More Good Stuff!

I just got the mail and in it was a Mother's Day card from my favorite cousin! And inside the card was a beautiful necklace! Thank you, Julie! I love it!

Happy Mother's Day!

Somehow Mother’s Day got a little out of control this year. Back a couple of months ago, my wonderful fiancé announced that he would like to put in a bathtub for me for my wedding gift. I was thrilled. We’ve only got a shower right now and taking baths is one of my favorite things to do. So I graciously accepted and we put in an order with a contractor. (BTW, we are not talking about just any plain old tub; we are talking about a Kohler Jacuzzi tub!) Installation was scheduled for the end of May.

Then the wedding got postponed. So the bathtub installation was then dubbed a Mother’s Day/birthday/Christmas gift. Which was fine with me, after all, it cost much more than we would normally spend on a year’s worth of special occasions.

As Mother’s Day neared I seemed to start “collecting” Mother’s Day gifts. It seems that a lousy bathtub was not enough to reward me for my mothering duties. A couple weeks before, I was treated to a pedicure and a new pair of “yoga sandals”, which are much like flip-flops but have a separator between every toe instead of just the first two. One week before, we got a babysitter and Matt took me to dinner at Applebee’s and then to see a play at a local community theatre. The next day, the kids took me to lunch at the Olive Garden and presented me with a hanging basket of purple petunias, a dress, a blouse, and assorted cards. A few days before, I received a shiatsu massager that I had drooled over in the Wal-Mart flyer. The day before, I got four new Willowtree figurines, one representing each of the children. And finally, on the actual Mother’s Day, Ariel and Hannah gave me two little birdhouses that they painted themselves.

I love all the gifts I received and am very flattered by the outpouring. I don’t feel as though I am worthy. Now I must go plan for Father’s Day as I have a big act to follow.

Uninvited Guest.

There is a mouse in my house. I slept in Hannah's bed last night. (The top bunk.)

Bloody Navel.

A cross between a Bloody Mary and a Fuzzy Navel? Ehh...not so much.

Pinky the Octopus (2009-2009)

Yesterday we suffered a great loss in our household. Pinky the Octopus died at the age of 3 weeks due to natural causes. We met Pinky the last time Hannah visited her one set of grandparents who frequently shop at the dollar store. Pinky was a pink rubber, liquid-filled toy octopus who quickly became a beloved member of the family. He was cute despite the fact that he only had one eye. (An injury from the war which was a sensitive topic of discussion.) He was kind of like a stress toy. You squeezed him and different parts of him bulged out bringing great joy to all. Last night while tidying up the living room and straightening the throw pillows on the couch I discovered our little pink friend. I picked him up and decided to give him a couple of squeezes on his trip to the bottom of the staircase where he would then catch a ride with the next person going up. It was on his second squeeze that he gave up the battle. The pressure was too great and his frail little body just couldn’t take anymore. Pink octopus guts spewed forth. All over me, the coffee table, the floor. The goop shot about four to five feet in every direction. Matt was on the phone with his mother when it happened. I let out a shriek. Matt gave me a very confused look, wondering what on earth the commotion was about. It took a minute to sink in that the octopus in my hand was now flat and there was pink ooze splattered all over the place. We both busted out laughing. I had to break the news to Hannah this morning. She seemed to take it rather well. I tried to stress that the passing process was very quick and it was likely that Pinky did not suffer. Services will be held Tuesday morning curb-side, where friends and family will gather for a brief celebration of Pinky’s life before his earthly remains are taken to their final resting place of the Akron City Dump via the Akron City Department of Sanitation. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Pinky’s memory to the ASPCRA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Rubber Animals.)

...and Pam Came Tumbling After.

So I fell down the stairs again yesterday, and this time I decided to really do it right. I'm pretty sure I broke my tailbone. I've been told that they don't do anything for a broken tailbone besides prescribe pain medicine and an orthopedic pillow. I've already got both of those. So I don't see much point in going to the doctor just so he can send me a bill. I did try to "mix it up" a little bit. This time I went down the basement stairs. I've also been told that it may take a good 4 to 6 months for it to heal. Which is great considering my wedding is in 4 months. That should be fun. Maybe I can get my butt pillow sewn right into my dress.

Rub-a-dub-dub, Mom's Stuck in the Tub.

So we take the kids to the Dairy Queen after the cub scout meeting last night. We get there a little after 8pm. Matt and the kids are up at the counter ordering while I am reserving our table. Just then my cell phone rings. It's my mother. She says that she's been stuck in her bathtub since 3pm. She took her telephone into the bathroom with her while she was taking her shower just in case anyone called. Apparently someone did call. It was one of her friends. She explained to him that she had been stuck in the bathtub for 5 hours and he suggested that she either call her daughter or 911. She chose me. So Matt and I drive an hour to Wooster, free my mother, and then drive an hour back home. So...Mom's moving to Akron, and staying out of the bathtub in the meantime.