Rotten Cherry

Wow, there are just some days I would like to take a Louisville Slugger and take my frustrations out on a car, building................person.
After Roger losing his job in May and struggling with the blow to his self esteem that caused, he finally pulled himself up, formed his own company and has been working very steadily at trying to rebuild his life.
Today he received a cease and desist letter from his ex-employer stating that he cannot compete with them. Of course, the nature of his business does not compete with them, his company is basically the same as any other installation company that they might choose to hire to install their equipment. He does not distribute nor manufacture anything. We, of course, know from whence this little bomb originated.
I find it interesting that a big company would want a loyal employee of 20 years who found himself expendable through no fault of his own, to not have any means of producing a livelihood for himself. Neither of us are old enough for Medicare which means we have no health insurance, and with no jobs we certainly can't afford to pay a monthly premium to an independent insurance carrier. I guess they would prefer that we set fire to our house while we are asleep at night and just vanish from the face of the earth. That way they wouldn't have to run the risk of seeing Roger and have to face how they shafted him.
I am literally so furious that I can hardly speak. Therefore, my post shall be short.
I did want to publish for posterity that the beautiful Genevieve broke her sweet little arm this weekend. She is taking it like the trooper she is and hopefully it will all be nothing but a memory soon.
I am posting some pix of G and A's Halloween attire and a picture of each with me at lunch on Sunday. Love my little Edwards Girls! All 3 of them!
Bye!

Up On Cripple Creek

Have no idea how I manage to damage myself to such a large degree but I seem to have a talent for it. My left foot is causing me so much pain that it is distracting to say the least. I have had some injuries to my feet and ankles so I'm sure one of the "Ritis" brothers has moved in and set up shop.
When Roger and I were heavy into the kitchen remodel, I was on a step ladder and the door of the fridge that I was bracing myself on swung open and my foot slipped on the rung. I have a spur in the instep of this particular foot and all my weight (which is considerable) concentrated right on that spur area! Yikes.........the words I said are not fit to print. Everyone should go wash your eyes immediately because I'm sure the foulness of my language will seep through the print. However, that was months ago and the last week, my foot has been throbbing and I can put no weight on it at all which means I'm hobbling along which is now causing the pain to radiate into my calf, knee, thigh and hip.
The only redeeming thing is that right now I have absolutely no where that is necessary to go.
I am putting off my housekeeping duties until Thursday trying to give "footsie" time to feel better and to allow the cleaning to maybe last until Kaylee gets home from her trip.
Roger continues to pull his nursing duty in Greenwood. Honestly, I saw more of him when he was living in Kansas City. Good news here is that Grandpa B seems to getting better everyday. On a positive note, when Roger isn't here I can watch Dancing With the Stars without a constant running critical commentary. I still don't know who I want to win this year, Brooke Burke is absolutely phenomenal but I just don't like her much. I'm sort of pulling for Warren Sapp because he is very likeable, tries really hard and is paired with a girl that has had "duds" for partners forever and I'd like to see her get a break. Plus the football player is amazingly light on his feet for a "tank" of a man.
I am very sorry to report that Debbra's brother has passed away. I know how very difficult this is for someone having lost both of my brothers in a really short period of time. I feel very badly for her and if my foot feels like going, I will try to go to the funeral to lend my moral support.
Weeeeeeeeeeeeeel, can't think of another thing to write about. Since I already know all this and no one else reads or comments. I think I'll go put my old sore foot up in the bed.
Wish I had someone to bring me a Cherry Creme Slush from Sonic.
Smmmmmmmmmoochies~

All the news that's fit to print.....

There really isn't a lot going on right now. I filed for my unemployment yesterday and I feel mixed emotions about that. I hate being handed something for nothing, but then I also hate not having any $ to contribute to the common good of my household. And since Roger and I are both dealing with no insurance (blah, blah, blah, blah, blah) and neither of us are old enough to qualify for Medicare, we have to be able to buy medicine, etc. Anyhoo, my benefit will be more than I could make working an entry level job somewhere so...........
I don't know what is wrong with my foot, it hurts so bad I can hardly put it on the ground to walk. It seems to be worse in the mornings when I first get up but if I have to stand on it for any length of time, it starts to scream in protest. Perhaps it is telling me "Hey, fat girl, lose some weight!"
I have a Mary Kay inventory coming in (should be today). My MK business is funny, I will go about 3 months and not sell a thing and then Bam! out of the woodwork I'll do a 2-300 week!
The work for Bellah's is swiftly drying up, there won't be much more to do there after about the middle of November. Terry has been accepted to culinary school in France so he will be bound for Paree in Feb. I'm really thrilled for him.
Well, I have a hair appointment at 10:00 so I guess I'd better shake my tail feathers and scoot.
:)

