Ann Again...and again

So you've found all of the items that you want to purchase at the grocery store and you take your little hand-basket to the check-out.  However, once you're there you realize that you don't have enough cash on hand and that your check book is at home on the dining room table.  Now, if only your debit card hadn't  been swindled by someone in New Jersey last week you could actually USE your debit card however, it's been cancelled and you're waiting for a new one to be issued, hence the checkbook. The cashier is very nice in holding your basket of food while you run across the aisle to the handy bank that's located in your store.  When you return to purchase your food you look down at the floor and see... A one hundred dollar bill. What do you do? I am from the ilk of "karma" and waiting for something large to fall on me if I do something wrong so I picked it up, said to the cashier "I KNOW this didn't fall out of my wallet" an

Well, we managed to get through the week with no school drama.  What a relief!  I'm not going to think about all of the things that we still need to work on, I'm going to stay in the moment and be happy that we made it to Friday.  Time for a Virtual Girls Night Out! *T he VGNO is for those who want to party "virtually" with other bloggers. Get on your fuzzy slippers, make yourself a cocktail, and have fun!  Leave a comment, along with your blog link, to let us know you've stopped by and visit the blogs of those that have visited as well.  Happy VGNO!* Time For Some Tunes! Norah Jones " Happy Pills " Time For A Cocktail! Kiwi Mango Mint Ingredients: 1 part 42 Below Kiwi Vodka 5 parts mango nectar or juice 8 mint leaves Preparation: Fill a highball glass with ice.  Add the mint leaves and vodka.  Top with nectar or juice.  Stir well.    Sounds delicious.  Cheers!!!     Time For Some Pinterest!     Thank yo

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Things are starting to come around.   I see many family members and friends who are getting back on track after the messed up financial times we’ve been going through and we all say ‘It’s about time!’   When it comes to money it’s never easy to talk about what’s really going on, it seems those closest to you are probably the hardest.   If you find that you are in need of credit repair there are wonderful on-line options available to you. While visiting CreditRepairInfo.com you will find some of the best credit repair service around.   You don’t need to feel intimated with not knowing all of the terms or avenues that go with repairing your credit, the people at CreditRepairInfo.com will start you on your way to getting you back on track with your credit. They have a comprehensive learning center that will take you step-by-step through the process of credit repair.   They offer free consultations and guidance toward removing late fees, tax liens and judgments.   Not only do

Absolutely stunning Time Lapse of my fantastic home town, Portland, Oregon

LOVE! oooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

When I arrived home from taking the girls to school and walking our huge Chocolate Lab Benny, the phone was ringing.  When the phone rings before 9:00 am it's either my girls asking for a forgotten paper to be delivered to school (I promised myself I wasn't doing that delivery any more!) or something bad.  This morning it was something bad. My husband received e-mails and a phone call from our bank that our account had been "comprised" and that our debit card was suspended.  It seems someone in New Jersey was having fun with our account number and had tried to purchase a $450 AmEx Gift Card and a $4000 set of luggage.  Our bank has been wonderful about the situation and has taken care of the charges however, we no longer has access to our funds through a debit card.  A new one should arrive in 7 - 10 days.  Ugh. Well, it could be a hell of a lot worse.  It just pisses me off!  Have you had this happen to you?  What happened?

There are those days.

Just when you don't need your car to break down... it does.  Geez!  We were coming off of a house repair, trips to the eye doctor and Veterinary visits as well.  How does one "save up" when everything seems to fall apart at the same time?! I don't know if you enjoy looking at cars but it just isn't my thing.  I don't want to spend my day looking at engines, and price stickers and test driving around the neighborhood when I could be doing something else like, say, checking out things on Pinterest ;->  When we needed to look for a new car I wanted a process as easy as possible so I went on-line to do research and found a site that will help me shop in my city of Portland, Shop4UsedCars.com .  They also show new cars but I have never had a brand new car, is that odd? This site really took any annoyance I had with car shopping and helped make it quick, and to the point.  I don't want to fuss, I don't want to negotiate.  I just want to find something

