sooooooo... the guy mended our hot water this morning ~ yay!!! so i'm pleased to reported we have all had showers or baths today & smell lovely!!!
my husband, mike, & i spent all morning hurricane proofing the house... moving all the stuff in the garden ~ the more we looked the more there was ~ like old fence that could be blown over, toys, the hammock, garbage & recycling cans, the porch swing blah blah blah... then we filled sand bags & put them down the side of house that has a river when it rains. put everything higher in the basement & garage then shut the door & put sand bags in front of the garage.
i went to the farm to pick up our veggies around 1pm & it started raining (not hard) around 2pm & it hasn't stopped...
mike & i are pooped... we both feel like our knuckles should be dragging on the ground...
we were invited to my fabulous friend's hurricane party & a great time was had by all (you guys rock!!)
parked the cars in the car park (car lot) down the street as there are mature trees all around our house...
got home & i'm sooooooo disappointed because it's not even raining hard & our basement is wet... & water is coming in under our garage door ~ even though we put the sand bags there... all that work :(
but so far we still have power (so have run dish washer & and am on second load of washing!!!)
all pets are inside... james brown (our siamese) is stir crazy already & just wants to go out
lets see what tomorrow brings...
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
[ hurricane! ~ part 1 ]
sooooooo...what a week! first an earthquake, tuesday, & now a hurricane on the way! i have to say i was very disappointed to have missed the earthquake (but that's very easy for me to say knowing it was just a tremor where i live). but i'm so curious what it would have felt like, how i would have reacted etc etc. but luckily for me i was driving to the beach, with my boys & my friend, & didn't feel a thing.
& now talk of hurricane irene... at first i didn't pay attention when it was mentioned thinking it's just another storm blah blah blah... but then i went to do my weekly shop at wegmans last night & there was something strange in the air... apart from the fact they had completely sold out of water & batteries... & their produce section was less than a quarter full...
we live in an old house & our garage & basement have a tendency to flood, so i thought maybe i should get a couple of sandbags. i call home depot & they assure me they have 1/2 a palette left. i had to take my son, flynn, for his 4 year old check up & decide to go buy them after that. 1 hour later & a very upset little boy with 4 colorful band aids on his legs (shots) all the sandbags have gone... i call 2 other stores & they don't have any left either.... groups of people are waiting for staff to open up cardboard boxes to be handed the torches (flash lights) inside.
i'm starting to wonder, is this panic or maybe they know better than me...
after calling another store that's local to me, a young lady said she will put 10 sandbags aside for me... HOORAY!
i decide to go pick up some bottled water ~ a ton of others have the same idea, but it's not just water... carts & queues are getting bigger & bigger.
we arrive at my local hardware store to pick up the sandbags ~ i walk in & ask, the girl who took my call overhears & says she has them behind her till... i'm thinking wow ~ that's so nice of her to carry 10 heavy bags for me, how is she fitting them there behind her counter? i pull out my credit card & she announces the total, $1.09 please... i said no that can't be right, 10 bags. no no that's correct she replies & looks down at the counter at these empty white bags... what are those? i ask... sandbags was the answer... but where's the sand? oh you have to buy that separately... noooooo i'm thinking, seriously?
so i end up buying 10 bags of kids play sand so at least my boys can have some fun afterwards...
i get home & think this isn't enough... more is needed for the side of the house that always ends up like a river into the basement.
also my lovely friend that is very level headed has text messaged me saying that she normally doesn't take any notice of the weather reports, but she has it on good authority that there will be lots of rain/flooding & we should prepare to be without power for maybe some considerable time...
so we pile back into the car back to home depot (that now has more sandbags) & buy another 15. let me tell you, 60lb sandbags are not the easiest things to move around, especially when you have a sleeping child in stroller & i found lots of them were leaking when picked up...
each time i go out there are more & more people buying supplies (it was on level with christmas time)
you know at least this should be good for the economy! (but i suppose any damage will cancel that out)
i was slightly worried about the weight in my car so i call up my mechanic, my car needs some major work & with the excuse of discussing when i should schedule that i drop into the conversation that i have 850lbs in my boot (trunk) do you think that will be ok? mmmmmm, he said, just take it easy...
it was a lovely calm evening & i really enjoyed being on the porch swing with the boys waiting for mike (my husband) to get home. it's really hard to imagine in a couple of days the weather will be the opposite.
mike puts lots more screws in the playhouse roof that he made, so hopefully that will stay on! & i bath the boys, or try too... our hot water packed up!! what...? the hurricane hasn't even got here yet!! so that will hopefully get fixed tomorrow.
also tomorrow we will have to get everything we care about off the garage floor... (not looking forward to that) & make sure garden furniture, outdoor stuff is put away... time to batten down the hatches!
