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Monday, July 22, 2013

Newbie Host with bonus Pixie Dust!!!

Greetings pixies!

This is my first time hosting - very exciting!

A coffee conversation in our house this morning went something like this:

P: Looks like it's clearing up.
Me: Go take your pixie dust and feed it to your unicorn! It's 16 degrees and raining!
P: Okay then... (at which point we both laughed because we think we're hilarious)

It was sort of a Half Full/Half Empty or Anti-Whine/Whine sort of discussion. By early afternoon it actually did clear up and warmed up to (almost) room temperature. Ponies!

What's on your AW/W list this week pixies?

60 comments:

kathy a. said...

YAY! Sue is hosting!!

You and your sweetie are so funny. :)

kathy a. said...

W: the work behindness, and apparently a helper is quitting. AW: some progress. Some is something, right?

AW: The dead computer is restored, but [W] blank, needing all software and data to be uploaded and organized.

W: SIL saga. AW: things lurching in the right direction on various fronts.

Plea for help: I am in desperate need of funny, heartwarming, distracting, interesting things. Any suggestions?

Liz Miller said...

File under distracting and heartwarming: from 1987, one of my favorite bands, Pianosaurus.

http://youtu.be/dn4UmJgp24I

Liz Miller said...

Yes, that is a Fraggle Rock drum kit

Queen of West Procrastination said...

All of my pleasant distraction recommendations are YouTube videos! I love anything done by the Vlogbrothers. Or Kid President!

AW: E has cut two teeth! That explains why she was so miserable: two teeth at once. (Both the bottom front teeth).

W: And now she picked up a sniffly nose during our weekend away, and I think she also passed it along to me. And she sneezed in my eye today.

AW: we had almost (minus one cousin, who had to work) my entire extended family up at The Farm this weekend, to celebrate my grandparents' 60th anniversary, and it was lovely, in spite of cold and rainy weather (W).

AW: Cold and rainy suit me fine, now that we're home and packing in the House That Holds All The Heat.

W: Oh, E was so happy to be home, and to see all the familiar things, and all I can think is "You only have a week and a half left here, kid." Bittersweet.

W/AW: Also bittersweet, there's a good development in my family (which I really shouldn't discuss, in case of The Googling), but I find myself sad and happy at the same time. Happy because it's a good thing and a sign of healing, but sad because it makes me realise I'm not done mourning my SIL, who died of cancer a year and a half ago. Moving on makes me feel like I'm losing her all over again, and I didn't expect to have to deal with this right now.

Sue said...

Yay Kathy for a functioning computer! As for fun and distracting - I love the YouTube - good choice Liz!

Cat videos can fill a lot of time for me.

QWP - I'm glad to hear about your weekend with family. It sounds lovely, even with the happy/sad dilemma. Hugs to you.

Yay E for two teeth! That's wonderful!

esperanza said...

Fun and distracting: sesamestreet.org I especially recommend Bert and Ernie skits. Also, Muppets on YouTube.

QWP: Mourning isn't ever really over (sorry to be the bearer of *that* bad news), and in case of a big change, it's natural to feel the feelings again. Sorry that it hurts.

W: Hubby having ENORMOUS week at work. Prospective new person to fill fired-person's position is visiting from another state. Many events to attend/organize/evaluate. AND (of course) Big Deal Guy in church died and funeral planning overlaps interviewing visit. All this equals no sleep for hubby. And LOTS of Baboo time for me, after 24-7 Baboo time last week. (Even though we were visiting the grandparents, Grandma has her hands more than full with Great-Grandma, and I don't feel right leaving her with the Baboos too. Grandpa not much help, which is another whine all together).

W: Also, great-grandma (age 94) was doing (comparatively speaking) great while we were there last week. This week, downhill quickly. The ups and downs are hard.

AW: Sweet continues to rock the swimming. Physical coordination doesn't come easily to her, and I am SO proud of her hard work and practice. W: Mini has decided to pretend that she doesn't know how to swim any more. Lovely.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

W: MOUSE IN MY KITCHEN!!!

