I’m Beautiful Like Me.

I took a late nap, which always makes the day feel weird. Buddha napped with me, but when he woke up, I changed him, handed him to Husband and promptly went back to bed. I slept another two hours or so. It was a good sleep, though, just not long enough.

Yesterday, Husband accompanied me to the library where I got some more crochet books, renewed a couple of books and got two books on hand-spinning. I’m really interested in learning. It sounds like a GOB of work, but it sounds so rewarding, especially when I consider how much money I might save on yarn.

Afterwards, I accompanied him to the downtown Fiscal Building so he could apply for his CCDW. He was frazzled that we wouldn’t get there on time, especially considering I was 100% certain of where we were going. However, I have mad navigation skillz and even better parallel parking skillz. I even managed to find a parking meter with 2 hours left on it! We got there with more than 10 minutes to spare and the entire ordeal took maybe 5 minutes.

Then we drove into the Highlands, so I could seek out a coffee shop where some locals get together on Tuesdays for knitting/crocheting. Problem was that I mistakenly thought I was searching for a yarn store. D’oh! Here I thought there were 2 businesses in town with the same name. I had read earlier this week that the coffee shop was closing. I never made the connection that it was the same place. So, I’m not as savvy as I thought.

In any case, one of those lovely locals and I have exchanged a few messages on Ravelry and I read her blog religiously. I sent her a message and she invited me to the group on Ravelry, so I could be in the know of where they’d be getting together on Tuesday.

Then we drove by a house we’ve found online that we really like. It’s HUGE - almost 3,000 sq. ft., three floors, 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, big front and back porches for a killer price. The only drawback is the location. I’m not fond of the location at all for a place to raise our kids. I’m going to hafta do some additional research on the area - the school(s) the kids would attend, the crime rate, etc. if we were to ever seriously consider it.

We stopped at Aldi on our way home. Husband has never been there. They are a lot like Sav-A-Lot, but they have some great deals and sometimes some good imports. I spent a small fortune on imported chocolate.

I had hoped Husband and I would be able to go to KT’s for dinner last night. It’s my most favorite restaurant of all. Great food, good service, excellent ambiance, and a fair price. We’ve been a handful of times since moving back to the ‘Ville, but I can never get enough. I wanted to wait until later in the evening, so we could enjoy our meal on the outdoor patio. Later came and Husband didn’t want to go anymore. Instead, I lied down with the baby and dozed a long while. When I woke up, I had a need for ice cream. It was about 10pm. Husband and I packed up Buddha and T joined us to the Dairy Queen. We ate way too much. I had a hot fudge waffle bowl sundae that was pure heaven. The boy surprised me by rejecting several bites from his dad’s ice cream. He ended up staying up until 1am, too.

This morning, I woke up too early (see previous post). By the time I was ready to crawl back into bed, the boy was awake. He wakes up with the sweetest demeanor. I was here at the computer, tinkering with my new Ravelry widget and I heard him call for me: “Daddy!” I poked my head around the corner and was greeted by a big smile. He reached for me immediately. I laughed and told him I prefer to be called “Mama.” We played for a bit, but since about an hour after waking, he’s been a total grouch. Very whiny. Sigh.

Tonight, Husband started making dinner - a London Broil on the grill. I jumped in the shower while T watched the boy. Husband busted into the bathroom: “I ran outta gas! Making a run to the store!” After my brief shower, I ran out to the grill to snap a picture of the delicious-looking and -smelling hunk of meat.

I stole bites as I prepared small pieces for the boy.
Husband’s plate. Yummy!
Dinner was delicious! Husband is a very good grill master. He’s made steaks on the stove a half dozen times or so and the results were always “meh.” I finally suggested he get out the grill about a month or two ago. That night, after dinner I told him he was never allowed to cook steak in the house again! T whined that the meat was too pink for her liking once or twice before, so this time Husband cooked hers a bit longer. I used to like my steak well, too, but nowadays it tastes like the bottom of a shoe when it’s cooked that long. I prefer it more medium, thank you very much.

Tonight I hope to get some or all of my squares sewn together. Once that’s complete, I still need to add a border before it’s totally done. I’m getting close. I had really hoped to visit a local yarn store called The Knit Nook today to get some yarn for my next project - a blanket for my mother-in-law (MIL). I still haven’t found a pattern that I like for her, but I’m excited because MIL’s favorite colors are my favorites, too. Maybe I can get over there tomorrow. Wait, are they open tomorrow? Ooh, I hope so. Husband has some schoolwork to get to while he’s still got plenty of time to focus on it, but we might catch a movie together tonight, too.

We woke up late.

T was in the shower. I just lectured her on Friday about half-hour showers every morning. It’s been weeks since I chewed her out for leaving hairballs in the shower drain. Slightly irritating way to start the day when you really wanted a bath before leaving.

So we waited for more hot water. It wasn’t terribly long, but I wish I had gotten my ass in gear earlier so we coulda hung out with P, her husband and their girls longer this afternoon.