Solitary Cherry

I'm home alone again tonight. Roger is in Greenwood sitting with his dad. I did get to watch "Dancing With The Stars" without any comments from my non-dancing husband.
I painted my first masterpiece (and I use the term loosely) today. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed painting. I'm not very good at it but I really love doing it so I will probably continue. I bought really cheap brushes and a very limited palette of oils to start. I hate to put a lot of money into a new project and have it turn up occupying space in a closet at some point.
I placed a Mary Kay order tonight since I was in my second quarter of inactivity. My BFF Judy ordered a bunch of stuff so I could justify restocking my shelves. Plus, some of the things she was wanting I didn't have on hand.
I took my old couch (which was my mom's old couch) to Tommy Jack and Debbra. It is kind of like that commercial on TV. What happens when YOU get new furniture........someone else gets new furniture too. It is still in decent shape and if they ever could afford a reupholster job it would be a great piece of furniture. It is just a little tired looking but justifiably so since it is probably 20 years old or close to it.
Tomorrow I don my "Hazel" personna and clean for Kaylee. And I need to get to Dillards and have them do a personalized fitting for new unmentionables (on top...not on bottom). Ewww! And I am going to try to get to the unemployment office this week and file for that so I can have a little income.
Gotta run and get some things done before bed.
Smoochies!
PS, this is what I looked like in high school. Check out the helmet hair. Roger said it looked like I had a hair bowling ball on my head.

Circus Cherries

Wow! I just finished watching the DVD that Kaylee brought back from the Boston Cirque Du Soleil show. What an amazing performance. Seeing one of these shows has been added to things to do before I die (Bucket List) along with skydiving and traveling to a foreign country. I have watched a lot of the documentaries about the auditions and the cast formations for these productions. I can't even imagine what it costs to stage these and pay these amazingly talented athletes. I really enjoyed watching it....thanks Kaylee for making it available to me.
I have my own circus performer here in the form of Veronica the dog. She can jump a 6 foot privacy fence in a single bound. After 2 days of being left off the tether and being very good, today she decided to vault the fence and then proceeded to run the neighborhood like a crazed jungle monkey for the better part of an hour. She was never out of my sight but she would run from me like she had never seen me before in her life. She is soooooo stupid! My life is pretty much completely centered around tying her up, untangling her, making her quit barking (caused by being tied up too much) or hunting her down when she leaves the Ponderosa. It doesn't help that I genuinely love those little strays and want them to have only good things in life. I guess everyone has a cross to bear and she is mine.....it's going to be a long long life!
Roger's dad continues to improve and we are all thankful for that. He and his sibs are taking turns staying with Grandma and Grandpa when there is not a home health care nurse available. I know they are all tired.
I bought some painting supplies and am going to try to pick up my art skills that have lain dormant for lo these many years. If money were not an issue I would take lessons again. I'd also love to learn to quilt. Life is funny, if you have money you have no time. When you have time you have no money. Who says God doesn't have a sense of humor? So far, I have gessoed my canvases so maybe tomorrow I'll actually pick up a brush and wait to be inspired.
Tuesday and Thursday I will clean for Kaylee again. I think maybe it went to hell in a hand basket over the weekend which was understandable since the "littles" probably wanted her to spend as much time as possible loving on them. The laundry is a big issue since little people go through lots of clothes.
I think I've got the micey people under control for a while, but if darling husband doesn't put "Finis" on the remodel I'm going to go live in the field and let them have it. I really want this all done before holidays. We are the world's worst at starting stuff and not finishing it.
Well, I'm putting the crust on the pie for tonight. Here's hoping that everyone's week is as rosy as cherry jam.
Smoochies!

Week and WeakEnd!

