(THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO WHISPERED PROMISE!)

QUESTIONS:
1. Why do you blog?
Becuz I like to share…it connects me to various ppl I might not otherwise meet…and I can learn things from them too.

2. Scariest moment in your life?
when I almost lost my son during child birth

3. Top 5 songs on your iPod? (if you don't have an iPod, just give your 5 favorite songs)
#1) Bottle it Up—Sara Bareilles
#2) Fallen—Sarah McLachlan
#3)Follow You Down—Gin Blossoms
#4) Fools Like Me—Lisa Loeb
#5)Get Over It—Eagles

4. What are your interests/hobbies?
Cleveland Sports…flower gardening…backyard wildlife…my kids (indoor wildlife!)…and, apparently, house hunting.

5. What do you hope to accomplish in the next 5 years?
find a house! Finish my college and start a new career…get my son through HS/college and my daughter through HS without them getting on drugs or alcohol.

NOW…AM I SAFE HERE? No hunchback…no green skin…hair stays where it is?
(making notes in my organizer…owe WP one.)

Oh, and BryM...I figure I owe YOU since you wouldn't sell my your house for $80...even though you became a kazillionaire!

A new day dawns and, thank God...literally...whatever was bothering my stomach yesterday and making me feel like someone built a bonfire in there...it has moved on. Head feels better too. whew!

My mother 'caught' me on the phone. I love her and I know she gets bored. But an hour and a half. She hit upon EVERYONE in the family...and I mean extended family. Okay...I exaggerate. She told me something about everyone in our immediate family and two of her sisters and a couple of their kids...plus some outsiders. At least I got her down to twice a week. It used to be an hour every day.

The house hunting was no great shakes. We did a walk through (more like a nosey poke through) of the two story house we looked at before. This one was more of a 'let's REALLY look this house over seriously'. The inside wasn't much of a problem except...well...the carpeting. Hello, people! Have you EVER heard of carpet cleaners...EVER! The worst part was the outside. This is a really nice house these ppl bought...3 sides of it have cedar siding...which they have NEVER restained! What a horror! Cracked boards that need replaced...expense. It can be done...but it is costly and time consuming. Bargaining tool. Our realtor talked to THEIR realtor and found out the husband has been transferred to Illinois...where they already have a house they want to buy...and they NEED to sell. She told the realtor about the nasty carpet and the terrible outside...she said "They understand and will make allowances...they are willing to negotiate." Yeah...well...I'm doing my homework...just how MUCH would such a thing cost to do...restain and fix the siding?

The second house was It looked wonderful as you drove up. Had a really LARGE beautiful yard. LOvely brick patio...sunroom (my personal favorite)...pool. Then you walk inside....HUGE newly redone kitchen...nice. Main bathroom has just been renovated. NIce. But then as you walk through the rest of the house the realtor and I kept saying, "What were they thinking?" What a MESS! I told Troy they would have to sell that house REALLY cheap and then we could bulldoze it down and start over. Someone watched too much 'flip this house' on HGTV. But had NO CLUE what to do. ick.

AND Houdini Hamster Pete escaped again. He was scratching at the computer room door this morning. He had climbed into the top of his cage and chewed on the edge of a plug until he popped it out and crawled out the top. sigh. He was so unhappy to be snatched up and shoved back in his cage. Never a dull moment with that one.

Jacques on the other hand rallied for a bit last night...but still not too good. He scared the bejesus out of me cuz I swore he was dead this morning. Just the way he was laying in the bottom of his cage. I touched him and there was movement. Not too much longer I'm afraid.

And so the day begins...

Sick today. Not sure what it is...weather related...food related...bug related. I even put my mother off on the phone...but she will catch me later.

My daughter didn't sleep well last night. She has achievement tests all week. She is worrying about her scores. She cornered me with math questions last night. I showed and explained...only took me a couple of minutes. She gave me a puzzled look. I asked her if she got it. She said, "yyyeeaaaahhhh. Why does Mrs. F******er always make it look so difficult?" shrug.