& now talk of hurricane irene... at first i didn't pay attention when it was mentioned thinking it's just another storm blah blah blah... but then i went to do my weekly shop at wegmans last night & there was something strange in the air... apart from the fact they had completely sold out of water & batteries... & their produce section was less than a quarter full...
we live in an old house & our garage & basement have a tendency to flood, so i thought maybe i should get a couple of sandbags. i call home depot & they assure me they have 1/2 a palette left. i had to take my son, flynn, for his 4 year old check up & decide to go buy them after that. 1 hour later & a very upset little boy with 4 colorful band aids on his legs (shots) all the sandbags have gone... i call 2 other stores & they don't have any left either.... groups of people are waiting for staff to open up cardboard boxes to be handed the torches (flash lights) inside.
i'm starting to wonder, is this panic or maybe they know better than me...
after calling another store that's local to me, a young lady said she will put 10 sandbags aside for me... HOORAY!
i decide to go pick up some bottled water ~ a ton of others have the same idea, but it's not just water... carts & queues are getting bigger & bigger.
we arrive at my local hardware store to pick up the sandbags ~ i walk in & ask, the girl who took my call overhears & says she has them behind her till... i'm thinking wow ~ that's so nice of her to carry 10 heavy bags for me, how is she fitting them there behind her counter? i pull out my credit card & she announces the total, $1.09 please... i said no that can't be right, 10 bags. no no that's correct she replies & looks down at the counter at these empty white bags... what are those? i ask... sandbags was the answer... but where's the sand? oh you have to buy that separately... noooooo i'm thinking, seriously?
so i end up buying 10 bags of kids play sand so at least my boys can have some fun afterwards...
i get home & think this isn't enough... more is needed for the side of the house that always ends up like a river into the basement.
also my lovely friend that is very level headed has text messaged me saying that she normally doesn't take any notice of the weather reports, but she has it on good authority that there will be lots of rain/flooding & we should prepare to be without power for maybe some considerable time...
so we pile back into the car back to home depot (that now has more sandbags) & buy another 15. let me tell you, 60lb sandbags are not the easiest things to move around, especially when you have a sleeping child in stroller & i found lots of them were leaking when picked up...
each time i go out there are more & more people buying supplies (it was on level with christmas time)
you know at least this should be good for the economy! (but i suppose any damage will cancel that out)
i was slightly worried about the weight in my car so i call up my mechanic, my car needs some major work & with the excuse of discussing when i should schedule that i drop into the conversation that i have 850lbs in my boot (trunk) do you think that will be ok? mmmmmm, he said, just take it easy...
it was a lovely calm evening & i really enjoyed being on the porch swing with the boys waiting for mike (my husband) to get home. it's really hard to imagine in a couple of days the weather will be the opposite.
mike puts lots more screws in the playhouse roof that he made, so hopefully that will stay on! & i bath the boys, or try too... our hot water packed up!! what...? the hurricane hasn't even got here yet!! so that will hopefully get fixed tomorrow.
also tomorrow we will have to get everything we care about off the garage floor... (not looking forward to that) & make sure garden furniture, outdoor stuff is put away... time to batten down the hatches!