We got there about 2pm. We alternated hanging out in the back yard and in the kitchen, sipping beer while we prepared homemade salsa and setting all the goodies out. P’s hubby grilled dogs, brats, burgers, steaks, chicken and ribs. We ate chips and salsa, potato salad, beans, the whole nine. P and I even managed to steal a few smokes away from the bunch so we could just chill and chat. It’s hot out there, but I had a great time kickin’ it with them.

Buddha was very sweet, but his usual curious self. He didn’t eat much. I think he must be teething again. I spotted another molar coming in on the top left. Last night was another test of my patience getting him to sleep. He gets to this icky point of being completely inconsolable. He doesn’t want to nurse, he doesn’t want to snuggle, he doesn’t want me to put him down, he doesn’t want me to hold him, he just screams and screams. This is the third time he’s gotten like this and it leaves me feeling completely helpless.

T is staying at P’s tonight to watch the girls so P and her man can hit up the movies. After we had been home awhile, I helped myself to the leftovers that P packed up for me to bring home and the boy helped me eat that. He nursed for a bit, too. Later, we shared an ice cream bar. It’s the funniest thing, watching him try to figure out how to lick the ice cream. We’re going to scrub down in the tub shortly to wash off the sunscreen, bug spray, food and dirt and hopefully go to sleep without incidence tonight.

It’s been a good bit since I’ve had an evening to myself at home. I’ve watched just about all of my DVR’d shows and Sunday night television isn’t my favorite. I think I have a few movies I still haven’t seen yet, though. I’m going to continue working on crocheting the Circles to Square blanket for my mom’s birthday. It’s still going pretty slowly, because it’s so hard to get any work done when Buddha is awake. He gets into my yarn, tries to steal my hook and climbs all over me, making it next to impossible to get very far.

Husband is likely going to have a late night tonight. At least we got to spend some time together this afternoon before work, though. It’s nice to see him hanging out with P’s husband, since he gets so very little time to socialize with others. And he’s off the next 2 days, so we’ll get plenty of time to hang out then. Better get it while I can - school in back in session for him today.

Well, I finally dragged my pathetic self to the doctor on the 8th. The doctor was pleasingly sympathetic. She gave me Keplex (a broad-spectrum antibiotic), Medrol (a steroid) and Tussionex (cough syrup with hydrocodone). I felt markedly better the next day and spent most of that day vacuuming, spraying every touchable surface with Lysol and washing everything in the house, including our bed linens. Today is the last day of my antibiotics, and while I do feel so much better, my right ear and my throat hurts today. I am supposed to meet with the doctor again this Thursday to check out that the funk has, indeed, left. Keep your fingers crossed!

We’ve spent quite a bit of time focusing on getting T caught up in her classes. I was under the impression that she was doing fine. Not so much! She was so far behind in one of her classes that we pulled her out of it. She’s still quite a bit behind, but she should be back on track by this Wednesday.

Joy is almost finished with her school year. I have gotten several of her test scores back and she is either proficient or distinguished in all subjects. I’m quite pleased. She is a naturally good speller and while she struggles with math, she is capable of doing well in that area, too. If only I could get her to read more at home without the fight! Reading really is such a pleasure, it sucks that it’s an argument to get her to get started. Once she’s into a book, though, she usually finds herself really enjoying it. It is also a conflict to get her to do Plato - the free online tutoring the school provided. She doesn’t really need it, but it certainly isn’t going to hurt.

The boy has 3 molars now! He seems to be jumping dozens of hurdles on the daily. He danced yesterday! And he is saying more words. He still doesn’t sign much, but he seems to understand the words we are signing to him. And he has a very healthy appetite. I can’t get over it. I swear the time has just flown by. Seems like only yesterday I had a sleepy newborn. Now I have a boisterous and busy toddler. He is so full of personality. And he absolutely adores his sister to pieces.

We haven’t been doing much since we have been all burdened by this illness. However, my friend P insisted that we accompany her to the park last week. We went along and had a good time, but we did not stay for nearly as long as we normally do. We were all winded rather quickly!

And yesterday we joined P, her girls and our old friend S and her daughter to Forest Fest. It’s a bluegrass festival in Jefferson County Memorial Forest, the nation’s largest municipal forest. Legendary Bluegrass icon Dr. Ralph Stanley appeared and performed. We didn’t stay to see him, which both saddened me and was a relief. We were there for several hours and I was exhausted from chasing Buddha around. We did, however, see Bluegrass 101 and Kentucky Sassafras play.

The particular spot we chose was to the far left of the stage but near the road. About an hour before we left, Dr. Stanley’s tour bus pulled in just behind our spot and his entourage began congregating and crowding in behind us. They ended up setting up a table for CD and t-shirt sales right behind us.

T gets Joy with sunblock.

P is forever doing chores while we are supposed to be having fun. When we were partying teenagers, everyone would be goofing off and P would be in the kitchen doing dishes. Here she is paying bills. That’s S and her daughter in the background. Also, you can see some of Buddha and P’s youngest daughter C.

P’s oldest daughter, L.

S and her daughter, P’s youngest C and the boy.

