Ok, so life's really not that bad, but I figured I would use this as a precursor to my crazy life and Halloween!!!! I haven't been posted lately (duh!), but that's because life has taken an interesting twist....I am one week and two days into my second set of training. I didn't go home the first four weeks but Bob did visit one weekend. I got 10 VERY short days at home, then back for five more weeks. This time I'm going home every two weeks, but somehow this stint feels so much longer already!!!!

Our town doesn't really have a REAL trick-or-treat: Today, Benjamin (via the Boys & Girls Club) got to "beg" at the local university. Of course, the college kids went all out, creating a haunted house and had a pizza party for them afterward!!!! Friday at 3pm (YES, 3PM) they can visit the local merchants downtown. THAT'S IT.....REALLY!!!!!! Don't know what the hell's up with these people?????????? OK, most of them are Bible beaters, so it's probably the whole devil/satan/going to hell thing!

This is absolutely my favorite picture! Benjamin is assisting his brother on the first day of school. He made sure he followed all the rules on the bus and found his way to his classroom. What are big brothers for?????

This is the end of their first day at Kindergarten & Second Grade. Both decided they were going back the next day :o)

OK, well...we started out with me going to the IRS and Bob being a SAHD. Well, things have gotten more interesting from there. Mom and Dad have been considering for some time moving closer to us, so they could help with the boys (hence, the reason they moved 500+ miles). They are currently in a different town & school district, so this summer has proven very difficult since Mom has been keeping Cohen. Anyway, they decided to start looking at what was out there and planned to move sometime after school started since housing sales are always lower & prices will get lower as well. Surprise...they have found a house they've fallen in love with and decided to see what it will take to put their house on the market & buy this one. It's 3 minutes away from the elementary school!!!!!!! About 7 minutes away from us!!!!!

So now, it's to the point where Bob can go back to work whenever they finally get moved since the boys will get on & off the bus at Nan & Pap's house. The school has already started taking money out for the boys' after school care ($150 EACH)!!!! We'll have to wait and see how the next chapter turns out!

I keep getting more info & requests from the IRS. I swear I'm having to fill out 5,000 different forms. And I'm still not guaranteed anything since I have to get a background check, fingerprints, & tax checks! Don't foresee any problems, but I'm not giving my notice yet either...never know what types of freaky things can happen.

I just got another request for a strapless dress! Just need to get measurements for the two I have and I'll be on my merry way. I also need T-shirts to do the T-shirt quilt and the terry cloth gown is underway! Just a little bit at a time...baby steps!

Have a 7 year-old still wetting the bed...any suggestions?

Cohen is a Mini-Manda & I'm not liking it one bit!!!

I'm forgetting a lot lately, maybe the rheumatologist will find a fix for that in August.

Speaking of August, if you are a prayer soul I need you now more than ever. If not, I need you to cross your fingers. There's a big, life changing event about to occur and with your help, it will happen!!!!!

I finally found the lights I want in the kitchen. They would match perfectly with the multi-colored Fiestaware. They have all sorts of different styles which would make it easy to decorate the entire kitchen/dining combo with peacock feather lights!!!! I also found the Shower I want to install in our Master Bath (someday!).

Well, for all of you that care, the buttscope came out fine (no pun intended!!). I'm paying for most of my activities this weekend, like not caring what I ate, sewing, cleaning, and playing in 100+* heat! Yes, we are still a/c free. Hopefully since Bob is off Friday & Monday this/next week, we'll be able to have someone in by July. I sure as hell hope so!!!! Don't know how much longer my weeny self can handle this! The boys helped Bob wash his truck for Father's Day (he's been trying to sell it to get something else). Of course, hot sun + fun in water = a REALLY bad sunburn!!!! Bob, not the boys...he was consciencious enough to put sunscreen on them!

Benjamin is becoming such a young man. His fifth tooth has started coming through the gums, so it'll be knocking out a few more soon, I'm sure. He can make the most awesome whistle, though!!!

Cohen is being effected horribly by the full moon. For those of you who also have kids affected, the next one is July 7...so I should be griping again around then (Benjamin is the week of and Cohen is the week after). It's like PMS, you really only get two good weeks out of a month!!!!

