My mind is just boggled & my heart is just hurt.

For months Ken & I have had an "alone" camping trip planned. Sure, we don't have kids and I go on the road with him. But it's not the same as spending time with one another. This away weekend is something I looked so forward to. To reconnect with my hubby means everything to me. He's been working a lot. So when he is home he's pretty tired & has been cranky. He's not usually like this. He's been so snippy & ornery and it's wearing me down.

We have talked about this alone weekend for some time. Our friends & his folks knew we were planning this get away. So, today I was completely floored when we were asked if they could tag along for the weekend. Now is it rude of us, more so me to be upset about this? This was a weekend we set aside for "US" and us only. A time for our marriage.

I handed Ken the phone & let him tell them no, that we wanted a weekend to ourselves. He did that but then he got off the phone & said "good one, Kat, you broke her heart" Then he said a bunch of other stuff about them leaving soon for TX & we'll have time then. So why...I've got to wonder...why would they do this. It totally put Ken in the middle having to choose between his parents & the weekend with his wife to work on our relationship. And just so everybody knows...no there are no problems on the homefront. It's just something we do now & then to keep the relationship nurtured.

Needless to say, his parents won, he chose them & they will be joining us on "our" weekend. He went on to tell me a part of my heart is dead...the part where there's a love for parents. I haven't had parents since I was 10 so this whole parents wanting to be around is so new to me. But I don't think my heart is dead. I do love them so dearly. I have phenomenal in-laws. It hurts me greatly the things Ken said and that his folks would impose like that...knowing we had this weekend planned. Do they not understand we NEED this. Life has been crazy hectic. I miss my husband...

Please pray that our weekend turns out well. I'm not having much hope for fun times at this point & am contemplating staying home & working on my craft room while Ken goes to nurture our marriage with his folks...