S’s daughter and Buddha. He was really into this wagon. I’ma hafta get him one!

Joy standing in line for one of the activities.

Joy poses with a nifty stone chair and table.

T, the girl and the boy stand in line for organic coffee.

The boy found a pinecone.

The girl making a visor.

T entertains Buddha for a while. He doesn’t look very entertained.

Dr. Stanley’s tour bus.

Buddha and I take a break to nurse. Pay no attention to flabby, stretch-marked belly.

The boy and his fascination with the wagon. The people just beyond him are Dr. Stanley’s posse.

Joy and her best friend, P’s oldest L.

T gave the boy a tube of chapstick, which kept him busy for several minutes.

You can see the stage to the right.

No idea WTH T is doing. Weirdo.

A good shot of the stage and our view of it.

It’s Kentucky Sassafras up there playing. Great music! There was a pretty good crowd, too. We just stayed away from it as best we could.

I was pleased by the diversity of the crowd. There were hippies, old folks, rednecks, teenagers, a lot of kids. Turned out that I knew the people just in front of us, too! Small world.

Last Thursday was Husband’s 27th birthday. Unfortunately, he had to work. On the Monday before, we had a WIC appointment and afterwards, we talked about his gift. I wanted to get him a new stereo for his car - the kind with USB port and/or an SD card reader, so that he could play mp3s. None of us listens to the radio anymore and CDs are so cumbersome. Besides, it’s what he’s wanted since I met him. However, I have no idea how to pick high-tech gadgets for the pickiest of picky high-tech gadget dorks! So, I told him my idea but said that if there was something else or better that he wanted, that was alright with me too. He gave me a big squeeze and said that I was the best wife ever. Needless to say, this made me feel great since I had internal conflicts for weeks now about how to get him a gift he could love, use and appreciate! He decided he really wanted to get a PDA and that he would save up for it. I also set him an appointment to take the class so he can get his CCDW again. That made him really happy, too. On his actual birthday, I squeezed him and wished him a great day. I wish I could’ve done more, though.

I finished another blanket, which I gave to an online buddy of mine. It’s just like the blanket I made for my niece, only the border is different (scalloped edges instead of the braid). I mailed that to her on Wednesday. I’ve been meaning to get started on another project for another internet buddy, but haven’t gotten to it yet. I need to type out the instructions for it since all the abbreviations confuse the hell outta me. I have enough yarn to make two of these blankets. I intend to keep one of them for the boy. It’s a granny square project - my first one! - and I’m ready to learn how to do that now. I have no idea what I’ll do after that, but I have gobs of yarn, so it’ll be something.

Oh goodness.

Sweet Buddha has been teething. And then he got sick. And then I got sick. And we are all still sick.

It has been absolute hell. I have closed my eyes shut tight and asked the Lord to please take me out of my misery now. My body aches have been so thoroughly awful, that even my skin hurt. My nose is stuffed, breathing is difficult, coughing so hard my ribs feel cracked, throat so raw it feels like sandblasting every time I swallow…

I have gargled salt water, cayenne water, apple cider vinegar water, consumed spoonfuls of honey, sucked down glass after glass of tea, orange juice, water, hot tea, trying to alternate between hot and cold to burn and freeze the throat. My sinus cavities feel painfully dry. Utter misery, I say.

I ate very little in the past two days. Chicken soup and very wet, buttered toast. I am hungry now, but all food sounds painful to eat. I am nursing a mug of Madagascar Vanilla Red hot tea sweetened with two spoonfuls of honey. It’s surprisingly not repulsive.

The girl is reading in her room. The boy is asleep on my bed. I hear them both cough from time to time. Husband is working. T is at a concert with Big R.

And the tragedy of Eight Belles haunts me.

March did not leave like a lamb. April has lived up to it’s rainy reputation thus far. Erg. The storm last night was so bad it knocked out the cable (and phone and internets, too) for several hours. I’m so glad it’s back now. I don’t know how else to entertain either myself or the boy without one of these three things!

My glasses finally came in yesterday. I think they look pretty great, but it is taking some adjusting. I feel very weird, almost like motion-sickness. I’m amazed at how much better I see, though! I always thought my sight was decent (and it’s not bad - 20/30), but turns out I have astigmatisms in both eyes and the glasses really help sharpen everything. Hopefully they will reduce the amount of headaches I get, too.

The girl goes on Spring Break tomorrow. T already left to go to my mom’s for the duration to earn some cash helping out with all the extra boarding animals during the week. Joy will join her tonight or tomorrow morning. Husband and I will hopefully get some quality alone time! T’s birthday is tomorrow, too, so we are going to brainstorm for a gift and shop for it. She likely won’t get it until after she returns home to us, though. We are so mean.

The boy has been extra whiney and not eating solids well lately. Sure enough, he’s got a molar coming in. Poor thing. Poor me, too, having to deal with his incessant howling and squawking! He’s happiest at the boob, sleeping or in the bathtub. When the days were sunny enough to go outside, he’s happy there, too. Hopefully it will pass soon.