Then I took Jacques out of his cage before I went to bed. The poor little guy is not doing well. He is miserable. He's scratching his skin open and the only thing the vet could tell me was give him an oatmeal shampoo bath. We did. I sprayed him with Hydrocortisone spray for animals. But he is losing weight fast. He can't open one eye. I held him and petted him for a while. He snuggled up to me and got warm. As he fell back to sleep I laid him in his cage. Then I sat and cried for the next half hour. I don't like being so helpless. He was always such a chubby, lovable fluff of fur. And now he is wasting away to nothing. And I can't do anything about it. And, just like Cookie, I will be the first one to find him when he dies. Having pets can really suck when you get so attached and then they die.

Speaking of which...Scrawny is going to have a few of her own...or it may be wishful thinking on her part. The little poo was caught snatching fluff out of the cushion on my porch swing! We recovered the hole and chased her off. Just like a kid...take care of them, love them, spoil them, and then when you aren't looking they take your stuff and use it without asking.

We have houses to look at late this afternoon. I just hope that isn't when my stomach picks to empty itself of any contents. I had weird dreams last night about Jacques dying. I didn't sleep well and got up this morning feeling positively wretched. Perhaps a good stiff dose of Pepto.

It is cold and rainy. I feel like a pile of fertilizer. The PERFECT day for house hunting. I just pray that neither of them smells like that last house...the one that wreaked of C-A-T...or I will lose it totally. And they will deserve it...doncha think?

Last night was Taco Night. Troy wanted them...the kids vehemently agreed...I wasn't so keen on it but...majority rules. So I got busy, and Troy helped with the chopping of the 'stuff'. He also pan fried the tortillas.

Steven was here so we made LOTS. We were all around the table and doing our usual yapping about things. Troy told Steven he needs to come for dinner when I make nachos. I don't admit to much or pat myself on the back (it wrenches my arm! ) but I told him, "I make GREAT nachos!" Troy agreed and so did the kids. Then I looked at Troy and said, "Do you remember when we both lived in Cleveland?" I looked at the kids, "We were single and dating, and Troy worked as an assistant manager at a sports store. ANYWAY, during the summer, when I wasn't teaching, I would meet your dad for lunch some days. I would MAKE him lunch and we would eat out in his car together...it was our time alone. And sometimes I would make nachos and take them." TJ stopped eating and looked at him in astonishment. So did Steve. Then TJ said, "How do I get one of them?" Troy said, "What?" "I want a girl that does that for me! That is really hard to find! Do you know how lucky you are?" Troy just looked at me, grinned, and said, "Yes, I am lucky. Very lucky. I guess sometimes you forget that." Then, of course, he had to add, "But that was when we were dating." To which I had to remind him, "And when we were married I packed you lunch EVERY day, made sure the coffee was ready when you got up...and when you worked 2nd shift at that one office I would stop at home after my day teaching and make you lunch and bring it to you when I picked TJ up from Mom's so it would be fresh. THEN I would wait up at night to make you dinner for when you got home." He looked embarrassed and said, "Yes, this is true too." And TJ said, "I want one of them."

I was reminded of all that myself last night. I guess sometimes I am too hard on myself. I know that Troy worked some not so great jobs when we were first married...just to help support his family (he worked in asbestos removal for 2 years!) before I sent him off to school. But you know...I was no slouch! And while I may not be doing so hot now, I try. Maybe not as hard as I could. But, if I get a job outside the home...one with a paycheck...will that make it all better? I know it will help financial situations.

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Yesterday was an absolute beautiful day! I potted my pansies and cleared old fall dead things from the flower gardens. The local nurseries were full of ppl loading up. I went to pick Bethany up from her friend Amy's and her mom drove in behind me with a load of plants from the nursery down the road. Tim (the dad) looked a me and laughed and said, "She loves to make me work!"

Even though we are not putting in the veggie gardens this year (becuz, hopefully, we will be moving!) I did a research paper for one of my classes on container gardening. I think I have Troy convinced to give it a try...that way he can still have some of his veggie plants and we can load them up and take them with us.

I am really anxious to get a place of our own. I am trying to talk him into buying the two story house in the neighborhood where most of Bethany's friends live. ANd then I can make my backyard habitat...cuz they not only have squirrel...they gots deer! And random ducks that sit in the middle of the road! And bunnies...and...ooooo...I am getting all excited!