Monday, July 4, 2011
[ the adventures of sesame place 2011 ~ part 1 ]
sooooooo... here we are in july ~ i have been exposed to some of the worst tattoos i have every had the misfortune of seeing... being paraded around on very unfit bodies, clad only in over stretched lycra & not to mention the moles... oh the moles!!! yes you got it! we got season passes for sesame place!!
i'm no dermatologist but seriously i really hope that a lot of people are having their moley moley moley's checked out because i have spied some highly suspicious looking ones... & i'm not trying to... they're waving from the people's backs walking in front of me...
i really really try to not look at situations that really shouldn't be out on public display but i find myself saying don't look, don't look... rubber neck ~ nooooooo my eyes my eyes... why do i do that?
don't get me wrong ~ there are some amazing looking people there too, but unfortunately the ratio is far from even & for some reason they don't get burnt into my retinas as easily...
the boys LOVE LOVE LOVE it here & once i get over the initial sting (brazilian style) of the pass prices it is fun, very clean & easy.
there are climbing nets, which have other finer mesh ones underneath them to stop any falling items landing on innocent passers by... there's the usual things you'd expect to see like loose change, popsicle sticks... then there's the yukky stuff like used band aids... but, this last time, i had to giggle! there was some one's dentures!!! can you imagine being the person who has to clean that net out!!! they could write a book! or that could be an interesting attraction 'net findings'.
oscar pointed out that bert & ernie have zippers in the backs ~ hehehehe!
last friday was very interesting! i didn't check the weather, when we got to the entrance it was pouring with rain!! we were soaked right though & out the other side... we went to see a couple of shows & then on the tubes. (nothing else was open) the boys thought it was hilarious that when i went over the bubbles my shorts filled up with air, it was pretty funny, even the life guard was laughing... i could'nt get it out though... so i just rested my elbows on them... then we bump into our pharmacist... i say 'nice weather for it' he obvisiously didn't understand me & replied 'no i'm the pharmacist'...glancing at my inflatable shorts...
i'm no dermatologist but seriously i really hope that a lot of people are having their moley moley moley's checked out because i have spied some highly suspicious looking ones... & i'm not trying to... they're waving from the people's backs walking in front of me...
i really really try to not look at situations that really shouldn't be out on public display but i find myself saying don't look, don't look... rubber neck ~ nooooooo my eyes my eyes... why do i do that?
don't get me wrong ~ there are some amazing looking people there too, but unfortunately the ratio is far from even & for some reason they don't get burnt into my retinas as easily...
the boys LOVE LOVE LOVE it here & once i get over the initial sting (brazilian style) of the pass prices it is fun, very clean & easy.
there are climbing nets, which have other finer mesh ones underneath them to stop any falling items landing on innocent passers by... there's the usual things you'd expect to see like loose change, popsicle sticks... then there's the yukky stuff like used band aids... but, this last time, i had to giggle! there was some one's dentures!!! can you imagine being the person who has to clean that net out!!! they could write a book! or that could be an interesting attraction 'net findings'.
oscar pointed out that bert & ernie have zippers in the backs ~ hehehehe!
last friday was very interesting! i didn't check the weather, when we got to the entrance it was pouring with rain!! we were soaked right though & out the other side... we went to see a couple of shows & then on the tubes. (nothing else was open) the boys thought it was hilarious that when i went over the bubbles my shorts filled up with air, it was pretty funny, even the life guard was laughing... i could'nt get it out though... so i just rested my elbows on them... then we bump into our pharmacist... i say 'nice weather for it' he obvisiously didn't understand me & replied 'no i'm the pharmacist'...glancing at my inflatable shorts...
Friday, June 3, 2011
[ wellies!...]
sooooooo...i finally ordered 'rain boots' wellies for my boys, oscar 5 & flynn 3. we had been studying the internet for quite some days deciding on which style ~ believe me there are a lot to choose from! luckily the ones flynn picked out weren't available in his size because he changed his mind over the same pair... several times.
we finally decided which ones, police for oscar, firemen for flynn. i went to order them from amazon, & what... there were no size choices... how could this be! one boot fits all?
so i rang amazon & because it is an outside distributor all they could do is give me their number.
on the other distributor's website they were more expensive (of course!) ~ but the lovely company honored the lower price & when they checked, it had gone down even more! music to my ears!! to get free shipping i had to but myself a nice pair of all black converse chuck taylors, naturally ~ but it was all still a bargain!!!
everyday, at least three times, the boys would be asking me have the boots arrived yet? when will the boots be here? how many more days? have they forgotten them? can you ring & find out...