Yep, I know I misspelled it but it is true my end is weak! I have had a busy week this week. While darling daughter was on her trip to Boston I had the pleasure of making sure the "littles" were up and at school on time Monday through Thursday. It was quite an experience beginning with the fact that I am not used to arising from my warm and snuggly at 5:15 am. But I did manage to be on time so Matt could leave for work by 6:00. I usually did a load of laundry while waiting for the girls to arise and get their mojos working. They sort of like to veg on the couch after awakening for a while with their milk and watch TV. Then they are ready for breakfast. Genevieve is into Frosted Flakes so hers was easy. Audrey wanted toast with "white" butter and honey. This was a little trickier. Matt and Kaylee were almost out of butter so I had to put the butter tub in the microwave and melt what was there and pour it on her toast which meant she couldn't see it. That took some convincing that she did indeed have "white" butter. And to make matters worse I kept forgetting to take butter with me each morning. I did leave the container on the counter one day thinking Matt would notice, however, he very helpfully returned the empty butter container to the fridge :)
Hairdos were challenging because I'm just not used to doing anyone's hair which should be apparent by looking at mine. However, the girls and I bargained that they could have any kind of hairdo they wanted any day but Wednesday. Wednesday was picture retake day and I needed to make sure they looked good. This meant that Monday and Tuesday they both had 3 ponytails each!
Wednesday, Roger went with me to help since I knew hair was going to take longer than usual. We got them done in pretty good shape, left for school and the traffic was terrible and we wound up being maybe 2 minutes late but after pleading insanity with both their teachers they took pity on me and let it slide. However, I did find out later that the girls are supposed to wear shorts under their dresses which they didn't do and as a result got teased at school because someone saw their panties! Oooops, I felt just horrible about this. The big question was why Genevieve didn't tell me. Bear in mind this was the only day she didn't remark there was some required item of clothing that she was supposed to wear. If I had taken her to school wearing everything she told me she was supposed to wear she would have looked like she escaped from the circus. Wednesday was the day that Audrey told her Pawpaw his head was too big for my car and that it was going to bust out. Now everytime I try to get him to go somewhere in my car, he tells me his head is too big. Thanks Audrey for giving him a reason...he doesn't particularly like to go anywhere in my car because he can't smoke.
Thursday I cleaned house for Kaylee after dropping the girls off. I waited to do it on the day she was coming home so she would come back to a nice clean house. I know how nice that is after a long and tiring trip.
We are still on Grandpa B duty off and on. He is doing so much better at home than we could have expected. We are blessed that the whole nursing home debacle didn't cause anymore problems than it did.
We had big plans to work on finishing our house this weekend but now Roger is sick with a cold so I know that won't happen still yet again. And we have so many open spaces and holes right now that the little micey people are trying to come in and reside because it is getting downright chilly outside at night. So far I have trapped 2 of the little pests. I wish they would not make this necessary and stay on their own turf. After all, I don't try to live in their house, they shouldn't try to live in mine.
Shutting down now and going to bed. Maybe I can get good and asleep before Roger comes to bed and wakes me up with his fits of coughing and sneezing.
Cherry Kisses!
:)