Speaking of PMS, I'm pretty sure my ovaries are still doing their job but failing miserably. The last estrogen count I had was 57 (which is usually what menopausal women receiving hormone treatment are), however, my other test which shows if you are or not in menopause said no. But the rheumatologist told me to be on the lookout for: Irregular periods & Decreased fertility were taken care of by the hysterectomy, Vaginal dryness - don't think so, I'll have Bob check ;o), Hot flashes - I've had some major ones lately, but then again I don't have A/C, Sleep disturbances - This is normal for before the hysterectomy, Mood swings - Hello, my whole life is a mood swing, Increased abdominal fat - Have you seen my apartment?, Thinning hair - I could actually use this one, Loss of breast fullness - Great, they are going to hang lower than they did before! I guess in this case I could be on my way...Yeah, another surgery to remove my ovaries (I'm only excited because she said she'd give me a tummy tuck too while I was there!!!!).

"Your confidence is healthy, but you could take it too far. You cannot do everything all at once, even if you think you can. You must choose your projects and your battles carefully and then give it your very best. If you try to take on too many things today, you'll probably long for a simpler way of living while sacrificing quality for quantity."

I have been making lists forever...mostly because my mind has left that part behind lately. But I'm finding if I make lists every night for the next day and a super-duper weekly one at the beginning of the week, it tends to keep me more on track and get more things accomplished. The hardest part of my weeks are the weeknights. When I finally get home (I leave work at 4:15, pick Cohen up by 5:15/5:30, pick Benjamin up by 5:30/6, finally get home between 6 & 6:30), I don't have the time, effort or stamina to do what I mapped out to do. Tuesday nights are ALWAYS library nights, so that's a guaranteed nothing night. But all the other nights, by the time we get home, get dinner, do some baths, and see what's up for the next day, it's almost time for bed. Last night I felt so bad I ended up going to bed by 7:30...I could've easily done it by 6:30!!!

It's funny I actually heard myself reference "quality versus quantity" to Benjamin just the other night in the car. Can't remember what I was talking about, but I know it's very difficult to come up with an explanation of what quality means for a seven year-old! My rheumatologist already told me to give up my night job (or weekend job as it's turning out to be), it's putting too much stress on my body as well as my relationships with Bob and the boys. I feel like I have too much invested now: I got a website, a room, an embroidery machine, fabric out the hoo-hoo and all sorts of other fun things...how could I just give up now? When I get my job at University of Montevallo, life will turn into a piece of pie. I can reduce my commute by 1 1/2 hours each direction and look at all that time I gain at the end of the week!!!!

I had a pretty good weekend. I went to the rheumatologist on Friday. Unfortunately she still doesn't know what's wrong with me. She's sending me for a couple different tests to see if they will bring a "TADA" to light. Right now, I'm in line for about 50 of the 100 types of arthritis and of course, we have to get the right one in order to pick the right medication for the job. Mom and I had a wonderful day on Friday. We left at 10am and got back at 730!!! Bob was hot...he didn't expect us to be gone that long (my doctor is notorious for 1 1/2 hr wait with a 1 1/2 hr appointment!!!) She changed some meds but nothing too drastic.

Saturday and Sunday were spend cleaning. Bob's been so busy with the boys and the furnace, he hasn't had time to do the semi-important stuff...laundry, picking up, etc. Sunday was dinner with the parental units, so that's good.

Yesterday we took the boys to Alabama Adventure (the KI of the south). They LOVED it. Benjamin even rode the big boy rides with Bob. I got some major sun though, so my shoulders and chest are still a little warm and red today. I probably blew my diet since nothing I ate yesterday was OK. Especially the turtle sundae I had at DQ!!!! Oh well, it was worth the splurge to see the boys' faces as they rode those roller coasters. I'm 181 today though!!!!!!!!!!!! 7 pounds down, only 41 more to go!!

Not only did our furnace/ac come on a 40' long semi (which will NOT fit anyway up our driveway), but Bob also received his grout gun (a really cool invention that puts the grout in the seams...with all our tiling projects, we needed this YEARS ago). We also go our new upgraded cell phones. OK, I've never thought I could love a material thing, but this phone is like a computer about the size of a business card. Since I'm so losing my mind (thank you Arthur Itis!!), I have my whole life on a flash drive. Now I can keep it on my phone with a back up on my computer. Ahhhhh, technology. The tree guys have taken another two loads of trees (for all of you playing at home that makes 6 loads of trees). So, we'll be getting our check shortly for all the timber...more Christmas!!! And I'm so excited, Mona was at the house yesterday!!!! Apparently she's been there for a week, but with all the boxes and other crap around the house I didn't notice until yesterday, so it just topped off Christmas in May!!!!