i pick the boys up from school yesterday & rush back for oscar's piano lesson. but wait.... what was on our porch, a big brown box... the boots had arrived! everyone was jumping up & down super excited, yelling to open the box. first though i had to find socks & help with those (putting on socks when you're super excited is not the easiest of tasks) (i've said it before & i'll say it again, thank goodness humans only have 2 feet!) i unwrap everything as fast as i can. oscar's came out first, tied together with that crazy elastic. next came flynn's. he's opening his box up in double speed... the first thing i notice is there's no elastic on flynn's... as i walk over to flynn i look at his boots in horror ~ they've sent 2 right feet!!! oh come on!! by now oscar is wearing his doing the welly dance shouting that these are the best boots in the world & that he LOVES them... poor flynn's face as i explain to him that there's been a mix up ~ i promise to sort it out...
doorbell rings ~ its the piano teacher
flynn & i decided to clean out our beta fish, spiderman, while oscar has his lesson. i carefully catch the fish in a small bowl, place it on the counter & proceed to clean the pebbles & vase. we'd just got everything clean when oscar comes in the kitchen crying.
he's had a falling out with his piano teacher!!! i think it was a mixture of tiredness, not wanting to practise & him hearing flynn & i having fun.
after i talk to the teacher & he talks to oscar & things seem to be better i decide to put the fish back into the nice clean vase. i look into the small bowl & just see water... i know i'm forgetful maybe i put the fish back & didn't remember... then it suddenly dawned on me..... oh no... kamikaze fish... he must have jumped out!! i start yelling to the boys to help me find him... i can't see him... i'm frantically looking everywhere... oscar has burst into tears saying he's dead... i run around to the other side of the worktop & i suddenly spot a little flipping fish on the floor... it's weird, 'spiderman' is really red in the water, but out of it he's nearly black. i try to get hold of him without damaging anything!! he seems [knock on wood] to be fine!!!
and.. i rang the company that sent the wrong boots & first of all they told me i had to send the old ones back first... but after i explain the situation & how upset flynn was they overnighted them!!
great company ~ i would definitely recommend them!!
www.shopwss.com
we finally decided which ones, police for oscar, firemen for flynn. i went to order them from amazon, & what... there were no size choices... how could this be! one boot fits all?
so i rang amazon & because it is an outside distributor all they could do is give me their number.
on the other distributor's website they were more expensive (of course!) ~ but the lovely company honored the lower price & when they checked, it had gone down even more! music to my ears!! to get free shipping i had to but myself a nice pair of all black converse chuck taylors, naturally ~ but it was all still a bargain!!!
everyday, at least three times, the boys would be asking me have the boots arrived yet? when will the boots be here? how many more days? have they forgotten them? can you ring & find out...
i pick the boys up from school yesterday & rush back for oscar's piano lesson. but wait.... what was on our porch, a big brown box... the boots had arrived! everyone was jumping up & down super excited, yelling to open the box. first though i had to find socks & help with those (putting on socks when you're super excited is not the easiest of tasks) (i've said it before & i'll say it again, thank goodness humans only have 2 feet!) i unwrap everything as fast as i can. oscar's came out first, tied together with that crazy elastic. next came flynn's. he's opening his box up in double speed... the first thing i notice is there's no elastic on flynn's... as i walk over to flynn i look at his boots in horror ~ they've sent 2 right feet!!! oh come on!! by now oscar is wearing his doing the welly dance shouting that these are the best boots in the world & that he LOVES them... poor flynn's face as i explain to him that there's been a mix up ~ i promise to sort it out...
doorbell rings ~ its the piano teacher
flynn & i decided to clean out our beta fish, spiderman, while oscar has his lesson. i carefully catch the fish in a small bowl, place it on the counter & proceed to clean the pebbles & vase. we'd just got everything clean when oscar comes in the kitchen crying.
he's had a falling out with his piano teacher!!! i think it was a mixture of tiredness, not wanting to practise & him hearing flynn & i having fun.