I'm sitting on the couch with my feet tucked under me, because I'm a wimp.

Well, that killed the bittersweet "Aw, E will miss the house, and it's so old and charming!" feelings for me. Bring on the new builds, for the next while.

Esperanza: I understand so many of those whines, especially the ups and downs with grandparents' health, and how quickly it happens.

And yeah, I know too well that mourning's never really over, but I didn't know how much I wasn't dealing with it, because things hadn't changed. I didn't realise that I didn't really want us to move on with our lives now.

esperanza said...

EEK! QWP already in the running for Critter of the Week. EEK!

W: I have what I think must be a spider bite on my foot right where my big toe attaches to my foot. I'd say mosquito, but those generally don't bother me this much. It has not stopped itching for one nanosecond since I got it sometime during the night (I woke up scratching it) night before last. Old Skool. But annoying.

Anonymous said...

esperanza--had a bite of some kind on leg that was worse than moquito. cl@r!t!n helped a lot.
--Neighbor Lady

esperanza said...

NL, that allegedly non-drowsy C drug puts me under the table for the whole 24 hours. I am apparently a lightweight. But thanks. Some Ben@dryl ointment helps temporarily.

And to add to the Old Skool-ness of this whine, the bite is right where the strap of my flip flop goes.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

How do bugs do that? With me, they always get the spot where the shoe strap goes. I had a nasty mosquito bite right on the front of my ankle, where the strap on my Mary Jane shoes go.

Bug bites: very worth Old Skool whine.

Sue said...

Eeek! Mousie!

esperanza - I've never had a spider bite, but that sounds most unpleasant. It's like the Spider Committee gets together to decide on the best bite locations for each season - eg. flip flop straps. Ick.

So sorry about the ups and downs of your great-grandma's health. Sorry too about hubby's uber-busy week. Ugh.

kathy a. said...

yay for brand new teeth!

((( QWP ))) mourning -- sometimes it pops right up and knocks you over again. xoxo

boo for the mouse and the ucky bite.

if the bite is on the joint, that might make it more inflamed. don't double up on ben@dryl -- if you're doing topical, don't also do an internal dose. (OD!) bactine or some other topical anesthetic might help. and ice. bugs adore me; much sympathy.

AW: tree guys are going to come take down a former christmas tree in the front yard. it currently looks more like a weird sculpture than a tree, since one of my beloved's yard projects was removing all the small branches with a long-handled saw. i would not let him climb up there with a chain saw, so now we are paying the qualified tree people $500 to remove the trunk and main branches. we probably could have paid the tree guys the same amount for the whole tree, but think of all the fun he would have missed. << eyes rolling >>

kathy a. said...

((( esperanza ))) so sorry about the ups and downs with your grandma.

and hope that next week is not so packed to the rafters for mr. E. how long until school starts again?

Anonymous said...

W: going to a concert with a group this weekend. lots of tween girls who all get along well with little drama in general. having to divide up seating, as the tickets are in blocks. going fine, then one mom said that she is having trouble explaining to her daughter why things aren't working out so she can sit with who she is close to and can we draw names out of a hat. Sounded fine to me--I would never want anyone to feel excluded or hurt, etc.

Then I realized that the group she had ended up with was ours. We are the people she doesn't want to sit with.

Sounds stupid, but that hurts. Our daughters don't know each other that well so I can see why she doesn't want to be with us, but it seems like this would be a teachable moment.....
Hope my daughter doesn't realize this dynamic--it would make her sad.

--Neighbor Lady

kathy a. said...

Oh, NL. Tween girls and drama-driven mommies.... xoxo

Even my first year of college, I remember professors intentionally mixing it up with working group assignments, so we would learn to have these great discussions with people we did not know very well. (Instead of sticking to cliques and familiar faces.) So, maybe that is a lesson learned over many years.

kathy a. said...

YAY about Sweet and swimming! The water, it does good things.

Also, thanks for all the distraction suggestions, everybody. :)

Liz Miller said...

Hugs for everybody.