Sighs and groans and cherry stones

One thing you can be sure of is that life continues to hurl those curve balls in your direction. Sometimes you hit it out of the park and others you strike out.
When I was in high school, my senior class was extremely close and we have remained so for 40 years. We've all managed to stay connected and in touch with each other no matter how far we drifted from our home park. Our senior class president was a fun loving guy who began every meeting we had with the phrase, "I'm just so proud to be here." He was the oldest son of a woman who had lost her husband too early and worked in the drug store with my mom to raise her boys. Keith was a cowboy through and through, always the big stetson hat, the big shiny belt buckle, the big wad of "chew" in his jaw and the impeccable manners of a boy who learned early that women should be respected and treasured. Keith had a difficult time finding a girl to date in high school. We all loved him but to us he was our brother and we could never find it in ourselves to regard him otherwise. He had a huge crush on me for a long time and I think he had great hopes that our senior trip to Rockaway Beach, Missouri might cause me to see him in a whole different light. But it didn't, he was always "Banty Wayne" a nickname given to him by our football coach because of his scrappy personality on the football field. The coach told him he reminded him of a little Banty rooster and Keith embraced that title as he embraced everything else. Having no dad, I think he was so pleased that someone cared enough to label him and tease him because it meant they cared.
Since we all stayed in touch when I was a single mom living in Fort Smith with Kaylee I would see Keith from time to time. He worked for the FFA as a director of their fundraising projects. If you ever have the chance to purchase the FFA meats, you need to, they are great. Anyway, Keith would travel through Fort Smith about 4 times a year. He always planned his trips to overnight in Fort Smith and he would take me to dinner and take me dancing and show me a great time. And when he left, he made sure my freezer was stocked with bacon, ham and sausage. Sometimes when he came through town, he was married, sometimes he was single but it didn't matter he always checked on me and made sure I wasn't needing anything. Keith was a hard working, fun loving, beer drinking, lover of women and life. And he is gone. I learned yesterday that he died after suffering a heart attack. My sadness is great. My first thought was I am so glad that my BFF Helen is not alive to suffer this. She and Keith grew up together and were certainly as close as siblings. I don't think Helen could have stood losing Keith so now I know why God took Helen first. But one thing I know for sure is that as soon as Keith arrived in Heaven, he marched right up to those pearly gates and proclaimed, "I'm just so proud to be here!" And Keith, I am just so proud to have known you and been your friend for most of my life. I know you will put in a good word for me and I know just what you'll say.....Aw...you can let her in, she's a good 'ole gal. I love you and will miss you Banty more than I can say.

Let's all have Cherry Fizzes!

Huge day yesterday in the accomplishments sector. Got all the laundry done and got some straightening up done in bedroom, office and both bathrooms. I really wish we could finish the remodel of the kitchen, it is really starting to wear on my nerves.
I'm really enjoying the housecleaning thing for Kaylee. I'm there alone except for Amber who just lays on the couch and watches (until I bring out the vacuum, then she goes on high alert). And, I am very appreciative of the fact that the Edwards family keeps it in good shape between visits. Typically there is little tidying to do and I can concentrate on getting the things done that really matter like laundry, dishes, vacuuming, dusting, & bathrooms. I love leaving it all nice and neat. I know that makes Kaylee feel better to come home to a nice clean house.
This week I will be taking G and A to school each day so I will have to drag my carcass out of the bed extra early. I am looking foward to it, they are usually really happy to go to school so that makes it loads easier for me.
My new business venture has taken a sudden down turn and I think I'm going to pull it off of life support. There is just something about my personality that seems to invite people to take advantage of me. I am just unwilling to put up with "crap" anymore so I'm going to let my potential "partner" take it and run with it if she can. I stay pretty busy with my own stuff anyway, unfortunately it doesn't pay worth a dang!
On a happier note, Roger's dad is really responding well to being back at home. Hopefully, we can all reach some conclusion about how to continue this type of treatment for him. How thoughtless we were to have not made sure that someone in the family was a nurse. We could really use one right now.
I'm going to run away from the blog right now. Perhaps I shall return if something truly exciting happens today. In the meantime, make your little darlings a cherry fizz. Put 2 fingers of cherry syrup (or raspberry or strawberry) in a tall glass, add 4 fingers of heavy cream and top off with ginger ale, 7-up, Sierra Mist, etc) stir and squirt some good ole canned whipped cream on top, give 'em a cherry garnish and a straw and let them enjoy!
Smoochies!

Too Pooped to Pop!

Well, after an eventful 2 days in the nursing home, Grandpa is back in his own place. The nursing home kept breaking him so everyone decided he was better off in his own digs. I have worked a ton the last 2 weeks doing stuff for Terry and cleaning for Kaylee and I'm pretty well done in. Roger has spent way too many nights away from home with no rest and I know he's exhausted. Hopefully we will have a very low key weekend. I will be on Edwards Littles duty next week while darling daughter is in Bean Town for training.
My week was upsetting on lots of levels but perhaps the most upsetting was the realization that my new business venture was shaping up to be a train wreck. Somehow the wheels I set in motion became someone elses' idea of a way to "screw" me. I'm really tired of this whole mind set that I'm not smart enough to know what is going on. And....lie to me once....shame on you...lie to me twice....shame on me! I am not ever going to give someone the opportunity to lead me down the primrose path again. So I have shut the door on that and I'm not looking back.
I am pretty tired tonight so my post is short. No one ever reads this thing anyway but I really enjoy having the chance to capture my thoughts. Sweet dreams to all and to all a goodnight!