after i talk to the teacher & he talks to oscar & things seem to be better i decide to put the fish back into the nice clean vase. i look into the small bowl & just see water... i know i'm forgetful maybe i put the fish back & didn't remember... then it suddenly dawned on me..... oh no... kamikaze fish... he must have jumped out!! i start yelling to the boys to help me find him... i can't see him... i'm frantically looking everywhere... oscar has burst into tears saying he's dead... i run around to the other side of the worktop & i suddenly spot a little flipping fish on the floor... it's weird, 'spiderman' is really red in the water, but out of it he's nearly black. i try to get hold of him without damaging anything!! he seems [knock on wood] to be fine!!!
and.. i rang the company that sent the wrong boots & first of all they told me i had to send the old ones back first... but after i explain the situation & how upset flynn was they overnighted them!!
great company ~ i would definitely recommend them!!
www.shopwss.com
 |
| spiderman |
Friday, April 22, 2011
[ shopping... ]
sooooooo... today i had to do a bit of a major grocery shop... i whittled it down to 3 stores, armed with lists, oscar, 5, wearing a rescue backpack & answering to the name 'super spy' & 'knight flynn', 3, clad in robot helmet, blue plastic sword & riding a hobby horse... ok so that was my first mistake right there... how many times can i get poked by the sword & that stupid horse slowed us right down...
the first stop was whole foods... the boys have been out of sorts since we got back from our uk trip & were playing up pretty badly... we got in the same lady's way at least 19 times around the store & she was not impressed one little bit ~ i stopped apologizing after about the 4th time... i really felt she wanted me to say sorry for existing ~ but i'm not so la!
next stop sam's club... it was busy busy ~ boys were getting worse, thankfully we ditched the outfits & accessories!!
then wegmans ~ to be quite honest, by now, i'd had enough of the constant bickering... so we headed to 'w kids' ~ i love you wegmans! it was open & everything!! i dropped the kids off & did i skip away like dorothy down the yellow brick road to get the shopping done? hell yeah!
as i went up & down the aisles humming to song playing 'madonna borderline' ~ i was thinking things can't get much better than this!! i love madonna! i get to the olive bar... & spy the big green ones that are stuffed with red peppers... but these peppers look really lovely & red... as i have been caught out before & bought a whole tub of yucky olives i scoop one up to taste (my husband just thinks i'm a pikey!!) because i'm 'sampling', i don't muck around, chew it up & swallow... the heat hit me pretty much before i swallowed but it was too late... sweet jesus it was the hottest thing i have ever tasted... it burnt my throat, i didn't think i could speak then it hit the top of my stomach & literally set it alight, my eye lids were sweating... i had just eaten hell in an olive!!! when i reach the deli counter i have to cover my mouth with my hand because i was afraid of setting the woman next to me on fire with my breath...
i end up ring my husband, mike, to ask him if eating something really hot could kill me...
it turns out those olives were stuffed with 'piri piri' peppers, also known as bird's eye, African devil, or African red devil. It is a small, extremely spicy member of the Capsicum genus. lets just hope it doesn't burn exiting... first of all i can't believe there wasn't a warning... & secondly i can't see how anyone would enjoy eating them, but it takes all sorts.
on the way home we pass a field of goats... i said 'say hi to the goats guys' & i wave....
flynn says 'mum goats can't talk'
me 'how do you know?'
flynn 'i saw one open it's mouth & no words came out...'
fair enough!
the first stop was whole foods... the boys have been out of sorts since we got back from our uk trip & were playing up pretty badly... we got in the same lady's way at least 19 times around the store & she was not impressed one little bit ~ i stopped apologizing after about the 4th time... i really felt she wanted me to say sorry for existing ~ but i'm not so la!
next stop sam's club... it was busy busy ~ boys were getting worse, thankfully we ditched the outfits & accessories!!
then wegmans ~ to be quite honest, by now, i'd had enough of the constant bickering... so we headed to 'w kids' ~ i love you wegmans! it was open & everything!! i dropped the kids off & did i skip away like dorothy down the yellow brick road to get the shopping done? hell yeah!