What a great blogging - Twitter - Facebook - Pinterest - BUSY week it's been!  Once again Susan and Janice at 5 Minutes For Mom have thrown a fantastic social media party, the Ultimate Blog Party '12 .  I'm actually sad it's over.  *sniff*  I've made some wonderful new blog/Twitter buddies as well as reconnected with my pals.  Let's have a blow out party to celebrate another great UBP!  (And since this is my night for the Virtual Girls Night Out, this will be a combo party ;-> ) T he VGNO is for those who want to party "virtually" with other bloggers. Get on your fuzzy slippers, make yourself a cocktail, and have fun!  Leave a comment, along with your blog link, to let us know you've stopped by and visit the blogs of those that have visited as well.  Happy VGNO!* Time For Some Tunes! The Black Keys " Gold On The Ceiling " Love them! Time For A Cocktail! Kat's Mom's Novocaine Cocktail (Food.com)

:->

Our little house is filled with the sounds of little feet - and it's not from our girl’s ages 14 and 11.  If you've been a lovely blog buddy of mine you know that we also have two cats, Russian Blues aged 16 years, and one huge Chocolate Lab named Benny.  In our lives first came the cats, then the house, then the children, then the dog. So you can imagine how our cats feel when it comes to territory.  You can sense the entitlement in their gaze when you enter a room.  "What are YOU doing here?  Oh well, you might as well pet me or give me a treat.  And be quick about it!"   My youngest has been doing the ol' Olivia routine with one of the two cats that will tolerate it. You know the story Olivia?  It's the little pig who loves fashion, adventure and picking up her cat, taking it to another room, and then picking it up again to take it to another room.  Yes, we think 'that poor thing', but I secretly think Maddy (our cat) likes the attention.  I al

(*Thank you Anne Heibein Olsen - Pinterest )

Bills.  In particular, the cable bill.  I just don't get it.  WHY are these prices so high?  I'm at that point again of looking for other options.  A friend of mine says "Why not just get rid of the t.v. all together.  It's not healthy for your kids brains."  Well, I happen to enjoy t.v.  And I can't imagine getting rid of it!  I've heard good things about Direct TV .  One of our neighbors has this service and I don't hear any complaints.  I was wondering how those dishes hold up in the weather, but we live in a fairly mild climate - not many crazy winds - so I'm sure it would be fine. Checking them out on-line I see they have some good packages for dx3 Direct TV .  We have an HD television and dx3 says they have more HD channels then cable.  I like that.  I mean, what's the point of having an HD television if you aren't watching HD channels.  My brother-in-law is thinking of getting a 3D t.v. but those compatible channels just seem so

Our old cat is on the mend.  About two weeks ago I shared that Maddy wasn't doing too well. (click here )  She and her sister are 16 year old Russian Blues and they've been with Rob and I since they were 4 weeks old.  We found them at the ASPCA when we lived in NYC.  We went in for one little kitty and came out with siblings - we couldn't leave one behind, could we? Cat NYC Closet - er, Condo When we moved home to Portland, OR we flew the cats while we drove.  They lived with my mom for a while, which cracks me up because while I was growing up my mom told me she was allergic to cats so we couldn't have one in the house.  Aha!  Busted. ;-> Of course these cats are a part of our family, so when someone/something (?) is sick it takes a toll on your spirit.  I really like our Vet. and they were concerned about results of lab tests and blood cell counts and such.  This information was NOT making things better, but I needed to know.  Maddy's illness was comin

How in the World to come up with a title for this post?  Which name to put first???  How do I shorten the title???  What a beautiful collaboration.  "My Valentine"  Directed by Sir Paul McCartney  

  It's that time again for the fantastical party on-line, the Ultimate Blog Party hosted by 5 Minutes For Mom.  Today begins the week long festivities where you have the opportunity to grow your blogs readership, find blogs to follow and great giveaways to enter.  There is something for everyone that has a social media presence at the Ultimate Blog Party 2012 . This is my 3rd year playing with Janice and Susan and they have helped introduce me to wonderful people to follow either through their writing on their personal blogs, becoming a follower on Twitter or becoming a fan on Facebook pages.  This is a BIG party!  Come and join me, er, I mean US ! www.5minutesformom.com

