I don’t need no one
to tell me about Heaven
I look at my daughter
and I believe

Daughter - Live

Stuff Portrait Day brought to you by Kristine at Random and Odd. This week’s theme, song lyrics. I love this song.
Did you play?

So, Friday was a bad day. My husband flew home from NYC and rented a car at the airport. He was only going to be home for the weekend before flying back out to Tampa, fl and his company car in still in ATL. Confused yet?

Anyway, rented a car, came home. We picked the younger two kids up from school, went back home and met the oldest getting off the bus. My husband was “bored” and wanted to go do something. He planned on taking the kids out for ice cream then taking them to Walmart to buy something. He’s the fun parent.

So, off we went. That’s when the hit and run happen. See below.

We are all ok.

I’m still pissed by this man’s total lack of moral compass.

So, we get home and I UPS arrives with the Mother’s Day present I bought myself. I refer to it as the Dooce Bag.

Also seen here. And envied here. Which is where I first saw it and decided I HAD TO HAVE IT!

Although her her bag is a different pattern that mine, it’s the same bag.
And, It’s awesome. So much better than even the picture can so. I could easily fit a small child in there. I made sure to thank my husband and children for their thoughtfulness for such a wonderful gift. They all just nodded in agreement.

Then, Saturday, we spent the day finishing all those projects around the house that depsperatly needed to be done. A piece of trim along the back roofline needed to be replace, then it all needed to be repainted. I pulled all the grass out of my flower bed. Why I can grow grass in the flowerbed but not in the actual yard is a mystery, but hopefully will soon be someone else’s problem.

We both pretty much collapsed with exhaustion by the end of the day.

Sunday, we had invited my MIL and her “Gentleman Friend” to a late lunch for Mother’s Day. This was a feat in magnanimity for me seeing as how the two of us simply do not get along. The meal was nice and uneventful. We went to a really great locally owned steak house. The bill was insane.

After lunch/dinner, my husband and I went to see Iron Man. This is where I break out in Nelson’s rendition of Iron Man:

I am Iron Man

do do do do do do do

Vote for me

The movie was FANTASTIC. Really the best comic book turn movie I’ve seen. Robert Downy Jr was perfect for the role. I love how it was updated. The computer and robots made me laugh.

Our weekend was rounded out by a 6am flight to Tampa on Monday. My husband was up and out of the house by 3am to drive the hour to the airport. He’s staying out for 2 weeks which is going to drive me crazy. He was just out for 3 weeks this last time.

So, as for the house situation. I’m starting to panic a bit. The back up offer we made has now gone into effect. We have 2 weeks to walk away without loosing our earnest money. Also, 2 weeks to get all of the inspections and stuff done. However, we still haven’t sold THIS house. Haven’t even gotten an offer yet. We did have a showing this morning that I feel positive about. I hope I hear something soon. At this point I’d honestly take just about anything just to get out of this house. I’m ready to have my husband back. 8yrs is long enough.

In school the other day, my 13yr old was learning about “divorcing your parents”. The teacher told the class that at age 15 you can go to court and legally “divorce” your parents. One kid pipes up with “That’s what I’m gonna do, the minute I turn 15″

My boy answers with “Not me. I’m sticking with my mom till she throws me out!”

And I have a feeling he will.

After my husband came home today, we went for lunch, then picked the kids up from school. We were on our way to get ice cream and going down a side road that’s pretty heavily traveled. The speed limit is 35, but no one ever goes 35. Dennie was driving (the rental car) and going about 45 and this guy was tailgating us BAD. So, Dennie slowed down to 35, the speed limit, just as a way to say “Hey buddy, slow the fuck down”. We got to a stop light and the guy got in the turning lane. We went straight and suddenly this guy was behind us again. We think he got in the turn lane to try to get around us, but then couldn’t because of traffic. Anyway, he’s still tailgating us. Someone stopped in front of us to turn. We stopped. This guy didn’t. He hit us. Dennie put the car in park, expecting to get out and get insurance info, etc. This guy swerves around us and TAKES OFF. We put the car in drive and start following him and he’s FLYING. Going through stop signs, running red lights. We couldn’t keep up with him. All the time, Dennie is yelling at me to “Call 911″. I left my phone at home and his was in his pants pocket so I’m yelling “Where’s your fucking phone?” I finally got the phone and called the police, but we had already lost him at that point so we pulled over and waited for the police officer. We filed a report, but unfortunately we could never get close enough to get a license plate number so the chances are slim to none that this guy will get caught.
It pisses me off, not that he hit us, because accidents happen, but that he could just leave like that. Actively trying to get away. We had KIDS in the car. What if someone had been hurt. He just didn’t give a shit. What kind of person does that?
The up side, I guess, is that
It wasn’t my car
It’s covered under the companies insurance since they rented it (and they were contacted and are ok with covering it. It’s under the corporate policy anyway)
Everyone is ok

However, it if HAD been my tank, chances are the guy would have been stuck under my bumper and unable to get away.