as i went up & down the aisles humming to song playing 'madonna borderline' ~ i was thinking things can't get much better than this!! i love madonna! i get to the olive bar... & spy the big green ones that are stuffed with red peppers... but these peppers look really lovely & red... as i have been caught out before & bought a whole tub of yucky olives i scoop one up to taste (my husband just thinks i'm a pikey!!) because i'm 'sampling', i don't muck around, chew it up & swallow... the heat hit me pretty much before i swallowed but it was too late... sweet jesus it was the hottest thing i have ever tasted... it burnt my throat, i didn't think i could speak then it hit the top of my stomach & literally set it alight, my eye lids were sweating... i had just eaten hell in an olive!!! when i reach the deli counter i have to cover my mouth with my hand because i was afraid of setting the woman next to me on fire with my breath...
i end up ring my husband, mike, to ask him if eating something really hot could kill me...
it turns out those olives were stuffed with 'piri piri' peppers, also known as bird's eye, African devil, or African red devil. It is a small, extremely spicy member of the Capsicum genus. lets just hope it doesn't burn exiting... first of all i can't believe there wasn't a warning... & secondly i can't see how anyone would enjoy eating them, but it takes all sorts.
on the way home we pass a field of goats... i said 'say hi to the goats guys' & i wave....
flynn says 'mum goats can't talk'
me 'how do you know?'
flynn 'i saw one open it's mouth & no words came out...'
fair enough!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
[ wedding! ]
sooooooo... my lovely friend, pamela, invites my husband, mike & me to a wedding! her brother in law, who has made a lot of money, is getting married in nyc & spending a lot on this affair.
i excitedly accepted!! who doesn't love a wedding? (especially a lavish one!) & i already had a classic dress that cost me an arm & a leg when i was single thats only been worn twice.
the wedding website (!!!) is forwarded so i can get all the details...
the day of the wedding arrives... i have planned things in military procedure, our sons, oscar 5 & flynn 3 are going for a sleep over. i've packed enough stuff to survive most major emergencies! mike takes off early from work, i get a make over!
i feel a bit weird picking them up from school though... in my jeans & fancy up-do... & when someone asked me where i was going i really wanted to say, nowhere... i just fancied getting a 'do' to pick my kids!!
rush home, get dressed & we're off! mike in his tuxedo, me in my big dress...
after leaving the kids with our lovely friends, the kovacs, we get onto the turnpike & it wasn't until we were nearly at the lincoln tunnel that mike asks & i have no idea what made him ask it... it is black tie isn't it?
my response was of course it is ~ that's what the groom is wearing in the illustration on the wedding website... & it's at a really fancy place & a very extravagant function... i even back it by saying ~ i'm 110% sure it's black tie.
i look up the wedding website (!!!), right then, to double check... but i can't see it written anywhere... right at the same moment mike asks, you have seen it written somewhere haven't you? erm... i'll text pamela just to put your mind at ease... 10 seconds after the text went she calls me... no it's not black tie... all the men are wearing suits... just the groom will be in a tuxedo...
an exhausted mike, who has been working really long hours, says he can't go like this... people will think he works there & will be handing him glasses & ordering cocktails...
i'm sitting there letting the reality sink in... not just the tux fiasco... i have fringing feathers in my hair... i call up my lovely friend jenn, who has the kids, & announce it's not black tie, she can't hear me because of kid noise, again i say it's not black tie... after repeating that sentence several times she hears... there was an ooooh... followed by laughter!!! the whole thing is funny i have to admit...(well it is now!!) i really feel mikes pain & although the suggestions are heartfelt & appreciated, they weren't going to fix the situation... my dress cost way too much money to cut a couple of feet off the bottom... & taking off his jacket wasn't going to fly.
mike really wanted to go home, or just go for a meal on our own... i was beginning to think i really had just got a 'do' to pick the kids up! but i kept pushing... we were so close, we'd made a lot of effort, it would be ok once we got there, we just needed to change a couple of things...
mike suggested burlington coat factory, BRILLIANT idea, they have lots of suits & dresses for good prices. thank goodness we have a GPS ~ & there was one 5 minutes away from us! things were looking up... after sitting in traffic for another half an hour we made it there... what a total dive this store was... imagine the surprise of the other customers as we stroll in... i have to admit i did feel a tad over dressed...