Benjamin has four more days of school and excited to beat hell!!!! He is such a social butterfly. Cohen has been back and forth to Nan & Pap's since Bob's been busy with trees and furnaces and grout, OH MY!!! So he's getting pretty spoiled for his next three month stint at the parental units.

I got to fabric shopping yesterday for a couple of new orders (banners...they are going to be SWEET!!!!)...sorry Traci, not rubbing it in :o) I plan to get my T-shirt quilt done this weekend. Since I'm feeling a bit better I haven't been sleeping at lunch...I'm been doing Quilted Memories projects...it almost makes the first 5 hours worth it!!!!

I love when Cohen calls me that...he gets this little twinkle in his eye and the dimple in his cheek goes extra deep. He loves watching the "Mighty B", which is where the name came from...Instead of calling me Mom or Momma, he'll say "Beautiful", which he's heard Bob refer to me.

Benjamin is usually my biggest sweetheart. He and Bob are so much alike it's not funny...I don't know if I can deal with two of them when he gets older. Now that they have bunk beds I don't get to crawl in bed with them at night to tuck them in, but Benjamin is perfect height to put his hand on top of my head...I have to tiptoe to get over the rail to give him a smooch. He lies there at night and gazes in my eyes as we sing our songs. This morning he was soooo tired. Bob couldn't get him out of bed. So I went over and he laid his head on top of mine just cuddling. Then he saw Tilly (Mom's little beagle puppy). That got him out of bed quick. He is definitely not like Bob in that respect. He just lights up when he sees an animal....so sweet.

Well, I've been bitching, whining and complaining about all that ails me...all I wanted was a diagnosis in order to treat "something". Well, I should've been more careful what I wish for...I guess it's still better to know than to keep throwing drugs at it and missing!!!!

I go for my bone scan on Wednesday. The rheumatologist said it is abnormal for such deterioration to occur in only four years. So, it can be as a "small" as osteoarthritis (which equates to weekly shots in the stomach for $600/month AFTER insurance and probably disability) or as "large" as bone or bone marrow cancer. Yeah, I don't particularly vote for either one of those, but hey, what's a girl to do???? I got my wish answered, now I got to face the music.

But it's going to be such good music...just like the flash drive Bob loaded up for me. I listen to it everyday for 8 hours a day and very rarely hear the same song in a week!!!!! How's that for service.

I figured I've watched Mom go through eight brain surgeries and I hope she has made me as strong as she is...so I can do this. Just wish the boys were a little bit older so they could understand why Momma doesn't always feel like playing.

To recap: I slept 47 hours from Friday, 10am until Monday, 530am!!!!! At least I can say I'm feeling a bit better. Still have a headache today, my eyes are still blurry, took a nap in my chair at lunch*, can't concentrate on work (I'm doing really good on writing articles and books and stuff, OH MY).

~~So Amanda, how did you become a writer? "Well, I couldn't concentrate on the job I got paid for, so I used that time to write a novel, 14 articles and so on." Yeah, that's how I'm seeing my life pay off. I've started four stories and I have submitted them to four reliable sources who I know will tear me down just to build me back up :o) One of the ramblings I emailed back to Redbook is getting published...sometime. I missed the deadline this month for All You Magazine. I downloaded a list of writing contests to enter, but haven't gotten it back out since all these sewing projects have piled up.

Cohen and Benjamin had a great Easter...Benjamin even sent the Easter Bunny a thank you letter. The flag was up on the mailbox when we left last night!!! Cohen had this really weird thing going on last night though. About 10 times in a minute, he would look at something like he was trying to focus, he'd move his eyes as far right as they would possibly go and open them as wide as they'd go. Thankfully he isn't doing it today, but man, that was some odd looking crap.

* Don't know if you ever have, but I have woken myself up snoring, laughing, talking, farting, etc. Well, it's commonly known that I sleep in my office during lunch. Just close the door, prop my feet up and thank goodness for reclining chairs!!! Today I didn't figure I'd actually go to sleep (did you see above?), but I thought I'd rest my eyes and think about what I'm going to do tonight. Next thing I know I'm yelling words I can't understand, scaring the crap out myself!!! I asked my neighbors if they heard me, but I don't think they want to tell me the truth.