More distraction: folk singer Richard Thompson singing something unexpected http://youtu.be/V4WGsMplGxU

Sue said...

Sorry about the tween drama NL. That's harsh. It does seem like a good teachable moment for that girl - alas, some moms don't graduate from the tween drama themselves. ~sigh~

esperanza said...

I may be trumping myself in the Old Skool category, but I'll enter this one instead in the First World Whines category:

The bottom of my toes are sore from too much time walking around in the swimming pool. Wah.

Sue said...

Lol Esperanza!

purple_kangaroo said...

I'm talking to myself over at Wednesdaybookclub. Are you telling me *nobody* else read or watched Les Miserables? Pout. Whine. *Pulling long face.*

Liz said...

I'm sorry, PK, I just haven't had the time, and I probably won't have the time until November 6 at the earliest.

Liz said...

In fact, can we postpone our second attempt at Native Tongue until after the election? I won't have the wherewithal to host until then.

kathy a. said...

OK, we'll do some shuffling of the book club.

I'm sorry, PK. Put that up at your request, but things have been very sidetracked for me because of this family emergency.

kathy a. said...

AW: SIL's lawyer agrees she needs a conservatorship; so, the legal part is basically done except the final order.

Embarassing klutz alert: I freaked out yesterday because a couple of important things were not in the lawyer's report, only to discover that p. 3 of the fax was missing. Whoops. That page made my day. ;)

Tootsie Award for Esperanza!

Sue said...

I haven't seen the movie yet either. Life has been in the way of that one. Well, that plus the small mountain of required reading for the writer workshop (all done - complete with discussion notes!)

I would be delighted if the Native Tongue discussion could be postponed too! Thx.

Kathy - hooray for page 3!!

Anonymous said...

I am swamped trying to do lesson planning for a year's worth of science teaching, which starts in five short weeks. So, unless it's science, I am probably not reading it anytime soon. :(

Sorry guys!

--Neighbor Lady

kathy a. said...

Happy pet adoption diversion: http://theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/clickToGive/ars/article/Take-A-Chance-On-Me076

Go, Sue!

Go, Neighbor Lady! Science teachers totally rock.

Sue said...

Hooray for science teachers!!! Go NL!!

kathy a. said...

My daughter applied for an admin assistant job, and just got back a "you look great" email that screams SCAM. Jeepers. I mean... Grr.

Anonymous said...

Eeeeewwwww and eeekkkk!
(directed at the email response to kathy a.'s daughter)

Yeah, I'd say that's a truckload of red flags right there.


ugh
-Neighbor lady

kathy a. said...

What, admin asst applicants aren't supposed to respond to "dear applicant" notes that ask for their confidential info so that the employer, who is currently in Europe doing big bidness but wants to interview them soon, can have a "client" send a "money order" so they can go buy "supplies" for the "orphanage" this week????!!!!!

Bless my sweet smart daughter for sniffing something fishy here.

esperanza said...

Ew. Ew. Need to go wash my hands.

W: Big Important Guy's funeral was today. Mr. E prepared for it last night, after the interview for the new guy. He did not get back home from work till 4 AM. Funeral was at 10 AM. Seven HUNDRED people. Mr. E, needless to say, is a zombie.

kathy a. said...

Oh, Esperanza. Poor Mr. E. Sending a virtual sympathy casserole of comfort food, some beverages, and peace + quiet.

Sue said...

Yay for daughter for sniffing out the email Ick.

Oh my goodness esperanza - 4 AM?? That's really above and beyond the call. I hope there is a lull in the action so Mr. E and your whole family can rest up.

purple_kangaroo said...

Oh, it's fine, really. . . I haven't had time to read most of the book club items either. Was hoping/planning to get Native Tongue, but haven't done it yet. If the discussion is going to be delayed I'll see if I can get it back on my to-do list for when I get to the stage where I have to start sitting with my feet up more.

Halfway through the pregnancy already. Eek!

And we're having another of the same gender as our other three . . . which is both whine and antiwhine rolled into one. :)

Sue said...

Halfway already PK! I hope you are feeling better now than you were earlier in your pregnancy.