mike went to the suits, i went to the dresses... unless i was spending the day at the beach, there was nothing appropriate ~ i head over to mike, who has found a really nice suit. we also grab a belt & he heads off to the fitting room... of course the trousers aren't hemmed... i ask at customer service if they have any pins? 'no' - tape? 'no'... mmmmmmmmm. as i walk away i suddenly think new shirts have pins in them... i open a couple of packets & pull out some...
good job mike is so tall ~ i think we can get away with not doing anything with the trousers!
we get back into the car after paying & i suddenly realize i don't have the usual bag with me ~ so i have no scissors to cut the million sewn on labels & tags... so we go back to the store & ask to borrow scissors ~ i was expecting a 'no', but hooray they have some!!! i suggest to mike to go back to the fitting room & get changed but he's not up for that... instead he strips off in the car lot!! i'm thinking this will be the next thing ~ we'll be arrested for indecent exposure!!! everything's good ~ mike looks great & off we go... i could down play my outfit, take the feathers out of my hair... but then i thought no... meghan, who did my hair, did a FABULOUS job... i'm not going to change anything!!
we finally arrive ~ not too late... we can hear the ceremony going on & both need a bathroom break before joining the other guests... a man in a tux came out of the bathroom & i was just about to say look mike! but then i noticed he had a walkie talkie in his hand...
we catch the end of the ceremony ~ get a drink from the bar, sit at a candlelit table overlooking the river, get offered lots of delicious nibbles from passing waiters, smile at each other & everything is good...
the wedding was really great! worth all the effort! there's nothing like good food, wine, dancing & friends!
i excitedly accepted!! who doesn't love a wedding? (especially a lavish one!) & i already had a classic dress that cost me an arm & a leg when i was single thats only been worn twice.
the wedding website (!!!) is forwarded so i can get all the details...
the day of the wedding arrives... i have planned things in military procedure, our sons, oscar 5 & flynn 3 are going for a sleep over. i've packed enough stuff to survive most major emergencies! mike takes off early from work, i get a make over!
i feel a bit weird picking them up from school though... in my jeans & fancy up-do... & when someone asked me where i was going i really wanted to say, nowhere... i just fancied getting a 'do' to pick my kids!!
rush home, get dressed & we're off! mike in his tuxedo, me in my big dress...
after leaving the kids with our lovely friends, the kovacs, we get onto the turnpike & it wasn't until we were nearly at the lincoln tunnel that mike asks & i have no idea what made him ask it... it is black tie isn't it?
my response was of course it is ~ that's what the groom is wearing in the illustration on the wedding website... & it's at a really fancy place & a very extravagant function... i even back it by saying ~ i'm 110% sure it's black tie.
i look up the wedding website (!!!), right then, to double check... but i can't see it written anywhere... right at the same moment mike asks, you have seen it written somewhere haven't you? erm... i'll text pamela just to put your mind at ease... 10 seconds after the text went she calls me... no it's not black tie... all the men are wearing suits... just the groom will be in a tuxedo...
an exhausted mike, who has been working really long hours, says he can't go like this... people will think he works there & will be handing him glasses & ordering cocktails...
i'm sitting there letting the reality sink in... not just the tux fiasco... i have fringing feathers in my hair... i call up my lovely friend jenn, who has the kids, & announce it's not black tie, she can't hear me because of kid noise, again i say it's not black tie... after repeating that sentence several times she hears... there was an ooooh... followed by laughter!!! the whole thing is funny i have to admit...(well it is now!!) i really feel mikes pain & although the suggestions are heartfelt & appreciated, they weren't going to fix the situation... my dress cost way too much money to cut a couple of feet off the bottom... & taking off his jacket wasn't going to fly.
mike really wanted to go home, or just go for a meal on our own... i was beginning to think i really had just got a 'do' to pick the kids up! but i kept pushing... we were so close, we'd made a lot of effort, it would be ok once we got there, we just needed to change a couple of things...
mike suggested burlington coat factory, BRILLIANT idea, they have lots of suits & dresses for good prices. thank goodness we have a GPS ~ & there was one 5 minutes away from us! things were looking up... after sitting in traffic for another half an hour we made it there... what a total dive this store was... imagine the surprise of the other customers as we stroll in... i have to admit i did feel a tad over dressed...