Spent the early afternoon at school.  Today I spoke with Katie's education adviser and two teachers.  I am so, so happy with the support that I'm receiving.  What I especially like is that I have received their full attention and we've made plans on how to support my child.   I've learned my lesson about what happens when a teacher has their attention split between what I'm trying to convey and their desire to either play a computer game, or just have me go away.  (In the beginning I thought what the teacher was looking at on the computer screen was my daughters grades, or something regarding her lesson plans, instead it was some basketball game!) Anyway. I feel I'm part of a team effort to squash the bad attitudes and help and encourage those children that are kind, respectful and who actually want to be there.  (Well, "be there" meaning good kids who actually want to learn something.  Trying to get my 14 y/o up in the morning to go to school is a

So after spending last night listening to my 8th grade daughter tell me she just can't take the mean kids at school any longer, and that she wanted to spend the rest of the school year learning from home, I have just returned from long conversations, most tear filled, with the school counselor and Vice Principal.  I'm exhausted. I am very happy that the Vice Principal was so receptive and incredibly supportive.  The counselor offered great support along with a few "light bulb" moments.  I had no intention of having my own little therapy session but that's what happened.  Nice.  (He shared that he also works as a Mental Health Therapist.) I'm going back around lunch time to meet with her teachers and hear what insight they have on this groups situation.  My 8th grade daughters class mates have been pretty rough since 4th grade.  Every year has been a struggle.  (Thank goodness my 5th grade daughters group is better - by comparison just about every class is

You know when you think you have things pretty well organized - and you feel proud of yourself - then you open the car in the morning to take the kids to school only to see you had left a container of ice cream in a sack on the floor? Yep.

With the increasing use of the internet and e-mail we are always hearing of the plight of the US Postal Service.  That makes me sad.  I love mail, or snail mail - whatever you want to call it.  I love receiving a hand written letter or card.  (My daughters ask why they have to write a class assignment, why can't they just type it and print it out?  Ugh.)  The sight of the little red flag on mailboxes always makes me hopeful.  Could it be a letter from the relative I've been hoping would write back?  Could it be a sample of something delicious - like chocolate covered something, with extra chocolate? ;->  Could it be that million dollars I've been trying for? I've seen beautiful selections of mailboxes that I think would make a nice addition to our little house. A friend of ours had a mailbox made to look like a model of their home.  It's so cute, I mean so-o-o-o cute that it's a bit over the top for me. I'm drawn to a wall mount design mailbox

I was hoping that things were going in a positive direction for my 8th grader at school but it seems that there's always something.  Even though the backlash from her classmates when she called out a bully has calmed a bit she feels that not all of his group is letting it go.  I'm not surprised by that but what I am surprised about is how her "friends" aren't really backing her up.  She's told me that she sits alone at lunch some days.  That breaks my heart!  Also there's this kid whose attitude became a big problem last year, that just seems to have it out for her.  We don't know why.  He was even her first "boyfriend" in 6th grade.  He has a switch flipped somewhere and he's, well, let's just say it's best to avoid him.  You know when you get that creepy feeling from someone? And scene's from The Omen play in your mind?  And you start merging the Damian characters face with the face that's standing right before you?  A

***Thanks to Darwin Barton Being the youngest kid means I’ve always walked to the beat of my own drum which is why I bought this farm and moved out here a few years back. I love being kind of ‘off the grid’ and not having to worry about people bugging me or the threat of traffic and things like that. My friends and family all think I’m crazy but to be honest I’m happier than I’ve ever been and that’s all that really matters. I’ve got exede.com at the farm so it’s not like I can’t get online and answer emails and all that so I don’t know why they worry about me so like I never talk to anyone. At the end of the day it’s my decision where I live and I choose to live out here. It’s quiet and peaceful and I love the fresh air and I think everyone else in my life just needs to get off my back about it and let me do what I want to do. I’m an adult, after all!

Getting back into the swing of things after a leisurely paced Spring Break isn't easy.  If only we didn't have to be somewhere until say, 9:00 am.  That would be lovely. But I couldn't sleep that soundly any way because one of our cats is having health issues and we're all worried.  It started Friday.  ( Why do illnesses seem to start right before the weekend?!? )  In the beginning I did a Google search for advice but no suggestions have helped her get back to her old self.  We have an appointment at the vet this morning. When one of our pets gets sick it makes me so sad.  They can't tell us where it hurts, and I'm lost. I ask myself, 'Why do we have pets?'  I can't handle this emotion!  Whose idea was it to have cats?  A huge chocolate lab?  Why do they have to be so sweet?!?  crap Well, I better go get the pet carrier.  Wish us luck.