I am sore. My head, neck and shoulders are stiff. I have a chiropractor that I see regularly anyway, so I will probably take everyone to see him on Monday., It kinda pisses me off that it will be on my dime since this guy got away.

Stuff Portrait Friday: Creative Zen Photo 30G MP3 player. My favorite thing to do is load audiobooks on it and listen while I work.
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Check out Kristine at Random and Odd for more details

One thing I think I really have a knack for is gift giving. With a specialty in card giving.

I will stand in the card isle for hours searching for the perfect card. The one that conveys exactly what I want to say. My favorite story to tell about this involved my BIL.

A few years ago, we went to Texas to visit my BIL, SIL, and 1yr old neice. My inlaws have birthdays within a week of each other, and my neice was born 2 weeks before that, so everyone’s birthdays were falling right in teh same time we were there. With all the hub bub over my nieces 1st birthday, my SIL had kinda gotten forgotten. Well, I wasn’t going to let THAT happen.

I found out that my BIL had forgotten to get her anything and he asked if I would run out and get a card. He’d take her out to dinner that night and she’d never know he had forgotten. So, off I went.

After about 20 mins I found it. It was perfect. It was all about sharing a life with a person and loving their quirks. There was a snippet about closet space. They had JUST remodeled and build in more closet space in their bedroom. It was perfect. I took it back and snuck it to him to sign and give to her. She loved it. She talked about it all week. She showed it to everyone. She gushed about how perfect the card was and how sweet he was to pick it out just for her. My work was done.

Every year I take great care to think of perfect gifts to reflect who I’m giving to and what they meant to me. I started a tradition of giving my niece a charm every year for Christmas. The first year she got the bracelet to put the charms on and a bear charm because Bear was part of her nickname. The next year they moved and bought a new house. I searched and searched and found a house charm for her bracelet. Last year for her birthday I bought her a butterfly garden, and at Christmas I found a butterfly charm. I start thinking about what charm to get her for Christmas around July.

All of this brings me to dance recital gifts. Dance is nw to us this year, adn I wasn’t familiar with recital gifts. It seems that flowers are pretty standard. Flowers rock. What girl doesn’t like getting flowers. I buy myself 2 bouquets a week. One goes on my hearth and the other on my kitchen table. Flowers bring a room alive. Flowers are also cliche. I’ve never been one to fall in line and do what everyone else is doing. If everyone else is giving flowers, or the newest twist, cookie bouquets, I was going to be different.

So, I went on a search.

I found the perfect gift. It just happens to be a charm bracelet. With a charm that expresses what I want more than anything for my daughter … “Believe in yourself”

Instead of waiting until after the recital, I’m going to give it to her just before and see if she can wear it during. Just a reminder that she can do anything.

And, ok, I might have flowers for after the recital, just because…who doesn’t like flowers

Apparently I was a hit back in March when we went to Atlanta and I met “the guys” at the office. Nice to know my boobs leave an impression. Can’t wait to hear what they think of my ass.

So, not much progress since the last post. Still trying to sell this house.

We had an Open House on Sunday. I spent the whole week busting my ass cleaning, packing, organizing, painting, and staging. The house looked FANTASTIC. The rain that was supposed to come held off and it was a beautiful day. The perfect day to sell a house.

No one showed up

At all

Not one person

And, my Realtor was late showing up.

She’s “busy”. Busy doing everything BUT selling my house.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, she wanted me to consider dropping my price. Ummm, maybe after being on the market longer that 2 months we can talk about that. As it is, we already have it so low that we aren’t really making anything. You know, we aren’t trying to get rich here. We just want to move. I just want to live in the same state my husband works in.

Even no one showing up didn’t bring me down. I was proud of all the work I had put into the house and I wasnt going to let anything bring me down. I was sure that I would get a call for a showing anyway. So far, no.

AND…

THE HOUSE. The one we want in Dacula….looks like the previous contract might go through after all. Seems the other buyers got their finances together. They are supposed to close next week.

This has GOT to be against the Geneva Convention. It’s inhumane torture.

4 YEARS OF AGE  ~  My Mommy can do anything!

65 YEARS OF AGE  ~  Wish I could talk it over with Mom…

Put on your Earth Shoes,  plant a tree and recycle something!

How Earth concious are you?

I try to be more and more. I do drive a huge SUV. I hate that it’s a gas hog, but I can’t fit all of us into the smaller cars and the newer eco-friendly SUV are $60-$65K!! I mean really??!!??

To balance that out, I recycle everything. My recycling bin runneth over. I usually have 2 bags of actual trash for the week.  After we move I’m planning on composting a lot of that.

I take my own bags to the store. I have collected about 11 of them now. My favorites are my Cart Helper bags http://www.reusablebags.com/store/packntote-grocery-cart-helper-bags-p-982.html

These bags rock! I also have a various store bags from Harris Teeter to Trader Joes. My family has started buying them for me. The bonus is, I get 10 cents off my groceries per bag.

Everyday I’m learning and trying to do more. I think those Hippies were on to something.