mike went to the suits, i went to the dresses... unless i was spending the day at the beach, there was nothing appropriate ~ i head over to mike, who has found a really nice suit. we also grab a belt & he heads off to the fitting room... of course the trousers aren't hemmed... i ask at customer service if they have any pins? 'no' - tape? 'no'... mmmmmmmmm. as i walk away i suddenly think new shirts have pins in them... i open a couple of packets & pull out some...
good job mike is so tall ~ i think we can get away with not doing anything with the trousers!
we get back into the car after paying & i suddenly realize i don't have the usual bag with me ~ so i have no scissors to cut the million sewn on labels & tags... so we go back to the store & ask to borrow scissors ~ i was expecting a 'no', but hooray they have some!!! i suggest to mike to go back to the fitting room & get changed but he's not up for that... instead he strips off in the car lot!! i'm thinking this will be the next thing ~ we'll be arrested for indecent exposure!!! everything's good ~ mike looks great & off we go... i could down play my outfit, take the feathers out of my hair... but then i thought no... meghan, who did my hair, did a FABULOUS job... i'm not going to change anything!!
we finally arrive ~ not too late... we can hear the ceremony going on & both need a bathroom break before joining the other guests... a man in a tux came out of the bathroom & i was just about to say look mike! but then i noticed he had a walkie talkie in his hand...
we catch the end of the ceremony ~ get a drink from the bar, sit at a candlelit table overlooking the river, get offered lots of delicious nibbles from passing waiters, smile at each other & everything is good...
the wedding was really great! worth all the effort! there's nothing like good food, wine, dancing & friends!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
snake!!!!
sooooooo... guess what! we were all at the park after school & my lovely friend, theresa, spies a [huge] snake!!! i resisted screaming a snake! a snake! but i know she's at one with nature & so i yelled catch it! catch it! no way did i expect her to actually go after it ~ but she did!! i obviously helped from a safe 8ft away... this snake traveled fast!! when she grabbed it half way down it's body the snake immediately turned around & tried to bite her! i'm squirming on one foot... seriously i would have dropped that sucker & run ~ but she quickly grabbed it round the neck!
i have to say i was amazed! & very proud!!! she'd be my first choice of being stranded in the wilderness with!!
when she let it go ~ i asked weren't you scared... she said no because she knew it wasn't venomous...
oh dear:
"Garters were long thought to be nonvenomous, but recent discoveries have revealed that they do in fact produce a mild neurotoxic venom. Garter snakes can't kill an individual with the amounts of venom they produce, which is comparatively mild, and they also they lack an effective means of delivering it. They do have enlarged teeth in the back of their mouth, but their gums are significantly larger. Whereas most venomous snakes have anterior or forward venom glands, the Duvernoy's gland of garters are posterior (to the rear) of the snake's eyes. The mild poison is spread into wounds through a chewing action. The properties of the venom are not well known, but it appears to contain 3FTx, commonly known as three-finger toxin, which is a neurotoxin commonly found in the venom of colubrids and elapids. A bite may result in mild swelling and an itching sensation. There are no known cases of serious injury and extremely few with symptoms of envenomation."
i have to say i was amazed! & very proud!!! she'd be my first choice of being stranded in the wilderness with!!
when she let it go ~ i asked weren't you scared... she said no because she knew it wasn't venomous...
oh dear:
"Garters were long thought to be nonvenomous, but recent discoveries have revealed that they do in fact produce a mild neurotoxic venom. Garter snakes can't kill an individual with the amounts of venom they produce, which is comparatively mild, and they also they lack an effective means of delivering it. They do have enlarged teeth in the back of their mouth, but their gums are significantly larger. Whereas most venomous snakes have anterior or forward venom glands, the Duvernoy's gland of garters are posterior (to the rear) of the snake's eyes. The mild poison is spread into wounds through a chewing action. The properties of the venom are not well known, but it appears to contain 3FTx, commonly known as three-finger toxin, which is a neurotoxin commonly found in the venom of colubrids and elapids. A bite may result in mild swelling and an itching sensation. There are no known cases of serious injury and extremely few with symptoms of envenomation."
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| all snakes are huge! |
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