Smiles at your blended whine/anti-whine. :)

kathy a. said...

Congratulations, PK, on halfway there! Yes, hope this part is easier than the first part.

esperanza said...

W: that thing where taking a nap just makes you feel more tired.

kathy a. said...

Espresso for Esperanza! The kind that lasts like 3 hours and is totally out of your system by bedtime. ;)

W: feelin' a little yuckers, and do you know how much sodium is in canned soup?? Not.Fair. Ate some anyway.

AW: daughter had a good job interview, with legitimate non-creepy people!

Anonymous said...

I'm feelin' a little yuckers too! Sorry you are too, kathy a.
Mine is the kind that starts as a sore throat. ANd so far has stayed as a sore throat. Hubby had it first, with stuffyness, so I don't think it's strep. Now neighbor boy may have it too.

Just told hubby he may be going to the aforementioned tween concert saturday if I feel yucky still....think I scared him a bit! ;)

He's a good egg--he even joined girl scouts so he could help sell the cookies (and help out with a trip to the science museum), but i think this concert might just be the limit....


Feel better soon Kathy a.!!!!
and yay for daughter's interview
:)
--Neighbor Lady

esperanza said...

Hope y'all both feel better soon.

AW: chocolate cake for supper. Embarrassing admission: it's leftover from Big Deal Guy's funeral reception. True confessions of the Preacher Household.

kathy a. said...

A person should not dis chocolate cake, even if it is leftovers.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

All chocolate cake is wonderful, regardless of origins.

W: Yucky colds here too. Both E and I are laid low by head colds. Bleeeeech. Not good, especially while preparing to go out of town for the weekend.

Liz Miller said...

And hey, they OWE you

esperanza said...

That they do. But they gave Mr. E a generous check, like the most he's ever gotten for a funeral. And they offered the cake. Once you get past the thought of it (which doesn't take long when it's chocolate cake), it's no big deal. 'Tis not the first time, nor shall it be the last, when we dine on funeral leftovers.

esperanza said...

If I could edit that comment, I would take out the "like" that slipped in the first sentence and send it back to 1989.

kathy a. said...

what, like 1989 is chopped liver? :)

esperanza said...

totally

Sue said...

:)

Feel better soon kathy and NL!

Esperanza, chocolate cake is always good, especially as a main course. I'm glad Mr. E was well compensated for the funeral.

As for the leftovers, such is life. Happens here too - hubby loves those tiny egg salad sandwiches when I am handed a plateful on the way out the door,

He was a funeral director for twenty years, so our house also saw its share of leftover funeral flowers.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Guess who has been hiding in the spam filter again! I went and fished myself out again.

On a related topic, I got amusing myself by reading our spam comments. There was one amazing one about involving Jesus in your gluten-free diet! It had something to do with "regardless of if you're a Mary or a Martha."

AW: You guys, there is something so satisfying about putting half of one's belongings into storage, and doing so gradually. I keep packing up boxes, and then they disappear, making my house less and less cluttered.

Liz Miller said...

I have been entirely on my own for two days. It's a weird mixture of bliss and "Where are my menfolks at?"

kathy a. said...

Liz, that's the pushme-pullyou of family life, and especially kids gaining independence as they must. They will return! And then you'll be needing some of this Liz time, of which there is a small abundance right now. Seize the day! xoxo

kathy a. said...

QWP -- that's great, the de-cluttering!

esperanza said...

Slightly jealous of QWP's decluttering. Not at all jealous of the moving, however. Extremely jealous of the Liz-time.

esperanza said...

AW: Esperanza time this afternoon, through supper time and bedtime!

W: so I'm spending it working. Not all bad, since it is a luxury to have an uninterrupted thought process, but surely I could be having more fun somewhere...

Sue said...

Yay for de-cluttering! And esperanza time!!! Even though it includes work, I think it merits a WooHoo!

Liz, I totally understand that bliss mixed with angst thing.

esperanza said...

woo hoo! Finished 3 of 4 things on to do list. In the middle of thing #4, which was too big to do in one day anyway.